Bristol City 1 Blackpool 3

Thomas Ince set aside family friendships to put Blackpool firmly back in the promotion race.

Ince scored a second half brace against dad Paul's good pal, City keeper David James before revealing:

"I spoke to Jamo before the game and he wished me all the best. He's still rolling back the years. He played with my dad for England and it's good to see he's still doing it. My dad likes to think he could too of course.

Jamo's nephew was one of my good friends and we still get along and so it was nice to see him. He made one great save from me and kept out quite a lot of our shots which shows he's still got spring in his legs and what a good goalkeeper he is, however old he is. Mind you, our keeper made a few good saves as well."

Grafting midfielder Ince, 20, has picked up his old man's work ethic, but also has some silky skills and pace in his locker that must have had the former England skipper drooling with pride (and envy) as he watched from the stand.

Former Liverpool squad player Ince pegged back Jon Stead's 29th minute opener with a deflected free kick ten minutes after the break that left James wrong-footed and helpless.

Six minutes before the end, the youngster nodded in at the far post for his fifth goal of the campaign as James failed to reach a chipped cross from substitute Brett Ormerod.

Veteran hit man Kevin Phillips sealed the points three minutes later when he buried a five yard volley for his thirteenth goal of the season and Ince said:

"We've got a great blends of youth and experience at the club and the younger players like me are learning lots from players like Brett and the magic LuaLua. We attack teams, home and away, and when you've got the maestro Kev Phillips playing you know he's going to score goals."

Manager Ian Holloway made six changes to the team that suffered a 4-1 midweek mauling at home to West Ham - a performance that he described as the worst of the season, but he was delighted with his team's efforts at Ashton Gate and said:

"We bounced back after a terrible evening which my lads took a little bit personally. They should be really proud of themselves though. If you look at West Ham's budget and our budget, it's a quarter of theirs, but let's see where we are at the end of the season.

Even with injuries I can still produce attacking football that's hard to stop and we showed that by scoring three goals away from home."

As far as Ince was concerned Holloway enthused:

"He's got a fantastic pedigree and he's proving already he's got all sorts of abilities and if he can be a wide man who scores he might end up worth a fortune.

He was never a risk. Because of Liverpool's interest we managed to put him in the Charlie Adam deal and so you lose a very good player like Charlie, but I've managed to pick one up myself."

Bristolian Holloway was also moved by the reception he received from the home support and the former Bristol Rovers player and manager said:

"I was blown away really. I played for the enemy, their enemy. I played as hard as I could and tried as hard as I could. That hasn't always gone down well, but I'm proud of Bristol and at the moment they're the best team in this area and I wish them all the very best."

City have picked up only one point in the last six games and they are now firmly in a relegation scrap. Boss Derek McInnes banned his players from talking to the media after the game and groaned:

"We saw the best and the worst of us today. In the first half we defended with resolve and Blackpool didn't lay a glove on us.

There equaliser was the defining moment and the game started to suit them in the last twenty minutes and they ran out comfortable winners."

The turning point was Blackpool's equaliser and I felt the ref let us down with the award of the free-kick. But we should have defended it better.

A lot of things are going against us at the moment, but there is nothing to gain from feeling sorry for ourselves."

My clipping from the new Sunday paper

My clipping from the today's edition

Oxford United 2 Barnet 1

It was a hair-raising evening at the Kassam and Oxford eventually cut it close before brushing aside Barnet (I'll get my coat).

Ryan Clarke's late penalty save secured a win for promotion hopefuls Oxford.

Clarke, 29, shut out 21-goal hotshot Izale McLeod after defender Damian Batt had up-ended striker Ricky Holmes in the box in the 84th minute.

Scott Rendell, 25, claimed his first Oxford goal since his deadline day loan signing from Wycombe to trigger a fightback.

Southampton loanee winger Lee Holmes picked out Rendell with a pin point cross and the striker nodded in from five yards two minutes before the break.

James Constable sealed the win in the 56th minute.

Rendell's shot from eight yards was blocked in a crowded box, but co-striker Constable pounced on the rebound to prod in from one yard for his eleventh goal of the campaign.

