Thursday April 17, 2008

Leeds United; A Law Unto Themselves.

We have had some adverse comment to our coverage of Leeds United FC's recent activities from supporters of the club with one fan describing our site as "unprofessional".

That was quite funny really. For starters we are not professionals, we do this site purely because we like football, but it just seemed ironic that supporters of Leeds would have the gall to criticise anyone or anything for being "unprofessional".

In our opinion taking millions of pounds from other people without having the ability to pay it back is a more obvious example of unprofessional behaviour than expressing an unfavourable opinion on somebody or thing that does just that.

Anyway, to recap. Leeds cleverly went into administration just before the end of last season so that they could get out of paying back the vast majority of the money they owed and only incur a meaningless points penalty as they were already doomed to relegation from The Championship.

Not the actions of a club or people with any moral integrity, conscience or self respect, but not illegal either.

They then, however, contravened the league's regulations regarding insolvency and were docked a further 15 points for the start of this season.

Leeds dispute this decision believing it to be erroneous and have now started legal action to get the points back. This is despite the fact that they were quite happy to abide by the decision in the first place as it allowed them to actually continue playing in the Football League.

Saying one thing and meaning another seems to be something Leeds United are particularly good at.

The points deduction was appealed at the start of the season within the Football League's own structure but was overwhelmingly upheld by the league's members themselves.

This was despite a begging letter to all member clubs from the Leeds chairman Ken Bates. Bates gave an eloquent defence of his clubs' actions and scrupled not to place any blame or wrongdoing at his own door.

As regards the CVA which was passed by 0.2 of a percent and allowed him to continue running the club as head of a "new" consortium he acknowledged this was tight put offered the smug comment that "a win is a win".

Well the league clubs voted resoundingly against overturning the points deduction, Ken. Can you not be as philosophic and accept that a defeat is just a defeat?

Obviously not.

Leeds are quite happy to ignore their debts, and it's really quite sickening to hear the club congratulating themselves about the fraction of the debts incurred that they have actually paid back, ignore the decisions of The Football League and also their fellow member clubs.

Obviously they have a case to fight otherwise they wouldn't be fighting it and Ken Bates and his mates are likely to know their way round the legal loopholes better than The Football League, rich men usually do, but it is hard to believe the average man in the street can have any sympathy with their position.

They have traded beyond their means with other peoples' money and are a prime example of the species of parasite that uses other people and their money to finance their own dreams knowing they can slip out through the back door and come back in through the front wearing a different hat when everything goes wrong.

And inevitably get richer while the people they rip off get poorer into the bargain.

Some implied support for the clubs' position has come by dragging Luton and Bournemouth into the equation. These clubs have done the same as Leeds during their recent financial troubles and it has been said that if the Leeds verdict is upheld then these clubs will have to suffer the same punishment for next season.

So what?

I'm sorry, but isn't it about time football clubs began running themselves properly or facing the consequences? Surely it would be better for everyone concerned if they did start operating within their means.

I also feel that it would be unfair on the clubs above Leeds at the moment if the points were returned. Matches are different depending on a clubs' position in the table. Leeds actually got into a position to challenge for automatic promotion but then faltered earlier on in the season.

Recently they have beaten both Doncaster and Carlisle but surely these games would have been approached differently and potentially had different outcomes if Leeds had been narrowly ahead of them in the table rather than significantly behind.

Basically it is Leeds United's blatant disregard for everyone else that is particularly offensive. They don't mind whose money it is they're spending as long as they don't have to pay it all back and they are quite happy to go along with a ruling for just as long as it suits them and then they will drag you through every court in the land until someone allows them to have their own way.

Maybe they are in the right and the legal system will come out on their side but surely it is not just Leeds United who can play the system to suit themselves and that is why they should suffer now.

If arbitration does award Leeds the return of their 15 points my reaction, if I was the Football League, would be to disband and then reform under a slightly different title, The Football League (2008) perhaps, offering all existing clubs entry back into the "new" organisation except Leeds United.

Leeds may be legally, technically, in the right but they are totally and utterly in the moral wrong and should accept their punishment from The Football League accordingly.

The Football League, and The FA for that matter, might not be the most inspiring of ruling bodies but surely it is better for football and society in general if they are left to run football the best way they see fit than to have football dragged into the cesspit free for all which has been the recent running of Leeds United Football Club.

Thursday, March 27
The Cumbrians Are Coming

The past decade or so has been a particularly turbulent one for Carlisle United. For most of it the club has spent its' time trying to avoid relegation from the league, not always successfully, and at times has had to worry about simply surviving.

Brunton Park became the somewhat surreal playground for Chairman/Owner/Manager/All Round Oddball Michael Knighton, he of "Manchester United ball juggling takeover but I've actually not got any money" fame, and his mysterious leadership strategies seemed to be taking the club towards oblivion.

Having dropped into the Conference in 2004, however, the club has made excellent progress. Paul Simpson led the club to successive promotions and, when he left to take over as manager at Preston, Neil McDonald stepped forward and led the team to a creditable 8th placed finish in League One last season.

It was nice to see one of English footballs' outposts apparently on an even keel and establishing itself at a decent level within the league structure. This is why events at the club at the start of this campaign were so surprising and alarming.

McDonald took his team to Walsall for the opening game of the season and saw them gain a satisfactory 1-1 draw. He was also allowed to agree a club record transfer fee for the Blackburn reserve team striker Joe Garner.

Then he was summarily sacked with no real explanation and the decision looked incredible from the outside. The official statement given was that the board had "lost confidence" in McDonald. There was nothing in results to back this assertion up and it was hard not to make assumption that the clubs' top brass had come down with a case of the "Knighton's".

Perhaps tellingly, however, despite the fact that this was a basically illogical move in football terms, McDonald's sacking did not produce the overwhelming outcry from the supporters that might have been expected. Many fans retained their trust in the owner and chairman given their excellent track record since taking over at Brunton Park.

Many felt that it was unlikely that men who had made so many sound decisions could suddenly make a horribly wrong one without having a better reason than the one stated. Inevitably rumours started, suggesting that there must have been some breach of discipline on McDonald's part that was being kept hidden.

The truth of this matter has never really come to light although it would appear as though McDonald took no action over his dismissal, which seemed wholly unfair, and that in itself suggests that something must have happened that has been kept behind closed doors.

As it was Greg Abbott stepped up from his post as assistant on a temporary basis, the signing of Joe Garner went through anyway and then John Ward was brought in as manager with Abbott reverting back to his old post.

Looking back now the Carlisle faithful must feel as though their club is being run by King Midas. None of this disruption seemed to affect the team and the club has gone from strength to strength as the season has progressed.

Performances and results remained steady throughout the first half of the season although from early on the club has relied on outstanding home form to keep them up with the leaders. Brunton Park has indeed become a fortress.

The Foxes seemed most likely to be play off contenders up to the end of January, a month in which they lost three times on their travels, but since then they have been almost perfect.

At the moment the club is enjoying a remarkable run of form. They have won their last fourteen home league games, they have not lost since January anywhere and they have collected 29 points from their last 11 games.

That is a run which has promotion written all over it and a place in next years' Championship is now very definitely within Carlisle's grasp.

The club might still have eyes on the League One title. They have now closed the gap on Swansea City to five points and they have a game in hand. They also have five of their last eight games at Fortress Brunton.

Reassuringly they now also have a five point cushion over third placed Doncaster and this also comes with a game in hand.

It is not impossible that The Cumbrians could still throw automatic promotion away, however. They have a crunch game with Swansea to come and they also have to entertain Nottingham Forest and Southend United. Among their away games is a trip to Leeds.

If you're a Cumbrian and you're not excited about this run in then I'm afraid there's something wrong with you.

Given recent form there is little to suggest that Ward's men are going to blow it now. Easter saw the club collect two more highly impressive victories; a 3-0 win at Leyton Orient followed by a 2-0 home victory over Northampton Town.

Around 900 fans travelled down to London and were rewarded with a consumately convincing performance which was crowned by goals from Danny Graham, David Raven and Grant Smith.

The crowd at Brunton was around 9,000 for the visit of in form Northampton and they had to wait until the second half before goals from Danny Livesey and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson sealed three more points.

Six points and five different players on the scoresheet must have been hugely satisfying for John Ward and there is no doubt that the new manager has played a huge part in the recent magnificent run.

Garner, who had scored fourteen goals at basically a rate of one in every two games, has been unavailable since the end of February when he twisted a knee at Crewe and his burgeoning partnership with Graham was halted in its' tracks.

Bigger clubs than Carlisle have found it impossible to cope with such setbacks but Ward made a decision to leave Graham up front as a lone striker with two wide attackers and support coming from midfield.

It is the type of system that finds favour and success in European football but is not frequently met with in League One.

Five wins and a draw so far from a hectic March show that Ward's decision was a good one and every credit must go to him and the players who have adapted so well.

Graham is a strong, willing forward who can carry the burden of playing against both centre halves, the wingers Simon Hackney and Cleveland Taylor have upped their games and Bridge-Wilkinson, in particular, has ensured that the midfield has provided Graham with the support he needs.

Everything seems set fair for a carnival end of season for Carlisle then. The club will be looking forward to several bumper gates and there will surely be one hell of a convoy heading down the M6, if that's the way they go, when they head for Elland Road on April 12th.

If promotion is clinched the club will be able to look forward to hosting more attractive opposition on a regular basis and will probably also have an usual number of, by their standards, local derbies.

Preston, Burnley and Blackpool might not sound like must see games to most of the country but the long suffering fans of Carlisle will be licking their lips.

Just for the moment it is certainly good to be a Cumbrian and Football England hopes the party carries on for a good while yet.

Wednesday, October 24
Leyton Orient; Surprise Package

The surprise package of the season so far in English football are undoubtedly Leyton Orient. Surely nobody, including the inhabitants of Brisbane Road, would have predicted the O's to be leading the way in League One at this stage but that is exactly what has happened.

The club only finished one place above the relegation zone last season and suffered the loss of two of its' best and most experienced players during the summer.

The outstanding left back Matt Lockwood was signed by Nottingham Forest while centre forward Gary Alexander bailed out for Millwall.

These departures seemed certain to condemn Orient to another season of struggle but so far the club has responded superbly while the departed players are finding life tough at their new clubs. Lockwood had the misfortune to suffer a bad ankle injury on the opening day of the season and has not figured since for Forest. Alexander has been a regular in the Lions' side but has failed to find the target yet as his new club hover above the relegation zone.

