G24
| pdf edition | Saturday January 7 2012 Sport
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Paul Benson the hero as Swindon Town
dump Wigan out of the FA Cup
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Wheater’s late equaliser saves Bolton’s
face at League Two Macclesfield
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Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
— live!
Hit F5 to refresh or set your page to update automatically • Email paolo.bandini@guardian.co.uk or tweet @Paolo_Bandini • Have your say on this week’s
NFL Talkboard Page 3
Oldham’s Tom Karim Benzema scores Doncaster Rovers Matthew Tubbs sends
Adeyemi suffers ‘racial twice as Real Madrid striker Billy Sharp in Crawley Town crazy in
abuse’ in Liverpool FA hammer Granada £3m move to Leicester shock win over Bristol
Cup tie Page 3 Page 4 City Page 5 City Page 6
Amir Khan’s promoters Scottish Cup roundup: Nottingham Forest Craig Forsyth’s double
claim WBA has ordered Kilmarnock’s Cammy and Leicester City gives Watford the edge
Lamont Peterson Bell earns replay with must play again after over Bradford City
rematch Page 4 Dundee Page 4 stalemate Page 5 Page 6
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Page 2 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
Before kick-off a banner depicting their late manager, Keith
Alexander, and their midfielder, Richard Butcher, who died a
Paul Benson the hero as Swindon Town year ago at 29, was paraded around the boundary. “Their Spirit
dump Wigan out of the FA Cup Lives On,” said the slogan and so it proved.
With 13 minutes remaining, it appeared that Macclesfield
Paul Doyle at the County Ground would celebrate the lives of Alexander and Butcher with the
shock of the third round, a hurdle they have never overcome
Paolo Di Canio’s description of his Swindon [http://tinyurl.
in their history. However, a free-kick from Martin Petrov and
com/4gz5lp] Town side as the “Barcelona of League Two” may
David Wheater’s muscular header threw the tie back in the
seem an amusing oxymoron but Roberto Martínez certainly will
balance.
not have been laughing at the fact that, whatever you call them,
In the tiny dugout, Macclesfield’s assistant manager, Glyn
Swindon are better than Wigan’s second-string.
Chamberlain, told his boss he thought there still might be
Martínez made nine changes to the Wigan team who lost to
an upset. Gary Simpson, who was Alexander’s No2 and still
Sunderland in midweek but still expected to progress against
refers to him as “the gaffer”, was more realistic; he thought
a team who strive to play a similar style of passing football, but
Macclesfield would have to cling on for a replay and, had
three levels lower. He was wrong. Goals from Alan Connell and
another free-kick from Petrov not struck the bar, they would
new signing Paul Benson overturned Callum McManaman’s
have failed to do so.
opening strike for Wigan and put Swindon into the FA Cup
“Bolton are a big, strong team, they remind me of a side of
[http://tinyurl.com/czpyxc] fourth round for the first time in 16
Germans,” said Simpson – and Macclesfield would know. The
years.
Moss Rose, with its neat corrugated stands, was where Germany
It was a deserved victory for the underdogs, made
trained for a European Championship campaign that ended in
possible by slick collective cohesion and some fine individual
triumph at Wembley in 1996.
performances, especially from the right-winger Matt Ritchie,
Logic suggests that Macclesfield will fail in the replay a week
who created both Swindon goals and looked the most
on Tuesday. However, when they went to the Reebok Stadium
accomplished player on the pitch.
in the Carling Cup earlier this year Macclesfield took the lead
Wigan failed to demonstrate their supposed superiority over
and Bolton left it even later to snatch the match back.
the side who Di Canio has guided to fourth place in League Two
Moss Rose is the nearest ground to Alderley Edge and
despite taking the lead from their first real chance of the game
Prestbury, which are the Hollywood Hills of English football.
in the 34th minute.
However, few of its residents, past or present, could have struck
A flash of trickery from McManaman, the one visitor who
a ball much better than Arnaud Mendy, a 21-year-old born in
looked capable of producing something out of the ordinary,
France who plays international football for Guinea-Bissau. He
drew a trip from Aden Flint. Ben Watson smashed the penalty
turned and shot from more than 20 yards to give Macclesfield
against the post but McManaman reacted sharply to seize on
the lead and provide what the Bolton manager, Owen Coyle,
the rebound and slot past the goalkeeper.
described as a “typical FA Cup [http://tinyurl.com/czpyxc]
Wigan had enjoyed most of the possession up to that point
moment”. Simpson said he never realised Mendy had that kind
but been woefully ineffective with it. Their goal stimulated an
of shot in him. He does now.
impressive response from Swindon, although Martínez will
There were several reasons why the television cameras
have been alarmed by how easily the League Two side turned
gathered here in search of an upset. Macclesfield had lost
the tables. They immediately piled pressure on their supposed
only once at home since the season’s opening weekend and
superiors. Ritchie brought another good save from Ali Al-Habsi
Bolton, debt-laden, injury ridden and in the Premier League’s
with a fierce long drive. Then, in the 40th minute, the same
relegation zone, appeared likely victims. Coyle, naturally
player created the equaliser with a superb in-swinging cross
enough, did not Cup-tie Gary Cahill, whose move to Chelsea he
from the right. Connell’s glancing header helped it into the far
still expected to be completed imminently.
corner.
By the time the tie was seven minutes old the predictions
Swindon began the second half with increased belief in
looked foolish. Bolton had already given a sign of their
an upset. They were sharper and more creative than Wigan.
intentions when José Veiga tipped over Chris Eagles’s drive and
Ritchie missed a wonderful chance on the hour mark, blazing
from the resulting corner he failed to hold Darren Pratley’s shot
over the bar form 10 yards after being left free in the area. His
and Ivan Klasnic stabbed home the rebound.
next shot lead to the sensational winner, his effort form 35
Macclesfield, mid-table in League Two, were in no mood to
yards deflecting off Benson, who joined the club this week from
capitulate and before they equalised Adam Bogdan, beaten and
Dagenham & Redbridge, and into the net. Wigan never seriously
humiliated in midweek by the Everton keeper, Tim Howard,
threatened a comeback.
twice saved well from Colin Daniel and Mendy. Daniel had
seldom played on the right but Simpson persuaded him with
Wheater’s late equaliser saves Bolton’s the promise that he would score if he did. When, with a quarter
of an hour gone, he found himself with the ball in an ocean of
face at League Two Macclesfield space, the 23-year-old kept his composure with a beautifully
struck drive and ran over to Simpson to celebrate.
Tim Rich at the Moss Rose Bolton still defended as alarmingly badly as they have
throughout their Premier League campaign and Wheater might
This was a match where Macclesfield [http://tinyurl.com/
have been dismissed for pulling back Matt Hamshaw when he
5uf8tg] hoped to honour their dead and, if they did not quite
looked clear on goal.
manage it with the result, they did so with the performance.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page 3 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
Bolton were, however, more convincing going forward and unprecedented situation. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, only
Joe Riley struck the bar with an outrageous drive from near nine rookie quarterbacks have started playoff games and never
the byline. As a striker with Bolton, Coyle scored a last-minute in a head-to-head match-up with another first-year signal caller.
winner to prevent Gretna from achieving a similar kind of Andy Dalton and TJ Yates have taken rather different paths
result. He may be teetotal but he is adept at spoiling parties. to get here, of course — the former selected at the top of the
second round in April’s draft and named as the starter in
preseason, the latter a fifth-round pick who was thrust into
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans the limelight when both his team’s first- and second-string
— live! quarterbacks went down hurt. Yet while has performed
above expectations – throwing 20 touchdowns against 13
interceptions and posting a regular season quarterback rating
• Hit F5 to refresh or set your page to of 80.4 – it was Yates who prevailed when the two teams met in
update automatically • Email paolo. week 14.
bandini@guardian.co.uk or tweet @Paolo_ Although Yates orchestrated a late 80-yard drive to win that
Bandini • Have your say on this week’s NFL game, the common wisdom has it that today’s game will instead
Talkboard be decided elsewhere – by the yards gained by Houston’s
second-ranked rushing game, or the Bengals’ own success
Paolo Bandini getting Cedric Benson going. But in what looks likely to be a
Casting the playoffs Sticking with that thread, which Hollywood low-scoring encounter, it only takes one or two big completions
actors could we cast to play the rest of tonight’s protagonists? — or one or two mistakes — to make all the difference.
