Mansfield Town (U18s) 4-3 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Mansfield Town (U18s) 4-3 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)
FA Youth Cup
Tuesday 29th October 2019

Doncaster Rovers bowed out of the FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle - losing 4-3 in an unpredictable, nail-biting, end-to-end encounter with Mansfield Town.

It was a roller-coaster of emotions throughout the 90 minutes with genuine encouragement and belief for the majority of the first half after Junior Smith's opener put Rovers ahead.

The Stags struck either side of half-time to cause a sense of 'déjà vu' but Smith's emphatic close-range equaliser shortly after the hour mark meant hope was restored.

Mansfield then netted twice more to open up a two-goal cushion and they seemingly had victory sealed until Will McGowan stabbed home in the final few minutes.

Despite the hosts also having goalkeeper Maison Campbell red carded for violent conduct, they defended resolutely during six nail-biting minutes of injury-time to ensure a Second Round home tie with either Rotherham United or Haughmond.

Although it wasn't the prettiest of games to watch, defeat was still harsh on Rovers and the youngsters will need to get any negative feelings out of their system quite quickly, with Lincoln City up next in the Youth Alliance at the weekend.

Having lost twice to Mansfield already this season, this particular tie was probably the last one which any of the lads wanted when the First Round draw was made a fortnight ago.

On the flip side, nevertheless, it provided an opportunity for those players who'd appeared in the 6-3 and 1-0 losses in September to go out, prove a point and put in a big performance.

In the early stages, the lads looked bright, sharp and 'up for the occasion' under the Field Mill floodlights and they went ahead with a goal which owed plenty to a shade of good fortune in more ways than one.

Smith trickily twisted, turned and advanced into the penalty area and, though he saw his initial attempt blocked, the Stags couldn't clear their lines effectively. Amidst the panic, someone in a red and white shirt had strayed clearly into an offside position and they knocked it back to Smith, who poked a low shot into the bottom-right corner.

Mansfield complained that it was offside (which it was) but with no VAR in the FA Youth Cup, it didn't matter and the boys had the advantage.

Immediately from the re-start, Jimmy Knowles whistled a shot narrowly over the upright in a cleverly orchestrated and quick attack, but that was as much as the hosts offered, attacking-wise, as Rovers instead controlled the pace of the game.

Things could have got even better had Jack Watson found the target with a snap-shot after a long ball over the top was misjudged by a defender and quickly fell to him.

The Stags bench were in the ear of the officials as often as possible and it wasn't long until they were complaining vociferously again - this time after Shamar Lawson's powerful 25-yard shot ricocheted off the upright, bounced down and came back into play.

Like the goal conceded - maybe they had a point and my personal gut-instinct reaction was that the ball may well have crossed the line!

Nevertheless, the hosts weren't venturing forward very often and Rovers were still dictating things at this stage (to a degree) - territorialy on top and showing glimpses of their passing ability, despite a wet and testing pitch which players from both teams were often slipping on.

What the lads needed to do at this stage was to step things up to the next level, pull their counterparts apart and create something which they could get a second goal from.

Elliott Walker and Smith linked up well in one particular attack and the signs were good, but six minutes before half-time came a sucker punch which instantly swung momentum in favour of the Nottinghamshire's third biggest club.

Lirak Hasani's poor free-kick cheaply gave Mansfield possession and although the lads briefly won the ball back, the Stags soon found it again. Knowles eventually received the ball in the middle and was allowed to venture forward unchallenged before he hit a speculative, low 20-yard drive which somehow evaded Ben Bottomley and ended up in the net.

There's no doubt that Bottomley could have done better with it, yet the equaliser was somewhat out of the blue, harsh on Rovers, and a bit of a 'get out of jail free card' for Mansfield as it remained 1-1 by the interval.

In all honesty, during the lads' spells of territorial pressure in the opening 45 minutes, they didn't play the ball into feet in dangerous areas often enough and Marius Conradi, in attack, sometimes drifted into areas where he wasn't going to be a scoring threat from.

