FA Cup Third Round Draw Part 4

Staines Town or Millwall v Derby County
Staines or Jason Price v Robbie Savage

Plymouth Argyle v Newcastle United
Carl Fletcher & Kyle Letheren v Newcastle

Leicester City v Swansea City
Nicky Adams, Andy King & Elliott Chamberlain v Ashley Williams, Joe Allen & Ashley Richards

Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City
Sam Ricketts v Anthony Pulis (if permitted to play)

Accrington Stanley or Barnet v Gillingham

Manchester United v Kettering Town or Leeds United
Ryan Giggs v Kettering or Leeds

FA Cup Third Round Draw Part 3

Fulham v Swindon Town
Simon Davies v Billy Bodin

Stockport County or Torquay v Brighton
Owain Fon Williams & Craig Roberts v Andrew Crofts & Craig Davies

Scunthorpe United v Barnsley

Southampton v Rotherham United or Luton Town
Lloyd James v Rotherham or Luton

Bristol City v Cardiff City
Lewin Nyatanga & Gavin Williams v Adam Matthews & Joe Ledley

Reading v Liverpool
Simon Church & Jake Taylor v Liverpool

FA Cup Third Round Draw Part 2

I hate those word verfication things. They're so hard to read. I can't help it if I make loads of tags. It's not my fault there are so many Wales players who are good enough to play in the football league.

Sheffield United v QPR
Ched Evans v Rhys Taylor (if permitted to play)

MK Dons v Burnley
Jermaine Easter v Burnley

Chelsea v Watford
Chelsea v Jonathan Bond & Jonathan North

Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City
Chris Gunter & Robert Earnshaw v Birmingham City

Preston North End v Colchester United
Paul Parry v Lee Beevers

West Ham United v Arsenal
Danny Gabbidon & Jack Collison v Aaron Ramsey & Sanchez Watt

FA Cup Third Round Draw Part 1

...from a Wales point of view. Not all these players are certain to play. Unfortunately I can't tell the future.

Tottenham v Peterborough United
Gareth Bale v Craig Morgan

Brentford v Doncaster Rovers
Lewis Price v Gareth Roberts, John Oster & Brian Stock

Middlesbrough v Manchester City
Danny Coyne & Rhys Williams v Craig Bellamy

Stoke City v York City
Danny Collins & Ryan Shawcross v Levi Mackin & Kevin Gall

Notts County v Forest Green Rovers

Huddersfield Town v West Bromwich Albion

FA Cup Result November 29th

Kettering Town 1-1 Leeds United
Sam Vokes was unavailable as he is on loan and Kettering forced a replay at Elland Road. If they win, they’ll be off to Old Trafford.

Championship Result 29th November

Cardiff City 1-2 Ipswich Town
Sneaky Ipswich got their second win of the season against Cardiff. Adam Matthews came back from injury to play alongside Joe Ledley in Cardiff’s team. Cardiff deserved to win and Joe in particular played well for them. But if I had the choice of beating Cardiff or having to face Roy Keane after not being Cardiff, I’d be quite tempted to beat them too. And I love Cardiff.
Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be fighting over Adam. Dave Jones said it was a load of crap. (Well actually the word he used was ‘speculation’ but it means the same thing.)

Premier League Results 29th November

Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea
Horrible evil nasty Chelsea won. Aaron Ramsey was on the bench for Arsenal. Chelsea’s Rhys Taylor has gone on-loan to Doncaster Rovers but he wouldn’t have played anyway.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Birmingham City
Wayne Hennessey was inexplicably dropped to the bench for this match but David Edwards stayed in the side and played the whole game which was nice as he mostly hasn’t done that. Yahoo Eurosport felt he was their best player. Admittedly neither has been as brilliant for Wolves as they have been for Wales but I’d still say they’re two of Wolves’ best players. And I don’t think I’m that biased.

FA Cup Results November 28th 2009 Part 3

Wrexham 0-1 Swindon Town
Wrexham have millions of Welsh players and a number of them featured in this match, which saw them lose to former Premiership side Swindon by just one goal. Gareth Taylor has a sore knee but still managed to play the whole match. Chris Maxwell (the Wales under-21 goalkeeper), Neil Taylor and brothers Marc and Mike Williams also started but Neil was replaced after83 minutes. Mark Jones was on the bench.

FA Cup Results November 28th 2009 Part 2

Northampton 2-3 Southampton
Southampton won the linguistic derby despite resting Lloyd James, who has been excellent recently. Defender Peter Gilbert did some good defensive work for Northampton, who were playing a team in the league above them.

Northwich Victoria 1-3 Lincoln City
Lincoln City beat the non-league side despite the absence of the injured Anthony Pulis.
A surprising number of Welsh players have played for Northwich but none seem to be there now and they're probably quire glad they don't considering they'd have been knocked out of the Cup.
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Oxford United 1-1 Barrow
Gareth Jelleyman – said to be the best left back in non-league and I won’t argue with that – provided enough blocks and crosses to force a replay against Oxford.

Port Vale 0-1 Huddersfield Town
Gareth Owen wasn’t able to play for Vale after having an operation on his fractured cheekbone. Lewis Haldane was a doubt due to a knee injury but he still played the complete match. He is on loan from Bristol Rovers but as Bristol Rovers were knocked out in the last match they probably decided they might as well let him be Cup-tied… not that he’ll get to play any more FA Cup games this season. Port Vale boss Micky Adams wants to sign Lewis permanently in January.
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Staines Town 1-1 Millwall
Jason Price only played the first half of the match and I’m sure that’s part of the reason why Millwall will have to play a replay against non-league Staines. I don’t think Jason was injured but he is said to be struggling for fitness following an injury

Stockport County P-P Torquay United
Stockport left it to the last minute to ask Bristol City for permission to play loanee Christian Ribeiro but they didn’t get it but I suppose they can always ask again before the rescheduled match. They might have changed their minds by then, you never know. Owain Fon Williams would have played for Stockport if the match had gone ahead.

Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Aldershot
Ash Taylor played very well but he is a defender so Tranmere can’t expect him to score every week. He came close though.

FA Cup Results November 28th 2009 Part 1

Bournemouth 1-2 Notts County
Joe Partington stayed on the bench for Bournemouth as the top side in League Two lost to the richest.

Brentford 1-0 Walsall
James Wilson couldn’t play for Brentford as parent club Bristol City don’t want him but Cup-tied. Lewis Price, who is on loan from Derby County, was allowed to play as his one-year loan contract has a ‘no recall’ clause. He kept a clean sheet for Brentford and made a number of saves although Walsall’s Mark Bradley nearly spoiled it in the last minute by nearly scoring..
Rhys Weston also played for Walsall and he had to do some ‘excellent covering’ to stop Brentford from scoring a second. He was replaced in the third minute of stoppage time but I don’t know why.

Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Rushden & Diamonds
Andrew Crofts played Craig Davies stayed on the bench as Brighton won a close game against non-league Rushden. Craig was about to come on as a substitute but the player he was about to replace scored a goal. Which was good really. Arron Davies was ineligible as he’s on loan from Nottingham Forest.

Cambridge United 1-2 York
Levi Mackin played for York City as they won this FA Cup tie. Team-mate Kevin Gall stayed on the bench.

Carlisle United 3-1 Norwich City
Without Owain Tudur Jones and Rhoys Wiggins, Norwich were knocked out by struggling Carlisle.

Hereford United 0-1 Colchester United
Ryan Green managed to come to Colchester’s rescue at least once but Hereford still won.

Milton Keynes Dons 4-3 Exeter City
Jermaine Easter came off the bench in the 69th minute – just enough time for him to grab the winning goal and get a yellow card. MK Dons assistant manager Karl Robinson has been impressed with Jermaine’s attitude. So he's got an attitude, has he?
Richard Duffy played the first 66 minutes for Exeter, who were winning 2-1 at the time. Richard provided the assist for the second goal. But as Exeter lost one Welsh player, MK Dons gained one. And you can see what happened. Robert Edwards stayed on Exeter’s match.

Championship Results 28th November Part 2

Nottingham Forest 4-1 Doncaster Rovers
Gareth Roberts scored Forest’s first goal but unfortunately he plays for Doncaster. He had a go at scoring in the other goal too but it didn't go in that time. Forest’s second goal was also scored by a Welshman but Robert Earnshaw does at least play for them. He was substituted after 85 minutes.
Chris Gunter played the full match for Forest and John Oster played the first 72 minutes for Doncaster. Both came close to scoring for their clubs

Peterborough United 2-2 Middlesbrough
Rhys Williams was suspended and Danny Coyne stayed on the bench. Middlesbrough still haven’t won since Gareth Southgate was sacked. I hope the Middlesbrough chairman is squirming at least a little bit.

