Wycombe Wanderers 3 Preston North End 4

This was one of those games that reminds you what football should be about - pure entertainment.

Even Gary Waddock described it as a "great game", but the Wycombe boss must have been gutted that his side didn't hang on and get something from it.

In yesterday's post I highlighted the threat that Neil Mellor posed and the former Liverpool striker proved I was spot on (yeah, I know, unusual for me). Within ten minutes he had scored the opener - his seventh of the season - and then setting up team mate Iain Hume for the second. Game over - or so I thought. Wycombe briefly looked stunned.

Indeed, Phil Brown thought so to, but pointed out afterwards: "You don't go 2-0 up and take your foot off the gas after only nine minutes." He also mentioned the effect the game had on his greying locks, but that's one for his hairdresser.

To give Wycombe their due though, they battled to get back into the game and within 14 minutes had pulled level through goals by veteren skipper Gareth Ainsworth - after keeper Arestidou had spilled a free kick - and a Scott Donnelly penalty that looked a little harsh on the visitors.

Bad decision by the ref or not, Wycombe continued to press forward and then took the lead deservedly in the 27th minute when Scott Beavon glanced in Donnelly's corner at the near post.

It was Preston's turn to look shell-shocked and the break couldn't come soon enough for them I suspect.

Brown didn't expand too much on what was said in the dressing room at half time, but whatever it was and whoever said it, it did the trick.

Preston came back out determined that, when they got back on the bus, they weren't going home empty handed.

Hume scored his second in the 64th minute after latching on to a pass from Clark Carlisle and scampering away from the half way line before lifting the ball over Nikki Bull in the Wycombe goal.

The last word went to Mellor though in the 73rd minute when he buried another close range effort in front of the visiting fans to send them nuts.

I'm sure that the home support will have felt a little down as they climbed into their sacks last night, but if they can set their partisanship aside today, they'll realise that they will have witnessed one of this season's best League One games.

My clipping from this morning's paper

Wycombe V Preston

It was nice to see Wycombe back up my words from this blog and show they have some quality by doing the business against Sheffield United on Saturday.

While I have never said that the Chairboys are ‘bankers’ for promotion to the Championship, Gary Waddock has put together a side that is more than capable of staying in League One this season and I felt that they were a match for any other team in the division on their day. They just needed to believe in themselves and after beating the Blades, this will hopefully be the case.

Stuart Beavon got off the mark for the season in the league with the winner on Saturday, although he has already scored a goal in the League Cup and a hat trick in the JP Trophy and so it can't be said he's forgotten where the net is.

Meanwhile Waddock has signed experienced midfielder Martin Rowlands from QPR on a three month loan deal. Rowlands returns to the club where he started off as a youth team player before being bombed out and going on the play for Farnborough, Brentford and then QPR where he made nearly 200 appearances. I guess that if any kid finds himself being rejected by a professional club, they need look no further than Rowlands to realise that there's still a chance if you work hard enough.

Rowlands has also chalked up five caps for the Republic of Ireland playing in a World Cup game against Italy.
Tonight’s game against Preston will be another stern test though given that the visitors have won SIX games on the bounce. But all good things must come to an end and so Wycombe will be hoping they are the ones to bring North End back down to earth with a bump.

Neil Mellor seems to be the main threat and has scored six times this season already. He’s a decent and experienced pro who I saw several times last season playing for Sheffield Wednesday on loan and will present a real test for the Wycombe defence.

Co-striker Iain Hume has weighed in with three goals himself and midfielders Barry Nicholson and Jamie Proctor have also grabbed a pair each - and so the Preston team are by no means a one trick pony.

Midfielder Steven Smith is set to replace Paul Parry, who serves a one-match suspension after being sent-off in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Tranmere.
Manager Phil Brown also has a point to prove following his dismissal from Hull in March 2010. He took the Tigers to the promised land of the Premier League and will want to add another promotion to his CV as soon as possible so he can get his name in the frame for a job back in the top flight.

Cheltenham Town 0 Hereford United 0

Delroy Facey told me that he and his Hereford team mates had “a little base to build on now” after picking up a first point in four games and I think he’s right.