On the whole, the display was okay in parts up to a point... but not beyond that point.

With Mansfield now on level terms, the early stages of the second half saw two big opportunities at both ends; the first of which saw Nathan Dimou perfectly placed to get on the end of a set-piece cross and his powerful header was palmed away by the home 'keeper.

It proved to be an important save as five minutes later, the hosts went ahead when Rio Molyneaux got the better of Lewis Cunningham, position-wise, to reach onto a left-wing cross and stab the ball past Bottomley from close-range.

The Stags were now in the lead and buoying with confidence for the first time in the game.

What Donny needed was inspiration and they sought that in midfielder Charlie Bell, who replaced Marius Conradi on the hour mark - a substitution which meant Liam Ravenhill was pushed further forward to support Watson and Smith in attack.

Given the dilemma with the scoreline, Smith soon provided the perfect response as he made it 2-2 on 64 minutes; slamming the ball emphatically into the roof of the net from close-range after Walker's low ball into the six-yard box.

It was another slightly unexpected moment in this topsy-turvy, unpredictable game - and now things were poised perfectly.

Somehow, despite the Rovers equaliser, Mansfield managed to settle their nerves, regain their focus, and they'd begun to get on top again by the time Bell was cautioned for a fully-committed challenge on the lively Knowles.

With a quarter of an hour to go, crucially, the hosts' pressure paid dividends.

After a good, well-worked flowing move, Ben Bayliss showed really good persistence by applying pressure on the byline to win possession, keep the ball and subsequently cut it back for Knowles who unleashed a low drive into the net to make it 3-2. It was a well-orchestrated move which deserves credit.

Rovers tried desperately to lift themselves following the setback but over the next few minutes, too many passes went astray, too many heads appeared down and the Stags continued to lurk, loiter and have the ball in dangerous areas.

It seemed as though another goal would put the result beyond doubt and within a few minutes, Molyneaux looked up from the edge of the area, spotted Bottomley just off his goal-line and looped a speculative effort up and over the back-peddling 'keeper and subsequently into the net.

There was nothing the Rovers 'keeper could do about it - it was simply a high-quality finish, even though it's questionable how (or why) Molyneaux had been afforded the time, space and opportunity to finish from that position.

Josh Clemitson and Owan Derrett were both introduced in the closing stages and, in honesty, a miracle was needed for the visitors to get back on level terms.

The Reds did give themselves hope, nevertheless, when Will McGowan swept home amidst a minor goalmouth scramble on 86 minutes to reduce the deficit to just a single goal - and the strike sparked a melee inside the six-yard box.

Campbell, the Stags' goalkeeper, tried to cling onto the ball in order to waste a few precious seconds and then, rather ridiculously, lost his temper and aimed a punch at someone as several players rushed towards the melee. Once everything had settled down, the 'keeper was shown a red card - and some individuals on Mansfield's bench didn't like what they heard when it was pointed out that the player deserved to go for such naive behaviour.

It's simple though really. As soon as you raise your hands - especially with the referee two yards away, you're basically giving him an excuse to brandish a card. If you don't raise your hands, you don't give him that excuse. Nobody else can be blamed in any way, shape or form.

Often, you can get away with holding onto the ball or kicking it away - that's gamesmanship, part and parcel of football, and it happens everywhere, every week, and at every level, but raising your hands is just plain daft. It's all part of a learning curve though!

Anyway, despite Rovers pressure in and around the box and many clearances, luckily for the 'keeper, the six minutes of stoppage-time passed without any further goals.

At the final whistle, many of the lads were flat out on the pitch exhausted - a lot of whom no doubt had emotions of dejection, frustration and upset running through their body.

Simply put, the reason Mansfield won is because they got themselves in decent positions on the pitch and created the more dangerous openings, which subsequently meant they had the better chances to score goals from.