Plymouth Argyle A-A Barnsley
Carl Fletcher and Darcy Blake both played as Plymouth went 4-1 down in the first 31 minutes. Kyle Letheren was on the bench. Luckily the referee was a Plymouth fan and he abandoned the game because of heavy rain. Barnsley have made more complaints about it than Plymouth.

Queen’s Park Rangers 2-2 Coventry City
Freddy Eastwood came on for Coventry after 74 minutes and Coventry got their equaliser soon afterwards.

Scunthorpe United 1-1 Leicester City
It only took Andy King 86 minutes to register a shot on goal but it was 90 minutes before Leicester actually scored. That wasn’t Andy’s fault though.

Championship Results 28th November Part 1

Bristol City 2-3 Sheffield United
Lewin Nyatanga and Gavin Williams stayed on the bench as Bristol City lost – Lewin was replaced by the manager’s son. It didn't work did it? I can't really blame him though. If I was a manager and I had the chance to drop an English player in favour of a Welsh player I would be so so tempted even if they weren't my children.
Ched Evans was also on the bench as he has been ill this week. He didn’t come either but Sheffield United just about managed without him.

Derby County 2-1 Reading
Robbie Savage came close to giving Derby an even bigger win whilst Simon Church could have got a point for Reading. Simon was replaced at half-time with a player who promptly got himself sent off. At least he won't steal your place next week, Simon. Simon injured his hip last week and was a big doubt to play so that was probably why he was substituted.

Newcastle United 3-0 Swansea City
Swansea might not be my favourite Welsh side but I had to support them against Newcastle who are doing far better than any team I don't support has a right to. Ashley Williams played the whole match for Swansea with Joe Allen and new loan signing David Cotterill (who was probably Swansea’s biggest scoring threat) were second-half substitutes but Newcastle got both the three goals and the three points. David Cornell and Ashley Richards stayed on the bench.

Premiership Results 28th November

Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
James Collins failed a late fitness test on his groin injury. Gareth Bale was on the bench but he stayed there. It depends on the quality of the bench I suppose but I can't imagine that sitting on them is very good for groins.

Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Stoke City
Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross was substituted after suffering a groin injury and is a doubt for the next game but Danny Collins seems fine/ And there was obviously nothing wrong with their defending or Blackburn would have scored.
Jason Brown stayed on the bench for Blackburn.
Stoke’s Welsh manager Tony Pulis has asked Stoke fans to lower their expectations following their disappointment when Stoke only beat Portsmouth 1-0… which got them exactly the same number of points as Tottenham got when they beat Wigan by that horrible amount of goals.

Fulham 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
Both teams left their Welsh players on the bench although Simon Davies came onto the field after 68 minutes. Seven minutes later, Fulham got their equaliser. Simon has been out with an injury for some time so maybe Fulham want to be careful with him.
I hope Bolton didn’t leave Sam Ricketts on the bench because of his own goal last week. I think that would be really unfair and the goal wasn’t all his fault. It was just the result of a misunderstanding, something that happens all the time in every profession (or it would if anyone was stupid enough to hire me).

Manchester City 1-1 Hull City
Boaz Myhill stayed on Hull’s bench after some excellent performances from Matt Duke, who replaced him when he was injured. Poor Bo, don't you just hate it when that happens? Craig Bellamy started on the bench for Man City but came on after 75 minutes. It was too late. The richest club in the world (or at least in England) got their seventh consecutive draw against the club that until recently looked most certain to go down. If they can keep that run going, it will in some ways be a greater achievement than getting into the Champions’ League.

Portsmouth 1-4 Manchester United
Ryan Giggs scored his 100th Premier League for Man U with a brilliant free kick. He also provided two of the assists. I don’t like Portsmouth so I’ll forgive Man Utd for winning this time. It was Ryan's birthday the day after the match. I'm sure he loved his present from Portsmouth.

West Ham United 5-3 Burnley
Danny Gabbidon started in defence again for West Ham and although he let in three goals, at least he waited until West Ham were 5-0 up. Danny is looking back to his best now which is really good considering his career was in doubt. Jack Collison scored West Ham’s first goal. He was substituted on 77 minures but it looks as though that was a tactical change rather than a recurrence of his injury. It's good tactics sometimes, taking your Welsh player off. The opposition will subconsciously relax and then you can get another goal. (Well that's what I like to think.)

Wigan Athletic 1-0 Sunderland
It had to happen didn’t it? The team Tottenham thrashed last week beat the team Arsenal lost to.
Jason Koumas stayed on Sunderland’s bench.

Premiership News 28th-29th November

Arsenal v Chelsea
Aaron Ramsey is almost certain to be in the squad but Arsene Wenger might go for more experienced players so he might not play. I think the further away Aaron is from Chelsea, the better.

Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
James Collins will have a fitness test to derermine whether he can play for Villa. I wonder what they do to test that your groin is working properly. I hope Gareth Bale will be at least on the bench for Tottenham but who knows?

Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City
Ryan Shawcross and Danny Collins are almost certain to play for Stoke. I would say certain but sometimes you don't find about injuries until it's too late and you've already posted the Wales news.
Jason Brown will be on the bench for Blackburn.

Fulham 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
Simon Davies doesn't seem to have had any recurrences of his injury so he should play. And that's not just my opinion. I hope Sam Ricketts will play for Bolton. It would be really mean to drop him after his own goal which wasn't his fault.

Manchester City v Hull City
Boaz Myhill might not play as Matt Duke has been on fine form since taking over as Hull's goalkeeper when Boaz was injured. Craig Bellamy might not play for Manchester City as they have so many strikers and they all seem to be fit now butI'd say of all of them he's the best value for money and they should play him.

Portsmouth v Manchester United
Ryan Giggs is still looking for his 100th goal. Portsmouth aren't known for their string defence. Could this week be the week? It's Ryan's birthday tomorrow too.

West Ham United v Burnley
West Ham's Danny Gabbidon looks very likely to start following an injury to Matthew Upson. And after Jack Collison's goalscoring exploits recently, you'd be mad not to play him. Go on lads, put Burnley in their place - and they're certainly not in their place now. They're above you. By quite a way.

Wigan Athletic v Sunderland
I know exactly what's going to happen in this game. Wigan lost to Tottenham last week by more goals than I want to think about. Sunderland beat Arsenal. So I just know Wigan are going to win this one. As if Arsenal haven't suffered enough.
I just hope Wigan play Jason Koumas. It won't hurt so much then.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Birmingham City
Wayne Hennessry and David Edwards are two of Wolves' best players and I'm sure there are non-Welsh people who agree with me. I don't see how they can be left out really.

Wales News 25th November

Nottingham Forest want to buy Gareth Bale. Their fans mostly think he’s too good for the Championship but they hope Chris Gunter and Robert Earnshaw might be able to persuade them to join Forest.
I don’t want him to go. I hate the team he’s at but at least there’s a vague chance I might bump into him (hopefully literally) in London. Chris and Rob – tell him Forest is rubbish and there isn’t a hairdresser in the whole of Nottingham.
It would be great for Gareth to get some regular football though.

Swansea City manager Paolo Sousa is concerned that playing for Wales is too much for David Cornell (who didn’t even play) and Joe Allen. But surely they have a greater workload for Swansea than for Wales?

Sanchez Watt has signed a contract extension at Arsenal. I think he might have decided to represent England instead of Wales but I can dream. His team-mate Rhys Murphy has gone on loan to Brentford but unfortunately he seems to be English.

Stockport County manager Gary (short for Gareth but he’s English) Ablett admires loan signing Christian Ribeiro’s professionalism. Apparently he showed up for training on the first day with no clothes – apart from his Wales tracksuit that is.
But why did he only take his tracksuit to Wales? Did his luggage not arrive or do Wales have naked training sessions? (Does anyone know how I can go to a Wales training session?)

James Collins is still a serious injury doubt for Aston Villa, according to Sky Sports who usually know what they’re talking about. They are certainly right in saying James is Villa’s best player of the season. Villa manager Martin O’Neill doesn’t want to rush him back but he hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s match completely.

Chelsea’s young goalkeeper Rhys Taylor has joined Doncaster on-loan. This is great news as it means I no longer have to feel guilty about liking him.

Blackburn Rovers are trying to persuade goalkeeper Jason Brown to sign a new contract but fear he will want to look for first-team football. I think they should just let him play. He won when he played against Nottingham Forest in the Carling Cup.

Cardiff right back Adam Matthews has declared himself fit to play Ipswich Town on Sunday. I hope Cardiff won’t let him unless he really is fit. Somehow I don’t think the seventeen year old is a qualified doctor.

I forgot to mention John Oster when he played for Preston at the weekend. But he did well, he nearly scored.

