Newsletter #9

Just what we needed, a victory although somewhat unconvincing. Whatever people say about the quality of the opposition it’s never an easy task to dispose of teams from lower divisions whose moment of glory may very well be stepping out at Maine Rd and as such often play their hearts out. You can judge the veracity of the statement by the fact that Leeds, Ipswich, Everton and Leicester all fell to opposition from lower leagues and that over two legs.

I have now reduced the message window width to 70 characters as suggested by some, I don’t think this will solve the substitutions but it will probably make what you see nice and tidy which is how it looks before I send it….honest! I will be at a conference Friday so I’m afraid last minute team news will be impossible this week… sorry.

This one goes out to 37 and still the Mailing List FAQ has not appeared.

Saturday’s match is Nottingham Forest at home! 8-(

MATCH REPORT 1

MANCHESTER CITY v BARNET 5th October ’94

PAUL IS THE TONIC

City, embarrassed by the impressive, neat passing of Barnet, were saved a humiliation by the brilliance of Paul Walsh. The little striker sprang from his sick bed to turn this tie on its head after City stared defeat in the face.

Walsh’s creative display showed exactly why he seems to have found his spiritual home after a soccer lifetime of wandering. He scored one goal and created two others, even though it had been feared a niggling ankle injury would keep him out.

Horton said “he was unbelievable. I heard I was supposed to be signing Le Tissier, but believe me he wouldn’t get in our side ahead of Walshy”

Walsh turned the game around, ironically after Barnet had regained the lead in the tie and threatened a major upset.

Niall Quinn had sneaked a 57th-minute goal for City against the run of play but Barnet were on level terms just a minute later.

(…..boring bit by Ray Clemence excluded)

In the 68th-minute Nicky Summerbee produced a perfect cross for Walsh to glance in at the near post, putting City level again in the tie. Ten minutes later Walsh was provider, linking up with Steve Lomas to give Nicky Summerbee his first goal since joining from Swindon.

Walsh then produced a superb through ball on the final whistle to Quinn. Quinn drew the keeper before delicately chipping into the net.

(adapted from Today)

Final score 4-1

MATCH REPORT 2 ‘LIVE’

MANCHESTER CITY v BARNET 5th October ’94

City once again tried to confuse and upset the fans by playing a load of old rubbish last night against Barnet. From watching the game you would have thought that City were the lesser team. Barnet to their credit gave the game most of the ideas in the first half and gave City very little to enjoy. It looked like City would be going out of the Cup with Leeds. The players seemed to lack an inspiration or desire for a fight and didn’t have any real idea of how to defeat this ‘inferior’ team.

Once again it was the half time break that came to City’s rescue, because afterwards they showed a little more desire to win. Walsh came more into the game and he was the central figure in City’s turnabout, he took it upon himself to lift the team.

City scored the aggregate equaliser through Quinn after a good run and shot by Lomas had only been parried by the keeper. Quinn just need to stroke the ball home from 6 yards.

So with the tie all level I expected City to start the job of getting on and beating Barnet, but yes, true to form City tried to completely mess things up. City having just scored, conceeded a corner and allowed Barnet to bang in the equaliser, through Freedman (?). So within the space of a minute the tie had turned on it’s head, City were facing an uphill struggle.

City only then started to try and stamp their authority on the game and the reward came 10 minutes later. Summerbee actually beat his man and got to the bye-line (one of the rare occasions he managed), his perfect cross was met by Walsh and his header beat the goalie, for City to lead 2-1. The aggregate score was still deadlocked at 2-2, but the away goal would be crucial if the match finished all square after extra-time. City still needed to press and find another goal to try and kill the game off.

The willing Walsh this time turned provider. He moved out wide onto the left and his cross to the far post was met by Lomas, he slightly mis-controlled it before he could shoot and took the option to push the ball across goal for Summerbee to score the third. Now could City hang on? Almost straight away Barnet forced a corner and the sense of déjà vu returned, would City concede another goal? Thankfully this time City cleared their lines.

With time running out and the game almost certainly won, it was Walsh who again provided the telling pass. This time his turn and pass allowed Quinn to run in and chip the advancing goalie to make the game perfectly safe! (Quinn’s chip was great, very delicate over the goalie and it dipped in just under the bar, who says he’s just a target man!) All that was left was for City to play out the remaining couple of minutes. The only worry was over Walsh limping off, he went down under a challenge but it looked like it was cramp more than anything.

