Premiership fixtures released for 2011/12

FOOTBALL fans across the country are beginning to plan ahead for the new domestic season, after the fixture lists in England and Scotland were published at 9am this morning.

     The opening weekend of the 20th Premiership season sees defending champions Manchester United begin their latest title defence with a trip to the Hawthorns to play West Brom.  Manchester rivals City have a home encounter with playoff winners and Premiership deubtants Swansea City.  Both QPR and Norwich City will be happy with their opening encounters.  QPR, in the top flight for the first time since 1996 will entertain Bolton Wanderers at Loftus Road, whilst Norwich have an away trip to Wigan Athletic on their return to playing the big boys.  Jordan Henderson will meet his old club, as Sunderland get to travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.  Last season's runners-up Chelsea begin life after Carlo Ancelotti with a tricky assignment at Stoke City, who are formidable at home.  In two of the more attractive fixtures, Newcastle United come up against Arsenal at St. James Park, in a rerun of February's dramatic 4-4 draw, whilst Tottenham face a juicy match at White Hart Lane against Everton.  To complete the opening lineup on Saturday August 13, Blackburn meet Wolves at Ewood Park and two new managers get to test their creditability against one another at Craven Cottage as Martin Jol's Fulham come face-to-face with Alex McLeish's Aston Villa.

     The first massive fixture of the season is Arsenal v Liverpool on August 20, with Manchester United meeting Tottenham on the same weekend.  A week later, United v Arsenal at Old Trafford stands out.  On the final day of the season, Chelsea host Blackburn, Manchester United head to Sunderland and Swansea finish off at home to Liverpool.  The campaign finishes on Sunday May 13, one week earlier than last season to allow England more time to prepare for the 2012 European Championships in Poland/Ukraine, should Fabio Capello's side qualify of course.

     See below for the Premiership opening day fixtures and dates of some of the crunch encounters in the first half of the season.
NOTE: Some dates will change once ESPN and Sky Sports confirm the first set of live television fixtures, in around a fortnight's time.


2011/12 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES - OPENING DAY (Saturday 13 August)
Blackburn Rovers v Wolves
Fulham v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Sunderland
Manchester City v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Arsenal
QPR v Bolton Wanderers
Stoke City v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton
West Brom v Manchester United
Wigan Athletic v Norwich City

KEY FIXTURE DATES (August - December)
August 20: Arsenal v Liverpool
August 20: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
August 20: Sunderland v Newcastle United
August 27: Aston Villa v Wolves
August 27: Manchester United v Arsenal
August 27: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

September 17: Manchester United v Chelsea
September 17: Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
September 24: Manchester City v Everton

October 1: Everton v Liverpool
October 1: Fulham v QPR
October 1: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
October 15: Liverpool v Manchester United
October 15: West Brom v Wolves
October 22: Manchester United v Manchester City
October 22: Aston Villa v West Brom
October 22: QPR v Chelsea
October 29: Chelsea v Arsenal

November 19: Chelsea v Liverpool
November 26: Liverpool v Manchester City

December 10: Chelsea v Manchester City
December 17: Manchester City v Arsenal
December 20: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
BOXING DAY: Chelsea v Fulham
December 31: Liverpool v Newcastle United

FA Barclays Premiership Report (23rd - 25th April)

EASTER weekend in the Barclays Premiership saw the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal’s title hopes, a goal drought end for Fernando Torres and an unlikely hat-trick hero at Anfield.  However, it was Manchester United’s weekend – as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side took a giant step towards a record 19^th league championship.

     United edged ever closer to title 19 as they bravely ended Everton’s unbeaten run of seven matches at Old Trafford.  Javier Hernandez headed the vital winner in the 1-0 success, his 19^th goal of an incredible debut season.  The winner came with seven minutes to go; the Mexican powering home from close range after Antonio Valencia crossed in from Sylvain Distin’s error in failing to clear when he had the chance to do so.  Once again, the ability to grind out a result has seen Manchester United through, but the same can’t be said for Arsenal.

TRIBUTE: Tamir Cohen was full of emotion, after his late winner

      The silverware drought at the Emirates will stretch to six years after Arsenal lost 2-1 at Bolton on Sunday afternoon, to slip nine points behind with only four games to play.  Bolton had a deserved HT lead, as Daniel Sturridge was quickest to react to Samir Nasri clearing Gary Cahill’s header off the Gunners goal line.  Within moments of the restart, awful defending by Johan Djourou gave Bolton a penalty, but Szcenzy’s legs kept out Kevin Davies woeful kick.  90 seconds later, and Robin Van Persie equalised.  However, the sting in the tail came with two minutes remaining.  Tamir Cohen headed home unmarked in an emotional moment for the Israeli.  He ripped his shirt off to reveal a picture of his late father Avi on his t-shirt (Avi was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident just after Christmas.)  It is these moments when football is more than just a game.

     The same can be said at Villa Park at the moment, as Gerard Houillier remains comfortable in hospital after being admitted last week, complaining of chest pains.  Gary McAllister took charge of Aston Villa’s insignificant 1-1 draw with Stoke City.  The points shared, thanks to two fantastic headers by Kenwyne Jones and Darren Bent.  Both these sides are as good as safe now.

OVER: The drought has concluded; Torres finally scores for Chelsea

     However, West Ham United doesn’t have such luxuries and Avram Grant’s team dropped back into 20^th place, following a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea.  A downpour hit the Bridge and the game was lucky to go ahead, especially with the puddles all over the pitch.  The result did flatter the home team, but they are now Manchester United’s only championship challengers.  Frank Lampard buried Chelsea ahead before half-time, but Robbie Keane missed two golden chances for the Hammers.  Five minutes from time, Fernando Torres finally broke his duck for Chelsea, at the 14^th attempt of asking.  The drought, which lasted 732 minutes, was a sigh of relief and the reaction the Chelsea players showed towards Torres showed that they are with him all the way.  Florent Malouda made it three, ironically from a Torres assist in the dying moments.

     At the Stadium of Light, it felt more like an episode of Casualty rather than a football match.  Sunderland lost Phil Bardsley to concussion, Danny Wellbeck due to a knee problem and a torn hamstring for Asamoah Gyan in their match against Wigan Athletic.  Remarkably, Sunderland overcame these cruel injuries and a wonderful opener from Wigan’s Mohammed Diame to win 4-2 and virtually guarantee Premiership football again next season.  The much criticised Jordan Henderson scored twice and Stephane Sessegnon added another from the penalty spot in 11 crazy second half minutes.