Gary Kubiak as De Niro? Andy Dalton as a young Ron Howard?
Domata Peko as Lion from the Wizard of Oz [http://tinyurl.
com/68ujvx8]? Oldham’s Tom Adeyemi suffers ‘racial
Life as a movie Here’s a prediction: if the Texans win abuse’ in Liverpool FA Cup tie
today, and especially if he has a big day, people are going to
start comparing Yates to Willie Beamen, fictional third-string • Defender visibly upset after exchange
superstar from Robert de Niro Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday.
As long as that doesn’t mean a real life rendition of this Met-Rx
with fan or fans • Liverpool says club will
commercial [http://tinyurl.com/4f8jkv], I think we can all be ensure ‘appropriate action is taken’
happy. Andy Hunter at Anfield
Lies, damned lies and … Of all the many statistics thrown
out this week trying to justify their predictions for wildcard Liverpool [http://tinyurl.com/42nq4e] were embroiled in
weekend, it was one that everyone already knew that continued a fresh racism controversy night, after the Oldham [http://
to stand out: the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-7 this season against tinyurl.com/4t84hb] Athletic defender Tom Adeyemi alleged
teams who made it to the playoffs. They won just one game all that he was racially abused twice by a supporter during an FA
season against a team with a winning record – the Tennessee Cup tie at Anfield.
Titans. The incident occurred 10 minutes from the end of
Two points, however, do undermine that statistic — at least Liverpool’s 5-1 win over the League One side. The 20-year-old
with reference to this particular game. The first is that all but Adeyemi, who is on loan from Norwich City, became involved
one of their defeats were close – the margins of defeat standing in an altercation with a supporter, or supporters, at the front of
at two, five, seven, seven, one and eight points (and the one the Kop. Before leaving the stadium Adeyemi gave a statement
was against Houston). The second is that you could legitimately to Merseyside Police in which it is understood he claimed to
ask whether Houston would have been a playoff team had they have been racially abused twice by a supporter.
played all season with Yates at quarterback. Adeyemi was visibly upset by the exchange and it required
Yates has technically gone 2-3 as a starter, though he left last several team-mates, the Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, and
week’s defeat to the Tennessee Titans very early, and almost the referee, Neil Swarbrick, to calm him down. He was booked
everyone who I’ve seen pick the Bengals in this game has seconds later for a wild foul on the Liverpool substitute John
used the fact that Houston lost their last three games of the Flanagan.
season. But the great thing with statistics is that they’ll tell you Witnesses reported seeing two fans wearing Luis Suárez
anything if you look hard enough, so here’s the counter-point: T-shirts – similar to those worn by Liverpool players at Wigan
every one of the six previous teams that have gone into the last month, after the Uruguayan was found guilty of racially
postseason on the back of three straight defeats, has gone on to abusing Patrice Evra – confronting Adeyemi. A witness who
win its first playoff game. gave evidence to Liverpool officials and the police said: “I was
Ah, the promised land That is where we find ourselves, folks, to the right of the Kop and the No11 turned to walk away after a
as we join two teams quite unaccustomed to playing on past the tackle. I heard a single voice shout, ‘You fucking black bastard.’
first weekend of January. The Cincinnati Bengals have reached He spun round with shock on his face and started pointing at
the postseason twice in the last two decades, and lost at the the crowd, from where the shout had come.”
first hurdle on both occassions. The Houston Texans are making Merseyside police said that arrests were made at the game
their first ever appearance in the playoffs. but not in relation to the alleged abuse of Adeyemi. A statement
The similarities do not end there for these two teams, either. said: “Merseyside police can confirm that no one has been
Both teams have a rookie quarterback under center – a quite arrested this evening on suspicion of racially aggravated
behaviour during tonight’s FA Cup fixture at Anfield. However,
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
the force and Liverpool Football Club are investigating Schaefer claimed the WBA has offered Khan a rematch
following an incident that occurred during the second half of with the American, and urged the IBF to follow suit. “We have
the game. The aim of the investigation is to establish the full been informed today [Saturday] by the WBA that they will
circumstances surrounding the incident to ascertain if any order an immediate rematch,” he said. “We received a verbal
action needs to be taken.” confirmation today and we will get a written confirmation by
Liverpool launched an investigation into an incident that next Tuesday.
could not have come at a worse time for a club that has been “That means that no fighter can take an interim fight, that
widely condemned for its vehement support of Suárez, before the next fight for Peterson would be a rematch. We hope that
and after his eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra in a the IBF will follow because that’s the least they can do. The
match last October. ruling of the WBA to order an immediate rematch should put
The Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, was not able to additional pressures on the IBF.”
comment. He gave his post-match press conference shortly He is also hopeful that the outcome of the fight will be
after the final whistle. But a Liverpool statement said: “An changed to “no-contest”, allowing Khan to retain his belts, but
incident occurred in the second half of the match which is now said: “It’s difficult to guess the no-contest ruling. I certainly
being investigated by both the club and the police. We will hope this could happen.”
continue to work closely with the police to establish the details Meanwhile Khan took to Twitter on Saturday to say: “We
of what actually happened and will make a further statement in are just hoping for answers now, and we have left it with our
due course.” promoters and legal team, apparently the ruling for someone
The Oldham Athletic manager, Paul Dickov, said Adeyemi interfering with the scorecards or judges, the fight is ruled as a
was calm in the dressing room after the game but said that the no-contest.
player’s on-field response to the alleged abuse had been out of “Let’s just wait and see if Michael Welsh [the fight
character. supervisor] or Mustafa Ameen come out and speak out, they
“From my point of view I have not spoken to Tom but know the truth and exactly what was going on.”
something has been said,” Dickov said. “He is a placid boy and The IBF has so far refused to comment and is seeking legal
well-educated lad with a fantastic temperament. He never advice.
raises his voice so for him to react like that, something has been
said but what that is I don’t know. I have not heard. I’ve just
been told the police are investigating it. Karim Benzema scores twice as Real
“I haven’t spoken to him directly about what happened Madrid hammer Granada
because I was in the dressing room telling all the lads how
proud I was of their performance. He is fine now. He has calmed
Associated Press
down. He is a laid-back character. Our players and the Liverpool
players helped calm him down, which showed they are fantastic The La Liga [http://tinyurl.com/6xay6s] leaders, Real Madrid
professionals.” [http://tinyurl.com/3kc66a], turned up the pressure on
Barcelona when the in-form Karim Benzema scored twice to
lead the club’s 5-1 win against Granada.
Amir Khan’s promoters claim WBA has The victory extended Madrid’s advantage over their rivals
ordered Lamont Peterson rematch to six points ahead of Barcelona’s Catalan capital derby at
Espanyol on Sunday.
Benzema opened the scoring at the Bernabéu in the 19th
• ‘Mystery man’ ringside named as IBF minute. Granada equalised three minutes later, but Madrid
official Mustafa Ameen • Khan lost WBA went on to dominate, with goals by Sergio Ramos, Gonzalo
and IBF titles to Peterson in December Higuaín, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The France striker Benzema, who scored the winner in
Press Association
Madrid’s 3-2 victory against Málaga in the Copa del Rey this
Amir Khan [http://tinyurl.com/6lg4w8]’s promoters have week, has scored 10 league goals this season.
claimed he has been offered a rematch with Lamont Peterson
after they were told by the International Boxing [http://tinyurl.
com/5ra7ax] Federation that the “mystery man” seen ringside Scottish Cup roundup: Kilmarnock’s
was one of their officials. Peterson won Khan’s IBF and World Cammy Bell earns replay with Dundee
Boxing Association titles last month after a disputed points
decision.