So City beat Barnet, but to be perfectly frank the scoreline flatters City. They were a complete shambles in the first half and only improved slightly in the second. Most of the players just didn’t seem to have the will to win (except Walsh and Flipper). There’s got to be a drastic turn-around by Saturday or else City will get hammered by Forest, with the likes of Roy, Collymore and Co. I suppose the only good thing to come out of the night was the fact that City won and are in the next round of the Cup. I suppose you could say that it’s not a matter of how you win, it’s just a case of winning.

Next round:
QPR v City (argh, an away match in London!!!)

Some other ties:
Newcastle v Man U
Oldham v Arsenal
Villa v Middlesboro

MATCH REPORT 3

MANCHESTER CITY v BARNET 5th October ’94

“Walsh sparks City revival”
Stephen Bierley

Manchester City 4 (0) Barnet 1 (0)
Quinn 56, 88          Freedman 57
Walsh 67
Summerbee 77

After a woeful opening Manchester City finally stirred themselves sufficiently in the second half to dispose of Third Division Barnet in the second leg at Maine Road last night.

When Freedman restored Barnet’s aggregate lead, after Quinn had levelled matters, it appeared City were on the slide. But Walsh, who had a vibrantly influential second half, headed a second City goal and then made a winning third for Summerbee, Quinn adding the fourth. Barnet had worked tremendously hard throughout and could rightly feel hard done by at the end.

All was illusion as City opened with a deceptive scurrying surface. Quinn turned smoothly and forced Phillips into a sharp save. Thereafter the home side quickly ran out of attacking ideas.

Barnet often appeared the more likely to score. Brightwell had to kick off the line from Hoddle, albeit under no great pressure, while a dreadful mistake by Hill in the centre of defence allowed Freedman to open a clear path to goal for Hodges, but he was forced wide.

City had failed to pick up Freedman in the first leg and continued to lose his whereabouts again, one long-range shot by the Barnet top scorer going perilously close. Displaying excellent composure, the Londoners attacked whenever they could and defended solidly.

Not that City over-exerted their oppenents’ defence for the Barnet midfield was more than a match for City’s fitful efforts. Indeed, as half-time approached, the visitors were clearly in the ascendancy.

Quinn had another chance at the beginning of the second half which Phillips saved, but the shouts of encouragment from the City faithful quickly fragmented into trenchant criticisms. It came as a genuine surprise when Lomas burst in on the Barnet goal, Phillips pushed aside his low shot, and Quinn followed in to level the aggregate score.

Yet barely had City time to experience the relief before Barnet had regained the overall lead through Freedman who hooked the ball in from close range after a Tomlinson corner. It was simply no more and no less than Barnet deserved.

Indeed Freedman had two chances shortly afterwards to extend Barnet’s lead before Summerbee suddenly produced a cross of genuine quality and Walsh’s head levelled matters overall again.

City: Dibble; Hill, Phelan, Lomas, Edghill, I Brightwell, Summerbee, Walsh (Griffiths 89min), Quinn, Flitcroft, Beagrie.

Barnet: Phillips; McDonald, Gale (Newell 88), Hoddle, Newson, Primus, Tomlinson (Haynes 82), Freedman, Hodge, Scott, Wilson.

Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).
Attendance: 11,545.

From The Guardian (Thursday 8 October 1994) without permission.

COCA COLA CUP DRAW

Just heard on the radio that City are away at QPR in the next round. Not the best draw but at least it means I can go and see it!

The Scum have been drawn away at Newcastle!! I wonder if Ferguson is arrogant enough to field his reserves for that game!

NEWS

Midlands Ceefax reported last night that Brian Roy will not be able to play at Maine Road on Saturday because of international commitments. The Dutch manager has insisted that Roy must meet up with the rest of the Netherlands squad on Saturday morning.

STATESIDE BLUE

Hello from Lakewood, Ohio, USA!! I am a serious soccer fan and became a City fan thru my association with an organization called the “Great Britain Buckeye Soccer Camps”. This is a group that provides British players and coaches a cultural exchange opportunity to visit the USA (specifically Ohio–the “Buckeye” state!) for a complete summer and put on week long soccer camps to train our American youth! Part of the program is to arrange American families to serve as hosts for the coaches. We have done this about 3 years now and thoroughly enjoy it. My sons both are players (ages 14 and 11) and have gained untold advantage from the experiences. It has been our extreme good fortune to have met and hosted Tony Coton’s brother in law the last two years. He is still with us and will remain until about the mid of November. (By the way here is my first contribution in the way of “gossip” –Tony is a new father as of Monday October 3!! a girl called Beth Charlotte–all are fine)

Thanks to John, Bill, Steve, Mike, Martin & James.

Editor: