Welsh Summer Transfers 2010 (Championship, H-N)

Hull City
Gary Speed was named as a contender to become Hull City’s new manager. He didn’t get the job.
Hull were said to be interested in signing Steve Morison from Millwall but Millwall weren’t interested.
Welsh players: None

Ipswich Town
Troy Brown signed a one-year contract extension with Ipswich.
Ben Thatcher is still a free agent after being released by Ipswich mid-season.
Welsh players: One (Troy Brown)

Leeds United
Arsenal's Sanchez Watt joined on loan again, this time for the whole season.
Welsh players: One (Sanchez Watt)

Leicester City
Brentford made a bid for Nicky Adams but he decided to stay and fight for his place instead. He fought for about two weeks before deciding to go to Brentford after all. The fee agreed was £175,000 but then there was a re-structure.
It was thought that Andy King would also attract interest from other clubs and I’m sure he did but Leicester kept hold of him.
Leicester were rumoured to be interested in Steve Morison and the rumour could well be true – why wouldn’t they be interested? But Steve didn’t want to go and there was no way Millwall were letting him.
Leicester made a late bid on transfer deadline day for Ashley Williams but Swansea rejected it.
Welsh players: One (Andy King)

Middlesbrough
It was thought that Middlesbrough might want to replace goalkeeper Danny Coyne but luckily for him they didn't.
Welsh players: Two and a half (Danny Coyne, Rhys Williams who decided to represent Australia)

Millwall
Millwall released striker Jason Price following their promotion to the Championship. Jason was strongly linked with Carlisle United (among, according to Jason, other clubs), with whom he spent time on loan last season and the rumours turned out to be true. Jason has now signed a one-year deal with Carlisle United.
Hull were said to be interested in signing Steve Morison but Millwall said no.
Welsh players: One (Steve Morison)

Norwich City
Norwich said there was room for everyone in the squad but that didn’t stop them from getting rid of three Welshmen. Rhoys Wiggins finally got his dream move to Bournemouth after the transfer ban was lifted. He spent the second half of last season on loan there and has now signed a two-year deal.
Norwich were all set to let David Stephens go to Lincoln City but the player had other ideas. He has now signed for Hibernian on a two-year deal. They’re in the Europa League you know.
Josh Dawkin signed a one-year professional contract with Norwich.
Owain Tudur Jones had an unsuccessful trial with Plymouth Argyle before returning to Yeovil Town on loan, where he will stay for one month – or until January if he can extend it. He was also linked to Swindon Town.
Norwich signed Andrew Crofts from Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee, probably around £300,000.
Welsh players: Two (Andrew Crofts, Josh Dawkin) plus one out on loan (Owain Tudur Jones)

Nottingham Forest
Forest were said to be interested in signing Andy Dorman but he went to Crystal Palace instead.
Welsh players: Two (Chris Gunter, Robert Earnshaw)

Scottish Premier League Results 22nd August 2010

Celtic 4-0 St Mirren
Joe Ledley played at left back again, even though he doesn’t like it, and it didn’t seem to hamper him too much as he scored his first Ceutc goal in an entertaining but rather one-sided match

Hibernian 0-3 Rangers
Celtic might be back to their old selves but Rangers are going to battle them all the way. David Stephens sat on the bench for the losing side.

Kilmarnock 0-1 Motherwell
Kyle Letheren could be wondering he did the right thing after this match. After spending some time with Motherwell, he decided to play for Kilmarnock this season. But maybe Kilmarnock could try playing him. It might work.

Scottish Premier League Fixtures 22nd August 2010

Celtic v St Mirren
Celtic will be joint top of the league if they win this match. St Mirren too are unbeaten but they haven’t actually won yet and Celtic Park isn’t the easiest place to get three points.
Joe Ledley should start for Celtic but St Mirren won’t have Andy Dorman because he plays for Crystal Palace now.

Hibernian v Rangers
Hibernain were in third place in the League – but now they face the Champions.
David Stephens will probably be on the bench for Hibernian.

Kilmarnock v Motherwell
Both teams are in search of their first point – and by the end of this match, neither team will be pointless.
Kyle Letheren will probably be on the bench as his new club Kilmarnock face his former club Motherwell.

Welsh Player News 16th August 2010 (Scotland)

Aberdeen haven’t signed former Charlton Athletic defender Grant Basey yet but manager Mark McGhee says he’ll get it sorted soon and Grant isn’t going anywhere. I think that’s what Charlton thought too.

