Swansea City 1 Leyton Orient 2 - Black Swan

My first trip to the Liberty Stadium didn't start off well. I had planned on leaving home at about 11.00 for the two and a half hour drive to South Wales and had my passport at the ready and had been given my jabs.
As I got out of the shower at 9.30 my wife showed me the paper and the fixture lists - kick off was set for 12.50!
Within five minutes I was dressed and in the car. Fortunately I made it with an hour to spare and I'm expecting to receive the first of several speeding tickets later this week.
The experience reminded me of a story another reporter once told me about his own cock up. As he was driving along the M4 on the way to a Reading match he decided to switch radio channels just in time to hear that the Royals were three goals up. He eventually got to the game with thirty minutes to go and managed to blag it.
Having stopped sweating, I have to admit that Swansea have a great set up and is an extremely hospitable club. A complimentary plate of hash browns, fried bacon and beans before kick off certainly helped get me in the mood.
The game itself was a typical FA Cup smash and grab job. Orient defended well, but only had one real attempt on goal an dyer won the game 2-1.
Midfielder Jimmy Smith nodded past former Chelsea team mate Yves Ma-Kalambay for the first in the 35th minute and admitted afterwards:
"He's a big lump of a keeper and I thought he was going to knock my brains out."
While I wouldn't wish ill on any player, I know exactly what Smith was saying. Ma-Kalambay is 6' 6" and should have clattered his old pal, but instead he flapped and the League One underdogs took the lead.
Swansea had numerous chances to equalise before Dutch striker Cedric van der Gun nodded in Darren Pratley's cross on the stroke of half time.
The main reason that City only had one goal going into the break was due to some superb keeping by Jamie Jones. The 21 year old pulled off three great saves in the first fifteen minutes and then started the second half in the same manner by blocking a point blank van der Gun effort from only twelve yards. He then added a fingertip save from Pratley and at that point Swansea must have realised it wasn't going to be their day.
It certainly wasn't skipper Alan Tate's.
Two minutes before the end substitute Paul-Jose M'Poku - an eighteen year old winger on loan from Spurs until the end of the season - whipped in a low cross from the right and Tate sliced his clearance into the back of his own net.
Tate was obviously gutted after the match, but pointed out that:
"Better players than me have scored own goals. What is important is how we bounce back from this because we still have a lot to play for in the league."
Indeed they have. Swansea are in a great position to push for promotion to the Premier League and despite this result, I have to say that they have the infrastructure in place as the Liberty Stadium is top notch.
I can't really pass comment on the team as far as the Championship is concerned. Not on a one-off game, but they must be doing something right this season to be sitting in fourth place in the table and at least they won't be struggling to find a way past Jamie Jones in the run in.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun



Swansea City v Leyton Orient – New Place

When I was a kid I often went along to Brisbane Road to watch Orient play. Those were the days of the late Laurie Cunningham and then not too long afterwards John Chiedozie - two great wingers. If you lived in London at that time Orient were everyone’s second favourite team and I must say it was always a very friendly club.

This will be the first time I have seen a Swansea home game though and I’m looking forward to visiting the Liberty Stadium as I’ve heard good things about from other reporters. Apparently the pre-match food in particular is exceptional ... and regular readers know how very important that is to me :-)

As far as the game is concerned, on paper it should be a shoe-in for the Swans and yet the great thing about football is that it will be played on grass and in a one-off game anything could happen.

Orient may well be in the bottom half of the League One table, but this side are no mugs. They have lost only one of their last twelve games (against league leaders Brighton) and recently thrashed promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday 4-0. Despite their league position, they are also only seven points off a play-off place.

Of course the Swans are going great guns themselves in the Championship and are fourth in the table, but level on points with local rivals Cardiff who currently sit second.

Let’s face it though, only the most blinkered Swansea or Orient fan expects their team to be walking out at Wembley in May and so this game is all about setting themselves up for possible money spinning 5th round draw. I’m sure that both clubs would fancy a day out to Old Trafford and I’m certain the directors would. A win also helps boost confidence as well and so it’s by no means a meaningless game.

Os boss Russell Slade is looking forward to pitting his wits against opposite number Brendan Rodgers and said:

“It’s a big game for us and we’re proud to be in the 4th round of the FA Cup with a chance of getting into the 5th round.

