Cheltenham Town 0 Shrewsbury Town 0

Scott Brown made sure the Robins had a reasonably happy Boxing Day ... and he did me a favour as well.

This was an odd game in that while it was entertaining and both teams played their part, there were very few 'stand out' players on whom to hang a story.

That isn't a criticism of the lads on either side. They all did their jobs well and both managers were pleased to have come away with a point - and as Cheltenham boss Mark Yates said afterwards, it could prove to be a very important point.

A manager who treats Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner with anything less than total respect is a fool and Yates is anything but. He knows that Turner has been there and done it and that if the Shrews are not in the final shake up come May, they have enough about them to take valuable points off the contenders. And that is now what Cheltenham are certainly proving they are.

Keeper Brown has been warming the bench for much of the season while England U-21 international Jack Butland has been Yates's first choice. I'm guessing that part of the loan deal struck with Birmingham ensured Butand first team action before he returned to St. Andrews and that is fair enough given his pedigree, but credit has to go to Brown for biding his time and not sulking. I've come across plenty of players over the years who have done precisely that and it doesn't do them or their respective clubs any good.

He didn't go through the motions either and produced some good - and brave - saves (especially in the dying stages of the game) to make certain of the draw ... and give an increasingly desperate reporter an angle!

On Friday I'll be back at Whaddon Road to see Cheltenham take on Rotherham in what should be another evenly matched encounter, but I suspect that Yates and his team will be unhappy if they don't claim all three points that evening.

Second in the table by Boxing Day evening is more than most home fans would have been expecting back in August, but I suspect that they now have the smell of promotion in their nostrils.

There is still an awfully long way to go though and injuries, suspensions and the surface of the home pitch may all have a bearing before the final ball is kicked this season, but for the moment the dream is very much alive. And isn't that what it is all about for players and fans alike?

My clipping from the paper

Who's for a stuffing this Xmas?

I've just been given my list of games to cover this Christmas/New Year period for the paper.

I'll be working off the turkey and brussel sprouts on Boxing Day with a trip to Whaddon Road for the Cheltenham v Shrewsbury fixture and I'm looking forward to seeing the Robins play.

I 'bigged' them up earlier in the season as a smashing footballing side and - going on results and other press reports - it appears I was right .... for a change.

Mark Yates certainly has them building towards a promotion push, although admittedly it is still early days. Still, when you marry their league form to the plum revenue generating FA Cup 3rd round tie they have coming up away at Spurs, it makes you wonder whether it might give the board the financial security and belief in their manager to back him with a couple of key loan deals in the transfer window.

On December 30th I travel to ... er, Whaddon Road again for their tussle with Rotherham.

Both of these games look to be tight calls on paper, but I wouldn't be surprised if Yates uses the Tottenham tie as an incentive to wrack up points in the league (i.e., "if you play like a wally in these league games, don't expect a guaranteed place on the team bus to North London").

Then again, the squad isn't massive and so Yate's options are always going to be limited. And that is probably the key to any success in League Two. If they can keep their first choice fifteen or sixteen players fit all season, they certainly have the ability to have the green welly brigade of Gloucestershire in raptures come May.

The following day sees me off to Buckinghamshire to watch Wycombe take on Stevenage in what has already become a very important fixture in their hopes of League One survival.

The Chairboys may be second from bottom of the division, but like Cheltenham, they also have a good manager and a decent set of players. One win and they'll be out of the mire though and as long as they don't let that gap grow, I think they have the bottle to stay up.

From day one it was always going to be about survival for Wycombe and they knew it. This might prove an advantage later in the season when nerves start to fray at other clubs who had grander expectations.

My final match this festive season sees me take my New Year's hangover to see Oxford take on Crawley on January 2nd.

Oxford started brightly, but have suffered a few injuries to key players since I was last at the Kassam.

One noticeable absence was Michael Duberry who was excellent when I saw the side several times earlier in the campaign. For the sake of the club's promotion ambitions, I hope that he is making a good recovery and I get to see him lead Oxford to a promotion charge in the second half of the season.

Michael has already made himself a favourite with the Us faithful and I suspect they will forgive him anything given his obvious commitment to the cause, although as a neutral, I have to say that seeing him dressed as Princess Leia in photos from their Xmas 'do' certainly cut my breakfast short!

Link here for those who can stomach it! http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2011/12/the-most-disturbing-photo-of-2011-michael-duberry-dressed-as-princess-leia/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+offthepost%2FTLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29

Happy Christmas to my readers and I hope you both have a great time and stay safe. Jeff

Swindon Town 3 Morecambe 0

Ah, the glamour of writing about professional football.

Just after arriving at the County Ground I was informed that the Swindon lads were off to Cardiff for their Christmas egg nog and mince pies immediately after the game. Having been caught out before on days like this, I decided to try and catch them outside the players exit rather than wait in the warm of the Press Room in the hope that one of them might call by.

As anyone at the game on Saturday will recall, the temperature plummeted as the sun went down and consequently the lads were confronted by a reporter more concerned with whether his toes were still attached to his feet than what they had to say!

Before the game, I was interested to see how the players would react to Paolo di Canio's rant last week during which he slated many of them and questioned whether they were good enough to get the club promoted. It could have gone either way.

For the first twenty minutes or so Swindon weren't really in the game. However, I think credit has to go to Morecambe here as they were knocking the ball about well.

After Jake Jervis had scored the opener though, the Robins took full control. And Rafa De Vita's second on the stroke of half time seemed to knock the Christmas stuffing out of the visitors. By the time Ronan Murray had sealed the win in the second half, the home team's thoughts had probably drifted off to the pleasures awaiting them in South Wales.

From a Swindon fan's point of view it was a good result - and probably also a relief to see the positive reaction to di Canio's blast was a positive one.

The players I spoke to through chattering teeth, as they made a dash to their cars, were also fully behind their boss.

Rafa De Vita told me that as a 15 year old he had come to England (to join Blackburn) not knowing "how to feed myself or tie my own shoelaces" and consequently had "to toughen up fairly quickly." Criticism was something he said you learnt to deal with in football and he revealed, "it was more important to react the right way to criticism, especially when it came from someone like him (di Canio)".

Matt Ritchie was of the same opinion and said, "it just goes to show his level of expectation. We've not lost in fifteen games, but he still wants us to improve. That can only be good for the club."

Jervis was delighted to grab his fifth goal in eleven starts and said, "I came here to gain experience and so the goals have been a bonus. I have one game to go and hopefully can finish on a high."

My clipping from this morning's paper

C'mon you Whites

An excellent win for Salisbury last night in the Cup replay at Grimsby Town will see them travel to face Sheffield United in the 3rd round.

I covered the first game against the Mariners and was really impressed with their work rate and application - it was also a very hospitable club - and so I'm glad to see they have secured this plum tie.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting carried away and haven't been down to William Hill to put a bet on them lifting the Cup next May, but for a club of this size, a trip to Bramall Lane is like a cup final in itself.

Setting aside the financial benefits which will undoubtedly allow Salisbury to develop, on a personal level there are lads down there who are now 'living the dream' a little. And how many fans (and backroom staff) of the team ever thought they'd live to see the day when their boys took on one of football's big clubs?

Make no mistake, the Blades are, historically, one of British football's bigger names. Sure, they may not be playing top flight football at the moment, but they still play in the oldest major stadium in the world still hosting football matches.

They have also played in six FA Cup finals (winning four), although admittedly their are no surviving players from their last trip to Wembley in 1936!

If it's football pedigree you're after, Sheffield United have it. No doubt. And boy should that make for a great day out for fans of the Whites.

On a normal weekend, only those in the Hillsborough area of the Steel City would be hoping for a United defeat. I suspect that in early January Salisbury will have the rest of the country on their side. Not nice for United, but isn't that what the Cup is all about?

Papering over the cracks at the Bridge

A good win for Chelsea last night against ten-man Manchester City, but is all well in the Kings Road?

There's no doubt that Andre Villas-Boas has inherited an aging first eleven that needs the injection of new blood, but I wonder whether he is going about it in the right way.

Frank Lampard has never struck me as one of life's prima donnas and - as an outsider looking in - I think he has done enough in his time with the club to merit an explanation from the boss as to why he is spending so much time watching from the subs bench. I'm not saying that Lampard shouldn't be on the bench, merely that he has done enough to earn the courtesy of that explanation.

While it might be frustrating or annoying to Lampard, his treatment will not have gone un-noticed by the rest of the squad who respect him. In turn they may be starting to ask questions about the style of the new manager and whether he will turn on them in the same manner. So much of football management is about how you deal with individuals. Villas-Boas's man management style is open to question at the moment in my opinion.