     Wigan dropped back into the relegation zone, as Blackpool climbed back out of the bottom three.  Ian Holloway’s side had lots of chances and also had three penalty appeals turned down, but could only draw 1-1 at home to Newcastle United.  Peter Lovenkrands had Newcastle infront against the run of play, before DJ Campbell levelled for the Tangerines.  Blackpool edged closer to Blackburn Rovers, who are now worryingly only a point above the line of trouble.  Blackburn lost 1-0 at home to Manchester City last night; City’s first away win in the Premiership since Boxing Day.  Edin Dzeko scored the only goal, his first in the league since his major move from VFL Wolfsburg in the January transfer window.

     City now have complete control of the final Champions League qualification spot, opening up a four point advantage over Tottenham.  Harry Redknapp’s 550^th Premiership match in charge started badly against West Brom, as Peter Odemwingie scored in the first ten minutes.  Nine minutes from time, a stunning curling effort from Simon Cox earnt the Baggies a deserved 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane, leaving Spurs cursing another two points dropped.  In the North London drama, Jermain Defoe scored his 100^th goal in the Premiership and also, Spurs 1,000^th in Premier League football.

     In the other two matches, Andy Johnson came off the bench and within 20seconds of his appearance, scored to peg back Wolves at Molineux.  Steven Fletcher had put Wolves infront with their first attack of the game, but the 1-1 draw doesn’t do Mick McCarthy’s team many favours.  At Anfield, Maxi Rodriguez hit an unlikely treble as Liverpool’s faint Europa League qualification dreams were kept alive.  Birmingham City got battered 5-0 at Anfield – their first league defeat against Liverpool since May 2004.  Dirk Kuyt continued his hot scoring streak and there was also a rare goal for substitute Joe Cole.

     So, there were two in the title race and now, its three from five in the relegation scrap as the 2010/11 Premiership season enters its final month this coming weekend.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (16th - 17th April)

THE FA Cup semi-final action meant that Premiership fixtures were limited.  However, plenty of action took place that affected both ends of the table.  Three from six look likely to drop out of the league now, whilst a helping hand from Dirk might well have handed Manchester United another championship.

LAST: Kuyt's kick might well have finished Arsenal's challenge

    Arsenal’s latest slip up at home was against a well-drilled Liverpool outfit.  The amazing drama at the end of the game at the Emirates overshadowed the general lacklustre quality in this 1-1 draw.  During the match, Jamie Carragher was accidentally knocked out by young defender John Flanagan, which led to eight minutes of injury time.  In the seventh minute of these, Cesc Fabregas went down far too easily under Jay Spearing’s clumsy, but clean challenge.  Robin Van Persie coolly dispatched the penalty and it seemed to have kept the title race alive.  However, moments later, Emmanuel Eboue stupidly pushed Lucas in the back when Luis Suarez’s free-kick rebounded off the wall into the Gunners penalty area.  Eboue was distraught and Arsene Wenger left in complete disbelief.  Dirk Kuyt tucked away the spot kick with the last kick of the match to earn Liverpool a deserved point.  The contentious penalty decision led to some ill-feeling between Wenger and Kenny Dalglish, with the Sky Sports cameras picking up Dalglish telling Wenger to ‘P### off.’  Following Manchester United’s tame 0-0 stalemate at Newcastle last night, Arsenal now lie seven points adrift and almost out of the battle.  No more slip-ups can now be required from Wenger’s men.

     Blackpool slipped into the bottom three for the first time this season, after they were convincingly beaten 3-1 at home by relegation rivals Wigan Athletic.  The result means Wigan move out of the drop zone.  From the moment Craig Cathcart gave away possession sloppily from a free-kick, then slipped in the build-up to Hugo Rodallega’s second minute opener, the writing was on the wall for the Tangerines.  Yet again, Blackpool’s defending was absolutely atrocious as Wigan ran riot.  Charles N’Zogbia made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time and a deflected effort from Mohammed Diame sealed the dominating result, despite DJ Campbell’s late consolation.

     Wigan moved out of the bottom three, at West Ham’s expense.  In a full-blooded scrap at Upton Park, Aston Villa stole all three points in the dying stages.  Their 2-1 win all but seals their Premiership safety, but leaves Avram Grant’s side staring at the abyss.  Robbie Keane produced a splendid start for the Hammers, driving them infront inside of two minutes.  Having pushed Carlton Cole in the back when the striker was clean through, Richard Dunne could have counted himself lucky to stay on the pitch.  As the game wore on, Villa got stronger and stronger and ultimately, deserved the win.  Darren Bent headed in Luke Young’s cross before half-time, after Mark Noble had been caught in possession.  Noble’s doziness was akin to an amateur painting a garden fence for the first time!  At the death, with the match set to finish honours even, Ashley Young’s teasing cross was headed in by Gabby Agbonlahor.  Amazingly, that it Agbonlahor’s first Premiership goal of what has been a frustrating season for the front man.    

CASH: Sebastian Larsson pounced on horrific defending for Birmingham

     Meantime, the Wearside worry for Sunderland continues.  Steve Bruce had a unhappy return to St. Andrews on Saturday, witnessing his old side Birmingham City beat his Black Cats 2-0.  Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was at fault for both goals.  The first came following a calamitous mix-up in communication between the Belgian and Phil Bardsley.  Sebastian Larsson sneaked it to open the scoring.  Mignolet then failed to keep out Craig Gardner’s wicked shot, which frankly – a Sunday League goalkeeper could have kept out.  Having lost eight of their last nine games, Sunderland could now well go down and the agony on chairman Niall Quinn’s face in the stands really told its own story.

     If Sunderland have problems, Blackburn’s are just as bad.  Steve Kean has only managed to oversee three wins in fifteen games as manager and the last time he tasted success was a 2-0 win over West Brom on January 23.  Even Richard Keys and Andy Gray were just about with Sky Sports at the time!  The latest dire result for Rovers was a 2-0 loss at Everton, which leaves them just two points above the drop zone.  What will worry Kean more was the horrific performance at Goodison Park.  Everton could have fielded a team of under 10’s and still beaten the senior Blackburn side at the weekend.  Leon Osman produced the breakthrough ten minutes into the second half and Leighton Baines dispatched a penalty after Phil Jones made a rash challenge on Seamus Coleman.