Everyone I’ve spoken to has told me what a good side Swansea are, especially at home, and so we know it’s going to be tough and we’re under no illusions. The whole team defended well at Norwich and we’re going to have to do that again on Saturday.”

Rodgers has said:

"We had a terrific performance and result against Colchester in the last round and we want more of the same," Rodgers said. We will have the core of players who normally play with maybe one or two adaptations, and we will give Leyton Orient the respect we give to every side."

Oxford v Cheltenham - Bull Heart

I’ve been shunted across to cover the Swansea Cup tie against Orient on Saturday, but still wanted to give a big “shout out” to Oxford for something they are doing this weekend.

This week a person or persons unknown painted the brass bull outside the Kassam a shade of pink as either a prank or an artistic statement and – rather than moan about it – the club have team up with the Abingdon-based charity Against Breast Cancer and will be collecting outside then ground before the local derby against Cheltenham on Saturday.

Fans from both clubs are also being urged to wear something pink to show solidarity with the charity and it is hoped that the day is as successful as the recent Ashes game in which both England and Australian fans wore pink in support of the Glenn McGrath Foundation – set up in memory of the former Aussie fast bowler’s wife Jane who died of breast cancer.

If you can’t get to the game there is a link to the charity below for online donations and further information:

www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/

I’m sorry that I won’t be there as it should be a cracker.

Oxford are on a roll, but they shouldn’t be too complacent. I saw Cheltenham lose on Tuesday night (see report below) and if the players react positively to manager Mark Yates full time tirade, they are more than capable of winning.

The Whaddon Road pitch cut up badly during the game against Lincoln and doesn’t do them any favours as – like Oxford – they like to get the ball down and pass it around.

My prediction would be a real sit on the fence 2-2 draw, but whatever the outcome I promise to wear my furry pink thong in South Wales in support of Against Breast Cancer.

Cheltenham Town 1 Lincoln City 2 - Furious

Cheltenham’s blew a perfect opportunity to push for the play-off places against Lincoln – and any hope they had of a day off!

The Imps started the evening propping up the League Two table, but came out of the traps quickly in last night’s game and were two up within 22 minutes and Robins’ manager Mark Yates was seething at the final whistle admitting he was “frustrated, disappointed and angry”.

That anger was abundantly apparent after the game when a local cameraman – surprised at how quickly Yates had come out to face the media – was unprepared. Yates asked him to “please sort yourself out” (I’m paraphrasing here – the first word wasn’t “please”). Fair enough, it’s our job to be ready and waiting and Yates was understandably fuming about the result and performance.

One of the players later told me that their day off today had also been cancelled and so I guess at least the cameraman still had the option of a lie in if he wanted it.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

Lincoln had suffered a horrendous four hour, traffic congested coach journey to Gloucestershire, missing out on their pre-match meal and arriving only 45 minutes before kick-off and so Yates was right in assuming that they would be the ones to start slowly.

Unfortunately Cheltenham looked as though they were the ones who were unprepared.

In the 10th minute Gavin McCallum’s corner was headed back across the face of goal by Delroy Facey and when co-striker Ashley Grimes nodded the ball against the post, midfielder Stephen Hunt prodded in his first goal since joining on a one month loan deal from Notts County last week.

Twelve minutes later Midfielder Josh O’Keefe side-footed a chip form 30 yards which floated over Scott Brown for his second goal of the season – and what a cracker it was.

It was at this point that Cheltenham woke up and, while I understand Yates annoyance with the display in the first 22nd minutes, I think that the players then woke up – possibly spurred on by the knowledge of what was coming once they got back to the dressing room.

In the 31st minute Robins’ winger Josh Low floated over a beautiful cross from the right and Frankie Artus leaped – dare I say like a salmon? – to nod in from about eight yards.

In the second half Cheltenham were mounting attack after attack, but full credit to Lincoln, they dug deep and held on for the win which delighted boss Steve Tilson who rightly said:

“What I like more than anything is that the team spirit and togetherness is getting there. We may have been lacking that a little bit. I think we could have had two or three goals in the second half.”

Not sure about that Steve, but they definitely deserved what he called a “fantastic” win.

