FA Cup Fifth Round - 27 February 2013

MIDDLESBROUGH V CHESLEA

This last sixteen tie takes place eleven days late due to Chelsea’s need to overcome Brentford in the fourth round replay while also fulfilling their Europa League commitments. The delay means the sixth round opponents are known in advance; formidably but lucratively (for Boro at least) they are Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Under the lights at the Riverside it is a still crisp evening and a decent 26,000 plus crowd is expected to cheer on a Boro side whose Championship promotion prospects have plummeted since the start of 2013. Chelsea’s form is also indifferent with rumours of discord under the unpopular Rafa Benitez. It does not bode well for an attractive cup tie.

It’s traditional colours: Middlesbrough red v Chelsea blue. The Middlesbrough team shows a bit of rotation with an eye to a big game on Saturday. Chelsea have fielded a team that include a few old lags (Terry, Ferriera & Benayoun), some young guns (Moses, Bertrand & Ake – the latter looking like a teenage Ruud Gullet), some A list players (Oscar, Ramires & Cech) and a couple whose status is, let’s say, in transition (Torres & Ivanovic).

At the start Boro seem nervous and agitated, often bumping into each other in their haste to chase the ball, while Chelsea seem happy to just stroll around and re-acquaint themselves with the Riverside. With most of the action, or at least activity, in the central third of the pitch Boro settle down and Chelsea seem to lose whatever plan or structure they started with.

Most of the interest is in the individual battles. From the start Bikey bullies Torres into a sulky submission, which he fails to emerge from even when the Boro centre half limps off late in the half. Moses gives full back Friend a torrid time for most of the half, but the game Boro full back never gives up and no damage occurs. McDonald and Main are dwarfed by Terry and Ivanovic; McDonald relishes the contest but young Main is out of his depth. In midfield the hard working Leadbitter and Williams have their hands full with the vision and skill of Oscar and the grace and drive of Ramires. The only area where a match-up could favour Boro is out wide where Haroun has the edge over the young Bertrand and Carayol may have the legs on the aging Ferreira.

The set up often leaves Bailey free and the Boro defender sets up the first chance of the half with a good cross to McDonald who heads narrowly wide. Then Carayol gets into the box and his drive is well hit but straight at Cech who saves. With Bikey replaced by Hines, Torres perks up but when he does burst clear his shot is tame and rolls into Steele’s waiting arms.

The half ends goalless - a fair reflection on the play. Boro have looked the more coherent team but Chelsea’s stars have shown glimpses of class that could settle the game in a flash.

Chelsea begin the stronger in the second half and within 5 minutes Oscar penetrates to the by-line and pulls back a dangerous cross from the right. A Boro head just gets to it but without power, and the ball falls to Ramires. He takes a measured shot that curls towards the goal and its guardian Steele; then Torres’ shoulder intervenes to deflect the ball high into the net denying the keeper the chance to save.

The one goal lead gingers up Chelsea and they continue to press for a while, a Moses cross shot being the highlight, before once more sinking into their torpor and letting Boro back into the game.

Benitez senses this and just before the hour sends on Hazard for Benayoun; the Boro fans issue a collective groan, anticipating the mixed emotions of viewing a great player who has the potential to finish off their slim hopes of a comeback. Mowbray’s response is to put on Millar for Main, the young lad having completed his one hour work experience mainly consisting bouncing off John Terry.

As expected it is substitute Hazard that has most impact. Before long he slices through the inside left channel, exchanging a one-two with Oscar before giving Moses a tap in for 2-0.

Chelsea think that is job done but Boro mount a spirited end to the game. Millar gets down to business and is positively dynamic in comparison to the lack lustre Torres, whose continued presence on the pitch seems more of a penance than a reward for his efforts.

The final ten minutes see the Chelsea goal under, admittedly wayward, bombardment. A McDonald header, shots from Zemmama (on for Carayol) and Leadbitter, and a stretching volley from Millar all miss the target.

So it ends at 0-2 with Premiership finishing quality the deciding factor. The Middlesbrough cup run is done; Chelsea’s may last only ninety minutes longer if they play no better at Old Trafford.

FA Vase Fifth Round – 9 February 2013

SPENNYMOOR TOWN V BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS

For the fourth round running Spennymoor Town have a home tie and today the visitors are Bemerton Heath Harlequins from the Wessex League. It’s cool but dry with hardly any wind - as good as it gets in February at Brewery Field. The winners go through to the last eight so Wembley is definitely in sight for the victors.