Richard Schaefer, the chief executive officer of Golden Boy
• Dundee 1-1 Kilmarnock • Cowdenbeath
Promotions, said the man has now been identified as Mustafa 2-3 Hibernian
Ameen, an IBF official who was given accreditation for the fight Press Association
despite not being directly involved in it.
“His name is Mustafa Ameen and the IBF have confirmed to Cammy Bell saved a penalty to keep Kilmarnock [http://
us his name, and they have confirmed to us that he’s involved tinyurl.com/d6j93a] in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup
in an official capacity with the IBF,” Schaefer told Sky Sports [http://tinyurl.com/57yz7n] at Dens Park, when he held Matt
News. “However, he was not in Washington in an official IBF Lockwood’s 64th-minute effort, after Steven Milne levelled
capacity, but the IBF asked the Washington commission to issue for Dundee [http://tinyurl.com/9oke85] 20 seconds after the
him a credential so that he could attend the fight.” restart.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
Manuel Pascali headed Kilmarnock into the lead in the 32nd
minute after the visitors had earned a reprieve when Milne had
a goal disallowed.
Doncaster Rovers striker Billy Sharp in
The referee Stevie O’Reilly initially gave Milne’s strike in £3m move to Leicester City
the 15th minute but, then awarded a free-kick for offside after
consulting with his assistant Charlie Smith. • ‘It will be a blow if he goes,’ says
Pat Fenlon earned his first win as Hibernian [http://tinyurl. Doncaster manager • Leicester activate
com/6la7lm] manager as his side survived a scare to beat
clause in free-scoring striker’s contract
Cowdenbeath [http://tinyurl.com/9egomr]. The Second
Division leaders stunned Hibs by taking the lead after only 15 Press Association
seconds through Greig Stewart, but goals from Leigh Griffiths
Doncaster Rovers [http://tinyurl.com/4r4kld] have agreed to
and Eoin Doyle gave the visitors a half-time lead, and another
sell Billy Sharp to their Championship [http://tinyurl.com/
from David Wotherspoon put them 3-1 up shortly after
5mnjxs] rivals Leicester City [http://tinyurl.com/42clxz] for a
the break.
fee believed to be in the region of £3m.
A superb Jon Robertson goal midway through the second
The 25-year-old, who has scored 10 goals this season, was
period gave Colin Cameron’s side hopes of a comeback but
left out of the Doncaster squad for the 2-0 FA Cup third-round
despite waves of pressure late on they could not find an
defeat by Notts County at the Keepmoat Stadium. Sharp joined
equaliser.
in a club-record £1.15m deal from Sheffield United in July 2010.
At New Broomfield, Johnny Russell scored a second-half
The Leicester manager Nigel Pearson has activated a clause
hat-trick to help Dundee United [http://tinyurl.com/4qen2g]
in Sharp’s contract, with the former Sheffield United player now
hammer Airdrie United [http://tinyurl.com/ydmycfq] 6-2. The
due to discuss personal terms with the Foxes.
2010 winners went ahead after 16 minutes when John Rankin
A statement on the Doncaster website said: “Rovers can
scored his first goal for the club, and were cruising at 6-0 with
confirm that a fee has been agreed between ourselves and
five minutes to go, before Ryan Donnelly gave Airdrie some
Leicester City for striker Billy Sharp.”
solace with two late goals.
Regarding Sharp’s future, the Doncaster manager, Dean
St Mirren [http://tinyurl.com/6kjqf5] and Hamilton [http://
Saunders, said: “It’s up to Billy. It will be a blow if he goes but
tinyurl.com/6pat8f] face a replay after their fourth-round
it’s not completely decided. He may decide to stay or someone
goalless draw in Paisley. The SPL hosts had the best chances but
else may come in for him.”
the First Division side held out.
Sharp began his career at Bramall Lane and also played
Jonny Hayes netted a last-gasp equaliser for 10-man
for Rushden & Diamonds before a successful spell with
Inverness Caledonian Thistle [http://tinyurl.com/ayo6mh] to
Scunthorpe, where he scored 53 goals in 82 league appearances,
ensure a replay at East End Park against Dunfermline [http://
which prompted a return to the Blades.
tinyurl.com/dhyxso]. The Pars looked as if they had a secured
a fifth-round place thanks to Andy Barrowman’s header, until
goalkeeper Chris Smith made a dreadful mistake in stoppage
Nottingham Forest and Leicester City
time, and the Irish winger tapped in.
St Johnstone [http://tinyurl.com/ra2rq7] scraped their must play again after stalemate
way into the fifth round with a narrow victory against Second
Division Brechin [http://tinyurl.com/ydevvez] City, who Press Association
were more than a match for their SPL opponents throughout
The Leicester City [http://tinyurl.com/42clxz] manager, Nigel
and levelled through Paul McManus after Murray Davidson’s
Pearson, felt his side should have beaten Nottingham Forest
opener.
[http://tinyurl.com/5hh5bm] but their FA Cup [http://tinyurl.
Francisco Sandaza scored the winning goal in the second
com/czpyxc] third-round match at the City Ground ended in
half and try though they might, City could not find a second
stalemate.
comeback.
The tie was only the second time the east Midlands rivals
Aberdeen [http://tinyurl.com/5ex9wp] made sure there
had met in the Cup, with the only previous meeting in the
was no repeat of their CIS Cup humiliation by East Fife, with a
competition also in Nottingham 110 years ago, in February 1901,
4-0 win against Forfar [http://tinyurl.com/bhwypm] at Station
when Forest were 5-1 winners.
Park.
The Foxes threw everything forward in the second half and
Jamie Murphy scored twice and Henrik Ojamaa scored on
looked to have won it when the Forest goalkeeper, Lee Camp,
his debut, as Motherwell [http://tinyurl.com/4grcff] eased past
pushed out a header by David Nugent, only to see the substitute
Queen’s Park [http://tinyurl.com/2uoxxfw] 4-0.
Lloyd Dyer blaze his shot over the top as the game finished
goalless.
Pearson said: “We made it hard for ourselves to begin with
because they started better than we did and Kasper Schmeichel
made a couple of really good saves.
“But after that we created enough chances, especially in the
second half. The drive and work rate from us was much better
and we created enough opportunities to have won it. We were
a bit sluggish to begin with and that was disappointing, but the
players responded in a positive manner and that’s always very
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
pleasing.
“We had such a big following our fans needed to see us
showing that sort of commitment.
Matthew Tubbs sends Crawley Town
“Although we didn’t win the game, the way we went about crazy in shock win over Bristol City
the second half was pleasing. It was much better and we should
have won it.” Press Association
The Forest manager, Steve Cotterill, who saw his side get
Matthew Tubbs gave Crawley another famous scalp in the
their first win in eight games earlier in the week, was happy
FA Cup [http://tinyurl.com/czpyxc] as they rolled over
enough to earn a replay.
Championship side Bristol City [http://tinyurl.com/5yz6qh].
He said: “I thought we were the better team in the first half
The League Two leaders – who beat Derby County in the
and they were the better team in the second. It was a tight affair,
competition last season on their way to a fifth-round defeat
a local derby with plenty of passion, and it surprised me that
by Manchester United – dominated from start to finish. Josh
with the chances and saves that were made by both goalkeepers
Simpson and Tubbs both hit a post in the first half and, with
that it has finished without any goals.