Yates blasted:

“I’m as disappointed as I have been in them tonight. I apologise to the supporters. 2-0 down after twenty-five minutes is rubbish and that just about sums it up. The players have let themselves down with that performance and we’ve got some soul searching to do.”

Presumably that starts this morning on the training pitch. I wonder if there’ll be a cameraman there to record it?

Cheltenham Town v Lincoln City - Consistent

I’ve been asked to get along to Whaddon Road tonight for the first time in ages and it’s good to see that they are positioned nicely for the run in and a possible play-off place.

Automatic promotion can’t be ruled out at this stage of the season of course, but then again neither can a relegation scrap! The Robins though have too much strength to get dragged into the latter scenario and if they can put a run together, I still feel they can surprise a few people – not least themselves and their fans.

Few Cheltenham fans will have been thinking about promotion at the start of the season, as Mark Yates was still a fairly unknown quantity as a manager and the team needed re-building, but he has done a good job and assembled a group of very good footballers who – on their day – can match anyone.

As I have said above, I haven’t seen much of them since the home win over Northampton way back in September, but I have been following their fortunes closely and it appears that, more often than not, a very good win is followed by a defeat or a draw.

They need to improve their home form a little as well. They have won five of their twelve at Whaddon Road so far this season, but won the same number of games on their travels. Keeping that away form going while being a little tighter at home might transform a decent season into a silverware winning one.

I’ve also seen Lincoln a couple of times since Steve Tilson took over and – while they might be propping up League Tow at the moment – he has had an effect. Last weekend’s 4-3 win at fellow strugglers Stockport wasn’t the sign of a side prepared to go down with a whimper. If Cheltenham aren’t fully focused tonight they might catch a cold.

Of the fans I’ve seen this season, I have to say that the Imps followers have been the most impressive. At the game against Wycombe in particular, they didn’t stop singing from the first whistle until the last seconds.

Yates is obviously aware of the potential of his side and said:

“Last year it was a scrap for survival, but we certainly won't be resting on laurels. I will still have plenty sleepless nights, but hopefully they will be good ones, wondering about who to play and how to win matches to take us even higher.

We are only 11 points worse off than we were at the end of last season, so the group have done well and we want to make sure they continue to do so.

We need to be a bit better than we have been and I am confident we can make Whaddon Road a fortress again.

Lincoln won't come and lie down for us and they are a dangerous attacking team, despite their league position. But we have to realise we don't have to win the match in the first 15 minutes."

Imps striker Delroy Facey summed up the never-say-die attitude Tilson has instilled ion his squad and said:

“Cheltenham is going to be a different test all together. They are going to get the ball down and try and play and we have to be in their faces again. If we are going on fitness levels I think the lads' fitness levels are tremendous, we can match anyone on the league on that.

And the ability we have got throughout the squad speaks for itself. Everybody says it's a false position that we are in at the moment and you can see that. But we are down at the bottom of the league for a reason and it's a different task against Cheltenham, but if we show that same grit and desire and the commitment that we showed against Stockport, the same attitude, then I don't see any reason why we can't go there and come away with three points.

We are going into the next game on the back of a win. Now it's a matter of can we go and get a second win. And if we win tonight, can we go on and get a third win and so on and so forth.

We have got to think positive from now on in everything that we do."

Possibly a rally message for both teams, but for different reasons?

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Rotherham United 0 - Virus

I don’t know what combination of vitamins Gareth Ainsworth takes in the morning, but I really need to find out. At 37 years old Wycombe skipper Ainsworth really should be considering life AFTER football, but – as he told me a few weeks ago – he’s hoping for an extension to his contract and boy is he playing for one.

But Ainsworth isn’t in it purely for himself. On Saturday evening it was difficult to get him talking about anything other than how proud he was of the team and - to quote full back Danny Foster who was mobbed after teeing up Ainsworth’s winner – you “can feel the love” at Adams Park.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

When you combine this team spirit with the solid workman-like performance they put in against promotion chasing Rotherham, you have possible Champions in the making.

Rotherham weren’t that far off the pace themselves, but will need cooler heads than that of Jason Taylor who booted Kevin Betsy up in the air as the winger ran down the clock by the corner flag in injury time. Taylor had already been booked in the game and received a straight red for his assault on Betsy.*

You could also see the frustration on Adam Le Fondre’s face when he stormed of to the dugout after being replaced in the 83rd minute. Le Fondre has now only scored once in eight games and obviously wants every minute of every game to give his luck a chance of changing. It will. Alfie is too good a poacher for this dry run to continue for too long.

