Showing posts with label lewin nyatanga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lewin nyatanga. Show all posts

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Welsh Player News 6th February Championship (Part 1)

Bristol City
Just when Lewin Nyatanga finally seemed to have established himself in the first team, he hurt his Achilles.
League: Boro H 0-4 (played all)
League: Palace A 0-0 (out, Achilles)
League: Forest A 1-0 (out, Achilles)
League: Swansea H 0-2 (out, Achilles)

Christian Ribeiro remains out with a hamstring injury.

Brett Pitman didn’t score in this period but two goals in Bristol City’s first two matches of 2011 was enough for him to be shortlisted for the PFA January Player of the Month award.
League: Boro H 0-4 (Y foul 36, played all)
League: Palace A 0-0 (played all)
League: Forest A 1-0 (played all)
League: Swansea H 0-2 (played all)

Cardiff City

Darcy Blake was an unused substitute for Cardiff. Or he was when he got on the bench.
League: Norwich A 1-1 (bench)
FA Cup replay: Stoke H 0-0, 0-2 aet (unselected)
League: Watford H 4-2 (bench)
League: Reading H 2-2 (bench)

Adam Matthews’ only recent appearance for Cardiff came in the FA Cup replay against Stoke and all sorts of players got into that squad.
Adam has attracted the interest of Celtic.
FA Cup replay: Stoke H 0-0, 0-1 aet (bench, on 75)

Jason Koumas spent several weeks out of the Cardiff squad after suffering first a toe injury and then illness but I’m not sure when the toe injury finished and the illness started
League: Norwich A 1-1 (out, toe)
FA Cup replay: Stoke H 0-0, 0-1 aet (out, toe)
League: Watford H 4-2 (out, illness)
League: Reading H 2-2 (bench)

Aaron Ramsey joined Cardiff City on loan from Arsenal shortly after Arsene Wenger said he wouldn’t be going to Cardiff on loan. Clearly he didn’t see it coming. Aaron isn’t expecting a long stay with his former club however although that hasn’t stopped Dave Jones from hoping.
Aaron and Darcy Blake help train the Wales stars of the future.
League: Watford H 4-2 (ineligible as he didn’t have international clearance to play in his own country)
League: Reading H 2-2 (played all)

Aaron Wildig has joined Hamilton Academicals on loan following Cardiff manager Dave Jones’ decision to sign too many players on loan. He lost his first match with Hamilton but they’re not very good so I’m sure it wasn’t his fault.
FA Cup replay Stoke H 0-0, 0-1 aet (bench, on 39)

Craig Bellamy was rested for the FA Cup clash against Cardiff but he scored two goals in the three games he did play in the time period covered in this blog post, including a very late equaliser against Reading, four minutes after Reading had got what looked like a very late winner.
Do Manchester City need Craig back now Adam Johnson is injured? Well if they do, they can’t have him.
League: Norwich A 1-1 (Y 80, played all)
FA Cup replay: Stoke H 0-0, 0-2 aet (unselected)
League: Watford H 4-2 (G1 14, played all)
League: Reading H 2-2 (G3 97, played all)

Coventry City
Freddy Eastwood hasn’t scored in any of the last four matches – five if you include the most recent one which I’ll review properly if I can get my arse in gear (which sounds a bit of a smelly concept to me). But he’s done enough to earn a much overdue call-up to the Wales squad. Vital Norwich City heard a rumour that Coventry had accepted a bid from Norwich for Freddy but nothing happened.League: Sheff Utd H 0-0 (played all)
League: Sheff Utd H 0-0 (played all)
FA Cup: FA Birmingham A 3-2 (bench, on 80)
League: Forest H 1-2 (starts, off 67)

Crystal Palace
Andy Dorman was hauled off the pitch 57 minutes into the defeat to Swansea City – and he hasn’t been seen since. If it’s an injury that’s the problem, Crystal Palace are keeping very quiet about it.
League: Swansea A 3-0 (starts, off 57)

Jermaine Easter was hoping to earn a permanent contract with Swansea after spending nine matches with them on loan. And as he was hoping, Jermaine was part of the squad for Swansea’s 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. However, it wasn’t Swansea who were his new club.
League: Swansea A 3-0 (bench, on 61)
League: Bristol C H 0-0 (starts, off 70)
League: Norwich H 0-0 (bench)
League: Watford A 1-1 (bench, on 77)

Lewis Price remains Crystal Palace’s second-choice keeper.
League: Swansea A 3-0 (bench)
League: Bristol C H 0-0 (bench)
League: Norwich H 0-0 (bench)
League: Watford A 1-1 (bench)

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Championship Fixtures 22nd January 2011 (Part 2)

Crystal Palace v Bristol City
Palace will hope to make it two wins in their last eight games by beating Bristol City. Bristol City aren’t on a great run either, having won one of their last six.
Jermaine Easter could make his first start for Crystal Palace – and he says he’s hoping to make an immediate impact. Andy Dorman will hope to keep his place in Palace’s starting line-up but he could be on the bench with Lewis Price.
Brett Pitman should start for Bristol City but Lewin Nyatanga is a doubt due to a sore Achilles. Christian Ribeiro could still be out with a hamstring injury.