17 minutes remaining, Sergio Torres’s ball over the top found
“I thought we might have had a penalty when Andy Reid’s
Tubbs, who produced a cool finish for his 17th goal of the
shot hit Matt Mills on the arm. Credit their keeper, who has
season.
made some good saves, but I don’t know whether he would
A miserable afternoon for City got worse with eight minutes
have stopped that one had it not hit Millsy’s arm.
to go, when Stephen Pearson, who extended his loan from
“It would have been interesting if we had got a goal when we
Derby County until the end of the season on Friday, was sent off
were on top in the first half but I suppose a draw is fair enough.
for a second booking.
It’s another game but we’ll get on with it as we always do.”
Crawley made a confident start and Tyrone Barnett headed
The Reds had started brightly and dominated the first half.
just wide after two minutes. With 20 minutes gone, a throw into
However, they were unable to make a breakthrough and after
the box caught the City defence unawares, but Claude Davis
being under the cosh for so long, Leicester looked the more
sent an ambitious first-time volley over the bar.
likely winners towards the end.
Moments later, a long ball forward was flicked on by Barnett
Leicester were forced into a change after only five minutes,
and Simpson fired in a shot from the edge of the box that beat
with Jermaine Beckford replacing the injured Jeffrey Schlupp
David James, but hit the inside of the post and bounced to
up front alongside Nugent.
safety.
Forest started on the front foot and created a handful of
Bristol City had barely threatened but should have gone
early chances. Lewis McGugan and Reid worked Schmeichel
in front in the 33rd minute, when Albert Adomah picked out
with efforts from inside the box before Reid extended the City
Nicky Maynard in the box, but he shot wide. Woolford sent an
goalkeeper with a header after 13 minutes. Marcus Tudgay and
effort just wide before the woodwork came to City’s rescue for
Lynch also had opportunities with headers but both missed the
a second time to deny Tubbs, with Dannie Bulman unable to
target.
force in the rebound.
However, it was Leicester who came closest to opening the
In the second half, Barnett continued to dominate in the air
scoring midway through the first half. Lee Peltier had gone
for Crawley and, on the hour, Dean Howell whipped in a cross
close with a header from a Gallacher free-kick before another
that found Barnett at the back post, but he headed on to the
delivery from the Scot was headed against the crossbar by
roof of the net.
Nugent.
With 73 minutes gone, Crawley got the goal their
Schmeichel was called into action again in the 39th minute
performance deserved when Torres’s pass split the City defence
to tip a long-range shot from Reid over the bar. Nugent’s lob
and Tubbs slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner.
from the edge of the area just before half-time went wide.
There were fewer chances after the break. Gallacher had a
couple of efforts before the hour mark, sending one shot over
Craig Forsyth’s double gives Watford the
the bar and the other wide.
That was Gallacher’s final contribution before he edge over Bradford City
substituted. Pearson made two changes in the 60th minute,
replacing Gallacher with Dyer and Yuki Abe with Richie Press Association
Wellens.
Sean Dyche was pleased that Watford [http://tinyurl.com/
Harewood received a warm welcome back to the City Ground
56xru9]’s preparation paid off as they safely progressed to the
when he was introduced six minutes later. Reid was the player
fourth round of the FA Cup [] with a 4-2 defeat of Bradford [].
to make way.
The Hornets manager, who once played in an FA Cup semi-
Camp made his first save of the match in the 68th minute
final with Chesterfield, stressed the importance of the task at
when he kept out a header from the City captain, Mills.
hand to his players and was rewarded.
Beckford blasted a shot over the bar before Camp was called
Watford raced into an early lead through Troy Deeney but
on again to parry a 12-yard shot from Nugent.
were pegged back by James Hanson’s strike, as the Bantams
The last real chance of the game fell to Dyer with nine
proved more than a match for their hosts in the opening stages.
minutes remaining but he volleyed over from six yards out.
But Marvin Sordell’s 10th goal of the campaign sent Dyche’s
men in with the half-time advantage before Craig Forsyth’s
double secured their place in the fourth round, despite Nahki
Wells’s late consolation.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
Dyche believed his side had got their just reward for the hard because of Toby Flood’s injury, the Saxons centre put himself
work they had put in. “The lads know how seriously we took in contention to make England’s elite 32, to be announced on
this today,” he said. “I’ve played in this competition and we had Wednesday.
a run of turning teams over and I know what the preparation Wasps started the match nine points above the bottom club
is for the team and particularly today because teams have got Newcastle after a run of five successive defeats. Meetings with
nothing to lose and everything to gain when you’re a lower the Tigers used to, not so very long ago, decide the destiny of
division club coming to a higher division club. the Premiership [http://tinyurl.com/4c7kcz] or the Heineken
“We prepared for this really well and the performance the Cup, but Leicester alone in England are able rebuild without
lads gave, I’m really, really pleased with it because they were falling away and this is a new era for Wasps.
a strong side today and made it difficult for us for parts of the Wasps did defend in the manner of old, rushing up quickly
game. and making the gainline theirs. The Tigers, in front of the
“In the second half we came out and controlled it until the England coaches Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree, used
last 15 minutes and, as I suggest, 4-1 up, they’ve got nothing to the return of Anthony Allen to play through 10 and 12. While
lose everything to gain. They rained it in and put bodies on top they were able to get the ball wide, much of their movement
of us and made it very difficult.” was lateral because of the pressure ball-carriers were put under.
The Hornets were in front inside three minutes when After Elliot Daly and Twelvetrees had exchanged penalties,
Deeney was left unmarked at the far post to head home a Wasps scored the first try after their first visit to the Leicester
Sordell ball but Bradford might have sensed a shock when they 22. It came from a restart the Tigers surrendered and when
equalised five minutes later. Ryan Davis’s pass went 15 metres behind his centres, the Tigers
A Ricky Ravenhill shot was blocked but it broke ideally for scented a counterattack. Daly scooped up the ball running
James Hanson to slam the ball past Jonathan Bond, making his backwards but turned adversity into gain, feinting off his left
full Watford debut in place of the suspended Scott Loach. foot and then right to straighten the line of attack and free Tom
The hosts were back in front before the break though, Varndell. The former Leicester wing took play back to the home
Sordell finishing smartly after being released by Mark Yeates, 22 and though his pass went forward, play went on and when
and then confirmed their two-division superiority with two Dan Cole failed to guard a ruck, Nic Berry exploited the space on
goals in the space of three second-half minutes shortly before the blindside to score.
the hour mark from Forsyth. Leicester had much possession but made little headway. One
The first was a simple close-range finish after the Scot had of their few moves of note saw Twelvetrees and Allen combine
been teed up by Yeates and Deeney, and the second was a crisp to free Geordan Murphy down the left but when the defence
first-time, left-footed strike from the edge of the area after John was pierced, they were quick to slow breakdown ball and the
Eustace had broken on the counterattack. Tigers claimed three more points after Berry had killed the ball.
Despite having their fate sealed, the visitors did score a late Wasps spurned a second try when Marco Wentzel, after a
consolation when Wells made the most of some sloppy marking breakdown steal, took so long to pass that a three-man overlap
to stab a cross past Bond. had turned into a numerical advantage for the defence. It
“I was a bit disappointed that we started slow, conceded that was a costly waste as Leicester went back on the attack and
early goal, then we responded well to it and did OK first half,” Twelvetrees delayed his pass to Murphy, creating a hole for the
the Bradford manager, Phil Parkinson, said. full-back who looked like making the line before passing inside
“But second half I thought we started the better of the two to Thomas Waldrom. The ball went loose and Twelvetrees, as
sides but then got hit with that sucker punch of the two goals Wasps waited for a knock-on to be given, picked up and scored.
but we carried on and got one back and had a goal disallowed. The video official ruled that Waldrom had not touched the ball
Had that gone in, it might have made an interesting last few and Leicester were in the lead for the first time, 32 minutes in.
minutes. They led 16-11 at the interval after Davis and Twelvetrees
“All in all, we came up against a team with some good front exchanged penalties, and if Wasps were making it difficult for
players who were ruthless in that final third today. It was a good Leicester to use the ball, their lineout was functioning poorly,
test for us but I think we did ourselves proud. We’re playing a with the hooker Rob Webber blowing a chance to impress
lot better recently and we’re looking forward to the next couple Rowntree, unlike the Tigers second row Geoff Parling. Their
of games we’ve got, both at home.” scrum was just about holding up but they were testing the
tolerance of the referee at the breakdown.