But Saturday was all about Wycombe.

In the first half they dominated and hardly gave the visitors a sniff. When the impressive Andy Sandell was taken off injured in the 24th minute, I wondered whether his replacement Foster might be exposed by Rotherham. I’d never seen Foster play before and so had nothing to base this fear on, but it was totally unfounded.

With his first kick of the game he floated an exquisite cross to the far post and Ainsworth leaped to nod in his sixth of the campaign before running over with the rest of the players to congratulate his 26 year old team-mate.

Rotherham came back into the game in the second half, but the home side stood firm and even striker Ben Strevens managed to nod one attempt clear from under the bar.

But the Yorkshiremen must have known it wasn’t going to be their day in the 68th minute when striker Ryan Taylor jumped for a header 6 yards out and directed downwards to wrong foot keeper Nikki Bull. Bull then somehow managed to change direction as the ball flew back up towards the back of the net and tip the ball onto the bar.

I t was some save and people were rightly comparing it to the Gordon Banks save for England against Pele and Brazil in the 1970 World Cup. For me Banks edges that one as – with the best will in the world – Ryan Taylor is no Pele, but it was still one hell of a save and the best I have seen live at this level in seventeen years of reporting.

Wycombe manager Gary Waddock refused to get carried away with the win and said:

“It is the points total at the end that counts. It doesn't count now. We have got a great result today and a fantastic three points. Nothing more.

The performance was very good. They showed a bit of everything today. In the first-half we passed it around and in the second-half we stood up to everything they threw at us.

They are a big strong side and stood up to physical side so we are delighted. We can look after ourselves if the game goes that way.

It is a strong, hard and physical division and we showed we can stand up to that today."

Millers boss Ronnie Moore was forced to discuss Le Fondre and said:

He wasn't happy but I don't expect him to come off and jump all over me. It showed disrespect to players and to the decision I've made.

Nobody has a divine right to stay on. We were chasing a goal but the way he was playing, he wasn't going to score. I put on Tom Pope for a big more height, strength and a bit more willingness."

* Having see the BBC coverage here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/9371263.stm) I realise I made a mistake and it was in fact Ben Strevens who took the kicking from Taylor. Betsy is nowhere to be seen in fact! I should have stuck to my guns as I had Strevens as the victim in my notes, but was persuaded it was Betsy by several people (including one manager) in the press room. The Press Box at Adams Park is poorly positioned when it comes to that corner of the ground, but it's still no real excuse for not following my gut instinct though. I'm waiting to join Jason Taylor on a three game ban for that one :-)

Wycombe v Rotherham – Tough At The Top

I’m looking forward to going to Adams Park tomorrow for the clash between promotion chasing sides Wycombe in second place – five points behind Chesterfield - and third placed Rotherham.

Rotherham could leap-frog their hosts by one point if they win, whereas the Chairboys could put clear water between themselves and the chasing pack with a home win.

I’ve seen them both this season and been impressed. Neither club has a lot of money to throw around, but they both have solid managers and are focused on automatic promotion rather than the play-offs.

Wycombe have won five of their last six games and only slipped up to Crewe who put three goals past them without reply. But, hey, you’re going to lose sometime and it’s how you react that’s important. Wycombe followed up that defeat with another in the Cup to Hereford, but then went to Lincoln and picked up all three points last weekend.

Rotherham have taken only one point from their last two outings, but will be out for revenge after Wycombe edged a seven goal thriller at the Don Valley Stadium with a last gasp penalty from striker Scott Rendell.

The Miller’s own hot shot, Adam Le Fondre, scored two in that game and the transfer window closure can’t come too quickly as far as the Rotherham fans are concerned.

‘Alfie’ has scored 17 goals already this season and grabbed thirty in Rotherham’s march to the play-off final last season where they lost to Dagenham & Redbridge and it his a testament to manager Ronnie Moore’s managerial skills that the players didn’t sulk and look to be on a mission to get into League One.