Barnet defender Michael Hector opened the scoring with his second of the season in the 16th minute with a low 20 yard shot.

Oxford boss Chris Wilder was delighted with his team's win and said:

"It was down to the boys to get us out of a hole when we went behind and they did. 

We had enough of the play and enough opportunities to win the game comfortably. We had two or three chances in the first half when we should've been out of sight, but we weren't."

Wilder also paid tribute to keeper Ryan Clarke who made a late penalty save after shrugging off a stomach bug and dragging himself off his sick bed to play. Wilder said:

"I'm in debt to our keeper for making the save, but credit also goes to our scout who watched McLeod score a penalty recently and reported back to us. Mind you Ryan still had to stop it."

Disappointed Barnet manager Lawrie Sanchez said:

"I thought we did well early on and got the lead. It woke them up though and we were under the cosh for the next twenty minutes.

We started stroking the ball around well in the last twenty minutes and we should have got something from the game, but we didn't."

My clipping from this morning's paper alongside the League Two table which shows a handy five point gap between Oxford and the play-off 'chasers'.

N.B. Swindon and Cheltenham fans should note that their clubs were cut from the scan accidentally and - for those who are unaware - they are, respectively, first and second in the table :-)

Oxford v Barnet

I will be back at the Kassam this evening to watch Oxford take on Barnet and - after hearing Chris Wilder and Ryan Clarke talking on Saturday - I suspect that this is one of the fixtures they fully expect to win if they are to push for promotion.


Wilder has told the club's website that he has a full squad to choose from tonight and any concerns about a suspected broken nose picked up by Andy Whing against Rovers on Saturday. Wilder told http://www.oufc.co.uk:  "It won't affect his modelling career. He is a tough character and will be fine."


Whing was impressive as he took on the Gas in the mud bath that is the Memorial Ground. Following the game, Clarke even took time to reveal that he knew Whing would be the one player from both sides to come off the field dirtier than even the goalkeepers and put this down to his team mate's robust, all-action displays.


As Oxford edge towards the business end of the season, players of experience like Whing and Michael Duberry are going to be very important to Wilder's squad. If the Us continue their current form, they will find themselves in "squeaky bum" territory before too long and a few younger nerves may need settling.


When I spoke to Clarke, he called a play-off spot the "minimum expected", but Oxford fans will be pleased to hear his eyes told another story - this guy definitely wants an 'automatic' spot.


Barnet look to have done enough to secure their League Two status for another season, but don't look strong enough to gatecrash the promotion party. However, in Izale McLeod they have a very dangerous striker who has already plundered twenty goals this season, so Duberry and his colleagues in the defence might find himself tested by the former MK Dons hit man.

Football Hack TV - er, sort of!

I was fortunate enough to get an iPad2 recently (only days before Apple announced the launch of iPad3!), and on Saturday decided to test myself as a cameraman/TV interviewer. The results of a couple of brief exchanges with Chris Wilder and Mark McGhee follow below.

Setting aside the fact that my television career is never likely to go anywhere fast, that I’m no Paxman and I have the shakes (drink I suspect rather than nerves), I hope that these little clips add something to the blog.

Rovers manager Mark McGhee

Oxford boss Chris Wilder

Bristol Rovers 0 Oxford United 0

When I arrived at the Memorial Ground on Saturday one hour before kick-off, it was on the back of a morning of rain and the Rovers’ grounds men were using garden forks to try and drain the pitch. The referee had already inspected it once and even as he and his assists warmed up, you could see him checking out some of the more suspect patches. To be frank I didn't think the game would go ahead and so credit goes to the ground staff for all their hard work.

The home team find a 'green' patch on which to warm up

It was obvious from well before kick off that neither team would be doing a Barca impression!

Michael Poke earned Rovers a point and feels he is finally making up for lost time.

Man of the match Poke, 26, shut out Oxford with a couple of great saves before revealing:

"I was at Southampton from the age of nine and didn't figure much. I left about 18 months ago to join Brighton, but before the season started they signed Casper. Even though he became a good mate, I still wasn't getting any games.