Simon Church is hoping he will be able to play in Reading’s game against Derby after suffering a hip injury in his last match.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is interested in signing Ashley Williams from Swansea, the club he previously managed. I hope he does – it will be great to have another Wales player in the Premiership and maybe he can help wake Jason Koumas up.

Premiership Results 25th November

Hull City 3-2 Everton
Hull continued their revival with a win over Everton. Boaz Myhill was left on the bench but the good news is he’s fully recovered now from his knee injury.
I’d love to see Hull stay in the Premiership for a third season – but it’s early days and Everton are a bit crap.

Fulham 3-0 Blackburn Rovers
Fulham have also been doing well lately – and the fact Simon Davies has returned from injury can only help. Simon didn’t come on until the 85th minute but within three minutes he’d grabbed an assist and taken the score to 3-0. He spent the rest of his time on the pitch sending in crosses. Jason Brown was Blackburn's substitute keeper.

League Two Results November 24th

Bournemouth 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
I was very excited when I realised yesterday that Dagenham’s goalkeeper Roberts is Welshman Tony Roberts. I wonder how many others I might have missed? Tony kept a clean sheet against a Bournemouth side who left Joe Partington on the bench.

Bury 2-1 Chesterfield
Daniel Nardiello played for Bury for the first 83 minutes. The Bury Times gave him a more than respectable 7 out of 10 for his performance. Danny had a few shots on goal but couldn’t score this time. Goalkeeper Mark Crossley was on the bench for Chesterfield – so he didn’t score either.

Cheltenham Town 5-1 Barnet
Josh Low made at least one clearance as Cheltenham thrashed Barnet.

Hereford United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Ryan Green played in defence for Hereford, who conceded a goal but took the three points. Shrewsbury seem to have at least four Welsh players on their books but goalkeeper Glyn Garner has a shoulder injury and the rest are teenagers.
Emdaf Jones I’m not sure about. Apparently he left Shrewsbury following an incident in the showers (really?!) but there are also reports of him ‘returning’ to Shrewsbury so maybe they let back him in on condition he doesn’t wash.

Port Vale 2-2 Torquay United
Gareth Owen and Lewis Haldane both started for Port Vale but Gareth was replaced after 42 minutes after he hurt his fractured cheekbone. He’s seen a specialist and is set to have an operation on Friday. I hope they manage to sort it out for you, Gareth.
Lewis nearly scored quite a few goals.

Rotherham United 2-0 Lincoln City
Lincoln’s Anthony Pulis lasted just seven minutes before he was forced off with an ankle injury. He is back with parent club Southampton getting it checked over. No news yet but I hope it’s not too serious.

League Two Results 24th November Part 2

Norwich City 4-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
With Owain Tudur Jones and Rhoys Wiggins still injured (what have those boys been up to?), all Norwich could do was put 17-year-old Josh Dawkin on the bench again. It was a strategy that worked.
Andrew Crofts was in Brighton’s side and he did quite well – he nearly scored and despite the number of challenges he made, he managed to get just the one yellow card. His team-mate Craig Davies came on as a substitute in the 84th minute. He’s a striker but he must have done something right as Norwich duly stopped scoring.

Swindon 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Billy Bodin again didn’t make the bench for Swindon. (I hope the bench was made by someone who knows something about furniture.)

Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Southend United
Ash Taylor was the Globe Man of the Match as Tranmere won their first points in five outings. He only waited for thirty seconds to elapse before making his first attempt on goal.

Walsall 3-0 Oldham Athletic
How nice to see some Wales players achieve a big win. Mark Bradley and Rhys Weston both played the full game. Mark got the assist for the third goal. Expressandstar said Mark Bradley’s efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed so make sure you notice them.
No-one said anything like that about Rhys but he must have helped with the clean sheet at least a little bit.
Is there an award for the player in the league who gets the most assists? You’ve got the Golden Boot for goals but they need to have a Golden Sock too.

Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Brentford
I found out Lewis Price’s non-appearance for Brentford was because he had flu, poor baby. He was not well enough to return to the starting line-up for this game. Perhaps if he had played, Brentford wouldn’t have become Wycombe’s second London conquest in a matter of days.
James Wilson played for Brentford and he doesn’t seem to have put a foot wrong… until he was red-carded in the 65th minute. Even then he might not have put a foot wrong - as he is said to have ‘hauled down Welshily-named Englishman Gareth Ainsworth I think it’s probably his hands that were at fault.
It was an unfair challenge which resulted in a penalty – but Brentford’s replacement goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny (who is also on loan from Arsenal) saved the penalty. Wycombe managed to score their first penalty but Wojciech clearly learned from his mistake. (Now if Brentford could learn from theirs…)

League One Results 24th November Part 1

Charlton Athletic 4-2 Bristol Rovers
Grant Basey played the full game as Charlton got back to winning ways at last. But is it too late for them to catch Leeds? Grant got an assist and could have got several more if his team-mates were better at football. It was one of Grant’s corners that indirectly led to Charlton’s first goal – a penalty.
Bristol Rovers’ Byron Anthony played the full game which was great but I wish he hadn’t fouled Grant. It’s not even like Grant’s keeping him out of the Wales team (James Collins, Danny Gabbidon, Ashley Williams, Lewin Nyatanga and Craig Morgan are doing that – not that Byron should go and kick them instead).
Ben Swallow again came off the bench for Bristol Rovers while Rhys Evans stayed on it.

Colchester United 2-0 Stockport United
It wasn’t really a great day for any of the Welsh players involved in this match. I’m sure Lee Beevers would have been happy if he’d actually been in Colchester’s squad – but he’s still injured.
Owain Fon Willians and Christian Ribeiro played for Stockport but they didn’t win.
However Owain did make some good saves and one of the goals only happened because the ball squirmed out of his hands. I mean if you were holding a football and it started squirming I bet you’d drop it too.
Christian worked very hard, making a number of attempts to supply Stockport’s strikers with an assist.

Exeter City 1-1 Millwall
Richard Duffy came off the bench for Exeter after 6-0 minutes. He didn’t follow the example of many players by scoring against his former club but it was his throw-in that led to Exeter’s late equaliser.
Jason Price came off Millwall’s bench after 72 minutes. I would love to tell you he got the winner but that would be a total lie.

Gillingham 1-0 Yeovil Town
Shaun MacDonald was yet another Welsh player to be on the losing side but at least Yeovil only let in one goal – and they only had ten men for the last ten minutes. But his team-mates seem more than happy with Shaun’s performances for Yeovil so far. His nickname is ‘The Ginger Zinedane’. Apart from ‘The Ginger Giggs’, there is no higher praise.

Hartlepool United 1-3 Southampton
Lloyd James played in Southampton’s midfield for this match. He was involved in at least six attempts on goal.

Leeds United 1-0 Leyton Orient
Sam Vokes nearly scored for Leeds but it was the player who replaced him after an hour who scored the winning goal. Isn’t that always the way?

Milton Keynes Dons 3-4 Carlisle United
Jermaine Easter’s MK Dons scored three goals but were still on the losing side. Maybe he should have come off the bench a bit earlier than 72 minutes. Match magazine says he’s joint-fourth top goalscorer for League One.

Championship Result 23rdNovember

Preston North End 0-1 Newcastle United
Paul Parry was on the losing side as Newcastle won 1-0. They’re far too good, Newcastle. I was happy when they got relegated because I’ve always rather liked Middlesbrough (and I thought their old manager was hot) and I thought if Middlesbrough had to go down, at least they dragged Newcastle down with them and very nearly Sunderland too. But if Newcastle are going to be this brilliant they might as well have stayed in the Premiership really.
Preston aren’t even a bad side. Paul nearly got three goals and an assist. And that was just in the first half. If Newcastle hadn’t been so good, Jermain Defoe’s five goals for Tottenham could have been old news.

Premiership Results 22nd November

Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
Sam Ricketts was in Bolton’s starting line-up but he ended up scoring Blackburn’s second goal for them. Poor Sam, I hope his team-mates all give him a hug but it was the goalkeeper’s fault really. Sam did have a good game apart from that. Without his clearances and blocks Blackburn could have won by more.
Jason Brown stayed on the bench for Blackburn.

Stoke City 1-0 Portsmouth
Danny Collins and Ryan Shawcross both started for Stoke. Ryan nearly scored early in the second half and Danny did his defensive duties well but the nasty Portsmouth players kept trying to beat them up. Portsmouth got a penalty but luckily they’re as bad at penalties as they are at everything else.