The latest ground improvement is a giant concertina-like contraption deployed to extend the tunnel and afford protection to the players and officials from any unwelcome interaction with the spectators in the main stand. From it emerge Spennymoor in their familiar black and white stripes and Bemerton Heath in a very un-harlequinesque plain orange. Where are the red and yellow diamonds, neck ruff and masks?

Spennymoor elect to play the first half uphill so Harlequins kick off and knock the ball well forward winning a throw. The long throw wins a corner and though the ball is cleared it comes straight back high to the far post. Here it is hooked back goalwards for Young to head in from short range. At two minutes Spennymoor are a goal down not having got out of their own half.

Stung by the indignity, Spennymoor respond and pin down their opponents with neat passing and some telling wing play from Phillips on the left and Ruddy on the right. It’s a searching examination but with plenty back and good centre half play Harlequins survive for about twenty minutes. Then from one of Harlequin’s rare excursions forward Spennymoor regain possession and a fine pass from Graydon puts full back Griffiths clear down the right; his low cross is met firmly by centre forward Davidson for a very good equalising goal.

Spennymoor continue to press, although Slade and Sanger up front for Harlequins are tall, rangy and skilful, posing a threat both in the air and onto through balls. From one free kick into the box Slade nods down to Sanger who wastes the chance by firing over. But most of the action is at the other end. On 25 minutes Spennymoor attack down the left, Cogden jinks his way into the box and crosses to Ruddy. He coolly takes a step back inside the defender before shooting high into the net.

The 2-1 lead does not satisfy Spennymoor who push hard for a killer third. Cogden again works his way into the box and unleashes a fierce shot that keeper Porter beats away. He is exposed again when a slick 1-2 provides Capper with a good chance that he slots just wide of the far post. Porter does need to intervene moments later when Dodds latches on to a cleared corner and volleys accurately towards the corner of the goal. That save is matched by another when Davidson gets on the end of a through ball and lashes it towards goal, only to see the keeper stick out a right hand to parry away.

In the last two minutes of the half Harlequins are able to get down to the Spennymoor end and with a long throw threaten to end the half as they began it. But this time the defence holds firm and preserve the 2-1 lead into half time.

Although the home team have had superiority in possession, territory and chances the one goal lead is fragile as Harlequins look dangerous when they do get a chance to attack. But in the second half they will have an unfamiliar slope to contend with.

Kicking off the second half Spennymoor get straight down to business and press forward, but it is Harlequins who have the first strike on goal from a counter attack. Spennymoor keeper Dean is up to the task and tips the shot over the bar. From the corner there are about ten players in the six yard box as the accurate kick is hung up for all to go at; Dean is just able to brush it away with his finger-tips.

Harlequins are working really hard and a spell of pressure leads to a Spennymoor clearance falling to O’Keefe. He moves forward unchallenged to the corner of the Spennymoor box and smashes a right footed shot past Dean’s left hand and into the net to bring it back to all square at 2-2.

This was not in the Spennymoor script and they lose their patient game for a spell, exchanging long balls with their opponents. As it happens one of these leads to a mistake on the edge of the Harlequin box; Cogden pounces on the error and fires mercilessly past Porter to regain the lead.

There is still about half an hour to go and although Spennymoor have regained their composure as well as the lead, the game is far from over. They do get a chance from a corner when skipper Moore, up from the back, volleys on target but straight at Porter. Harlequins go close when another corner into a crowded six yard box is headed just over the angle.

As time goes on and substitutions are made Harlequins shape up with four across the front but Spennymoor weather the storm and in possession slow the game down effectively. A Capper cross from the left is headed just over by Davidson. As the 90th minute approaches they have a good spell of passing on the right that eventually releases Walton, whose cross is swept into the net by Davidson to finally give Spennymoor a two goal advantage and enable to home fans to relax.

There are four minutes to add and Harlequins, to their credit don’t give up but try for another goal; but they are looking tired and a fifth Spennymoor goal looks more likely.

Neither occurs so a lively and entertaining game finishes 4-2 for Spennymoor who will go into the quarter-final draw fearing no-one. Will it be a fifth home tie or will their luck run out with an away trip to Guernsey?

FA Vase Fourth Round – 2 February 2013

SPENNYMOOR TOWN V LORDSWOOD

Two weeks later than scheduled the match is on and the delay means the game will benefit from Brewery Field’s new super duper new floodlights, which have been officially unveiled today. The PA man celebrates by blaring out Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s “Blinded by the Light” repeatedly. In another ground change the dug-outs have switched touchlines and are no longer separated by the previous 50 yards. Helpfully, this both increases the likelihood of manager conflict and put it in full view of the main stand.