It snapped on the hour when Tim Payne, a key player for
Billy Twelvetrees does it all in Wasps in defence, sabotaged Leicester ruck ball and was given
Leicester’s swatting of Wasps 10 minutes off. Twelvetrees took advantage for his fifth penalty
of the evening to give his side a clear lead.
It should have been more: when Daly stepped too quickly
• Leicester 29-11 Wasps • Watch video out of defence, Murphy exploited the space to get the ball wide
highlights from the latest Premiership but Allen opted to go for the line rather than pass to Alesana
games Tuilagi and was hauled down by Hugo Southwell.
The second try eventually came. Tom Croft led a charge from
Paul Rees at Welford Road
a lineout and Ben Youngs held his pass to entice Riki Flutey to
They call Billy Twelvetrees “36” at Leicester [http://tinyurl. rush out of the line in anticipation of Tuilagi receiving the ball
com/3muvfk], but they may have to recalculate after he scored on the charge only for the scrum-half to feed Twelvetrees on an
29 points against Wasps [http://tinyurl.com/af6haz] for the angled run.
second time this season. Playing out of position at outside-half
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page 8 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
yesterday’s disappointment by turning them down.
Upsets, by definition, are a surprise, but this was particularly
Jeff Hughes scores twice as Notts unpromising territory for the Cup romantics. Rovers, 19th in
County spring an FA Cup shock League Two, had been beaten in their past four matches in the
league, where they have lost twice as many as they have won.
Press Association The manager, Paul Buckle, was sacked in midweek, having
signed 21 players in his seven months in charge, to no avail.
Jeff Hughes grabbed a goal in each half as Notts County [http://
The last two, the goalkeeper Michael Poke and the centre-back
tinyurl.com/43jwxf] upset Doncaster to book their place in the
Aaron Downes, were recruited after the decision had been
fourth round of the FA Cup [http://tinyurl.com/czpyxc].
taken to change management.
Dean Saunders’s Championship strugglers came into the
It never rains but it pours and the Bristol team’s minuscule
game on the back of three consecutive home victories, but were
chances were diminished by the absence of their leading scorer,
more than matched in all departments by Martin Allen’s League
Matt Harrold, with ankle trouble. Small wonder that before
One outfit.
kick-off the crowd sang the lament “Goodnight Irene”, with its
Hughes was gifted the opening goal when Rovers failed to
lyrics about jumping in the river and drowning.
deal with Alan Sheehan’s free-kick in the 37th minute and the
When it comes to popularity with his club’s fans, Alex
midfielder settled County nerves from the penalty spot with 20
McLeish is only marginally ahead of Blackburn’s Steve Kean,
minutes to play after Sheehan was fouled by Kyle Bennett.
and after Villa’s defeat at home to Swansea last Monday he
Giles Barnes passed up Doncaster’s clearest opportunity
could not afford another embarrassment here. Consequently,
when he shot over from close range moments before Hughes’s
unlike some other Premier League managers on Saturday, he
second, while James Hayter toiled without reward in attack as
paraded something like his strongest lineup.
El-Hadji Diouf watched 80 minutes from the substitutes’ bench.
Villa made a tentative start, struggling to come to terms
Saunders was far from happy with his team’s showing.
with the uneven pitch that Rovers share with Bristol rugby
He said: “We were a yard short all over the pitch and I was
club. Albrighton made promising inroads on the right, but his
surprised how poorly we played, although in a way I shouldn’t
crosses came to nothing, and the first chance – after 17 minutes
be.
– came from the opposite flank; Emile Heskey scooping Stephen
“We’ve been playing well – especially at home – and we
Warnock’s cross over the bar at close range. When he tried
set the bar last week when we worked our socks off to beat
again, the former England blunderbuss had his shot blocked
Barnsley. But we’ve taken a step backwards now and I’m really
by Downes. Third time lucky? No, Heskey’s header, from an
annoyed about that.”
Albrighton corner, was tipped over by Poke.
Saunders’s frustration was compounded by the fact that he
Villa finally took the lead after 34 minutes when Heskey,
looks set to lose top scorer Billy Sharp who was left out of the
deep in midfield, supplied Stilian Petrov, whose through pass
side with a £3million move to Leicester pending.
inside Gary Sawyer enabled Albrighton to cut in from the right
He said: “We’ve agreed a fee and now it’s up to Billy. It will
and shoot under the sprawling Poke from 10 yards. It should
be a blow if he goes, but it’s not completely decided. He may
have been 2-0 and game over before half-time, but Albrighton,
decide to stay or someone else may come in for him.”
doing scant justice to a good run and cross from Warnock,
A jubilant Allen said: “We had almost 3,000 fans at the game
volleyed horribly wide at the far post.
and it was a brilliant day for us and for them. The atmosphere
McLeish replaced the blunt instrument that is Heskey with
was magic and that transferred itself to the players.
the infinitely more incisive Agbonlahor for the second half,
“We played some good football and were resolute when we
but a combination of the Bristolian mud and Rovers’ obduracy
had to be and we deserved to win. There’s a real unity between
continued to thwart their attempts to put the tie to bed. That
the fans and the club and long may it continue. I thought all the
and the poverty of much of Villa’s own play.
lads were absolutely fantastic.”
Agbonlahor eventually doubled the margin after 64 minutes,
when he dispossessed Cian Bolger in midfield and ran on
Marc Albrighton sets Villa on the road to through the middle before cleverly curving a shot low into
Poke’s left-hand corner.
victory over Bristol Rovers The third goal, after 77 minutes, suggested Rovers had finally
accepted the inevitable, McGleish surrendering possession in
Joe Lovejoy at the Memorial Stadium midfield to enable Clark to run through unopposed from the
centre circle before scoring left-footed from 15 yards.
The “Pirates” versus the “Villans” promised a Johnny Depp-
McGleish partially atoned by lifting the ball over Guzan in
style epic, but this was no FA Cup [http://tinyurl.com/czpyxc]
the last minute of normal time and in a dramatic finish, out of
classic, with the Premier League team overcoming their lowly
keeping with the rest of the tie, the Rovers substitute had his
League Two opponents without great difficulty to claim their
penalty saved after Warnock’s handball.
place in this afternoon’s fourth-round draw.
Goals from Marc Albrighton, the substitute Gabriel
Agbonlahor and Ciaran Clark saw off Rovers on their mudheap
of a pitch, which to some degree negated Villa’s superior
skills. Rovers had token consolation after 90 minutes from
Scott McGleish, who then had a penalty saved by Brad Guzan
in added time, but they were well beaten, and now turn their
attention to appointing a new manager. Sean O’Driscoll doubled
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
president who becomes gay in his declining years and falls in
love with another member of the baseball team. And there is
The Art of Fielding: baseball, growing the president’s romance-damaged daughter.
up and the great American novel And because this is an American novel, there is a grand
gesture. A statue of Herman Melville stands at the heart of the
It took ten years to write and was turned Westish college campus. The author of Moby-Dick gazes down
down by numerous agents. But The Art of on Harbach’s efforts. There is a sly wit to this, as if Harbach is
saying, don’t confuse my book with the real great American
Fielding, by first-time author Chad Harbach,
novel, all the while continuing to remind us of his astonishing
is the latest work to capture the dreams and ambition.
insecurities of provincial America The Art of Fielding certainly cements the idea that a
Ruaridh Nicoll powerful new group of writers has emerged in America in the
wake of Franzen’s success with his novels The Corrections
Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding may be the first debut and Freedom. The big beasts of US literature – Mailer, Updike,
novel to have another book written about it before it was even Bellow, Roth – who fought their battles, sometimes physically
published. (“Lost for words again, Norman?” Gore Vidal said after being
Sold to the American publisher Little, Brown for a $665,000 punched by Mailer) but more usually in intense, convoluted,
(£431,000) advance, and appearing on the other side of the poetic sentences, are mostly gone now.
