Capello resigns as England manager

Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager during a meeting with the Football Association today. This follows the decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy prior to a court’s decision on Terry’s alleged racist comments towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand (brother of former England captain and Manchester United defender Rio) during a Premier League match last October against Chelsea at Loftus Road.

Capello-Resigned from England job.

The meeting took place in the aftermath of comments made by the England coach regarding the Terry issue as he claimed they shouldn’t have taken the armband off him as he hasn’t been proven guilty yet. Capello’s views were widely publicised in the media and resulted in a lot of speculation about the future of the Italian manager and John Terry. Capello guided England to comfortable qualification to the European Championships last year when the Three Lions secured the point they needed to qualify against Montenegro. There has been much optimism about England’s chances of having success in Poland and Ukraine.

It was Capello who originally took the captaincy off Terry after off the pitch events surrounding his personal life. However, the former Real Madrid coach reinstated Terry as captain a year after the initial decision. Rio Ferdinand was the man who filled this vacancy in between but when it came to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he was injured during training in a collision with Emile Heskey and unfortunately missed the tournament. Steven Gerrard took his place as captain for the competition; one that England failed to deliver in going out to Germany in the first knockout round after just about managing to get there through the group stages.  Ferdinand has already ruled himself out of replacing Terry as captain.

Is the 'Special One' up for the role?

Many believe Capello was wrong to make Terry captain again in the first place and his recent outburst had already led to rumours about his future. Although it is clear to understand Capello’s views that Terry is innocent until proven guilty, he probably should have expressed his feelings privately to the FA rather than through the media that’s resulted in all of the coverage surrounding the matter. Had Capello thought about his ways of letting his opinion be known, the outcome may not have been what it is.

Is this bad timing with the Euro’s not that far away?  Well, it’s not the best but it’s early enough to employ a new manager and there is sufficient time for the FA to deliberate possible candidates and evaluate the managers that match their criteria.

Surely there has to be an English manager now. Although Capello has a remarkable managerial record, his Italian roots would surely lead to less passion for the England team to be successful. He’s the highest paid manager in the world. Would failure have really bothered him that much? The fact of his resignation obviously shows he isn’t truly committed to the cause and his relations with the FA aren’t as strong anymore.  An English manager would be someone who had desire for the team and genuinely wanted to guide their country to victory. Of course the FA can’t choose any English manager just on the basis of their nationality; there has to be someone who has all of the other qualities required to be a managerat international level. Experience, confidence, tactical intelligence and a leader who is inspirational is what this job needs.

Redknapp is surely up for consideration.

Harry Redknapp certainly possesses these attributes and must be one of the top choices for the job. With him being found innocent of tax evasion charges then nothing really stands in his way other than his club. Jose Mourinho, although not English, has won trophies everywhere he’s been and has already stated his intention to return to England as he prepares to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. He may have said he wanted a return to the Premier League, but the England job may also attract him. One thing for sure is that there will be plenty of Tottenham fans worried in the outbreak of this story. Spurs showed their reluctance to lose Luka Modric when he was wanted by Chelsea in the summer transfer window last year-they will be more reluctant to lose their manager, and will want a lot of compensation if he is to leave for this momentous job. 

There is still a decison needed to be made on the next captain of England.

Only time will tell who will be the next England manager.

Premier league Review

Manchester United thrashed Wigan Athletic  5-0 at Old Trafford with Dimitar Berbatov claiming a hat-trick; a victory that drew them level on points with Manchester City, who only managed a goalless draw at West Brom,  at the top of the table and also reduced the goal difference between the two sides to 5 goals. United remain in second position but those who have wrote off United since the 6-1 defeat to their massive rivals may be thinking again about the outcome of the Premier League title race. Liverpool dropped more points at home to end a difficult week for the club; a 0-0 draw with Wigan midweek followed the FA’s confirmation of an eight match ban for Luis Suarez after he was found guilty of racial abuse towards Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and the Reds drew 1-1 with struggling Blackburn Rovers. Newcastle United ended a difficult period of bad results with a 2-0 win at the Reebok Stadium against Bolton whilst Fulham earned a valuable point away at Chelsea. Arsenal didn't take the chance to go above Chelsea as they drew with Wolves, QPR held Swansea for a draw and Spurs went four points clear of Chelsea as they defeated Norwich 2-0.

Berbatov on form for United

Manchester United ran out comfortable winners against an on form Wigan who have had a good string of results lately. But Man United were in no mood to allow this form to continue. A hat-trick from Dimitar Berbatov including a penalty along with a goal each from Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia who hit a delightful strike against his former club. Wigan had Sammon sent off in the first half which bemused Roberto Martinez but Wigan now look to turn things around against Stoke on New Year's Eve.

