Holloway hails veteran striker Phillips as Palace beat Dagenham in pre-season friendly

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway hailed veteran striker Kevin Phillips after his side edged past Dagenham and Redbridge in their first pre-season friendly.

 

Phillips, who turns 40 in four days’ time, signed a one-year deal with the south London side last week.

Holloway was quick to praise the experienced striker.

 

He said: “Whether he’s in the team or on the bench I know he will score goals.

 

“I always knew I was going to keep him but I’ve got to get the right balance to help Kev.”

 

Holloway gave a trial to 6ft 6in striker Atdhe Nuhiu and he got himself on the scoresheet after Phillips set him up in the 34^th minute.

 “It would be unfair to comment on him and indeed the other trialists after one game, but they are likely to take part against Gillingham on Tuesday,” added Holloway.

 

Owen Garvan doubled Palace’s advantage from the penalty spot in the 56^th minute before Dagenham got themselves a consolation when midfielder Medy Elito netted from 12 yards.

 

This was also published in the Sunday Mirror on 21st July 2013.

Nuhiu on target as Palace win in pre-season fixture against Dagenham

Dagenham 1 Crystal Palace 2: Eagles lift off slowly with unconvincing Daggers win

By SEAN GALLAGHER

PUBLISHED: 17:40, 20 July 2013 | UPDATED: 15:00, 21 July 2013

Austrian trialist Atdhe Nuhiu was on target as newly-promoted Crystal Palace edged past Dagenham and Redbridge at Victoria Road.

The 6ft 6in striker – of Albanian descent – impressed for the Eagles as he linked up well upfront with veteran striker Kevin Phillips – who has just signed a new one-year deal with the club.

Nuhiu, 23, was linked with West Ham earlier in the summer and after this performance he will be hopeful of tying up a deal to play for the south London side in the Premier League.

On the ball: Dagenham’s Rhys Murphy shield from Crystal Palace’s Danny Gabbidon

The Eagles contained five players with Premier League experience and looked in control throughout at the home of the League Two side.

Dagenham – who narrowly avoided relegation from League Two last season – went into the game in impressive pre-season form with just one defeat in six games, scoring 18 goals in the process.

Palace – who have made five summer signings so far – started the brighter and went close to scoring after just eight minutes when free agent Nuhiu had his goal-bound shot cleared off the line by Daggers trialist Brian Saah.

Warming up: Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wilbraham

Goalscorer: Crystal Palace trialist Athuha Nuhiu

Palace should have then taken the lead when Nuhiu nodded it on for Phillips, but the experienced striker fired narrowly over the bar.

Moments later Stephen Dobbie – who played under Ian Holloway at Blackpool – forced Daggers keeper Chris Lewington into two superb saves, before the Premier League outfit deservedly took the lead in the 34th minute.

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie – a former Arsenal youth product – set-up trialist Nuhiu who struck home from close range.

Palace doubled the lead shortly after the break when Quade Taylor was taken down in the box, with Owen Garvan making no mistake from the penalty spot.

The Daggers got themselves back into the game when Medy Elito finished confidently from the spot in the 68th minute after  Taylor had fouled former West Ham striker Zavon Hines in the area, but Palace were not to be denied victory.

This can also be found on: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2371612/Dagenham-1-Crystal-Palace-2-Atdhe-Nuhiu-scores-Eagles-win.html#ixzz2bo490Lx6

Poland 1-1 Greece- Euro 2012- Group A

TYTON BY NAME, TYTON BY NATURE

 

Euro 2012

Friday 8th June

Group A- Poland 1-1 Greece

Warsaw National Stadium, Warsaw

 

PRZEMYSLAW Tyton became the first goalkeeper ever to save a penalty at the European Championships playing as a substitute, earning the joint host nation Poland a share of the spoils, after a spirited second-half fightback from 2004 winners Greece in the opening game of Euro 2012.

 Prior to the game this was predicted to be a bore draw, but how wrong that suggestion was to be, with two red cards, a missed penalty, two goalkeeping blunders and a series of referring blunders, culminating into a action packed opening game.

 The host nation started the brighter with Robert Lewandowski- scorer of 22 Bundesliga goals this season, causing the Greek defence no ends of problems.

It would not be long before their superiority told though, with the Borussia Dortmund striker heading home in the 17^th minute, after a delicious cross from the right-hand side from his Dortmund teammate and captain Jakub Blaszczykowski, which caught Greek keeper Kostas Chalkias in no man’s land.