Derby County v Nottingham Forest
Derby are hoping this match won’t be their seventh defeat in nine matches but Nottingham Forest have forced themselves into play-off contention – yet another reason to enjoy beating Derby.
Derby’s new signing Ben Davies could go straight into Derby’s squad to replace Forest. Former Derby captain Michael Johnson expects him to be a big success.
It has been speculated that Ben is a replacement for Robbie Savage, who could be heading for Vancouver soonas rather than later but I don’t think Robbie’s gone anywhere yet (and trust me, we would notice if Robbie wasn’t there). This could be Robbie’s last ever derby match.
Robbie’s played in midfield, he’s played in goal, he’s even commentated and been a pundit. But now he takes on a new challenge: refereeing. Here’s why – and here’s how he got on.
Gareth Roberts could also start for Derby.
Chris Gunter will almost certainly start for Forest but Robert Earnshaw hasn’t scored for a while and we know what that usually means at Forest. If Rob does play, he’ll be facing a former club.

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Championship Results 15th January 2011 (Part 1)

Bristol City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Both clubs were hoping to bounce back from being the victims of an FA Cup giant-killing, with Middlesbrough’s defeat undeniably the more embarrassing (no disrespect to Burton Albion but Bristol City were playing Sheffield Wednesday). And whilst one league victory won’t make up for the Cup defeat entirely, a big emphatic win like this one can only help. Middlesbrough are now four points clear of the relegation zone.
Brett Pitman did his best for Bristol City and came close to scoring his ninth goal in nine games but he couldn’t quite do it. Lewin Nyatanga also started for Bristol City but Christian Ribeiro failed to recover from a hamstring injury and wasn’t on the bench.
Danny Coyne was on the bench for Middlesbrough. Unfortunately, losing to Burton isn’t the best way of proving that you ought to be your club’s No. 1.

Coventry City 0-0 Sheffield United
An away point at Coventry is probably a result Sheffield United are reasonably happy with – although they are only two points from the drop zone – although the fact they haven’t won since their shock victory over Swansea City in mid-December probably is rather worrying. Coventry are probably just a little bit worried themselves – they have only won once in the last eight matches – and their win came in a Cup match.
That is not to say that Freddy Eastwood is in particularly bad form for Coventry. Three goals in his last four matches seems a more than reasonable return – especially when you consider he has five goals from his seven starts.
Ched Evans made his 100th league appearance. He didn’t score either (strikers tend not to when they’re involved in a goalless draw) but he has five goals from his last ten appearances for Sheffield United. So he’s pretty good too.

Doncaster Rovers 0-3 Reading
Reading continue their promotion quest with a 3-0 away win over Doncaster, who probably aren’t completely out of the play-off pictures themselves due to the number of games they have in hand.
Doncaster had their chances, with John Oster making his presence felt in his 400th career appearance against his former club.
Simon Church came off the bench for the last twelve minutes but Hal Robson-Kanu stayed on the bench.

Leeds United 4-0 Scunthorpe United
If Scunthorpe win their games in hand, that should be enough to take them out of the play-off zone. But when most of your points are coming from away games (not that Scunthorpe have got any points from anywhere in 2011) it is often quite a good thing to visit the division’s top sides at a time when they aren’t picking up many points. Leeds were without a win in five. So imagine how many they’d have scored if they were actually in form.
Sanchez Watt scored Leeds’ opening goal, his first for the club.

Millwall 2-1 Ipswich Town
Millwall did what Arsenal couldn’t and came back from a goal down to beat struggling Ipswich. Millwall are now unbeaten in nine and are three points from the play-offs.
Steve Morison scored Millwall’s winning goal. He didn’t celebrate but he says that's because he's really tired and Neil Harris said on Late Kick-Off that Steve is still ill and it’s all he can do to drag himself around the football pitch, a celebration is just too much.

Friday, 14 January 2011

Championship Fixtures 15th January 2011 (Part 1)

Bristol City v Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough have lost nine of their thirteen away matches this season and while Bristol City aren’t exactly one of the top teams in the league, they’re still five points ahead of Middlesbrough. Boro can’t even take advantage of Bristol City’s FA Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. Boro’s own defeat to Burton Albion is (no disrespect to Burton) a lot more embarrassing.
Lewin Nyatanga and Brett Pitman started for Bristol City against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup but Bristol City ended up losing to the lower-ranked team. So changes could be made although it was one of relatively few matches recently where Brett didn’t score.
Christian Ribeiro became a substituted substitute last week due to a hamstring injury and is a doubt for this match. Either that or a definite absentee, if you read the Bristol City official site.
Gavin Williams probably won’t be in the squad as he had a foot operation recently.
Danny Coyne played in goal for Middlesbrough’s disastrous FA Cup match against Burton Albion but Jason Steele is expected to return to the starting line-up after recovering from injury. Rhys Williams remains out with an injured pelvis.

Coventry City v Sheffield United

Sheffield United could end up in the bottom three again if they lose this match and with only one win in their last league games, a defeat to Coventry is a possibility. Not that Coventry are doing much better, if at all. They haven’t won any of their last six matches.
Freddy Eastwood has scored three goals in his last three matches for Coventry so they’d be a bit silly to drop him from the starting line-up.
Sheffield United’s own Welsh striker. Ched Evans, has also been prolific of late so I would expect him to start too and make his 100th league appearance. Maybe he’ll score – team-mate Jamie Ward owes him a favour.

Doncaster Rovers v Reading
Reading are two points from the play-offs and Doncaster haven’t beaten them since 1982. Doncaster scored seven goals and even then it wasn’t a big win, with Reading scoring five. Doncaster have been strong at home this season though, only losing one of their eleven home matches.
John Oster should start for Doncaster (which should make team-mate Mark Wilson happy), making his 400th career appearance against a former club. Brian Stock hasn’t recovered from an injury so he won’t play. It was a leg injury last week but now it seems to have transferred itself to his back.
Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu are likely to be on the bench for Reading.

