Midfielder Gary Horgan has returned to Southern League Premier side Swindon Supermarine over ten years after he began his senior footballing career with the club.
Horgan, who made a midweek switch from league rivals Mangotsfield United, played for the Wiltshire outfit in the Hellenic league, and after years of playing football at higher levels, the club have finally caught back up with him.
Horgan will make his debut this Saturday at home to Banbury United in a game that sees boss Mark Collier without SIX key players.
The ill-disciplined encounter with Chippenham two weeks ago will result in captain Leigh Henry and forward Nathan Lightbody missing the first of three games, whilst striker Jason Welsh and Henry’s defensive partner, Cedric Abraham, will sit just this one out.
To add to the availability crisis, midfielder JP Mills is out of the country for two weeks whilst striker Richard Kear, who has been hitting the goal trail in recent weeks, is laid low by flu.
With his options limited Collier is expecting his squad to be stretched to its limits.
“We have always said to compete in this league we need a big squad and this is a real test of that.
“The lads that come in will be showing us that they deserve a starting position so we expect big performances.”
Henry and Abraham have just begun to forge a settled defensive partnership with both players catching the eye of higher league clubs, so to have both out is a massive blow for Collier.
“They have been playing really well together, to replace one is always going to be hard, to replace both is an absolute nightmare.”
Stuart Pearson, Chris Thompson and Chris Copp are all possibilities to cover the unfamiliar positions at centre half, while last week’s star man Ashley Edenborough will be set to line up by himself if Kear is unfit.
Banbury are languishing in mid table alongside Marine but come in to this game on the back of a seven match unbeaten run. With both sides setting their sights on a top half finish this game promises to be an entertaining encounter.
LEIGH MOORE
Friday 30 November 2007
Luggy heads home leaving Town in tatters!
As Paul Sturrock addressed the media gathered at Home Park on Tuesday you could see a man who was jovial, confident and relaxed, a far cry from the catastrophe he had left behind just 24 hours previously.
Very few can really blame Mr Sturrock for getting in his car and heading back down the M4/M5 to his “Spiritual home” with the future of Swindon Town looking less than bright, and after four months without pay!
With Sturrock’s departure came rumblings of discontent not just from the fans but, more worryingly, from Andrew Fitton, the man who had been poised to complete a takeover at the Country Ground.
Rumours in the local press suggest Sturrock’s departure has left Mr Fitton carefully considering his next move, which leaves you wondering just what happens now.
If “Mr Betfair” decides Town are one horse not worth backing then the possibility remains that Towns FA Cup encounter with Forest Green on Saturday could be one of their last.
Creditors are quickly running out of patience with the Wiltshire club, who have already seen the proposed takeover consortium Best Holdings pull out at the eleventh hour, and if Mr Fitton and Co go the same way as their Portuguese predecessors then the future of Town looks bleak.
With such a thunderous cloud hanging over the County Ground fans are scratching their heads as to just who is going to jump into the hot seat?
What manager currently in a job would leave for such a volatile post, and which out-of-work, proven candidate would risk their reputation on what seems to be a poisoned chalice?
One person to throw his hat into the ring is Martin Allen, the former Brentford and Leicester manager who was nicknamed Mad Dog for his unusual pre-match antics.
With very few others touting for the job Allen could possibly be the best man, because quite frankly to go within five miles of the Country Ground amidst this current crisis…. you’d have to be mad!
LEIGH MOORE
Very few can really blame Mr Sturrock for getting in his car and heading back down the M4/M5 to his “Spiritual home” with the future of Swindon Town looking less than bright, and after four months without pay!
With Sturrock’s departure came rumblings of discontent not just from the fans but, more worryingly, from Andrew Fitton, the man who had been poised to complete a takeover at the Country Ground.
Rumours in the local press suggest Sturrock’s departure has left Mr Fitton carefully considering his next move, which leaves you wondering just what happens now.
If “Mr Betfair” decides Town are one horse not worth backing then the possibility remains that Towns FA Cup encounter with Forest Green on Saturday could be one of their last.
Creditors are quickly running out of patience with the Wiltshire club, who have already seen the proposed takeover consortium Best Holdings pull out at the eleventh hour, and if Mr Fitton and Co go the same way as their Portuguese predecessors then the future of Town looks bleak.
With such a thunderous cloud hanging over the County Ground fans are scratching their heads as to just who is going to jump into the hot seat?
What manager currently in a job would leave for such a volatile post, and which out-of-work, proven candidate would risk their reputation on what seems to be a poisoned chalice?