Having drafted in several new faces Orient made a bright start to the season but nobody really took too much notice at first. This began to change after the club made it 16 points from the first 6 games but the interest probably only stretched as far as wondering when the bubble would burst.

Many people would have thought the 4-2 home defeat to Hartlepool was the beginning of the end and when the O's then found themselves 2-0 down at Bristol Rovers in their next game this feeling would have been strengthened.

The O's fought back to win that match 3-2, however, and that victory must have provided huge confidence within the camp even if scepticism from outside remained widespread.

The cynics were provided with greater proof that the O's elevated position was a false one as they proceded to lose two league games on the trot, including a thumping 0-5 home defeat to Swansea, before being knocked limply out of the Johnstone Paints Trophy at home to Dagenham and Redbridge.

This provided Orient with their first big test of character, especially as their next game was away at Leeds United, the team that would be running away with the division but for their points deduction beforehand.

The O's passed this test of character and skill with flying colours and deserved more than the point they took home from Elland Road following their 1-1 draw.

They took the lead through a Sean Thornton free kick but then had to play for the best part of an hour with ten men after the same player was harshly sent off.

Leeds grabbed a second half equaliser but could not break down a resolute Orient side again and the game ended with the visitors actually pressing forward looking for an unlikely winner. It appeared as though they had actually found one as well when Adam Boyd's shot slipped through the keepers' hands and appeared to cross the line before being hacked clear.

As many other teams are finding in League One, however, Elland Road is not a place where the officials are often brave enough to side with the away team, no matter how clear the call might be.

On Saturday the O's had another test to pass when they found themselves a goal down at half time to visiting Port Vale. This time the response was emphatic. Three goals in an eight minute spell just before the hour mark brought them another victory and sent them to the top of the table.

The first two goals were the result of the simple virtues of getting numbers in the box and providing them with quality crosses, Tamika Mkandawire and Jabo Ibhere being the men to profit. The third goal came from Boyd's penalty after a foul on the workaholic Adam Chambers.

It is unlikely that any of the doubters are ready to admit defeat and accept Orient as potential promtion challengers just yet and I have to admit that I would not stake any money on them myself.

The team is obviously playing with plenty of confidence and great determination at the moment, however, and it would be nice to think that London's possibly least fashionable club has it in them to maintain a challenge.

Manager Martin Ling, approaching his fourth anniversary in the post, certainly seems to be doing a top job in the hot seat and it would be nice to see him continue to prosper.

Experienced lower league spectators will remember Ling as a talented midfielder/winger who always played the game the right way himself and if his team are a reflection of him then they might just have it in them to carry on surprising people.

Tuesday, September 4
Leeds Going Supersonic

I always wondered as a child when considering jet aircraft whether if they went fast enough they would arrive at destination before they actually set off. That's not taking into consideration time zones. Whether they just actually reversed time.

I also thought I could kind of fly as well. Not like a bird, more like a hovercraft. Between walking and running pace and about three feet off the ground. It was a recurring dream and it was so vivid and regular that I often got up convinced that I had in fact floated home from school the day before.

I'm still not entirely convinced that I can't levitate to be honest.

Now none of this may seem particularly relevent to League One but it is pretty much the situation Leeds United find themselves in. Having been docked 15 points before the start of play the Elland Road club needed to turn on the turbo jets just to get themselves back to square one and they have wasted no time switching on the after burners.

Saturday's 1-0 win over Luton Town made it four wins out of four and if they make it five out of five when they entertain Hartlepool this weekend then they will have arrived at August 11th and zero points within a month of everyone else.

Pretty impressive going.

Their latest win came courtesy of a Tresor Kandol goal and was the result of one of several excellent link ups between Kandol and his strike partner Jermaine Beckford.

Kandol and Beckford were players who looked unlikely to establish themselves at the club at the higher level but they are developing nicely at this tier and Leeds's relegation might be a massive bonus for them in terms of their development as players.

Leyton Orient still lead the way despite faltering for the first time this season at home to Northampton Town. Most people will be confidently expecting the O's bubble to burst and probably thought it had done so as the Cobblers raced into a two goal half time lead as Orient found themselves unable to defend corners.

Not so hasty if you please. The home side came out all guns blazing after the interval and were level by the hour mark. First Adam Chambers lashed home after the keeper was unable to hold a Jason Demetriou effort and then Tamika Mkandawire scored from close range after another corner found the Northampton defence in a tangle.

Both sides pushed for the winner without success and the draw was probably the fairest result.

Level on points with the O's are Carlisle United who endured a massively frustrating afternoon at home to a very cautious Cheltenham Town only to go home happy after Danny Livesey leathered in the only goal of the game from the edge of the area in the last minute.

Hartlepool are currently third after coming from behind to spank Oldham.

Having fallen behind in the 14th minute Hartlepool equalised sixty seconds later through Ian Moore and never looked back. Goals by James Brown, Richie Barker from the penalty spot and Joel Porter clinched an emphatic 4-1 victory.

Swansea City can't get going and fell to defeat at home to Doncaster Rovers despite taking the lead through Jason Scotland. The turning point came around the hour when Ferrie Bodde was sent off for an apparent headbutt and Richie Wellens emerged as Donny's hero, slamming in two fine 25 yarders.

Another team who cannot get going are Nottingham Forest. Having fallen two goals behind at Bristol Rovers they recovered well to be level at half time but could not push on after the break to claim a winner.

Byron Anthony achieved the feat of scoring at both ends in this one while Grant Holt, who had equalised for Forest from a Junior Agogo cross, ended up sent off late on for a second yellow by a card happy referee.

Monday, August 20
Football England At Carlisle United

Our trawl through the lower divisions of English Football took us to Carlisle United at the weekend for the Cumbrians' clash with Oldham Athletic.

It was a wet, miserable afternoon but the game was a decent affair with a cracking atmosphere being created around the ground.

Brunton Park is one of the countries' less modernised grounds. There is one impressive new stand running down one side of the pitch, housing the visiting support in the far corner.

There is terracing behind both goals although on Saturday only one of these had fans on it, the covered Warwick Road End which housed the most vociferous of the home supporters.

Down the other side of the pitch is a sprawling terrace backed by an older stand which in appearance put me in mind of the old Fratton Park and in distance from the touchline was not far short of the old Molineux.

The first half was a typically cagey affair. Carlisle held the upper hand for lengthy periods although Oldham's passing did look more constructive on the occasions they were able to get it down and play.

In general, however, neither side was really committed to scoring a goal in the early stages. It is bizarre that modern coaching philosophies dictate that even teams like Oldham take the field playing a 4-3-3 system with one striker isolated up the middle and two attackers hugging the flanks.

This is a continental style of play and harks back to the Dutch total football ideals of the 1970's. I'm not sure what the point of trying to play total football is when you're left sided attacker is Michael Ricketts, however.

The first incident of note came when Carlisle's new striker Joe Garner got his privates in the way of an effort on goal while back defending and was left in obvious discomfort for some time. Poor boy, although he hardly looks old enough for the old plumbs to have dropped yet.

Garner was the liveliest attacker on view in the early stages with his intelligent movement and probing passing although he would fade somewhat as the game progressed.

The home side thought they had grabbed the lead when Jeff Smith headed in at the far post but the flag had been long raised for offside.

This incident also brought an unusual delay as the netting was torn from the woodwork and a stepladder had to be brought on to allow the repairs to take place.

Ricketts produced the first dangerous challenge of the day when sailing in to earn a booking while everyone else hesitated during a midfield melee. Then Sean Gregan joined him in the book after dragging Garner down having lost possession while being far too clever for his own good out near the touchline.

Gregan comes across as the sort of chap who will be pretty cross with himself for collecting a soft yellow card rather than making sure he earns it with some kind of genuine atrocity and I am sure there were plenty of times later on when he would have loved to take somebody out but had to turn the other cheek.

Midway through the first half the Carlisle fans began chanting for the caretaker boss Greg Abbott to give them a wave but found their man unwilling to oblige which prompted a small chorus of boos.

Besides that the home supporters kept themselves happy by chanting songs about Preston North End and Burnley. It's a shame for supporters of clubs with no real rivals. I doubt whether Deepdale or Turf Moor often rock to the sound of chants abusing the Cumbrians.

Oldham's increasing assurance showed itself with a quick break which gave them the best opening of the first half but when the ball was played through for Craig Davies the flag went up for offside. This looked a dodgy decision but the forward had no need to be even close to the line of the last defender such was the space he had to run into.

Then the impressive Neil Kilkenny slipped a neat ball into Ricketts but his low shot was blocked by Danny Livesey.

Shortly before half time came the decisive moment. John Thompson flattened Garner in heading clear a centre from the right and the referee pointed to the spot. Oldham weren't happy and you could understand why but the challenge did look somewhat rash, particularly as there was no imminent danger as the ball came across.

Mark Crossley might have saved a spot kick in an FA Cup final and kept out one from Matt Le Tissier but he was coolly and comprehensively beaten here by Danny Graham.

Gregan spent the rest of the first half trying to get sent off and left the field at the interval in heated discussion with the officials.

The highlights of the half time interval were the appearance of old favourite Bryan "Pop" Robson to draw a couple of tickets out of the tombola and the incredibly amateurish dancers/cheerleaders.

It's no surprise to see a little team of young girls strutting their stuff for the general public at football grounds up and down the country these days but the Carlisle "team" of performers was not a single sex outfit. Appearing alongside five girls was one extremely young, chubby little boy who was giving it his all with his hip gyrations while twirling his pom poms.

Very, very strange.

The game improved markedly after the break with Oldham taking control and the supporters of both sides contributing to the occasion with a cracking atmosphere. Special mention must go the the 1,000 visiting fans who were loudly behind their team throughout a frustrating second half.

Carlisle were restricted more to break aways after the interval but still managed moments of danger, particularly through the pace of Kevin Gall on the right wing.

Gregan, the comedy villain of the piece, produced an air shot to offer the home side a chance but Garner could not connect with Gall's low centre and then the winger missed badly himself with a cross shot after a superb break by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson following an Oldham corner.

Then came a classic moment when Gall wisely stepped back and allowed the covering Gregan to wipe out his left back Stuart Giddings by the touchline. This left Gall a clear run to the byeline but his centre was poor and found the head of Thompson rather than any of his three teammates waiting to be served.

Oldham improved markedly after bringing Chris Taylor on to play on the left wing and moving Kilkenny into a central position while also throwing Ricketts up the middle with Davies.