Leeds United v Scunthorpe United
Leeds haven’t won any of their last four matches though they did only lost one of them and they’re still in the play-off places. And if a team is in need of any confidence, drawing with Arsenal can only help. This might look like a straightforward home win – Scunthorpe are struggling in 23rd place, albeit with one or two games in hand over the teams near them in the table. But all but one of their wins have come from away games.
Sanchez Watt injured his head and hamstring in the FA Cup match against Arsenal but he should be okay.

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

FA Cup Results 8th January 2011 Third Round (Part One)

Arsenal 1-1 Leeds United
Arsenal will need a replay in order to beat Leeds – and from the way that both teams played, an Arsenal win is not a foregone conclusion. Arsene Wenger fielded a weakened, if not weak side and they were very nearly made to suffer as Manchester United were last season. Leeds took the lead through an early penalty before Arsenal equalised in stoppage team by the same method. Arsenal were rightly awarded a penalty earlier in the game, only for the referee to change his mind, but a penalty was later awarded following what Theo Walcott is very keen to tell us was a dive. The team who wins the replay will play Huddersfield Town at home.
Aaron Ramsey was on the bench for Arsenal and was seen warming up although he was an unused substitute. It’s not necessarily an insult to Arsenal’s performance to say that this was the best moment in the game.
Sanchez Watt, on loan from Arsenal, was given permission to play for loan club Leeds in this match. He says his loyalties were divided, as were those of his family but he’s happy with the result and he’s looking forward to playing Arsenal at Elland Road.

Bolton Wanderers 2-0 York City

York came so close to winning themselves a home replay but late appearances for Bolton strikers Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander, both of whom have been on good form, gave Bolton two goals in the last seven mnutes. York played well and they deserved something from the game. Hopefully it will give them some comfort to know they can match a side who are competing for a place in the Europa League. Bolton have another home tie in the fourth round and will face fellow Premier League side Wigan Athletic.
Sam Ricketts played the full match for Bolton.
Danny Parslow was in defence for York and nearly got an assist but it was only an assist for a Bolton goal so I bet he was glad that chance was missed. Levi Mackin was on the bench.

Bristol City 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday
At first glance, this result doesn’t seem like much of a surprise but it was actually the first (alphabetically) of many giant-killings. Bristol City gave Sheffield Wednesday some trouble in attack but in defence they struggled as much as the scoreline suggests. Sheffield Wednesday will host either Wycombe Wanderers or Hereford United in the next round.
Lewin Nyatanga was in defence for Bristol City. Christian Ribeiro was a 63rd-minute substitute but he left the field just ten minutes later with a hamstring injury. It looks as though he could be out for several weeks but Bristol City won’t know for sure until the swelling goes down.
Brett Pitman kept the Wednesday defence hard at work but there was no place in the squad for Gavin Williams. Gavin was on the losing side for loan club Yeovil Town against Sheffield Wednesday but Yeovil only lost by two goals, despite being the home side.

Burnley 4-2 Port Vale
Burnley might be struggling in the Championship but they were convincing winners over League Two promotion contenders Port Vale, who have just lost their manager to Sheffield United (and yes, it was Wales’ fault). However, while the better team certainly won, Port Vale worked very hard and gave Burnley more than a few anxious moments.
Lewis Haldane started for Port Vale for only the second time since recovering from blood poisoning Stoke & Staffordshire says it’s his third start of the season though so maybe I missed one) and got the assist for Port Vale’s first goal. Gareth Owen, new manager Jim Gannon’s chosen captain for the day, played 90 minutes.

Burton Albion 2-1 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s only consolation is that Newcastle United, Sunderland and also Hartlepool United were also the victims of a Cupset but perhaps it is slightly more painful for a Middlesbrough side who have seen themselves fall from being a mid-table Premier League side to contenders for relegation to League One within a couple of years. Too good to go down? Well, they weren’t good enough to beat a mid-table League Two team yesterday.
Middlesbrough didn’t play badly. They dominated and created chances but chances are no good if you don’t take them. However, Burton were excellent. They worked hard, played well and they won the game. They will be away at Burnley in the next round.
Tony James was a half-time substitute for Burton – which means he won’t be available for Cup games if Hereford United buy him.
Danny Coyne got a rare start for Middlesbrough but was sadly unable to make the most of it. But that wasn’t entirely his fault. He didn’t have to make a save for the first 80 minutes.

Saturday, 8 January 2011

Fa Cup Fixtures 8th January 2011 (Part 1)

Arsenal v Leeds United
Arsenal’s quest for silverware sees them take on the team who knocked Manchester United last year – and came close to doing the same to Tottenham Hotspur.
Aaron Ramsey could make his first appearance of the season as part of Arsenal’s squad.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/07/aaron-ramsey-arsenal-return-leeds
Sanchez Watt has been given permission to play for Leeds against his parent club but he has a head injury.


Blackburn Rovers v Queen’s Park Rangers

QPR get to test out how close they are to being ready for the Premier League.
Jason Brown could be in Blackburn’s squad but I kind of doubt it really. They do have a lot of injury problems but not in goal.