Interesting to see how (following the manager's request that, when Chelsea scored a goal, everyone should celebrate with him, his staff and the rest of the bench) the players stayed well away from Villas-Boas. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but body language or actions can sometimes tell a story.

With the spine of the team (Lamps, Drogba, Terry and Čech) reaching a certain age, Villas-Boas admittedly needs to make changes. But, if he does it the wrong way and it effects player morale, Chelsea could find themselves dropping out of the Champions League places. If that happens, it will be difficult to attract the types of players needed to find their way back in an increasingly competitive Premier League. Better to make the changes gradually and subtly and keep everyone on side than to take a sledgehammer to the situation in my opinion.

Sure Roman's billions will attract they the odd mercenary, but is that what the Chelsea faithful want? As a football fan, I would think not. They will want players who are prepared to run themselves into the ground for the shirt. Players, dare I say it, like Frank Lampard.

Walsall 1 Charlton Athletic 1

This was an 'interesting' game rather than 96 minutes of pulsating entertainment and the Addicks have a right to feel pretty aggrieved not to have come away with all three points.
In the dying seconds Yann Kermorgant's cross appeared to hit the hand of Walsall midfielder Richard Taundry in the box, but the referee either failed to see it or gave Walsall the sympathy vote.
While Frenchman Kermorgant was immediately calling for the decision (and insisted it was a penalty afterwards as was chatted by the team bus), he also had the good grace not to moan about it and shrugged: "That's football." Refreshing to hear a player 'talk' about a decision and not whinge about it. This may well be his own philosophy, but I suspect that it is also manager Chris Powell's.
What isn't in doubt is that Kermorgant, 30, joined Charlton because he wanted to make his mark in English football and knew that by working with Powell (who he knew as a team mate and coach at Leicester), he would get his chance to shine.
And he certainly did. Despite the player's marks out of ten in the paper - often provided from a source other than yours truly - I felt he deserved the man of the match award for his tireless hard work for the side.
To be fair to the Saddlers though, they did deserve something out of the game and so a draw was probably a fair result. I have seen Charlton play twice this season and have no doubt that they are the team to beat in League Two and so the Walsall lads should take a lot of confidence from this result in their efforts to climb clear of the drop zone. They certainly didn't play like a team resigned to a relegation scrap and in Jimmy Walker, 38, they have a keeper who has been there and got the t-shirt, but still gives his all for the club in every game I see him play.
And both Kermorgant and keeper Ben Hamer made the point to me afterwards that they needed to concentrate on - and in - every game if they were to win the title.
The highly rated former Reading trainee was also big enough to admit it wasn't his best game, but he could hardly be faulted for the Walsall goal.
Defender Mat Sadler (eventually sent off for a second booking in the 90th minute) rifled in a 20 yard goal bound drive in the 36th minute that nearly took the head off team mate Olly Lancashire, but fell to excellent vetren sriker Jon Macken to poke home from about six yards with Hamer wrong-footed.
Charlton's respnse couldn't have come at a worse time for the home team. As the the ref was checking his watch before blowing up for the break, lively winger Hogan Ephraim sent over a cross from the left and Kermorgant jumped to bury a header for his sixth goal of the campaign.
I've met Hamer several times before and he draw parallels with the Brentford side he won the League Two title with in 2009. The ability of the players on the pitch speaks for itself, but the camaraderie among the squad is also there for all to see and Ben made the point that they were all friends as well as team mates ... before they hopped on the coach and made their way to Liverpool for their Christmas session, er, I mean party,
Like many people in the game who have reached the dizzy heights of the Premier League and international football, Powell is slightly guarded when it comes to the media (maybe with good reason, I don't know), but is a pleasant guy and you can see why the Charlton players like working for him. A man's man is the football term I think.

My clipping from this morning's paper

Speed and Socrates

As a kid I watched the great Brazilian side of 1982 compete in the World Cup and wished I could play like their skipper Socrates. Given that none of you will have noticed my name listed in any professional outfits over the years – let alone an International squad – it won’t come as a surprise that I never ‘quite’ realised that particular fantasy.

As an adult I watched a classy midfielder by the name of Gary Speed turn out for the likes of Leeds, Everton, Bolton and Newcastle and wished all footballers could conduct themselves in the same way as the Welsh wizard. Some do, but most don’t of course – and frankly who among us can say that we do so in our own lives?

The reason why football fans have been mourning these two guys for the last week is that they were exceptional people - as well as players. The contribution they made to the game was as whole-hearted as it was effective and they were then also able to share and add to their talents or build upon them away from football. The sad thing is that they were also both relatively young and so still had time to offer very much more.

The tributes for Gary Speed have been touching. While most 'eyes' were on the one minute applause at the Premier League grounds this weekend, I was part of a significantly smaller tribute at non-league Salisbury where the visiting Grimsby fans joined the home support to pay their respects. I dare say that this scene was replicated at most of the other football grounds in the country. I hope Gary's family get to hear of this as well.

We all read about the vicious chanting by Manchester United and Liverpool morons earlier in the season – goading each other about the horrors of Munich and Hillsborough. Well I’d like to give a 'shout out' to all of those fans – the vast majority of us, I believe – who don’t treat tragedy like it is part of some TV soap opera and realise that it’s very real and very painful - especially to those closest to the victims.

A special mention to the classy Manchester United fan who laid out his red shirt at the foot of the Billy Bremner statue outside Elland Road. On it bore the inscription: From a football fan to a football legend. If that isn't showing true class, I don't know what is. Morons - look and learn.

There have been (and I guess will continue to be) questions asked about Speed’s suicide and Socrates alcohol use and lifestyle, but they don’t really interest me. All I know is that I had the pleasure of watching two excellent players - from slightly removed eras of the game – showing us what it took to be truely exceptional in what they did and I’ll always be grateful for the memories.

Salisbury City 0 Grimsby Town 0

After one week away on holiday, I was given the weekend's big game to cover on Saturday!

Joking aside, it was good fun and while it was sad to see Grimsby playing in the second round of the Cup as a non-league outfit, they and the home side put on a decent show in front of just over 2000 fans.

Salisbury play their footbball one flight below the Mariners in the Blue Square South, but showed they are a decent team and dominated in the first half.

Speaking to former Cambridge United striker turned central defender Brian Dutton afterwards, the man of the match  - who played in midfield - told me:

"I was hoping that Stockport would soften Grimsby up for us in midweek, but then they lost by seven goals so it didn't quite turn out like that!"

Maybe not, but Grimsby may just have used up all of their goalscoring luck in that game because Dutton managed to clear one effort off the line, keeper Mark Scott made one terrific fingertip save and winger Michael Coulson inexplicably skied a six yard shot over the bar with Scott stranded and an open goal begging.

In fact Coulson - who to his credit was willing to face the media - told me:

"I was just going to roll it into the bottom corner and looked up to see it flying high over the bar and haven't a clue how it happened. I'm going to have to watch the television replays to finsd out, but it must have taken a bobble before I hit it."

It was tough on Coulson who was Grimsby's best player on the day, but I suspect that he and his team mates will right that wrong up at Blundell Park in the replay.

Scott looks a decent keeper and is on loan from Paolo di Canio's Swindon. The stopper told me:

"I'm just happy to be playing in the second round. Last year I played for Swindon Supermarine in the first round, but then got recalled before the next tie against Colchester. This time my loan spell doesn't run out until after the third round and so if we go through, I might get to face United!"

Indeed he might. I think though that on Saturday he was talking about Manchester United. By Sunday afternoon the third round draw had been made and the wnner of the replay will face a trip to Sheffield United.

Still, not a tie to be sniffed at by any means for either of these two teams.

While my money would be on Grimsby to progress, if the Salisbury players show as much heart and effort as they did on Saturday, they might well still make the trip to Yorkshire themselves. I just hope that having done themselves proud against Grimsby, they can take this form into their league games and start pushing to join Grimsby in the Blue Square Premier division next season.

Oxford City 1 Redbridge 2

When you're carrying a dodgy bad back and pumped full of painkillers, the last thing you need is a damp night in the stands watching a football game, but I have to say I'd forgotten all about it by the time extra time kicked off.

Whichever team won this one was going to make a little history and in the end it was Redbridge who came back from a goal down - Ben Bradbury scoring the winner. An ecstatic Bradbury gushed:

"This is the proudest day of my life. To go one-nil down, come back and then win it in extra time is unbelievable."

Talking to a couple of their lads after the game, it turns out that the FA Cup and FA Trophy runs they have been involved in this year have (or will) net them in the region of £100,000 - a sum that many lower league full time outfits would be more than happy with.