Paul Buckle brought me here on January 1st this year for one month. When he was at Torquay he had taken me on loan so knew what I could do. When he got sacked the very next day I thought 'here we go'. I didn't know what it would mean and was half expecting to be sent back to Brighton.

But Mark McGhee extended the loan which gave me a lot of confidence. I think I'm allowed one more month after this if the club want me. I would definitely be interested."

Opposite number Ryan Clarke returned to his home town club for the first time since leaving in 2006 and he joked:

"I think they only gave Michael the man of the match award because I was here and they wanted to rub it in. He's a top keeper though. He came to get some games and it's a good club to come to. It's got a reputation for bringing some decent keepers through - obviously."

And Clarke feels Oxford are perfectly placed for a promotion charge. He said:

"We want to aim high and want to go up. We've got a run in that we'd like, but with the size and expectations of the club we've got to look at the play-offs at a minimum."

Both managers were content with a draw on a wet and muddy pitch and Rovers chief McGhee said:

"They are a decent team and it was a closely contested game. You felt if someone could nick a goal it would be the decisive goal. I can't say we should have won, but it would have been hard on us if we'd lost and so we'll take it."

Oxford boss Christ Wilder was delighted with the effort shown by his team and said:

"I thought it was a real good game and we shaded it. The performance was good and the desire to get something out of the game - whether it was a draw or a win - was top notch."

My clipping from this morning's paper

Bristol Rovers v Oxford

I'm off to the Mem again tomorrow, but I'll need to wear my neutral hat as another of the teams from my 'patch', Oxford, are the visitors.

And Rovers boss Marck McGhee has revealed that injured Aussie loan defender Aaron Downes did a scouting job on Oxford in their win over Dagenham this week and came back with a comprehensive report so there shouldn't be any surprises in store for the Gas.

Defender Gary Sawyer has joined Downes, Adam Virgo and Wayne Brown in the treatment room as Rovers plan to bounce back following a 1-0 reverse at Shreswbury on Tuesday evening.

Oxford will be without several key players themselves as they look to chase down bitter rivals Swindon who see to be on the march towards League One.

Forward threats Jon-Paul Pittman, Tom Craddock and Alfie Potter - who broke an ankle in training - will be missing along with defender Tony Capaldi, alkthough the latter has yet to make his debut since making a summer move to the Kassam from Morecambe.

However, Oxford's defence has served them fairly well this season when marshalled by former Chelsea player Michael Duberry - someone whose attitude and commitment to the cause has been quite refreshing to see and a lesson to any other top player dropping down the divisions with age. He has also managed to maintain fitness levels that are the envy of most bof his team mates (not to mention the old sweats in the Press Box like me!).

It's shaping up to be one hell of a battle for the automatic promotion places and the play-off places in League Two this season and if Rovers can shriug off the defeat against Shrewsbury, I wouldn't yet bet against them sneaking into the end-of-season knock out competition.

I'm sure that the Oxford fans would like to see the Us go straight up, but a play-off spot would represent yet another step forward under current manager Chris Wilder.

So this might not be the last time this season these two teams play each other and if they make it to Wembley I'll happily turn up as just a fan - of who though, I just don't know.

Rangers - A Wake Up Call

Even Celtic fans will agree that Rangers are a massive football club and so to see it go into administration is a real concern - and should be to the rest of football.

Of course Premier League, La Liga and Serie A clubs will point to the fact that TV money has all but dried up in Scotland and that the money continues to flow in England, Italy and Spain. Maybe ... for the moment.

The UK tax authorities are now looking at eight clubs in England and given the global financial climate at the moment, it's hard to believe that equivalent bodies in other countries aren't doing the same.

I wonder how many Arsenal fans are now looking at the situation at Ibrox and thinking: Maybe Wenger isn't so daft by not splashing the cash on over-priced stars after all. Better a top six finish and a team to follow in future season than total financial meltdown.

If the big clubs of Europe think that the TV money will always be there to bail them out, they are just kidding themselves. Anyone remember NTL?

Brett Pitman 2 Crystal Palace 2

Brett Pitman's late double last night reminded me that you should never get complacent when reporting on a football match!