Bolton Wanderers v York City
Bolton are looking like European contenders but York have achieved something just by being here.
Bolton are expected to field a weakened side so Sam Ricketts could be rested. The Press disagree with me though – they think Sam will get a ‘rare start’. Sam has been on the bench once in the last ten matches. Sam knows what it’s like to be a non-league player but he won’t be giving York too much sympathy.
Levi Mackin will both hope to feature for York despite missing training when his baby daughter was born. As York have a fully-fit squad, Danny Parslow is presumably also available but Alex Lawless has signed for Luton Town following a loan spell with the club.

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday
There’s definitely some giant-killing potential here although it won’t be giant-killing of the most romantic kind. Still, it’s hardly a fumble in the bushes either.
Several Bristol City players have fitness problems which should increase Lewin Nyatanga, Christian Ribeiro and Brett Pitman’s chances of playing. Gavin Williams has had surgery on a foot injury and is expected to be out for three weeks. Sam Vokes is back at Wolverhampton Wanderers following his not exactly successful loan spell.

Friday, 7 January 2011

Welsh Players Christmas-New Year matches 2011-11 (Championship, Part 1)

Bristol City
Lewin Nyatanga worked his way back into the first team at Bristol City following a loan spell at Peterborough.
Hull A 2-0 (bench)
Reading A 2-1 (bench, on 49)
Palace H 1-1 (starts)
Cardiff H 3-0 (played all)
QPR A 2-2 (played all)

Christian Ribeiro spent some time as a starter for Bristol City but his back injury made an unwelcome return and he hasn’t started since.
Hull A 2-0 (starts, Y foul 22, off 70)
Reading A 2-1 (played all)
Palace H 1-1 (unselected)
Cardiff H 3-0 (bench, on 52)
QPR A 2-2 (bench)

Gavin Williams returned his loan spell at Yeovil Town but he hasn’t even been on the bench so far.

Brett Pitman has continued to make up for his lack of goals in the earlier part of the season with three in his last three matches.
Hull A 2-0 (played all)
Reading A 2-1 (starts, off 76)
Palace H 1-1 (bench, on 58, G1 pen 95)
Cardiff H 3-0 (G1 3, played all)
QPR A 2-2 (G1 50, Y foul 76, played all)

James Wilson continues his long rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Cardiff City
Injuries and poor results combined to keep Darcy Blake on the bench but he’s actually been doing very well.
Coventry H 2-0 (bench)
Watford A 4-1 (played all)
Bristol C A 3-0 (bench, on 16)
Leeds H 2-1 (bench, on 74)

Adam Matthews has been excellent when he plays but he doesn’t get many chances. But he is very young and perhaps Dave Jones is protecting him for once.
Coventry H 2-0 (bench)
Watford A 4-1 (bench, on 35)
Bristol C A 3-0 (bench)
Leeds H 2-1 (bench)

It was thought that Jason Koumas would make a big difference for Cardiff but for the most part he’s been making a difference as a substitute. He could be still builfing up match fitness but maybe he’s just not doing enough to get into the starting line-up. Fans of parent club Wigan Athletic would probably conclude this is possible.
Coventry H 2-0 (bench)
Watford A 4-1 (bench, on 76)
Bristol C A 3-0 (bench, on 67)
Leeds H 2-1 (bench)

Craig Bellamy had one rest over the Christmas period, presumably to give his injured knee a break but with two goals and an assist from his last three games, he’s doing well. Now he just needs to persuade Cardiff City to do well too.
Coventry H 2-0 (A1 21, Y foul 60, G2 83, played all)
Watford A 4-1 (unselected)
Bristol C A 3-0 (played all)
Leeds H 2-1 (G1 11, played all)

Jonathan Meades returned to Cardiff following an unsuccessful attempt to save FK Moss from relegation. He made his first appearance on the bench this season in the win over Leeds United.
Leeds H 2-1 (bench)

Aaron Wildig seems to be in and out of the squad at the moment which is not surprising given his age but most likely very disappointing after playing such a big part last season.
Coventry H 2-0 (bench)
Watford A 4-1 (bench)
Bristol C A 3-0 (unselected)
Leeds H 2-1 (unselected)

Nathaniel Jarvis has been on the bench for Cardiff this season but not since his return from a loan spell at Southend United.

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Championship Results 11th December 2010 (Part 1)

Barnsley 1-0 Sheffield United
What turned out to be Gary Speed’s last match as manager of Sheffield United ended in defeat as Barnsley took all three points and extended their unbeaten run to five matches.
Ched Evans played the full match for Sheffield United.

Bristol City 2-0 Derby County

For the third consecutive match, Bristol City won. And for the third consecutive match, Brett Pitman scored. It was also the second successive match in which he’d scored a brace. Let’s hope Gary Speed knows about Brett’s eligibility. If he is eligible. No-one seemed very certain. That’s five goals in three matches for the (I hope) future Welsh international.
Brett feels Bristol City’s hard work is finally paying off. So is Brett’s hard work – his second goal was brilliant.
Christian Ribeiro started again for Bristol City. Lewin Nyatanga, whom Bristol City signed from Derby last season, was on the bench for his first match since returning from his loan spell at Peterborough United. Gavin Williams, back from his loan to Yeovil Town, didn’t make it into the squad.
As for Derby, it was all going so well but they’ve now lost four of their last five league games. Eight minutes before Brett’s opening goal, Gareth Roberts was forced off due to a calf injury and with Robbie Savage out with an ankle problem, Derby were in trouble.

Burnley 2-3 Leeds United
Burnley were 2-0 up when the whistle blew for half-time but Simon Grayson must have said something scary in the dressing room because Leeds fought back to claim all three points.
Sanchez Watt wasn’t in Leeds’ squad.

