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Latest PMF Match Headlines
Reserve League Matches - November 9
Group A - Group B - Group C - Group D
Arsenal vs Birmingham City
Gunners fans came out hoping that boss Max
Powers would return some smiles to their faces against Division 3
opposition Birmingham City. Both sides have been sadly out of form of
late and would be hoping to provide some entertainment for today's
healthy Highbury crowd.
It wasn't to be though, as not even one
shot was registered in the entire first 40 minutes. Add to this, none
of the players looked interested, even though Arsenal's side was made
almost completely of young reserves no doubt needing to impress.
The final five minutes of the half provided
a rare flurry of action, when Arsenal's Haitian teenager Ricardo
Pierre-Louis headed wide when it would've looked easier to get it on
target. The little striker kicked the ground in frustration as the
header floated harmlessly wide.
Half Time Score: Arsenal 0-0
Birmingham City
The fact that the crowd had shrunk by the
end of the half time break showed just how much interest this match was
generating. Ben Whitmore sent on Michael Johnson for Matthew Sadler -
who'd been booked in the first half for simulation despite tripping over
his own undone shoelaces - and Tommy Mooney for Ritchie Partridge.
Mooney brought a big cheer from the few
dozen travelling supporters just minutes into the second half when he
helped give Birmingham the lead. He went for a roaming run down the
left and crossed into the box for Andrew Johnson, but he mis-controlled
and the ball squirted forward. Richard Wright was out of position
though, and he watched embarrassed as the ball rolled over the line
before he could hook it away. It was the most bizarre goal of Johnson's
career, no doubt, and he seemed unsure of how to celebrate when the
referee awarded it.
As quickly as the action began it ended.
Neither side was interested in the game, and neither were the managers
it seemed, as they chatted amongst their backroom staff on the sidelines
in what will be a rude shock for the respective chairmen.
A draw in this match would have been a fair
result, but Birmingham had managed to take three points from this awful
game. Both sides will need to sit down and do better if they expect
anything from this season.
Arsenal 0-1 Birmingham City
Arsenal Squad: Richard Wright 5,
Liam Chilvers 5, Giovanni van Bronckhorst © 6, Sebastien Svard 5,
Stathis Tavlaridis 6, Danny Landzaat 5, Scott Parker 6, Kevin Nolan 6
(Darren Fletcher 5), Daniel Osorno 5, Jeremie Aliadiere 6, Ricardo
Pierre-Louis 5 (DaMarcus Beasley 6).
Subs Not Used: Stuart Taylor, Moritz Volz, Gavin
McCann.
Scorers: None.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: None.
Sendings Off: None.
Birmingham City Squad: Ian
Bennett 6, Hannu Tihinen 5, Matthew Sadler 6 (Michael Johnson 6),
Darren Purse © 5, David Holdsworth 5, Darren Carter 6, Stefano Eranio
5, Ritchie Partridge 6 (Tommy Mooney 6), Andrew Johnson 6, Barry
Hayles 6, Stan Lazaridis 6.
Subs Not Used: Neil Barnes, Bryan Hughes, Mark Pembridge.
Scorers: Andrew Johnson '47.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: Sadler.
Sendings Off: None.
Match Stats
Shots On Target: Arsenal
0-0 Birmingham City
Shots Off Target: 2-1
Fouls Committed: 15-13
Corners: 0-0
Offsides: 0-0
Possession: 51%-49%
Attendance: 21,594 @ Highbury, London
Referee: Colin Wilkes (Gloucester) - 6/10
Man of the Match: Andrew
Johnson - scored the game winner, albeit in bizarre circumstances.
Bolton Wanderers vs
Middlesbrough
The Reebok Stadium was the scene
of this Group A clash between Bolton and Middlesbrough.
Despite their divisional differences, the bookies had Bolton
running in this match easily, due to their massive
improvements under Rich McRich. The Scot would be looking to
continue this over the fading 'Boro side.
The reserve Middlesbrough side put out by
Bryan Danko meant Bolton took the match by the scruff of the
neck early, and they indeed had the lead early. It was a
simple goal, but was executed perfectly, a run down the right
by Andrei Kanchelskis seeing Kennedy Bakircioglu make himself
home unmarked in the area, and the former Russian
international's cross couldn't have been better as the Swede
prodded in past Bradley Jones from close range.
Australian youngster Jones had been thrown
in the deep end, and nearly embarrassed himself in the 10th
minute when receiving a back pass. Just as he went to kick it
away under a little pressure from Agustin Delgado he slipped,
and the Ecuadoran stole in quickly. The goalkeeper showed
massive bravery though, getting onto his knees quickly before
diving at the feet of Delgado to save his blushes.
He went on to make a couple of good saves
from Gerard Wiekens and a laser-like Kris Commons drive,
before he conceded again in the 24th minute, Bakircioglu
getting a glancing header to another great Kanchelskis cross
to get his brace and give his side a 2-0 lead.