The order wasn't a large one and - despite hoping City could kick start their season on a personal level - I had just about wrapped things up when Brett bounced off the bench in the 71st minute.

Six minutes later he buried a superb free kick, but even though he and his team mates starting battering the Crystal Palace defence, I still felt confident that I merely needed to press 'send' before ambling down to hear what the managers had to say.

Chris Woods and wingers Albert Adomah and Yannick Bolasie had been the pick of City's crop all night, but when Palace keeper Julian Speroni superbly palmed away a late Woods header, the Kiwi striker - and everyone else at Ashton Gate - must have thought it wasn't to be their night. I certainly did!

Cue Mr. Pitman's 93rd minute equalising volley, excessive use of the 'delete' button and beads of sweat on what was a chilly evening. Bugger!

My 1st Attempt ...

Wilfried Zaha showed he has what it takes to become Britain's GOALDEN boy.

Livewire Zaha is being tracked by a host of Premier League outfits, but tormented relegation candidates City last night in front of British Olympic Team Manager Stuart Pearce.

Ivory Coast-born Zaha, 19, grabbed his sixth goal of the season in the 14th minute.

City Midfielder Stephen Pearson was left flat-footed by Zaha on the left flank before the England U-19 winger cut into the box and lashed the ball past former England stopper David James from a tight angle.

And veteran James, 41, needed to be at his best to beat away three other goal bound shots from Zaha before winger Darren Ambrose converted from the spot in the 69th minute after City skipper Liam Fontaine had hauled down substitute Glenn Murray.

Sub Brett Pitman hauled City back into the game with a 77th minute 25 yard free kick, but it was too little, too late.

...became ...

My 'final' piece in this morning's paper

I eventually staggered into the press conference to listen to two fairly chuffed managers ...

Palace manager Dougie Freedman was happy with a point despite seeing his team concede an equaliser at the death. He said:

"Result wise, I'm disappointed, but overall it was a fantastic performance. We got the lead, but just couldn't hang on.

It was a good point away from home, but we just haven't got that killer instinct right now."

City boss Derek McInnes was delighted with substitute Brett Pitman's late brace and said:

"He's a great kid to work with. He's been frustrated, but kept working hard in training. He got both goals, but every one of the players gave their all in the second half.

When the second goal went in it was no more than we deserved. Another five minutes and we could have gone on and won it."

Bristol City v Crystal Palace

City manager Derek McInnes is making noises about bringing in new faces at Ashton Gate, but it looks as though he will have to make do with the same squad that have lost the last three games when Palace visit tonight.

It will be my visit to the red side of Bristol since November when McInnes seemed to be steadying the ship after an awful start to the season under Keith Millen, but now the Robins are threatening to drop back into the relegation mire after three defeats on the trot.

Palace aren't having a great run themselves (one win in eight) and so if McInnes is to get City firing again, this might be the perfect opportunity. With Forest only five points off the pace behind them and third from bottom of the table, the pressure is on.

McInnes welcomes back both James Wilson and Yannick Bolasie following their red cards (and subsequent suspensions) in the 3-0 reverse at Leeds, but it looks as though he will be without stalwart Louis Carey and midfielder Neil Kilkenny.

Palace boss Dougie Freedman will only be missing full back Dean Moxey who broke a leg last November. Freedman's main problem appears to be finding someone to put the ball in the net as the club's top scorer is Glenn Murray with just five goals.

Frankly, this one has scoreless draw written all over it ... so expect a ten goal thriller.

Let’s get rid of the handshake

If Luis Suárez is feeling hard done to at the moment, he could do worse than take note of PFA chief Gordon Taylor’s reaction. Taylor always appears to come out in defence of his members when they are under attack – but not this time. He has even criticised the Uruguayan.

Suárez’s refusal to shake Evra’s hand on Saturday (on the back of Wayne Bridge refusing to shake John Terry’s hand and the decision to scrap hand-shaking at the recent QPR v Chelsea game), makes we wonder what the point of it is anyway.