The excitement in the Redbridge camp last night as they prepared for the long coach trip home was there for all to see and manager Terry Spillane summed it up when he said:

"It's dream time. I'm elated and delighted. Everyone thought we'd blown it when we drew at home, but we love being underdogs because basically that's what we are."

Well, if he likes being the underdog, Spillane should enjoy the next FA Cup game then. Redbridge now travel to moneybags and League Two promotion favourites Crawley Town in the second round and, while it would appear to be a tonking waiting to happen on paper, they do have nothing to lose and so I wish them well.


As regular readers will know, I cover a decent number of games at the Kassam watching Oxford United during a season and it struck me that - if they have a couple of quid spare - the non-travelling Us fans could do worse than nip along to watch Oxford City for their football fix.

City have a nice set up, a friendly staff and a former United legend in Mike Ford managing the team. Oh, and the facilities are new and being developed all of the time.

The quality of the football is obviously well below the level of League Two and while Ford was non too impressed with last night's performance, the desire, passion and support is definitely there - albeit on a smaller scale.

Despite being obviously annoyed, Ford said:

"I have no complaints. On the night they were the better team and good luck to them against Crawley."

I don't get along to many non-league clubs these days unless they are involved in the FA Cup as these two were last night, but I've made a note to pop along to watch City the next time I get a day off.

My clipping from this morning's paper

Oxford City v Redbridge

I'm off to see the battle of the minnows tonight in the FA Cup 1st round.

These clubs played out a goalless draw in the original fixture and so a result is on the cards this evening even if they do have to go to extra time and penalties on a cold, wet and foggy evening in Oxford.

Both teams have larger league neighbours in Oxford United and Dagenham & Redbridge and so this is a rare opportunity for them to edge into the spotlight.

The winners face an away trip to League Two moneybags Crawley Town in the next round. Not the glamour tie that many would have hoped for and, with the televised fixtures already announced, there will be no extra dosh on offer. However, for clubs of this size, the revenue for reaching the first round is useful in itself - let alone the more lucrative second round bunce.

The only other time I have seen Oxford City was when a certain Bobby Moore was in charge many, many years ago. And so, to get my bearings, I popped along to the club yesterday evening.

City have a decent sized ground and I hope that it will be packed tonight. There is no real rivalry between United and City and so with a bit of luck some of the Us fans will drop in to cheer the home side along.

I don't really know too much about either side - and so expect to spend the rest of the day with my friends Google and Wikipedia - but despite the weather, I'm looking forward to watching a good, honest game between two sets of players who obviously play for the love of the game, the passion and yes, maybe an outside chance of a moment in the sun.

Wycombe Wanderers 0 Bournemouth 1

When Stuart Beavon stepped up to ram home an equaliser from the spot, most people expected that would be the outcome. Beavon is a class act and has been Mr. Reliable for the Chairboys this season, but on this occasion the ball flew high and wide and an hour later the Cherries headed for the south coast with all three points.

As it eventually turned out, Bournemouth's leading scorer Marc Pugh had already settled the game with the only goal minutes before Beavon's miss and his club's shaky start to the season and recent improvement shows that hard work and team spirit can indeed turn things around.

Football can be a fast changing business. Bournemouth striker Wes Thomas - who left Cheltenham for Crawley in the summer - is a case in point.

I caught up with Wes after the game and while he kept the reasons to himself, told me that what he had thought would be a dream move to Crawley, just didn't turn out that way. After a few games he was loaned out to Bournemouth and then suddenly found his career was back on track. He'll be joining the club on a two and a half year deal in January, but given the effort he put in on Saturday, he's already bought into manager Lee Bradbury's plans.

The same goes for every other Bournemouth player and none more so than winger Pugh who worked the flanks tirelessly both in attack and in support of his full back.

Pugh was the sole survivor of Eddie Howe's regime to start on Saturday and was hotly tipped to leave the club last summer, but told me how he sees Bradbury as someone with the same ability as Howe. His commitment on the pitch was reflected in his words and, with the likes him, Thomas and their team mates, Bradbury can expect his side to carry on their rise up the table.

If Wycombe can take a leaf out of Bournemouth's book, there is no reason why they can't do the same. They just need a little change of luck. As someone once said, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

 

My clipping from this morning's paper

Wycombe v Bournemouth

I've been asked to cover the game at Adams Park tomorrow where Bournemouth are the visitors and this is one of the games that the Chairboys really should be looking to win if they are to survive their first season back in League One.

Bournemouth threatened to upset the odds and were pushing for promotion last season, but they are finding life a little tougher this time around. Having said (typed) that, they have taken seven points from their last three league games and so are no mugs.

I hope that Wycombe's defeat to Fleetwood in the FA Cup last weekend has left no psychological scars on the squad because there is no doubt in my mind that - on the evidence I have seen this season - they are more than capable of beating the drop.

Apparently some Wycombe fans have started to get on manager Gary Waddock's back - ah, what short memories we football fans have.

The Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Bucks Free Press have quoted Waddock as saying:

“I’ve had a lot of challenges since I’ve been at this club. This is another challenge for me but I’m one to roll my sleeves up and battle through it. You become stronger as an individual and as a group when you come through these periods. People will say what they like, all I’m doing is concentrating on trying to turn this around.”

Wycombe have a reputation for bringing through good young managers and the board will know that - despite their current problems - Waddock is precisely that. As far as I am aware, the players are also solidly behind him and keeper Nikki Bull has said in his column for the Bucks Free Press:

"The one man I felt most sorry for was the gaffer, a man who has brought nearly every single one of us to the football club, put his faith in us, shown us loyalty and above all, shown us complete respect as players. Unfortunately this respect has not been repaid to him by us as players in our performances in the last couple of months.

When results are bad at a football club, the manager is always an easy place to start in terms of looking to put things right, but in this case, the responsibility for these performances lies solely at our feet. The manager and the coaching staff prepare us in the best possible way and give us all the tools and facilities to go out and produce on a Saturday.

The one thing the gaffer cannot coach is heart, passion and will to win once a player goes over that white line. It’s time for us as a group to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves some tough questions. Are we doing enough? Are we as committed as we could be? Are we going through the motions knowing full well our wages will still be in our accounts come the end of the month?"

His words speak volumes when the question. "Has the manager lost the dressing room?" is asked. In my experience, if you have an honest bunch of players who take their responsibilities seriously and stick together, then, more often than not, you'll come out of the other side smiling. From what Nikki says, Waddock has no worries on that score.

And Cherries boss Lee Bradbury is certainly not taking Wycombe for granted. He told the local newspaper The Daily Echo:

"Gary Waddock has got his team working hard and the crowd really get behind them. They have got some good players and some good goalscorers so it will be another difficult game."

A handshake? Really Sepp?

Another gaff from the man who heads up world football. Seemingly untouchable FIFA President Sepp Blatter has decreed that a handshake following racial abuse should be enough to make everything right again. The man is a joke - a bad one.
He then decides that everyone misunderstood him. No Sepp, we understand just fine. You are a dinosaur from another generation at best or a latent racist at worst. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and presume it's the former. Either way, he's not fit to head up the world's greatest game, played by people in every nation, of every religion and all shades of skin tone.
I'm a fortunate middle-England, white guy and have never suffered the racist abuse or attacks that some of my friends have endured, but bigotry in any form needs fighting and not brushing off with a shake of the hand. And it needs fighting by all of us.
We've all played football at different levels and many of us might have lost our rags during a game and lashed out, but giving someone a whack in retaliation is an instinctive thing. Hurling racial abuse takes a little more mental effort (ironic given the low IQ of the average racist) and - in my humble view - belies a person's true feelings.
Most people who are as crass as Blatter is (let's not forget his comments about women's football and what they should, or rather shouldn't be wearing) would have been out on their ears by now, but this man doesn't answer to anyone having surrounded himself with 'yes' men who appear to be in his debt for whatever reason.
I wonder what some of them think about Blatter this evening. Then again, maybe their bulging bank accounts somehow prevent them from worrying too much about morality.

Let's not get too carried away ... or too negative

England play Sweden tonight after what I thought was a decent performance against the World Champions Spain on Saturday, but I was as perplexed at the negative comments of the experts (especially those on the radio), as I was when people started raving about the squad when we qualified for last year's World Cup.

As soon England had qualified, too many people were suggesting they could "go all the way" and seemed to conveniently forget that we had played no nation of any real note in the qualifying groups.

The same thing has happened this time and so I hope that as we close in on the Euro finals next year, everyone remains realistic about our chances.