     Chelsea may have nothing to fight for now this season, but their league form since February has been mightily impressive.  They ended Roy Hodgson’s unbeaten run as West Brom boss, overcoming the Albion 3-1 at the Hawthorns.  However, Fernando Torres had a goal disallowed after coming off the subs bench and it means, the wait continues for his first Chelsea goal.  Peter Odemwingie did put the home side ahead, but Didier Drogba cancelled the advantage out almost immediately, when goalkeeper Scott Carson made a basic mistake.  Another fumble from Carson just five minutes later allowed Salomon Kalou to drill Chelsea ahead and Frank Lampard completed the scoring just before the interval, as he moved into double figures for his injury-ravaged season.  The win is Chelsea seventh in their last eight Premiership games.

     The race for the title might be all but over now, but the fight to stay up continues to take twists and turns and attention will switch to this end of the table now over the last month of the 2010/11 Premiership campaign.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (19th - 20th March)

THE final hurdles in the Premiership season have seen the whole of the bottom half engulfed by the biggest relegation scrap in the league’s history, whilst at the top, Manchester United regained control of their own destiny.

     Despite having Sir Alex Ferguson banned from the touchline for six matches, following his comments about Martin Atkinson after a recent loss at Chelsea, United had to work extremely hard to edge out Bolton Wanderers 1-0.  Ferguson was sat in the stands, but was on the phone half the time to the dugout, as his leaders struggled against Owen Coyle’s determined Wanderers outfit.  Manchester United’s defensive problems continued as Wes Brown limped off injured and Jonny Evans was sent off for a crunching tackle on Stuart Holden, which has left Holden on the sidelines for the rest of the season.  Despite playing very poorly, the home side nicked it through substitute Dimitar Berbatov.  The Bulgarian pounced on Juusi Jaaskelainen spilling Nani’s shot to score the most valuable goal of his career.

OOPS: Manuel Almunia made another blundering error at the Hawthorns

     It earnt the Red Devils a four point lead at the top of the table, after Arsenal dropped two more points, this time at West Brom.  The Gunners had to fightback from 2-0 to leave the Hawthorns with a battling 2-2 draw.  Steven Reid headed improving West Brom infront inside of four minutes, and the second Albion goal was indefensible as far as Arsenal concerned.  Manuel Almunia entered no man’s land, got into a horrible muddle with Sebastian Squillaci, which allowed Peter Odemwingie and easy goal.  Jens Lehmann has been bought out of retirement as a back-up may be needed sooner rather than later, especially as Almunia looks like a clown juggling away in a circus!  A brilliant hit from Andrei Arshavin bought Arsenal back into the game, before Robin Van Persie bundled in a late leveller.

     Chelsea moved into third place, as they comfortably beat a negative Manchester City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.  City’s key threat Carlos Tevez was missing through injury and they failed to show any attacking intent whatsoever.  Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli was dropped after his Europa League kung-fu kick had seen him sent off against Dynamo Kiev three nights earlier.  Chelsea had to wait for their goals, and they came in the last ten minutes.  A David Luiz header and a brilliant solo effort from Ramires were the difference, as Fernando Torres continued to misfire badly at Stamford Bridge.

     Torres’s old club Liverpool closed to within four points of fifth placed Tottenham, after getting more than a friendly helping hand in a 2-0 success at Sunderland.  The main controversy came in the first half.  Jay Spearing was fouled by John Mensah, after the Ghanaian made an awful mistake.  Referee Kevin Friend gave a free-kick, but one of his linesman, 40 yards away from the incident amazingly decided that contact was made inside the box and consequently, a penalty was awarded.  Dirk Kuyt duly converted the spot kick calmly.  A dynamic finish from Luis Suarez with 13 minutes to go, helped by a poor piece of goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet sealed the result and to make matters worse for Sunderland, they only had one shot on target and Mensah was given a straight red card for fouling Suarez.  This red card has since been rescinded.  Tottenham missed their chance to close the gap on the top four, as they shared a belting 0-0 draw with West Ham United.  There were over 30 shots on goal, with Robert Green in inspired form.  Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale and Roman Pavyluchenko were all denied spectacularly by Green, who showed form not seen since his England gaffe in Rustenberg.

     At the bottom, there were more questions created rather than answers given.  Everton reached the 40 point mark and probable Premiership safety, with a 2-1 victory over Fulham at Goodison.  David Moyes celebrated his ninth year in charge and with a potential takeover at Goodison Park being reported, life seems much better on the blue side of Merseyside.  Seamus Coleman made the breakthrough with a diving header in this match, with Louis Saha scoring against his former club, driving a free-kick in early in the second half.  Clint Dempsey did pull a goal back, but Everton deserved their victory.

OPENER: Charlie Adam strikes home the penalty at Blackburn

     The relegation battle at Ewood Park turned into the ultimate game of two halves.  Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw; a result that helps neither side.  Luke Varney was denied a goal by the offside flag and then the Tangerines were given a dubious penalty.  Charlie Adam scored the penalty, and then produced a perfect free-kick to have Blackpool 2-0 up at half-time.  Christopher Samba pulled a goal back early in the second half after a spot of penalty pinball and in stoppage time, Richard Kingston flapped at a free-kick and Junior Hoillett turned in the equaliser for Blackburn.

     In the other matches, Stoke City recorded their biggest ever Premiership win, to all but guarantee their own Premiership safety.  They thrashed Newcastle United 4-0, who had a miserable day and still need at least two wins to follow Stoke’s survival state.  Birmingham are now second from bottom, after losing a crunch match at Wigan Athletic.  Maynor Figueroa produced a stunning late winner to earn the home side a 2-1 victory and throw a lifeline into their season.  Finally, Wolves first win at Villa Park in 37 years has thrown Aston Villa into serious trouble.  Matt Jarvis headed in the winner in a 1-0 win, resulting in a deserved England call-up.  Villa got booed off the pitch and the fans demanded Gerard Houillier to be sacked.  They are now only one point clear of the bottom three.  Two months remain, and who goes down, it’s still far too close to call.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (5th - 6th March)

IT WAS another captivating weekend of Premiership football, which saw more form from the teams battling to beat the drop and the top sides misfiring.  Goals and talking points aplenty on another weekend of pure theatre, as this campaign is becoming one of the best ever to have graced the Premiership’s 19-year history.