Tottenham Hostpur 1-0 Wigan Athletic
1-0 was the halftime score. I can’t tell you the full-time score because it hurts. Let’s just put it this way, Arsenal no longer hold the record for the most goals scored in one match this season and I’ll be very surprised if any team scores more than Tottenham. I hate Tottenham. I hope they don’t get into the Champions’’ League but still better them than Man Shitty.
Gareth Bale was not in Tottenham’s matchday squad, perhaps due to the injury/illness that ruled him out of the Wales under-21 game on Wednesday. If you are ill or injured, Gareth, get well soon! If Harry Redknapp’s just being a wanker don’t give up, he can’t leave you out forever. Maybe you could get hold of some incriminating photos of current left back Benoit Assou-Ekotto dancing a nightclub with drink poured down the front of his trousers..
Jason Koumas was on the bench for Wigan. They really should have let him play. He couldn’t have done worse than the midfielders who did play.
Some think Wigan’s goal shouldn’t have been allowed but I think they should have been allowed to score a whole lot more. Ten goals would have done the job.

League Two Results 21st November

Barnet 0-0 Port Vale
Gareth Owen played for Port Vale despite a fractured cheekbone. Lewis Haldane got a knock but he was less brave than Gareth and dropped to the bench. I suppose it depends where his knock was though.

Lincoln City 0-0 Grimsby Town
Lincoln might not have managed to score but this time they didn’t get a single red card which is a great improvement. Midfielder Anthony Pulis – who nearly scored - will be relieved after claiming in the newspaper that Lincoln are not a dirty side.

Macclesfield Town 1-2 Bournemouth
Joe Partington stayed on the bench but Bournemouth still got the points.

Morecambe 1-0 Cheltenham Town
Josh Low played as Cheltenham lost by just one goal.

Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Bury
Daniel Nardiello scored again for Bury but then Shrewsbury got a last minute equaliser. And without a Welshmen in the side too.

League One Results 20th November Part 2

Southampton 2-2 Norwich City
Josh Dawkin, who was on the bench, was Norwich’s only Welsh representative but it was enough to get them a point. Southampton’s Lloyd James got a yellow card and conceded a penalty but at least it wasn’t a red and the penalty was missed.

Stockport County 1-3 Exeter City
Loanee Christian Ribeiro probably didn’t enjoy his first game for Stockport much. For that matter, goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams didn’t much either although he did make a brilliant save. And even though Richard Duffy was on the winning side, he didn’t make it off the bench. But look on the bright side. Christian and Owain played ninety minutes and right back Richard can’t be blamed for Stockport’s goal.

Yeovil Town 1-1 Charlton Athletic
Charlton did well to get a point after going down to ten man after 58 minutes. Grant Basey must have done a great job in defence to deny Yeovil a win and as Shaun MacDonald played the full match for Yeovil, his groin must be getting better.

League One News 21st November

Brentford 1-1 Walsall
Lewis Price asked Brentford to get another goalkeeper to provide competition from him. Brentford took him a bit too literally and got Arsenal’s twenty year old goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. I bet Lewis wished he kept his big mouth shut. He must have got into a bit of a strop about it as he didn’t even make the bench. [Actually he had flu.]
Brentford’s James Wilson is said to have been at fault for Walsall’s goal but I’m sure he wasn’t really. Mark Bradley and Rhys Weston played for Walsall and Mark nearly scored.

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Leeds United
Sam Vokes made it home from Bosnia in time for Leeds and played 83 minutes of the win. He came close to scoring but I bet Andrew Crofts (who played the whole match for Brighton) and Craig Davies (who came on as a substitute) are glad he didn’t.

Bristol Rovers 2-1 Gillingham
Bristol Rovers took all three points as Byron Anthony played the full match with Ben Swallow coming on as a substitute. Rhys Evans stayed on the bench. It must be depressing sometimes being the substitute goalkeeper.

Leyton Orient 2-1 Tranmere Rovers
Orient got their revenge after Tranmere knocked them out of the FA Cup just a few days ago. Ash Taylor got a goal in the FA Cup but could only manage a yellow card in the league. But very few people are perfect and those that are are usually boring.

Millwall 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Jason Price played the full match and Millwall ended up losing a home game for the first time this season. He nearly scored but the assistant referee thought he was offside.

Championship Results 21st November Part 2

Sheffield United 1-0 Peterborough United
Ched Evans scored to put Sheffield United 1-0. Peterborough got a penalty but sensibly missed it. David Cotterill didn’t play for Sheffield United as he’s pissed off to Swansea.


West Brom 4-1 Bristol City
Gavin Williams started on the bench for Bristol City but he got his chance as early as the 16th minute after this bloke called McAllister got injured. But he and Lewin Nyatanga really didn’t have a great day.

Championship Results 21st November Part 1

Barnsley 1-0 Cardiff City
Sneaky Barnsley waited until Cardiff weren’t looking them scored a last minute equaliser. Joe Ledley was one of several Cardiff players to have grown a moustache to raise awareness about men’s health issues like testicular cancer. And that’s a lot more important than scoring goals.

Coventry City 1-1 Crystal Palace
Coventry left Freddy Eastwood on the bench and got what they (probably) deserved.

Leicester City 1-0 Plymouth Argyle
Andy King scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to give Leicester the win. Bringing Nicky Adams on in the 84th minute can only have helped.
Plymouth’s Carl Fletcher was on hand with his best Thierry Henry impression but he was caught and he gave away a free kick.


Middlesbrough 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Gordon Strachan looked on course for his first win with Middlesbrough. So I said they’d better hope Forest don’t bring Robert Earnshaw off the bench. The Forest management term must have been listening as they did bring Rob off the bench. And guess what he did!
Rhys Williams was naughty and got a yellow card but he also came closest to getting a winner for Middlesbrough. His team-mate Danny Coyne stayed on the bench.
Chris Gunter played for Forest after recovering from a viral infection. He got fouled a lot but he probably wasn’t feeling strong enough to retaliate. But is it really a compliment for his manager to tell him he plays like a 35 year old? Only if the 35 year old he means is Ryan Giggs.

Reading 2-1 Blackpool
Simon Church was initially credited with Reading’s goal but then some other guy stole it. Then he went off injured. It really wasn’t a good day for Simon. I hope he’s not badly injured.
David Vaughan and Neal Eardley both seem to have recovered from the injuries that prevented them from playing for Wales (not that they were needed exactly) with David playing and Neal on the bench. I read a news item linking David with Real Madrid . I’m not sure it’s supposed to be serious but I believe it.

Premiership League Results 21st November

Birmingham City 1-0 Fulham
Fulham’s Simon Davies played for the first time for months. He lasted the full 90 minutes and played very well. That’s more important than winning isn’t it? Well, in some ways it is.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wayne Hennessey and David Edwards played the whole match for Wolves but they too were on the losing side. Dave nearly scored and I bet Wayne kept out more than he let in.

Hull City 3-3 West Ham
First West Ham were in front, then Hull were in front. Hull’s Boaz Myhill was only fit enough for the bench but Danny Gabbidon and Jack Collison played the whole match for West Ham. Jack scored West Ham’s second goal. The Guardian says something ‘plopped on [Jack’s] head’. I hope they mean the ball.

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Craig Bellamy got an assist for Manchester City but they could only manage yet another draw against Liverpool. That’s relegation form you know…


Manchester United 3-0 Everton
Ryan Giggs got an assist but his team-mates didn’t let him score his 100th goal, selfishly keeping the ball for themselves. But I think Ryan would rather work for his 100th goal than take it as a gift.

Sunderland v Arsenal
I can’t bring myself to write the score but Aaron Ramsey played the first sixty minutes and it wasn’t his fault okay? It didn’t even happen until he’d been substituted.

League Two News 20th November

Gareth Owen has been one of Port Vale’s superheroes and he’s going to look like one in the match away to Barnet – he’s likely to wear a face mask to protect his fractured cheekbone.
Lewis Haldane has another month with Port Vale before his loan expires and he has to go back to Bristol Rovers.

Ryan Green has recovered from a dead league and he hopes that Hereford United might also come back to life with their first away win of the season – they face Burton Albion.

Mark Crossley will probably be on the bench again as his team Chesterfield host Darlington.

Anthony Pulis attempts to prove that Lincoln City are not a dirty team when they take on struggling Grimsby Town at home. True, Lincoln can only improve on the four red cards they got in their last game.

Joe Partington was unable to play for Wales under-21s due to a groin injury but he is in Bournemouth’s squad for their away game against Macclesfield Town. Bristol City’s Christian Ribeiro has joined Bury on loan, possibly to early to play away at Shrewsbury Town.

League One News 20th November Part 2

Southampton v Norwich City
Lloyd James is Welsh and he sounds it too. And with Owain Tudur Jones expected to miss out with a groin strain and no word on Rhoys Wiggins’ knee injury, this could be Lloyd’s chance to prove it.