On the flip side, I actually thought that the England team did incredibly well against Spain. The side was missing at least six first choice players and their replacements did 'a job'. Spain are head and shoulders above every other side in the world at the moment - not just England - and so it's up to the coaches to find the right tactics to deal with them. They did and the players implemented them perfectly.

If they had tried to slug it out toe to toe with Spain, they would have been torn apart. But they played to their strengths and nicked the win. So good on 'em.

For me, tonight's game against Sweden though is probably more of an even match and will hopefully tell us more about our attacking options. Mind you England are more than capable of underestimating them in maybe the same way that the Spanish underestimated the resolve of the England team.

Hereford United 0 Yeovil Town 3

This scoreline probably flattered Yeovil, although only by the odd goal. They definitely deserved the win and now go on to face Fleetwood in the next round. At first glance you would think that Hereford will feel they haven't lost out by too much, but if ITV see the potential for a Cup upset, it could mean the Bulls lose out on what would have been useful TV revenue. Ah well, no point crying over what could have been.

Hereford definitely missed the twin wing threats of Leslie and Barkhuizen and I suspect that Nathan Elder, in particular, will have missed them more than most while he battled away on his todd up front.

And talking of 'Todds', I must have missed the news that Andy Todd has now left the club. A shame as his experience was proving pretty useful in Hereford's league revival.

But back to the Cup tie.

Both sides came into the game with concerns about their league positions, but I must say that none of the Yeovil players I spoke to had that haunted look in their eyes that often accompanies a relegation threaten team.

I had a chat with all three goal scorers (Ed Upson, Andy Williams and Dominic Blizzard) and they were all very upbeat about the spirit in the camp. Blizzard said it just didn't compare to the 'chaos' he witnessed at Bristol Rovers as they slid out of League One last season.

One of the BullsNewsBlog guys tweeted me during the game to point out that Williams had started his career at Hereford and was brought through the ranks by his dad who lost his job in the summer. Consequently I thought that Andy might have been holding a personal grudge, but he convinced me that nothing was further from the truth. He was obviously pleased to have scored a real cracker, but took no pleasure in helping dump the Bulls out of the Cup.

Hereford may well miss out on the money that a Cup run brings, but frankly, the priority is still to stay in the football league and to do this they must win the games that they are allowed to field their most effective players in - loanees or otherwise.

To be fair to McQuilkin, I thought he had a very good thirty minutes or so on the right flank, but even though he was quick and tricky, he didn't support Elder in the manner he has become accustomed to.

On the other wing Sam Clucas looked a little unsure on his professional debut. It was a big day for the lad and didn't go the way he would have wanted it to, but the fella sitting a few rows in front of me who shouted that he was rubbish should rein it in a bit and give the kid a chance.

All in all, a bad day for Hereford and a confidence booster for Yeovil who were probably in need of it just a little bit more.

My clipping from this morning's paper

Hereford v Yeovil - FA Cup 1st Round

Unlike the JPT and even the League Cup, there is something about the FA Cup, its history and tradition that gets a football fan's juices flowing.

As an exiled Newcastle fan myself, I can think of no better place to watch an FA Cup tie than Edgar Street, knowing as I do, that I'll get through the day without the Bulls giant killing act of 1972 even being mentioned!

Ah well, that's football. You have to be able to take the rough with the smooth and just move on. And after nearly forty years - and the memory of tears flowing as I watched the teleprinter results come in on Final Score - I think I'm just about ready to do so!

Ironically, I have become a bit of a fan of Hereford in recent years (as I have for most of the teams on my patch) and I'd love to see them progress to the next round and edge closer to a big money tie. The way the lads there have reacted, following a less than impressive start to the league campaign, has been pretty impressive and shows what good spirit, graft and team work can achieve.

The excellent Bulls News blog (http://bullsnews.blogspot.com) is reporting that keeper David Cornell will be available for selection before going off to Armenia to sit on the bench for Wales U-21 tussle.

Between the opposition sticks, Yeovil goal keeping coach Gareth Stewart, 31, is set to make his debut in place of Marek Stech who is off on U-21 duty himself - the Czechs being a little less accommodating the the Welsh.

Meanwhile Hereford manager Jamie Pitman will be locked in a tactical battle with former team mate Terry Skiverton. Pitman spent a couple of seasons playing for the Somerset club - two goals in 34 outings - and so this adds a little extra spice to the fixture.

Yeovil seem to be struggling in League One this term and on the face of it you would have to think that they are there for the taking. However, Skiverton bleeds green and white and will have his players up for this game. A decent FA Cup run for a team struggling in the league can often act as a catalyst for the bread and butter stuff.

Another super blog, Yeovil's Ciderspace (http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/) has reported Skiverton as calling this a 'must win' game. He also said:

"I've not had a cup run, and I've been very frustrated with past seasons, and what we've done in the cups. So I'm putting a bit of pressure on the boys that we've got to get through. It's a very important game for us, and it's one where we've gone into the cup competitions before and I've said it's a week off - no, this is a must-win game for us. We want a good cup run. I definitely want a cup run, and we're going to make sure that we do everything to get through this round."


It's going to be a tight game I feel, but I'm backing Hereford to build on their recent revival. Whatever happens though, at 4.45pm I'm certain I won't be able to shake off memories of that bloody teletext from the 3rd round replay a lifetime ago. :-)

A reminder of what it's really all about... Officers and men of the 17th Middlesex

I'm unashamedly cutting and pasting a Daily Mail piece by Alan Fraser from yesterday's paper below. Given that it is Remembrance Day and it is a well written and timely article, I hope this is okay with you all. A link to my own blog post from last year on 11/11 follows at the foot of Alan's article. I'll be posting a more trite piece on Hereford v Yeovil later in advance of my trip to Edgar Street tomorrow. Best, Jeff

*******

The Football Battalion never played at Flanders Field where the poppy grew long before becoming a symbol of remembrance. But the professionals and supporters who joined the 17th Service (Football) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, to use its full name, lost a lot more than a game at the Somme.

They lost many of their 600-strong team, including, to name just one of the dead, Evelyn Lintott, the England international and Queens Park Rangers stalwart.

Which is why FIFA - though needing a deal of persuading - simply had to unearth sufficient common sense for a compromise which will allow the England players to attach commemorative poppies to their black armbands for the game against Spain on Saturday.

First Football', as the battalion became known, was formed on December 12 1914, by William Joynson-Hicks, later a post-war Home Secretary. England centre half Frank Buckley, better known as 'Major Frank Buckley', who played for a host of clubs, including both Manchester teams and Birmingham City, was the first to join.

Three weeks earlier in Scotland, the Hearts team, then the best in the country, joined the British Army en masse. Seven players never returned home.

There had been an initial slowness among the professionals to enlist. Contracts were said to be the problem, with clubs keen to keep playing to offer a release for the general public from the daily horrific tales from the front line. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stepped in with an appeal.

'If a footballer has strength of limb, let them serve and march in the field of battle,' he declared. And they did. By March 1915, 122 professional footballers had joined the regiment, including the entire Clapton (now Leyton) Orient team.

Walter Tull, of Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town, enlisted and went on to become the first black combat officer in the British Army.

Vivian Woodward, the prolific-scoring England centre forward and Chelsea hero, was another. It was his presence which persuaded many a Blues supporter to head for the front with recruiting posters specifically - some said shamelessly - targeting the football fraternity.

Major Buckley later wrote that by the mid-1930s more than 500 of the original 600 men in the Football Battalion were dead, either killed in action or dying from wounds suffered during the fighting.

Last October, a Footballers' Battalion Memorial was unveiled in Longueval in France for the 17th Battalion and the 23rd, which was formed in 1915. We shall all remember them.

Taken from yesterday's Daily Mail. Follow the link (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2059660/Officers-men-17th-Middlesex--Football-Battalion.html)%20to see the full article including photographs of these brave men.


My piece from last year: "Football's just .. football." : http://jefftaplin.blogspot.com/2010/11/footballs-just-football.html

St. James's Burke

And so the greed of the money men ensures another kick in the nuts for the average football fan.


What Mike Ashley at Newcastle and all the other football owners fail to appreciate - as they sell off history and tradition for a few extra quid - is that it is precisely those traits that helped to attract big foreign television audiences in the first place. If they want to kill the game they should carry on taking a leaf out of Sport USA's book.

Look at the NBA and the NFL.

Go into a bar just about anywhere in the States now and take a look around at how many people watch the games. To be fair the end of season play-off games generate a little more interest, but I've lost count of the number of times I've been sitting in a busy bar in the US and wondered why I'm the only one interested in watching sports I barely understand.