Middlesbrough had a late chance to pull
one back when Arturo Bernhardt dummied and dribbled his way
through the defence, but his shot lacked conviction and
dribbled metres wide. 2-0 it remained at the break.
Half Time Score: Bolton
Wanderers 2-0 Middlesbrough
Bolton continued to dominate the
second half, and placed plenty of pressure on Jones, but the
little Aussie was performing admirably.
Young defender Danny Livesey had a rare
chance to score a goal in the 53rd minute when he went on a
forward run. He had no markers and no passing chances, so
decided to shoot when just outside the box. His shot was
curving straight for the top corner, but it hit the stanchion
between bar and post and rebounded across the face of goal
before being cleared. Livesey was applauded for his fine
effort.
Bolton were also wasteful though, Kris
Commons a culprit, missing three good chances after doing all
the hard work by shooting wide of the target. Soon after,
Kanchelskis nearly scored a total fluke when a misplaced cross
deflected off the crossbar onto the roof of the net.
Bolton made it 3-0 soon after though when
Delgado latched onto a great Luke Rodgers throughball and
slotted home underneath Jones
Middlesbrough didn't die though, despite
Bryan Danko's quietness on the sidelines, and they pulled
back a goal a minute before the final whistle when a long shot
by Stewart Downing took a mean deflection from Damien Delaney
to take it past the stranded Jaaskelainen.
In the end, McRich will be thrilled by the
three points, and the form of Bakircioglu and Kanchelskis.
These two had shown to be a very effective partnership in
midfield and up front. Danko is skating on thin ice though,
he's done little at Middlesbrough except sign Shaun Bartlett,
and the Board can't be too happy with him.
Bolton Wanderers 3-1
Middlesbrough
Bolton Wanderers Squad:
Jussi Jaaskelainen 7, Anthony Barness 6, Mike Whitlow 6 (Damien
Delaney 6), Gudni Bergsson © 7, Danny Livesey 7 (Phil Babb 6),
Gerard Wiekens 7, Kennedy Bakircioglu 9, Andrei Kanchelskis
8,
Luke Rodgers 7, Agustin Delgado 7, Kris Commons 7.
Subs Not Used: Russell Howarth, Lloyd
Owusu, Per Frandsen.
Scorers: Bakircioglu '3 '24,
Delgado '72.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: Bergsson, Kanchelskis.
Sendings Off: None.
Middlesbrough Squad:
Bradley Jones 7, Dan Petrescu 6, Taribo West 6, Jason Gavin
5, Stanislav Varga 6, Mark Summerbell © 5 (Mark Wilson 6), Luke Wilkshire
6, Stewart Downing 6, Lee Sharpe 6, Shaun Bartlett 6 (Andy
Campbell 7), Arturo Bernhardt 6.
Subs Not Used: Chris Bennion, Stuart Parnaby, Alpay Ozalan.
Scorers: Downing '89.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: West.
Sendings Off: None.
Match Stats
Shots On Target: Bolton
Wanderers 11-1 Middlesbrough
Shots Off Target: 11-1
Fouls Committed: 14-13
Corners: 12-1
Offsides: 3-2
Possession: 69%-31%
Attendance: 11,435 @ Reebok Stadium,
Bolton
Referee: Jeff Winter (Sunderland) -
10/10
Man of the Match: Kennedy
Bakircioglu - a brace from the talented Swede.
Liverpool vs
Manchester City
The best crowd of the
reserve league so far saw Liverpool host Manchester
City in this massive Group A fixture. Both managers
would be desperate to win this match, especially
Frank Harboe, whose previous three encounters with
City - with both Liverpool and former club
Wolverhampton Wanderers - have ended in defeat. The
travelling supporters, nearing 9000, would be hoping
Matt Hansen could continue his dominance over his
managerial rival.
The start to the match by City
was stunning, as they had the opportunity to take a
very early lead in just the opening minute. Czech
star Milan Baros - once linked with Liverpool from
former club Banik Ostrava - made a fine run through
three defenders to get into the area, before he was
nonchalantly hacked down by Reds captain Sami Hyypia.
Referee Eddie Wolstenholme had no hesitation in
pointing to the spot and booking the Finn, but
City's early luck had ended, Nicolas Anelka skying
his penalty attempt, much to the delight of the
Liverpool fans behind the goal.
After this early bit of action,
the match settled into a pulsating rhythm, with both
sets of players looking very good. In City's
midfield Stefan Effenberg was playing arguably his
best match for the club, dominating proceedings and
making Jamie Redknapp and Steven Gerrard look like
rank amateurs with his passing and movement. For
Liverpool, Steve McManaman was wandering throughout
the field, but far better than last match in which
he seemed to confuse his team mates. Despite the
good build-up play through, neither Dudek nor Weaver
was threatened early on.
The first chance of the match
fell in the 20th minute, when Liverpool's Turkish
international Umit Davala tried his hand from 25
yards out. The snapshot caught Weaver by surprise,
and the Englishman watched gratefully as the shot
crashed into the crossbar and popped up for an easy
catch.