FC Utrecht play Celtic in an Europa League play-off match – and Joe Ledley is the player who’s got them quaking in their football boots. They will probably be even more scared if Craig Bellamy joins the club, as Joe hopes he will.
Joe played as Celtic beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 away.


David Stephens was a substitute for Hibernian when they faced Motherwell but he made his presence felt when he got on the line to deny Motherwell a last-minute equaliser. Hibernian won 3-2 away. I just hope David likes being referred to as ‘Big David Stephens’ because his manager keeps on doing it!

Kyle Letheren has signed a one-year contract with Kilmarnock.

Rhys Weston has an ankle injury and was unable to play for Dundee against Partick Thistle. Home side Partick won 1-0. Dundee have won all their competitive matches with Rhys in the side apart from the one where he left after 17 minutes Dundee play Ross County on Saturday.

League Two Fixtures 7th August 2010 Part 1

Accrington Stanley v Aldershot Town
According to my new favourite football blog, Aldershot are the best team in the league at winning their opening matches. They have also won all their pre-season games. Watch out Accrington!
Aldershot have signed two Welsh players following their releases from Walsall and Cardiff City. Darren Jones and Aaron Morris will be hoping to start.

Burton Albion v Oxford United
Burton start their second season in the Football League against newly-promoted Oxford.
Some journalist somewhere said Tony James would be on the bench for this match but I don’t know why. New signing Garyn Preen could also be in the squad although he’s pretty young.
Oxford centre back Rhys Day is expected to be out until September with a knee problem.

Bury v Port Vale
Both clubs will be hoping for a place in the play-offs this time around after just missing out last season.
Gareth Owen should play for Port Vale but Lewis Haldane is still recovering from blood poisoning.

Chesterfield v Barnet
Chesterfield just missed out on the play-offs last season and are expected to be contenders again. Barnet definitely won’t want to go through another season like the last one, stressful isn’t the word.
Craig Davies is expected to make his League debut for Chesterfield after signing from Bristol Rovers. Robert Page could start too but Mark Crossley will probably be on the bench.

Rotherham United v Lincoln City
Rotherham could have been promoted last year without their enforced winter break and subsequent backlog of fixtures. This year, they’ll probably make it. Lincoln will probably be thinking more about relegation.
Mark Bradley has signed for Rotherham after being released by Walsall. I hope he’ll get more chances at Rotherham but he’s a doubt for this match.
Lincoln came very close to signing David Stephens from Norwich City following his very successful loan spell last season. But he decided to go to Aberdeen instead.

Welsh Player News (and rumours) 2nd August Scottish/Irish

Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee wants to sign trialist Grant Basey but he needs to sort out some financial issues first.

Joe Ledley is loving life at Celtic. He missed the defeat to Arsenal in the Emirates Cup due to a knock. Celtic came back from 3-0 down but Arsenal just about hung on for once.

I was all ready to write about Rhys Weston joining Motherwell – only to find he’s signed for Dundee instead. He’s thrilled to be living with his family again and he hopes to get Dundee back into the Premier League.

Kyle Letheren doesn’t seem to like Motherwell much either. They didn’t let him play once and he’s in talks with Kilmarnock now.

David Stephens played the full match for Hibernian as they lost 1-0 to Jason Price’s Carlisle United.


Matthew Tipton has signed for Dundalk following an unsuccessful trial with Bradford City. His debut was a 1-0 defeat to Sligo Rovers.

Welsh Player News (and rumours) 2nd August, League One (Part 1)

I got a bit excited when I saw the headline ‘Magpies given lesson by League One Cherries’ but it wasn’t Newcastle United or even Notts County, it was Dorchester Town. So that was a bit of a let-down but the good news is Joe Partington is not only back in training, he actually played in Bournemouth’s 5-0 victory. Rhoys Wiggins didn’t play though, it was a (not very) weakened line-up.

Jason Price nearly scored for Carlisle United against Hibernian but the ball wouldn’t quite go over the line. I’m sure Daniel Nardiello would sympathise. But Carlisle won anyway so it doesn’t matter. Except it kind of does because it meant David Stephens lost.