The lads' overall performance wasn't awful, nor was it great and, truthfully, there were too many direct balls and some ineffective passages of play in areas which didn't test or hurt the opposition enough.

It's important, however, that nobody dwells on this for too long and any negative energy is instead focused on producing a better display against Lincoln City this coming weekend.

Team: Ben Bottomley, Elliott Walker (Josh Clemitson), Nathan Dimou, Ben Blythe (C), Lewis Cunningham, Lirak Hasani, Will McGowan, Liam Ravenhill, Junior Smith (Owan Derrett), Marius Conradi (Charlie Bell), Jack Watson. Unused Subs: Kian Johnson, Max Jemson, Luca Nelson.

Swansea City 1-0 Cardiff City

Swansea City 1-0 Cardiff City
Sky Bet Championship
Sunday 27th October 2019

Another year older and another year definitely not wiser or more sensible, though the South Wales 'derby' experience is now ticked off my 'To Do' list in football.

Even though I'd been eagerly-anticipating this game as far back as last season - hoping for weeks that Cardiff City would be relegated from the Premier League to ensure an opportunity to take the game in, it was by sheer fortune that the clash was arranged for my birthday weekend.

With tickets, surprisingly, making it to General Sale - thus making it a piece of p*ss to get hold of one, there was absolutely no way I was prepared to miss out on my first visit to Liberty Stadium since August 2006.

On my previous visit, Lee Trundle scored two goals in the dying stages to earn the Swans victory over Doncaster Rovers.

Had Trundle been playing in this clash, then bearing in mind his goalscoring record, he'd have probably bagged a hat-trick by half-time and had a statue of him paid for and erected outside the Liberty Stadium by the final whistle.

Although it wasn’t quite the rip-roaring or utterly thunderous occasion that I anticipated it would be, as things transpired it was Ben Wilmot’s clever finish, just shy of the half-hour mark, which deservedly earned the hosts bragging rights.

Despite what Neil Warnock said in his post-match interview about the Swansea fans being kept quiet, they certainly weren't. The home faithful dished out loads of insults, V-signs, swear words and passionate aggression was aplenty, along with signature chants such as 'Swim Away' and 'Daydream Believer'.

Nevertheless, there was something lacking about this particular 'derby' - and even more than 24 hours later, I'm unable to put my finger on exactly what it was.

Maybe it was the fact the visitors were absolutely awful and gave their followers nothing to shout about after Wilmot's opener. Maybe it was the fact the visitors lacked b*llocks and aggression which you'd usually associate with a fixture of this magnitude. Maybe it was the fact it was just too easy for the home side.

Who knows?

It was certainly strange though and Warnock's words are undoubtedly just an attempt to stir things up and ensure a response in the return game later in the season.

On the pitch, the sides had clear and contrasting styles; Swansea being cute, neat, tidy and good on the ball, whilst Cardiff were full of six-foot giants, physically strong, robust and difficult to break down (allegedly).

It was a pre-match belief voiced by many that the somewhat more experienced visitors might 'bully' their naive, fledgling hosts - yet it proved to be a myth and, if anything, the opposite way around as the Bluebirds never got going.

'Total Football' came out on top as the Swans handled the occasion miles better, dictated, dominated and should have won by a greater scoreline.

Cooper's team were far sharper, brighter, faster to every second ball and loads more incisive in their overall play. They were great value; in particular diminutive duo Bersant Celina and Nathan Dyer showed no signs of being unable to handle themselves against physically tougher opponents and the pair wreaked havoc at times.

It was a brilliant win and having endured some disappointing recent results, this might just be the tonic which the Swans need to galvanise their campaign, kick on and maintain a spot in and around the play-off positions.

Cardiff, dreary, lethargic and second-best, can have no complaints and their afternoon was best summed up when goalkeeper Neil Etheridge 'shanked' a clearance towards an opponent in the centre circle, then attempted a diving header to stop the resulting snap-shot attempt - even though the ball was way off-target anyway!