Surely it would be better to leave it until the end of the game and allow players to use their own discretion? Minutes before the game the players are about to go into ‘battle’ and aren’t in a bonhomie frame of mind anyway. They are more likely to be thinking of ways to kick the opposition up in the air at that point!

I may be wrong (I often am), but I seem to recall that this pre-match ritual was introduced and insisted on by a certain Sepp Blatter at FIFA.

You can’t force respect on anyone. It needs to be earned and so with the best will in the world, insisting that two grown men shake hands won’t bring about a sudden change of heart if they don’t feel that respect for each other anyway.

Redknapp - Not Guilty. England manager in waiting?

Good news for Harry Redknapp today as he was cleared of tax evasion. Bad news for Spurs?

After hearing today’s not guilty verdict, Harry Redknapp now finds himself as the front runner for the England manager’s job as soon as Fabio Capello’s contract is up after the Euros – or he is pushed following his public support of ex-skipper John Terry.

Should he get the job of course, one early decision might make for uncomfortable family get-togethers. Nephew Frank Lampard is coming to the end of his international career and someone’s going to have to break the bad news to him at some point soon!

‘Arry has never made any secret of the pride he would feel in managing his country, once saying: "If you're an Englishman it would be hard to turn it down. It's the pinnacle of your career." And so now - given the moral support afforded to him by Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy during the last three years - it is going to be interesting to see whether that loyalty cuts both ways.

I would suspect that most non-Spurs fans would have Redknapp on the top of their wish list as Capello’s successor given the job he has done in North London, but for the same reason it is going to be difficult for Tottenham fans to put country before club in this debate.

Spurs have made such a steady progress under his stewardship that people are now talking about the club as possible Champions should man City and Man Utd falter. And if they were to continue at the same rate of improvement, they would surely be among the favourites if he was to stay in his current job next season.

Then again, football can be a fickle mistress. If Spurs pick up injuries and suspensions at the start of next season and go on a bad run, the Spurs fans (like any other set of supporters in the country) will be calling for his head before the end of September. Harry has been around long enough to know this - and he also knows that he’s not getting any younger and this could be his last opportunity to manage England.

I suspect that he won’t want to go down as another Brian Clough – the best manager the country never had – and he, Spurs and the FA will come to an agreement (either publicly or privately) sooner rather than later.

If that happens, I hope that Spurs fans will be gracious enough to send him on his way with a pat on the back and a thank you rather than hold the decision against him.

As a football manager (and and one of the game’s real characters) Harry Redknapp has proved his worth and so personally I’m delighted he was found not guilty and now has the chance to lead his country.

Divided opinions when we need unity

So Fabio Capello doesn't agree with the FA over its insistence that John Terry be stripped of the England captaincy. Meanwhile PFA boss Graham Taylor questions Capello's reasons for publicly disagreeing with his bosses.

Personally I don't normally have much time for either the FA or the PFA, but for me this just goes to show that the whole issue has divided opinions in the game and - I daresay - will do the same in the England dressing room.

Footballers aren't the stereotypical idiots that some would have you believe. They too will have formed opinions on the matter - a matter that will not be fully settled one way or the other until the Euros have been completed in the summer.

In the meantime, the Terry situation will hang over football like a dark cloud and I'd suggest that it is a situation which will not contribute positively to a united squad mentality - something we'll need if we are to progress in the competition.

Ideally, Terry would do the honourable thing and declare himself unavailable for selection so that the squad can focus fully on the task ahead. Unfortunately though, Terry may well see it as his last chance to win an international competition and so you can understand his reluctance do take this, admittedly difficult, decision.

It's a tough one. From Terry's point of view he is declaring himself innocent and wants to fight the accusations in court and so why should he fall on his sword? However, I'm afraid he needs to step back and look at the bigger picture.

This situation isn't just going to go away and as the manager Capello should realise that. His public support of Terry doesn't help and personally I feel he would have been better advised to keep his own counsel for the good of the rest of the squad.

Wycombe Wanderers 2 Tranmere Rovers 1

James Harper hailed skipper Gareth Ainsworth as top dog in the battle of the banter.