I 'tweeted' on a regular basis for the first time during a game on Saturday and while it was a complete pain in the bum (as I seemed to spend too much time tapping away rather than watching the game), I remember making the point that confidence seemed to be growing in the Bulls camp as the game wore on. On reflection, I think I got that one right (the tweeting is another matter though and I might have to rethink that one!).

I also chatted to both Delroy and keeper David Cornell about the pressure Jamie Pitman is under from some fans (definitely not all given the superb support by 370 in the away end) and both were fully behind their boss.

It’s interesting to note how the local newspaper and the board are behind the board and yet some supporters aren’t. In my experience the dreaded vote of confidence given to an under-fire manager becomes worthless as soon as the directors find out he’s lost the dressing room.

Equally, those managers who manage to pull back from the abyss do so because players like Facey and Cornell are fully behind them.

Pitman sent Russell Hoult out to face the media after the game and so I’m afraid I can’t give an insight into his demeanor, but going by Hoult’s body language, they were pleased with the draw.

Hereford’s assistant boss said:

“It was never going to be an easy one with the situation we’re in. We just need that little bit of luck that we’re not getting at the moment, but we’ll keep working and digging out points like this.”

And if they do that, I for one think they’ll turn it around.

While I was looking forward to seeing Cheltenham as well, I think manager Mark Yates summed up the way everyone was feeling in the Robins’ camp. He said:

“It’s frustrating when you don’t win your home games, but I can’t fault the players efforts. If we play like that more often than not, the points will come.”

Poor Josh Low was left hoping the pitch would swallow him up in the second half when he lobbed Cornell … and the bar. And while he was left with his head in his hands at the time, he was a little more philosophical afterwards. Let’s face it, he didn’t mean to miss and nine times out of ten you’d put your mortgage on him scoring.

Josh is the sort who won’t let it get to him and I’d bank on him more than making amends before too long.

I’m afraid that it was just one of those days for Cheltenham. A lot of effort, little luck and opponents who were determined not to leave empty handed.

Finally, a special mention to Cheltenham midfielder Marlon Pack who looks an excellent prospect. He has a presence about him, a good engine can spray the ball about and – as the guy next to me in the Press Box said – has an ability to find space. Worth watching this lad.

My clipping from this morning copy of The Sun

Cheltenham Town v Hereford United

I'm off to Whaddon Road tomorrow where I'll get to see - for the first time this season - two of the teams on my patch fight it out.

Cheltenham have had a mixed start to the campaign while Hereford have suffered badly - so much so that there has been talk of the demise (in a professional sense) of manager Jamie Pitman.

Pitman though appears to have the support of the local paper and - more importantly - the Chairman David Keyte.

The manager has told the BBC that his board have told him: "There is no pressure that if you lose on Saturday you are going to get the sack. But at the end of the day that is their decision. All I can do is continue to do the job I've been asked to do. And I will do that because that's what I'm like. And I will do that until I'm told otherwise."

Everyone at the club will be hoping that Pitman can perform the same miracle he did last term when he guided the Bulls to safety.

It's difficult to judge how the players are feeling at the moment. It's often the case that a bad run is precisely that and that if everyone sticks together, you can turn things around. This is what happened to Keith Millen and Bristol City last season.

On the other had, if Pitman has lost the dressing room ...

It will be interesting to find out which of the two scenarios exists and I'll let you know my thoughts on Monday.

Mark Yates position at Cheltenham looks a little more solid and he appears to have built on last season's efforts, but again, it will be nice to catch up with some old faces (and meet new ones) to find out how the land lies.

Every home supporter will be expecting three points from this one, but as any football fan of any club will tell you: This game has a habit of biting you on the bum when you don't expect it!

Yates himself told the Gloucestershire Echo:

"We have to deal with the expectancy at home, which we didn't do during the second half of last season, but I don't see it being an issue now because we have played well there in most games this year. We are at home, against a team who lost 6-1 last weekend and it's up to us to make things happen. If we turn up with the right attitude and endeavour, we have a great chance of beating them."

And striker Jeff Goulding has said: "The fans will get behind us and they were brilliant at Wimbledon. We really appreciated their support and it was a shame we couldn't put on a show for them.  Hopefully we can put in a performance for them against Hereford and I am sure we'll react in the right way."