Colchester United suffered their first pre-season defeat when they lost 2-1 to an Aldershot Town side featuring Darren Jones and Aaron Morris, the latter replacing the former. But their goalkeeper was busy becoming a father which does tend to weaken the side a bit.
Lloyd James would probably have got an assist if the player he passed to hadn’t been too selfless. Tom Bender was a substitute but Lee Beevers stayed on the bench.

Richard Duffy admits his chances of being fit for the first game of the new season aren’t that high. But generally he feels his pre-season has been positive and he’s been very impressed with new Welsh signing Daniel Nardiello, who says he feels fitter than he has done for years.
Even without Richard, Exeter City still managed to beat AFC Wimbledon 2-1. Daniel had another good game, again scoring for Exeter although there was some concern when he suffered a knock. Rob Edwards played in defence and midfield (not at the same time) but again Andy Marriott didn’t play. Reece Jones, formerly of Fulham, was an AFC Wimbledon substitute.

Welsh Player News 31st July Scotland

At least two Aberdeen trialists have been ditched but Grant Basey is still hanging in there and it looks as though the manager wants him. A return to Charlton Athletic certainly looks unlikely.

Joe Ledley thinks Celtic can still qualify for the Champions’ League. It’s probably about as likely as you staying at Cardiff, Joe. But as my Scottish friend’s little girl says, at least you’ll have more energy for beating Rangers next season and that’s the important thing.

Meanwhile David Stephens, now with Hibernian, is excited about playing in the Europa League. I think it’s great. It’s easy to see that for some Premier League clubs, the Europa League is just an embarrassing and unwelcome distraction that comes too close to the weekend games. But it’s great to see players appreciating it.

Kyle Letheren was on trial at Motherwell last I heard, now he seems to be at Kilmarnock. But this report is dated 22nd July, who knows where he is now.

Rhys Weston hasn’t signed for Motherwell yet but it’s expected to be finalised soon.

Welsh Player News Completed Transfers 9th July (Part Two)

Daniel Nardiello has signed for Exeter City following his release from Premier League new boys Blackpool. He hopes his injury problems are now over so let’s keep our fingers crossed for him.

Not long ago, Craig Davies said he wanted to stay with Brighton & Hove Albion< and fight his way into the first team. Clearly that was before Chesterfield showed an interest as he is now a Chesterfield player.

Crewe Alexandra and Chelsea have finally got themselves sorted which means Rhys Taylor will be playing on loan at Crewe for at least two months.

Hereford United have signed Stuart Fleetwood from Charlton. Stuart spent some of last season on loan at Exeter City but opportunities were limited there and Hereford is right next to Wales.

Sam Wedgbury has joined Macclesfield Town. He was released by Sheffield United at the end of last season but they also sold David Cotterill so they obviously don’t know what they’re doing.

Mark Bradley, who was released by Walsall at the end of last season, has now joined Rotherham United. Shrewsbury Town were also interested. Mark’s new manager Ronnie Moore is very excited about his new signing but he thinks Mark needs to score more often. Well I’m sure even Rotherham has a nightclub or two.

Norwich City’s David Stephens was already to sign for Lincoln City but he got cold feet. So he’s now decided to play somewhere which is probably colder than Lincoln: Hibernian. However at Hibs he is likey to have first-team football – which will help him to break into the senior Wales squad.

Welsh Player News (and rumours) 3rd June (Leagues One and Two

League One
Colchester United’s Tom Bender has been told he’ll have more first-team opportunities next season.

Tony Roberts has signed a one-year extension to his contract at Dagenham & Redbridge. The newly-promited Daggers have also signed a very Welsh-sounding left back from Histon – Gareth Gwillim. Histon’s Wikipedia page says Gareth is English but he must have some Welsh blood with a name like that.
Tony was delighted when Dagenham achieved promotion at Wembley last Sunday.

Ben Davies is one of just nine players under contract at Notts County. I suppose you could argue Ben has the skills of two players but even that only brings you up to ten...

Craig Morgan wants to leave Peterborough United following their relegation to League One. Peterborogh Today thinks his departure looks likely.

League Two
Michael Flynn says he hopes to stay at Bradford City next season but he needs to ‘iron out’ a few things in his contract first.

Chesterfield’s second-choice goalkeeper Mark Crossley has been interviewed for the position of manager of Oldham Athletic.