Southend United v Milton Keynes Dons
This match is off as they’ve already played it. I’m sure Jermaine Easter's MK Dons wouldn’t mind a replay though.

Stockport County v Exeter City
Owain Fon Williams will probably be hoping Richard Duffy and Robert Edwards stay on the bench today as he looks to end his run of bad luck before it reaches Gareth Bale-like proportions.

Yeovil Town v Charlton Athletic
Grant Basey probably remembers when his side Charlton were in the Premiership and Yeovil weren’t even in the Blue Square Premier. Shaun MacDonald, now recovered from the thigh injury that limited his involvement for Wales under-21s would probably do better not to think about things like that.

League One News 20th November

Brentford v Walsall
Earlier this week Brentford defender James Wilson and Walsall midfielder Mark Bradley were on the same side. Lewis Price (Brentford’s goalkeeper) and Rhys Weston (Walsall right back who was named in the League One Team of the Week) will be hoping their team-mates don’t get confused.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Leeds United
Is it really that far between Bosnia and Leeds? Apparently so if you’re Sam Vokes. Leeds’ on-loan striker still hasn’t returned from international duty. Brighton’s Andrew Crofts and Arron Davies are probably hoping he stays lost.

Bristol Rovers v Gillingham
Bristol Rovers are having a right back crisis and have sensibly turned to a Welshman for help - centre back Byron Anthony is favourite to take the role. Ben Swallow could be hoping for his second start (shame he’s not a right back really) but goalkeeper Rhys Evans will probably have to settle for a place on the bench. Just be glad you didn't join Watford, Rhys, they’re dropping like flies over there,

Carlisle United v Swindon Town
Billy Bodin didn’t make the matchday squad for the Wales under-21 team and he probably won’t be in this squad either – which is good news for Carlisle, if no-one else.

Leyton Orient v Tranmere Rovers
So you think I’m unfairly biased do you? Well listen to this. When these two teams met in the FA Cup this very week, it was Ash Taylor who scored the goal that took Tranmere to the next round. Caretaker manager Lee Parry wishes he had a few more players like Ash.

Millwall v Wycombe Wanderers
Jason Price will be hoping for another start after his brilliant performance against AFC Wimbledon.

Oldham Athletic v Colchester United
Lee Beevers is probably still injured for Colchester. So this match could go either way.

Championship News 20th November Part 2

Reading v Blackpool
Simon Church could be facing three of his Welsh team-mates as he tries to get Reading a much-needed win.
It’s strange but a number of Wales players who were unable to play against Scotland are now suddenly totally fine. David Vaughan has recovered from his knee injury and is expected to play for Blackpool and Neal Eardley could also play and so might Robert Edwards.

Sheffield United v Peterborough United
David Cotterill is expected to join Swansea City in the next 24 hours so he probably won’t play. Ched Evans however should do as he’s almost the only striker they’ve got. I’m sure Peterborough defender Craig Morgan will have something to say if Ched tries scoring any goals.

Derby County v Swansea City
This match was played last night by mistake so today’s version has been understandably called off.
Watford v Scunthorpe United
Sixteen year old goalkeeper Jonathan Bond will probably be on the bench for Watford – Jonathan North is just one of their injured keepers. It’s the Curse of the Keepers - Jonathan B should be very afraid.

West Bromwich Albion v Bristol City
West Brom do actually have two Welsh players but as they never bother to play them I fancy Bristol to win this one. Lewin Nyatanga was withdrawn from the Wales under-21 squad but as far as I know he’s not actually injured and Gavin Williams came through a Bristol City reserve game unscathed so he should be around too.

Championship News 20th November

Barnsley v Cardiff City
Adam Matthews won’t play for Cardiff against Barsnley due to a groin injury Joe Ledley is fit as far as I know.


Coventry v Crystal Palace
Freddy Eastwood of Coventry will be hoping to continue his recent good form. You never know, he might even get into the next Wales squad.

Doncaster v QPR
Brian Stock is hoping to be back for Doncaster in mid January.

Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday
What a boring fixture. Troy Brown could be on the bench for Ipswich but that’s all I can say.

Leicester City v Plymouth Argyle
Carl Fletcher her served a one-match ban and should play for Plymouth but Darcy Blake is still suspended. There’s always one. Andy King seemed to have no trouble with his hand (unlike Thierry Henry) when he played for Wales and he is in Leicester’s squad, alongside Nicky Adams.

Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest
Forest’s Chris Gunter missed the Wales v Scotland match with a viral infection. I was going to send him a card but he’s only gone and got better. Oh well, it’s nice to know Wales has one tough man.
Robert Earnshaw could also play but Middlesbrough’s Danny Coyne probably won’t. Rhys Williams was sent off in his game for Australia so he shouldn’t be too tired to play for Middlesbrough.

Champtionship/League One Results 20th November

Swansea City 1-0 Derby County
Substitute Joe Allen got the assist as Swansea City beat Derby County 1-0. It could have been more if Ashley Williams had got his header slightly more on target and it probably would have been more without an excellent challenge from Derby’s Robbie Savage. David Cornell was on Swansea’s bench.

Southend United 2-1 Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes lost again, this time to Southend United. Well that’s what happens if you leave your Welsh striker on the bench. Jermaine Easter didn’t appear until the 72nd minute. The score was 1-1 but Southend were awarded a penalty in the fourth minute of extra time.

League One News 20(ish)th November

Swansea City's Christian Ribeiro has been loaned to Stockport County for a month. They need all the help they can get.

Premiership News 20(ish)th November Part 2

Defender Danny Collins – ignored by John Toshack but not by me – believes his team Stoke City can finish in the top half of the table last season. A few weeks ago I would have thought Stoke had too much competition, with a number of sides including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur suddenly working out how to play football. But as there is also a lot of competition for relegation, with Everton and Bolton Wanderers surprise contenders, Danny could well be right.

Ryan Shawcross is also eligible to play for Stoke. The (hopefully) future Welsh international once had sugar injected into his knees to reduce ligament pain. But this information did come from The Sun so who knows if it’s actually true?

It’s not clear why Gareth Bale was withdrawn from the Wales under-21 match. Maybe they (wrongly) thought he wouldn’t be needed after all. But whatever his fitness situation, he is still suffering from a case of Stupid Manager and therefore will probably be on the bench.

Danny Gabbidon is fit to play for West Ham after his run-out for Wales but he might not go straight back into the starting line-up. I can’t find any information about Jack Collison but as he missed the Wales under-21 and full international games with another knee injury I feel he must be at least a slight doubt.

Jason Koumas had a good start to the season but he now seems to be spending most of his time on Wigan Athletic’s bench. I think it’s a huge mistake leaving him there… but then I would say that wouldn’t I?

Wolver goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey is expected to play this weekend.

Premiership News 20(ish)th November Part 1

Aaron Ramsey was withdrawn early from the Wales v Scotland game before missing the under-21 match. However his name is not appearing on most of Arsenal/s extensive injury lists. So I hope he’s fit to play.

James Collins was expected to return to Aston Villa’s side but the latest news is he that he has suffered a reaction in training and is now a doubt.

Sam Ricketts says Bolton Wanderers’ performances have deserved more than the points they’ve achieved so far. It’s time to start climbing the table – and Sam is very likely to be helping them to do just that.

Simon Davies is ever the optimist. He thinks he could return for Fulham’s next game but then again he said that last week and I think the week before too. Now he says Fulham could finish in the top ten again. I would love him to be right on both counts and I’d be exactly the same if I was a Fulham supporter but is he being realistic?

Boaz Myhill is said to be in Hull City’s squad this weekend but other reports say his chances of starting are low.

Craig Bellamy is expected to play for Manchester City against Liverpool despite the knee problem that prevented him from playing for Wales.

You’ve got to fancy Ryan Giggs to get his 100th Premier League goal. Everton aren’t on best form at the moment and with goalkeeper Tim Howard a doubt Ryan is definitely in with a chance. What a shame he’s a nice guy in a team of gloryhunters.

Wales News

Swansea City are allegedly interested in Sheffield United’s David Cotterill and Wrexham’s Neil Taylor. David is interested in the move, which would see him become Swansea’s record signing.

Neil and also goalkeeper Chris Maxwell are coming to the end of their contracts at Wrexham, who need all the good players they can get.

Bristol City are considering loaning out Christian Ribeiro.

As Joe Allen featured in Wales’ under 21 game he could be rested for Swansea City’s match against Derby County.

Adam Matthews is a doubt for Cardiff City’s match against Barnsley. Sources are divided on whether he injured his groin or his foot but the official Cardiff site says it’s his groin.

Craig Bellamy believes his persistent knee injury will see an early end to his career – a year or two at most. If he’s right, it’s easier to have some sympathy with his decision to retire from international football. It’s not as though he has the option of retiring from club football and continuing to play for Wales. Not unless Manchester City would be happy to train him without picking him for matches.