Kilkenny, on loan from Birmingham, was basically the best player on the pitch. Keen to make himself available, good on the ball and an astute distributor he began to dictate having been peripheral in the wider position.

Even he seemed reluctant to really push himself forward into areas where he could hurt Carlisle, however, as his side chased an equaliser.

Ricketts, desperately disappointing on the whole, saw a vicious volley chraged down after Gregan had headed a deep free kick back across the area and then the visitors were denied what looked a clear cut penalty when Davies went down under challenge from Livesey.

Although the referee was unwilling to give the spot kick he decided against booking the forward for diving which suggested he was in at least two minds about the decision.

Then Davies wasted a clear chance when Ricketts enjoyed the bounce of the ball about three times in midfield before releasing his strike partner to the right of goal.

Racing in on goal the forward's low shot flashed harmlessly wide of the far post.

Another smart Oldham move ended with Taylor sending a low centre right across the face of goal with no-one in position to take advantage. The sub was obviously unhappy with his colleagues although he had had the time and space to really pick someone out and should have taken more care with his pass.

The tension among the home ranks was becoming more pronounced and the visitors should have taken advantage right at the death. A patient build up ended with a dangerous centre from the right which ended up bouncing off keeper Kieren Westwood into the path of Giddings but with the goal at his mercy the full back fired wildly over.

There is no question that the visitors should have taken at least a point from this game but their profligacy in front of goal, coupled with the inconsistency of the officials, left them with nothing.

They look the stronger of these two sides on this evidence, however, but the loss of Chris Porter on a free to Motherwell could have severe repercussions for any possible promotion push.

Carlisle look a workmanlike side who will need to battle hard for their victories this season. Happily for followers of the club they have a side that looks willing to do this.

After the game I ventured into the city centre (is Carlisle really a city?) to watch the Newcastle Villa game and had no shortage of options. Having started in an Australian bar but found that a bit too busy I found another place just around the corner which was much quieter and more conducive to a relaxing couple of beers.

The appearance of a small team of Greater Manchester Policemen obviously seeking out potential Oldham hooligans raised a bit of interest among the locals but there was no sign of any likely trouble makers.

It did not look like the kind of place where you would be advised looking for trouble to be honest. While in no way was the atmosphere aggresive within the pubs there were plenty of ready looking characters knocking around who might well have taken exception to any outsiders looking to invade their territory.

Having sat through the goalless draw from St James' Park, amid plenty of black and white striped shirts, I hopped across to the train station to enjoy one of the more picturesque journeys home on offer.

All in all an enjoyable day.

Summary

Game: 7.5/10 Ground: 6.5/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Town: 8/10 Token Lower League Fatty: Sean Gregan

Review of the Rest

Leyton Orient's magnificent start to the season continued with a 1-0 win over Walsall which leaves them top of the league after two games.

Nobody will be getting carried away at Brisbane Road, however, as this was a hard fought victory and the Saddlers will be desperately disappointed not to have taken something from a game which they controlled for long periods.

Orient should have grabbed the lead in the first half but Adam Boyd saw Clayton Ince go full length to keep out his penalty but shortly after half time Wayne Gray made no mistake with a fine header from Wayne Corden's cross.

Walsall made chances at regular intervals throughout the game but their finishing was woeful. This might be a long term problem as they do not look a side brimming with goals.

The other team on maximum points is Huddersfield Town who came back from Bournemouth with a 1-0 win. Luke Beckett had already headed against the post before scoring the decisive goal with another header just before half time.

The Terriers will be more than pleased with their start considering the lengthy injury list they are currently battling against.

Leeds United would also have maximum points had they not had fifteen deducted before the season kicked off. They struck late to defeat Southend United 4-1.

Alan Thompson fired them ahead with a fine early free kick but Adam Barrett forceed home an equaliser with just over twenty minutes remaining.

The introduction of Tore Andre Flo as substitute with ten minutes to go was the catalyst for a storming finish in which Leeds plundered three further goals.

Flo started things off with a clinincal finish from Seb Carole's cross and then Rui Marques headed home from a corner. Jason Beckford completed the scoring in the last minute to ensure that the mood at Elland Road remains bouyant despite their points penalty.

Two teams who will be disappointed with the way they have started are Swansea City and Nottingham Forest and these two teams contested a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium.

Forest will be much the happier about this game as they staged a backs to the wall operation almost throughout with goalkeeper Paul Smith in absolutely magnificent form.

Including the League Cup tie with Chester, Forest have now played five hours of competitive football this season without a goal being scored at either end.

Tuesday, August 14
Three Off At Cheltenham

It was an extremely tight start in League One with five drawn games on the opening day and nobody winning by more than a single goal.

Perhaps the most impressive win was Leyton Orient's away at newly relegated Southend United.

Orient will no doubt be widely expected to struggle but despite losing several decent youngsters in the past couple of years as well as stalwarts Gary Alexander and Matt Lockwood in the summer they have made some good looking signings to compensate and might just shock a few people.

They fell behind at Roots Hall to a poachers goal from Mark Gower but levelled through the impressive Kevin Thornton. Thornton drew a free kick 25 yards from goal and then curled it into the top corner. Quality.

Thornton was at the heart of a feisty midfield battle and when Alan McCormack committed another foul on the O's newcomer shortly before the hour mark he was shown a second yellow and Southend found themselves a man down.

Orient made the extra man tell late on when Adam Boyd netted from close range to mark his debut for the club.

Having made no impression at Luton in the Championship this guy might be altogether more productive at this level.

Leeds United began the swim up to sea level with a win at Tranmere Rovers and are now only -12 points.

Tranmere had the better of the first half and deserved the lead given them by the prolific Chris Greenacre but Leeds looked altogether more determined after the break and having grabbed an equaliser through Matt Heath they took all three points right at the end when Tresor Kandol struck.

Oldham edged out Swansea City 2-1 mainly thanks to their Welsh striker Craig Davies. Davies won the first minute penalty converted by Michael Ricketts and then won the fixture right at the end with a close range header from Deane Smalley's cross.

In between Jason Scotland produced an assured finish to bring the Swans level but in the end this was not good enough for a point.

The most explosive game of the opening day came at Cheltenham were there was only one goal but three sendings off.

Cheltenham got the goal, Steven Gillespie running through to squeeze a shot past Simon Royce with the Gillingham defence claiming vainly for offside.

Early in the second half Gillingham were reduced to ten when Ian Cox was given a straight red after being adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity some 40 yards from goal.

Worse was to follow for the visitors. Moments after seeing a penalty appeal turned down they were reduced to nine men when Steve Lomas collected a second yellow for a rash challenge.

Minutes later the balance was not quite so much in Cheltenham's favour when the goalscorer Gillespie was also sent packing for a second yellow card offence. Having been booked earlier for diving the striker was cautioned again for blocking a free kick when not ten yards away.

The fact that he wasn't actually looking at the ball and Nicky Southall appeared to aim for him with the kick did not bother the trigger happy ref who obviously had nothing better to do with his Saturday night than fill in forms.

Needless to say neither manager was altogether thrilled at the end of this one.

Football England League One Team of the Season 2006-07

All the League One club pages have been updated to include Football England's appraisal of the good and bad of their season and here is our very own League One Team of the Season.

Manager: Brian Laws/Nigel Adkins (Scunthorpe United)

Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United)

Murphy always looked to have the makings of a top keeper in his early days at Tranmere but was unable to establish himself at either West Brom or Sunderland.
Playing regularly for the Iron did him a world of good, however, and he was instrumental in the teams' title success.
Brave and agile Murphy has a real presence between the posts and commands his area well. Will be crucial to Scunny's chances in the higher grade next season as well.

George Pilkington (Port Vale)

The consistent Vale right back is the only player remaining from last seasons' starting eleven. Commanding in his defensive duties and capable going forward Pilkington remains supremely reliable in everything he does.

Jamie McCombe (Bristol City)

Stepped up a division when signing from Lincoln City in the summer and made it look easy. Given his height it is hardly surprising that McCombe is dominant in the air but very few forwards escaped him on the deck either.
Was rock solid as City successfully chased promotion and will now get the chance to test himself at the next level again. Looks equipped to cope.

Michael Jackson (Blackpool)

Jackson has been a stalwart at this level for a long time and this was his third promotion from this section having previously been successful with Bury and Preston North End.
Fiercely competitive but almost always fair into the bargain he is an old fashioned centre half in the best possible sense. Strong in the air, mobile and a good reader of the game he is also a strong character and motivator.
I'm sure the Tangerine fans will have forgiven him for being a former Lilywhite. Whether he can raise his game to the next level is less certain.

Matt Lockwood (Leyton Orient)

Lockwood was in our League Two team of the year last season and makes it into the League One side this time despite being part of an Orient side that found the going tough throughout.
Classy and composed in everything he does Lockwood's deadball expertise was again much in evidence as he ended the season with eleven goals to his credit.

Leon Britton (Swansea City)

This clever, tricky right sided midfield player was excellent in a generally fitful Swansea side. His ability on the ball has always been evident since joining the Swans but his decision making and use of the ball became significantly better during this campaign and made him a far more dangerous opponent.
Should improve further, particularly if the Swans can get a more settled side in place.

Brian Stock (Doncaster Rovers)

It was somewhat surprising that Preston first loaned and then sold this skillful midfielder to Donny given their own lack of resources in that area and Stock's performances throughout gave the full impression that he has what it takes to succeed at Championship level.
Cultured on the ball with a fine passing range he is also a goal threat both in open play and from a dead ball. Looks a little delicate but class is class.

Chris Cohen (Yeovil Town)

Another fine footballing midfielder who plays the game in the right way. Good on the ball and is always eager to get forward to support the attack.
More energetic than Stock and perhaps his more dynamic approach makes him the more likely of the two to go further in his career.

Wes Hoolahan (Blackpool)

Perhaps the star of the season in League One. Joined on a season long loan from Livingston and tormented defences all year with his outstanding dribbling skills.
Hoolahan quickly showed himself to be no out and out winger, however. Always quick to see, and take, the opportunity of coming inside and going for goal himself he was at times impossible to defend against and was the undoubted star of Blackpool's magnificent run in which carried them to promotion glory.

Luke Varney (Crewe Alexandra)

Varney became the latest star to emerge from Crewe's magnificent youth system and may well end up one of the very best produced by the club. Ideally built he is quick, strong, fearless and relentless in his pursuit of goals.
Especially good at losing his man down the channels and an assured finisher when running in on the keeper. One to watch.