Rob Page is one of three players thought to be in contention to win Chesterfield’s Player of the Season award. He’ll find out on Saturday as long as this isn’t a really really old article with yesterday’s date on.

Grimsby Town striker Chris Jones has been put on the transfer list. He played a part in Grimsby’s season, even scoring two League goals but then he was sent out on loan to Neath and never heard of again.

Lincoln City were hoping to sign David Stephens from Norwich City after a very successful loan spell last season. However, David is now having second thoughts.

Welsh Player News 29th May (League One)

Grant Basey took part in Charlton Athletic’s charity golf day last week.

Richard Duffy says he has really enjoyed his first season as an Exeter City player. He says he’s happy that Rob Edwards plans to continue playing. Richard also says he’d be interested in getting back into the Wales squad. It might not be easy but it’s always good to find a player who wants to play for his country.

Vital Hartlepool are wondering whether Hartlepool United might sign their former player Daniel Nardiello, who has been released by Blackpool.

MK Dons manager Karl Robinson says his side has the best three strikers in League One. These strikers include Jermaine Easter.

Wales are considering calling up Millwall striker Steve Morison. Steve signed from Stevenage Borough last season and, after a relatively quiet start, helped Millwall into the play-offs, just a point behind promoted Leeds United. Millwall face Swindon Town in Saturday’s Championship play-off final. Steve is eligible to play for Wales as his grandmother was born there. Steve has apparently shown an interest in playing for Wales.

Andrew Crofts says one of his reasons for joining Norwich City was to increase his chances of being selected to Wales. Signing for Norwich actually prevented him from playing for Wales in their friendly against Croatia.

EPD4 expects Andrew to have a big role to play for Norwich in the coming season but Rhoys Wiggins is expected to leave, Owain Tudur Jones could also be moved on (I think he actually started two matches though and scored too) and David Stephens isn’t ready yet.

Welsh Player News 23rd May (Championship, League One, League Two)

Joe Ledley hinted that he’d only stay with Cardiff City if they got promoted. Well, bye then, Joe.
But you can’t really blame him. He’s good enough for the Premier League yet he’s stayed loyal to his home town club for years and always given his best for him. He was probably even giving his best at the start of the season – he just wasn’t on top form because of his hip injury.

Rhys Williams’ chances of playing in the World Cup aren’t looking great. He hasn’t trained this week and won’t be able to play in their friendly against New Zealand but manager Pim Verbeek says he will be in the 23-man squad. He then corrected himself so it’s hard to say whether he’s let something slip or if it was a slip of the tongue.

Ashley Williams says he is thrilled to be Wales’ captain for the match against Croatia. He says the players promoted from the under-21s have been doing well. I won’t give up hope until the final whistle.
Ashley will play for Wales despite the fact he’s getting married this week. Ashley, I might not be that keen on you when you’re playing for Swansea but I’m proud to have someone like you playing for Wales. Congratulations, Ashley.

Sheffield United are said to be interested in signing Swansea City’s Jazz Richards, who is out of contract.

Andrew Crofts is now officially a Norwich City player. He has signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee, a year after signing from Gillingham. He hopes Brighton can win promotion from League One without him. Now that’s sorted, Andrew, how about hopping on a plane to Croatia to give Wales a hand?

Michael Flynn has been offered a two-year contract to stay at Bradford City.

Lincoln City are hoping to sign David Stephens from Norwich City. David had a very successful loan spell at Lincoln during a recent loan spell.

League Two Results 8th May Part 2

Lincoln City 0-0 Macclesfield Town
Both teams finished a disappointing season with a draw – although at least neither of them went down.
David Stephens was again on great form for Lincoln, dribbling the length of the pitch before not quite managing to end the move with a goal. Lincoln could do a lot worse than get him back on loan from Norwich City next season.
After getting a rare start last week, Matthew Tipton wasn’t in Macclesfield’s squad at all this time. Don’t take this the wrong way but I do kind of hope he’s injured... injured is usually better than released.

Morecambe 1-0 Aldershot Town
Aldershot secured their place in the play-offs last week but Morecambe still needed a win to make sure – and that’s exactly what they got. Morecambe finished fourth in their third season of League football.
Darren Moss kept his place in Morecambe’s starting line-up and helped get them another clean sheet.

Northampton Town 1-1 Bury
Northampton and Bury still had a chance of play-off football. With their rivals winning, they wouldn’t have got there anyway but this draw wasn’t a great help either.
Peter Gilbert played the full match for Northampton.