Joe Colbeck and Jordan Rose are likely to be unavailable for struggling Hereford as they make the trip to local rivals Cheltenham. Colbeck recurrence of his recent knee injury, while defender Rose also pulled his thigh.

Weak, flat and pointless?

So we're down to the latest sixteen of the League Cup (I know it's sponsored by Carling, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist) and once again questions are being asked about the point of this competition.

I must admit I have mixed feelings. As much as I like football, I can't help but feel that the industry is flogging itself to death with the number of games it puts on and by the look of the team selections by managers of the top clubs, it is once again seen as an irritation or distraction from the main business of the Premier League or Euro competition.

The clubs who may face a relegation battle towards the end of the season also seem to be making "full use" of their squads as they want to wrap their few stars in cotton wool to protect them for the survival battle ahead. I wonder whether the Brummie fans would swap their League Cup success of last season for another term in the Premier League.

As someone who spends his Saturdays covering matches in the bottom three divisions though, I also know for a fact that the Cup competitions still stir the emotions and passions of players and fans alike - not to mention the directors and their bank managers.

I watched Aldershot on Saturday as they won at Bristol Rovers and then was pleased to see them beat Rochdale on Tuesday to give themselves a chance of playing one of the big boys in the next round. Some of these lads are good honest pros, journeymen who know they will never earn tens of thousands each week, represent their countries or make it into Europe without the aid of the Dover-Calais ferry. While others have plied their trade higher up the leagues, but Father Time is now against them.

But for maybe one or two, there is the opportunity to shine, impress and to let the managers in the Prem know that they are there as an option to big money foreign signings come the next transfer window.

The lower league clubs themselves could also set themselves up financially for the rest of the season with a game at Anfield or Old Trafford. Remember Orient's FA Cup run last season? Barry Hearn cited their Cup run as the reason why the east end outfit would turn a profit for the only time in all the years he had been chairman.

And years ago I saw Chelmsford play at Cheltenham in the same competition and remember the visitors' Chairman telling me that the draw and resulting replay they achieved would ensure the club could pay everyone for the rest of that season.

I don't blame the top clubs for playing weakened teams in the League Cup and of course some of the fringe players go on to be the superstars of tomorrow, but would urge fans of those clubs to turn out in force if they draw a minnow in the next round.

Watching Aldershot play Arsenal at the Emirates might not be as enticing on paper as seeing the Gunners take on Inter Milan, but your cut price League Cup ticket will go some way to supporting the smaller clubs and will benefit domestic football at all levels.

In conclusion I guess that I come down on the side of the Milk/Coca Cola/Carling/League Cup given that it does benefit the teams I watch and who make up the largest section of English football's pyramid. However, I still feel that, as an industry, football needs to ensure it doesn't reach the point where we have overkill and people start drifting away. But that's a rant for another day.

Who's for the chop? Who's safe? ... for now

Following yesterday's post about the unfortunate (or maybe 'fortunate' given the fact that he has been forced to wash his hands of the mess at Plymouth) sacking, I started to think about how secure the managers were on my patch.

At Bristol City Keith Millen has had a rough start with two draws and one win. Unfortunately the win came away from home and so the Ashton Gate faithful are yet to see a victory seven games in. However, Keith proved himself against all of the odds last season and so I hope that he will be given a little more time to turn things around again. There's no doubt that if City turn over Hull at home this weekend, the pressure will ease a touch. A defeat though might see the natives becoming restless and, in turn, pile more grief on the board.

Hereford boss Jamie Pitman appears to be in a similar situation from what I can tell. I'll be able to get a better impression when I watch them play Cheltenham at the weekend - if he survives until then. Jamie has said he is 'not a quitter', but the Bulls board are under the same amount of pressure they were under last season when Simon Davy failed to get the results. Ironically it was Pitman who came in and, to a very great extent, turned things around. What a fickle game this is.

Paul Buckle's Rovers were jeered off the pitch last weekend and the board at the Mem showed last season that they don't like (and can't handle) it when things turn rough. Rovers take on league leaders Morecambe on Saturday and then entertain near neighbours Cheltenham the following week. If they lose both of these fixtures, the 'suits' might well buckle under the pressure (no pun intended).