Atlantic late last year, it is already a sensation. It is the story of Writers such as Franzen have brought in a new style. The
Henry Skrimshander, a boy from the Midwest with a talent for highly wrought phrases of the past have given way to stories
catching and throwing a baseball. On the cusp of success, Henry that run smoothly in front of the eye and which wouldn’t have
loses his nerve, prey to what is famously and fabulously called surprised Dickens, looking little further for their depths than
“the yips”. It draws on the real-life experience of a Pittsburgh in their characters. It is a form of what Zadie Smith, in an essay
Pirates pitcher from the early 1970s, Steve Blass. in the New York Review of Books about another sporting novel
The narrative of the book about the book — How a Book is – Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland – referred to as a battle between
Born: The Making of the Art of Fielding — tells a different tale. lyrical realism and the experimental, the struggle between
Written by Harbach’s friend Keith Gessen, it relates Harbach’s the tradition of Balzac and Flaubert on one side and Kafka and
10-year struggle to complete the novel and the rejections by Beckett on the other.
agents before its ultimate, extraordinary success. It became a So will The Art of Fielding live up to the enormous
Vanity Fair magazine article, which in turn was published at expectations being laid on it? Published in Britain on 19 January,
greater length as an ebook. it is sensational and utterly gripping. The New York Times talks
So far, so modern. The Art of Fielding arrives here later of “a magical, melancholy story about friendship and coming of
this month on a wave of hype. The literary hive is buzzing. age that marks the debut of an immensely talented writer”. The
Hollywood is calling. Jonathan Franzen, most recent of the New Yorker said: “The main order of [Harbach’s] business is to
literary wunderkinds, is being held up in comparison and entertain” and added, “There’s much here to interest readers
is quoted on the back cover. Audaciously, Harbach himself of the contemporary literary novel, a genre that is clearly a
appears to play on the search for the grail of US literature, the preoccupation of Harbach’s.”
great American novel. Whether it is a great American novel is therefore beside
There is no doubt that this is a novel that will appeal to the point. It is – if you subscribe to the idea that, of late, the
lovers of sport. The former England cricket captain Mike grail has become a genre. “The great American novel has not
Atherton last week called it “an outstanding novel about sport”, only already been written, it has already been rejected,” was
saying: “Any sportsman who has choked will recognise and Somerset Maugham’s droll view on the search. Harbach seems
empathise with Skrimshander’s final humiliation.” Yet the to be laughing at the urge to write it with the device of that
publishers want more recognition for it than that. Just as Don statue of Melville, as if to say its shadow is causing him to
DeLillo sought to tell the story of the cold war in his 1997 novel harbour the same debilitating sense of ambition that brought
Underworld by following a baseball hit out of the park by Bobby Henry Skrimshander so low.
Thomson of the New York Giants in 1951, The Art of Fielding is What is certain is that when The Art of Fielding is released
supposed to be about much more than a ballplayer. There is no here at the end of the month it will be the title most preceded
sign of the game on either the British or American covers. with the phrase, “Have you read?” It’s already booked its place
According to the Vanity Fair story, Michael Pietsch, publisher on the dinner party bookshelves, among the Murakamis, the
of Alice Sebold, David Sedaris and David Foster Wallace, told McEwans, the Zadie Smiths and the Rushdies. And why not?
the audience of a books convention in Manhattan: “This is a That’s where most authors want and need to be.
novel about perfection, about striving, about youth. About And as Gessen revealed in his shorter book, people placed
those years when your job is to learn everything you can learn their careers on the line to see this book into print. It is a
and try to understand anything you can understand, to try to success in publishing, which is welcome. Harbach has created
study literature and philosophy and figure out who you are, and characters who entrance: vulnerable, beautifully drawn and
who you might become.” likable. That should be enough: to be, if not great, superb.
The story itself is set around Westish, a fictional college
INFINITE JEST by David Foster Wallace
on the shores of Lake Michigan. Henry, shy, with a future in a
His second novel cemented the 33-year-old’s standing as
no-mark job, is spotted by an up-by-the-bootstraps Chicago kid
America’s literary wunderkind. Set in the near future within
who has ruined his body playing sports he’ll never excel at and
an elite tennis academy and a drug rehab centre in Boston, the
who starts to live through Henry’s talent. Thrown in is a college
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page 10 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
plot follows the search for a lost art film as well as a conspiracy v Manchester United, the visitors winning that Premier League
centred on a group of wheelchair-bound Quebec separatists. encounter by one attack to nil. Villa were worse than pathetic
The novel, published in 1996, won Foster Wallace plaudits for that day, an absolute ambition-free disgrace. It’s how they’ve
his comic dialogue and meditations on art, entertainment and been for most of the campaign. And then they go and win at
addiction. In 1997 he was awarded a MacArthur “genius grant”. Chelsea, a fantastic free-flowing exhibition, a 3-1 result that
His suicide in 2008 sent shockwaves throughout the American on another day could have been even greater. This is the most
literary community. frustrating thing about Villa: the talent is there. No wonder
AMERICAN PASTORAL by Philip Roth the locals are getting jolly baity with McLeish’s stultifying
A celebrated author since the 1960s, many regard Roth’s negativity.
1997 novel American Pastoral to be his greatest work. Through In conclusion, we have no idea what to expect today. Could
the use of the author’s frequently used alter ego, Nathan the Rovers who showed so much promise at the start of the
Zuckerberg, the novel depicts the life of prosperous Jewish- season turn up and register a much-needed shock? Which Villa
American businessman Seymore “Swede” Levov, whose will we see? Chelsea Villa? Or Manchester United Villa? As we’ve
privileged existence is derailed by the actions of his daughter seen, there’s no point asking me. I’m just simple folk, so let’s
during anti-Vietnam protests. Both a reflection on the turmoil just get on with it.
of 1960s America and a study of grief and rage, American Kick off: 5.30pm.
Pastoral won several literary awards, including the 1998 Pulitzer Bristol Rovers: Poke, Woodards, Downes, Bolger, Sawyer,
Prize. Anyinsah, Stanley, Dorman, Carayol, Zebroski, Richards. Subs:
Cronin, Smith, McGleish, Lee Brown, Anthony, McLaggon,
THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen
Goddard.
Franzen’s third novel, published in 2001, centres on the
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Dunne, Collins, Warnock,
lives of a Midwestern family, the Lamberts. Its narrative
Albrighton, Ireland, Petrov, Clark, Bent, Heskey. Subs: Marshall,
about a traditional American family unit riven with hidden
N’Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Delph, Bannan, Weimann, Gardner.
miseries, including the elderly father’s descent into the chaos
Oh for God’s sake, look who the ref is: Howard Webb (S
of dementia and Parkinson’s disease, shines a light on the
Yorkshire)
discontents of modern American society. Acclaimed upon
The teams are out. Rovers in their striking blue and white
publication, The Corrections won the 2001 National Book
quarters, Villa in their Victorian claret and blue. There’s quite an
Award for Fiction and the 2002 James Tait Black Memorial
atmosphere brewing, but first there’s a warm minute’s applause
Prize. It went on to become one of the decade’s bestselling
for Rovers’ president and former chairman Denis Dunford,
books.
who died earlier this week aged 89. The home fans break into a
Richard Rogers touching chorus of club anthem Goodnight Irene.
And we’re off! The ball’s rolling. Sort of. The pitch is a rare
old quagmire. This could be fun.