 At the Hawthorns a resilient West Brom held the league leaders Man City to a 0-0 draw which certainly frustrated Roberto Mancini as this allowed Man United to reach the same amount of points as City but the blue side of Manchester are still superior on goal difference. However, two 5-0 victories for the Red Devils against Fulham and Wigan have certainly been helpful in reducing the difference from their rivals.

 At the Reebok Stadium it was a contest between two sides desperate for a win. Bolton were confident after their 2-1 victory away at Blackburn on Tuesday night whereas Newcastle were coming in on the back of a 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom. However, it was the visitors who claimed the 3 points as goals from Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba both in the second half ensured a 2-0 victory for the Magpies to get them back to winning ways.

 Liverpool dropped points at home to a Blackburn Rovers side rooted to the bottom of the table and they had to come from behind as Charlie Adam scored an own goal on the brink of half-time to make it 1-0 to Rovers. In the second half Liverpool needed to come out and after unconvincing performances recently, they had to go for the win. They got themselves back in the game through an equaliser from Maxi Rodriguez in the 53^rd minute. Goalkeeper Bunn made some important saves in the latter stages of the game to deny Liverpool a winner and meant that the under pressure Steve Kean had something to smile about before his team face another daunting away trip; this time to Old Trafford against Manchester United to end the year.

Dempsey celebrates his equaliser

Chelsea did not build on an excellent second half performance and result against Spurs on Thursday as they had to settle for a draw against their West London rivals Fulham. Despite Juan Mata giving the home side the lead in the second half, USA international Clint Dempsey grabbed a precious goal to give Fulham a point as they looked to recover from their 5-0 defeat to Man United earlier in the week. Andre Villas-Boas reflected on the result and concluded that it would be difficult to win the title after the draw.

 Sunderland drew 1-1 with Everton at the Stadium of Light with Martin O’Neill’s side taking the lead with Jack Colback getting his first goal for the club making it 1-0 midway through the first half. Six minutes in to the second half and a penalty was awarded to Everton after referee Howard Webb assumed Leon Osman had been tripped inside the box. However, replays show that this was a very controversial decision as Osman had merely lost balance and caught himself causing him to go down. Leighton Baines stepped up and converted and the game finished that way at 1-1. Martin O’Neill was understandably infuriated and David Moyes admitted that it should not have been a penalty for his side.

 Stoke City drew with their opponents Aston Villa with the result being 0-0 at the Britannia Stadium in the live evening fixture. Villa thoroughly deserved a point at a difficult place to visit but Stoke never really sparked and failed to conjure up fluent attacks. There were a few occasions when they looked dangerous but they found it difficult to get through a strong, disciplined Villa defence.  Substitute Nathan Delfouneso also came very near to scoring when Gabriel Agbonlahor used his pace to get the ball and play it across evading Huth with Delfouneso getting the touch but Thomas Sorensen made an excellent stop to concede a corner.  Stoke came closest when a corner found Marc Wilson who’s header struck the underside of the bar and bounced back down the chest of Agbonlahor on the line and was cleared. Replays show that not the whole of the ball was over the line and Agbonlahor didn’t handle it when it came down from the bar so it wasn’t a goal or penalty.

Hennessey making an important save to deny Vermaelen

Arsenal missed out on the opportunity to climb in to the top four as they didn’t capitalise on Chelsea’s dropped points by drawing 1-1 with Wolves at the Emirates Stadium. Gervinho gave the Gunners a 1-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes but Wolves equalised through Steven Fletcher who headed home from a Stephen Hunt effort before half-time. A remarkable display from Wayne Hennessey in the Wolves goal ensured Wolves took a point from this fixture. Wolves had Milijas sent off harshly after he appeared to win the ball when going into a challenge with Mikel Arteta.

 At the Liberty Stadium, Swansea drew 1-1 with QPR with the visitors goal being just the third goal Swansea have conceded at home; quite an impressive record so far. Danny Graham gave the Swans the lead and there were appeals for handball when the striker controlled it but the referee allowed the goal to stand. In the second half QPR came back stronger with Joey Barton forcing Michel Vorm into a fine save from long range and before Jamie Mackie equalised in the 58^th minute. The game ended level with a point each that was beneficial for Neil Warnock’s side to steer away from danger.They're now 3 points above the relegation zone.

Bale gets his second goal of the night

 In the evening game, Norwich played high flying Spurs and Gareth Bale inspired a 2-0 victory scoring both goals. Norwich had done well in the first half, it was 0-0 at half-time but Spurs came to life in the second half and Emmanuel Adebayor had good feet to set up Bale inside the box to put it past John Ruddy for the first goal. It was more class from Bale for the second goal as he went on a long run charging through the Norwich defence and he delicately chipped the ball over Ruddy across the line to give Spurs a 2-0 lead and virtually kill the game off.