Bosnia-Hercegovina 2-1 Wales

Wales’ unbeaten run in the Under-21 Championships came to an end last night. Wales took the lead through an excellent goal from Joe Allen (who also appeared for the senior side in their win over Scotland on Saturday), and Wrexham keeper Chris Maxwell saved a Bosnia penalty.

Wales remain at the top of the group but second-placed Hungary are four points behind with two games in hand. Wales won’t play again until September 2010.
Joe Allen wasn’t the only member of the squad against Scotland to appear for the under 21s. Strikers Simon Church, Ched Evans and Sam Vokes, and midfielder Andy King all of whom played against Scotland, also played against Bosnia. Adam Matthews made his Under-21 debut days after being part of the senior squad for the first time but was replaced at half-time due to a groin injury. Darcy Blake, who was also on the bench against Scotland, was the unlucky player to concede the penalty.

Simon, Ched, Mark Bradley and substitute Ashley Richards all came close to giving Wales an equaliser.

Would things have been different if a few more members of the senior squad had been able to play? Possibly. Jack Collison (knee) and Chris Gunter (virus) withdrew from the Scotland game as well as the Under-21 Bosnia tie. Aaron Ramsey (back), Gareth Bale (unspecified) and Lewin Nyatanga (unspecified) were also in the original squad to face Bosnia. They could have made a difference but Gareth has not played with the under-21s for a while. There would have been an advantage in putting a few experienced players in the squad, there is also much to be said for playing a team where the players are used to playing together.

Andy King was the Wales captain for the first time. Regular captain Shaun MacDonald, who has had a groin injury, came on as a substitute and set a new record for appearances with the Under-21s. It was his 22nd cap.

However Wales are still top and even if they do end up finishing second they are likely to advance to the play-offs alongside the group winners. A point in their next game could be enough.

Wales Under-21 team
Chris Maxwell (Wrexham), Neil Taylor (Wrexham), Christian Ribeiro (Bristol City), Andy King, captain (Leicester City), Darcy Blake (Plymouth Argyle, on loan from Cardiff City), Joe Allen (Swansea City), Mark Bradley (Walsall), Adam Matthews (Cardiff City), Simon Church (Reading), Ched Evans (Sheffield United), Sam Vokes (Leeds United, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Substitutes: Ashley Richards, replaced Matthews 46 (Swansea City), Shaun MacDonald, replaced Vokes 57 (Yeovil Town, on loan from Swansea City)|
Subs not used: David Cornell (Swansea City), James Wilson (Brentford, on loan from Bristol City), Aaron Morris (Cardiff City), Marc Williams (Wrexham), Elliott Chamberlain (Leicester City)

Bosnia-Hercegovina v Wales – (Under 21s) Squad

Goalkeepers: David Cornell (Swansea City), Chris Maxwell (Wrexham)
Defenders: Darcy Blake (Plymouth Argyle, on loan from Cardiff City), Adam Matthews (Cardiff City), Aaron Morris (Cardiff City), Christian Ribeiro (Bristol City), Ashley Richards (Swansea City), Neil Taylor (Wrexham), James Wilson (Brentford, on loan from Bristol City)
Midfielders: Joe Allen (Swansea City), Billy Bodin (Swindon Town), Mark Bradley (Walsall), Andy King (Leicester City), Shaun MacDonald (Yeovil Town, on loan from Swansea City)
Strikers: Elliott Chamberlain (Leicester City), Simon Church (Reading), Ched Evans (Sheffield United), Jake Taylor (Reading), Sam Vokes (Leeds United, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marc Williams (Wrexham)

The strikers don't have tags because blogger said I've used too many characters. I guess the Wales managers don't use blogger then.

Bosnia-Hercegovina v Wales News

Joe Allen, Simon Church, Ched Evans, Andy King and Sam Vokes (all of whom played as Wales beat Scotland 3-0) and Darcy Blake, David Cornell and Adam Matthews (who stayed on the bench) are part of the under-21 squad who will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday 18th November.

Gareth Bale, Lewin Nyatanga and Aaron Ramsey, who also started against Scotland, have all withdrawn from the match for injury reasons. Aaron has a back injury but I’m not sure about Gareth and Lewin.

Jack Collison, Neal Eardley and Chris Gunter were part of the Undre-21 squad originally but Jack and Neal are injured and Chris has a viral infection.

Shaun MacDonald has a groin injury but could still play.

Scotland sack manager George Burley

Scotland have sacked George Burley following Scotland's defeat to Wales. It’s not fair. He didn’t deserve that. Scotland were playing against the best team in the world! On a more serious note, whilst Scotland did have their crappy moments, they had more of the possession, created more chances than Wales and were unlucky really to have nothing to show for it.

Scotland didn’t do badly in the qualifiers either – they are a relatively small team but they came close to qualifying.

Wales were brilliant against Scotland and played well enough to win – I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way but they could have beaten better teams than Scotland with such an inspired performance.

But I think Scotland played well enough against Wales to get a point – for all their skill and brilliance, Wales had luck on their side too to score three times. And if Dave Edwards hadn’t changed the game with his goal, Scotland might easily have scored first and we could have had a very different result.

League Two Results 14th-15th November

Barnet 0-0 Hereford United
Ryan Green played the first 84 minutes for Hereford against Barnet and earned his side a clean sheet, which should save on washing if nothing else.

Bradford City 1-1 Bournemouth
When I viewed this page at 12.22am, an update was made, saying the referee had blown his whistle. It must have been a very long game. So it was surprising that Joe Partington, one of just four substitutes, stayed on the bench. The poor players must have been exhausted.

Lincoln City 1-1 Cheltenham Town
Anthony Pulis extended his loan to Lincoln from Southampton. He celebrated by getting booked for unsporting behaviour but after a team-mate, a substitute, the assistant manager and the manager were all shown the red card, Anthony might even count as one of the good boys. Cheltenham’s goalkeeping coach and one of their substitutes were also sent to the stands. The match must have been fairly dull in comparison but Anthony did create a few chances for his team-mates.
But even so, he could try to be more like Cheltenham’s Josh Low who got no cards at all, even though he arguably deserved one.

Rochdale 2-3 Chesterfield
Will Chesterfield ever let Mark Crossley off the bench? Just because he’s 40 it doesn’t mean he can’t save shots. Portsmouth’s David James is 40 and he’s still playing and he… oh okay. Maybe Mark really is best on the bench. (But I’d still love to see him get a game.)

Port Vale 1-2 Rotherham United
Gareth Owen (who has a fractured cheekbone) was obviously missed as Port Vale lost to Rotherham. Gareth’s team-mate Lewis Haldane played but the manager feels he was unfairly fouled and I agree with him. I didn’t actually see the highlights though so we might be wrong.

Bury 3-3 Notts County
Daniel Nardiello has just signed for Bury on loan from Blackpool. He made a great start by scoring the first goal and providing the assist for the second. Daniel thought he’d scored another goal and started to celebrate… only for the ball to get stuck in the mud before it had crossed the line.

League One Results 14th-15th November Part 2

Colchester United 2-2 Exeter City
Richard Duffy and Robert Edwards stayed on the bench for Exeter, probably because their manager only made one substitution. Two years ago Richard was playing for Wales. Now he’s playing for Exeter reserves. Poor Richard.
Rob on the other hand played for Wales against Scotland – at least, that’s what Goal.com says. They credited him with Rob Earnshaw’s attempt on goal.
Poor Lee Beevers. The Colchester player has a shoulder injury. I hope he rests it and stays off the ballet classes (which I didn’t when I hurt my shouder).

Walsall 2-0 Stockport County
Mark Bradley and Rhys Weston – along with the rest of Walsall’s starting line-up – played the full ninety minutes as Walsall beat Stockport. Mark helped create a goal and Rhys helped keep the clean sheet. Rhys was fouled a lot but Mark got Stockport back by fouling their players. Rhys didn’t seem to be hurt though and Mark avoided getting a yellow card so everything was fine.
Goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams didn’t do quite as well playing for Stockport but although he let in two goals, it sounds like he made a lot of saves.

Norwich City 2-0 Tranmere Rovers
Ash Taylor was on the losing side as Norwich somehow managed to win without the injured Owain Tudur Jones and Rhoys Wiggins. Rhoys has a knee injury and Owain has a groin injury. Maybe Owain made a pass at Rhoys and Rhoys didn’t like it so he kneed Owain in the groin. Probably not through.

