Championship Results 11th September 2010 Part 2

Leeds United 2-1 Swansea City
Swansea haven’t won at Elland Road for 61 years – not only was their manager born yet, his parents might not have been either. Nevertheless, Swansea took the lead – but it didn’t last.
Sanchez Watt started for Leeds but new loan signing Jason Brown was only on the bench.
David Cotterill got the assist for Swansea’s goal. He, Neil Taylor and Ashley Williams all played the full match. Joe Allen made a substitute appearance but David Cornell and Casey Thomas stayed on the bench.

Norwich City 2-1 Barnsley
Norwich beat Barnsley to continue their unbeaten run. Barnsley took the lead in first-half stoppage time, too late for Norwich to find an immediate equaliser, but they scored twice in the second half to take the points.
Andrew Crofts played the full match for Norwich after recovering from either an ankle injury or a groin injury. Wales were told it was a groin injury but maybe Andrew just isn’t very good at biology.

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Millwall
A late Forest equaliser – or a referee’s error - denied Millwall their fourth win of the season but they remain very much in the play-off hunt while Forest were still without a first win. Both teams finished in third place last season – in other words, Forest were 24 places above Millwall.
Robert Earnshaw started for Forest and had the chance of scoring a brilliant equaliser but he left the field with a hamstring injury after 27 minutes. If he’d been on the pitch, he might have taken Forest’s penalty – and, unlike Dexter Blackstock, perhaps he would have scored it. Chris Gunter completed his three-match suspension with this game.
Steve Morison scored Millwall’s goal after just eight minutes.

Portsmouth 0-0 Ipswich Town
Portsmouth are probably grateful for any point they can get at the moment so a point at home to unbeaten Ipswich would have been particularly welcome. They were the first team to keep a clean sheet against Ipswich too.
Troy Brown was on the bench for Ipswich.

League One Results 28th December Part 1

Brentford 1-1 Charlton Athletic
Brentford might have won it if Lewis Price hadn’t conceded a penalty but Charlton are a very good side who would probably have scored anyway. And that might have given the momentum and confidence to go on to win it so it would be mean to blame Lewis. James Wilson has a back problem so he didn’t play. His loan is due to end on 1st January but apparently he’s returned early, presumably because of the injury.
Grant Basey didn’t get an assist for Charlton this time but that would have been difficult when their only goal was a penalty.

Colchester United 2-1 Southampton
Lloyd James played well again for Southampton but Colchester, even without the injured Lee Beevers, are (crazy as it sounds) promotion contenders. And there’s nothing wrong with losing to teams like that occasionally.

Exeter City 1-1 Gillingham
Richard Duffy got his first goal for five years to put Exeter ahead but Gillingham went and equalised a few minutes later. Well it would have been a lot worse without Richard’s goal. Richard says he hopes to score more goals as he helps Exeter to become more consistent. His team-mate Rob Edwards stayed on the bench.

Huddersfield Town 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Yes, Jermaine Easter did deserve a rest after his good performance two days before. But it did mean he was badly missed and he wasn’t brought on until quite late on. And some of the time he was on the pitch was spent arguing. So he didn’t get many chances to score goals but he nearly got one all the same.

Millwall 2-0 Bristol Rovers
Jason Price got a rare start for Millwall and although he was taken off at half-time he most certainly didn’t do any harm. Ben Swallow got a deserved start for Bristol Rovers and was part of a move that nearly resulted in a goal. Rhys Evans and Byron Anthony stayed on the bench.

League One Results 26th December Part 2

Leeds United 3-1 Hartlepool United
Leeds went 1-0 down but hopefully Jeff Stelling at Soccer Saturday didn’t get too excited. Leeds left Sam Vokes on the bench again. If you don’t want him, send him back to Wolves and if they still can’t play him, he could go to a decent team instead.