One person to throw his hat into the ring is Martin Allen, the former Brentford and Leicester manager who was nicknamed Mad Dog for his unusual pre-match antics.
With very few others touting for the job Allen could possibly be the best man, because quite frankly to go within five miles of the Country Ground amidst this current crisis…. you’d have to be mad!
LEIGH MOORE
Wednesday 28 November 2007
"Plymouth is my spiritual home"
Adding to Swindon Town fans' further dismay in an unforgiving season, the club's most prized asset, Manager Paul Sturrock, has bounced back to his former roots at Plymouth Argyle.
Sturrock first managed Plymouth from 2000 to 2004 and has swiftly returned to fill the void left by Ian Holloway, who resigned last week to join rival Leicester.
Since being appointed in Summer 2006, the former QPR boss had led the Pilgrims up the League Championship table. Last week, Plymouth fans felt betrayed by his shock decision to walk out of their club having been refused talks with Leicester.
Speculation was rife over the weekend as to whether or not Plymouth had, or were going to, approach Swindon. Even Paul Sturrock dismissed the many rumours circulating online and in the newspapers.
But it was evident that his previous successful spell at Plymouth was still raw in the minds of the Argyle Board and fans, painfully but respectably recognised simultaneously by Swindon fans.
After his first stint at Plymouth, Sturrock coached at Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Swindon. He played his entire career at Dundee United as a striker and also played for Scotland. His son, Blair Sturrock, still plays for Swindon.
It must be said, that Swindon fans have endured so much these past recent months. The reaction by fans to Sturrock's departure has not been of anger, but of reasonable presumption.
Sadly and inevitably, it was coming. It was just a question of when. Denial was a way of acclimatising to the idea of losing a great manager that helped us win 50% of our games under him, losing just 11 of 52, and return to League One.
It certainly wouldn't take much to aggravate the Swindon fans at the moment, given the financial fiasco that has blighted this season. It is going to be a rocky and frustrating ride, now that we're looking for our sixth manager in two years.
I am sure the fans share my pride in the way Sturrock stepped down with such grace and how they have all fought a united front for the club's survival.
Sturrock's farewell message to Swindon read:
"In footballing terms and in my heart, Plymouth is my spiritual home and I never thought the opportunity would arise again. It is an opportunity that I couldn't turn down.
"My children will be able to fit into schools very quickly down there and my wife will be able to adapt to life there very quickly as we have a lot of friends down there still.
"It was a wrench because I have brought a lot of players to this football club and I have enjoyed my time at The County Ground.
"I hope people will appreciate that myself and the coaching staff have left Swindon in a better state than when we arrived and that is the aim of any manager.
"The last three months have probably been the most difficult of my football career but the lure of returning to Plymouth Argyle was just too strong to turn down.
"Hopefully there will be a change in ownership that enables thefootball club to bring the success that everyone who works for thisclub merits".
Sturrock left on good terms and for him to wish the club better luck struck the right chord for fans, I feel. He has been given a golden opportunity to return to a club he knows inside out, without the burden of a takeover crisis obstructing his managerial decisions. Who can criticise him?
Swindon Town fans will want to forget the year 2007, a year that sawtheir club's future clinging to a fine thread. A year ofstalled takeover plans, protests and the departure of Paul Sturrock. Hopefully in 2008 the club will be in a healthier state, led by amanager with similar dedication.
Comments by Argyle fans online have been fully sympathetic and welcoming to Swindon's cause. That has provided an amicable and comforting remedy to the misfortunes that have shaken the club. We thank you. And wish Sturrock the very best with his return to Home Park.
He's our hero of the South West too!
NEIL ROBINSON
Sturrock first managed Plymouth from 2000 to 2004 and has swiftly returned to fill the void left by Ian Holloway, who resigned last week to join rival Leicester.
Since being appointed in Summer 2006, the former QPR boss had led the Pilgrims up the League Championship table. Last week, Plymouth fans felt betrayed by his shock decision to walk out of their club having been refused talks with Leicester.
Speculation was rife over the weekend as to whether or not Plymouth had, or were going to, approach Swindon. Even Paul Sturrock dismissed the many rumours circulating online and in the newspapers.
But it was evident that his previous successful spell at Plymouth was still raw in the minds of the Argyle Board and fans, painfully but respectably recognised simultaneously by Swindon fans.