League One Results 14th-15th November

Brentford 2-2 Millwall
Brentford v Millwall is one of the priciest matches in the football league. Brentford have goalkeeper Lewis Price (on loan from Derby County) and Millwall have striker Jason Price – both of whom happen to be Welsh. Jason was hoping his two goals against AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup – Millwall won 4-1 – would earn him a place in the starting line-up, whilst Lewis was probably trying to pretend Brentford’s last FA Cup match didn’t exist.
Jason was a slight doubt following a calf strain but he still started the match. He didn’t score but he came pretty close.
Lewis let in two goals again but at least he didn’t score either of them this time. And he did make at least one brilliant save.
James Wilson also played for Brentford – Millwall could have won without his clearances and last-ditch tackles. As Millwall are my dad’s team, a part of me (that treacherous English part of me I bet) wishes he’d played a bit less well. Never mind, I’ll be supporting the Brentford boyos again next week.

Southampton 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Andrew Crofts scored the winning goal as relegation candidates Brighton beat Southampton – who probably don’t quite count as fellow strugglers considering they’re only in the bottom four due to a 10-point deduction (and because they lost to Brighton).
According to reports it was a great goal and I bet Brighton are glad Andrew wasn’t in the Wales squad this weekend. John Toshack is still interested.
Craig Davies has returned from his loan spell to Yeovil (typically I was the last person to find out) and had a place on Brighton’s bench.
Arron Davies was said to be available for this match but the loanee from Nottingham Forest wasn’t even on Yeovil’s bench. Not unless he’s changed his name by deed poll.
Lloyd James was on the losing side but he seemed to be one of their best players. He played a part in many Southampton attacks, including the one that led to the goal.


Bristol Rovers 3-2 Carlisle United
Ben Swallow made his first start for Bristol Rovers and played the first 67 minutes, whilst team-mate Byron Anthony played the full game. Both players contributed well to both attack and defence but when Ben left the field the score was still 1-1. Shortly after he left, Carlisle took the lead (which is always a danger when you take a Welsh player off the field). But the game wasn’t over – Byron and his team-mates wouldn’t let Carlisle score another goal and another two goals for Bristol Rovers ensured they took the three points.
Goalkeeper Rhys Evans was on the bench for Bristol Rovers.

Charlton Athletic 5-1 Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons must be really wishing they hadn’t let Jermaine Easter join the Wales squad. He didn’t even get to play for Wales in the end – even though John Toshack used four strikers altogether.
Milton Keynes Dons were only a goal behind until Grant Basey came on as a substitute for Charlton on 63 minutes. Before too long Charlton had scored five.

Wales v Scotland: Wales Players' Ratings (Substtutes)

12. Jason Brown – I was hoping Jason might get a run-out as he hasn’t been in the squad for so long. But Wayne Hennessey was having such an amazing game and as he wasn’t either carrying an injury (like Aaron Ramsey) or needed for the Under-21 squad (like Ched Evans and Simon Church), how could you take him off?

13. Sam Vokes – Sam came on as a substitute after half-time. He might have scored if the Scotland goalkeeper hadn’t handled outside the area – in a competitive match, this would have been a red and I don’t really see why things should be different in friendly.

14. Jermaine Easter – Poor Milton Keynes Dons. They allowed Jermaine to join the Wales squad instead of playing for them against Charlton Athletic. What happened? Charlton won 5-1. But it was good of MK Dons to let him go through and great that Jermaine is putting country before club. It’s just a shame he didn’t get the chance to play.

15. Andy Dorman – I was really quite annoyed Andy didn’t get the chance to play. He wanted to play so much. I hope all the others did too though.

16. Daniel Gabbidon – Danny looked a bit rusty but that’s hardly surprising after his recent injury lay-off, following two years without a football match. Not long ago there was a question of whether he would ever play professionally again so it really is good to see him back in the side and I just hope he can have a long injury-free run now for Wales and West Ham. Huge applause for Danny as he came on.

17. Robert Earnshaw – Rob has also been injured recently and in fact he was left out of the original squad because he wasn’t expected to be fit. But a return to action for Nottingham Forest and the withdrawal of Craig Bellamy saw him back in the side. He too was a bit rusty but he got into some good positions and I think when he is fully match fit again he’ll be putting those chances away.

18. Adam Matthews – Some thought Adam might have a chance of playing after Chris Gunter withdrew but he stayed on the bench. He has been playing well for Cardiff though, even out of position on the right wing, so there’s no doubt he will be a part of Wales squads in the future.

19. Darcy Blake – Darcy – who didn’t appear in the programme - stayed on the bench too but I’m sure he too will play for Wales in the future. Cardiff have loaned him out to Plymouth but he still looks like a good prospect and a lot of Cardiff and Wales fans rave about him.

20. Andy King – Andy’s profile wasn’t in the programme so I assumed his wrist injury was considered too severe for him to play. But he was on the bench and he came on as a substitute. I wonder why he wasn’t in the programme, which included not only players who had withdrawn (Chris Gunter) but also players who had never been part of the squad due to injury (David Vaughan). I have heard some twats saying Wales is a backward country but that’s definitely not true so I wonder why they didn’t have time to change the programme. They were able to make a chance to include Andy Dorman, who was also called up late, but not Andy King.

21. David Cotterill - David came onto the field very late on. Wales seemed more than happy with 3-0 and Scotland had given up hope even of a consolation. David played very well when he came on and it was good to see him play after missing several matches for personal reasons but in some ways I wish they’d brought on someone to fire things up a bit and go for a 4th goal. How greedy of me.

22. Joe Allen – Joe did not deserve to be booed. It was probably difficult enough for himn already, replacing Man of the Match Aaron Ramsey but it didn’t seem to affect him at all and he played well. Interestingly, one report said that Aaron was replaced by ‘young’ Joe Allen… who is more than three months older than Aaron! Yes, he is young but that does kind of imply Aaron is older.

Wales v Scotland: Wales Players' Ratings (Starters)

1. Wayne Hennessey – Wayne was always there when Scotland managed to get a shot on target. One save in particular was outstanding. His goal kicks are not only very strong, they’re the loudest I’ve ever heard!

2. Samuel Ricketts – Sam might not even have played if Chris Gunter had been fit, now it looks like Chris has a rival for the position. Sam had a very strong game, racing up the right wing and playing his part in the attacks, combining well with Aaron Ramsey. Never mind Chris, Sam is twenty-seven, he could retire soon and then it’ll be all yours again... well, as long as Adam Matthews doesn’t live up to his significant potential…

3. Gareth Bale – Some prats have criticised Gareth’s defending but it looked great in this game. He made defensive tackles, clearances, headers, the lot – and even though he did play his part in many of the attacks, he managed to track back in time if Scotland got the ball. His free kick looked like it came close to scoring – he’ll get one in soon and once he gets one he’ll be banging them in again. He nearly scored from a corner too.

4. Ashley Williams – I made a bit of a fuss when I thought Ashley was going to be the captain. He has played very well for Wales lately but Joe Ledley has been the stand-in captain and he didn’t deserve to lose his position. But Ashley did a great job. The fact Wales were playing with such confidence must at least in part be down to him and many people believe it’s most helpful to have a captain playing in defence (although Ashley was actually somewhere between centre back and defensive midfield, where the original centre-halves played). Ashley also had a great game, fighting off Scotland’s attacks and allowing Aaron Ramsey to get forward. The Cardiff fans booed him though which was awful.

5. Craig Morgan – Craig played well but some of his tackles were slightly worrying. He got a yellow card for one of them and there were times after that when a second yellow could have followed – though it would have been harsh.

6. Lewin Nyatanga – Lewin looked very solid in this game, working well with Craig and Ashley. If Ashley continues in his defensive midfield position, Lewin might be able to fight his way into the side even if all the players are fully-fit. But he’s got competition.

7. David Edwards – Dave Edwards might not be the first name to come to mind when you’re asked to name Wales’ best players but I think he probably is one of them now. Maybe he isn’t the most skilful but he’s scored so many important goals – all goals are important but he is a player who often pops up when you feel you really ‘need’ a goal. (Stupid football clichés. Why do I keep using them?) Scotland were doing well before Dave scored, almost out of nowhere, and he played a big part in killing them off.

8. Ched Evans – Ched had trouble getting into the starting line-up at Manchester City (blame Craig Bellamy, who arrived in January!) so he found himself out of the Wales squad and back in the Under-21s. Then when he finally got back into the squad for the Liechtenstein game, he managed to injure himself. So I was really happy to see Ched not only back in the squad against Scotland but with a starting role. He didn’t score this time but he came close.

9. Simon Church – Simon scored the second goal in his match and the first goal for Wales. He’s missed a few chances lately but it can take time for a striker to adapt to a new side and he looks very well adapted now.