It is still cold but two weeks of snow and ice have melted away and as the teams come out so does the sun, making the lights an indulgence for the start of the game. Lordswood, from Kent are kitted out in very orange shirts and white shorts; Spennymoor, as ever at home, are in the black and white stripes.

For most of the first ten minutes Spennymoor are on the attack and twice crosses are met well by centre forward Davidson; one is headed firmly over and the other is well saved by Byott, who looks in for a busy afternoon in the Lordswood goal.

However it is a Spennymoor through ball that creates the next danger. It’s aimed for Cogden but is headed clear straight to Davidson, who volleys it forward for Cogden to continue his thwarted run. He is too quick for both the covering defenders and the keeper, whom he rounds easily to slot home for an early 1-0 lead.

Spennymoor pressure continues and when Byott drops a cross under challenge two goal bound shots have to be blocked by his defenders. Eventually the visitors settle and start to probe the home defence with some long balls down the channels. This better spell culminates with a tame header on target from Murison, easily picked up by goalkeeper Dean, and a run on goal by left wing Englefield, which ends with a firm shot into the side netting.

Spennymoor are controlling the game but are conceding too many free kicks when challenging for headers. This is allowing Lordswood to put the ball into the Spennymoor box too often, and from one of these Cook heads on to Wells who spurns the chance by side-footing his shot wide from close in.

With five minutes left in the half Spennymoor move forward and Cogden jinking in from the left slips a cute ball through to Capper; he unleashes a powerful shot that the keeper parries out to where Davidson is lurking ten yards out. The centre forward doesn’t make the best connection but it is sufficient to get the ball into the net for a bonus two goal lead with half time due.

Lordswood restart and try to get one back before the break. On 45 minutes a chance to shoot is snatched at and the ball goes to the opposite corner flag. Spennymoor retrieve it and move it rapidly up field looking for a killer blow. They lose possession and the ball moves just as rapidly in the other direction down Lordswood’s right wing. Spennymoor defenders uncharacteristically miss two opportunities to intercept the danger, and when the ball is crossed Lordswood have a numerical advantage. Maskell is first to the ball and thumps it decisively past Dean to bring it back to 2-1 at the break.

The late goal brings Lordswood back into a tie that seemed to be getting away from them. Their task will still be uphill – literally as they played with the slope in the first 45 minutes – but they will be buoyed up by hitting the final blow of the half.

From the restart Spennymoor settle back into the passing game and set up camp around the Lordswood penalty area. After 8 minutes a deep Ruddy cross from the right clears everyone but Cogden, small enough to be overlooked but too deadly to be given such room. He controls the ball and despite the difficult angle fires it past Byott into the far corner of the net to restore the two goal lead.

Spennymoor don’t rest on their lead but continue to keep possession. They slow the game down, and press high when necessary leaving Lordswood stuck at the bottom of the hill and unable for long spells to get out of their own half. They have some moments, but generally Spennymoor’s Moore and Mason are able to cope with the long balls hit up to Murison & Wells.

The home team continue to attack, winning corner after corner, supplemented by a free kick or two. From one free kick an on-target header from Moore is particularly well saved by Byott, at the expense of yet another corner. Another Byott save foils a fierce shot from Phillips.

Substitutes come on in a flurry for the last 10 minutes, including the well-built Dimmock for Lordswood. Not mobile, but with presence, he plays a telling ball through to Norman. His shot is saved by Dean, the parry going too wide for Moore, following up, to do anything useful with.

With the game entering added time Spennymoor substitute Richardson, who has looked lively since replacing Cogden, is bundled over on the edge of the box. Falling onto the ball he is in prime position to keep hold of it and claim dibs on the free kick. When his effort goes miles wide he probably wished he left it for someone else.

The game ends with no further drama. Spennymoor made good use of home advantage, and had a clear footballing edge that the 3-1 win slightly underplayed. Lordswood took too long to settle after their long trip and were a little one-dimensional with their long ball game.

Like a lot of teams this season they could not match Graydon and Dodds’ possession and creativity in midfield, rarely got past Moore and Mason in defence, and could not contain Davidson and Cogden up front. The four wide players and the keeper are not bad either so things continue to look good in the Vase for this well organised and talented side.