After his first stint at Plymouth, Sturrock coached at Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Swindon. He played his entire career at Dundee United as a striker and also played for Scotland. His son, Blair Sturrock, still plays for Swindon.
It must be said, that Swindon fans have endured so much these past recent months. The reaction by fans to Sturrock's departure has not been of anger, but of reasonable presumption.
Sadly and inevitably, it was coming. It was just a question of when. Denial was a way of acclimatising to the idea of losing a great manager that helped us win 50% of our games under him, losing just 11 of 52, and return to League One.
It certainly wouldn't take much to aggravate the Swindon fans at the moment, given the financial fiasco that has blighted this season. It is going to be a rocky and frustrating ride, now that we're looking for our sixth manager in two years.
I am sure the fans share my pride in the way Sturrock stepped down with such grace and how they have all fought a united front for the club's survival.
Sturrock's farewell message to Swindon read:
"In footballing terms and in my heart, Plymouth is my spiritual home and I never thought the opportunity would arise again. It is an opportunity that I couldn't turn down.
"My children will be able to fit into schools very quickly down there and my wife will be able to adapt to life there very quickly as we have a lot of friends down there still.
"It was a wrench because I have brought a lot of players to this football club and I have enjoyed my time at The County Ground.
"I hope people will appreciate that myself and the coaching staff have left Swindon in a better state than when we arrived and that is the aim of any manager.
"The last three months have probably been the most difficult of my football career but the lure of returning to Plymouth Argyle was just too strong to turn down.
"Hopefully there will be a change in ownership that enables thefootball club to bring the success that everyone who works for thisclub merits".
Sturrock left on good terms and for him to wish the club better luck struck the right chord for fans, I feel. He has been given a golden opportunity to return to a club he knows inside out, without the burden of a takeover crisis obstructing his managerial decisions. Who can criticise him?
Swindon Town fans will want to forget the year 2007, a year that sawtheir club's future clinging to a fine thread. A year ofstalled takeover plans, protests and the departure of Paul Sturrock. Hopefully in 2008 the club will be in a healthier state, led by amanager with similar dedication.
Comments by Argyle fans online have been fully sympathetic and welcoming to Swindon's cause. That has provided an amicable and comforting remedy to the misfortunes that have shaken the club. We thank you. And wish Sturrock the very best with his return to Home Park.
He's our hero of the South West too!
NEIL ROBINSON
Tuesday 27 November 2007
Honeymoon over at City
The Championship honeymoon is well and truly over for Gary Johnson's Bristol City, with three straight defeats causing a slump in confidence around the club which will need to be put right soon, or we will find ourselves slipping down the league table.
City began so strongly, collecting points on the road against the likes of Coventry, who were top of the league at the time, and Sheffield Wednesday. A minor blip against Barnsley was soon followed by one of the best team performances I have ever seen at Ashton Gate.
Beating newly relegated Sheffield United 2-0 in front of live television cameras was fantastic, myself and many other supporters then began to think that perhaps we could do more this season than just survive. Media attention likened our start to that of Colchester, who were the surprise package of the division last year.
This was followed by another strong performance against the bookies favourites this season, West Brom. A hard fought point through a late Bradley Orr goal raised expectations further. But our good form has come to a shuddering halt, with first a late winner from Chris Iwelumo securing a narrow win for Charlton in a game that neither side deserved to win or lose. Then a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Ipswich wiped away any confidence the players had.
The team hasn’t become a bad side over night, the lads just lack that all important thing in football which is confidence. Ask any player, without confidence you will struggle to hit top form. This was demonstrated on Saturday. City were at home to Leicester. The hype about the new manager, a certain Ian Holloway, familiar to this part of the region, added an extra to spice to this fixture certainly for the fans, yet the players failed to deliver.
A promising opening 20 minutes, with Lee Trundle seeing a shot just go over the bar, was ruined when a simple cross in the box led to the first goal.
In past matches the fans have rallied round the team when we concede, and you sense the players are up for a fight. Unfortunately on this occasion the crowd remained silent, and got the feeling the team weren’t offering much and the fans in return would do likewise. Holloway managed to contain his delight when his new team scored and many City fans decided to clap the arch enemy.
Gary Johnson later remarked: "I think as a club we have forgotten we’re in the Championship. Every bit of support is going to help and I just think it went a little dead today".
There seemed to be no urgency in our play and we lacked ideas, which after a bright start to the season of free flowing football is disappointing.
At the time of writing City have just played Hull City, who, in contrast to us, have won three on the bounce and were looking to extend that winning run. My thoughts going into the game was that if we could stop the run with a point, then that would be fantastic as the KC Stadium is not an easy place to go to and get a result.