HAT-TRICK HERO: Kuyt grabbed three tap-ins in sweet victory

     The most anticipated game of the weekend was at Anfield, where Dirk Kuyt hit his first ever treble for Liverpool in a highly impressive 3-1 success over leaders Manchester United on Sunday.  Kuyt’s hat-trick were all simple tap-ins, and he was helped by the enigmatic Luis Suarez, who produced a magical piece of play to take out three United players in setting up Kuyt’s first goal.  Five minutes later, he header in from close range after a wayward header from Nani.  His third was courtesy of a Suarez free-kick which was spilt by Edwin Van Der Sar.  Even £35million man Andy Carroll made a late cameo, for his Anfield debut after injury.  It was almost the perfect day for Liverpool and surely Kenny Dalglish’s appointment on a full-time basis is now only a formality.  Even Javier Hernandez’s stoppage header consolation couldn’t take the gloss off a marvellous day for Liverpool.  As their revival continued, tempers flared at times in a boiling match.  A horrible tackle from Jamie Carragher saw Nani stretchered off before half-time and seconds later, a poor challenge from Rafael on Lucas got him booked and led to a serious confrontation between the players.  This was a real off-day for United, who refused to speak to Sky Sports, BBC, MUTV or TalkSport afterwards and they have now lost three of their last five games.

     Kuyt’s hat-trick blew the title race wide open, but Arsenal failed to take their opportunity on Saturday, as the Gunners were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Sunderland.  Arsene Wenger felt justice wasn’t done on two dodgy decisions, with Andrei Arshavin unfortunate on both occasions.  First, the Russian was pushed to the ground in the penalty area by Titus Bramble, which should have been a penalty.  Later, Arshavin was denied a perfectly good goal, when he was wrongly ruled offside.  Nevertheless, Simon Mignolet produced an outstanding goalkeeping display for the visitors and Steve Bruce’s side thoroughly deserved their draw.

     Chelsea’s latest mini revival continued last night, as they recorded an impressive 3-1 win at Blackpool, to leave Ian Holloway’s men only two points clear of the drop zone.  John Terry powered the Blues infront on 15 minutes and two quickfire goals in the second half from Frank Lampard had Chelsea coasting along to another three points.  Carlo Ancelotti insists that the title is gone, but only nine points behind with a game in hand, it is completely over quite yet.  Jason Puncheon scored a consolation for Blackpool, but with only one win in nine games, the Tangerines are looking nervously above the trapdoor.

HAUNTED: Duff came back to continue Rovers slide down the league

     So too are Blackburn Rovers, after another loss; 3-2 at Fulham.  Steve Kean has now seen his team lose five of their six matches as Rovers perilous slide down the table.  Damien Duff haunted his old side with two goals, but it was Mark Clattenburg who made the headlines once again, for the wrong reasons.   With the scoreline at 2-2 in the 88^th minute, Clattenburg denied Andy Johnson a blatant penalty after Grant Hanley tripped him.  Seconds later and probably feeling guilty, he awarded Fulham a spot kick for a gentle tug by Hanley on Aaron Hughes.  If these were given every game, we’d be looking at rugby scores every weekend.  Bobby Zamora converted the penalty in his first Premiership match since September and the drama didn’t end there at Craven Cottage.  Gael Givet ran onto the pitch at full-time, angrily remonstrated with Clattenburg and got sent off.  Clattenburg had a stinker and after the Wayne Rooney elbow scandal last Saturday, his abilities as a top flight referee must be questioned.  He can do the job, he’s proven that before, but a few lower profile matches in the Football League wouldn’t go amiss to take him out of the firing line.

     Birmingham City got brought back to reality after their sensational Carling Cup success on Saturday lunchtime.  In a crunch relegation clash, Birmingham looked second best throughout their Midlands derby with West Brom and ultimately lost 3-1 at St. Andrews.  Goals in the second half from Yusuf Mulumbu, James Morrison with a great strike and a Paul Scharner headed moved Albion clear of the drop zone.  Although Jean Beausejour brought the home side level soon after Mulumbu’s opener, Birmingham got what they deserved and slip into the bottom three.

     They replace West Ham United, as they continue their impressive run of form.  Avram Grant’s side comfortably overcame Stoke City 3-0 at Upton Park in a dress rehearsal for their FA Cup quarter-final this weekend.  A nightmare piece of goalkeeping from Asmir Begovic allowed Demba Ba in for a tap-in and a Manuel Da Costa header shortly afterwards doubled the lead.  Thomas Hitzlsperger’s 82^nd minute bullet shot wrapped the match up and nearly burst the net as a result.  Stoke shouldn’t be in any relegation danger, but need to stop the rot on the road, as they recorded their sixth successive away defeat.

HORROR: Al-Habsi, after his gaffe cost Wigan a result

     Begovic didn’t make the worst goalkeeping cock-up of the weekend.  That went to Ali Al-Habsi, who produced a goalkeeping calamity that is bound to appear on every Christmas blooper DVD for years to come.  The Wigan goalkeeper allowed David Silva’s tame strike through his grasp at his near post and it consigned Wigan to a 1-0 loss at Manchester City.  Roberto Martinez will be pleased with the performance, but once again, no points, which leaves Wigan closer to slipping out of the Premier League.

     The game of the weekend came at Molineux as Wolves and Tottenham played out a wonderful match, drawing 3-3 at Molineux.  It was a moving and fitting tribute to the late Dean Richards, who represented both clubs.  A minute’s applause was held at the start of the match, in honour of the charismatic defender, who died last week after a long illness.  Wolves led on seven minutes, when Kevin Doyle got infront of Hereulho Gomes to head home Nenad Mijias cross.  Jermain Defoe single-handily turned the game on its head with two superb strikes in quick succession, taking his Premiership all-time total to 99 on his 300^th Premier League appearance.  Doyle doubled up from the penalty spot after Mijias was pulled back by Alan Hutton.  Despite being the last defender, Hutton was only booked, which was a staggering decision by anyone’s standards.  Spurs grabbed the lead back, courtesy of a Roman Pavyluchenko pile driver two minutes into the second half, but Wolves deserved their point and earnt it in the 87^th minute.  Steven Fletcher met Matt Jarvis cross and the Scottish international powered a header out of Gomes’s reach.  Richard Stearman was also denied a legitimate goal, whilst Defoe hit the post for the visitors.  The game was breathtaking to watch.