The reason, of course, is that no-one else is from out of town and they all have better things to do - which in itself is a condemnation of the entertainment (for that is basically what it is supposed to be) on offer.

When punters hardly give the television in the bar a second glance, then it's time for the landlord to question the point of paying for the service. And when that happens the whole house of cards starts to fall.

When you start messing with the product against the wishes of the customer, they stop buying. Given the current economic climate, which is set to stay or get worse for some time yet, people are already looking for excuses to save money on things that aren't essential. When you have kids to feed and clothe and mortgage payments to keep up with, football isn't a priority anymore - even up in Toon. Upsetting the punters just makes it that bit easier for them to make that tough decision.
And it's not just up in Newcastle where they are desperately trying to squeeze and a few extra quid as the well gradually goes dry. Chelsea is allegedly going to follow suit and who's to say Old Trafford won't be next?
"Unthinkable", say the loyal red Mancs. Really? If Ashley is looking for 10 million to rename St. James’s Park, there must be a Glazier somewhere asking that unthinkable question.
Ultimately though, I guess I could live with some of our great and historical sporting venues being renamed, if it wasn't for the fact that it just smacks of selling off the family silver on the Titanic before she goes down.
It will be an interesting to see which company dares risk the wrath of the Geordie public by putting their company name on the stadium. I estimate a downturn in sales across the whole of the north east for whichever company takes the plunge. Newcastle's fans won't wish to buy any goods from a company that has effectively stripped the club of its name and Sunderland fans won't want to buy anything from a company whose name is associated with Newcastle.

Last men standing

Following last night's JPT fixtures, only Swindon remain in the competition from the sides on my 'patch'.

Oxford lost by one goal to Southend, but lost two players to red cards in the process (the Shrimpers also had a player dismissed). And while neither striker Tom Craddock - sent off for fighting - or keeper Wayne Brown (handling outside of his area) are part of Chris Wilder's starting eleven, the Oxford boss will see their loss for the next few games as the biggest negative of the night.

Wilder will have eyes on promotion and so, while I'm sure that no-one at the Kassam will have been happy about losing last night, he'll be able to concentrate his efforts on the league and have a little fun in the FA Cup.

Cheltenham also went down at home - by two goals to Barnet. Mark Yates called the performance "hopeless", but blamed himself for making too many changes. Mind you, just like Wilder, I suspect that Yates will be happy to focus on the league. His first team are going well in the league and playing good football, but they haven't got a lot of money to throw about at Whaddon Road and so, just like Oxford, the focus needs to be the bread and butter stuff. A play-off final at Wembley  is likely to generate more interest among the green welly brigade in the Cotswolds than the final of the JPT anyway.

Paolo di Canio's troops continued their march towards JPT glory by seeing off the threat of AFC Wimbledon. They eventually got through to the next round by winning 3-1 on pens. The score was 1-1 after 90 minutes, Oliver Risser scoring for the Robins with a long range effort.

Keeper Phil Smith was the Town hero of the evening saving three of the Womble penalties.

Poppy goes - the weasels

As readers of this site will no doubt be aware, I'm not a fan of FIFA.
The governing body for world football has now decreed that the England team should not have the Remembrance Day poppy symbol on their shirts as it is against the rules. Ah well, rules is rules I suppose.
However, while driving back from Bristol City on Saturday, one of the more intelligent callers suggested that the England players wear poppy armbands and why not?
Sticking a poppy on the shirt now will just cause confrontation (ironic given that the message of the poppy symbol is remembrance so that we avoid confrontation), but if there are no rules stopping the players wearing armbands, then why not?

Bristol City 3 Burnley 1

Crisis? What crisis?

I hadn't seen too much of City before my visit to Ashton Gate on Saturday and must admit I feared the worst on the drive down. They hadn't won at home all season, appeared to be rooted in the bottom three and usually when that's the case, the atmosphere at a club is never nice.

Last season I witnessed it at Swindon, Bristol Rovers and Walsall for much of the season and even though I'm a neutral, I get to know quite a few of the players and wouldn't wish any of them ill.

However, it appears that the arrival of new boss Derek McInnes from St. Johnstone has galvanised the troops.

Liam Fontaine told me in the car park that while goalscorer Stephen Pearson - on loan from Derby - was obviously out to impress, everyone else was doing the same thing. Fontaine also told me how proud he was to be given the skipper's armband by McInnes and personally I think that was a master stroke on the manager's part as I don't think I've ever seen Fontaine giving anything less than 100% for the team - even when he's had a bad day at the office which is pretty rare.

Pearson admitted that he was hoping to win a permanent deal at the club after his two month loan deal finished and described it as a "long job interview". He admitted he didn't know too much about the goal and thought it came off his, er, lower abdominal area, but his 50 yard dash merited the final touch no matter which part of his anatomy it came off.

I also caught up with Albert Adomah in the car park and told him that just before he scored, I felt it just wasn't going to be his day. He was terrifying the Burnley defence with his runs, but to their credit (and his frustration) they kept getting a toe in just as he was about to deliver the final ball.

His goal was a real cracker though when it came, although Albert himself described it as a lazy strike.

He told me he was slipping and also felt a defender closing in on him and so hit a "lazy shot". McInnes probably won't be encouraging his or any of the other players to take the lazy option, but equally he won't mind if a few more goals like this one go in.

A word for super-sub Brett Pitman.

Pitman is quite a laid back lad, but he obviously wants to make a name for himself and has now scored three goals this season without having a decent run in the side. His big problem would appear to be that he has Nicky Maynard ahead of him in the pecking order and Nicky is no slouch himself. For me, accommodating them both is the real answer for City in the long term (assuming they can keep hold of Maynard). Both lads are natural goalscorers and put in hard working shifts for the team as well. In fact Maynard was a real unsung hero on Saturday and I know McInnes rated his performance. I wonder if he can persuade Nicky to stay at the club now. The next few months will be interesting.

Finally, I felt like I was in a minority of one on Saturday evening and was banging on to anyone who would listen about the central midfield partnership between Marvin Elliott and Neil Kilkenny.

Elliott put himself about, took the knocks and kept things ticking over while Kilkenny was prodding, probing and pushing City forward at every opportunity. I thought the pair of them were excellent and - without wishing to downplay the efforts of anyone else - thought they gave the Robins the platform they needed for this victory.

My clipping from this morning's Sun

Oxford United 2 Port Vale 1

There are a lot of games to go this season, but - for me - this was the game in which Oxford showed their real credentials as real challengers for the League Two title.

Port Vale will be there or there abouts in May make no mistake and they did a decent job to stop the home side from playing the passing game Chris Wilder loves to see, but Peter Leven showed that they can adapt and play the long ball game if required.

I'm referring of course to Leven's superb 45 yard strike that left opposing keeper Stuart Tomilinson lost for words - other than those of apology he was heard offering up to team mates as they went to warm down after the game.

Ryan Clarke pulled off a great save from Vale skipper Marc Richards's penalty to make sure of the win and told me afterwards that Tomlinson had "been a bit lippy" in the tunnel before the game. I guess sometimes it's better to let your football do the talking.

Clarke wouldn't reveal what was said or to who, but as the Oxford players jumped on Leven to celebrate his superb goal, it was noticeable that Jake Wright had his attention turned towards the Oxford Mail end where Tomlinson was standing shamed-faced. At first I thought captain Wright was just celebrating with the Us faithful, but - given that he would have been one of the closest to the Port Vale keeper in the tunnel - I now wonder whether he was politely enquiring as to the stopper's thoughts at that moment!

Leven picked up the man of the match award it's difficult to argue with the decision given the quality of his goal and his all round contribution, but I have to say I was impressed with Alfie Potter's work rate on Saturday afternoon. The lad played as if he was after a new contract rather than someone who had just signed a new deal.

Equally, that is the best I've seen James Constable play in the games I've seen this season.

But on the whole, you couldn't point to a single Oxford player and question his commitment and that bodes well if they can steer clear of injuries and suspensions.

One player they definitely need to wrap in cotton wool is Paul McLaren, 34, who quietly goes about his job keeping things ticking over and feeding the younger legs belonging to Simon Heslop, Liam Davis, Potter and Leven.

As a neutral, this was a great game to be at and, to be fair, Port Vale played their part. Richards is one of the most dangerous strikers in the division and will end up at the top end of the scoring charts.

A final word about Michael Duberry. The former Chelsea man has (according to those who have seen a lot more of Oxford than me this season) been the team's most consistent performer. On Saturday he scored his first goal for the club and to say he was happy about it is an understatement. He ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Oxford Mail end, pausing only to acknowledge friends and family in the main stand.