Saturday, 11 December 2010

Championship Fixtures 11th December 2010 (Part 1)

Barnsley v Sheffield United
Barnsley are unbeaten in their last four matches. Sheffield United… aren’t but Barnsley aren’t very good at scoring at home and if they don’t score at home, Sheffield United can’t lose. But if they do lose, they could find themselves in the bottom three.
Ched Evans will play for Sheffield United as he’s the only fit striker. He says he’s happy to play as the Blades’ loan striker and he believes Sheffield United can get a result.

Bristol City v Derby County

Bristol City hope to continue their ascent of the Championship table against a Derby side who have lost three of their last four matches.
Brett Pitman will hope for another start after scoring three in his last four games. Christian Ribeiro is fine to play for Bristol City after having knee problems. Lewin Nyatanga and Gavin Williams could play for the first time since returning from loan spelsl at Peterborough United and Yeovil Town respectively but Gavin doesn’t believe he has a future at Bristol City.
Sam Vokes is in a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury before his loan spell comes to an end and add to the thirteen minutes of game time he’s notched up so far at Bristol City. He must have done well in those thirteen minutes though as Bristol City do want to keep him for longer.
Robbie Savage and Gareth Roberts might keep their places in Derby’s starting line-up… or they might not. Gareth in particular could be in trouble as manager Nigel Clough is reportedly not happy with his defenders but Gareth says the fans haven’t seen the best of him yet.
This week, Robbie won the Plain English award. Well done to Robbie but he doesn’t think he’ll win the Plain Welsh award, probably at least partly because it doesn’t seem to exist.. Robbie’s plain speaking this week includes his opinion on the sacking of Chris Hughton.

Burnley v Leeds United
Leeds are unbeaten in seven but at least this match will be at Turf Moor, the venue for all Burnley’s league wins this season. Despite their recent wobbles, Burnley still have an excellent home form while Leeds’ away form reads like a team formation – 4 4 2.
Leeds have an Arsenal player on loan, a young striker called Sanchez Watt who is eligible to play for Wales. Has anyone seen him lately?

Crystal Palace v Hull City
Palace aren’t exactly doing brilliantly this season but their best work has come at home, most recently beating Doncaster Rovers and Coventry City, who are pretty good. Hull aren’t quite as good as those two but they are unbeaten in four.
Andy Dorman and Lewis Price are most likely to be on the bench.

Thursday, 2 December 2010

FA Cup Results 27th November 2010 (Part 1)

Burton Albion 3-1 Chesterfield
In the league, Chesterfield are on top while Burton (like every other team in League Two) are further down. But Cup matches can go either way even when the two sides involved are in different divisions so this probably shouldn’t really be a surprise. Even though it is. Burton’s next opponents are struggling Championship side Middlesbrough.
Tony James was on the bench for Burton. I like to think he was rested but the truth is he isn’t really first-choice anymore.
Craig Davies didn’t have the best day. After spending the first half being booed by the Burton supporters (he was born in Burton which was hardly his fault, I blame the parents), he then suffered a hamstring injury. Chesterfield aren’t sure how serious it is but they seem pretty hopeful.

Bury 1-2 Peterborough United
Bury killed one giant in the first round but Peterborough were just a little bit too much for them in the second. Next time, Peterborough could be the giant-killers as they face Fulham.
Loanee Owain fon Williams was in goal for Bury. His loan runs out at the end of December but he’s not sure what will happen then.
Arron Davies was a substitute but he didn’t come on until the 94th minute so he might not have actually kicked the ball or anything like that. Despite being left on the bench, Arron believes manager Gary Johnson will take Peterborough back into the Championship.
Lewin Nyatanga was not given permission to play in this match by parent club Bristol City but most reports suggested his loan had already come to an end by the time this match came around. But he’s definitely back at Bristol City now.

Carlisle United 3-2 Tamworth
Tamworth will feel disappointed to go out but the non-league side played well and didn’t look like minnows. Not that I’ve ever seen a footballer who does. The score was 2-2 with minutes still to play and it looked as though Tamworth had forced a replay but then Carlisle scored which spoiled things a bit. Carlisle will need to up their game just slightly when they face League Two Torquay United.
Scott Barrow played the full match for Tamworth.

Colchester United 1-0 Swindon Supermarines
Swindon Supermarines bowed out of the FA Cup after another great performance against one of the best teams (according to League place) in the competition. They couldn’t quite equalise but they must have given Colchester’s players a few scares. Colchester’s next opponents are a few more stops down the train line from Swindon – Swansea City.
Lee Beevers and Lloyd James were unused substitutes for Colchester.

Darlington 0-2 York City
Two former League sides battled for the right to face a Premier League side in the third round and it was York who went through, with Bolton Wanderers their reward.
Danny Parslow missed out for York after suffering from larynx damage which is an unusual one for a footballer but as an ex-singer I can tell you it can be pretty bad. Levi Mackin is being brought back slowly from a knee problem and wasn’t in the squad for this match even though he did feature in the last round.

Saturday, 27 November 2010

Welsh Players on Loan

These Welsh players just won’t stop playing musical football teams.

Let’s see who this season’s movers and shakers are – Bury loanee Owain fon Williams being the Shaker.