     To conclude the weekend, Bolton Wanderers strengthened their quest for European football, with a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.  Gary Cahill scored twice against his former club and Ivan Klasnic won the match in the 87^th minute for the home side, despite being dominated by Villa for large periods.  Everton virtually secured their Premier League status for another campaign, as they beat Newcastle 2-1 at St. James Park.  Mikel Arteta was the star of the show, setting up the goals for Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka (his first in three years) to see the Toffees bounce back from their dreadful FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading in midweek.

     As the finishing line approaches closer, the entertainment seems to get even better.  Maybe it is more than a two-horse race in the title battle and as for relegation, more than half the league is engulfed in fighting to beat the drop.  I think everyone will be glad for a week off, as the FA Cup retakes centre stage this weekend.

FA Barclays Premiership Round-up (1st - 2nd February)

MORE engrossing action took place in midweek from the Barclays Premiership, as the competition settled back into some form of continuity, following the craziness of deadline day on Monday.  Here is a quick round-up;

POWER: Wayne Rooney looked back to his best in midweek

Manchester United maintained their unbeaten record, as they recorded a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.  It took the pacesetters just 49 seconds to score the opener, as Wayne Rooney smashed home his first home goal since August.  United doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Rooney tucked in his second goal; his first brace since March 2010.  A typical Darren Bent goal bought Gerard Houiller’s side briefly bought Villa back into it, but their hope only lasted five minutes, as Nemanja Vidic killed the game off with a finish that Rooney would have been proud of.  Had it not been for Brad Friedel, the scorelines could have been even more emphatic.

Arsenal came from behind against Everton to win 2-1 at the Emirates and keep their title hopes alive.  On a controversial night, which ended with David Moyes accusing Cesc Fabregas of meeting the referee in the half-time interval, the Gunners showed real character to overcome a gritty Everton unit.  Louis Saha’s recent revival continued as he fortuitously put the Toffees infront midway through the first half.  He was in an offside position, when he latched onto Seamus Coleman’s pass.  Arsenal got on terms with twenty minutes to spare.  Fabregas’s clipped ball flicked off Jack Rodwell and was vaulted in by the woefully out-of-form Andrei Arshavin.  Four minutes later, an unmarked Laurent Koscieny met Robin Van Persie’s corner to head home his first Premiership goal and consign Everton to another defeat.  They now haven’t won at Arsenal since January 1996.

Chelsea are beginning to return to their best after their winter wobble, highlighted by an excellent 4-2 win at Sunderland.  The Black Cats were ahead inside of four minutes, as Phil Bardsley ghosted past an invincible John Obi Mikel and left Petr Cech with no chance.  The left-back second goal in a month was cancelled out by a Frank Lampard penalty and Salomon Kalou’s first goal in the league since November.  A third goal in two games for Kieran Richardson has the game tied at 2-2 with just 25 minutes gone.  It was all Chelsea though after the interval and they gradually pulled away from their opponents.  Craig Gordon produced a brilliant save to deny Lampard, but the Scottish international could do nothing about the follow-up from John Terry on the hour mark.  In time added on, the impressive Nicolas Anelka put the seal on a fantastic away performance, to move Chelsea to within two points of third placed Manchester City.

City dropped more points, this time away to Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City.  The home side were behind early on, when top scorer Carlos Tevez scrambled home an opener, which Ben Foster probably could have done better dealing with.  Nikola Zigic turned home from close range for Birmingham midway through the first half, only for a beautifully flighted free-kick from Aleksandar Kolarov to restore the visitors lead.  Birmingham have only won one of their last eight Premiership matches, but showed great character and deserved their point.  Kevin Phillips was pushed over in the penalty area by Patrick Vieira, allowing Craig Gardner to smash home the penalty and earn a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

DREAM: Luis Suarez is off and running at Anfield

Liverpool began life after Fernando Torres with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Stoke City at Anfield, their third successive league win.  After a frustrating first half, it took Liverpool less than two minutes into the restart to grab the lead.  Steven Gerrard’s free-kick was deflected into the path of Raul Meireles, who scored his third goal in four matches, finally starting to justify his massive price tag.  The moment Liverpool fans wanted came with 11 minutes to go, as Luis Suarez scored his first goal for the club, having come off the bench.  He rounded Asmir Begovic and after scuffing his shot horribly, it needed help from Andy Wilkinson to cross the line.  He will score prettier goals, but at least the Uruguayan is off and running as the Reds new No.7.

DEBUT: It was a dream start to Robbie Keane's new life at West Ham

At the bottom of the table, West Ham United moved off the foot of the table, courtesy of a 3-1 win at Bloomfield Road over Blackpool.  Robbie Keane scored on his debut for the Hammers and could turn out to be a very valuable signing for Avram Grant.  Wolves replace West Ham at the bottom, after suffering another morale-crushing loss, this time 1-0 at Bolton.  The winner came in the 90^th minute, from another deadline day signing, Daniel Sturridge; acquired from Chelsea on loan until the end of the campaign.  An entertaining 2-2 draw on Tuesday night did little to help West Brom or Wigan Athletic in their quest to move out of the danger zone, but one club going in the right direction is Fulham.  Damien Duff scored the solitary goal of a tight and dire match at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening to beat his former employers, Newcastle United.  To round-off the midweek action, Tottenham earnt their first win since New Year’s Day.  Peter Crouch’s fine first half header was good enough to beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. 

More weekend matches on the way, including Chelsea v Liverpool, West Ham v Birmingham and Newcastle United v Arsenal.  However, can anyone stop Manchester United?  On current form, it’s a tough ask.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (15th - 16th January)

ANOTHER weekend full of drama and intrigue, as the race to be Barclays Premiership winner hots up.  Five still remain in the race and the bottom of the table continues to tighten up; here are the reports from the latest action.