Billy Sharp (Scunthorpe United)

I suppose many people were sceptical of Sharp's excellent goalscoring in 2005-06 but he proved it was no fluke by notching another 32 this time around to fire Scunthorpe to an unlikely promotion. Even managed to keep on scoring after Andy Keogh was sold to Wolves.
A real predator who comes alive in and around the penalty area. Think Michael Owen. Think Tony Cottee.
Having been rejected by Sheffield United earlier on in his career the same club have now paid big money to give him the chance to show he can cut it at a higher level again.

Subs:

Shane Higgs (Cheltenham Town)
Jason Crowe (Northampton Town)
Andy Liddell (Oldham Athletic)
Kris Commons (Nottingham Forest)
Lee Trundle (Swansea City)

Manager: Brian Laws/Nigel Adkins (Scunthorpe United)

Nobody outside of Scunthorpe would have picked them as champions of League One before the season started and I'd like to think not many inside would have either. That's what happened though and enormous credit has to go to both these men for making it happen.
Laws was the man responsible for forging the side that would eventually bring glory to Glanford Park and, having overseen the recovery from a poor start, he left the club well placed to challenge when he was tempted away to Hillsborough in November to inspire a revival at Sheffield Wednesday.
Adkins took over on a temporary basis and made the job his own as the side went from strength to strength under his guidance.
His biggest test came when the club sold the outstanding Andy Keogh to Wolves in the January transfer window and he passed it with flying colours.
Jason Beckford had no track record whatsoever but he did the business while on loan from Leeds and Scunny actually won seven games on the bounce following the sale of Keogh to give themselves a ten point cushion at the top of the table.
The run in was less emphatic but there was never any danger of a collapse and the title was eventually secured by a six point margin from Bristol City.
In this day and age it is nice to see that clubs like Scunthorope can still progress and put the noses' of some bigger clubs well and truly out of joint.
Congratulations to Laws and Adkins for the achievement.

Tuesday, May 29
Tangerine Dream

Blackpool scored their tenth win in a row to clinch a deserved promotion to the Championship on Sunday. The Tangerines were worthy 2-0 winners in a good, open game against Yeovil Town at Wembley.

The game was open and attacking from the first whistle, the opening ten minutes particularly so, but it was always Blackpool holding the upper hand.

Blackpool won a first minute corner and there were penalty claims when the ball went beyond the far post with Kiegan Parker being clipped as he looked to retrieve possession. It would have been a tough call and the referee satisfied himself with a verdict of accidental.

Claus Jorgensen was soon driving at the heart of the Yeovil defence from deep and his well struck shot looked dangerous until Terrell Forbes made a lunging block at the expense of another corner.

Blackpool had made all the early running but when Yeovil earned a corner of their own in the tenth minute they should have grabbed the lead.

Arron Davies drilled the ball right across the six yard line where Scott Guyet had been left completely unattended. The Yeovil man inexplicably made no move to the ball, however, and the chance was gone.

Back came Blackpool. Andy Morrell, Adrian Forbes and Robbie Williams were either high or wide with decent chances before Morrell was just unable to connect with Parker's inviting centre at full stretch.

The tricky Wesley Hoolahan then became an influence. Running from more central areas the on loan winger was a real threat to Yeovil but on two occasions his final shot was unworthy of the approach play.

Then Hoolahan presented Forbes with a real chance at the far post but his colleague wanted too long to get his shot away allowing Yeovil's Forbes to get across and block.

For all the attacking play and chances it was looking as though the game would reach half time goalless until Blackpool were awarded a free kick 25 yards out for a trip on Parker.

Robbie Williams stepped forward to curl a meek, low shot round the wall past Steve Mildenhall who had, fatally, taken a step or two to his left anticipating an effort towards the other corner.

In the end the ball went in at the side the keeper should have been covering and had to go down as a big mistake.

Yeovil almost replied with a free kick of their own but Davies's effort from similar range, though well struck, had been flighted just too much which allowed Paul Rachubka to get across and save under his bar.

Yeovil looked to get more players forward at the start of the second half but this simply opened up even more space for Blackpool to exploit and they immediately began carving holes in the Yeovil defence.

It was no surprise when a long ball from Williams found Parker running beyond the defence and the forward checked back onto his right foot to float a sweet shot beyond Mildenhall.

This was a magnificent, bending effort that seemed to have been hit in slow motion. It is possible the lack of speed on the shot confused Mildenhall who appeared to dive early. Whether the keeper could have reached this effort in any case is debatable.

For a spell it looked as though Blackpool might run riot and Mildenhall had to save smartly from Morrell and Parker.

Then the Tangerines seemed more content to rest on their two goal lead. Yeovil were struggling to penetrate the Blackpool defence but with just over ten minutes remaining they carved out a great chance that should have had the game back in the balance.

Wayne Gray produced a storming run down the right and picked out a perfect centre for Marcus Stewart. Stewart had a gaping goal but headed the ball straight down and then had the agony of seeing it bounce up and over the crossbar.

The Somerset side would not create another chance of this quality and Blackpool were able to start the celebrations as the clock ticked down.

As expected this game was a credit to the two teams and the division. Blackpool look like a club who will be able to hold their own at the next level. Whether Yeovil can build on their excellent season in League One next time around is perhaps more debatable.

Wednesday, May 23
Yeovil Stun Forest

Yeovil Town and Blackpool will meet at Wembley for a place in the Championship. Blackpool's semi final success was a smooth, assured one whereas Yeovil staged an astonishing comeback to dispose of Nottingham Forest.

Forest came out on top in the 1st leg after an open encounter, winning 2-0 with goals from the penalty spot, and their passage to the final seemed all but certain.

If Yeovil could take heart from this defeat it was in the fact that they had made plenty of chances in the game only to find the Forest keeper Paul Smith in excellent form. Smith saved well from Arron Davies, Marcus Stewart and Wayne Gray while Stewart also hit the post with a header.

Forest also had their chances but could only find the target when presented with their spot kicks. The first, midway through the first half, was debatable after Nathan Jones's challenge on James Perch but converted anyway by Kris Commons.

The second, right at the end of the game, was clear cut with Terrell Forbes felling Jack Lester who scored himself.

This seemed to be a killer blow to Yeovil's hopes but the 2nd leg at the City Ground was a wide open affair from the first whistle which was obviously to the visitors advantage.

Yeovil gained early encouragement when Davies forced Smith into action and although Forest replied with a shot from Perch that landed on the roof of the net the open style suited Yeovil who basically now had nothing to lose.

The game was put squarely in the melting pot midway through the first half when Davies collected the ball inside his own half to motor forward and drill a shot beyond Smith from 25 yards.

Marcus Stewart went close with an overhead kick from the edge of the box and with the game swinging from end to end Scott Dobie was just wide with a header for Forest.

It needed a fine double save by Smith from Davies and Stewart to maintain Forest's aggregate lead at half time and the game was definitely now in the balance.

Straight after half time Dobie made his header count from a corner, however, and Forest had their two goal cushion back and were firm favourites once again.

Smith produced another brilliant double save to deny Wayne Gray and Lee Morris and although Yeovil were still gamely pressing forward time was beginning to run out when they got the stroke of luck they needed to gain new hope.

There were eight minutes remaining when the substitute JP Kalala curved in a lovely shot that rebounded from the inside of the post to bounce off Alan Wright back into the net.

Five minutes later Andy Lindegaard crossed deep from the right and Stewart was on hand to nod Yeovil into a 3-1 lead and put them level overall.

If Forest thought that was bad then worse was to follow. Before the 90 minutes were up David Prutton had been sent off for a stupid lunge at Jones.

Extra time started in dramatic fashion. Forest looked shellshocked as Wes Morgan made a complete mess of an attempted backpass and Morris nipped in to round Smith and score.

Incredibly Yeovil now led but somehow Forest mustered an instant reply with Gary Holt volleying home from the edge of the box.

Forest remained locked in an attacking, end to end duel but the chances, not surprisingly, were mainly coming Yeovil's way as their extra man became ever more pronounced.

Smith was called upon to make a series of defiant saves but when Arron Davies picked his way into the box there was nothing the keeper could do about the resulting drive into the top corner that finally clinched Yeovil's passage to the final.

What a night and what a comeback. Not many would have given Yeovil a chance before the start of the 2nd leg, a fact probably demonstrated by the fact there were only just over 1,000 visiting fans present.

Fair play to those who made the effort, they were rewarded with one of those games that make years of supporting your team worthwhile.

There were no such trials and tribulations for Blackpool who won both legs of their semi final against Oldham, which means the Tangerines have now won nine games on the bounce as they head for Wembley.

The 1st leg at Boundary Park was a mainly mundane, hard fought affair but Blackpool's extra quality began to show through in the second half and when chances did arrive they were invariably for the visitors.

Shaun Barker headed Blackpool in front shortly after the break and it looked as though that might be that until Oldham were awarded a more than generous penalty with 15 minutes remaining.

Andy Liddell did the honours after Michael Jackson was penalised for a sound challenge on Chris Porter.

Oldham would have been well advised settling for a draw at this point, especially as the decision seemed to rouse Blackpool, but the game became stretched and the visitors took advantage late on when the impressive Wes Hoolahan went through to round the keeper and score.

Blackpool might have been worried about only having a one goal lead to take back to Bloomfield Road considering the way the play offs had gone in general but in this instance there was never the remotest possibility that the away side might stage a comeback.

Oldham had some early pressure in the 2nd leg but did not make it count and when Keith Southern lashed in from 25 yards the tie was effectively sealed.

Andy Morrell stretched Blackpool's aggregate advantage after a one on one with the keeper on 75 minutes before the teams traded late goals. Matt Wolfenden scored via the underside of the bar for Oldham but Kiegan Parker had the last word for Blackpool with a curling effort in stoppage time.

3-1 on the day and 5-2 on aggregate, Blackpool have the look of favourites going into the final at Wembley. Yeovil, however, will have gained plenty of confidence from their amazing victory at Forest.

This one could well be a cracker.

Sunday, May 6
Bristol City Promoted

Scunthorpe United had already been crowned champions in this section and there were three teams in with a chance of grabbing the second automatic promotion spot on the final day of the league programme; Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Blackpool.

Bristol City were in poll position facing already relegated Rotherham United at a packed Ashton Gate and the Robins made no mistake, winning 3-1.

Any nerves that may have existed were quickly settled by David Noble's excellent early volley and when Noble grabbed his second moments before half time it was game over and party time.