 Poland continued to dominate proceedings and should have doubled their lead in the 37^th minute, but Damien Perquis somehow pulled his right-foot shot wide. Greece were looking a shadow of the team that performed so well in qualifying- so much they finished top of their qualifying group ahead of Croatia.

The game turned into farce in the 44^th minute as centre-half Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off for a second yellow card by the Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo, although the obstruction then and the earlier offence had been unremarkable.

Greece went into the second half with the odds firmly stacked against them, and after such a inept first half display it was hard to see anything but a Poland win.

However what would happen in the remaining 45 minutes was nothing but extraordinary, with first substitute Dimitris Salpingidis firing home the equaliser just six minutes after the restart- the first goal Poland had conceded in six games.

It got even better for Greece when they were handed the opportunity to take the lead as the game took an astonishing twist, with Wojciech Szczesny bringing down Salpingidis in the penalty area, with the Arsenal keeper given a straight red card for the foul.

Captain Giorgos Karagounis’ stepped up to take the spot-kick, but substitute keeper Tyton superbly palmed the ball away to his left, with the drama continuing at the Warsaw National Stadium.

Karagounis was on a mission to make up for his penalty miss and in the 83^rd minute had the chance to become the matchwinner- but fired well over.

Poland themselves nearly grabbed a late winner when Kostas Katsouranis shinned the ball over his own crossbar, but it was not to be, as Greece became only the second team ever to come from behind to avoid defeat after having a man sent off at the Euros- the last team to do so were Yugoslavia against Slovenia at Euro 2000.

 This can also be found on shoot.co.uk, http://www.shoot.co.uk/news/latest_article/C52/latest_news/poland_1_greece_1

Mile Oak 0 Eastbourne United 2

Cooper double puts United back on track

Published on Monday 5 December 2011 18:12

 

PETER Cooper ensured Eastbourne United returned to winning ways at Mile Oak after a closely fought encounter on Saturday afternoon.

Two second-half goals from Cooper gave United three much-needed points as they cemented their mid-table position in division two.

After a first-half where both teams effectively cancelled themselves out, United quickly took the initiative in the second-half when Josh Grimes’s shot rebounded off the post, before Cooper was on hand to slot home and give the away side the advantage in the 53rd minute.

The victory was sealed after a good run from Cooper was halted inside the penalty area in the 75th minute. Cooper stepped up to cooly put away the penalty and give United breathing space with just 15 minutes remaining.

United boss Paul Daubeney admitted the difference between the two sides was his sides’ ability to take their chances resulting in a welcome away win for United.

“To be fair to Mile Oak I felt the game in terms of possession was 50/50, and in the first-half both teams cancelled each other out.In the second we both went out and attacked each other looking for that all-important goal.”

Daubeney reserved special praise for Jamie Bunn and Josh Grimes for their role in his side’s win.

Daubeney said of the duo, “That is the best substitute appearance from a player who has played under me, let alone Bunn’s best since he has played here!

“He was simply faultless. Grimes also impressed me, he came into his own in the second-half and linked up really well with Cooper up front.

“That’s also the best I’ve seen of him since he’s been at the club.”

United travel to Wick next in the league, ahead of tough fixtures against table-toppers East Preston and second place Hailsham Town over the festive period.

Daubeney added, “We are quietly optimistic travelling to Wick we can get something from the game. With the games we have after, I think it’s important we can get at least a draw there, if not more.”

UNITED: Daubeney, Lee, Featherstone, Jules, Hughes, Goodwin (Bunn 45), Trickett (Brand 88), Catt, Barden, Grimes, Cooper

ATT: 34 Referee: Duncan Baker

East Preston 5 Hailsham Town 1

MAC sees red as Stringers collapse

Published on Monday 5 December 2011 17:49

 

FURIOUS Hailsham Town manager Ken McCreadie laid into his players after they were thrashed at table-toppers East Preston in a top of the table clash on Saturday afternoon.

McCreadie was understandably frustrated after seeing his side succumb to a 5-1 defeat at Lashmar, his anger boiling over midway through the first-half as referee Robert Myhill gave him his marching orders after being too vociferous in his protests.

The Stringers started brightly, and were arguably the better team 20 minutes into the game. Shane Saunders went close inside the first minute with Ben Billings, Steve Dallaway, Ashley Jarvis and Danny Leach all testing opposition ‘keeper Alex Bryant.

However, that would prove to be false optimism for Hailsham, as Matthew Axel started the rout giving East Preston the lead in the 24th minute.