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa — as it 2 min: Warnock, who was shredded into fine ribbon the
happened other day by Nathan Dyer of Swansea, is skinned by Woodards
down the right. The Rovers full back gets to the byline and digs
out a cross, but it’s too near Guzan, who claims without fuss.
Villa avoided a giantkilling in Bristol, easily
3 min: Now Zebroski takes a wander down the right,
seeing off Rovers bothering the flustered Warnock. Nothing comes of the
Scott Murray incident, but Villa haven’t started with much confidence here.
6 min: Not a great deal going on. The atmosphere’s died
“Bristol Rovers will take some beating this season.” So
down a bit, too. Rovers are the better side, but only just. Villa
concluded this very scribe at the end of the Guardian’s first
look pretty shaky, and aren’t putting anything together going
MBM of the 2011/12 season [http://tinyurl.com/3kcclzv], after
forward. “So, Bristol. What’s it all about then?” asks Philip
Rovers beat AFC Wimbledon 3-2 at Kingsmeadow. Well done,
Podolsky. “On the one hand, there was the trip hop scene, and
me! Well done! Pat m’self on the back. Sports Journalist of the
the local redbrick counts Angela Carter and Chris Morris among
Year award, please! Pulitzer, please!
its alumni. But I also hear it’s dreadful, old and Tory to the
So, anyway, Rovers, who I thought looked quite good, have
core. Help a confused foreigner to make sense of all this.” Hm.
just lost four on the bounce. In doing so, they’ve conceded five
According to this official website [http://tinyurl.com/6qrugxf],
goals against Crewe Alexandra, and four against Gillingham.
there are two Labour MPs in Bristol, one Tory, and another Tory
They’ve also let in three against Plymouth Argyle and two
one Liberal Democrat. But this is by the by. Bristol is a fine city.
against Barnet, teams rooted to the bottom of League Two.
Cary Grant was born there. Isn’t that enough?
Fourteen goals in four games. They’re 19th in the table, having
9 min: A low cross into the Rovers area from deep by
lost 13 out of 24 matches, and plummeting. As a result of this
Albrighton. It’s a poser for the home defence, zipping through
shambles, manager Paul Buckle was sacked earlier this week.
a corridor of uncertainty, but Poke is out to collect. With ease,
Still, things are looking up already. Because here come Aston
too, no Villa forward anywhere near him.
Villa!
12 min: Villa are beginning to see more of the ball, but can’t
Ah, Aston Villa. It’s been a desperately poor season for
put it together in the final third. It’s a bit scrappy, this. But free-
Alex McLeish’s side. They have been eye-bleedingly dreadful.
flowing football isn’t the point of the third round of the FA Cup.
Until this abomination between Birmingham City and
“Don’t worry Scott,” begins Jon Comlay apropos the mea culpa
Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier today [http://tinyurl.com/
at the beginning of this MBM, dabbing my furrowed brow with
7e92hhm], the most tedious game of the season had to be Villa
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page 11 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
a damp towel. “Saw that AFC vs Rovers game, and made exactly Bent’s £23m Twitter transfer to Liverpool hasn’t come off yet.”
the same bold prediction. At least yours won’t cost you money 34 min: A couple of zips down the right by Albrighton. He’s
though. A West Ham-supporting friend of mine tricked me (via a very promising player, isn’t he. Nothing much comes of these
the medium of booze) into betting twenty quid that Big Sam’s sorties, mind you, but Sawyer is getting Warnocked at the
charges wouldn’t finish in the top two this year.” moment. “In response to ‘Oh for God’s sake, look who the ref
13 min: Richards has a dig from distance. It’s low, hard, and is: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)’, surely thats a good thing as he
well wide right of Guzan’s goal. cant be the ref in tomorrow’s Manchester derby now,” argues
15 min: From tight on the left, deep within his own half, Christian Larsson.
Warnock hits a glorious first-time raker towards Bent on the 35 min: GOAL!!! Bristol Rovers 0-1 Aston Villa. And there you
edge of the Rovers area. If the striker was able to trap that, go. Albrighton opens the scoring with a crisp finish, picking the
he was in on goal. As it was, he wafted his leg in the air like a ball up on the edge of the area, down the inside-right channel,
conductor’s baton, and as he was beating out a waltz, the ball and firing under Poke to score. But really this goal was all about
bounced through to keeper Poke. Petrov, who rolled a peachy slide-rule pass to Albrighton’s feet
17 min: Ireland digs out a cross from the left. From ten from the middle of the Rovers half, tearing the home side in half
yards, Heskey hoicks over the bar. Heskey is the only FA Cup with one stroke of his boot. What a lovely ball that was.
winner strutting his stuff here today, having picked up the 36 min: An immediate response by the home faithful, with
thing with Liverpool in 2001. “’Sup Scott!” begins MBM regular a chorus of Goodnight Irene. The Gas aren’t really cooking,
Ryan Dunne. You remember, the Rangers obsessive. Yes, him. though; the atmosphere is warm, rather than boiling.
“Hope this game is less pish than that Wolves number earlier. 39 min: Ireland finds Warnock in acres down the left with
Is ‘McLaggon’ on the Bristol Rovers bench a real player, or an a raking crossfield ball. He’s clear in the area, but shanks a
affiliate of Shortbread McFiver? If he is a real person, and his hilariously poor effort miles left, and a good half mile too high
first name is e.g. Dragon, then he sounds like the Roy of the as well. Dear God almighty, that was dreadful.
Rovers/Anakin Skywalker figure that the Scottish National Side 40 min: Zebroski has a go from 30 yards. It’s a very decent
have been praying for! Can you tell us anything about him?” hit, moving out from the centre towards the top right corner,
Nope. but Guzan is behind it all the way and plucks it from the sky
20 min: Villa had a hot few minutes there, but have gone with a pretty dive. Better from Rovers, though, who haven’t put
scrappy again. Still, after a couple of sorties in the Villa half Villa under any pressure whatsoever.
early doors, Rovers haven’t done much of late, so the away 43 min: Rovers have been pumping balls into the Villa box
side will be happy enough with the way things are going. “I’d at semi-regular intervals, but really they’re nothing to write
be more impressed if Cary Grant had moved to Bristol,” writes home about. Or indeed to write on here about, which is why I’m
Andrew Clark (re 6 mins). It’s hard to counter the logic in that. not bothering. Collins and Dunne are mopping everything up.
22 min: Someone has thrown a cup of Bovril onto the pitch. Everything. They haven’t lost a header yet.
That’s some old-school supportin’! Cascading down from the 44 min: A lovely deep cross from Warnock on the left finds
stands soon: a rattle, a rosette, a meat-paste sandwich, and Albrighton in space to the right of goal, ten yards out. He elects
several ration coupons. to volley first time, and... well, oh dear. The crowd enjoyed that
23 min: A long-range hit from Heskey. It isn’t very good, but slice, which spun miles right of the goal and high into the air,
it does get deflected, very slowly, out for a corner. From which taking a baroque route into the atmosphere.
the same striker heads powerfully goalwards from a right-wing HALF TIME: Bristol Rovers 0-1 Aston Villa. The ball flies
corner. It’s a fantastic header, and heading for the top left, but over some fencing in the corner of the ground. Not sure what’s
Poke arches his back and tips over. Wonderful football all round. going on there, a little section cordoned off by a few larch-lap
Nothing comes of the second corner. panels. Something’s either getting built, or Rovers are opening
25 min: Rovers are beginning to creak at the back. Petrov up a garden centre. A ballboy digs it out, throws it back, and
goes after a long hoof, and on the edge of the area wins a that’s the end of a reasonably uninteresting half. Not Godawful,
challenge and heads past the advancing Poke. Bent is lurking to but certainly not worth any more consideration. “Great to see
pop the ball into the unguarded net, but Bolger wallops clear in Super Scott McGleish on the pitch,” writes Ian Burch, perhaps
the nick of time. occasionally pausing while he composes his email to perform
28 min: An enforced change for Rovers. Carayol has leg a few jaunty heelclicks, I don’t know. “One of the few centre-
knack, and is replaced by Scott McGleish, whose name is forwards who manged to score goals at Brisbane Rd where it’s
hopefully caledonian enough for Ryan Dunne (17 mins). “When a striker’s graveyard. He’s a lower league David Speedie, but
you said ‘Bristol Rovers will take some beating this season’,” without the high pitched voice and short man syndrome.”