City had themselves a good
chance at the other end in the 26th minute, when
Ariel Ortega turned his marker on the edge of the
area and sent in a low shot. Dudek did brilliantly
to stretch out and tip the shot wide, but from the
corner Ortega swung it in for the unmarked Shaun
Wright-Phillips to head it home at the near post.
The short attacker had been left completely alone,
as Dudek voiced his opinion of the marking with his
defenders.
It didn't take long for
Liverpool to respond, although it came in rather
controversial circumstances. It came from a corner
too, which was won by Robert Pires on a run down the
left. The Frenchman swung it in for the tall
Miroslav Klose to meet it, and it appeared the
German shoved his marker Ugo Ehiogu just as he rose
for the ball. He connected sweetly with it, leaving
Weaver no chance to save it, and Wolstenholme
awarded the goal as the City players surrounded
him. TV replays later showed that Klose had quite
blatantly shoved Ehiogu to the ground, and that the
goal should have been disallowed.
The match threatened to boil
over after this incident, with Danny Tiatto entered
into Wolstenholme's notebook for a late challenge on
Kieron Dyer, before McManaman was booked for a
similar tackle on Erlend Hanstveit.
It remained a tense and fairly
even affair until first half injury time, when
Liverpool snatched the go-ahead goal thanks to a
mistake by Weaver. With injury time almost over,
Gerrard had a shot from outside the area which
squirted through to the goalkeeper. Weaver didn't
handle it at all well though, and spilled the shot
straight to Michael Owen, who didn't need a second
invitation to poke the rebound home and give the
Reds the half time lead.
Half Time
Score: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City
The second half began
as a tense affair again, with few real chances
coming for each side. The best chance for either
side in the opening 15 minutes of the half came for
Liverpool, when Kevin Hofland lofted a ball forward
for Owen to beat the offside trap, but he sent his
shot wide under pressure from the City defence.
City managed to equalise though,
in the 67th minute, thanks to a fine move down the
wing. Some quick passes between Effenberg, Tiatto
and Wright-Phillips eventually released
Wright-Phillips down the right, where he got past
Hofland with few worries. He cut inside, drawing
Hyypia to him, before passing it across the face of
goal for Ortega to sidefoot it home from close
range.
As both midfields began to tire,
more chances came up, and Liverpool had an excellent
one in the 73rd minute when a fine Pires pass played
Klose in. He seemed almost nervous to shoot though
and, by the time he did, he was surrounded by
defenders, resulting in him knocking the shot over
the top.
City had a big penalty appeal
turned down in the 80th minute when a Tiatto cross
appeared to strike Davala's hand, but Wolstenholme
indicated he hadn't intentionally played at it.
Replays showed it was probably the wrong call again
though, as Anelka was waiting in the centre unmarked
for the ball to reach him.
Again, a bit of City misfortune
turned into a Liverpool goal as they snatched the
lead through the omnipresent Davala. The Turk,
although selected as a defender for this match, was
often making runs up the pitch, and was given too
much time and space in the 81st minute and took a
shot from outside the box. It flew low into the
bottom corner of the net, leaving Weaver no chance,
and Davala thumped the air in delight as he gave his
side the lead. Further misfortune for City was to
follow too, when Anelka was forced off with a
hamstring injury, Hansen sending on debutant Paul
Kitson for him.
The Reds shut down from here,
throwing men behind the ball in the hopes of keeping
their lead, but they couldn't quite achieve it as
City grabbed a brilliant equaliser. A day of rough
challenges had seen a number of fouls, and there
must've been some butterflies when a clumsy Pires
challenge brought down Effenberg on the edge of the
box. Ortega and Hanstveit stood over the ball, and
the Argentinean took the shot. Unfortunately for
him, it clattered the post just past Dudek's diving
reach, but the rebound came out for the unmarked
Kitson to poke the ball home. He sprinted to the
sidelines in delight as he scored his first goal for
his new club.
The match ended on a sour note
when City's Australian international Tiatto received
his second yellow card for a late challenge on
McManaman, but it didn't change the end result.
Both sides had battled hard in the match, and to
share the spoils was probably the fair result. Both
managers will be happy that their sides showed form
and could take something from the match.
Liverpool 3-3
Manchester City
Liverpool Squad:
Jerzy Dudek 6, Umit Davala 8, Kevin Hofland 7,
Sami Hyypia © 7, Steven Gerrard 7, Jamie Redknapp 7,
Kieron Dyer 7, Steve McManaman 8, Miroslav Klose 7,
Michael Owen 7, Robert Pires 7.
Subs Not Used: Christopher
Kirkland, Phil Neville, Nick Barmby, Steffen
Iversen, Anthony Le Tallec.
Scorers: Klose '29,
Owen '45, Davala '81.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: Hyypia,
McManaman, Dyer, Pires.
Sendings Off: None.