Milton Keynes Dons 4-1 Stockport United
Jermaine Easter scored the second of three goals – his fifteenth of the season - before getting a yellow card and being substituted. I’d like to be completely happy for him but Stockport’s team included goalkeeper Owain fon Williams and loan defender Christian Ribeiro.

Norwich City 2-0 Millwall
Josh Dawkin is Norwich’s lucky charm. I could be wrong because I can never remember things like statistics (so I’m probably writing the wrong blog really) but certainly since I’ve been following Norwich’s team in detail I don’t remember them losing with him on the bench.
Jason Price came on for Millwall when they were 2-0 down with 20 minutes to go. He nearly scored but even if he had Millwall could easily still have lost so I think it’s mean of Kenny Jackett to moan about it.

Southampton 3-1 Exeter City
I knew it, I knew it. Replacing Lloyd James would be all too cruel after he’s played so well for them lately. And he certainly repaid my faith in him. Lloyd scored the first goal – there’s some doubt about whether it was his first career goal or just his first from open play but it was good whatever it was. He dedicated the goal to his grandfather, who has been unwell but was in the crowd to watch the match. About 26 minutes later, he got an assist too.
Richard Duffy played the first 81 minutes for Exeter with Rob Edwards on the bench.
Oh and a Tottenham player got sent off. He wasn’t actually playing for Tottenham of course, he’s on loan from Exeter but as long as it’s not Gareth Bale it’s always nice to see.

Championship Results 26th December Part 2

Derby County 0-1 Blackpool
Neal Eardley came close to an assist for Blackpool as he and Rob Edwards helped Blackpool to scrape a win despite the absence of the suspended David Vaughan.
Robbie Savage nearly scored for Derby but he didn’t quite manage it.

Leicester City 2-1 Sheffield United
Andy King played the full game for Leicester but Nicky Adams was on the bench as usual. And so was Sheffield United’s Ched Evans who has had an ear infection although he did get to come on after 73 minutes and he nearly scored too.

Middlesbrough 3-0 Scunthorpe United
What did I say? What have the whole of Middlesbrough been saying? Play Danny Coyne in goal. So Gordon Strachan tries is and look what happened. 3-0 up after 46 minutes with an excellent second goal from Rhys Williams.

Preston North End OFF Barnsley
Paul Parry will have to wait for another time before he (hopefully) bests Barnsley. For once it was nothing do to with the pitch. The pitch was fine. It was the car parks and the streets leading to the stadium that were the problem.

Queen’s Park Rangers 2-1 Bristol City
I’ve been saying for ages that Gavin Williams should start for Bristol City. He deserves it after several good substitute appearances. But I didn’t mean he should start at the expense of Lewin Nyatanga, did I? But Gavin did get an assist and came close to scoring and he was very lively throughout his 70 minutes
Rhys Taylor stayed on the bench for QPR. And from Bristol City’s point of view that might have been a good thing.

League One Fixtures 26th December Part 2

Milton Keynes Dons v Stockport County
Jermaine Easter and Milton Keynes are all but certain to heap misery upon Stockport goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams. Christian Ribeiro has extended his loan and will be at Stockport for another month.

Norwich City v Millwall
Norwich’s defensive crisis could mean a recall for Rhoys Wiggins. If he’s recovered that is. He could be still on the treatment table with Owain Tudur Jones – who is progressing well. Millwall’s Jason Price will probably be in the squad. But a start? I doubt it. A substitute appearance? Sadly, I doubt that too. Come on, Kenny Jackett. Prove me wrong.

Oldham Athletic OFF Tranmere Rovers
This match has been postponded due to safety reasons. It looks like Tranmere’s Ash Taylor could be going home for Christmas. And he really has earned it.

Southampton v Exeter City
Lloyd James has a chance of not starting as Morgan Schneiderlin is back and could replace him. And after all the assists Lloyd has provided too.
Richard Duffy will be hoping for another start for Exeter but Rob Edwards will probably be on the bench. Rob’s probably seen twice as many Christmasses as some of the lads at Exeter.