At Wycombe, Gary Waddock's position is safe despite the fact that the Chairboys are sitting in the relegation zone at the moment. Waddock still has the fans on side following promotion last term and the board at Adams Park have a reputation for sticking by their men for as long as possible. The players are also behind Waddock - and that always helps!

Swindon boss Paolo di Canio survived a dodgy August when they couldn't buy a win before stringing together three on the bounce. They lost their last game at Burton though, but the County Ground board have invested too much cash in the Italian and his plans to get rid of him this early in the season. I suspect that last Saturday was just a blip though and the Robins will return to winning ways when they take on Barnet at home this weekend.

I still believe that Cheltenham manager Mark Yates could surprise a few people this season and edge his team into the play-off places. If he does so - and early season form swould suggest that they're on track - he will have done well to build on last season's efforts.

Finally, Oxford boss Chris Wilder should be sacked or given the freedom of the city depending on which Us fan you talk to. Opinion among the fans at the Kassam has always been split as to whether Wilder - who brought the club back into the Football League - has got what it takes. Personally I'm a fan of his and think that like Yates down the road, he is learning all of the time. If Oxford continue to play the way they are, they will end up with a decent number of points come next May. I don't see Wilder being under any serious pressure at the moment, but a string of four or five defeats could change things. Then again, isn't that the case for all of the above?

Who'd be a football manager?

Poor Peter

We've now reached the point of the season when the first wave of panic traditionally sets in and any manager who hasn't chalked up at least two wins is reviewing his contract to see what the pay-off might be.

Was I the only person stunned though by Plymouth's sacking of Peter Reid given what he has had to contend with down there on the south coast?

I've been fortunate enough to cover a few Argyle games in the past and - even though it is located at the back end of beyond as far as most of the rest of the football world is concerned - it is a genuine sleeping giant. On support and passion alone the club belongs in the Championship, but years of  poor management have led to it propping up the other 91 professional league clubs.

But by 'poor management'  I don't necessarily mean by the football level of management at the club, but rather those suits who have given (or taken) stewardship of the club in the boardroom.

The latest suit is the publicity shy Peter Ridsdale - the man whose ego and bad judgment nearly saw off another great club in Leeds United.

After dismissing Reid, Risible cited that " football is a results business". Agreed, but to achieve results you need to be equipped to do the job.

The club's best players have been sold to keep the club alive (in fact around forty have been sold or released since the summer of last year), the squad has not been paid in full since the end of 2010 after the club went into administration (and these aren't highly paid superstars we're talking about) and the players are contemplating going on strike


Acting chairman Ridsdale said he left with "unreserved thanks for his contribution in helping keep the club alive during this turbulent period." He also admitted that: "Peter was sold a job that wasn’t at it was described." Given all of the above, surely it's better to stick with the man and all of his experience rather than effectively make him the scapegoat.


I suspect though that the Green Army won't forget Reid in a hurry - the man who sold his 1986 FA Cup runners-up medal to help ensure other staff members were paid and who forked out for the club's heating bill using his own cash.

And wasn't he the man who stuck by the club when he could have walked away as the going got tough last term?

Bristol Rovers 0 Aldershot Town 1

Chants of "What a load of rubbish" and players being jeered as they attempt to thank their own fans at the end of the game - normal service has been resumed at the Mem.

This was my first visit to see Rovers on their home turf this season and it was eerily reminiscent of what happened last term.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be happy either if I were a Gashead, but shouting abuse at the eleven men wearing the club's colours is hardly going to motivate them to do better for you. Doesn't anyone remember the last campaign? The one that saw Rovers go down?

The same thing happened at Swindon - and they are playing in League Two as well!

Once Stuart Campbell took over the reins at Rovers last season, everyone - fans, players and staff alike - started pulling in the same direction and they nearly achieved what had seemed unlikely - League One survival.

I went on record at the end of last season to say that Campbell should have been given the job full time. He probably would have been able to keep hold of most of the squad - a squad that started to prove they were League One standard - and certainly wouldn't have needed to have made as many signings as Paul Buckle has. In the process he would have saved the club a small fortune.