Manchester City Squad:
Nicky Weaver 7, Ugo Ehiogu 7, Sylvain Distin 7,
Philippe Mexes 7, Erlend Hanstveit 7, Stefan
Effenberg © 9, Danny Tiatto 7 (sent off), Shaun
Wright-Phillips 8, Milan Baros 8, Ariel Ortega 9,
Nicolas Anelka 7 (Paul Kitson 7).
Subs Not Used: Ivica Kralj, Zat Knight, Alf-Inge Haaland, Branko Boskovic.
Scorers:
Wright-Phillips '27, Ortega '67, Kitson '88;
Anelka missed penalty '2.
Injuries: Anelka
(hamstring injury - 27th November).
Bookings: Tiatto
(x2), Distin, Hanstveit, Kitson.
Sendings Off:
Tiatto.
Match
Stats
Shots On
Target: Liverpool 7-4 Manchester City
Shots Off Target: 6-11
Fouls Committed: 24-25
Corners: 4-6
Offsides: 1-3
Possession: 50%-50%
Attendance: 41,950 @ Anfield,
Liverpool
Referee: Eddie
Wolstenholme (Blackburn) - 7/10
Man of the Match: Stefan
Effenberg - really did very well in the City
midfield, and helped his new side to a share
of the spoils with a commanding performance in
the middle of the pitch.
Tottenham
Hotspur vs West Ham United
A rather
empty-looking White Hart Lane saw this
London derby between Tottenham and West
Ham. Neither side has looked overly
impressive of late, despite a hefty
spending spree by both over the summer,
and the managers would be hoping for an
improved performance today.
Tottenham exploded
into the match early, and were 1-0 up
inside the opening minutes. It was due to
a mistake by experienced Hammers goalie
Angelo Peruzzi, who didn't get down well
enough to a long low Christian Ziege shot,
and the powerful shot squirmed under the
Italian's body and nestled into the back
of the net.
The Hammers had an
opportunity to equalise on 15 minutes when
teenage striker Billy Mehmet worked hard
to get past three of his markers, but his
shot from the edge of the area came back
into the field of play thanks to Neil
Sullivan's left-hand post. The rebound
was cleared into Row Z by Dean Richards.
Tottenham made it 2-0
not long after when Matthew Etherington
produced a fine pass, that split open the
defence like a sledgehammer to a coconut.
Korea's World Cup sensation Ahn Jung-Hwan
was the benefactor, as he ran onto the
ball and prodded it past Peruzzi.
This was sadly the
last action of the half, as Spurs boss
Jose Paulo Silva asked his side to control
the match. They did without threatening
Peruzzi again, although they were a bit
aggro with their tackling, having Simon
Davies and Ijeh booked for rough
challenges before the break.
Half
Time Score: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham
United
The second
half of this match was a rather torrid
affair, as both sides struggled to come to
grips with the game after the break.
Tottenham had a good
chance midway through the half when
substitute defender Ledley King got a
powerful header to a Darren Anderton
corner, but it was spectacularly tipped
over the bar by Peruzzi.
West Ham spurned their
own chances, Mehmet shooting wide when in
a good position, before his replacement
Michael Ferrante shot over when played in
by a poor King backpass.
The Hammers finally
got on the scoresheet though, with just
minutes remaining, when Sergii Rebrov
turned his marker on the edge of the area
and nailed a low drive home, but 2-1 was
how the score would remain. The result
was fair in the end, Tottenham had done
just enough in defence and attack to
ensure a win, but both sides are very much
out of form, and it's back to the drawing
board for both if they expect much from
the next few months.
Tottenham
Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United
Tottenham
Hotspur Squad: Neil Sullivan 6,
Stephen Carr 7, Dean Richards © 7,
Mauricio Taricco 6 (Ledley King 7),
Christian Ziege 7, Zvonimir Boban 6,
Simon Davies 7, Matthew Etherington 7,
Darren Anderton 7, Ahn Jung-Hwan 7,
Peter Ijeh 6.
Subs Not Used: Peter
Schmeichel, Ivan Kaviedes, Pierre Njanka,
Junior Baiano.
Scorers:
Ziege '2, Ahn Jung-Hwan '19.
Injuries:
None.
Bookings:
Davies, Etheringon, Ijeh.
Sendings
Off: None.
West Ham
United Squad: Angelo Peruzzi 6,
Lauren 6, Callum Davidson 6, Frank de
Boer © 7, Izzy Iriekpen 7, Jamie
Lawrence 6(Robbie Savage 6), Muzzy Izzet
6, Sebastien Schemmel 5, Leon Britton 5
(Clarence Acuna 6), Billy Mehmet 6
(Michael Ferrante 5), Sergii Rebrov 7.
Subs Not Used: Anwar Uddin, Christian Dailly.
Scorers:
Rebrov '88.
Injuries:
None.
Bookings:
Davidson, Izzet.
Sendings
Off: None.