Championship Loanees
Sam Vokes - Wolverhampton Wanderers to Bristol City
Craig Bellamy - Manchester City to Cardiff City
Jason Koumas - Wigan Athletic to Cardiff City
Sanchez Watt - Arsenal to Leeds United
Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal to Nottingham Forest
Jermaine Easter – Milton Keynes Dons to Swansea City

League One Loanees
Kayelden Brown – West Bromwich Albion to Tranmere Rovers, then Dagenham & Redbridge
Jason Brown – Blackburn Rovers to Leeds United, then Leyton Orient
Lewin Nyatanga – Bristol Rovers to Peterborough United
Nicky Adams – Brentford to Rochdale
Shaun MacDonald – Swansea City to Yeovil Town
Owain Tudur Jones – Norwich City to Yeovil Town
Gavin Williams – Bristol City to Yeovil Town

League Two Loanees
Jason Price – Carlisle United to Bradford City
Owain fon Williams – Stockport County to Bury
Rhys Taylor - Chelsea to Crewe Alexandra
Tony James – Burton Albion to Hereford United (now back at Burton)
Nathaniel Jarvis – Cardiff City to Southend United (now back at Cardiff)
Anthony Pulis – Southampton to Stockport County

Others

Joe Partington – Bournemouth to Eastbourne Borough
Rhys Day – Oxford United to Mansfield Town
Kerry Morgan - Swansea City to Newport County
Jack Mackreth – Tranmere Rovers to Burscough
Jonathan Meades - Cardiff City to FK Moss (now back at Cardiff)

FA Cup Fixtures 27th November 2010 (Part 1)

AFC Wimbledon v Stevenage
AFC Wimbledon would have played MK Dons if they’d managed to beat Stevenage in the replay – but MK Dons just weren’t good enough.
AFC Wimbledon’s Reece Jones missed out in the last round as he was on loan at Lewes and it looks like he’s still there.

Burton Albion v Chesterfield
The last time these two teams faced one another, Burton got their first away win of the season. In theory, it should be even easier at home.
Tony James could be back in the starting line-up after being dropped to the bench in Burton’s last game – he’s on standby to replace an injured player.
Chesterfield striker Craig Davies will be hoping to add to his goal tally.

Bury v Peterborough United
Bury have already knocked Exeter City out of the Cup. Now they face an off-form Peterborough.
Bury keeper Owain fon Williams, who is on loan from Stockport County, is able to play for Bury in the FA Cup. They’ve actually already cup-tied him so Stockport
Arron Davies should play for Peterborough. Lewin Nyatanga has returned to parent club Bristol City after his loan spell came to an end but he couldn’t have played anyway.

Carlisle United v Tamworth
Tamworth knocked League Two Crewe out but now they’re up against a League One side.
Scott Barrow will hope to play for Tamworth.

Charlton Athletic v Luton Town

Not very long ago (but longer ago than I remember) this was a Premier League tie. Not anymore.
Alex Lawless has joined Luton on loan from York City but he won’t be able to play in this match as he is cup-tied.

Colchester United v Swindon Supermarine
Swindon Supermarine are hoping for another giant-killing after despatching Eastwood Town in the last round. A win for Supermarine could see them facing Swindon Town, who will need a replay against Crawley Town.
Lee Beevers and Lloyd James will hope for a run-out against the non-league side.

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

League One Results 20th November 2010 (Part 2)

Huddersfield Town 0-1 Exeter City
Exeter are only in 12th place but they are only two points behind the topsix – and one behind Huddersfield.
Richard Duffy scored Exeter’s goal with his head. Daniel Nardiello was a late substitute but Rob Edwards stayed on the bench.

Leyton Orient 2-2 Bournemouth

Orient came back from 2-0 down to snatch a point in the second minute of stoppage time.
Jason Brown made his first start for Orient, after joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers, who’d only just got him back from Leeds United. He let in two goals but he had no chance with at least one of them.
Rhoys Wiggins played the full match for Bournemouth.

Milton Keynes Dons 1-4 Sheffield Wednesday
MK Dons lost at home for the first time when they were thrashed 4-1 by Sheffield Wednesday. MK Dons took the lead in the 6th minute but it all went downhill from there.
Jermaine Easter was again absent for MK Dons due to a thigh injury.

Notts County 0-1 Tranmere Rovers
Notts County are in the bottom four, three points behind Plymouth Argyle, after losing to Tranmere, who are now six points clear of trouble.
Ben Davies could have got a couple of goals for Notts County.
Ash Taylor made a surprise appearance on the bench for Tranmere. It was his first appearance in a Tranmere squad this season since having a knee operation in the summer.

Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Brentford
Brentford continue to improve as Plymouth go the other way.Another defeat and they could be in the bottom four – but only if Notts County win.
Carl Fletcher is still out with a leg injury.

Rochdale 3-3 Swindon Town
Swindon must have been feeling all hopeful after first they equalised and then, two minutes later, went ahead. But Rochdale scored five minutes later and the points were shared.
Nicky Adams started for Rochdale. Matt Done was on the bench.

Southampton 4-1 Peterborough United
Football doesn’t have wheels even when things are going well but if Peterborough did have wheels, perhaps they really would be coming off. It’s their second consecutive thrashing and they’re down to 11th, if only two points from the play-offs.
Lewin Nyatanga and Arron Davies both played the full match for Peterborough.

Walsall 2-1 Carlisle United

Walsall got a very welcome three points when they came from behind to beat play-off hopefuls Carlisle.
Sean Geddes was on the bench for Walsall.

Saturday, 20 November 2010

League One Fixtures/News 20th November 2010 (Part 2)

Huddersfield Town v Exeter City
Huddersfield remain in the top six but Exeter’s away form is starting to let them down. As in down the table.
Richard Duffy will probably start for Exeter. Daniel Nardiello has recovered from a back injury and could return to the starting line-up. Rob Edwards is more likely to be on the bench.