That bizarre passage of play (wrongly) resulted in a corner, by the way, which came to nothing. However, on most occasions when dealing with set-pieces, the Bluebirds' defence looked edgy, nervous, out of position and were an absolute 'bomb scare' in their attempts not to concede!

Aside from a five-minute spell in the second half where they got the ball in the opposition area and seriously tested the 'keeper, they never looked like scoring.

The visitors' attacking play consisted of numerous long 'punts' towards their big target men.

Whilst Nathaniel Mendez-Laing offered occasional glimpses of encouragement and hope, with summer signing Robert Glatzel barely breaking sweat alongside him for over an hour, it was fruitless! By the end, it ultimately became a case of 'too often, too predictable' as they struggled to make any inroads in search of an equaliser and every hopeful long ball was met with a firm clearance.

It was also shambolic, defensively, in the build up to the goal which they conceded.

Nobody locked on to the three-on-one overload (which allowed Wayne Routledge to get in a great position on the blind side of the player left out wide), nor did anyone inside the penalty area notice Wilmot's clear run to meet Routledge's eventual floated cross, which allowed him a free header - and to carve his name into 'derby day' folklore.

Two minutes later; another corner-kick was played directly into the box and resulted in another free-header, and there were quite a few other passages in which Cardiff's defending was terrible.

Etheridge, probably not helped by early events with the 'header' fiasco, looked nervous, fumbled plenty - including a couple right at the feet of opponents inside his own six-yard box. How he wasn't punished remains a mystery!

By the final whistle, Warnock was going ballistic on the touchline - throwing his arms about, stamping his feet like a petulan child, harassing the Fourth Official every few seconds, but it was such an inept display from his players that he would have been justified to do the same thing in disgust at their efforts during the entire 90 minutes.

Of the 1,500 matches (probably more) which he's overseen as a manager, I doubt he’s ever witnessed such a limp and gutless display from his own players in the tense, passion-filled environment of a local derby.

Whilst Warnock will now come in for criticism from fans unhappy with what they witnessed, the team's current league position and their overall start to the season, the players should look at themselves and ask ‘Was that performance acceptable?'

They're experienced enough, know the drill and what's expected of them - yet the desire, application, willingness, cohesiveness - everything which Swansea demonstrated, just wasn't evident in their own display. They might say it was a one-off and they can't possibly perform as badly again, but a quick glance at the league table suggests more deep-rooted problems.

I suspect, when everything is taken into consideration, this might prove to be the start of the end for Warnock because although he's worked wonders with the Bluebirds, the reality is he's not getting any younger, the product on offer - direct, tough and abrasive football, isn't ever going to suit everyone and critics will gradually become more vocal as promotion/play-off hopes fade away.

It's inevitable at some point for every manager that they'll endure a testing period and, a few more gutless performances like this, will only lead to one thing.

Matters on the pitch put to one side, as a veteran of watching football matches (including many big derbies) at various stadiums up and down the country, there's no doubt that South Wales Police have absolutely diluted the passion and atmosphere of this match.

Yes, I understand there's a need to have a big police presence at these type of games.

However, long gone are the days of the Vetch Field from where fans would pour out the ground and straight into a housing estate littered with side streets and alleyways - thus making it very difficult for the local plod to contain folk in a specific area without others hiding around the corner waiting to strike (or chase them into the sea).

The Liberty Stadium is modern, purpose-built and it's designed in such a way that it makes it easy to safely contain people within a certain area and CCTV is everywhere.

Also, TV companies and modern day policing techniques will also always ensure these type of games are played at a 'sterile' time - often midday on a Sunday when pubs are closed and it's guaranteed to be daylight outdoors. Unless it's a cup clash, there will also always be several months of planning and police intelligence that can be gained, prior to the actual game taking place.

Therefore, it doesn't need 'bubble' procedures to be implemented additionally as well - whereby away supporters must either go to a designated point to collect their tickets and/or travel straight to the opposing team's stadium on official club transport.