Listening to the coverage on the internet while watching Man United in the Champions League, I was hoping for two teams to score – City and Sporting Lisbon. The latter did but I would have rather it had been City of course. On the bright side it seemed the re-introduction of Jamie McAllister and Bradley Orr, who had served one match suspensions, had helped restore a bit of fluency to our play.
We seemed to be on top, creating chances and winning six corners early on. I got the feeling the team’s confidence was being slowly restored and our defence managed to keep 38 year old veteran Dean Windass quiet.
We came closest to scoring when McAllister had a shot bound for the top corner tipped away by former City loanee and Hull keeper Boaz Myhill. Then on the stroke of half-time all my confidence seeped away when McAllister was sent off for a second bookable offence. Judging by what the commentator said the referee was quite harsh as the player had only made two challenges in the entire half and both were deemed to warrant a yellow card.
Johnson at half-time was forced to substitute attacking midfielder David Noble for a defender to tighten the defence, and now the main objective was to leave Hull with a point. Thankfully the lads worked hard and held on for the draw, but we could have won it when Darren Byfield was brought down in the penalty area, although the referee waved away any appeals.
I would have taken a draw at the beginning of the evening and to play for 45 minutes with 10 men and keep a clean sheet is a step in the right direction. Next up is a tricky away game at leaders Watford. The game is live on Sky so this will give the boys a chance to show any doubters out there that we can cut it with the best in this league.
ANDY DAVIES
City began so strongly, collecting points on the road against the likes of Coventry, who were top of the league at the time, and Sheffield Wednesday. A minor blip against Barnsley was soon followed by one of the best team performances I have ever seen at Ashton Gate.
Beating newly relegated Sheffield United 2-0 in front of live television cameras was fantastic, myself and many other supporters then began to think that perhaps we could do more this season than just survive. Media attention likened our start to that of Colchester, who were the surprise package of the division last year.
This was followed by another strong performance against the bookies favourites this season, West Brom. A hard fought point through a late Bradley Orr goal raised expectations further. But our good form has come to a shuddering halt, with first a late winner from Chris Iwelumo securing a narrow win for Charlton in a game that neither side deserved to win or lose. Then a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Ipswich wiped away any confidence the players had.
The team hasn’t become a bad side over night, the lads just lack that all important thing in football which is confidence. Ask any player, without confidence you will struggle to hit top form. This was demonstrated on Saturday. City were at home to Leicester. The hype about the new manager, a certain Ian Holloway, familiar to this part of the region, added an extra to spice to this fixture certainly for the fans, yet the players failed to deliver.
A promising opening 20 minutes, with Lee Trundle seeing a shot just go over the bar, was ruined when a simple cross in the box led to the first goal.
In past matches the fans have rallied round the team when we concede, and you sense the players are up for a fight. Unfortunately on this occasion the crowd remained silent, and got the feeling the team weren’t offering much and the fans in return would do likewise. Holloway managed to contain his delight when his new team scored and many City fans decided to clap the arch enemy.
Gary Johnson later remarked: "I think as a club we have forgotten we’re in the Championship. Every bit of support is going to help and I just think it went a little dead today".
There seemed to be no urgency in our play and we lacked ideas, which after a bright start to the season of free flowing football is disappointing.
At the time of writing City have just played Hull City, who, in contrast to us, have won three on the bounce and were looking to extend that winning run. My thoughts going into the game was that if we could stop the run with a point, then that would be fantastic as the KC Stadium is not an easy place to go to and get a result.
Listening to the coverage on the internet while watching Man United in the Champions League, I was hoping for two teams to score – City and Sporting Lisbon. The latter did but I would have rather it had been City of course. On the bright side it seemed the re-introduction of Jamie McAllister and Bradley Orr, who had served one match suspensions, had helped restore a bit of fluency to our play.
We seemed to be on top, creating chances and winning six corners early on. I got the feeling the team’s confidence was being slowly restored and our defence managed to keep 38 year old veteran Dean Windass quiet.
We came closest to scoring when McAllister had a shot bound for the top corner tipped away by former City loanee and Hull keeper Boaz Myhill. Then on the stroke of half-time all my confidence seeped away when McAllister was sent off for a second bookable offence. Judging by what the commentator said the referee was quite harsh as the player had only made two challenges in the entire half and both were deemed to warrant a yellow card.