Leyton Orient v Bournemouth
Bournemouth are in third place but they’ve only actually won one away match. Orient actually have a pretty good home record.
Leyton Orient have signed Jason Brown on loan from Blackburn Rovers, apparently just minutes after he returned from his loan to Leeds United. Jason will be at Orient for one month and could go straight into the starting line-up.
Rhoys Wiggins will start for Bournemouth.

Milton Keynes Dons v Sheffield Wednesday
When I was little, these two teams were in the Premier League and they were pretty good, I remember them both being top of the league in the same season (but obviously not at the same time). Now they’re not quite as good and I can hardly remember them being in the top division. MK Dons are unbeaten at home though which is always good.
Jermaine Easter is either out or recovered or having a fitness test. Take your pick, that's what most people seem to have done. I’ll assume he won’t play.

Notts County v Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere are out of the bottom four but they’ll be back in there in goal difference if Notts County beat them tomorrow.
Ben Davies will start for Notts County.
Ash Taylor (knee) is still out for Tranmere. He was meant to play a practice match a few days ago but I can’t find out anything about it. Let’s assume no news is good news.

Plymouth Argyle v Brentford
Brentford are slowly but surely climbing the table but Plymouth’s movement seems to be mostly in the other direction.
Carl Fletcher could return from a leg injury although reports last week suggested Plymouth could be without their captain for quite a while.

Rochdale v Swindon Town
Rochdale started well this season whereas Swindon started badly. But their fortunes have reversed somewhat and Swindon are the higher in the table of the two teams. However, Swindon are also the side who have only won once away.
Nicky Adams will hope to keep his place in Rochdale’s starting line-up. I’m sure it’s not his fault Rochdale have got worse since he joined. Matt Done is more likely to be on the bench.

Southampton v Peterborough United
Peterborough will be helping Southampton won’t embarrass them like Charlton did. But Southampton are another one of those ex-Premier League sides. Although Peterborough were in a higher division than them last season so maybe it’s Southampton who should be embarrassed.
Lots of people blamed Lewin Nyatanga for at least one of the goals Peterborough let in against Charlton but I hope he still starts. Arron Davies should also keep his place.

Walsall v Carlisle United
If Walsall win their next three games, they might – just might – be out of the bottom three. It looks like they’ve got a bit of work to do.
Sean Geddes was back on Walsall’s substitutes’ bench for their last match so hopefully he’ll keep his place. And maybe one day he’ll get to play.

Tuesday, 16 November 2010

League One Results 13th November 2010 (Part 1)

Bournemouth 3-0 Walsall
Bournemouth’s excellent home record continues as they beat bottom club Walsall and moved into third place.
Rhoys Wiggins got the assist for Bournemouth’s second goal.
Sean Geddes was back on the bench for Walsall but he has been earning his money lately, playing a part in Rotherham’s reserves beat Walsall’s reserves 7-0.

Brentford 0-2 Milton Keynes Dons
MK Dons’ away record was looking pretty good after the first game of the season but it took them until Saturday to find their second away win.
Poor MK Dons striker Jermaine Easter missed the whole thing due to a thigh injury after failing a late fitness test.

Bristol Rovers 0-3 Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient went into this match without an away win to their names but when it finally came, they made sure it was a good one.
Byron Anthony played the full match for Bristol Rovers but perhaps he was a little optimistic in his claims that Bristol Rovers would manage just fine without leading scorer Will Hoskins. Eliot Richards was a 58th minute susbstitute while Ben Swallow played on the bench.

Exeter City 3-1 Notts County
Exeter ended a run of three defeats with victory over Notts County, who drop into the bottom three.
Richard Duffy was the only Welshman to start for Notts County but that didn’t seem to do Exeter any harm. Rob Edwards and Daniel Nardiello were on the bench. First team coach Rob will be very happy with his young team-mates.
A Ben Davies free kick provided the assist for Notts County’s goal.

Oldham Athletic 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Oldham keep their unbeaten home record intact with victory over Huddersfield, who remain in the play-offs despite the defeat.
Joe Jacobson was an unused substitute for Oldham.

Peterborough United 1-5 Charlton Athletic
Charlton are in second place and unbeaten in six after beating Peterborough United by quite a big scoreline.
Lewin Nyatanga played for Peterborough and he might have had some small involvement in Charlton’s fifth goal but it was probably a bit late for a Peterborough comeback by then. Arron Davies was a half-time substitute.

Monday, 8 November 2010

FA Cup Results 6th November 2010 (Part 4)

Rotherham United 0-0 York City
Blue Square Premier side York managed to force a replay against League Two local rivals Rotherham.
Mark Bradley missed out for Rotherham due to a hip injury.
Alex Lawless and Danny Parslow both played the full match for York. But Alex won’t be in the replay as he has joined Luton Town on loan. The loan will be made permanent in January.

Rushden & Diamonds 0-1 Yeovil Town
Yeovil have struggled in the league this season but they did enough to progress to the second round of the FA Cup – although there was an element of controversy about their goal.
Nathan Jones played for Yeovil with loanees Shaun MacDonald and Owain Tudur Jones in midfield. Gavin Williams wasn’t given permission to play by his parent club.

Stevenage 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Stevenage managed to draw with League One’s MK Dons.
Jermaine Easter wasn’t in MK Dons’ squad, possibly due to his recent illness.