10. Aaron Ramsey – Aaron was rightly awarded Man of the Match for an outstanding performance. He actually only played 58 minutes but he made so many brilliant contributions to the match, it’s difficult to believe he didn’t stay on longer. His goal was amazing. He looked so confident, so sure. He also played a big part in the other two goals before being substituted to a standing ovation which somehow seemed less than he deserved – it’s a shame Wales supporters don’t fly. At the time I was disappointed he was taken off so soon but as he has had problems with his back this week it was only sensible.

11. Joe Ledley – If Joe was unhappy about not being the captain, he’s way too much of a professional to let it show and Joe is one of those players who shows his leadership qualities whether he’s the captain or not. Joe was active and involved and played some brilliant football.

Wales v Scotland: Match Report

Scotland were the first to settle and right up until David Edwards scored for Wales they looked very dangerous. After a while, Wales began to look a bit more comfortable after a while, with good play from Gareth Bale, Ashley Williams and Joe Ledley in particular but I had a horrible feeling Scotland were going to score. So when Wales scored it was the most wonderful surprise. Aaron Ramsey’s improvement over the past few months has been almost frightening to watch and he played a huge part in Dave Edwards’ goal. When the ball went in I was so happy. I jumped to my feet and jumped up and down and it was only then I realised I’d let go of my topless water bottle and given the man next to me a nice cold bath.

He didn’t kill me. I think he understood why I was so excited. All the Wales supporters were thrilled to see their country take the lead. I wasn’t that sure it was going to last though. I’ve never seen either of my teams win in person. This is the first time I’ve seen Wales play and I’ve never seen Arsenal win, not once, in thirteen years of supporting them. Even when I went to the Emirates for my Big Brother audition Arsenal went on a four-match run without a win. I’m like the female Arsenal equivalent of Gareth Bale. I’ve got the hair clip and everything.

Scotland seemed a bit shocked after that (I don’t blame them, so was I) and Wales took advantage of this. Aaron was at the centre of things as Simon Church scored his first goal for Wales. He pointed to the sky after he scored his goal, dedicating it to his father who died recently. It was a happy and sad moment all at once.

After being such a key figure in the match, it seemed only right that Aaron should score a goal too. And he got it. But it wasn’t any ordinary goal. It was an amazing solo piece of play that took him apparently effortlessly past Scotland players before putting the ball into the net with a perfect finish. He ran towards the edge of the pitch then did a knee slide. He was almost level with me when he came to a stop. The other players jumped on top of him and I really wanted to join them.

There weren’t any more goals after that but both Wales and Scotland had chances. Scotland looked very lively again when they came back for half-time but again they faded when the Wales defence proved to be as strong as ever. John Toshack did play with three centre backs (which I’m usually against) but Ashley Williams played in front of Lewin Nyatanga and Craig Morgan, more a defensive midfielder than a defender, which gave Wales a more attacking formation. For once there were two strikers and with Aaron coming forward to join in the attacks it was a much more positive performance than the ones I’ve seen on TV recently.

It could have been a lot worse for Scotland. Wales could have had a penalty when Simon Church was brought down by Graham Dorrans – some sources say it was Ched Evans but I think it was Simon unless Dorrans went for both of them. I wasn’t completely sure at the time if it was a penalty but it looked like one when I saw the close-ups on TV. But if Wales had got a penalty, they might have missed it again so in some ways it was probably better for them not to get it. It is thought by many that penalties should be taken by the experienced players. But Wales didn’t really have any! Robert Earnshaw, who scored Wales’ last penalty, was on the bench at the time.

Scotland’s goalkeeper David Marshall, who was only playing because one of Gareth’s Tottenham team-mates broke Craig Gordon’s arm (a coincidence, I’m sure), could have been sent off after handling the ball outside his penalty area, denying Sam Vokes a goalscoring opportunity. The general consensus is that he was allowed to remain on the pitch partly out of sympathy for the Scots and partly because it was a friendly. I personally think Marshall should have gone. It was a friendly but in committing a red card offence, Marshall wasn’t showing friendliness towards the Welsh team, so really the referee shouldn’t have shown friendliness towards him by letting him stay on the field of play. It doesn’t matter too much though, maybe I would have been more fired up about it if Wales hadn’t won but they did so never mind.

And if Aaron, who had a back injury, hadn’t come off after 57 minutes, it’s easy to believe he could have created and scored even more goals for Wales.

Even one goal for Scotland could have given them a lift and there was at least one moment when I thought they were certain to score. But with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in such fine form for Wales – some of his saves were outstanding – it really wasn’t Scotland’s day. Gareth, Ashley and Sam Ricketts in particular supported him well in their defensive roles.

However, maybe Scotland shouldn’t have expected too much. The last time Scotland beat Wales, I think of the current Wales side, only Sam Ricketts, Danny Gabbidon and Robert Earnshaw (along with unused substitutes Jason Brown, Jermaine Easter and Andy Dorman) had been born.

The only real disappointments were the booing and the fact that Andy Dorman didn’t come on as a substitute. I don’t want to be mean about Andy, I think he’s amazing but I’m really not sure if he’d get in the squad if all the first-choice midfielders were available. Andy has dreamed of playing for Wales and this could have been his only chance. Wales were 3-0 up and everything. He could have gone one for the last few minutes, he’d have had the experience of playing for Wales and his passion for the country just might have got us a fourth goal. But I hope he really enjoyed just being part of the squad and even more than that I hope I’m wrong and that he’ll get many more chances to play for Wales.

As for the booing, it was really disgusting and unfortunately it came from Cardiff supporters, who booed both Wales’ captain Ashley Williams and substitute Joe Allen, who was making only his second appearance for Wales. I think it was really mean to boo them – and I don’t think the Swansea fans booed Cardiff’s Joe Ledley. I don’t like Swansea but I would never boo Ashley and Joe Allen when they were playing for Wales. Yes they play for Swansea but there aren’t any Swansea players in Wales matches – or Cardiff players either. They’re all Wales players and nothing else matters.

Wales v Scotland: Preamble (mostly irrelevant)

I have been to football matches before. I have gone to see Arsenal (my team), Millwall (my dad’s team) and England (the local national side). But never have I been asked to remove my bottle top. I mean, if the man at the door had asked me to do the same thing only without the word ‘bottle’ in it, he could probably have got himself arrested.

There were Scotsmen all over the place in Cardiff town centre on Friday night but Wales was strongly represented too. I was only there looking for a late night chemist (my contact lens solution had leaked out of its case) but it was a great atmosphere. Very friendly and jovial (except for the nasty man in the shop I went in) but not scarily drunk. The Wales rugby team had a relatively narrow victory last night but it was still a reason to party. I can only assume the Scots were prematurely celebrating beating Wales – oh well, it’s not like they could have celebrated after the match!

I have to admire the Scots for one thing though. The atmosphere in the stadium helped to keep me warm but so no doubt did my trousers, thick socks and Gareth Bale Wales shirt. But the Scots were sitting there in their tiny little kilts and no tights as far as I could tell (not that I looked too closely). They must have been frozen. Especially if they weren’t wearing any pants.

I just hope I won’t go to Hell for wearing a Tottenham player’s name on the back of my Wales shirt. In my defence Aaron Ramsey was still an under-21 when I got it and it’s not as though Gareth has helped Tottenham to win loads of games.

The Cardiff City Stadium was beautiful – not like the Emirates but not far off. They need to put mirrors in the toilets though. I bet there are millions of mirrors in the dressing rooms - although the footballers I’ve seen doing their hair on the pitch seem able to do it without a mirror. Not that I usually do my hair on arriving at the football match (I have more important things on my mind) but it was pouring with rain and the wind was so strong, my umbrella broke and my hair clip was hanging off. You couldn’t even see your reflection in the sink or in the tiles. I wanted to hang around the Players’ Entrance afterwards but I was scared I had mascara on my nose. I did get a lot of funny looks and it looked like Gareth Bale was staring at me at one point so there must have been something wrong.

I wasn’t that happy with the stadium staff. I can see why they wanted me to remove my bottle top but there’s no need for the guy to walk up to me and tell me I’ve got issues. I know I’ve got issues, I don’t need him to point them out to me. Also, if they’re going to take people’s bottle tops away, they should at least provide either some sort of alternative non-violent bottle top or they should offer me a plastic cup which is sturdier than a bottle, ideally one with a lid like you get at McDonalds. I’d pay extra for that, especially if they were nice and didn’t mention my issues.

I had to walk past a lot of men in kilts to get to my seat, which was a bit worrying. What if I’d bought a ticket in the away end by mistake? Would I have to keep completely silent so they wouldn’t kill me? But soon after the match started I realised the people next to me and in front of me were all Wales fans. I was sitting just to the left of the technical area, a few rows from the front, about halfway between the centre circle and the goal the Wales players scored into. So I got a pretty good view of all three goals.