I don't care what team you support, when you see someone like Duberry playing in your colours it renews your faith in the game. He's been there, got the t-shirt and, at 36 years old, has nothing to prove - but he's giving his all for the cause.

He told me after the game that he'd been told that he had become the oldest player to ever score for Oxford. I don't know whether that's true, but if so, I wouldn't bet against him breaking his own record before the season's out.

When he told me that only he and Peter Leven were technically gifted enough to score from 45 yards he had a cheeky grin on his face, but you know what, I bet he tries it at some point.

My piece from this morning's paper

Oxford v Port Vale

It's another trip to the Kassam for me tomorrow to see whether Oxford can build on Tuesday night's 5-1 drubbing of Plymouth.

Oxford have lost only one game in their last ten fixtures (1-0 against Gillingham) and so are in a good run of form, but tomorrow's opponents Port Vale shouldn't be taken too lightly as they've only lost once on their travels this term.

I know striker Tom Pope quite well and he has secured a move to the club he has supported all his life. He's a Vale nut (a bit like Robbie Williams, but without the voice!) and is one of those players we all like to see turing out for our respective clubs. Whole-hearted and prepared to die for the cause. Pope has scored four goals this season and co-striker Marc Richards has found the net five time - suggesteing a partnership has been formed.

But it isn't just the front two who Oxford need to keep an eye on. Midfielders Sean Rigg, Gary Roberts and Doug Loft have shared thirtenn goals as well.

In Mickey Adams, Vale have a very experienced man at the helm and it will be interesting to watch the tactical battle with Chris Wilder in the opposite dugout.

Wilder played for Adams at Brighton and it is obvious that the Vale boss rates him. He said:

"When there's talk about young managers being promoted up to the Premier League and the Championship levels, then I think clubs should be looking at the likes of Chris.


"Forget the team, if Oxford's board look at their assets I hope they recognise the fact he is their number one asset.That's how highly I rate him, but because he does his job in a quiet and proficient manner and is not as high profile as other managers, he can fall by the wayside when other jobs are talked about.

"But one thing I know about Oxford with Chris in charge is that they will be fit and organised."

More later as and when ....

Wycomvbe Wanderers 1 Charlton Athletic 2

Better late than never!

I'm afraid after Tuesday night's game at Adams Park I had to fly out to Germany for a couple of days and so apologies for my tardiness in getting these worthless thoughts to you.

Before the game I must admit I was concerned that Wycombe might find themselves on the wrong end of a footballing lesson from arguably the division's promotion favourites.

And in the first half it appeared that my concerns were about to be realised, but credit to the Chairboys, they came out positively after the break and once Stuart Beavon had pulled a goal back, Charlton looked fairly uncomfortable and I suspect they were a little relieved to get on the bus with all three points.

The club slipped into the relegation zone on the back of this defeat, but there really isn't the air of doom and despondency about the place that I felt at Swindon, Bristol Rovers and Walsall for much of last season.

Team spirit and good management will count for a lot in Buckinghamshire this season. Survival in the division has been what this season is all about from day one and everyone knows it, including the fans. So unlike Swindon and Rovers who had been expected to push on following decent shows in the preceding season, Wycombe are already rolling up their sleeves and getting ready for the scrap ahead. On the plus side, Gary Waddock has assembled a squad of players who seem to be prepared to fight for the cause and play decent football as well.

They have another tough game this weekend when Sheffield Wednesday visit and - while I'm sure they will be giving it their all - it's another fixture against what is (or should be) a Championship outfit. The run of games following this one include tussles with Bournemouth, Carlisle, Exeter, Stevenage and Chesterfield and I suspect that these are games that Waddock has targeted as 'winnable'.

My clipping from Wednesday's paper

Wycombe v Charlton

I think I may be going along to see the future League One champions play at Adams Park tonight - and sorry Chairboys, I mean Charlton.

Chris Powell's boys have already set the early pace and promotion is long overdue ofter a few years in the lower league wilderness.

Of more interest to me will be how Wycombe cope.

I think that most people would agree that, on paper, Charlton have the stronger side, but on the occasions I have seen Wycombe this season, one thing they are not short of is spirit.

Gary Waddock has definitely assembled a team who believe that they can survive in this division, but there is no doubt in my mind that this fixture will prove to be their sternest test.

Hereford United 1 Barnet 0

Sometimes you just have to take one for the team ... and I'm not talking football here, but writing for the papers.

While a player might think that he is playing a great game, but still finds himself being hooked to the bench by the manager, he often just has to bite his lip for the greater good. That is the position I find myself in this morning.

My clipping from this morning's paper follows below, but doesn't tell the full story of my post-match conversations with Stefan Stam and particularly Nathan Elder. So for the Hereford fans, here is a fuller version.

I initially met up with Nathan pitch side after the game - and then again in the car park - and he was obviously delighted to have scored. But the story didn't end there.

It was two years ago today that Nathan last found the back of the net in a League game for Shrewsbury and he said:

"I suffered a bad injury to my face close to the eye and needed surgery. Then when I came back from that, I had a cruciate ligament injury that kept me out evven longer. If you include the sumer break when I was doing rehab, I was out for about 21 months.

"There was a point when I really didn't think I'd play again and that goal was for all the people who have stuck by me and kept me going. My family, friends and mates in the game like Craig Disley (Bristol Rovers and Grimsby midfielder), the Shrewsbury physio and Dodge, the physio here at Hereford.

"At Shrewsbury I'd find myself in the physio's room before everyone had arrived and then the last to leave, but eveyone tried to keep my spirits up.

"It has been so long since I'd scored that I didn't even know how to celebrate and so just ran towards my 15 month son Kayden in the stands to give him a little wave. It was his first football game and so he's my lucky mascot now. Whether he likes it or not he'll be at every game from now on!"

Nathan went on:

"When I was subbed I just sat on the bench thinking about all of the people who had helped me and supported me. I thought of all of the bad times and how I thought it was all over. Kayden wasn't even born the last time I scored. It was quite emotional sitting there.No tears, but still emotional."

Last week I ran with a story about Tom Barkhuizen, Nathan and David Cornell playing with spiders in their shared house. It was a fun piece and frankly that's what football should be about. Smiling and having a laugh and a bit of banter.

On other occasions an individual's personal story can be more interesting. Those tales about battling back against the odds and winning through need telling because they are inspirational and uplifting. Especially when nice guys like Nathan Elder are involved. I look forward to seeing him adding to his tally and continuing his fightback whether it is with Hereford or elsewhere (his loan deal from Hayes & Yeadiong runs out at the end of this week). I'm sure Bulls' fans will agree his work rate certainly merits a change in fortune.

On a lighter note, I also bumped into Stefan Stam in the car park and made the point of congratulating him and the defence on a good solid show. Stefan nodded, but pointed to the addition of Andy Todd, 37, as a key reason why they have been looking a lot more solid at the back. He said:

"Andy's experience has definitely made a difference. He's played at the top level and knows what he's doing. The trouble is though, that at his age I need to help him out of the shower after a game!"

Ah, even when you have a lump in your throat, you can count on a footballer to bring you back down to earth with a smile.

My clipping from this morning's paper

Hereford v Barnet

The Bulls take on Barnet tomorrow in another bottom of the table clash at Edgar Street and I have been asked to cover it for Monday's paper.
The home side will be hoping to build on the performance last weekend against Bradford, during which you could see their collective confidence grow as the game wore on.
Barnet are only two points and two places ahead of Hereford who themselves are one place off bottom spot in the table - currently being kept warm by Plymouth.
Despite Plymouth's well documented financial problems, I think most football fans expect them to rally at some point soon and so it's important that Hereford start racking up a few points of their own.
With games against Northampton and Torquay following tomorrow's game, there is an opportunity to do just that and - if manager Jamie Pitman and new Director of Football Gary Peters have maintained the buzz created by the win against the Bantams - they might well be in a position to build a winning run.
Barnet will be without 24 year old Charlie Taylor who has - correctly in my opinion - received a three match ban for spitting at an opponent during last weekend's win at Aldershot. Not something any fan or player likes to see and while the ref missed the incident, the TV cameras didn't.
However, co-striker Izale McLeod will be in the starting line up and despite the club's lowly position, the former Charlton man has been knocking ion the goals this term - ten in all competitions so far. Hereford's defence will need to stay alert.
McLeod is still only 27 years old, but an experienced campaigner. He made one substitute's appearance for the England U-21 side in a 3-1 win over Norway and so is obviously no mug. He's also a bit of a hero in Barnet for scoring the penalty against Port Vale last season that kept the club in League Two. Stefan Stam and Andy Todd beware!
Another player to watch out for is 24 year old Ricky Holmes. Holmes joined Barnet after being released by Chelmsford City in 2010 so that he could pursue his dream of playing at a higher level. While he suffered injuries in his first professional campaign, he has hit the back of the net in his last three outings for Barnet.
The Essex-born striker has come off the pitch with concussion in the last two games and is due a late fitness test before tomorrow's tussle.
The excellent Bulls News blog (http://bullsnews.blogspot.com/) is reporting that 37 year old Todd might be offered a longer deal at the club. Todd, who is the son of former Derby County and England legend Colin, has built a reputation for himself in the game with clubs such as Blackburn Rovers as a no-nonsense defender and following last week's performance, boss Jamie Pitman said:
"I thought he was fantastic. It's a month at the moment. If he shows what is he capable of doing I'm sure it will be longer than just a month."