Alex Russell grabbed the third ten minutes after the break and although Rotherham quickly pulled one back the outcome was never in doubt.

Bristol City are surely a club that should compete in one of the top two divisions and they will be hoping to consolidate at the next level and maybe push on from there.

Another club worthy of a higher standard are Nottingham Forest but City's victory means they will have to negotiate the play offs if they are to make a return to the Championship.

With news of Bristol City's lead quickly rendering the City Ground a sombre place the game with Crewe was similarly dull and ended goalless.

This was not the case with the other club who might have sneaked into 2nd spot. Blackpool knew they were in for a challenging encounter at Swansea who needed victory to have a chance of getting into the play off positions.

The first half was lively enough with Blackpool leading 2-1 at the break but the second half was remarkable.

Swansea came out in rampant mood and within ten minutes had stormed into the lead and also missed a penalty. Lee Trundle had the Swans level, then our favourite fatty slid his penalty against the post before Izzy Irriekpen had the home side ahead with his second goal of the game.

This simply inspired Blackpool to come roaring back and two goals within six minutes had them quickly in front again. This time there would be no more twists as two further goals for the visitors wrapped up their 6-3 win.

Andy Morrell helped himself to four of these goals with Kiegan Parker getting the other two. Morrell showed himself to be a true poacher with his goals while Parker scored in more spectacular style from distance for both of his.

The Tangerines go into the play offs as the form side.

They will face Oldham Athletic in the semi finals after the Latics confirmed their place with a tense 1-0 win over Chesterfield, Chris Porter once again the man on target.

Scunthorpe, meanwhile, ended their fantastic season in real style with a fine 3-0 win over Carlisle United.

Scunny might have been expected to figure in the other half of the division, especially after failing to win any of their first five games.

Having built a solid side behind their two classy forwards, Andy Keogh and Billy Sharp, the Iron recovered from their sluggish start and never really looked back, however.

Losing Keogh to Wolves in January might then have been expected to damage their promotion push but instead the club won seven games on the trot from the turn of the year, a run which left them ten points clear, and the chasing pack was never close to overhauling the leaders.

Saturday's goals came from Cleveland Taylor, Matthew Sparrow and Jermaine Beckford whose goal was his 8th in 18 games since joining on loan from Leeds to fill the gap left by Keogh.

It will obviously be interesting to see how Scunny fare at the next level and they will no doubt take heart from the showing made by Colchester United in the Championship this season.

At the other end of the table everything was already settled with Chesterfield, Bradford City, Rotherham United and Brentford adrift.

Wednesday, February 28
Bristol Belongs To Rovers

Just at the moment it's a good time to be a Rovers fan in Bristol. Man, woman, boy or girl if you're sporting blue and white you most definitely have the bragging rights over those in red.

Indeed the City fans will not have fancied getting up for work or school this morning after their team had been knocked out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in the Southern Area final by the arch enemy.

This was a blow for the underdog. Rovers have suffered a spluttering campaign in League Two while City are well placed in the League One promotion race and also distinguished themselves with an excellent FA Cup run.

Perhaps the favourites simply couldn't find the motivation to match Rovers over the two legs. The Pirates have a decent team who probably should be higher in their division and when you are used to being the butt of the local banter getting up for a game of this sort is usually pretty easy.

The first leg at Ashton Gate had finished goalless and initially it seemed as though City were in the mood to impose themselves at the Memorial Stadium. The early promise of the visitors quickly faded, however, and from then on Rovers always looked the more likely winners.

The early chances in the second leg fell the way of the men who had come closest in an extremely tight first meeting.

Steve Brooker had hit the bar for City at Ashton Gate and twice called Steve Phillips into action in the early stages last night. Neither save was particularly testing, however.

Craig Disley had spurned Rovers best chance at City when failing to score when clean through but almost made amends with a couple of efforts in the return. First he fired straight at Adriano Basso and then saw a fine effort from distance whistle just the wrong side of the post.

Basso then had to make a cracking save to deny the dangerous Rickie Lambert. The powerful front runner would be an influence all night.

While there was no doubting the general dominance of Rovers the tie remained poised and it took a splendid headed goalline clearance from Steve Elliott to deny Jamie McCombe as City briefly threatened.

The defining moment came on 65 minutes though and it was the Gasheads celebrating. City could only half clear a centre and as the ball dropped Lambert smashed it home on the volley from the edge of the box.

Despite desperate late attempts from the visitors to rescue the situation with the giant defender McCombe thrown forward from defence there were no clear opportunities for City to equalise and despite the obvious nervy atmosphere as the clock ticked down Rovers were home.

This completed a cup double for the Gasheads over City.

The Rovers' backed Bristol Academy ladies team had previously knocked Bristol City Ladies out of the Womens FA Cup competition.

In the womens' game it is Rovers who are the pre-eminent team, however, and they were able to live up to their billing as favourites.

At least the City ladies were able to score and had led in their tie before finally losing in extra time.

As I said, though, a good time to be a Rovers fan for the whole family.

The potential consolation for City and their supporters is of course promotion to the Championship. The club is handily placed in the play off places and have a decent looking run in to the season.

With Yeovil and Nottingham Forest still to visit Ashton Gate automatic promotion is still very much in their own hands and if they can put this disappointing episode behind them and recapture the form which they displayed against Coventry and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup then there is no reason why they can't end the season on a high.

For Rovers there is the prospect of a trip to Cardiff to face Doncaster Rovers but little chance of forcing their way into the play off picture having taken only one point from their last three league games and now facing a run of three away games on the bounce.

The last question is will the atmosphere of the Memorial Stadium now inspire the womens' team to match the mens' achievement?

The ground will host the WFA Cup semi final tie between Bristol Academy and Arsenal Ladies and the home team will need all the support they can get to cause an upset of their own.

Personally I can't see it happening. To be honest if the Arsenal Ladies team had turned up by mistake last night I don't think Bristol Rovers would now be planning their day out in Cardiff.

Wednesday, November 29
Windass Assault; Worse Than Thatcher?

Football England have followed the fortunes of Dean Windass at Bradford City with great interest and have always wished him well after he spurned the opportunity to become a Premier League bit part player with Wigan to remain a regular first teamer lower down the league ladder.

We found this a refreshing attitude and his performances with the Bantams have generally provided a touch of quality to keep the fans going through some tough times.

On Saturday, however, Windass went a long way towards losing every last ounce of respect he has ever gained from anyone during his long career with a truly horrific assault on Bournemouth's Neil Young.

As Young slid into a challenge around the corner of his own box Windass came in at speed, lunged into mid air, tucked his knees into his chest and then stamped full bloodedly into Young's legs making serious contact somewhere around the thigh region.

Jesus Christ, this was truly, truly scary.

Windass was red carded and fortunately, perhaps miraculously, Young avoided serious injury. If ever an action should have ended someones' playing career then this was it. As the referee took appropriate onfield action and dismissed Windass the mandatory three match ban may be the only punishment he suffers.

It should not be.

As in the case of Ben Thatcher earlier on in the season this was not just a case of a mistimed challenge, it was not simply a very bad foul. It went completely beyond what is acceptable or even comprehensible in a game of football.

It was grotesque.

So was Windass's reaction to being sent off. He chose to rage at the referee, he attempted to rage at the linesman who had been ideally placed to view the assault.

Fortunately City skipper David Wetherall intervened and hauled his colleague off the pitch.

Windass later went to the Bournemouth dressing room to apologise but received short shrift from Young and understandably so. Sometimes apologies can ring very hollow indeed.

Especially when you consider Windass was still trying to excuse himself later. "All their players came running over which made it look worse," he had the nerve/stupidity to say.

No, Dean. It was when you went running and lunging over that it looked worse.

This incident would have overshadowed a better game than the one that followed (only 12 minutes had gone when it happened).

As it was two struggling sides did practically nothing to remove the nasty impression created. Bournemouth hit the post with a close range header but must know they have problems after failing desperately to make their extra man count.

0-0 was a fitting scoreline on a day best forgotten but did not appease large sections of the home crowd who demonstrated against manager and board with Colin Todd becoming involved in one particularly angry exchange with a supporter.

As I said, a day best forgotten.

Nottingham Forest appear to be in cruise control at the top of the division and overcame the blow of conceding early at home to Millwall to run out 3-1 winners in the second half.

Danny Cullip got himself into a tangle in the 4th minute to allow Ben May to nip past him and it was no good him them waving at his keeper to come out as May finished confidently.

Millwall resisted Forest's pressure for an hour but once the dam was finally punctured it wasted little time in bursting wide open.

Junior (son of Einstein) Agogo equalised in a similar manner, stealing in when a defender could not deal with a long ball forward to slam high into the net and within minutes James Perch headed the home side ahead when Lenny Pidgeley misjudged a centre to the far post.

Ian Breckin sealed the points with a looping near post header from a right wing corner as Millwall buckled under the strain.

It is not at places like this that Millwall will secure safety.

One team who might challenge Forest at the top, certainly if you listen to Yeovil manager Russell Slade, are Scunthorpe United.

Slade was generous in his praise of the Iron before their weekend clash and therefore cannot have been surprised to see Scunny dominate his team and return north with a 2-0 win under their belts.

It did at least give him the opportunity to sing their praises again after the game.

This was indeed a convincing display.

Scunny, under caretaker boss Nigel Adkins, had a few injuries to contend with and needed to employ a bit of tinkering to their line up but nevertheless controlled proceedings for most of the afternoon.

They certainly wasted no time getting into their stride. Jim Goodwin had seen one blistering drive tipped over by Steve Mildenhall before Billy "The Kid" Sharp had them ahead from the second of two early corners.

Richard "Beanz Meanz" Hinds rose to head goalwards and Sharp managed to smuggle the ball past a defender and the keeper from no more than one yard out with his back to goal.

Instinctive. You can't teach it. Sharp really is a natural goalscorer.

Scunthorpe were not daunted by going ahead so early and continued to exercise control over most of the play. It was slightly surprising that they did not extend their lead until just past the hour mark.

Cleveland Taylor provided a killer cross and Sharp, inevitably, was on hand to knock in his 16th of the season.

When you're hot as a striker everything goes for you. Sharp actually stubbed his toe in front of the open goal in the first place and could have been looking at an ugly miss. Instead the ball simply stayed obediently at his feet waiting for Sharp to get himself straight, which admittedly didn't take long, and the striker knocked it home at the second time of asking.

Happy days.