It would get worse for the Stringers faithful before half-time when Charlie Oatway made it two on 35 minutes, in somewhat similar fashion to the first goal.

Shortly after the interval it was three when George Gaskin was left with plenty of room inside the box to comfortably slot home a third in the 51st minute.

Hailsham thought they had given themselves a lifeline after star striker Danny Leach slotted home a penalty after Ryan Alexander was upended in the box two minutes later.

But two goals in quick succession from Gaskin, completing his hat-trick, cemented East Preston’s lead at the top of the table.

Hailsham manager Ken McCreadie gave no excuses for his side’s inept display, lavishing praise on opponents East Preston. He said, “East Preston quite simply gave us a footballing lesson.

“They have a very strong squad, they have a good first division squad let alone a second division one.

“They bossed us in every department, our midfield was overran and our defence was just not good enough and that is not something I have said a lot this year.”

McCreadie also insisted that he has no problems with the referee or any of his officials despite his sending-off and is focused on getting his team back on track ahead of this weekend’s game at Steyning Town.

“I have no qualms with Mr Myhill or any of his officials. I discussed the situation with them at half-time and why I wasn’t happy. There will be no further action taken and as far as I am concerned that is the matter closed.”

He added, “Understandably the lads are gutted and they should be. It was a very poor performance all-round, but we have to remember we are second in the league and this is only our second defeat of the season- our first away from home. We are looking forward to putting things right at Steyning Town this weekend.”

HAILSHAM: Tanner, Dean Stevens (Jacob Stevens 72), Ottley (Hall 65), Earley (Attril 65), Richardson, Alexander, Dallaway, Jarvis, Leach, Saunders, Billings ATT: 53

REFEREE: Robert Myhill

Cardiff 0 Reading 3

Long Double Seals Royal Date at Wembley

 

Cardiff 0

Reading 3 (Long 28, 45 (pen), McAnuff 84)

 

Aggregate (0-3)

Reading booked their place in the Championship play-off final after a stunning display against Cardiff as two goals from Shane Long and another from Jobi McAnuff sealed a memorable night for the Royals and their manager Brian McDermott.

It was another night of missed opportunities for Cardiff and their manager Dave Jones, who yet again will have to spend another season in the Championship.

Long, whose 21 goals in the league had guided the Royals into the top six, struck twice before half time to set up a final showdown against Swansea City and their former manager, Brendan Rogers.

McAnuff put the nail in the coffin of his former team capping a tremendous display by firing home after a superb run through on goal with 6 minutes remaining.

For the Bluebirds, the 11th hour news that Craig Bellamy would play no part in the game due to the hamstring injury he suffered at the Madejski Stadium on Friday, was a significant blow to their hopes of a second successive final appearance.

However, early chances for Peter Whittingham and Bellamy’s replacement Michael Chopra, suggested that his absence would not stop Cardiff taking the game to Reading and secure a dream final appearance at Wembley against arch-rivals Swansea City.

The Bluebirds were the architects of their own downfall though missing chance after chance, before Reading made them pay after a calamitous error by Stephen Bywater, gifted Shane Long the opportunity to grab his 23^rd goal of the season. A deflected back pass by Dekel Keinan put the Cardiff defence and Bywater in no man’s land, as the ball inadvertently deflected off Long, before his sublime lob gave the Royals a first half lead.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas spurned a golden opportunity to halve the deficit firing over five minutes into the second half, before Noel Hunt, at the opposite end, struck an upright from no more than three yards out after a great breakaway resulting in Long’s cross narrowly making full contact with Hunt.

Jason Koumas and Jon Parkin were introduced beyond the hour and the switch nearly payed dividends when in the 66th minute a Kevin McNaughton free kick gifted Seyi Olofinjana with City’s best chance of the night.

The influential midfielder fluffed his chance and then was forced to look on in horror as McAnuff hammered home the decisive goal. Picking up the ball, 30 yards from goal, he drove into the City area with ease and smashed home expertly to seal Cardiff’s fate and sent the away following into raptures.

Cardiff City (4-4-2) S Bywater; D Blake, K McNaughton (C), D Keinan, J Lloyd-Samuel  (A Matthews) ; C Burke, S Olofinjana, J Emmanuel-Thomas, P Whittingham; M Chopra  (J Parkin), J Bothroyd
Reading (4-3-3): A Federici.; A Griffin, M Mills (C), Z Khizanishvili, I Harte; S Cummings, J Karacan  (J Tabb), M Leigertwood; J McAnuff, S Long  (S Church), N Hunt
Referee: H Webb (Rotherham).