However, the board decided to appoint Buckle, a young coach with a decent track record.

Buckle has brought in numerous signings and it will take them time to gel (I know it sounds like an early season cliche, but that is because it's often true). Injuries haven't helped his cause either, but you can be sure that anyone sitting on the pyhsio's table at the moment won't be busting a gut to get back out on the pitch to play for fans who give their players the treatment they received on Saturday. And that's when the rot can set in.

So why am I so critical? I'm a neutral. What's it to me? Well from a purely mercenary point of view, I'd prefer to be watching Rovers playing in the football league next season then have to travel further afield to watch Yeovil! Have you seen the price of petrol?

On a more positive note, the 367 Shots fans who by nature - and given the total collapse of their club a few years back - don't expect quite as much from their team, were rewarded with three points.

Manager Dean Holdsworth has got Aldershot playing to their strengths and has assembled a group of players who can play decent football to boot.

Winger Alex Rodman showed what a good footballer he is at this level and - his goal aside - was a constant threat. Rodman has got his education out of the way before embarking on his career (see clipping below) and who is to say he won't go on to bigger and better things?

Holdsworth is certainly a big fan, is keen to keep hold of him and keep him out of the limelight for understandably selfish reasons. When I asked about the lad in the press conference he joked: "Tell everyone he is rubbish and that he only played because someone else was ill!"

And when Rovers pushed to get something out of the game, keeper Ross Worner managed to keep them out by saving with his feet in the dying minutes.

Worner may have been lucky to get away with clattering Matt Harrold in the box as well, although he told me the referee had felt the Rovers striker was as much to blame in the collision. I wasn't overly impressed with that decision or the referee's overall performance, but Aldershot also had a penalty appeal turned down and so maybe it was honours even on that score.

There are a few sides in this division who feel they 'should' be promoted. Their fans expect it. Rovers and the Gasheads are one example. There are others - often smaller clubs with smaller squads - who know it's an outside chance, but they are all in it together and may even end up upsetting the odds if they can steer clear of injuries. Who knows? Aldershot may be one of these.

My clipping from this morning's paper



Gas looking for a Shot of confidence

Bristol Rovers take on Aldershot tomorrow at the Mem with manager Paul Buckle hoping that his side can build on Tuesday's win over Shrewsbury to get a little momentum going.

This will be my first trip to the Memorial Ground this season and Buckle has told the Bristol Evening Post: "Confidence plays a huge part and the win on Tuesday lifted everybody. We had felt hard done by in recent games, but we got our reward the other night. Now we have something to build on. We have only lost two league games and the table has become very tight."

We let ourselves down at Crawley by not defending our 18-yard box properly, but we did it at Bradford last weekend and we did it again on Tuesday. We looked strong and for all the ball Shrewsbury had, they never really hurt us. We have worked on clearing our lines.

Against Aldershot we have to try and get the first goal, because if we do that, teams have got to come at us and it leaves them susceptible on the break. Aldershot have just come off the back of a 2-0 away win and they will be confident. I think they will play open football and come to try and win the game."

The full report can be read here: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/story-13342287-detail/story.html

Aldershot are only one point behind Rovers in the table, although at this stage of the season every team is within touching season of each other of course.

Current Shots's boss and former PFA chairman Dean Holdsworth is slowly making a name for himself in the world of football management and so despite the club's unfashionable label, Rovers need to treat this fixture with caution.

He steered Newport to promotion to the Conference National in 2010 and was then snapped up by relegation threatened Aldershot in January of this year. The club then lost only four games to move from 20th to the safety of a 14th place finish.

The former Crazy Gang member played nearly 200 games for Wimbledon as a striker and combined his post-playing, per-management days with a string of reality TV appearances. As Aldershot lie only just behind Rovers in the table and within spitting distance of the play-off places, he is unlikely to be 'voted off' by the Recreation Ground faithful just yet.

Apologies ...

... for the lack of a post yesterday, but I was travelling back from Belgrade and couldn't connect to the Internet as I was too busy buying my Duty Frees. Normal service will now be resumed :-)