Port Vale 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
Results last week meant that Shrewsbury couldn’t get into the play-offs this season and that Port Vale’s chances were very small. Results elsewhere would have prevented them from getting into the play-offs whatever the result of this game – but even so, both teams would probably have preferred to finish their season with a win.
Gareth Owen was able to play for Port Vale after recovering from hip and back problems. Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane also started. Craig has completed his loan spell from Brighton & Hove Albion but Vale manager Micky Adams has hinted he might want Craig back next season. Lewis is one of several players out of contract.
Tom Bradshaw got what was probably his first start for Shrewsbury. And for almost the first time, he didn’t score. But he still has three goals and an assist from his last four matches. No wonder Birmingham City, Fulham, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested.

Torquay United 0-0 Notts County
Torquay extended their unbeaten run to eight matches after a very creditable draw with Champions Notts County. County finish 10 points clear of second-placed Bournemouth – and twenty points clear of the play-offs.
Ben Davies has a groin problem but played the full match for Notts County. He didn’t score but he should have won a penalty.

League Two Fixtures 8th May Part 2

Lincoln City v Macclesfield Town
Lincoln and Macclesfield are both safe but Lincoln could drop another place if they lose.
I thought David Stephens wouldn’t play for Lincoln as he’s on loan from Norwich City so he must have gone back (see, I’m getting the hang of this rule thing) but Sportinglife thinks he will be involved. This loan rule is worse than the offside rule.
Matthew Tipton got a rare start for Macclesfield last week but things didn’t go as planned. They lost to Darlington. Still, I wouldn’t hold that against him so maybe Macclesfield won’t either.

Morecambe v Aldershot Town
If Morecambe win, they will be joining Aldershot in the League Two play-offs. If they draw, they should get in on goal difference. Even if they lose, they still have a chance. But it might be advisable to go for the win, just in case. We know what the League Two play-off battle is like.
Darren Moss should keep his place in Morecambe’s defence. He really should. He might not have scored the winning goal last week but they did win and they kept a clean sheet.

Northampton Town v Bury
Both teams are mathematically still in the promotion hunt but Northampton’s chances are much smaller than Bury’s. If Morecambe or Dagenham & Redbridge slip up, Bury will be ready to pounce.
Peter Gilbert will be in defence for Northampton.

Port Vale v Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are out of the play-offs – they can’t finish any higher than their current twelfth position. Port Vale are two points outside the play-off places so they’re still in it.
Vale’s Gareth Owen has missed the last two matches with hip and back problems and he might not manage this match either. Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane are probably fit though.
Tom Bradshaw has been a bit of a super sub for Shrewsbury so I’m sure he’ll be on the bench at least. Shrewsbury aren’t that stupid. Tom is rumoured to be close to signing his first professional contract but Premier League West Ham United are also interested. They’re planning on paying £17 apparently.

Torquay United v Notts County
Torquay could finish in 15th place if they can beat the League Champions and extend their winning run to five games – and their unbeaten run to seven games. Torquay have managed to sign a goalkeeper on loan (good to see Torquay United being treated the same as Manchester City) so apparently another twist to this loan rule is that emergency loan signings don’t count.
Ben Davies’ place in Notts County’s team could be under threat – and there’s something I never thought I’d write. Manager Steve Cotterill wants to give some fringe players a chance.

League Two Results 1st May Part 1

Accrington Stanley 2-0 Chesterfield
Chesterfield still have a chance of play-off football – the twists and turns of League Two probably aren’t over quite yet. Another result like that for Accrington could give them a top-half finish.
Robert Page was back in the starting line-up for Chesterfield. Mark Crossley was on the bench.

Aldershot Town 3-1 Lincoln City
Aldershot’s win means they are guaranteed to be in the League Two play-offs, alongside Rotherham United and any two from six other teams. Lincoln will finish 20th or 21st.
David Stephens was given another start for Lincoln after en excellent performance when he was thrown into the starting eleven last week.