Yes, there'll always be people intent on causing trouble, but these methods are intrusive to a matchday experience, a restriction on 'freedom of movement' (something which should be challenged over and over again in courts) and it affects the vast majority who just want to see their team play. It's almost as if people are being criminalised for being an away fan before they've even bothered to buy a ticket.

All of this is without even mentioning the 'Facial Recognition' cameras which were present at this game; again, something which is intrusive, and probably hardly makes any difference given those fans who have banning orders have to report to a police station several miles away, whilst the game is taking place anyway.

The 'methods' seem even more illogical considering that tickets for this game made it to unrestricted General Sale - thus meaning it was possible for any Tom, Dick or Harry to buy however many tickets they wanted in the home end and avoid the kerfuffle that comes with being an away supporter at this type of fixture.

I doubt anything will change soon but it's absolutely ridiculous.

Huddersfield Town 0-0 Middlesbrough

Huddersfield Town 0-0 Middlesbrough
Sky Bet Championship
Wednesday 23rd October 2019

I've always believed in taking accountability for my own actions so I'd like to issue an apology to both Huddersfield and Middlesbrough supporters for ruining your night.

Before heading to West Yorkshire I was consciously aware that I'd not witnessed a stalemate since Inverness Caledonian Thistle simply didn't to go ballistic (and couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, infact) up at Peterhead in the Betfred Cup in July.

I had a gut-feeling this clash wouldn't be a classic as both teams have trudged along rather sluggishly, dragging their heels in the Championship so far this term.

The previous two times I'd seen Middlesbrough - at Leeds United (August 2018) and at Aston Villa (May 2018), on both occasions those games finished goalless - though I'll blame a lack of goalmouth action in those affairs on the ultra-defensive methods of a certain Tony Pulis!

As you can see though, with my presence and proven track record, the writing was on the wall for Huddersfield fans to see a 0-0 on home soil for the first time in more than a year, as soon as I plonked my backside on a seat.

Even the turnstile operators attempted a last-ditch bid to prevent my attendance as a ticketing issue with the portable scanning devices wouldn't recognise those in possession of a 'paper ticket' at every turnstile across the stadium.

Unfortunately, however, I'd arrived early which meant there was loads of time for things to be rectified so I could perform my 'grim reaper' act!

I did leave the stadium some 20 minutes before the final whistle - my equivalent of a manager throwing on a big frontman from the subs bench in a desperate bid for a goal. Usually, it works and my 'early' departure is met with a ferocious roar a few minutes later, but even as I toddled off down Gasworks Street in total darkness, no loud cheer was forthcoming and those still inside the stadium suffered.

It really was one of those nights and at least those who'd, probably quite sensibly, stayed at home to watch it on Sky Sports could turn it off when they did become bored.

In all seriousness, both teams were well-matched, yet it was the visitors who carved out more openings and looked more creative on the ball, and if they had someone capable of finishing they'd have took three points back to Teesside.

There's not much else that can be said about the game itself, so as Brian Potter used to say on the closing credits of nearly every episode of Phoenix Nights: 'Next'...

Away from the action (or lack of it) on the pitch, despite spending three years in Huddersfield what now seems a lifetime ago, I'd forgotten how decent the stadium is. It's had that many sponsored names during its existence that I'm not actually sure what it's called nowadays.

However, it remains impressive in architecture and design; better than most of the flat-roofed, IKEA-type out-of-town 'new builds' that have sprung up in the years since this place flung open its doors for the first time.

Sadly, the Terriers hierarchy didn't play 'Sweet Disposition' over the PA system before this game. It's a song which will always remind me of my time 'In 'Uddersfield' when the Terriers were serial League One underachievers with Lee Clark in charge.

As animated as current manager Danny Cowley might sometimes get in the technical area, he has some way to go to match Clarky's fits of rage and near-psychopathic outbursts.

Next up: Swansea City vs Cardiff City!