Shaggy haired winger Ainsworth, 38, made a goal for debutant Matty Whichelow after skinning David Buchanan. He then netted the winner to help move Wycombe out of the drop zone before new boy Harper revealed:

"Their full back was winding him up about dragging a caravan around the pitch. Gareth nipped past him to cross for Matty and then told the lad he'd managed to unhook his caravan for that one. It was all good natured banter, but Gaz definitely came out on top.

He's been inspirational to the lads. He's always upbeat, always on it and ready to go. He's been what I thought he'd be - a top man."

Tranmere winger Adam McGurk opened the scoring with an scorching long range shot in the fifth minute, but midfielder Harper is sure Wycombe have what it takes to beat the drop.

Harper, 31, was making his home debut following a month long loan deal from Hull and said:

"That was a great goal at the start, but among our lads it was like, 'right, we're not having this'. From then I thought we were good value.

I'm a little bit rusty myself, but then my last first team game was at the start of August. Once we've got a bit of belief that we can do it, we'll be okay.

Man of the match midfielder Matt Bloomfield also paid tribute to Ainsworth, saying:

“Gaz was brilliant in the first 45 minutes. That's when he is at his best – running at defenders, getting in behind the full-back and getting crosses into the box.

He led by example on the pitch and set the tone for our battling display.”

Whichelow, 20, has joined the Chairboys' relegation scrap from Watford in another one month loan spell and he revealed the pressure was on him to nod in Ainsworth's cross in the 25th minute. He said:

"The lads told me that four loan players have scored on their debut for the club this season and so it was important for me to keep that run going.

The gaffer at Watford has told me to go out and get some experience and I know if I do well, I'll earn myself another contract there and go back to fight for my place.

But at the minute it's all about doing my bit to help out there and play my part in getting the club up the table. The spirit in the dressing room is really good and that's always going to help."

Wycombe boss Gary Waddock was delighted with the effort and commitment shown by his team and said:

The players showed a lot of character to turn the result around. Second-half they had everyone up-front and changed their formation and we had to deal with it.

"There were goal-line clearances where players were putting their bodies on the line to make sure it didn't go in and that is what we need. We just grinded out result and a very important one.

They threw the kitchen sink at us in the second-half and they hit the woodwork. We had goal-line clearances and a goal ruled out for offside, but we have had periods this season when decisions haven't gone our way. They say it evens itself out and we got one today and I am just pleased with the result."

Rovers manager Les Parry groaned:

"Both goals were gifts and we never performed in the first half. We started decently and then we didn't perform in the first half. It's an uphill battle then.

We've scored in the first five minutes of the last three away games and we've lost all three 2-1. We can't gift goals and we can't miss the chances we've missed.
They'll think they defended a lead well and you can't argue with that."

My clipping from this morning's paper

Wycombe V Tranmere

Chairboys! Your club need you!!

Wycombe might currently sit at the foot of the League One table, but I'm convinced that they can still survive in the division.

I'm back at Adams Park tomorrow and have seen a few of their highs and lows this season and - as with any club in their position - a few of the fans are starting to get nervous, but I would suggest that the majority out-shout the negative few in support of the team.

Last season I was unfortunate enough to see both Swindon and Bristol Rovers drop into League Two and I still maintain that the way the fans turned on the teams had a big part to play in their respective relegations.

I spoke to players from both clubs who questioned the point of busting a gut for people who scream abuse at you rather than encouragement. In situations like that - or the one faced by Wycombe now - it's important that everyone pulls together to turn around the club's fortunes.

Let's not forget that at the start of the season most reasonable Chairboys fans would have taken a fifth from bottom finish and survival to fight again with marginally improved finances. Nothing has changed.

Don't forget either that the man who won the club promotion (and they weren't the League Two favourites by any means) is still in charge and hasn't lost the plot overnight. The players are a decent hard working bunch and - aside from the clueless show against Huddersfield and the impressive Jordan Rhodes - can't be attacked for lack of effort.

I saw Walsall on Tuesday and aside from three youngsters, they looked disinterested. That's not been the case when I've seen Wycombe play this season.