Wayne Gray wafted a decent chance over for the home side late on but in truth, despite manful effort, Yeovil had never seriously tested Joe Murphy in the Scunthorpe goal all afternoon.

Tranmere Rovers had a fine win on Friday night over improving Blackpool.

The Tangerines must have travelled to Prenton Park in good spirits but were never really in this one. They defended resiliently for the most part but were found wanting on two occasions and were severely punished for the lapses.

Chris Greenacre slid home the opener when Blackpool's defence allowed the ball to travel across their box twice before being converted on its return journey and Steve Davies was on hand to sink the pot when keeper Rhys Evans palmed a low centre conveniently out into his area.

The most eye catching result of the weekend was Oldham's 3-0 trouncing of Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm.

This was a great day to be a Latic. 2,853 of them made the short trip over the Pennines and saw their side completely outplay their hosts.

The opening goal came courtesy of more keeper spillage as Matt Glennon made a present of Chris Taylor's centre to Gary McDonald who accepted the gift at the far post.

Oldham's Aussie keeper Les Pogliacomi had to deal with efforts from Chris Brandon and Andy Booth in the first half but in the main it was the visitors calling the shots.

After half time Oldham's dominance became even more pronounced and Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson was honest enough to admit that the score could have ended up six or seven.

As it was the Latics settled for three. Chris Porter finished with an assured flick at the far post after more fine wing play from Taylor while Paul Warne scored the scabbiest goal of his life to wrap things up.

Warne ended up flat out in the box when making a nuisance of himself at a free kick and when the ball bounced out to Andy Liddell his instant daisy cutter deflected off his prone teammate to completely wrong foot Glennon and fly into the bottom corner.

Warne was up instantly to take the credit from the travelling support behind the goal.

Happy days.

Glennon came out top in a one on one with Liddell and Porter headed the easiest of the missed chances wide but the visitors were happy to settle for 3-0.

Not so the home fans. West Yorkshire was an unhappy place on Saturday and there were demonstrations again here. These were mainly at the board although manager Jackson inevitably came in for his share.

Hopefully his side can turn things round quickly and get the fans back on board.

There was a packed house at Swansea's Liberty Stadium on Sunday to see that footballing novelty, the entertaining goalless draw, against Bristol City.

The action here was furious from the start with Phil Jevons forcing a save out of Willy Gueret for the visitors and Lee Trundle, by this time the only fatty Football England still had a good word for, having a coupe of early efforts, one of which drew a decent save out of Adriano Basso.

This, in truth, would not be Trundle's day however.

While Bristol fought gamely and contributed what they could as an attacking force it was mainly Swansea after the opening exchanges.

Jamie McCombe distinguished himself by clearing an Alan Tate lob off the line with his keeper beaten and then deflecting a Leon Britton effort against the post.

Basso came to the fore with a couple more saves to frustrate Trundle before the visitors ended the first half with one of their more prolonged periods of possession.

Swansea pushed hard after the break but just could not find a way through. Trundle wasted a couple of presentable chances, Andy Robinson drove a sweet effort against the post and saw the ball rebound off Basso and over the crossbar and the keeper showed that he probably deserved that piece of luck with a fine double save to deny Trundle and Britton.

All in all a bit frustrating for the home fans in the crowd of 15,531 but they could hardly complain at the performance.

The 1,207 visitors, who all had to travel on official coaches and under police escort, were certainly happy enough with what they had seen and no doubt relieved there had been no repeat of last seasons' 7-1 mauling.

Elsewhere Carlisle United staged the comeback of the weekend in coming back from two goals down to defeat Port Vale 3-2.

Goalkeeper Kieren Westwood was probably the happiest man after the turnabout. Although you could perhaps excuse him letting in Port Vale's goals the two strikes that beat him did total something like 80 yards between them.

First Paul Harsley seemed to surprise him with a sweet strike on the turn from about 35 yards. The ball flew into the roof of the net but was pretty central.

Still, I think most people were surprised with this one.

The second was one of those inswinging free kicks from out on the touchline where the keeper waits for someone to get a touch and then can't stop it from creeping in at the far post when nobody gets one.

Jeff Smith was the man scoring from Jonny Wilkinson territory.

There were only 25 minutes left when Carlisle started making inroads into the arrears and it was the introduction of substitute Derek Holmes that proved the catalyst.

Holmes strolled through onto the end of a lovely passing move down the middle and caught the bug, passing the ball perfectly into the bottom corner and Carlisle were inspired.

Karl Hawley dragged them level with a smart finish in off the post at close quarters before Peter Murphy headed home the winner with an unchallenged header.

Black mark here for Vale's Mark Goodlad I'm afraid. This should have been a routine save but Goodlad somehow contrived to palm the ball in off the underside of his bar.

The game between Crewe and Chesterfield looked like being one of the weekends' more mundane offerings before going beserk late doors.

When Luke Varney opened the scoring in clinical fashion latching onto a neat flick there was already over an hour gone and that looked like being that until Derek Niven took advantage of space in the box to level with a low cross shot.

Now both sides seemed to want to know.

Luke Rodgers had Crewe back in front with injury time beckoning when he displayed a nice touch and finish from close range when a shot deflected into his path but the visitors still found time to respond with Kevin Hurst volleying in at the far post when the home defence failed miserably to clear a centre.

Sometimes draws can feel like defeats to one team and victories to the other. This was one of those.

Gillingham remain formidable at home, their latest success being a 1-0 win over battling Rotherham United.

The goal was a tap in for Gary Mulligan after Matt Jarvis had escaped down the left byeline to feed him.

Good speed and persistence by Jarvis but Rotherham defender David Worrell should have cleared comfortably only he was preoccupied with trying to baulk Jarvis rather than concentrating on the ball.

Brighton fans must have felt a little queasy at having to stomach Mark McCammon scoring the only goal of the game against them for Doncaster.

McCammon rarely delivered the goods while with the south coast club but produced a cracking diving header to send them to defeat at Belle Vue.

Finally Cheltenham Town gave themselves some breathing space at the foot of the table while increasing the woes of Brentford with their 2-0 win.

Both goals came from Kayode Odejayi, his first when he headed home a bouncing ball with the defence static, the second a rare moment of class as he showed good chest control before burying his finish high into the net.

Football League Division One Review: Nov 20th:
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

After a decidedly poor start to the season, Blackpool continued to emerge as promotion wannabees with a fine 3-1 home victory over tricky Huddersfield Town.

Emerging from within the Blackpool side at the same time has been the impressive Wes Hoolahan. As befits the recent theme of this page, Wes has been given a nickname. Henceforth he shall be known as Wes (Hotlips) Hoolahan.

Hotlips, on loan from Livingston, produced another virtuoso performance for the Seasiders pulling the strings in midfield, showing some excellent vision and decision making.

He was involved in Blackpool's first after 25 minutes when he combined with Adrian Forbes to give a half chance to Keigan Parker, who finished with little hardship, although from a difficult angle.

Four minutes later, Hotlips again produced the goods to set up the second. After drawing defenders towards him, he put the ball on a plate for Keith Southern to run onto and spank home without breaking his stride.

Huddersfield clawed a goal back on the stroke of half time when Gary Taylor-Fletcher capitalised on indecision in Pool's defence to steer one home against the run of play.

A spirited riposte from Huddersfield in the early stages of the second half was quashed when Andy Morrell headed home from a cross by Hoolahan.

Huddersfield did produce a lot of late pressure, but Blackpool on the day were classy victors.

Crewe's stuttering form continued, with this week being one of their good ones. Brentford were the unlucky hosts, catching the Railwaymen on one of their dazzling days.

Brentford were absolutely dire on the day, but that should not detract from a clinical display by the visitors.

Luke (son of Reg) Varney was again on target after just 5 minutes with a close range finish that seemed to galvanise the Bees into a greater effort, but the remainder of the first half was played out in deadlock.

The damage was done in a devastating 9 minute burst of goalscoring by a rampant Crewe.

Ben Rix produced a thundering drive to double the lead on 58 minutes, Varney struck again on 63 minutes and David (brother of Johnny) Vaughan despatched a sweet volley to complete the humiliation.

Brentford slipped into the relegation zone and the home fans were quick to voice their displeasure at the final whistle.

Bristol City came from a goal down at home to Gillingham to eventually run out comfortable 3-1 winners.

Michael Flynn put the Gills in front with an unstoppable screamer that flew into the top left after 15 minutes, but their lead was short lived.

Richard Keogh, up from the back for a set piece, did well to keep his volley down and on target to get City back on terms on the half hour.

After the break the home side went on the hunt for goals and had many attempts before Enoch Showunmi finally got one on target to give City a deserved lead.

The third came at the death when the Gills committed men forward and Scott Murray was left unattended to seal a convincing home victory.

Chris Greenacre capitalised on a defensive blunder to score the only goal of a very tight game for Tranmere away at form side Brighton.

Greenacre nipped in to slot home after 20 minutes, and Tranmere went on to boss most of the first hour. A late rally from Brighton, and a flurry of bookings, put the visitors under intense pressure, but a solid defensive showing from Rovers' back four ensured all three points for Tranmere.

A sort of predictable bore draw took place at Leyton Orient where Yeovil were the visitors.

Chances were at a premium throughout this game and is perhaps not surprising that both goals remained intact after a whole 90 minutes went by without a single shot on target.

Yeovil continue to take their almost impenetrable defence on the road, while Orient really do look devoid of ideas.

Scunthorpe moved into second place with a late home victory over Northampton.

The victory was secured by an 87th minute penalty despatched by Andrew (grandson of Bing) Crosby, but Scunny's victory margin would surely have been far greater if not for some fine goalkeeping by Northampton's Mark Bunn.

Scunny's attacking intentions got the rewards they deserved on the day.

Football League Division One Review: Nov 7th:
Forest carry on regardless

Nottingham Forest continue to lead the way in League One and made little fuss, winning their home fixture with Brentford 2-0.

This was a game short on chances, but both goals, scored in the first half by Forest's Chris Commons were of the highest order.

The first was a free kick bent around the wall at pace, giving Brentford keeper Clark Masters little chance of keeping it out. The second was basically a repeat of the first. Quality.

The performance by Forest from then on, with almost an hour to play was typical of their recent mindset. Get in front and play solidly. No-one recently has had an answer to Forest's increasingly impressive defensive line up.

Brighton produced another fine win, 3-2 away at Bradford to continue their recent rich vein of form.

Alex Revell put the visitors in early in the first half front with a tidy finish after catching the Bantam's back four square and enjoyed good spells of possession throughout as Bradford failed to gel.