Bournemouth 4-0 Port Vale
Bournemouth’s emphatic win over Port Vale puts them in second place, a point ahead of third-placed Rochdale. Vale are still only two points outside the play-offs.
Rhoys Wiggins played what I believe is his last game for Bournemouth, due to the silly loan rules. It seems as if you sign someone on loan until the end of the season, they can’t actually stay until the end of the season, they can only stay until a certain date. Which is fine if you’re on loan to a Championship side, as I think the cut-off date came after they’d finished their season (play-offs aside). Rhoys was substituted in the 87th minute but I would guess that was so he could be given a deserved standing ovation rather than because he was injured. Rhoys celebrated his final match for Bournemouth with the assist for Bournemouth’s opening goal. But he hinted he’d be more than happy to be back with Bournemouth next season. With Norwich going up to the Championship (not that Rhoys isn’t good enough for the Championship) and Bournemouth now without a transfer embargo, anything is possible.
Joe Partington was on the bench for Bournemouth.
Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane both played for Port Vale but Gareth Owen was again out with hip and back problems. Craig could have scored but the Bournemouth goalkeeper was having a world-class moment. Lewis might have scored too but the post got in the way.

Bradford City 2-0 Northampton
Bradford are unlikely to get into the top half of the table although it is mathematically possible but this sort of game will stand them in good stead for next season. Bradford are now unbeaten in five matches. Northampton could still get into the play-offs mathematically but it’s very unlikely that every result will go their way.
Michael Flynn was in Bradford’s midfield while Peter Gilbert played in defence for Northampton.

League Two Fixtures 1st May Part 1

Accrington Stanley v Chesterfield
Accrington hope to build on their victory over, well, Barnet by getting another win against Chesterfield. Chesterfield are only out of the play-offs on goal difference so they’ll really really want to beat Accrington.
Mark Crossley and Robert Page were on the bench for Chesterfield’s last two matches. They didn’t win. But they also didn’t win the last time Robert played…

Aldershot Town v Lincoln City
Aldershot are in 5th place and in any other division that would mean their place in the play-offs was confirmed. In League Two, all it really means is that they’re guaranteed to finish in the top half of the table. But Lincon’s recent victories include matches against play-off contenders Bury (last week) and promoted Bournemouth. Then again, they’ve also recently lost to play-off contenders Shrewsbury Town and Morecambe, and promoted Notts County.
David Stephens was impressive in his surprise debut for Lincoln and it would be very mean to drop him after that.

Bournemouth v Port Vale
Bournemouth are up and nothing can stop them. They’re also out of administration. So no-one would blame them if they’ve spent the week partying. It’s a great achievement and they deserve it (I mean the promotion but they do deserve the party too). Port Vale on the other hand are one of seven teams with between 66 and 69 points. They’ll definitely be hoping for a Bournemouth hangover (not necessarily a literal one, just one of the sort teams often get when they’ve just done something amazing).
For some reason, this could be Rhoys Wiggins’ last game for Bournemouth. I thought he’d signed until the end of the season so he should have two more games. But actually, maybe he’ll play a lot more than two more games for Bournemouth. The fans would certainly like that. They’ve been chanting for manager Eddie Howe to sign him permanently.
Joe Partington could be left out of the squad again as for once there just isn’t room for everybody.
Gareth Owen missed Port Vale’s last match with a back and hip injury and he could be out for this match too. He’s had a sugar injection and he’ll be assessed before the match. Gareth is supporting a fun run called the 210k but he’s hoping he won’t be able to run in it because it’s on the same day as the play-off final.
Craig Davies and Lewis Haldane are fit as far as I know. I’m thrilled Bournemouth got promoted and not just because of Rhoys and Joe but it would be great to see Craig and Lewis banging the goals in for Port Vale.

Bradford City v Northampton Town
Bradford could yet sneak into the top of the table but it isn’t that likely. Northampton meanwhile are hoping to sneak into the play-offs. They’re currently tenth but just a point behind seventh place.
Michael Flynn and Peter Gilbert will probably play for Bradford and Northampton respectively (not that I’m suggesting it might happen the other way around).

League Two Results 24th April Part 2

Lincoln City 1-0 Bury
Lincoln’s win ensured their survival while a defeat wasn’t quite enough to put Bury out of the play-off places.
I’m getting a bit confused about Lincoln loanee David Stephens. First he’s on the bench, then he’s out of the squad, then he’s on the bench, then he’s out of the squad. So the only think I was sure of was that he wouldn’t be in the starting line-up? Right? Wrong. David started the match, finished the match, and was arguably the Man of the Match.