Championship Fixtures 26th December Part 1

Cardiff City v Plymouth Argyle
Darcy Blake plays for Plymouth but is on loan from Cardiff so he certainly won’t be allowed to play. Carl Fletcher however should be lining up for Plymouth with Joe Ledley playing for Cardiff. Adam Matthews might also be playing for Cardiff after a great year for the seventeen year old.

Coventry City v Doncaster Rovers
Freddy Eastwood will be hoping to continue his scoring streak against Doncaster but defender Gareth Roberts will be doing all he can to ensure Freddy’s Christmas wish does not come true. John Oster should also play for Doncaster but the best news of all is that Brian Stock could be part of the squad after spending three months on the treatment table. There’s a good chance he won’t though.

Derby County v Blackpool
Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan is suspended but Neal Eardley and Rob Edwards have a good chance of playing at least some part of the match. Daniel Nardiello has returned from his Bury loan spell and could also feature.
Robbie Savage has had hamstring problems but it expected to play for Derby,

League One Fixtures 19th December Part 1

Charlton Athletic v Millwall
Grant Basey is expected to be one of Charlton’s full-backs whilst Millwall’s defenders – at least according to my dad – could be all full-backs. If my dad went to the game he could get me the programme with a full-colour poster of Grant in. But he’s not going.
Jason Price could be one of Millwall’s first-choice strikers after getting an assist in the last match.

Colchester United OFF Carlisle United
This match has been postponed. Who knows, maybe Lee Beevers will be fit to play for Colchester by the time it’s rescheduled.

Exeter City v Southend United
Richard Duffy could continue at right back after impressing (me) there recently. If not, he’ll be on the bench with First Team Coach Rob Edwards.

Gillingham v Stockport County
Owain Fon Williams and Christian Ribeiro will be doing what they can for Stockport, who will need to sell players in January in order to survive. Christian won’t be sold as he’s on loan but there might be some interest in Owain. Putting a Welsh keeper on the bench seems quite fashionable at the moment. Blackburn, Wolves, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, QPR, Swansea and Bristol Rovers are all doing it and Brentford would be doing it if it wasn’t against loan rules - whilst Hull and Chesterfield have only just recalled theirs to the starting line-up.

Hartlepool United v Yeovil Town
Shaun MacDonald will play his last game for Yeovil before returning to Swansea. He has scored in his last two games so he will be missed. Yeovil want to keep him and Shaun has enjoyed having first team football so watch this space.

Leeds United v Southampton
Sam Vokes was a substitute in Leeds’ last match but he came close to scoring which has got to be a good thing (well it was for the opposition).
Lloyd James should play for Southampton. He might have missed a penalty in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy but without his assist there wouldn’t have been a penalty shoot -out at all.

Championship Fixtures 19th December Part 1

Blackpool v West Bromwich Albion
Neal Eardley might have come close to an assist in his last game for Blackpool but the 3-1 defeat to Ipswich could count against him. At least Barry Bannan has some positive words to say about him. The loanee from Aston Villa says Neal is one of those who made him feel particularly welcome at Blackpool. Daniel Nardiello, who has returned from his loan to Bury after scoring quite a few goals, could also play some part in the match.
David Vaughan is suspended following his red card so he won’t play for Blackpool.
Manager Ian Holloway has commended Rob Edwards for playing despite an eye injury last week. Rob says he would be more than happy to play again if needed. Well that just might happen, Rob.
This match might be postponed because apparently it’s very snowy in Blackpool.

Bristol City v Reading
Gavin Williams replaced the injured Ivan Sproule in Bristol City’s last game and as Sproule is still injured some believe Gavin will get a deserved start at last. No news on Lewin Nyatanga but I’m guessing he’ll be around too.
Simon Church has had a back injury but is hoping to be passed fit for Reading. I hope he’ll be play but I have a back injury too and I can tell you I definitely won’t be able to play for Reading.