Match Stats
Shots
On Target: Tottenham
Hotspur 4-2 West Ham United
Shots Off
Target: 3-3
Fouls
Committed: 21-14
Corners: 5-1
Offsides: 0-2
Possession:
44%-56%
Attendance: 7,370 @ White Hart Lane,
London
Referee: Steve
Dunn (Bristol) - 8/10
Man of
the Match: Matthew
Etherington - was the creative
difference between the two sides
today.
Barnsley vs Derby County
A small crowd turned out at the Oakwell to
see their Tykes take on Pride Park's Rams. Will Gallacher has failed to
introduce himself thus far to the Barnsley faithful, and he named a
vastly different lineup to last week, one that may resemble near full
strength. Filippo Maldini brought a full-strength Derby side here
hoping for a win to lift the spirits at the club.
Not for the first time this competition,
the first half of the match was a torrid affair. Again it was raining
in Barnsley, not heavily but just enough to make the pitch a little
boggy, and the highly-paid Derby stars didn't seem keen on getting their
bright white jerseys dirty.
The high point of the half was the
substitution of Barnsley goalie Tim Flowers, who'd slipped in taking a
goal kick. He was left clutching his hamstring, in obvious pain, and he
was replaced by Iraq-born teenager Shawn Jalal. He had little to do
though as the half ended 0-0
Half Time Score: Barnsley 0-0 Derby
County
As boring as the first half was, was as
exciting as the second half began. Maldini must've dried the hair of
his players with his half time chat, and was forced into a chance with
Swede Niclas Alexandersson forced off with an ankle injury, his
replacement being Czech youngster Roman Tyce.
Tyce had the first opportunity of the half
when he sent a long shot at Jalal, but the Barnsley goalkeeper did
nicely to hold onto the greasy ball.
Long shots were the order of Derby's day as
they looked to put Jalal under pressure, but he was performing admirably
well. He particularly did well to push wide a Fabrizio Ravanelli drive
in the 55th minute, before coming out to punch the ensuing corner almost
from the forehead of Matei Mirel Radoi. The Romanian was booked for
angrily shoving the Iraqi goalkeeper away after the incident.
Jalal wasn't bothered though, as he saved
shots from Nolberto Solano, Tyce twice and Pauleta to leave the Derby
players wondering what they had to do to beat him. But it was Barnsley
who'd hold the key to the first goal of the match, when a long goal kick
from Jalal was well controlled by Kevin Donovan, who simply ran forward
and put the ball into the box for Mike Sheron to run onto and slot
underneath the advancing Mart Poom. It was such a simple goal, but it
was masterfully executed by the Division 4 'makeweights'.
The Rams began to panic, and more long
shots came in. Some went wide, but one deserved a goal, an audacious 38
yard strike by Paolo Di Canio for once beating the diving Jalal, but not
the post as it smashed into the woodwork and went behind.
With time running out, it would take a
miracle for Derby to crack open the defence, and they got it thanks to a
silly bit of defending by Chris Willmott. The Tykes defender, in
attempting to charge down a shot, held his hands up to protect his face,
and the shot hit his forearms. Foy hesitated slightly before awarding
the penalty, which Pauleta coolly and calmly converted to save Derby's
blushes.
The full time whistle couldn't come soon
enough for Barnsley, as they celebrated an unlikely point in this
match. They didn't deserve it to be honest, but they'd done enough to
show they may be improving under Gallacher. Maldini's policy of long
shots didn't work in this game, young goalie Jalal a major thorn in his
side, and they'll head back to the drawing board for their next game.
Barnsley 1-1 Derby County
Barnsley Squad: Tim Flowers 6 (Shwan
Jalal 9), Duncan Jupp 6, Keith Brown 6 (Laurent Charvet 6), Ludovic
Pollet 6, Chris Willmott 5, Angelo Di Livio 7, Willem Korsten 6, Peter
Sand 6, Andy Sinton 6 (Kevin Donovan 7), Mike Sheron © 7, Paul
Peschisolido 6.
Subs Not Used: Frank Sinclair, Marvin Robinson.
Scorers: Sheron '71.
Injuries: None.
Bookings: Di Livio, Brown.
Sendings Off: None.
Derby County Squad: Mart Poom 6,
Matei Mirel Radoi 7, Igors Stepanovs 6, Gilles Grimandi 6, Adrian
Iencsi 6, Nolberto Solano 7, Rigobert Song 6, Niclas Alexandersson 7
(Roman Tyce 8), Paolo Di Canio © 7, Pauleta 7, Fabrizio Ravanelli 6 (Tonton
Zola Mokouko 6).
Subs Not Used: Kelvin Davis, Terrence Dixon, Roman Tyce, Kristoffer Weckstrom.
Scorers: Pauleta '84 (pen).
Injuries: None.
Bookings: Alexandersson, Radoi, Iencsi.
Sendings Off: None.