Morecambe 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
The battle for the League Two play-off places is very, very close. Morecambe are now 8th, out of the play-offs on goal difference. Dag & Red are now down to 11th – but they’re only a point behind Morecambe.
Darren Moss started for Morecambe and played the whole match. But that wasn’t all he did. He also scored a brilliant goal in the 86th minute. He would love to be promoted with Morecambe after losing the play-off final with Shrewsbury Town last year.
Tony Roberts was in goal for Dag & Red.

Northampton Town 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
This win for Northampton keeps them just a point behind the play-offs but for Shrewsbury the dream is pretty much over. But they could probably still do it, depending on the fixtures still to play.
Peter Gilbert played in defence for the winning team.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s squad.

Port Vale 2-1 Notts County
Port Vale always said they could get into the play-offs and the dream has never been so alive as it is now. There are still a lot of teams in it but Port Vale are still 7th. And they’ve just beaten the almost unbeatable Notts County.
Craig Davies – who recovered from a knee injury in time to play - and Lewis Haldane both started for Port Vale but neither could find the net although match reports suggest Lewis got the assist for the second goal. Gareth Owen failed a fitness test on his back and hip and wasn’t in the squad.
Ben Davies looked lively for Notts County and took one great free kick that deserved to be an assist – but the resulting shot was inches wide. Maybe if Ben hadn’t gone off injured after twenty-three minutes, the result could have been slightly different. Not that Port Vale didn’t fully deserve their win.

Torquay United 1-0 Macclesfield Town
Torquay stretched their unbeaten run to six games and moved up to 18th place. But most importantly, they are now safe from relegation. They’re actually above Macclesfield on goal difference now.
Matthew Tipton was a late substitute for Macclesfield.

League Two Results 17th April Part 2

Notts County 4-1 Morecambe
Notts County confirmed their promotion in style, putting four past Morecambe and staying a point ahead of Rochdale. Morecambe in 11th place look a long way from the play-offs now but there’s actually only two points in it.
It seems Notts County can’t score any goals without Ben Davies wanting to get in on the action. This time he got the assist for the third goal and scored the fourth. If he keeps going it won’t just be the Welsh non-professional team who are interested. I can’t wait to see how he does in League One nest season. I know playing against Morecambe is a bit different from playing against England but let me dream okay? Besides, he could be playing against Leeds United next season.
Darren Moss played in defence for Morecambe. So he probably didn’t enjoy the match nearly as much as Ben did.

Rochdale 1-0 Northampton Town
Rochdale confirmed their promotion in less emphatic style than Notts County – but it was three points just the same. The last time Rochdale weren’t in League One (or Division 3 or Division 2 or whatever it was calling itself), my mum was at school so that was quite a long time ago really.
Northampton are only three points outside the play-offs so these two teams could be meeting again in the League next season.
Peter Gilbert played for Northampton.

Rotherham United 0-0 Cheltenham Town
At one time, Rotherham looked like overtaking Bournemouth and getting the third automatic promotion place. They could still do it but I bet they won’t. Now they won’t even definitely be in the play-off places after the next game unless any of Bury, Aldershot Town, Dagenham & Redbridge and Chesterfield are playing each other.
Only managing a point against Cheltenham, a team who would be called ‘struggling Cheltenham’ if Darlington and Grimsby Town weren’t so bad, might not bode well for their future.
Josh Low played for Cheltenham but he couldn’t manage all those goals and assists he got against Bury, who aren’t that much worse than Rotherham really. Maybe Josh’s manager should have a word with him again. I don’t really want my Welsh players getting into trouble but it worked so well last time.

Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Lincoln City
Shrewsbury’s play-off hopes are just about alive after this win over Lincoln. They’re only four points away but that’s quite a lot at this stage of the season. Lincoln are eight points away from the relegation zone and it’s hard to believe they’re really in any danger.
Shrewsbury had so many players out, they could only put six substitutes on the bench, including Tom Bradshaw, who moved to Wales at the age of two months and is probably eligible for Wales under the education rule if nothing else. I’ll adopt him for the time being anyway. Whatever his nationality, he looks a good player – he scored twice on his debut against Crewe Alexandra and he’s only seventeen.
Will Richards was also out with a bug but he recovered in time to join Wayne Farmer, Iain Edmunds and quite possibly some more Welsh players I don’t know about as Shrewsbury under-18s lost to title rivals Preston North End.
David Stephens was on the bench again for Lincoln.