Cardiff City v Leicester City
Lciester’s Andy King is looking forward to getting one over on Wales team-mate Joe Ledley – and considering Joe has a hip injury there might be no better opportunity. Adam Matthews (Cardiff) and Nicky Adams (Leicester) are likely to be substitutes.
If the match isn’t postponed, that is. There’s a pitch inspection early tomorrow morning at about 11.30. (You don’t think 11.30 is early? Not even when it was Friday the night before?)

League One Fixture December 12th Part 1

Brentford v Leeds United
Loan singing James Wilson will return to Brentford’s squad after a ban but Lewis Price could have been packed off back to Derby County. Leeds’ loanee Sam Vokes is definitely still with them and should return to the side after being cup-tied against poor Staines Town.

Bristol Rovers v Swindon Town
Byron Anthony, Ben Swallow and goalkeeper Rhys Evans will all be hoping for a start for Bristol Rovers. But I said the same thing last time and it didn't happen.

Leyton Orient v Milton Keynes Dons
Jermaine Easter should return for MK Dons after serving his one-match ban.

Millwall v Walsall
Millwall practically have their whole team injured but this could be good news as far as Jason Price’s chances of playing are concerned. Mark Bradley and Rhys Weston – who thinks promotion is a possibility for Walsall - are likely to play for the away side.

Oldham Athletic v Exeter City
Richard Duffy could start again for Exeter. If not, he’ll be on the bench with Robert Edwards.

Championship Fixtures 12th December Part 1

Coventry City v Peterborough United
Freddy Eastwood hasn’t taken advantage of his run in Coventry’s side but if there’s one team he’s got a good chance of scoring against, that team is Peterborough. But watch out, Freddy – Craig Morgan plays for Peterborough. And he’s determined to do his best for them after his move to Notts County didn’t work out.

Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City
Doncaster have been strong at home lately and Gareth Roberts and John Oster have been among their best players. However Lewin Nyatanga has recently forced himself back into Bristol City’s starting line-up and any defensive injuries for City could see Gavin Williams come on as a substitute.

Ipswich Town v Blackpool
This won’t be an easy task for Ipswich. David Vaughan has been one of Blackpool’s best players and their side also boasts Neal Eardley and Rob Edwards, although Rob is a doubt due to the eye injury he suffered him his last match.

Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday
It was all going to well for Leicester but they need a win in order to keep up their play-off challenge. Yes, their play-off challenge. Andy King and Nicky Adams will both be hoping to play for Leicester.

Championship Results 8th December Part 1

Doncaster Rovers 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Gareth Roberts played the full match and cleared a Sheffield Wednesday effort off the line but John Oster was replaced after 86 minutes. Which is late enough not for me to get into a panic that he’s injured.

Ipswich 0-0 Peterborough United
Craig Morgan helped Peterborough to keep a clean sheet. Ipswich did get the ball in the net but the goal was disallowed because Craig had got himself fouled by an Ipswich player.

Leicester City 1-3 Bristol City
A few matches ago, Andy King scored for Leicester in the 90th minute and became their hero. It was a different player who scored this time (although Andy did play). But a 90th minute goal just isn’t the same when the opposition have already scored three times.
Lewin Nyatanga was rewarded with a start after his good performance at the weekend. Gavin Williams stayed on the bench.

Middlesbrough 0-3 Blackpool
Middlesbrough’s winning run of, er, one game came to an end as Blackpool beat them 3-0. Danny Coyne stayed on the bench and Rhys Williams was replaced after 46 minutes. Some reports say he didn’t play well but he was carrying a knock.
Rob Edwards of Blackpool probably didn’t have quite as good a game as some of his team-mates – he was replaced after 11 minutes after suffering a facial injury. Blackpool played five minutes with ten men before the decision was taken to replace him. Neal Eardley was the chosen substitute. David Vaughan came close to making Middlesbrough’s day even worse.