Barclays Premier League Review

Manchester United celebrated Sir Alex Ferguson's 25th anniversary in charge of the club with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland whilst Man City maintained their 5 point lead at the top with a narrow victory over QPR and there were wins for Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle but Liverpool were held to a goalless draw with Swansea City at Anfield.




Heitinga puts it in his own net.

 

The lunchtime kick off saw in-form Newcastle United take on David Moyes' Everton side at St James' Park. The Magpies are still unbeaten this season after an excellent 3-1 victory against Stoke City last Monday night. It was the home side who took the lead when a low cross in from the right hand side by Danny Simpson was put in by Everton defender John Heitinga gifting Alan Pardew's men the lead. The lead was doubled when Ryan Taylor hit a wonderful volley beyond Tim Howard's reach to come in off the bar and make it 2-0 to the home team. Everton got themselves back in the game when Jack Rodwell pulled one back at the very end of the first half. There were shouts for a penalty in the second half when Louis Saha's shot was deflected and appeared to strike the arm of former Everton player Dan Gosling but no penalty was given. It should have been a spot kick but the referee had his view blocked by another Newcastle defender. It finished 2-1 in the end and Newcastle went up to second in the Premier League albeit temporarily.




Guard of Honour for Sir Alex Ferguson.



It was a day of celebration at Old Trafford as Sir Alex Ferguson marked 2 years in charge of Manchester United; an incredible record of achievement and consistency at the highest level with one of the greatest teams ever. He walked onto the pitch to be greeted by a guard of honour by his own team and Sunderland as well as being presented on the pitch with the North Stand being renamed the 'Sir Alex Ferguson' stand in tribute to the Scotsman. A statue will also be placed outside of this stand in the near future. In to the action and it was a former United player, Wes Brown, who headed in to his own net. Brown didn't have a great view and was unfortunate in this scenario. Sunderland created their own chances but didn't take them and Westwood was forced into some remarkable saves including a double one with shots from Rooney and Evra coming close. United held on and closed the gap to just 2 points from Man City even if it was only for a couple of hours.

Man City were at Loftus Road in the evening kick off, but it was QPR who started the better with numerous attacks and Bothroyd eventually giving them the lead with a wonderful header. It could have been a lot more for QPR who hit the post and came close on several occasions. They didn't finish off these chances and Edin Dzeko snatched an equaliser at the end of the first half with a nice finish which was unfortunate for Rangers who really took the game to City. In the second half, Mancini's team went into the lead as David Silva took a great touch away from the defence and claimed his 4th goal of the season giving the visitors a 2-1 lead. QPR came back though despite some testing shots from Sergio Aguero and they equalised when the ball found Bothroyd in the air who headed it against his team mate Helguson and it went into the net. The Man City players complained that Helguson was offside but replays show that Stefan Savic was keeping Helguson onside so the linesman made a great decision in that respect. Man City came back once more though and regained their lead when Yaya Toure, who scored two in the midweek Champions League win over Villareal, headed home for the third to secure the victory. Man City remain 5 points ahead at the top, QPR are in 12th after a very courageous and defiant display that probably meant they deserved at least a point.

Arsenal ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against West Brom with goals from Robin Van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta ensuring the 3 points for an Arsenal side who have revived in recent weeks after their shocking start to the campaign. Mikel Arteta's goal was finished off nicely by the Spaniard after a good team move. Arsenal are now in 7th place and certainly needed this win after the 0-0 draw with Marseille in the Champions League last week.

Chelsea recovered from their recent woes in the Premier League as they recorded a 1-0 victory over struggling Blackburn courtesy of a great header from Frank Lampard. It wasn't an easy game for Andre Villas-Boas as Cech was forced into making some essential saves and also took a knock that required treatment. Chelsea stay in 4th with that win whilst Blackburn remain in the relegation zone.

There was a thriller at Villa as Norwich City travelled to Villa Park and it was the away team that took the lead through a wonderful free-kick from Pilkington with 25 minutes gone but Bent equalised 5 minutes later before Villa took the lead in the second half through Gabriel Agbonlahor to make it 2-1. Darren Bent then got a second to give Villa a 3-1 lead before Steve Morison pulled one back with over 10 minutes left creating a very tense end but the home side held onto all 3 points taking them above Norwich and into 8th place.

Swansea City earned a remarkable point away at Anfield with a fantastic performance in a game where they also had chances too. Michel Vorm was the hero for Swansea denying Liverpool on a countless number of times. Liverpool attacked and attacked but they couldn't find a goal. Swansea also had chances too and they came close to causing a huge upset against the Reds. Dirk Kuyt had a goal disallowed for offside and this was an excellent decision by lineswoman Sian Massey who correctly ruled the goal out. Swansea held on for a famous point and will be very pleased by their performance that will give them a major confidence boost. Especially as they take on Manchester United at home in their next Premier League fixture.