Sunday 16^th January: Liverpool 2-2 Everton

BELIEF: The Liverpool fans got behind Kenny, but they didn't win, AGAIN!

KENNY Dalglish earnt his first point in his second spell as Liverpool manager, but Everton will be the happier of the two sides after a pulsating 214^th Merseyside Derby.  Liverpool dominated the first half, and had a deserved half-time when Raul Meireles drilled a shot past Tim Howard on the half hour, his first goal for Liverpool.  Howard had saved smartly twice from Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres smashed the woodwork early on.  Less than a minute into the second half, the visitors were level when Sylvain Distin climbed about Martin Skrtel to guide a header home at the back post.  Six minutes later and Everton were infront.  Leon Osman created it and Jermaine Beckford drove his shot past Pepe Reina. Kuyt converted an equalising penalty midway through the second half with aplomb, after Howard’s unnecessary challenge on Maxi Rodriguez.  A draw was a fair result on the balance of play, but Liverpool stay perilously close to the bottom three.

Sunday 16^th January: Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle United

NEWCASTLE controlled the Tyne & Wear derby throughout, but Asamoah Gyan scored a priceless equaliser to grab a fortunate point for Sunderland.  Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan scored his fourth goal in two games against the arch enemy this season.  His clever backheel from Joey Barton’s corner have the Magpies a deserved lead.  In the fourth minute of added on time, Phil Bardsley’s shot was only parried by Steve Harper and the ball rebounded off the Ghanaian Gyan, lifting the roof off the Stadium of Light.  Both sides remain in the top half, and can dream of European football.

Sunday 16^th January: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester United

DESPITE training at White Hart Lane, David Beckham could only watch on as Manchester United extended their unbeaten run at Tottenham.  In a poor game that failed to live up to its top billing expectations, Peter Crouch blasted wide with Tottenham’s best chance.  Wayne Rooney forced two smart saves from Hereulho Gomes for the away side, who had young Brazilian Rafael sent off for two yellow cards; the second an unfortunate collision with Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Saturday 15^th January: Manchester City 4-3 Wolves

UNTIL their rivals point in North London, Manchester City had top spot for 24 hours, but they had to work very hard against Wolves.  Nenad Mijias struck to put the visitors infront with a scrappy goal, before Kolo Toure equalised for sleepy City.  Edin Dzeko came close on his debut, but the £27million was put in the shade by Carlos Tevez, who was magical again, scoring twice.  Yaya Toure put the game beyond Wolves, but they fought to the death at Eastlands.  Joleon Lescott bought down Kevin Doyle in the penalty area, the Irishman converted the penalty before an own goal from Nigel de Jong made it a very nervous finish.  City held on though, to keep the pressure on United at the top.

Sunday 16^th January: Birmingham City 1-1 Aston Villa

DESERVED: James Collins earnt Villa a share of the spoils

A POINT wasn’t ideal for both cities in the Second City derby, as local pride again remained intact.  Craig Gardner’s poor free-kick bounced off David Murphy, and fell into the path of Roger Johnson, who turned the ball into the net from seven yards soon into the second half for Birmingham, his first goal since August.  Villa, who created the more chances and hit the crossbar four times, earned their deserved point through their own centre-back.  James Collins struck via a deflection from Liam Ridgewell, enough to take them out of the bottom three. 

Saturday 15^th January: West Ham United 0-3 Arsenal

DIGNITY: Avram Grant keeps cool, even though his job remains on the line

ARSENAL kept on the coattails of the two Manchester clubs, on a day when Avram Grant was lucky to make it to kick-off.  Intense rumours of his departure can’t have helped the Hammers, who were ripped apart by the Gunners right from the outset.  With 13 minutes gone, Robin Van Persie had Arsenal infront and Theo Walcott made it 2-0 before half-time.  West Ham were outpaced and outclassed, as Jack Wilshire and Cesc Fabregas pulled the strings in midfield throughout.  Wayne Bridge, on loan from Manchester City, had a miserable debut at left-back and having been terrorised by Walcott’s pace all evening, hacked him down in the penalty area.  Van Persie duly scored the penalty to complete the scoring.  Grant threw his scarf into the crowd at the final whistle, whose dignity remains intact, although the West Ham board deserves to take some stick for the way they have treated the Israeli.  It felt like the long goodbye, but with Martin O’Neill pulling out of the race to be manager this morning, Grant now looks like he will stay on as manager until the end of the season at least.

Saturday 15^th January: West Brom 3-2 Blackpool

AN ABSOLUTE humdinger at the Hawthorns, which could easily have ended 10-10!  David Vaughan had Blackpool infront in the early exchanges, with his goal being cancelled out by the dangerous Peter Odemwingie.  James Morrison’s deflected effort had West Brom infront, but Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored his second goal of the week (he netted in Blackpool’s 2-1 win over Liverpool on January 12) to make it 2-2.  Odemwingie won it for the Albion, getting goal side of Craig Cathcart and bending an effort past Matt Gilks to give West Brom their first win in six matches.

Saturday 15^th January: Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

CHELSEA returned to the top four in the league, recording only their second win in ten Barclays Premier League games against a resilient Blackburn side.  Despite Didier Drogba continuing to look a pale shadow of his former self, Chelsea scored twice in the second half, courtesy of Branislav Ivanovic and Nicholas Anelka.

Saturday 15^th January: Stoke City 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

STOKE moved upto eighth in the table, after recording a deserved victory against a Bolton side, that have now lost their last five matches away from home.  It was a miserable afternoon for Bolton keeper Juusi Jaaskelainen.  He scored an own goal in the first half, although Danny Higginbotham will claim it.  After Zat Knight pressed the self-destruct button by missing the ball and clattering into Matthew Etherington, the Stoke winger just about scored the penalty, despite Jaaskelainen getting two hands onto the ball.

Saturday 15^th January: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Fulham

DROUGHT: Ended for Andy Johnson

FOR the fifth year in a row, this fixture ended in a draw, leaving Wigan trapped in the bottom three.  Hugo Rodallega broke the deadlock for Wigan in the second half.  However, Fulham showed a lot of character to recover and despite Clint Dempsey having a goal ruled out correctly for handball, salvation for the Cottagers came from Andy Johnson.  It was a scrappy goal, but AJ couldn’t care less, as he scored his first Premiership goal since February 2009.  