Ref: H Webb

Att: 24,081

Sean Gallagher

 

http://www.overtimeonline.co.uk/?p=3176

 

The article on my university website for sport journalists, Overtime.

Huddersfield 0 Peterborough 3

Mackail-Smith Signs Off In Style

League One Play-Off Final

Old Trafford

Huddersfield 0- 3 Peterborough

Huddersfield Town (4-3-3): Bennett; Hunt, Kay, Clarke, Naysmith; Peltier, Kilbane, Arfield (Lee 81); Ward (Cadamarteri 79), Roberts, Afobe (Rhodes 81).
Subs Not Used: Colgan (g), McCombe, Gudjonsson, Novak.
Booked: Peltier, Hunt, Kay

Peterborough (4-3-1-2): Jones; Little, Zakuani, Bennett, Basey (Lee 64); Wesolowski, McCann, Rowe (Whelpdale 83); Boyd; Mackail-Smith, Tomlin (Ball 90).

Scorers: Rowe, Mackail-Smith, Mcann.

Booked: Tomlin, Lee.
Subs Not Used: Richardson (g), Langmead, Mendez-Laing, Newell.
Referee: S Tanner (Somerset).

PETERBOROUGH made it three promotions in four years as they sealed a return to the Championship with three second-half goals as Darren Ferguson continued his fairytale story with the club.

Ferguson and his side ensured it would be a weekend to celebrate for at least one of the Ferguson family, after his father’s side Manchester United were beaten convincingly at Wembley last night by Barcelona in the Champions League final.

Huddersfield, on the back of a 27 match unbeaten run, simply didn’t turn up and looked a million miles away from the form they were showing towards the end of the league season. On the other hand, Peterborough, spear-headed by striking sensation Craig Mackail-Smith and the outstanding George Boyd, counter-attacked superbly and got their just rewards.

Predator

Mackail-Smith, Ferguson’s key striker, terrorized the Huddersfield defence with his swift movement forward and unbelievable work rate, and was close to his 35^thgoal of the season within minutes of the final beginning. A deft flick from Boyd put Mackail-Smith through on goal and only a heroic challenge from Antony Kay stopped him from giving Posh an early lead.

The Terriers were struggling to cope with the attacking prowess their opposition were showing, with their tactical plan clearly not working to effect. Tomlin and Boyd also went close for Posh with Huddersfield unable to muster any type of effort on goal.

Much had been expected of the more experienced figures within the Huddersfield team, most notably Kevin Kilbane, but he cut a disillusioned figure in the heart of the Terriers midfield. They improved during parts of the first half with Gary Roberts causing problems on the left-hand side. His teasing free kick brought a smart save out of Boro’ keeper Paul Smith, as the Terriers attempted to gain some kind of command in the game. Arsenal youngster Benik Efobe was looking sharp upfront and was unlucky not to find the net after a last ditch tackle from Bennett, stopping him having a clear strike on goal.

Danny Ward, on loan from Bolton Wanderers, also went agonizingly close for Huddersfield, after breaking clear down the right-hand side he turned back into the box only to see his shot flick off the crossbar.

Clinical

But it was Peterborough who ran away with the game in the latter stages scoring a remarkable three goals in just under 7 minutes. Boyd, the catalyst of Peterborough’s attack, won a free kick outside the area in the 75^th minute. McCann, dead-ball specialist, swung in a glorious ball which Tommy Rowe met with aplomb to give the Posh a crucial lead.

Celebrations had barely died down before Huddersfield received another sucker-punch and with that their chances of returning to the second tier after a 10-year exile.

Mackail-Smith, guilty of missing two sitters by his own standards in the first half, sealed an immediate return to the Championship for Posh after linking up superbly with Boyd and squeezing  a shot into the far corner of the goal from outside the box via a deflection. What a way to sign off , grabbing his 35^th goal of the season and securing Peterborough’s promotion. Wherever he goes this summer, he will remain a Posh hero.

McCann put the icing of the cake with a stunning free-kick in the 85^th minute he dubbed as “the best and most important goal in his career.”

For Huddersfield and their enigmatic manager Lee Clark it would be a bitter pill to swallow and heartbreak for the 2^nd year in a row, for Darren Ferguson and Peterborough, their love affair well and truly continues.

Sean Gallagher