Wycombe have shared the goals around the team so far this season with Rendell and veteran skipper Gareth Ainsworth on four, Andy Sandell on five and Kevin Betsy – who may be missing through injury tomorrow – on five. Manager Gary Waddock is looking forward to the game and said:

“They are a strong, powerful side and it will be a really tough game for us. The most important thing for us is not to think about what is at stake but to concentrate on putting on a performance that will help us win.”

While Moore seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet and said:

"I think it will be an open game, we're not a side that will go and put nine men behind the ball. We're going to go on the front foot and if we do that I think it will be wide open and we'll win the game."

Have your say

Each week I am told which game I am being sent to and so sometimes I find that I am getting out of touch with other clubs on my 'patch' (see poll for the full list). Given this situation, I’d be happy for fans of any of these clubs to submit 300 words or so on a game they have seen so that every team has some coverage on a more regular basis. The financial rewards are non-existent, but the blog is quite widely read now – by players and fans alike – and so it might give you an opportunity to get your message across. Any item should be sent to: taplinjeff@gmail.com and I reserve the right to edit it if necessary.
This offer is also open to players - or former players - from any of these clubs.

Bristol Rovers 0 Hartlepool United 0 - Not So Pretty

As Dave Penney said last night: “It ain’t pretty,” but at least Rovers kept a clean sheet – their first since October.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

Hartlepool also ended a three game losing streak and so everyone was happy … apart from anyone who expected to see scintillating football and lots of goals.

But this game was never going to be about entertainment. Penney was honest enough to admit that he expected that to come later and his priority after inheriting a team that hasn’t won in twelve league games was to get the players believing in themselves again. One way of doing this is to stop them conceding and give them a platform to move on.

Penney played Brentford loanee David McCracken last and the 29 year old certainly made a good impression alongside fellow central defenders Byron Anthony and James Tunnicliffe and picked up the man of the match award.

I also asked Penney what his plans were for bringing in a big lad up front and he agreed that one was needed. Jo Kuffour and Will Hoskins worked tirelessly, but neither have the presence of a target man and if the rumour I saw yesterday on the Internet of Calvin Zola joining the club had proved correct, he would have been an ideal addition. At 6’6” and built like the proverbial brick out house, he could have held the ball up for one or both of the two current strikers and cause chaos in opposition defences. Unfortunately at the time of writing this his move to Burton from Crewe has just been confirmed. However this is just the type of player needed.

Kuffour was unlucky not to grab a winner in the 43rd minute when his shot from 10 yards deflected off a defender, but was cleared off the line by Paul Hartley.

About twenty minutes earlier he found himself in the wrong place on the goal line when Chris Lines effort hit him on the knee and bounced away much to the relief of the visitors.

When I’m writing a report on an evening game I always write a little something on the first half action to pad things out just in case it’s needed. Unfortunately for Jo they were the clearest cut chances in the game as a whole and so the paper ran with it in the lead paragraph.

After the game Penney said:

“It was vital we kept a clean sheet, and that will give us confidence. It's something to build on. It's no good playing pretty football and getting beaten every week. We were too open in the games I'd seen so far (against Plymouth and Walsall) and let nine goals in our previous three. It ain’t going to be pretty because we are going to have to battle and grind things out. We need to do the other side of the game as well and we did that tonight.

We know we can play better, but it was important we got something from the game.”

Pools manager Mick Wadsworth was pleased with the point and said:

“Even though we’ve drawn I’m as happy with that as I have been with some of our away wins this season.

I thought we dominated that game by and large for 80 to 90 per cent of the game. I never felt in any danger, especially in the second half, I thought we coped really well.”

Changes at Swindon - All The Young Dudes

An interesting afternoon down at the County Ground by all accounts.

Highly rated central defender Sean Morrison has signed a 3 and one half year deal with Reading and could be a Premier League player this time next year the way they are going. If the reported transfer fee of £250k (Swindon Advertiser) is true, the Royals have got themselves a steal.

To make matters worse for the Swindon fans it is being reported by the BBC, among others, that hot shot striker Charlie Austin also wants away, although niether the player or the club are talking.

Selling Morrison to help fund a re-building of the squad, I can understand, but if Austin leaves as well Danny Wilson will be left wondering where the goals are going to come from.

There are 12 days or so before the transfer window closes, but a quality striker will be hard to come by in that short time. Maybe a loan deal for former hero Simon Cox (currently a bit part player at West Brom)?