Match Stats
Shots On Target: Barnsley 1-13 Derby
County
Shots Off Target: 2-7
Fouls Committed: 11-16
Corners: 1-8
Offsides: 0-4
Possession: 38%-62%
Attendance: 7,753 @ Oakwell, Barnsley
Referee: Chris Foy (London) - 9/10
Man of the Match: Shwan Jalal
- won the award hands down with a fine debut performance for
Barnsley. He is viewed as last in a long line of available
Barnsley goalkeepers, and he took this opportunity with both
hands.
Wolves vs Coventry City
A small handful of Wolves fans were on hand to see their team at home to the Sky Blues. Wolverhampton, who haven’t scored a single goal in the reserve league as of yet were with newly appointed manager Dafydd Williams and out looking to put some points on the board.
Coventry looked strong and confident with Dutch striker Roy Makaay once again starting aside Canadian Radzinski and was out to make it five goals from three starts. A boost for the Sky Blues was also the boost of Swddish striker Allback looking to return as initially stated by the club.
The Coventry attack was once again on song with many chances coming their way early on in the game. Thompson would be the man to set up the first chance for Canadian Radzinski who could only blast the ball over the cross bar after a well placed back heal from Thompson just inside the area.
Goal number one was soon to follow with Wolverhampton’s seemingly poor disciplined goal keeper De Vlieger earning himself a yellow card for holding striker Makaay inside the box from a Sky Blues corner. Makaay was the man to take the penalty and did so sending the Belgian keeper the wrong way and increasing his own personal tally to five goals.
Wolves didn’t seem too concerned about the penalty as they too were soon to have a chance to score from the spot. Czech international Berger, after making good ground behind his strikers, was pulled down by Coventry captain Breen inside the area. The skipper received a yellow card for his efforts before Wolves striker Laslandes put the two sides on equal terms.
Goal number two was almost on its way for the Woverhampton side as Patrik Berger once again proved to cause the Sky Blues plenty of problems, only to have his curving shot pushed away from a completely outstretched Hedman, with defender Henchoz clearing the ball upfield.
Half Time Score – Wolves 1 vs Coventry City 1
Second half action was of greater enjoyment for fans as both sides began bringing extra attacking men forward looking for the winning goal. This wasn’t to be however with keepers Hedman and De Vlieger making a large number of superb, precision saves. Wolves wingers Kennedy and Ainsworth were working well down the flanks and created a large number of chances for the strikers but poor finishing failed to provide the team with a second goal.
Fresh legs on the pitch was to be the tactic for both managers on the hour mark as players Tessem and Kurniwan were introduced into the game. Tessem had immediate effect, tightening up the midfield as well as providing Laslandes and Indonesian star Kurniawan with some excellent through balls that neither striker seemed to be able to latch onto.
The game was beginning to be controlled by the Wolverhampton team, with both teams making substitutes with keeper De Vlieger surprisingly making way for Murray and Sky Blues winger Toure being replaced by Frenchman Ginola.
A draw was destined to be the result, but Sky Blues striker Radzinski was to change this as he latched onto a well timed long ball against the run of play. Murray and Radzinski were one on one but the Canadian striker had little trouble putting the ball past the advancing keeper.
The Sky Blues had done it again. Their undefeated run was maintained while Wolverhampton, scoring their first goal of the competition remained winless but looking a much stronger and confident side. New manager Williams seemed satisfied with his new teams result even though it wasn’t a positive one.
Final Score: Wolves 1 Coventry City 2
Wolves
Squad:
Geert De
Vlieger 7 (Matthew Murray 6), Darren Bazeley 6, Ronny Johnsen© 6, Tahar
El-khalej 6, Ken Coleman 6, Temuri Ketsbaia 6, Gareth Ainsworth 7 (Jo
Tessem 7), Patrik Berger 8, Lilian Laslandes 7, Cedric Roussell
6(Kurniawan 6), Mark Kennedy 7.
Scorers: Laslandes pen ‘37 Injuries: None Bookings: De Vlieger Sendings Off: None
Coventry City Squad: Magnus Hedman 7, Gary Breen© 6, Stephane Henchoz 7, Callum Davenport 6, Tobias Linderoth 6, Laurent Delorge 6, David Thompson 7, Don Hutchinson 6, Roy Makaay 7, Tomasz Radzinski 7, Kolo Toure 6 (David Ginola 7) Substitutes: Andy Marshall, Gary Rowett, Julian Joachim, Lee Fowler.
Scorers: Makaay pen ’25, Radzinski ‘90 Injuries: None Bookings: Breen Sendings Off: None
Match Stats Shots On Target: Wolves 8-6 Coventry City Shots Off Target: 10-7 Fouls Committed: 5-8 Corners: 3-3 Offsides: 2-4 Possession: 55%-45% Attendance: 4,769 @ Molineux, Wolverhampton Referee: Graham Barber (Tring) 8/10
Man of the Match: Patrik Berger – provided his team with plenty of chances, while being unlucky to score himself. Unfortunate to be on the losing side.