Scunthorpe United 3-1 Exeter City

Scunthorpe United 3-1 Exeter City
Sky Bet League One
Tuesday 22nd October 2019

This isn't a game that will live for very long in the memory though Scunthorpe United will hope it proved to be an important win which kick-starts their season.

Despite being one of the pre-season favourites for promotion, the Iron have struggled under new boss Paul Hurst - so much so that a different set of results tonight could have seen them drop into the only relegation spot in the division.

However, they won (and pretty comfortably, too) against opponents who have endured a torrid few days on the road as Exeter also got 'pumped' 4-0 at Cambridge United last weekend.

As with most games, in reflection there were a couple of decisive moments; none more so in this particular match than when Ryan Bowman broke clean through early in the second half, but smashed his powerful attempt wide of the target.

It was a huge, important miss in a period when Exeter were getting in-behind their opponents and causing problems. Had Bowman scored (which would have drawn the visitors level) then with more than half-an-hour still to play there's every chance they would have gained momentum and possibly even gone on to take all three points themselves.

But the shot didn't go in and, instead, as soon as Alex Gilliead gave Scunny a two-goal cushion with around 15-20 minutes to play, a comeback never looked likely.

Anyway, this was my first visit to Glanford Park in just over a year and it was never going to be as memorable as the previous one; a 5-0 'hammering' by Fleetwood Town and a gutless showing from Scunny which got Nick Daws sacked soon afterwards.

For the opening 20-25 minutes in this clash, not much happened.

Ball retention wasn't good enough from either the hosts or Exeter - far too many passes went astray and aside from a curling free-kick which required a save, pretty much nothing was created from open play.

It came as a surprise, therefore, when James Perch unleashed a ferocious 30-yard effort on 24 minutes which flew past Jonny Maxted and into the net. It was a goal which shocked most folk inside the ground as they subsequently celebrated to the 'cheesy' Tom Hark goal music now blasting out from the 'tinny' PA system.

What didn't come as a surprise though was that Scunny's lead lasted for barely a few minutes.

The Grecians were backed by a noisy contingent, albeit small in numbers, and immediately 'upped their game' after conceding - looking sharper, slicker and more penetrative on the ball and it paid dividends with Matt Jay firing home with a low drive.

A scrappy period followed before Scunny got their noses ahead again shortly before half-time when Exeter couldn't effectively clear the danger from within their own box and Jamie Ward smashed a powerful shot into the net.

Exeter clearly had to 'up their game' and that's what they initially did early in the second half, with Jay latching onto Jayden Richardson's through ball prior to blasting an effort into the side-netting from a tight angle, which was followed by Bowman's aforementioned 'huge' miss a few moments later.

Gradually, from this point in the game onward, there was a momentum shift as Scunny began to get a firmer foothold and stifle things when they needed to. Despite some substitutions, Exeter were still unable to carve out much and a third goal for the hosts began to look more likely to happen.

With a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, the third goal eventually happened as Gilliead took up a good position at the back-post where he stretched to convert, following a teasing byline cross from the inside left-channel.

As that cheesy, pop/dance trash tune blazed out from PA system again, it was theoretically game over, barring a near-miracle.

Exeter did get the ball in the net when Scunny's 'keeper fumbled a corner in the dying minutes, but referee Sebastian Stockbridge ruled it out (deeming there to have been a foul) - quite harshly, in my opinion and it was just a case of the goalkeeper being 'over-protected'.

That said, given what transpired on the whole, Exeter lacked ideas, imagination and a spark for much of the last half-hour and, after the chances, they didn't do anywhere near enough to warrant taking any points back to North Devon.

Their supporters will probably be wondering right now whether the wheels are coming off following a bright start - also knowing that another defeat in their next fixture will see them sink from the play-off positions altogether.

That next fixture though just happens to be on home soil against arch-rivals Plymouth Argyle in the 'derby' at the weekend. With local pride and reputations at stake in what's likely to be a ferocious, rip-roaring atmosphere infront of a capacity crowd, absolutely anything could happen!