writes Ian Copestake, “you were really only guilty of missing an HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT:
s off a word.” Again with the watertight logic. You folks are on For those of you who enjoyed The Ditch during the
fire tonight. Newcastle United v Manchester United [http://tinyurl.com/
31 min: Rovers aren’t looking particularly dangerous. The 83mnpcr] game the other night, here’s the second part of the
ball is lumped into the box by Stanley from the right, but Collins trilogy. No football references in this one, though fans of the
heads clear, making neither song nor dance. “Villa are fielding Cornetto, and in particular its constituent ingredient whey, are
a surprisingly strong side here,” notes Elliot Carr-Barnsley, in for a real treat here. Brought to you by the good people of
“considering the state Rovers are in. Either they’re giving the Lincoln Studios [http://tinyurl.com/39qyzyj].
cup ‘the respect it deserves’, or they are genuinely concerned, And we’re off again! So here we go. Rovers get the ball
which given the state they’re in, is fair. McLeish is clearly rolling. There’s a change in personnel, an injured Heskey having
baiting the crowd by playing Heskey too. It also seems Darren been replaced by Agbonlahor. “Big Eck doesn’t look at all well
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk
Page 12 G24 Sport Saturday January 7 2012 21:38 GMT
in that photo,” opines James Debens. “Some bit of him is about on.
to burst.” At least we know he’s not in danger of bursting with 71 min: Albrighton, Agbonlahor and Ireland exchange some
excitement. one-touch flicks down the right and into the area. It’s real
46 min: A surreal beginning to the half. Villa are still PlayStation stuff, in the exciting PES ping-ping-ping sense,
mentally in the changing room, so Anyinsah bombs down the rather than the Luiz-Neville critical one. Agbonlahor looks for
inside-right channel and into the box. He should have a dig, but Bent at the far post, but the ball’s bundled out for a corner. And
instead slides the ball inside, where Richards miskicks wildly. you know what happens at corners. Still, that was gorgeous to
Two gilt-edged chances within the first 15 seconds of the half, watch for a few seconds there. More of that, please!
both of them spurned needlessly. 74 min: Agbonlahor should be booked for crudely bundling
49 min: Stanley slides in late, straight through the back of over McGleish, as the veteran attempts to break up the right
Petrov. He should be booked for the foul, but hey, it’s renegade wing. BUT IT’S HOWARD WEBB.
ref Howard Webb, who rips up the rulebook and does things his 75 min: Collins limps off, to be replaced by the 19-year-old
way. Stanley, the de Jong de nos jours, saunters off unpunished. Gary Gardner.
51 min: A corner for Villa down the left. Albrighton takes. 77 min: A corner to the Gas, from the right. Downes wins a
It’s probably the worst corner routine in the history of All header, the ball clatters off Anyinsah’s arm, and Downes pokes
Football. Albrighton taps to Ireland, who returns the ball, sort it home from six yards. Howard Webb does the correct thing,
of, Albrighton forced to chase miles back upfield for it. Needless and chalks the goal off.
to say, the ball never gets anywhere near the box, where the 78 min: GOAL!!! Bristol Rovers 0-3 Aston Villa. A majectic
goal is. Do professionals ever practice corners? No, would be my crossifeld pass by Albrighton from the right to Ireland by the far
guess. post. Ireland cushions a first-time pass inside to Bent, who can’t
55 min: It’s rubbish, this. But Rovers won’t mind too much be bothered to move. The ball’s cleared. But it comes straight
if the score stays the same for the next 15 to 20 minutes. That back at Rovers, Clark bombing down the right, cutting inside,
would allow them to throw caution to the wind in the search for shifting the ball onto his left to skip past two challenges, and
an equaliser, the risk of a tonking severely diminished, and Villa curling a perfect shot into the bottom left corner.
getting nervous to boot. It’s not a particularly big “if”, either, 80 min: Another change by the Gas: Richards off, Brown on.
because Villa are doing nothing, multiplied by the square root 82 min: Petrov is replaced by Barry Bannan, the Scottish Paul
of bugger all, up front. Scholes®.
58 min: A cross into the area by Bent from the right. It’s 85 min: It’s dying out, this game, with little to report. “Sorry
trundling straight down that corridor of uncertainty again, but to see this [http://tinyurl.com/7yk2wk6] only managed to
once more there’s nobody in claret around to cause Rovers any inspire Darlington to a 3-0 defeat today,” reports Niall Mullen.
concern. Villa’s ambition knows bounds. “Imagine the result if they hadn’t been given the pep talk. Still
60 min: Woodards throws long into the box from the right. here’s hoping they stay alive.”
Collins heads clear. That counts as meaningful action. That has 86 min: From a corner down the right, Gardner converts for
to count as meaningful action. “Shhhh,” begins a desperate three points. The locals should appreciate that.
Elliot Carr-Barnsley, unhappy at this report shining a light on 87 min: Kayne McLaggan comes on for Anyinsah. I fear that
the talents of Albrighton. “Man City will have him off us in no will disappoint Ryan Dunne (17 mins).
time if you keep that sort of chatter up. Keeping mum wasn’t 89 min: Ah, the magic of the cup.
just for wartime you know!” 90 min: GOAL! Bristol Rovers 1-3 Aston Villa. Richard Dunne,
62 min: A cross by Albrighton down the right. Or was it oh dear! From the right-back position, he turns to pass back to
Hutton? I’ve got to be honest, I don’t really care. It’s easily the keeper. He does so blind, however, sending a looping ball
cleared. This is really poor entertainment. “If Villa tried towards the edge of the area, where McGleish lurks. The striker
marking the opposition at attacking corners,” writes this dinks a first-time shot over the advancing Guzan, and into the
report’s co-author Elliot Carr-Barnsley, “we’d score all the time. empty net.
If our record at the other end is any evidence, they wouldn’t get 90 min +1: PENALTY TO ROVERS!!! There will be three added
anywhere near us.” minutes. And the first sees Rovers awarded a penalty, Warnock
64 min: BRILLIANT GOAL!!! Bristol Rovers 0-2 Aston Villa. handling in the middle of an unsightly scramble!
The opening exchanges of this half have been awful, and then 90 min +2: PENALTY MISSED!!! McGleish hits a dreadfully
suddenly a moment of sheer brilliance shines through the weak effort towards the bottom right, Guzan snaffling with
dreck. In the middle of Rovers territory, Agbonlahor shoves ease. Oh my.
Woodards off the ball, then turns, dismisses Downes with FULL TIME: Bristol Rovers 1-3 Aston Villa. So no clean sheet
disdain, and advances on the area. He’s obviously going to for Villa, and in fact after that surreal ending it should have
shoot, but instead of putting his foot through it witlessly, been 2-3, but in truth the Gas were battered. Rather like this
strokes an exquisite effort into the bottom right. Superb. [http://tinyurl.com/3xolzq2].
67 min: The Bristolian atmosphere is through the floor.
Rovers have been absolutely dismal, as their recent form and
league position would suggest. The crowd know the way this is
going now, if they didn’t already before the second goal.
68 min: A ball down the Rovers inside-left channel. Anyinsah
latches onto it, turns in the area, and looks for the bottom-right
corner with a curling effort. That’s much better. It’s deflected
out for a corner, which is wasted, but still. Something to build
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 guardian.co.uk