I've always found the set up at Wycombe to be one of the more appealing ones in football. There is a good hospitable atmosphere about the place, but the one thing it does often lack is the vocal, noisy passion you get at some other grounds and that's precisely what the players need to hear right now - but with them rather than against them.

It's still fairly tight at the bottom of the table and a win tomorrow against an in form Tranmere side will drag them back into the mix and make for an interesting run in.

Captain Liability

Before I start, let's make something quite clear: John Terry hasn't been found guilty of anything and he is as deserving as anyone of his day in court and the right to explain or defend himself.

BUT ...

England play in one competition of any merit every two years; the World Cup and the Euros. This summer it's the turn of the junior tournament.

The captain of England, Terry, is facing charges of a racist nature and is supposed to share a dressing room with team mates who may have his private guarantee of innocence, but will still be left wondering about the ultimate outcome of the court case that is due to be heard shortly after the Euros conclude.

It's not an ideal situation.

In the build up to the World Cup in 2010, Terry was named as having an affair with the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge - the mother of his child. After Bridge withdrew from the England squad, I remember wondering how Terry's actions would affect the other players - some of whom were undoubtably pals of Bridge. I may well be wrong and it may have had no affect on the dressing room at all, but it was hardly the positive contribution to a tournament build-up that you'd expect from the skipper.

So are we about to see history repeated?

I believe that as the leader of the team, Terry should now step down to allow the squad to focus fully on football while he turns his attention to his legal defence. He could always issue a statement along the lines of:

"I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks. It has always been an honour to play for England. However, after careful thought I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive.

Sadly therefore, I feel for the sake of the team and in order to avoid what will be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection."

Wise, selfless and honourable words.

I'm not going to quote the source, but should Wayne Bridge enjoy a good spell on loan up at Sunderland, I wonder whether he'd consider coming out of international retirement if Terry were to step down?

Walsall 0 Notts County 1

Lee Hughes put aside his off-field problems as James Walker's big night went pear-shaped.
Hughes, 35, netted his tenth goal of the season to give County their first league win of the year - only two days after being charged with the sexual assault.

He will appear before magistrates on February 8th to face this latest charge for which he was arrested on December 6th, 2011 for the alleged assault of a woman in a south London hotel. In August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing the death by dangerous driving of Douglas Graham, and of leaving the scene of an accident. He was sentenced to six years.

Walsall were celebrating keeper Walker's record breaking 532rd game for the club for less than three minutes before Hughes lashed home Ben Burgess's pass from 15 yards.

And Walker's night got worse in a poor match when he suffered a hamstring injury - and was subbed - at the break with the relegation threatened Saddlers still looking for their first win since Boxing Day.

Hughes came close to a second in the 79th minute, but Walker's replacement David Grof rushed out to block his shot from the edge of the box.

Walsall sub George Bowerman had a goal ruled out after team mate manny Smith was adjudged top have committed a foul in the build up, but frankly, County got what they deserved ... as did the Saddlers.

The home side's performance must have concerned many (if not all) of the local support. The introduction of Stoke loanee midfielder Florent Cuvelier, 19, as a second half sub seemed to spur the team on a little, but - for me - the U-19 Beligian, Bowerman and Jamie Paterson appeared to be the only players on show how offered some sort of hope.

County boss Martin Allen was delighted for striker Lee Hughes and said:

"He's had a tough time in the last couple of months and so it was good he got on the score sheet.

I had dinner with Lee and his wife and spent three hours talking to them the night before the game and I left happy knowing I could play him. He's had a tough time and I've done my best to protect him.

When he scored he looked over and gave me a little smile. I'm pleased for him and his wife."

Allen was also happy with the team performance and said:

"We've played better this season and not come out with a victory.

Lots of my players have got cuts, knocks and bruises. You have to have everyone committed to the cause and that's what happened."

Walsall manager Dean Smith was disappointed and groaned:

"Our home performances haven't been bad ad so that's why I don't know where that first half performance came from. We seemed to go into our shells. That's not what we're about.

I stuck with the team that have been unbeaten in three games. They'll feel they've let themselves down.

It was a good finish by Hughes though and it's what he does best."

My clipping from the morning paper