FA Cup 3rd round review - The giant-killers strike again

TIREDNESS or not, some high-profile teams from the Premiership and Championship were found guilty of gifting, and not receiving in the FA Cup third round over the weekend.  Five top-flight sides are out, and for the North East, the weekend was the stuff of all nightmares!

MOBBED: Michael Bostwick is surrounded after scoring the second

Top of the upsets came at Broadhill Way on Saturday night, which proves why the FA Cup is still loved by millions of fans worldwide.  Stevenage Borough overcame Newcastle United 3-1, to complete the job that they were very unlucky not to finish in the bitter 1998 round four encounters.  Once Stacey Long’s strike took a wicked deflection off Mike Williamson, which deceived Magpies goalkeeper Tim Krul, Stevenage looked on their way to a famous result.  Michael Bostwick doubled the lead moments later, and despite Joey Barton’s late consolation, the League Two side wrapped it up, courtesy of Peter Winn.  For Alan Pardew, the honeymoon period at Newcastle is definitely over after this result.  Stevenage will play Reading in round four, after the Championship side beat West Brom 1-0 at the Madjevski Stadium.  Shane Long notched the winning goal, as West Brom slipped to their sixth successive defeat.

TARGET: Lee Hughes finds the net as Notts County shock Sunderland

Newcastle’s rival North East rivals Sunderland also slipped to an embarrassing loss, beaten 2-1 at home by Paul Ince’s Notts County side.  Simon Mignolet, the Black Cats goalkeeper failed to deal with Craig Westcarr’s cross, allowing the visitors to take the lead.  Lee Hughes struck from an almost impossible angle to make the shock more probable.  Despite Darren Bent’s late penalty, County fully deserved their success.  To complete the North East misery, struggling Middlesbrough were toppled at the Pirelli Stadium by Burton Albion.  Gary O’Neil’s free-kick had Boro infront, and despite dominating the game, two late strikes from Shaun Harrad saw Burton through into the fourth round for the first time in their history.  The other Premiership side to tumble out of the competition to a lower league side was Blackpool.  Ian Holloway made eight changes to his line-up from his midweek Premiership match with Birmingham, with survival clearly on his mind.  Consequently, the 2-0 defeat at Southampton was not as much of a surprise as the other giant killings.  Having dismissed Pardew earlier in the season, Saints are now second in League One, and now can look forward to a round four encounter with Manchester United.

OFF: Howard Webb gives Gerrard his marching orders at Old Trafford

Kenny Dalglish returned to the Liverpool dugout, twenty years on from his last stint at Anfield, but it turned into an unhappy start on Sunday; Liverpool losing 1-0 at Manchester United in the tie of the round.  In a poor match, the game was settled in the first minute, when Howard Webb gave the home side a controversial penalty.  Dimitar Berbatov went down, under minimal contact from Daniel Agger; a dive that would have made Gillian McKeith proud!  Ryan Giggs dispatched the penalty confidently and Liverpool’s day got worse, as captain Steven Gerrard was sent off by Webb on the half hour, for a wreckless lunge on Michael Carrick.  Liverpool improved on recent performances, but never looked like scoring and if Man United wanted to, they could have scored a second.  Manchester rivals, City will need to replay with Leicester City, after being held to a 2-2 draw with Leicester City.  Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side showed a great deal of passion and commitment, which is something that Manchester City’s superstars didn’t seem to have.  A rare error from Joe Hart, allowed Andy King to snatch a deserved equaliser.  Meanwhile, Arsenal had Cesc Fabregas to thank for a last-gasp penalty, to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United.  After a series of poor results, pressure relieved on Carlo Ancelotti, as cup holders Chelsea battered manageress Ipswich Town 7-0 at Stamford Bridge.  Frank Lampard hit a hat-trick and there was a brace for Daniel Sturridge.

SHOCK: Chris Wood puts Brighton ahead

In the final tie of the weekend, non-league Crawley Town produced a shock 2-1 win at home to Championship side Derby County.  Sergio Torres side footed a stoppage time winner in injury time to secure a round four trip to Torquay United.  Many other Championship teams were eliminated by lower league clubs over the course of the weekend and they included last season’s beaten finalists Portsmouth.  Once Dave Kitson was dismissed on 14 minutes for using an elbow, Portsmouth’s cause looked all but a lost cause, eventually losing 3-1 at League One leaders, Brighton & Hove Albion.  Challenging for promotion, Norwich City also got dumped out, slipping up 1-0 at home to Leyton Orient.  Jimmy Smith, who failed to score on a loan spell at Norwich previously in his career, headed in the sole goal for the League One strugglers.  Having been part of the Portsmouth side that made it to Wembley last May, David James won’t be looking back on this season’s competition too fondly, as his Bristol City side got hammered 3-0 at home by Sheffield Wednesday.  

CROCKED: Jamie Mackie is in agony after his leg fracture at Blackburn

Championship leaders QPR’s 1-0 loss at Blackburn Rovers was marred by a serious double leg fracture for Rangers striker Jamie Mackie, with his boss Neil Warnock, launching a tirade at El-Hadji Diouf afterwards.  The controversial Senegalese allegedly abused Mackie whilst the crocked hitman was lying in agony on the Ewood Park turf.  Finally, York City and Dover Athletic’s epic journeys came to brave ends at the weekend.  Both non-league sides went down 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town respectively.

Another weekend of gripping giant-killing and daring drama in the world’s greatest cup competition is over and done with and I will expect more for the rest of the tournament this season.  Well done to Stevenage Borough, Crawley Town, Notts County, Burton Albion, Reading and Southampton for their unlikely acts of upsets, as last weekend’s action just reminded us all of how never to underestimate the power of the FA Cup.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (4th - 5th January)

MORE midweek action from the Premiership, as the final festive fixtures were played.  Manchester United turned out as the big winners, with all of their title rivals slipping up and the pressure is growing intensely on four top-flight managers, after more dire results.  Here is a round-up of the latest action.