Creeping crisis

The news this week that Accrington Stanley's non playing club staff (from Chief Executive Rob Heys down) are reportedly being asked to  take a whopping 40% cut in wages is not only a worrying development for the Lancashire club, but a warning of the measures that some other outfits in the lower two divisions may have to take.

While Accrington is well off my 'beat', the club's situation is worth mentioning because several of the clubs I do cover are now sitting in League Two.

Last season after Macclesfield played at Hereford I had a chat with the then manager Gary Simpson who told me that he had players on the pitch that evening who were being paid £250 a week and so it's important that fans don't get the impression that it's the lads kicking the ball who are bleeding clubs dry.

The money filtering down football's food chain has all but dried up and it is time that the FA, the Football League and the Premier League clubs got together and took a long hard look at how the leagues are structured and financed for the good of the game long term.

The fact that there are owners of clubs in the Premier League who are making noises about making the top flight a closed shop can only add to the lower league clubs' concerns. With no prospect of fighting to reach the 'promised land' (even if, for some, it is pure fantasy), another incentive to follow the smaller teams is removed. The romance disappears as quickly as the crowds.

Fortunately people like Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan and Sir Alex Ferguson are around to pour scorn on the idea. But they are real football people who have both spent their lives on the pitch as well as in the board room or dug out.

But what of the growing number of men and women in top flight boardrooms who are just as interested in the results of the half-yearly finances as the results of the games themselves? Do their priorities really lend themselves to the long term interests of football? I fear they may not.

Reading 2 Derby County 2

Robbie Savage built a reputation as a hard man midfielder over many years  - last night he lost it!

It has to be said though that his tango at half time with Strictly Come Dancing partner Ola Jordan was the highlight of the evening on the pitch - thank God then for Adam Le Fondre.

Former Rotherham striker Le Fondre levelled twice for the Royals after Derby had gone ahead with goals from Theo Robinson and Tomasz Cywka and manager Brian McDermott's summer buy is now looking like a real steal at £350,000.

I had a chat with McDermott after the game and asked him whether Le Fondre had done much to adapt his game to the rigours of the Championship, but the manager said that there had been no need as the player was a naturally gifted footballer with and eye for goal and who worked hard for the team.

I have chatted to Adam a few times in recent seasons while he played for Rotherham and, in my opinion, there was no better striker in the bottom two divisions. He is a real poacher and if it hadn't been for a brilliant first half save from Frank Fielding last night, he would have notched up an eight yard header and ended up with a deserved hat trick.

Special mention to Meikle Leigertwood as well. It was the first time I had seen the lad play and in the first half in particular, I felt he controlled midfield.

And a final word about Robbie Savage. I'd like to appeal to all readers of this blog to vote for him and keep voting for him until he wins the Strictly Coming Dancing title. The longer he stays on the telly, the longer he stays off BBC's 606 show and the more I can enjoy my drive home after a game.

My clipping from this game

Reading v Derby

It my first trip to Berkshire tonight for what promises to be an exciting tussle between two of the Championship's in-form teams ... so 0-0 it will be then!

Reading are growing in confidence after a shaky start to the campaign, but go into this fixture unbeaten in five games after what was a shaky start to the season and so it's nice to see that Brian McDermott is managing to turn things around.

Winger Jimmy Kebe is touted for a return to the Royals' squad, but Jay Tabb who suffered concussion in last Saturday's fixture is definitely out while the club monitor his progress - although all seems to be going well.

Derby have lost in their last five trips to the Madejski Stadium and boss Nigel Clough - who has just signed a deal keeping him at Pride Park until 2015 - will be hoping that tonight's game puts and end to that dismal run.

But if County are to win they will have to do it without defender John Brayford who is injured.

And with leading marksman Steve Davies - five so far this season - out injured, Academy product Callum Ball, 19, may get only his second start with the club - the first this season. The youngster appeared off the bench on four other occasions last term, but has yet to find the net despite netting 31 times for the reserves and the youth team.

Hereford United 2 Bradford City 0

Unfortunately I was away in Amsterdam last week on 'business' and so struggled to get to a laptop and so apologies for not staying in touch - the Guinness was excellent though :-)

I returned to duty on Saturday afternoon to watch the Bulls take on the Bantams in a bottom of the table clash and saw the home side notch up their first win in seven.

As regular sufferers of this blog will know, I have had the opportunity to see Hereford several times recently and just felt they were slowly turning things around. It seems I might have got something right for a change!

Oxford probably deserved to win at Edgar Street, but none of the Herefords players let their heads drop.

They won a hard fought point against Cheltenham and did the same at Swindon. The signs were there that this was not a side prepared to roll over and that must be encouraging for the fans.

While I caught up with manager Jamie Pitman afterwards, it would be wrong to quote him verbatim as it really was just a general chat rater than an interview, I'm sure he won't mind me making some observations and giving the gist of what was said.

Pitman was understandably chuffed with the win, but after Tom Barkhuizen had popped over to shake his hand before going home, he pointed to the departing goalscorer and cited him as typical of the attitudes being shown by the dressing room.

They all just want to play and are backing each other all the way. They work hard and have smiles on there faces and lads like Barkhuizen and fellow goalscorer Steve Leslie (what a scorching 30 yard free kick by the way) are happy to be playing first team football and be given the opportunity to try and make it in the game.

More importantly for Hereford fans, Pitman feels they have the interests of the club at heart whether they are there on loan - like Barkhuizen and Leslie - or are on permanent deals.

While we were talking, young midfielder Harry Pell was being interviewed ten yards away and I asked Pitman if - like me - I thought that Pell had used his brain to draw the foul from Michael Flynn - resulting in the Bradford skipper's second booking and Leslie's goal. He agreed.

Pell had been on a surging run from half way and then drifted across Flynn and the invitation was clear: take my legs or I'm bearing down on goal - either way I'm getting something out of this.

Flynn took the bait followed shortly after by an early bath ... and a real rollocking from manager Phil Parkinson all the way back to Yorkshire, I suspect.

In the position Bradford are in, they need to be doing what Hereford have already done. Grind out points and build a confidence that was there for all to see in the home team.

Parkinson will turn things around there, I have no doubt. He's a good man and a good coach.

But Jamie Pitman is getting his reward now and I will quote one thing he said.

As Barkhuizen drifted away I mentioned the fact that he, Dave Cornell and Nathan Elder were all sharing the same house. He grinned, shook his head and said: "I just don't want to know what it's like in there ... but they're all good lads so I trust them."

My clipping from this morning's paper

Cheltenham Town 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Alan Bennett may have grabbed his first goal for Cheltenham, but every Robins player stepped up to the mark on Saturday and do look like genuine play-off contenders.

There's a long way to go of course, but Daggers John Still wasn't wrong when he said the "best team won".

Skipper Bennett's 40th minute header and Jimmy Spencer's 4th goal of the season in the 49th minute did the damage and the home said might have scored three or four more if it hadn't been for some great goalkeeping by Dagenham stopper Chris Lewington.

At the other end of the pitch, Scott Brown also pulled off a top class stop towards the end of the game to ensure his team mates ended the weekend in 7th place in League Two.

Given the fact that Brown has had to warm the bench in recent games as manager Mark Yates played on loan England U-21 Jack Butland, 18, he certainly made the point to his boss that he wasn't going to sulk Tevez like and was prepared to man up when called on.

Robins boss Yates asked Neil Howarth to talk to the media after the game and the first team coach said:


"Six points, and a great result in the cup at Wycombe, it's the end of a very good week."

"It's a very difficult team to pick, with the treatment room empty, players performing well, and everyone wanting to play. You do open yourself up to criticism if you only play one up front at home, but with the midfield three we played as one of the best in the league we can control that area well and create more chances than we would with two forwards on."

Cheltenham to put Daggers to the Sword?