Preston North End 0-0 Derby County
Paul Parry didn’t come off the bench until the 81st minute, so he had little opportunity to make an impact on the game. Robbie Savage played the full game for Derby.

Championship News 6th December Part 1

Doncaster Rovers v Sheffield Wednesday
Brian Stock is hoping to return to training next week. With John Oster and Gareth Roberts in the team, Doncaster have mostly done well but I’m sure they too will be glad to see Brian back. He’s a month ahead of schedule too.

Ipswich Town v Peterborough United
Craig Morgan might be heading to Notts County in January – a move which will technically see him drop two leagues – but that didn’t stop them from putting him in their team last week.
Roy Keane says the only reason Ben Thatcher hasn’t played for Ipswich this season is because he’s injured. Some might have their doubts about that but I’m not going to go around arguing with Roy Keane.

Leicester City v Bristol City
Nicky Adams is hoping to start for Leicester and after last week’s result, generally described as a ‘horror show’, it’s not impossible that manager Nigel Pearson will make changes. Whether Nicky will replace Andy King or one of the other players is not up to me (although considering the way I go on sometimes you’d be forgiven for thinking it was).
Leicester need to watch out. Lewin Nyatanga isn’t 100% convinced he’ll get another start but one thing he is sure of is that Bristol City will give Leicester a tough game. Gavin Williams will keep Lewin company on the bench if he doesn’t get picked.

Middlesbrough v Blackpool
Rhys Williams has a groin problem but is expected to play for Middlesbrough. He did well at right back last week as Boro got their first win since Gareth Southgate was sacked. Danny Coyne will be on the bench.
Neal Eardley and Rob Edwards’ recalls to Blackpool’s starting line-up didn’t go as planned on Saturday but that wasn’t their fault. David Vaughan scored an own goal but it’s not his fault Barnsley need the opposition to score their goals for them.

League One Results 5th December Part 1

Charlton Athletic 1-0 Southend United
Grant Basey helped Charlton to clean a sheet as they continued their quest for promotion. Charlton manager Phil Parkinson singled him out for special praise, saying he “came strong towards the end of the game.”

Colchester United 1-0 Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers left Rhys Evans, Byron Anthony and Ben Swallow on the bench and found themselves on the losing side. Ben came on after 59 minutes and got a shot on target. I know it’s probably more to do with his footballing skills than his nationality but it made me happy.
Lewis Haldane's loan spell with Port Vale has come to an end but he hasn't returned to the club. He can't extend his loan but he's going to continue to train with Vale with a view to moving permanently in January.

Exeter City 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Guess who scored? No it wasn’t an own goal from Richard Duffy. Andrew Crofts scored in stoppage time and got Brighton the three points. Robert Edwards was on the bench for Exeter.

Hartlepool United 3-0 Millwall
Jason Price is a great striker but not even he can score from the bench. And Millwall lost again.

Leeds United 2-2 Hudderdfield Town
Sam Vokes was again taken off before he’d had the chance to score for Leeds. But it was his shot that led to the first goal when Huddersfield goalkeeper Alex Smithies passed it straight to Leeds’ Robert Snodgrass. Sam’s shot was described as ‘poor’ or ‘weak’ or ‘tame’ – but it can’t have been that bad! It got Leeds a goal!

Championship Results 5th December Part 1

Blackpool 1-2 Barnsley
Neal Eardley finally got back into the side, only to discover Blackpool were playing Barnsley who have been shooting up the table quicker than any team have a right to. Neal did get two shots on goal though. David Vaughan and Rob Edwards also played – David nearly scored for Blackburn but then he did score for Barnsley. It would have been better the other way around but at least he can put balls in the net. One of Barnsley’s goals was a penalty after Rob handled the ball but even the Barnsley players didn’t think it was a penalty. So Blackpool were unlucky.