Wednesday 5^th January: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester City

OFF: Bakary Sagna (with Jo here) would see red later on

ARSENAL missed the chance to leapfrog Manchester City, after they were held to a frustrating stalemate at the Emirates.  The Gunners looked like the only side that wanted the victory and Roberto Mancini’s very negative tactics earned a chorus of boos at the full-time whistle from the home fans.  Robin van Persie came closest, denied by the woodwork in the first half and a smart save from Joe Hart after the interval.  There was an unsavoury finish to the match, as both Bakary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta were sent off in stoppage time for a confrontation that only looked like handbags and didn’t need such necessary action.

Wednesday 5^th January: Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Liverpool

LONG: Martin Olsson begins another tough night for Liverpool

ROY Hodgson looked dejected all throughout, as he watched Liverpool crumble at Ewood Park, and leave him on the brink of the sack.  Liverpool’s defending was akin to a playschool side, conceding soft goals to Martin Olsson and Benjani before half-time, the Zimbabwean turning Sotiris Krygiakos far too easily to double the Blackburn lead.  When Ryan Hoillett left Martin Skrtel chasing shadows, he squared for Benjani to complete the rout.  Only a Steven Gerrard consolation in response for Hodgson, and the bruising continued, when the only man fit to wear a red shirt blazed a late penalty over the crossbar.  Liverpool looked beleaguered throughout and ended up being lucky not to be on the end of a total battering.  For Hodgson, time has almost certainly run out.

Tuesday 4^th January: Manchester United 2-1 Stoke City

SIR Alex Ferguson could sit back on Wednesday night and watch his title rivals fail to win, giving United a huge advantage in the title race.  Preferred to Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, who scored twice at the Britannia in October, had the home side infront.  Dean Whitehead headed Stoke level, their first goal at Old Trafford since 1980, but Nani returned from injury and produced a special goal to restore the lead and keep Manchester United’s unbeaten record safely intact.

Wednesday 5^th January: Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

CRISIS torn Chelsea slipped to another defeat, this time at bottom side Wolves, which all but releases their grip on the Premiership trophy.  An own goal off the knee of Jose Boswinga inside of five minutes was the solitary goal on another famous night for Wolves.  The home side were terrific throughout, but Chelsea’s fundamentals were all wrong again and it leaves Carlo Ancelotti on the brink of losing his job in West London.

Wednesday 5^th January: Everton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

TRYING: Louis Saha ended his goal drought against Spurs

HARRY Redknapp has only won once in 27 previous visits to Merseyside, and that unwanted record extended at Goodison Park, as Spurs slipped to their first defeat in nine Premiership games.  Louis Saha’s first goal of a trying season came after only two minutes for Everton, cancelled out by another header from Rafael van der Vaart just ten minutes later.  It was a terrific match, with a few mistakes thrown in by both defensives.  With help from the hopeless Benoit Assou-Ekotto, whose performance was laughable, it was Everton who got the crucial winning strike; Seamus Coleman heading in after Hereulho Gomes could only parry Saha’s shot into the Irishman’s path.

Tuesday 4^th January: Fulham 3-0 West Brom

FULHAM bounced out of the bottom three, with an emphatic victory and leaving West Brom as the only side not to pick up any points over Christmas.  On the stroke of half-time, Simon Davies benefited from a Scott Carson howler to have the home side infront, against an Albion side missing five central defenders.  Fulham took advantage of the weaknesses in the away defence at set-pieces, with second half headers from Clint Dempsey and Brede Hangeland completing the rout.

Wednesday 5^th January: Aston Villa 0-1 Sunderland

HEAT: Gabby Agbonlahor and Titus Bramble square-up

GERARD Houiller’s position as Aston Villa manager is safe, despite seeing his side slip into the bottom three.  It was a miserable night for Emile Heskey, who hit the bar from six yards out in the only notable first half moment.  Then, he was dismissed after a confrontation with Jordan Henderson, which saw the dopey striker lift his hand into Henderson’s face.  Phil Bardsley won it for Sunderland with ten minutes to, his first goal for the club with a shot that arrowed into the net.  Sunderland senses a European challenge despite Bolo Zenden’s very soft red card for two challenges.

Wednesday 5^th January: Newcastle United 5-0 West Ham United

ROUT: Leon Best ran rings around West Ham's backline

LEON Best made his first Premiership start and it was a dream night for the youngster, signed from Coventry City last January, as he hit a hat-trick in Newcastle’s emphatic rout of West Ham.  Once again, Avram Grant’s position is in severe jeopardy as Hammers boss.  Best scored his first competitive goal for the Magpies on 18 minutes, taking full advantage of Robert Green being indecisive and staying on his life.  His second came shortly afterwards, driving a shot through a crowd of players in the six yard box after West Ham failed to clear.  Kevin Nolan’s ninth goal of the season before half-time had the game all but sealed, but the Magpies fun wasn’t complete yet.  Best completed his hat-trick shortly after the restart, smashing a shot past Green.  It was a treble that would have made Alan Shearer proud.  Peter Lovenkrands made it 5-0, finishing from close range; sweeping in with ease from Joey Barton’s whipped cross.  For Alan Pardew, this was sweet against the side that acrimoniously sacked him four years ago.

Tuesday 4^th January: Blackpool 1-2 Birmingham City

OPENER: Alex Hleb set Birmingham on their way to a rare win

BIRMINGHAM’s first away win of the season came at Blackpool.  Stephen Crainey gave the ball away on the edge of his own area, gifting the recalled Alex Hleb the chance to score his first goal for Birmingham.  A neat volley in the second half from DJ Campbell looked to have earnt the Tangerines another important point, as Birmingham looked to have blown their chances; both Cameron Jerome and Sebastian Larsson clattering the woodwork.  However centre-half Scott Dann beat the offside trap in the last minute to earn Birmingham’s first win on the seaside since 1960.

Wednesday 5^th January: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Wigan Athletic

FIRST: Ronnie Stam's goal earned Wigan a share of the spoils

THIS north-west derby ended with a share of the spoils, but the match was overshadowed by a sickening injury to Chris Kirkland.  Kirkland, just recalled from a loan spell at Leicester City was knocked out in an unfortunate collision with Johan Elmander.  It took the exploits of 38-year old Mike Pollitt to earn Wigan a point in a stunning 20 minute cameo.  Earlier, Rodrigo Moreno had opened the scoring with his first goal for Bolton, cancelled out with ten minutes to go by Ronnie Stam, finishing off a well-worked Wigan move.