Sunderland vs Newcastle United
On a miserable, cold and wet English day a crowd of around five thousand turned up to see the Black Cats battle against the Toon Army. Sunderland were unlucky not to win last week after a poor start to the game but a strong come back in the second half. The side remained unchanged from the clash with Suker and Litmanen starting up front once again.
After a week off the Newcastle team looked fresh and ready for a touch clash with Division One vivals Sunderland. Lua Lua and Jansen were to start up front in a strong team. A surprising decision was to leave keeper Given on the bench for the game. This however showed just how much confidence manager McConnell has in his entire squad.
Sunderland found it hard early on to contain the attacking minded midfielders of the Magpies with wingers Viana and Hato moving the ball up field quickly, sending the ball to strikers Jansen and Lua Lua only to have defenders Thome and Naysmith removing all signs of danger quickly and effectively.
The attacking tendencies of the Newcastle midfield began to frustrate midfielders Schwarz and Hadji with some dangerous two footed tackles being dealt with yellow cards being produced. Jari Litmanen was to once again be the inspiration for Sunderland just before half time, blasting the ball straight past keeper Taylor only for the goal to be disallowed with Litmanen deemed to receive the ball in an offside position.
Half Time Score - Sunderland 0 vs Newcastle United 0
Laurent Robert was to be the man to start up the Toon Army as he was introduced at the beginning of the second half. The midfielder fitted right into his attacking role immediately providing Jansen with an excellent chance to score just outside the area, for the Englishman to strike the ball high and wide.
It wasn’t till a break of play that Sunderland were into the game once again with Litmanen holding onto a brilliant Pennant through ball only for the Finnish International to shoot straight at the goal keepers legs. Litmanen seemed to be the most focused of the Black Cats players, looking to find his form early in the reserve league season and help his team become a threatening force.
This wasn’t to be though with the Toon Army advancing forward in numbers at the hour mark. A number of fouls against the Sunderland team were the result of the advancing Magpies players. Keeper Pletikosa looked a little worried about the advancing players but kept his nerve to pull of some good saves.
The 85th minute would be the minute that decided the game. After an excellent save from a Jansen shot, the ball spilled to the side were a waiting Robert swiftly put the ball into the back of the net before keeper Pletikosa could get back up.
A Magpies corner resulted in the second goal on the 90th minute with a Robert corner reaching Jansen inside the area for the striker to head the ball past keeper Pletikosa who was rooted to the spot. Black Cats players couldn’t believe what had happened but before they could go to the dressing sheds to figure it out, a 3rd goal was on the way, this time through Welshman Bellamy. A long ball from defender Stam put the striker in to the clear with keeper Pletikosa once again having no chance
A game that could have been won by either team, if it weren’t for the superb attacking display from Newcastle United. Sunderland manager Armed seemed unimpressed with the display of his team with the exception of Finn Litmanen.
Final Score: Sunderland 0 Newcastle United 3
Sunderland: Stipe Pletikosa 6, Michael Gray© 6, Emerson Thome 6, Gary Naysmith 6, Bernt Haas 6, Jerome Leroy 6, Mustapha Hadji 5, Stefan Schwarz 5, Jermaine Pennant 6, Hakan Sukur 6, Jari Litmanen 8. Substitutes: Kevin Kilbane, Alan Kelly, Winston Bogarde, Bobby Zamora, Nicolas Medina. Scorers: None Injuries: None Bookings: Schwarz, Pennant, Hadji, Leroy Sendings Off: None
Newcastle United:
Maik
Taylor 6, John Arne Riise 7, Mark Iuliano 7, Jaap Stam 7, Phillipe
Christianval 7, Hugo Viana 7, Yasuhiro Hato 7, Neil Lennon© 7, Claudio
Reyna 6
(Laurent
Robert 9), Lomano-Tresor
Lua-Lua
7(Craig Bellamy 7), Matt Jansen 8.
Scorers: Robert ’85, Jansen ’90, Bellamy ‘90 Injuries: None Bookings: Riise Sendings Off: None
Match Stats Shots On Target: Sunderland 4-6 Newcastle United Shots Off Target: 3-2 Fouls Committed: 15-4 Corners: 1-3 Offsides: 4-2 Possession: 40%-60x% Attendance: 9,568 @ The Stadium of Light, Sunderland Referee: Alan Wiley (Burntwood) - 7/10
Man of the Match: Laurent Robert – An outstanding performance coming off the bench at half time. If it weren’t for an excellent keeping display early on he would have made it three for himself. Bradford vs Leicester City
Three and a half thousand Bantams and Foxes supporters made their way to Valley Parade for the Division Two tie. The tie will be a more serious one when the regular season begins once again, but this clash would be one to determine which team was the stronger out of the two. Bradford manager Larsson decided to leave Wiltord on the bench for this game with the Frenchman not hitting the back of the net yet this season.
Leicester manager Van Basten named a youthful side for the clash with youngster Diarra starting the game in the centre of midfield. After rolling Wolverhampton last week, the Foxes were looking to go one better and receive another three points putting them into championship contention.