Stockport County 1-1 Peterborough United
Stockport forced a draw aganst League One promotion hopefuls Peterborough.
Anthony Pulis played the full match for Stockport after receiving permission to play from parent club Southampton.
Arron Davies played the full match for Peterborough but Lewin Nyatanga’s parent club Bristol City said he couldn’t play.

Swindon Supermarines 2-1 Eastwood Town
Swindon Supermarines performed a giant-killing to move into the second round at the expense of Eastwood Town. This was their first appearance in the first round of the FA Cup. And their first appearance in the second round isn’t too far away.

Tamworth 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
Tamworth are Saturday’s final giant-killing side after beating Crewe, who have been on a really good run recently.
Scott Barrow played the full match for Tamworth and the defender played a bit part in keeping Tamworth ahead.
Rhys Taylor was in goal for Crewe.

Saturday, 6 November 2010

FA Cup Fixtures 6th November 2010 (Part 6)

Stockport County v Peterborough United
Southampton have given Anthony Pulis permission to play for Stockport. Stockport also have a young Welsh striker called Craig Roberts who appeared in the squad on a few occasions last season. Most people seem to have forgotten about him but I haven’t.
Bristol City have not given Peterborough permission to play Lewin Nyatanga in the FA Cup but they still have Arron Davies, who practically won their last match for them.

Tamworth v Crewe Alexandra
Scott Barrow could play for Tamworth.
Chelsea have said Rhys Taylor can play for Crewe in the FA Cup.

Thursday, 4 November 2010

League One Results 2nd November 2010 (Part 2)

Plymouth Argyle 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers lost the match but the manager felt they played well enough to win. He believes if they keep playing like that, they will win matches.
It was thought that Carl Fletcher would return for an ankle injury due to necessity rather than because he’d actually recovered or anything like that but luckily the other injured players recovered just in time and Carl didn’t even have to sit on the bench.
Byron Anthony played the full match for Bristol Rovers while Ben Swallow made only his second substitute appearance of the season. Eliot Richards stayed on the bench.

Southampton 4-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Dag & Red’s evening got off to a bad start when goalkeeper Tony Roberts was forced to withdraw due to injury . The rapidly-improving Southampton took full advantage, putting four past his replacement and moving into the play-off places. Dagenham are second-bottom and without an away win this season.

Walsall 1-3 Peterborough United

Even after this win, Peterborough are as close to the relegation zone as they are to runaway league leaders Brighton.
Lewin Nyatanga made his debut for Peterborough after signing on loan for Bristol City. But it was Arron Davies who made the biggest impact, getting the assist for Peterborough’s first goal before scoring the second. He might have got the assist for the third too – it was certainly his corner that started things off.

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

League One Fixtures 2nd November 2010 (Part 2)

Plymouth Argyle v Bristol Rovers
Plymouth are only in the bottom four on goal difference but Bristol Rovers never do what you expect so Plymouth will fancy their chances. I won’t say how many of their last five matches Plymouth have won. There’s a Plymouth fan who reads my blog and I don’t want to put him off coming back.
Carl Fletcher could return to Plymouth’s starting line-up for this match. Not that he’s fit or anything, his ankle is still dodgy but Plymouth are desperate. Not as desperate as MK Dons but they are a bit short of players.
Byron Anthony will start for Bristol Rovers. Ben Swallow could get his first start of the season after playing well for the reserves. Eliot Richards will probably be on the bench.

Rochdale v Oldham Athletic

Rochdale and Oldham have identical away records. I’ve got a feeling this will no longer be the case after this match. Rochdale are three points from the play-offs… and three points from the relegation zone. That could change too.
Nicky Adams will hope to keep his place in Rochdale’s starting line-up. Matt Done hasn’t been in the starting line-up since Nicky arrived.
Joe Jacobson could be on the bench again for Oldham.

Southampton v Dagenham & Redbridge
Dag & Red will be wishing they’d played Southampton earlier on in the season when they weren’t as good. This probably isn’t the easiest place for them to pick up their first away win.
Tony Roberts will be in goal for Dag & Red.

Walsall v Peterborough United

Peterborough are fifth in the table but that isn’t so much because of their away form. Even if Walsall win, they’ll still be in the relegation zone at the end of today.
New loan signing Lewin Nyatanga is expected to start for Peterborough. Arron Davies was dropped to the bench for Peterborough’s last match but they lost 3-0 so maybe they’ll let him back in.

Welsh Player News 1st November 2010 (Championship)

Bristol City defender Lewin Nyatanga has joined Peterborough United on loan.

Sam Vokes has suffered a further setback after adding a damaged tendon to a recurrence of a hamstring problem.

Jamie Redknapp has questioned Manchester’s treatment of Craig Bellamy. I think it’s mad but I’d much rather he was at Cardiff City than Manchester City.

Craig was only eleven when he began his career at Norwich City.

Andy Dorman believes Crystal Palace can get out of relegation trouble.

Robbie Savage says footballers deserve all the money they earn. Somehow I don’t think everyone will agree with that.

John Oster feels Doncaster Rovers were sloppy and naïve to let Reading beat them.

Leeds United have told loanee Jason Brown they still need him.

Robert Earnshaw says he’s the fittest he’s ever been and he won’t be retiring from football anytime soon. Let’s hope that also applies to Wales.

Joe Allen is hoping to score more regularly for Swansea City. His first goal was against Cardiff City – and Swansea face Cardiff next week. Swansea played well as a team against Crystal Palace – but it was Joe who got the round of applause in the dressing room. He probably went as red as his Wales shirt.