Johnson at half-time was forced to substitute attacking midfielder David Noble for a defender to tighten the defence, and now the main objective was to leave Hull with a point. Thankfully the lads worked hard and held on for the draw, but we could have won it when Darren Byfield was brought down in the penalty area, although the referee waved away any appeals.
I would have taken a draw at the beginning of the evening and to play for 45 minutes with 10 men and keep a clean sheet is a step in the right direction. Next up is a tricky away game at leaders Watford. The game is live on Sky so this will give the boys a chance to show any doubters out there that we can cut it with the best in this league.
ANDY DAVIES
Cheltenham's greatest ever result?
As the Mastercard advert goes: Ticket-£13, programme-£2.50…watching Gillespie score with five minutes to go in front of the C&G Stand – priceless!
This was one of the biggest, if not the biggest game in Cheltenham’s history. Certainly the biggest I’d ever attended. The game was moved to Sunday, I heard, not due to being on television, or international reasons, the real reason was…..it clashed with the turning on with the Christmas lights. Cheltenham versus Leeds or Richard Fleeshman- I certainly know which one I’d choose!
Tickets sold out almost instantly, meaning Whaddon Road had the second biggest crowd in its Football League history, second only to the 2002 play off semi-final against Hartlepool. It was such that the club urged fans not to turn up after 1:30pm to this 2pm kick off.
Leeds, meanwhile, were confident. Dennis Wise had pointed out that Cheltenham were in dire straits, and Eddie Gray concluded that the Robins were probably the worst team he’d ever seen play, and the game should be one of the easier ones in Leeds’ League 1 season. How wrong he’d turn out to be…..
Before kick off, the general view around the ground was not whether Leeds would win, but how many they’d win by. As fans piled into the ground, and Leeds fans attempted to disguise themselves as Cheltenham fans, apprehension grew, and I counted a couple of famous and semi-famous faces, such as Flo, Prutton, Kandol and Beckford.
The Robins meanwhile had debutants on the bench. Guy Madjo, the loan signing from Crawley, and somebody called Michael D’Agostino. Despite having D’Agostino, a winger available, Keith Downing still decided to continue with the very frustrating Damien Spencer on the left side.
From the off, Leeds attacked. And continued to attack throughout the first half. At this stage I was trying to remember how long it took us to concede in the recent game against Nottingham Forest. It was, I remembered, about 10 minutes. When 15 minutes passed with no goals, I began to grow slightly optimistic.
I was reminded of cup games against superior opposition on Football Manager where I’d count down the minutes in order to hold onto the 0-0. As it got to half time, I began to feel that it could be one of those games where Leeds dominate but somehow fail to score.
It certainly helped that the Cheltenham players were defending as if their lives depended on it. It made me wonder why they couldn’t defend like this against teams like Walsall and Port Vale, who have a much less talented strikeforce than Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol, with Tore Andre Flo as backup.
However our defending led Dennis Wise to panic, and Leeds launched a full on assault on the Cheltenham goal, playing a 3-3-4 formation, with De Vries and Flo coming on for Prutton and Parker, and Westlake coming onto Kandol. With quarter of an hour left. Leeds won a free kick in a dangerous position. Captain Jonathan Douglas placed the ball. Cheltenham set up what looked suspiciously like two separate walls, Douglas shot, Shane Higgs palmed it away, and Beckford smashed it into the net.
The Leeds fans went wild, and the Cheltenham fans accepted the inevitable. Just then I heard cheering behind me. "Oh must be a Leeds fan in our end" I thought. But I looked behind me and recognised him as someone who I’d seen cheering on Cheltenham a few minutes ago. So why was he cheering what looked like a Leeds winner? Then suddenly it dawned on me. It was offside! There was a moment of great amusement as the Leeds fans continued to celebrate as though they’d just won the Champions League, until the fact they hadn’t scored suddenly dawned on them.
With about ten minutes to go, a pivotal moment in the game took place. Madjo, who had just replaced Connolly, raced to beat David Lucas for the ball, resulting in a rather nasty collision. Leeds players rushed to the injured keeper, and it didn’t look good. Leeds had at this point made all three substitutions, and Lucas was their third choice keeper.
I admit I felt rather worried for him, as the urgency in which the Leeds players summoned the referee suggested this was no ordinary injury. Fortunately, he got up, though he definitely wasn’t 100% fit. And so it was that a mistake by the injured Lucas led to the only goal of the game.