League Two Fixtures 17th April Part 2

Macclesfield Town v Chesterfield
Chesterfield need to win to keep them in the play-off places but Macclesfield only need a point to ensure sure they’re mathematically guaranteed to spend next season in League Two (although the chances are they would do even if they lose their next four games – Grimsby Town could catch them on points but Macclesfield have a much better goal difference.
Matthew Tipton would probably love another start but he scored an own goal last week and that tends not to go down well with managers.
Robert Page was back in Chesterfield’s starting line-up for the last game so I hope he’ll stay there. Mark Crossley will probably be on the bench though.

Notts County v Morecambe
Notts County moved to the top of the table after beating Lincoln City. A point today will see them promoted no matter what Rotherham United do. Morecambe are out of the play-off zone but only by a point.
Ben Davies seems to be getting a goal or an assist in every game at the moment – so watch out for Wales’ answer to Lionel Messi. Darren Moss played for Morecambe reserves as they beat Tranmere Rovers reserves 5-2 this week and Sky Sports think he could start the non-reserve match too.

Rochdale v Northampton Town
Rochdale were looking certain to win the League but they’ve recently suffered a string of poor results, including most recently a defeat to, well, Darlington. Oops! Notts County have now claimed the top spot and Bournemouth are gaining on Rochdale now. But they could seal promotion today if Rotherham United fail to win.
Northampton are one of three teams who are just two points outside the play-offs.
Peter Gilbert should play for Northampton.

Rotherham United v Cheltenham Town
Rotherham need to win to stand any chances of winning the League but I imagine they’ll be thinking more of 3rd place now. Cheltenham moved up a place this week and their small chances of relegation will disappear almost completely if they win this weekend and Grimsby Town lose.
Josh Low will be in Cheltenham’s line-up. He’s scored two goals in the last two games so I’m sure he’ll want to keep that run going.

Shrewsbury Town v Lincoln City
Shrewsbury are six points outside the play-offs but that doesn’t mean they can’t get there. I don’t think they will though. A win could see Lincoln mathematically safe from relegation.
Shrewsbury’s Will Richards has been ill this week, poor baby, and might not be available for this match. David Stephens could be on Lincoln’s bench.

League Two Results 13th April Part 2

Grimsby Town 2-2 Chesterfield
Grimsby were 2-0 up at one stage but there’s a reason why Chesterfield are in the play-off places and Grimsby’s best chance of the play-offs is getting into the Conference ones next season.
Robert Page was back in Chesterfield’s starting line-up while in Mark Crossley they have a very experienced substitute goalkeeper.

Macclesfield Town 1-1 Burton Albion
Macclesfield took the lead early on but an own goal from my favourite Macclesfield player gave Burton an equaliser. Both clubs look set to finish in mid-table which is really good considering where they expected them to finish – I thought about 10th for Burton and 23rd for Macclesfield.
Matthew Tipton finally got a start and he even scored a goal but he kind of got it in the wrong net. I think Macclesfield are very lucky to have a striker (BBC Sport rightly called him a ‘star striker’ even though he’s mostly been bench-warming lately) who is prepared to track back and defend. They should definitely offer him a new contract.
Tony James was in defence for Burton and came very close to getting them a late winner.

Notts County 3-1 Lincoln City
Notts County moved to the top of the table with a win over Lincoln. They could have been promoted too but unfortunately Rotherham United remembered how to win. But never mind lads, it won’t be long now. Lincoln are safely in 20th place.
Ben Davies didn’t score this time but he got the assist for the first goal. I think I might marry him, if he carries on scoring and setting up goals every week he’s going to make me very happy.
David Stephens wasn’t on the bench for Lincoln. But I still love him… which might be a problem if I’m going to marry Ben.

Rotherham United 1-0 Northampton Town
Ten-man Rotherham spoiled Notts County’s promotion party when they beat Northampton Town. But as Northampton had only nine men perhaps it wasn’t really surprising. Northampton are two points outside the play-offs.
Peter Gilbert played in defence for Northampton.

Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Cheltenham Town
Shrewsbury still entertain hopes of the play-offs while Cheltenham might not be as safe as they look. But they did move ahead of Barnet on goal difference.
Will Richards wasn’t in Shrewsbury’s side. Josh Low nearly scored again which would have made it three in two games.