Bristol City 0-0 Ipswich Town
Lewin Nyatanga helped Bristol City to keep a clean sheet and I’m sure Gavin Williams would have helped too if he’d come onto the pitch.

Cardiff City 1-0 Preston North End
Preston’s Paul Parry faced his old club. He probably didn’t manage to make Cardiff fans wish he hadn’t left but maybe he managed to make himself regret the move. Cardiff’s Joe Ledley joined left the field after 64 minutes after suffering a groin injury. But that might not be all bad news. If he’s going to be injured for a while, he could always get his hip sorted out. Adam Matthews stayed on the bench.

Crystal Palace 0-3 Doncaster Rovers
John Oster – who used to play for Palace - made Doncaster’s first shot on goal after 84 seconds. It didn’t go in but Doncaster kept on trying and it paid off - unlike John’s wages, which were ten days late. John got the assist for Doncaster’s second goal and according to the Daily Mail he was their best player. Gareth Roberts played his part too, making a vital block to ensure Doncaster kept a clean sheet.

Derby County 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Robbie Savage played as Derby got an excellent point against West Brom who look certain to be going up again. Of course they also look certain to be coming straight back down again but they can hope. West Brom nearly went a man down after one of their players reacted to a Savage challenge from Robbie.

League One Results 1st December Part 1

Brentford 1-1 Colchester United
Brentford managed to get a win without their Welsh players. James Wilson stayed on the bench and Lewis Price wasn’t in the squad at all. But at least he was replaced by an Arsenal player. It could have been worse.

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Grant Basey got the assist for Charlton’s second goal. Brighton were beaten despite the presence of Andrew Crofts and substitute Craig Davies, who played the last four minutes.

Bristol Rovers 1-0 Exeter City
This is not the sort of result a Wales fan likes to see. Bristol Rovers left Rhys Evans, Byron Anthony and Ben Swallow on the bench (although Ben came on after 75 minutes) but they still lost the game.
Exeter, on the other hand, played Richard Duffy throughout the match but still managed to lose. I’m a bit annoyed through because the Internet said Richard wouldn’t play and then he did. How am I supposed to do accurate previews if clubs do things like that? Robert Edwards was on Exeter’s bench.

Huddersfield 3-3 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere came from behind twice to get a point at Huddersfield. Ash Taylor played the full game for the Trannies..

Millwall 3-2 Milton Keynes Dons
An almost perfect match. Jermaine Easter scored twice but Millwall still took the points. I would have liked it even better if Jason Price had scored Millwall’s three goals but let’s not be greedy.

League One Fixtures 1st December

Brentford v Colchester United
James Wilson missed Brentford’s FA Cup match as he’s on loan from Bristol City but he should be recalled for this match. If Brentford have any sense they will play Lewis Price in goal but there is a limit on the number of loanees that can be in the squad and Brentford seem to have almost enough of those to make up a full team.
Lee Beevers’ shoulder still isn’t better so he won’t play for Colchester.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Charlton Athletic
Andrew Crofts should play for Brighton and might be their captain again. I expect Craig Davies to be in the squad but I’ve got no idea about Arron Davies, he hasn’t even been on the bench since new manager Gus Poyet took over at Brighton. Unfortunately Poyet used to be at Tottenham and we know Tottenham managers don’t like Welsh players.
Grant Basey is expected to start at left back for Charlton.

Bristol Rovers v Exeter City
Byron Anthony is one of three Bristol Rovers centre backs fighting to fill two places. So he could find himself on the bench alongside Rhys Evans and Ben Swallow. And there are worse people to share a bench with unless either of them has a farting problem I don’t know about.
Richard Duffy was injured in Exeter’s last match and is not expected to play. Robert Edwards is likely to be on the bench unless he’s hurt himself too.


Huddersfield Town v Tranmere Rovers
Ash Taylor is likely to be a key player in Tranmere’s desperate quests for points.

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.

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.

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.

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.