I'm off to watch Cheltenham take on John Still's Dagenham & Redbridge tomorrow afternoon and the home fans must be getting excited after a few decent results that have left them just outside the play-off places and into the next round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.


But manager Mark Yates has been talking to the Gloucestershire Echo and warned against complacency. He said:

"We won't take Dagenham for granted and the message to the fans is for them not to either. It won't be an easy three points and the more support and encouragement they can give us, the more it will help us put in a performance.

"We all want a fast start and an early goal along with good, flowing football, but if that doesn't happen, stay patient and keep backing the boys because nobody will come here and lie down. They won't make it easy and they will come to disrupt us while also trying to impose their game on us, so it's about how we react and we have to keep believing."

Daggers were relegated from League One last season are currently above the relegation places in 20th place. They lost four on the trot before a home win last weekend against Crewe, but got knocked out of the JPT at home by Southend.

The Essex team were only formed in 1992 after a merger between Dagenham and, er, Redbridge (well, Redbridge Forest to be precise). They have some decent pros on the books which is why I suspect they are in a false position and so agree with Yates that Cheltenham shouldn't take them for granted.

One new name to me on their books is Oliver Lee, a 20 year old midfielder on loan from West Ham.

Another name that stood out when I looked at the squad was Medy Elito who scored three times for Cheltenham during thirteen loan games (he only played one game in his second spell at Whaddon Road earlier this year). It'll be interesting to see how he is received by the home fans, although I seem to remember he was a bit of a Robins' favourite.

Three points for Cheltenham for me in this one.

Johnstone's Paint Round Up

A great show from the clubs I write about last night. While I was sitting on the sofa watching the box instead of attending a game and watch from the Press Box, Swindon, Oxford and Cheltenham all progressed through to the next round with away wins.

Swindon notched up a win against Exeter thanks to a first half brace from on loan Birmingham striker Jake Jervis, 20, and then held on despite Daniel Nardiello pulling one back midway through the second period.

Jervis is with Swindon for one month and manager Paolo di Canio told the Swindon Advertiser:

“He comes from a top side in the Championship and he played a part in the game in the Europa League and that means the guy has talent.  He scored two goals and obviously he was happy. He probably could have scored three goals but he does not yet have the anger to score a third or fourth or fifth, but he is young and that will come.”

Oxford meanwhile pulled of a very good result against in form Aldershot who maybe have one eye on the League Cup game against Manchester United coming up in a couple of weeks.

Robbie Hall and Deane Smalley grabbed two second-half goals in the space of three minutes and even though Danny Hylton pulled one back for the home side it was too little, too late.

I was pleased for youngster Hall, 17, who is on loan from West Ham and has now scored three goals in five games, but I suspect that manager Chris Wilder will be happier that Smalley has now netted his first goal for the club. It was only four days ago that Wilder told the BBC that Smalley would prove a good long term acquisition for the club.

Wycombe bowed out of the JPT against lower league opposition Cheltenham and whatever I might written about this competition yesterday, Chairboys boss Gary Waddock obviously wasn't a happy man when he told the Bucks Free Press:

"There were opportunities given. How many took that opportunity? You saw it. I said quite a bit. That will remain in the dressing room. As I said on Saturday, it can't continue, and they know my feelings.  We can't defend like that and the scoreline could have been a bit more than what it was. We didn't deserve anything, especially if you defend that way - you're going to concede goals."

However, Robins manager Mark Yates was delighted with his team after seeing two goals from Darryl Duffy and one from Brian Smikle and he said:

""I thought we were excellent. The first 20 minutes we didn't start as well as we wanted to and after that we were superb. The whole group that travelled were fantastic. We left a few boys at home, but my squad's decent, we've made a few changes but we were excellent. Darryl's first goal was superb, but that's what he's about. All night he was a constant threat on the shoulder of defenders and he must have been a nightmare to mark he was outstanding, as were them all."

Winger Kevin Betsy pulled a goal back for Wycombe before Duffy sealed the win with his second.

Johnstone's Paint Trophy - Has it lost its gloss?

I guess the real question is: Did it have any gloss about it in the first place?

I get the feeling that in these days of economic austerity, the JPT isn't a competition that is going to have anyone but the most obsessive fan rushing to buy tickets.

The managers - with limited player numbers - are committed to fielding a team, but then must spend 90 minutes sweating over possible injuries that might see the squad depleted for the more important league fixtures ahead. While most will do the honourable thing and pay lip service to the sponsors, I haven't met one yet who really likes the competition ... unless of course they get to Wembley and end up winning it!

Wycombe take on Cheltenham tonight and Gary Waddock, in particular, must be seeing the fixture as an annoyance. His priority is to keep the Chairboys in League Two and an extended cup run in the JPT isn't going to help his cause.

But maybe the competition offers a little more to Cheltenham who are outsiders for a promotion place and far too good an outfit to be relegated. I suspect that FA Cup winners medals are beyond them this year and so maybe the JPT does offer a realistic chance of glory.

From a player's point of view, a medal is a medal and the chance of playing at Wembley is something that most of us mere mortals would kill for, so you can imagine how wonderful it would be for a professional.

The trouble is that you still have to get past the inconvenience of winning other ties to get there and the JPT fixtures - with the best will in the world - don't have quite the same allure or tradition as an FA Cup game for example.

As regular readers will know, both of these teams are on my patch and I really do wish them well and I'll follow every kick ... on the BBC website.

Keith Millen

Just heard the news that Keith Millen has left Bristol City after twelve years service to the club in various roles.

On a personal level it is a real shame that it didn't work out for him at Ashton Gate as he is a decent guy and was always a pleasure to talk to.

Unfortunately though, the football industry is a cut-throat one and results based and they just weren't going for the Robins.

Chairman Colin Sexstone recognised Millen's work for the club and said:  "I'd like to place on record my thanks to Keith for his 12 years of service at the club. He is an outstanding coach and we wish him all the very best for the future."

Going by the calls to 606 on Saturday evening, former Cardiff boss Dave Jones and Peter Reid who recently vacated the Plymouth 'nightmare' are both leading contenders as far as the fans are concerned.

I suspect that despite the recent run of bad form, most City fans will give Keith a warm welcome when he returns with another club or merely as a spectator. I do hope so.

Hereford United 0 Oxford United 1

Reading one of the Sunday papers, I saw one of my colleagues had written that Robbie Hall was the best player on the pitch. Well, with due respect to both Robbie and the journalist concerned, I’d have to say that, for me, that accolade really should go to Liam Davis the left back whose mazy run and cross led to Hall’s 32nd minute winner.

Each time I have seen Davis this season he has been exceptional and while Robbie is the man of the moment and will understandably get all of the headlines after his second goal in four senior outings, I think that Davis deserves a special mention as well.

His work rate and no little amount of skill are suited to a level higher than League Two and if he and his team mates continue putting in solid away performances like this one, they won’t be too far off come the end of the season.

But as I say, Robbie Hall’s header won the points for Oxford and so he also merits a great deal of praise and if any West Ham fans are reading this, they’ll be chuffed to know that they have a young lad on their books who has a good amount of skill and is a grafter.

Talking to Hall after the game I was impressed with the young (he’ll be 18 years old later this month) man’s attitude off the pitch. He talked a great deal about learning from senior pros at Oxford such as Michael Duberry and Paul McLaren and how much time they have given to him to help him improve.

My piece in the paper this morning was a typical ‘fun’ slant on what was said, but the fact that he is expected to do his chores and respect his parents’ wishes spoke volumes about his family.

My clipping in this morning’s paper

Hall is also due credit though because, despite his years, he can see the difference between the pampered life of a rising football star and the real world. It appeared to me that he has his head screwed on and really didn’t seem to be the type who was going to get carried away by either fan or media adoration.

He knows there’s a long way to go and even if he did get above himself, I suspect his mum would give him a metaphorical clip round the ear – or maybe even an actual one.

Sadly, there are a few young players who think that they’ve made it once they’ve reached the fringes of the first team. I would put money on Robbie Hall not being one of them. If he continues to work hard on the pitch and training ground as he has done so far and then combines this with his the natural intelligence and pleasantness I saw on Saturday, he’ll do okay and continue to make his parents proud.

I felt that Oxford deserved to win this game, although Hereford didn’t sit back and play for the draw as I thought they would. In fact they had some very good attempts on goal and an equalizer would have been a fair reward for their effort.

Unfortunately though I have the feeling that things are conspiring against Bulls manager Jamie Pitman and unless he gets a decent slice of luck very soon, he may be on his way.

There were a few jeers at the end of the game, but I think that most fair minded fans saw a side that were certainly showing some spirit.