Five man midfields proved a tough challenge for both teams with the margin for error being greatly reduced. Wide men were to be the main point of attack for both teams with The Bantams having the first goal of the match denied by Turkish Star Recber who parried away a good 30yard shot.
The first goal wasn’t far away though with midfielder Paulista putting Bradford ahead through a fine free kick after Nigerian player Okocha was brought down just outside the area. No card was produced for the incident but none of the Foxes players happy with the decision believing that Okocha took a dive.
Shots on goal were minimal after this with Foxes’ players content with holding up the ball and keeping possession.
Half Time Score – Bradford City 1 vs Leicester City 0
The second half began almost identically the same way as the first did but with Bradford doing most of the attacking. Turkish keeper Recber was kept busy pulling off save after save as Bantams players continued to move forward.
Leicester’s style of keeping the ball away from the Bradford team proved effective with Bantams players beginning to tire from their playing style. Polish striker Olisadebe was the man in the second half that would prove to be a handful for the Bradford defence as he received through ball after through ball only to be denied by an in form Sorensen.
Finally Silvain Wiltord was given the opportunity to join the game making way for Paulo Wanchope, who after a sickening tackle on midfielder Diarra gave the Costa Rican a yellow card. It didn’t take long for the Frenchman to make an impact though with his first touch of the ball, skipping past two defenders and flicking the ball past a static Recber, who could only take an air swing at the ball.
The few thousand spectators that came to see the match, cheered for the striker who until today seemed out of form. Manager Larsson was delighted with the effort, after deciding to leave the striker on the bench at the start of the match..
A consolation goal was to be the only highlight of the Leicester attack as substitute Sas blasted an absolute screamer of a shot straight past Danish keeper Sorensen from 30 yards out.
A good performance for the Bantams team but a disappointing one for Leicester with manager Van Basten looking very unhappy with the level of performance put in by his players. It was back to the drawing board for the Foxes while the Bantams maintained their position at the top of the reserve league ladder.
Final Score: Bradford City 2 Leicester City 1
Bradford City Squad: Thomas Sorensen 6, Nikos Dabizas 7, Mikael Dorsin 7, Dan Van Buyten 7, Craig Burley 7 (Jaime Valdes) 7, Juninho Paulista 8, Bjarne Goldbaek 7, Jay Jay Okocha 6, Paulo Wanchope 6 (Sylvain Wiltord 8), Alexander Farnerud 6, Gary Speed 6. Substitutes: Gary Walsh, David Wetherall, Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Scorers: Paulista ’25, Wiltord ‘80 Injuries: None Bookings: Wanchope Sendings Off: None
Leicester City Squad: Rustu Recber 9, Joseph Yobo 6, Bastin Verweij 6, J'lloyd Samuel 6, Kily Gonzalez 6, Lionel Scaloni 6, Vampeta 6, Alou Diarra 6 (Papa Bouba Diop 6), Davor Vugrinec 6
(Hasan Sas 7), Emmanuel Olisadebe 7, Andreas Dahl 6 (Michael Tonge 6).
Substitutes: Simon Cole, Dijimi Traore.
Scorers: Sas ’90 Injuries: None Bookings: None Sendings Off: None
Match Stats Shots On Target: Bradford City 10-6 Leicester City Shots Off Target: 2-3 Fouls Committed: 4-8 Corners: 3-3 Offsides: 1-3 Possession: 50% -50% Attendance: 3,592 @ Valley Parade, Bradford Referee: Phil Prosser (Halstead) – 8/10
Man of the Match: Rustu Recber – kept the score to a smallish one while providing spectators with some brilliant saves. A good display encouraging the season to come
Everton vs Ipswich Town
This big Group C match saw Everton host
Ipswich Town at Goodison Park. Last week Everton had been involved
in a thrilling 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, with some fans calling for
a change in tactics, but it was the same formation for today's match
for Jones' men. Antonio Tiberio's side came knowing that their form
hasn't been great, but that could all change if they shocked Everton
and beat them today. Strangely though, the Italian named a very
young and inexperienced side.
This seemed to be a smart decision in
just the third minute, when Ipswich had the net bulging. Young
midfielder Matthew Bloomfield showed a good turn of speed to scoot
past Martijn Reuser on the left, and the enthusiasm of Ipswich's new
players saw them surge forward. Bloomfield played a smart ball into
the box and Richard Logan struck it in low past Mattias Asper, but
the striker had strayed just offside. It would surely have sent
alarm bells ringing through the timid Everton defence though.
As they say, attack is the best form of
defence, and within minutes Everton replied with a goal of their
own, but this one stood. The inexperienced Ipswich defence was to
blame, Jon Dahl Tomasson hanging off the last defender Ashley
Nicholls and waiting for a throughball which was perfectly supplied
by Sean Davis. Tomasson's burst of speed floored Nicholls, who
weakly called for a foul to referee Uriah Rennie, but to no avail as
the Dane surged forward and smashed a drive past Ian Feuer under
pressure.
Both sides continued to play fast
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