An early second half penalty, despatched by Dean Hammond doubled the lead but a spirited fight back by bradford almost got them a share of the spoils.

Fatty Windass pulled one back, again from the spot, with still almost half an hour on the clock, and when Stephen Schumacher volleyed home after a spell of intense pressure to level the score a draw looked the most likely outcome.

Dean Bowditch, on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes got on the end of a quick Brighton counter attack to take all three points right at the death.

Bradford have entered a period of ennui while Brighton can do no wrong at the moment.

Friday night produced a glut of goals from the two games: Swansea 4 Bournemouth 2 and Tranmere 3 Millwall 1.

Swansea went ahead as early as the 4th minute when stalwart of the championship manager game from a couple of seasons ago, Izzy Iriekpen chipped in with a rare goal. He did just enough to force the ball home following a corner.

Bournemouth showed good spirit and plenty of attacking intent as a riposte, but were effectively snuffed out of the game within 2 minutes around the hour mark.

Rory Fallon doubled the Swans' lead after some good work by Leon Britton and two minutes later Fallon again applied the finish to a Lee Trundle centre to put the game beyond the Cherries.

Bournemouth did produce a late rally, with goals from Danny Hollands and Brett Pitman, but Fatty Trundle completed the nights scoring with a typically flambuoyant shot at the death.

Tranmere came out on top by virtue of their better finishing in a fairly even game with Millwall which in fairness produced a lot of puffing and panting, but not too much great football.

Gareth Taylor and Chris (son of Eadie) McCready made the most of two half chances to give Rovers a 2-0 lead after just 22 minutes and from then on the Lions were always chasing the game.

Chris Hackett produced a cool lofted finish to reduce the arrears just before half time, but Millwall failed to make much impact after the break.

Chris Shuker made the scoreline a little flattering to Tranmere with a last minute goal.

Football League Division One Review: Oct 30th:
Rotherham up for it

I must confess that I have been chuffed to bits to see Rotherham steadily climbing League One in recent weeks, thanks mainly to their splendid attitude to what promised to be a pretty awful season for them.

A 5-1 mullering of Crewe on Saturday, on the back of last weeks 3-1 away win at Bournemouth has seen the jolly Millers climb out of the relegation spots. Had they not been deducted their 10 points at the start of the season, they would be sitting in 5th.

The Chuckle Brothers must be delighted.

The latest win came after Crewe had managed to take an early lead through Luke (son of Reg) Varney, who reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box.

Rotherham were knocked out of their stride by this, but gradually assumed control as the first half wore on.

Eugen Bopp spanked a low right foot drive through a crowd of players to level the scores just after the half hour, and a storming end to the half brought them 2 more goals.

Will (son of Bob) Hoskins and Richie Partridge, who were both sharp throughout the game, combined for the second with Partridge's run being found by Hoskins' deft little backheeler. Partridge finished with ease.

Lee Williamson then added the third with a penalty in first half stoppage time.

The second half brought more sweeping moves from the home side and Hoskins got his well deserved goal with a bit of individual brilliance. His turn and shot whilst tightly marked in the box was pure class.

Partridge also capped his fine performance with a goal of real quality. A surging run through the Right channel and a well struck shot into the far corner gave Ben Williams little chance in the Crewe net.

5-1 did not flatter Rotherham on the day. They even finished with 10 men when Bopp was sent off for the second time in a week.

Nottingham Forest continue to make the running in League One. Their 2-0 away win at Cheltenham was inspired by Nicky (son of Nev) Southall, who was again in tip top form and Forest's main threat going forward.

A good solid defensive showing, and at times battling performance from the visitors midfield stifled most of Cheltenham's threat from the off, although the home side had most of the ball.

The game was won within five first half minutes when Southall scored twice. His first was a quality strike from the right angle of the box after Junior Agogo had put him clear, the second a simple bundle in at the far post with the net at his mercy.

the visitors never looked like conceding after this, and although the home side tried doggedly, the defensive set up of Forest was far too well drilled for them.

Blackpool again hinted that their season is gaining impetus after their poor start with a 4-1 thumping of Bradford at Bloomfield Road.

An unusually inept performance from the visitors helped matters for the Seasiders, but that shouldn't detract from what was a convincing win.

Two late first half goals gave them a real hold on the tie. David Fox blasted one high into Donovan Ricketts' goal for the first and then Wes Hoolahan gave them control from the spot after Andy Morrell had been clumsily felled by Jermaine Johnson.

Keigan Parker added two more to his seasons tally catching the Bradford defence square on two seperate occasions. Both were finished well by the youngster in one on one situations with the keeper, but you have to ask what the back four were doing so far adrift.

Johnson repaired some of the damage for his early mistake by firing a late consolation for the Bantams.

A decent performance by Pool but pretty dire stuff from Bradford.

Away win of the day definitely went to Brighton for their impressive 3-0 result over Huddersfield inspired by a fine hat-trick from young Jake Robinson.

In a game of relatively few chances, Robinson along with strike partner Alex Revell and winger Dean Cox gave the Huddersfield back line a torrid time and a day they will want to forget.

Robinson's first came on 23 minutes with a superb header from Cox's cross and he doubled the lead on the half hour with a regulation side foot finish with his right.

The third came early in the second half and was a superb curler, again with his right after cutting in from the left flank. Had he hit it with the outside of his left, he could have claimed the perfect hat-trick, but that's asking a bit much. He'll be happy to settle for a very good hat-trick.

Danny Adams summed up the Huddersfield performance by getting himself sent off for a stupid challenge late on. It had the air of the old pro who had been given the run around all day by some young upstarts, and had finally had enough.

A premeditated assault that rightly got him a straight red.

Millwall had to settle for a point at home to Port Vale after a game of long ball tennis.

The home side had much the better of the game and went in front with Chris Zebroski's drive after 20 minutes. Vale were subjected to a rigorous aerial assault for much of the game and will be pleased that following one of their own punts upfield, Akpo Sodje managed to muscle onto the end of it and equalise.

Not a pretty game, but Millwall have at least found their fighting spirit.

Bristol City continue to keep up a little pressure on leaders Forest with a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Doncaster.

A tight first half ended with Louis Carey popping up out of position to blast home an unstoppable shot into the roof of Ben Smith's goal from an acute angle to give City the lead.

The second half was all Donny as they carved open City time and again with some fine passing, but were unable to apply the finishing touch.

This was due mainly to City's inspired keeper Ivan Basso, who consistently repelled the Donny attacks.

Carlisle seem to have run out of steam a bit in recent weeks, and do not like to travel as much as their erstwile sponsor Mr Eddie Stobart. A trip to Gillingham was too much for them this week and they ended up well beaten 2-0 by a slick Gills performance.

Mark Bentley put the home side in charge after just eight minutes and from then on they dominated play with Carlisle reduced to a few half chances throughout.

An excellent second half from the Gills ended with Gary Mulligan applying the finish after good work from Matthew Jarvis.

The Gills played some good attractive stuff throughout and if they can reproduce that regularly upwards is the only way for them.

Oldham easily dismissed Brentford 3-0 at Boundary Park. The Bees disappointed all day long and did not really have one meaningfull effort at goal.

Paul Warne started the scoring in the 15th minute with a finish past the advancing keeper and the Latics took full charge of the game with Richie Wellens again runing the show in midfield.

Gary McDonald added a second just after the break and that seemed to totally finish off the visitors. It is only surprising that their goal was breached just once more.

Wellens completed the rout with the third, in injury time.

Marcus Stewart rescued a late point for Yeovil when it loked as if their hosts Chesterfield were poised to take all three.

A poor game only came to life when Alan O'Hare volleyed home early in the second half. Yeovil struggled throughtout to create, but Stewart arrived in the nick of time with a stooping header that Andy Gray would have been be proud of to level the scores.

Chesterfield were the better side on the day, but the Glovers resilience shows why they are still in title contention.

Billy the kid Sharp was again on target twice as Scunthorpe ran out comfortable home winners to bottom club Leyton Orient.

Sharp wasted little time getting on the scoreshet when he found the O's back four square and accepted an easy finish on the edge of the six yard box after just five minutes.

Craig Easton levelled for the O's soon after with an acrobatic diving header, but despite a really spirited showing that was to be their only joy of the afternoon.

Matt Sparrow put Scunny back in the lead before half time with a shot from 18 yards and although Orient came at them purposefully in the second period, Sharp put the game beyond them with a stunning 57th minute strike.

Cutting in from the right, he unleashed a high right foot shot across the keeper into the far corner.

Apparently, Stuart Pearce has been having a look at the Sharpster recently. Why not, he's miles better than Samaras, Corradi and Dickov.

Elsewhwere, Tranmere had the best of a pretty dire and tetchy game with Bournemouth to take a home victory 1-0.

Kevin Ellison headed home the important winner from close range just before half time.

Northampton despatched the predictably unpredictable Swansea by the same scoreline at the Sixfields.

This was again a tetchy affair with 8 bookings and a red. Leon Britton was the man sent off and can have no complaints for his over the top lunge.

The winning goal looked to have come straight from the training ground with David Hunt's amazing exocet of a throw being lashed home by Luke Chambers.

That throw was as good as any corner I've witnessed this season.

Football League Division One Review: Oct 22nd:
6 Pointer for the O's

Leyton Orient provided a bit of cheer for their fans on Saturday by winning a massive relegation 6 pointer 2-0 at home to Cheltenham. They do, however, remain bottom of the table and a good deal more improvement will be needed to fight their way out of trouble.

Gary Alexander was asgain on top of his game and gave the hosts the lead after just 5 minutes when he controlled, turned and shot home with consumate ease. The O's really need him to keep firing on all cylinders.

Cheltenham fought back well and had the lions share of possession, but when the few decent chances they created came along, Glyn Garner in Orient's goal was dependably safe in his handling.

A frenetic first 20 minutes of the second half saw the visitors again on top, and they did earn a golden chance to equalise when Jabo Ibehere handballed in the area. The usually dependable Grant McCann placed his spot kick too close to Garner's left hand to allow him to keep his clean sheet intact.

The game was put beyond the visitors when the O's got the games second penalty, again for handball. Matt Lockwood stepped up to pot it past Shane Higgs, and the relief of a second goal cushion was plain for all to see.

Orient controlled the rest of the game without much trouble and must hope to continue where they left off when they make a difficult away trip to Scunthorpe next up.

Scunthorpe United themselves had a great result in overcoming Bradford by a goal to nil at Valley Parade.