A rare attack from the Robins resulted in a long ball. Lucas decided to header it, not out for a throw, but straight in front of him. A gleeful Steven Gillespie saw the open goal, chipped the ball, and…Surely it couldn’t go in? Surely Cheltenham couldn’t be taking the lead against Leeds United? It can’t be allowed! Surely the ball would bounce harmlessly over. But no…the ball was in the net! Cheltenham fans jumped for joy, and began the countdown to full time.
After four agonising additional minutes, the referee blew the whistle, and Cheltenham celebrated one of their greatest ever results. How apt that it was a scouser who robbed the points from the league leaders. To put the brilliance of the result into perspective…this was only Leeds’ second defeat of the season, the first of which came against high-flying Carlisle. We were also the first team in the league to keep a clean sheet against Leeds, not counting Hereford in the F.A Cup. Meanwhile we had only won twice before this game, at home to Gillingham and away to Huddersfield.
Next up for Cheltenham is the short trip to the Memorial Stadium to play Bristol Rovers in this weekend’s big westcountry derby. Rovers have a number of players out injured, and their home form has been rather woeful. A jubilant Robins should be confident of getting a result.
JAMES LEWIS
This was one of the biggest, if not the biggest game in Cheltenham’s history. Certainly the biggest I’d ever attended. The game was moved to Sunday, I heard, not due to being on television, or international reasons, the real reason was…..it clashed with the turning on with the Christmas lights. Cheltenham versus Leeds or Richard Fleeshman- I certainly know which one I’d choose!
Tickets sold out almost instantly, meaning Whaddon Road had the second biggest crowd in its Football League history, second only to the 2002 play off semi-final against Hartlepool. It was such that the club urged fans not to turn up after 1:30pm to this 2pm kick off.
Leeds, meanwhile, were confident. Dennis Wise had pointed out that Cheltenham were in dire straits, and Eddie Gray concluded that the Robins were probably the worst team he’d ever seen play, and the game should be one of the easier ones in Leeds’ League 1 season. How wrong he’d turn out to be…..
Before kick off, the general view around the ground was not whether Leeds would win, but how many they’d win by. As fans piled into the ground, and Leeds fans attempted to disguise themselves as Cheltenham fans, apprehension grew, and I counted a couple of famous and semi-famous faces, such as Flo, Prutton, Kandol and Beckford.
The Robins meanwhile had debutants on the bench. Guy Madjo, the loan signing from Crawley, and somebody called Michael D’Agostino. Despite having D’Agostino, a winger available, Keith Downing still decided to continue with the very frustrating Damien Spencer on the left side.
From the off, Leeds attacked. And continued to attack throughout the first half. At this stage I was trying to remember how long it took us to concede in the recent game against Nottingham Forest. It was, I remembered, about 10 minutes. When 15 minutes passed with no goals, I began to grow slightly optimistic.
I was reminded of cup games against superior opposition on Football Manager where I’d count down the minutes in order to hold onto the 0-0. As it got to half time, I began to feel that it could be one of those games where Leeds dominate but somehow fail to score.
It certainly helped that the Cheltenham players were defending as if their lives depended on it. It made me wonder why they couldn’t defend like this against teams like Walsall and Port Vale, who have a much less talented strikeforce than Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol, with Tore Andre Flo as backup.
However our defending led Dennis Wise to panic, and Leeds launched a full on assault on the Cheltenham goal, playing a 3-3-4 formation, with De Vries and Flo coming on for Prutton and Parker, and Westlake coming onto Kandol. With quarter of an hour left. Leeds won a free kick in a dangerous position. Captain Jonathan Douglas placed the ball. Cheltenham set up what looked suspiciously like two separate walls, Douglas shot, Shane Higgs palmed it away, and Beckford smashed it into the net.
The Leeds fans went wild, and the Cheltenham fans accepted the inevitable. Just then I heard cheering behind me. "Oh must be a Leeds fan in our end" I thought. But I looked behind me and recognised him as someone who I’d seen cheering on Cheltenham a few minutes ago. So why was he cheering what looked like a Leeds winner? Then suddenly it dawned on me. It was offside! There was a moment of great amusement as the Leeds fans continued to celebrate as though they’d just won the Champions League, until the fact they hadn’t scored suddenly dawned on them.
With about ten minutes to go, a pivotal moment in the game took place. Madjo, who had just replaced Connolly, raced to beat David Lucas for the ball, resulting in a rather nasty collision. Leeds players rushed to the injured keeper, and it didn’t look good. Leeds had at this point made all three substitutions, and Lucas was their third choice keeper.