That man Billy (the kid) Sharp was again the man on target with a trademark finish with just 10 minutes left on the clock. Sharp had caused problems all day long with his intelligent running and looked right on top of his game, getting his eleventh of the season as reward.

Both midfield's struggled to rest the possession in this game, and most of the action came in the middle of the park, but Scunny keeper Joe Murphy was slightly the busier. He made good solid saves when required and seems to maturing into a decent keeper since his move from Walsall two years ago.

Sharp's decisive moment came in the 80th minute when he pounced on a loose ball in the box, turned and blasted home in one swift movement to leave Bradford keeper Donovan Ricketts with no chance.

Millwall's mini recovery came to an abrupt end 2-0 away at Swansea City on Sunday, where Leon Britton was again very definitely running the show in the Swan's midfield.

Dennis Lawrence capitalised on some hesitant defending by the Lions to head the first goal after 16 minutes after an early flurry of activity had seen both sides come close with goal efforts, and one or two punches as well as tempers became heated.

Millwall battled gamely from then on, but always looked lacking against the brief glimpses of Trundle's quality, the passing and vision of Britton and the surging runs of Robinson.

Britton put the game to bed with an early second half goal when he anticipated quickly to pass the ball in at the far stick.
Millwall still have a long way to go.

Rotherham United continued their marvelous League One season with a 3-1 away win at an increasingly struggling Bournemouth side.

Eugen Bopp scored a fine solo goal with a mazy run and potshot from distance to put the Millers ahead after 15 minutes, and although the home side equalised with a header by Josh (son of Alan?) Gowling the visitors roared straight back to take the game by the scruff of the neck with two goals in 3 minutes.

Will Hoskins (son of Bob?) again showed his predatory instincts to put Rotherham back in front and Lee Williamson banged one in from 20 odd yards to give the visitors full control before half time.

The second half was frankly a stroll in the park for Rotherham, and Bournemouth look to be in really poor shape.

What price a sick note from Anderton, and what price Rotherham for the play-offs?

The big game of the day was predictably a very tight affair between leaders Nottingham Forest and visitors, second placed Bristol City.

It took a moment of brilliance from Nicky Southall (son of Nev?) to settle the contest with a curling free kick which just evaded the sprawling Adriano Basso in City's goal.

Both Basso, and his Forest counterpart Paul Smith had excellent performances in goal, as both defences had the upper hand. The quality of these two sides was certainly evident and they are setting the benchmark for others to follow.

Blackpool seem to have finally gotten their arses into gear after a fine 2-1 win away at Crewe Alexandra.

Andy Morrell gave the Seasiders a dream start with a sweet volley after just 3 minutes and continued to make more of the pressing in the first half.

A concerted effort by Crewe in the second half bore rewards when Nicky (son of Bill?) Maynard profited from a goalmouth scramble to equalise.

Blackpool looked to be up against it, especially when Simon Gillett picked up two stupid yellows for timewasting and got himself sent off.

A spirited rearguard from Blackpool kept Crewe at bay, and provided a late, late winner from the head of Shaun Barker.

Consistency will be the key for both these sides as the League One season progresses.

Carlisle United and Doncaster Rovers both got back to winning ways with 1-0 home victories over Tranmere Rovers and Chesterfield, respectively.

Kevin Gall's re-creation of Tony Morley's wonder goal of 1981 was well worthy of taking all the points for the Cumbrians in what turned out to be a very tight game.

Jonathan Forte provided the winner for Donny, but in far less spectacuar a manner. He profited from some bizarre goalkeeping by Barry (Undoubtably the son of Paddy on this performance) Roche who preferred to pass the ball back to Forte rather than hump it up the pitch or into the stands when under no pressure at all.
Forte accepted the open goal at his mercy with a smile on his face.

Huddersfield Town came from behind to win 2-1 away at Port Vale, who now seem to be going South in the League.

In a game of two halves, the home side looked comfortable and confident in the first period, and Leon Constantine had an easy task to open the scoring with an unopposed header after a mistake from Town keeper Matt Glennon.

The second half definitely belonged to the visitors as they poured forward in search of an equaliser. Equaliser and winner came within two minutes of each other as first Andy Booth and then Michael (Grandson of Joan?) Collins found the net.

Booth's was the standard lumbering back post header while Collins's was a decidedly more cultured finish, high into the net.

Yeovil Town again got the job done with the minimum amount of fuss, 1-0 at home to Oldham Athletic. Terry Skiverton was on target right on the stroke of half time with a trademark header at close range.

Yeovil were scarcely troubled in the second half, as you might expect from one of the league's more dependable defensive outfits.

Brentford shared the points with their visitors Gillingham, drawing 2-2 after first going one down and having their keeper sent off in the process.

Clark Masters brought down Gary Mulligan after 22 minutes to give the spot kick and recieve his marching orders, leaving full back John Mousinho the unenviable task of temporary custodian for the afternoon.

Mousinho's first task was to pick the ball from the net following Michael Flynn's penalty.

A spirited fightback from the Bees brought them level within ten minutes as Matt Heywood headed home. Further pressure from the home side brought a second goal on half time with Callum Willock racing through to prod home Oli Skulason's excellent through ball.

Brentford were seldom troubled by the Gills in the second half, but Flynn produced a moment of brilliance to turn and ram one past the sub keeper with 15 minutes to spare. Gillingham did press for a winner but Brentford deserved their point.

Finally, bore draw of the week this week goes to Brighton and Northampton who shared the points 1-1.

Jake Robinson's first half goal for the home side was equalised at the death by James Quinn's 84th minute strike.

Football League Division One Review: Oct 16th:
Fatty to the rescue

Football England's favourite fatty, Lee Trundle started his first league game since early September and provided two goals and an assist to help Swansea win 3-2 away at Chesterfield.

Leon Knight, who has been banging them in for fun of late, had to watch from the stands after being dropped from the squad for the game. It seems he's been up to a bit of no-good.

Anyway, Trundle wasted no time making his mark on the game when he crossed for Leon Britton to slam home a volley after just 4 minutes.

The tubster doubled the lead on 35 minutes with a close range finish after Chesterfield had failed to clear a corner, and the Swans went in with a deserved 2-0 lead at half time.

An early second half goal from Paul Hall's strike from outside the box brought a nervy period for the visitors, but Trundle restored the mrgin from the spot after Britton was felled in the box.

Reuben Hazell again reduced the arrears with aheaded goal, but Swansea held on to secure three points.

Oldham came back from 2-0 down at home to Leyton Orient to rescue a point in an exciting 3-3 draw, which the visitors will be disappointed not to have won.

Jabo Ibehre capitalised on some hesitant defending to prod home the first after 9 minutes, and Orient quickly seemed to grow in confidence with Gary Alexander again very lively up front.

Alexander doubled the lead on 58 minutes with an angled shot across Les Pogliacomi in the Latics goal. The points looked set to go to the O's until a frenetic last 12 minutes.

Chris Porter notched with two headers in five minutes to get the Latics back on terms, but Alexander again produced a fine strike on 86 minutes which looked like being the matchwinner.

Oldham threw men forward and were rewarded with a spot kick right at the death when Richie Wellens went to ground in the box. Andy Liddell kept his head to give them a point.

Brighton produced a fine 2-1 win away from home at form side Scunthorpe in a tetchy affair that saw 6 bookings and Scunny's Steve Foster sent off for an elbow.

Foster was sent off after 17 minutes and Scunny never really recovered their composure, with Brighton taking the lead just 5 minutes later.

When Dean Cox planted a diving header past Joe Murphy the writing seemed on the wall for the home side, but their talisman Billy (the kid) Sharp popped up with an equaliser just before half time.

Gary Hart restored the lead early in the second half and although Scunny did go after an equaliser, the solid Brighton defence did not look like giving up their well earned points.

Millwall's post Spackers renaissance continued with a close 1-0 win at home to Bournemouth.

Chris Hackett scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time, but the Cherries had the better of the chances in the remainder of the game.

Blackpool made hard work of it at home to Yeovil and should really have taken all three points, but had to settle for one after Marcus Stewart's late equaliser.

A good first half for the Seasiders saw them dominate most of the play, but come up short when it mattered in front of goal. Worst culprit was Scott Vernon who stepped up to send a spot kick well wide after Wes Hoolahan had been felled in the box.

Vernon did repair the damage when he placed a low right foot shot past Steve Mildenhall to put the home side ahead after 56 minutes, and Blackpool seemed capable of hanging on until poor marking gave Stewart an easy headed chance on 86 minutes. Points dropped again at home.

Doncaster came to life with a convincing 2-0 win away at Cheltenham sealed by goals at the end of either half. Donny have been disappointing and erratic so far this season, but did show more of their potential and hopefully this will move them on to better things.

Jonathan Forte created the first with a cross for Lewis Guy to finish at the near post and then got on the scoresheet himself late on when the Cheltenham defence made a cock up. Keeper Scott Brown and Shane Duff both hesitated to allow Forte an easy tap-in. A decent performance from Donny, but poor from the home side.

Two first half goals Scott Murray and Scott brown were just enough to give Bristol City a narrow victory over Crewe, who tested them all the way even though they finished the game with 10.

An early flourish from the visitors gave City a few scares, but nerves were settled when Murray's deft header found the net after a fine cross from Jamie McAllister.

Minutes later, Brown made it 2-0 with a calm finish in the six yard box and City seemed well in control.

Crewe again pressed early in the second half and got one back on the hour. Luke (son of Reg) Varney was again the man in the right place to provide an easy finish.

Crewe's Gary Roberts was dismissed not long after and City found it easy to control the remainder of the game with their man advantage. In truth they could have added another goal or two.
City look good value for their second spot in League One.

One place above Bristol lie Notts Forest who narrowly won away at Gillingham thanks to a solitary Nicky Southall goal.

This was a very tight game with few clear cut chances created and both defences giving little ground. Southall took his chance after a counter caught the Gills square and he was left with an easy tap in.

Once in front, Forest did not look like surrendering their lead.

Rotherham again took maximum points, this time at the expense of their visitors Brentford.

In a pretty dire game, the only shining light was Lee Williamson. His two second half goals settled the contest in Rotherham's favour.

The first was a curling free kick from well outside the box that had Stuart Nelson clutching at thin air, the second was a penalty.

Least said about Brentford the better, they managed just one shot in the game.

Huddersfield continued their mini revival with a 2-1 home win over Carlisle although they did not have it all their own way.

Two fi