I admit I felt rather worried for him, as the urgency in which the Leeds players summoned the referee suggested this was no ordinary injury. Fortunately, he got up, though he definitely wasn’t 100% fit. And so it was that a mistake by the injured Lucas led to the only goal of the game.
A rare attack from the Robins resulted in a long ball. Lucas decided to header it, not out for a throw, but straight in front of him. A gleeful Steven Gillespie saw the open goal, chipped the ball, and…Surely it couldn’t go in? Surely Cheltenham couldn’t be taking the lead against Leeds United? It can’t be allowed! Surely the ball would bounce harmlessly over. But no…the ball was in the net! Cheltenham fans jumped for joy, and began the countdown to full time.
After four agonising additional minutes, the referee blew the whistle, and Cheltenham celebrated one of their greatest ever results. How apt that it was a scouser who robbed the points from the league leaders. To put the brilliance of the result into perspective…this was only Leeds’ second defeat of the season, the first of which came against high-flying Carlisle. We were also the first team in the league to keep a clean sheet against Leeds, not counting Hereford in the F.A Cup. Meanwhile we had only won twice before this game, at home to Gillingham and away to Huddersfield.
Next up for Cheltenham is the short trip to the Memorial Stadium to play Bristol Rovers in this weekend’s big westcountry derby. Rovers have a number of players out injured, and their home form has been rather woeful. A jubilant Robins should be confident of getting a result.
JAMES LEWIS
Laughter with Luggy
Ian Holloway may have left Plymouth Argyle in somewhat acrimonious circumstances last week, but he hasn’t stolen the club’s sense of humour.
Chairman Paul Stapleton introduced returning hero Paul ‘Luggy’ Sturrock – replacing Holloway as manager just under four years after leaving the Pilgrims for then-Premiership side Southampton – at today’s press conference, with a description of how the club’s board selected the new boss:
"When we drew up our list of who we would like as a manager, it said ‘grey haired and overweight’…sorry that’s the chairman’s list."
This last comment was, whichever way you wished to slice it, particularly self-deprecating. While Stapleton’s physical frame bares few similarities with chubby Luggy, a small minority of Argyle fans and Devon pressmen have questioned the motives behind bringing Sturrock back to the club from League One Swindon Town.
It has been well documented that he and Stapleton are close personal friends, and rumours were flying around over the weekend, suggesting the chairman was a loan figure in the boardroom, in his bid to bring the 51-year-old Scot back to Home Park. But Stapleton, the moustachioed accountant who has led the board since 2001, was quick to quell such whispers.
"We needed a captain on the ship, and the fact it was someone we had a lot of respect for, even the other board members who didn’t know him from before were unanimous in their choice.
"He’s got the job on merit, not anything else."
Whatever really happened behind the scenes, the installation of Sturrock in the position vacated by Leicester-bound Holloway – seemingly dazzled by the lure of Foxes owner Milan Mandaric’s millions – has sent shivers down the spines of the Green Army.
Luggy had inherited a club in turmoil in October 2000. Argyle’s record appearance holder Kevin Hodges had managed the worst side in Home Park history, arguably not helped by latterly parlous backing from ex-chairman Dan McCauley, and Plymouth were languishing at the wrong end of the old Division Three.
Stapleton, then on McCauley’s board, brought Sturrock to the club, lobbying for his appointment. The rest is history, with the former St. Johnstone and Dundee United boss revitalising Argyle from top to bottom – storming to the 2001-2 title with a record points total of 102, and leaving Plymouth on top of Division Two after 30 games, which they would eventually go on to win.
Along the way he vastly improved the performances and longevity of Lee Hodges, Mickey Evans, and captain Paul Wotton; brought through youth starlets such as Luke McCormick and Paul Connolly; and secured the signings of several unknowns who would go on to be legends in Jannerland – David Norris, Graham Coughlan, David Friio, and Romain Larrieu among them.
And for all Holloway’s countrywide fame – secured largely through sometimes amusing, but often plain idiotic, public pronouncements – Sturrock’s wit is more subtle and developed.
Asked who would oversee tommorrow’s mouth-watering home clash against second-placed West Bromwich Albion – with coaches Tim Breacker and Des Bulpin, who led Plymouth to a fantastic 1-0 win at Sheffield United on Saturday, likely to be joining Holloway at Leicester – Luggy was leaving it to his goalkeeping coach.
"Well Crudgie [Geoff Crudgington] has got problems!" he smirked, to general hilarity.
"I’m sitting with the chairman, I’ll have nothing to do with this one!"
And the jokes kept coming. Did it help that some players were still at Argyle from Sturrock’s last tenure, one hack asked?
"Hodgie looks much slimmer, so what he’s been doing for the last few years has definitely worked, I’m gonna take some advice from him."
Not to be outdone, Stapleton was happy to admit that the worldwind process of management change had left some creases unironed. How long would Luggy’s contract be?
"We haven’t really decided, we’re gonna have a quiet chat about that this evening I think…see how we get on tommorrow night!"
Sturrock will find with Argyle in rude health, sitting fourth in the Championship and with the feel-good factor coursing through Pilgrim veins. Whether he can repeat the heroics of his previous reign remains to be seen, but, for now, all is well in PL2.
RICH PARTINGTON
Chairman Paul Stapleton introduced returning hero Paul ‘Luggy’ Sturrock – replacing Holloway as manager just under four years after leaving the Pilgrims for then-Premiership side Southampton – at today’s press conference, with a description of how the club’s board selected the new boss:
"When we drew up our list of who we would like as a manager, it said ‘grey haired and overweight’…sorry that’s the chairman’s list."
This last comment was, whichever way you wished to slice it, particularly self-deprecating. While Stapleton’s physical frame bares few similarities with chubby Luggy, a small minority of Argyle fans and Devon pressmen have questioned the motives behind bringing Sturrock back to the club from League One Swindon Town.
It has been well documented that he and Stapleton are close personal friends, and rumours were flying around over the weekend, suggesting the chairman was a loan figure in the boardroom, in his bid to bring the 51-year-old Scot back to Home Park. But Stapleton, the moustachioed accountant who has led the board since 2001, was quick to quell such whispers.
"We needed a captain on the ship, and the fact it was someone we had a lot of respect for, even the other board members who didn’t know him from before were unanimous in their choice.
"He’s got the job on merit, not anything else."
Whatever really happened behind the scenes, the installation of Sturrock in the position vacated by Leicester-bound Holloway – seemingly dazzled by the lure of Foxes owner Milan Mandaric’s millions – has sent shivers down the spines of the Green Army.
Luggy had inherited a club in turmoil in October 2000. Argyle’s record appearance holder Kevin Hodges had managed the worst side in Home Park history, arguably not helped by latterly parlous backing from ex-chairman Dan McCauley, and Plymouth were languishing at the wrong end of the old Division Three.
Stapleton, then on McCauley’s board, brought Sturrock to the club, lobbying for his appointment. The rest is history, with the former St. Johnstone and Dundee United boss revitalising Argyle from top to bottom – storming to the 2001-2 title with a record points total of 102, and leaving Plymouth on top of Division Two after 30 games, which they would eventually go on to win.
Along the way he vastly improved the performances and longevity of Lee Hodges, Mickey Evans, and captain Paul Wotton; brought through youth starlets such as Luke McCormick and Paul Connolly; and secured the signings of several unknowns who would go on to be legends in Jannerland – David Norris, Graham Coughlan, David Friio, and Romain Larrieu among them.
And for all Holloway’s countrywide fame – secured largely through sometimes amusing, but often plain idiotic, public pronouncements – Sturrock’s wit is more subtle and developed.
Asked who would oversee tommorrow’s mouth-watering home clash against second-placed West Bromwich Albion – with coaches Tim Breacker and Des Bulpin, who led Plymouth to a fantastic 1-0 win at Sheffield United on Saturday, likely to be joining Holloway at Leicester – Luggy was leaving it to his goalkeeping coach.
"Well Crudgie [Geoff Crudgington] has got problems!" he smirked, to general hilarity.
"I’m sitting with the chairman, I’ll have nothing to do with this one!"
And the jokes kept coming. Did it help that some players were still at Argyle from Sturrock’s last tenure, one hack asked?
"Hodgie looks much slimmer, so what he’s been doing for the last few years has definitely worked, I’m gonna take some advice from him."
Not to be outdone, Stapleton was happy to admit that the worldwind process of management change had left some creases unironed. How long would Luggy’s contract be?
"We haven’t really decided, we’re gonna have a quiet chat about that this evening I think…see how we get on tommorrow night!"
Sturrock will find with Argyle in rude health, sitting fourth in the Championship and with the feel-good factor coursing through Pilgrim veins. Whether he can repeat the heroics of his previous reign remains to be seen, but, for now, all is well in PL2.
RICH PARTINGTON
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