Premier League results

Arsenal 3-0 West Bromwich Albion

Aston Villa 3-2 Norwich City

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Chelsea

Liverpool 0-0 Swansea City
Manchester United 1-0 Sunderland

Newcastle United 2-1 Everton

Queens Park Rangers 2-3 Manchester City

Sunday's Fixtures

Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic (Sky Sports 1, 1.30pm)

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky Sports 1, 4pm)



npower League 2 review

In another big weekend in League 2 Southend United went 2 points clear at the top as Crawley and Morecambe were held to draws in their respective matches but there were wins for both Cheltenham Town and Shrewsbury Town away from home.

Southend United were at home to an Oxford United side who are certainly fighting at the top end of the table and earning important results so this was one of the big games in League 2. Mark Phillips gave the home side the lead at half-time but Oxford replied in the second half through Damian Batt making it 1-1 but Ryan Hall's 25 yard effort that gave Southend a 2-1 lead proved to be the winner as the Shrimpers picked up maxium points to keep them at the peak of League 2.

Shrewsbury Town were in need of a victory after their 0-0 draw at home to AFC Wimbledon last week and they were up against a struggling Dagenham side at the wrong end of the table. Both sides were reduced to 10 men in this game. James Wallace, who signed on loan from Everton midweek, was sent off for Shrewsbury after lunging in on Jon Nurse. Terry Gornell gave the visitors the lead in the 6th minute capitalising on a mistake from Dagenham's Richard Rose. The game was decided in injury time when Graham Turner's men were awarded a penalty after Scott Doe fouled James Collins and was consequently sent off. It was Collins who took the penalty and put it away to seal the 3 points for Town who move up to 4th with that away victory.

Cheltenham continued their surge into the automatic promotion places with a 1-0 victory at Bradford City; Kaid Mohammed's 15 yard strike being the only goal of the game to take Cheltenham up to third.

Morecambe and Crawley Town had to settle for draws as Morecambe drew 1-1 with Plymouth Argyle and it could have been worse for John Coleman's side who were 1-0 down to Plymouth courtesy of Simon Walton. However, in the 4th minute of injury time, Nick Fenton scored a very late equaliser to rescue a point for the visitors. Crawley finished 1-1 with Hereford United at Edgar Street. It was Hereford who took the lead early on through Barkhuizen but Drury levelled for Crawley before half-time and the Red Devils are now unbeaten in 9 games and lie second in League 2 behind Southend.

Despite Dagenham's defeat they remain above the relegation zone on goal difference as Barnet drew 1-1 with AFC Wimbledon keeping them in the bottom two along with Plymouth Argyle.

League 2 Results:

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Bristol Rovers
AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Barnet FC
Bradford City  0-1 Cheltenham Town
Burton Albion 1-0 Macclesfield
Crewe Alexandra 0-3 Torquay United
Dagenham and Redbridge 0-2 Shrewsbury Town
Gillingham 4-3 Northampton Town
Hereford United 1-1 Crawley Town
Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Morecambe
Port Vale 0-2 Swindon Town
Rotherham United 2-0 Aldershot
Southend United 2-1 Oxford United

Motionless Hamilton on pole in Korea

Hamilton on pole.

Lewis Hamilton ended Red Bull's qualifying dominance in the 2011 season as he took pole position with a time of 1.35.820 ahead of World Champion Sebastian Vettel in second and his Mclaren team mate Jenson Button in third. It's been a difficult year for Hamilton and this pole position, which is his 19th career pole, would have given him a psychological boost despite the lack of motion he showed in the aftermath.

Tyre selection was the centre of debate as the teams prepared for qualifying and their race strategy but this wasn't as difficult to decide as earlier expected. Mclaren had already shown their competitive edge this weekend with Lewis and Jenson being at the top of the practice time sheets and had given their rivals, although the title race is over, a fierce warning ahead of this weekend's race. With P3 being over after the chequered flag was waved, Hamilton, Button and Vettel as well as Massa and Alonso were fighting hard on their final laps. Hamilton ended his session with a fast time getting into the 1.35s which was shortly followed by Button who managed 1.36.126 taking him up to second before Vettel followed denying Mclaren a one-two but not enough to take top spot of Hamilton. Mark Webber qualified in 4th in front of Felipe Massa who out qualified his Ferrari team mate Fernando Alonso in 6th.

When the drivers went in to Parc Ferme, Lewis Hamilton got out of his car slowly and did not celebrate his pole position. He showed no emotions and just went through to be weighed and cool off after an exciting qualifying session, Vettel came in and seemed rather content with his performance and inspected one of the Mclarens and made his way to be weighed. When the drivers came out for their top 3 photo, Hamilton didn't smile and again looked very subdued as Button and Vettel talked to each other. In the press conference, Hamilton was asked about his lack of emotion and said that he was very happy inside and gave a brief answer. This was the first time this season that Red Bull haven't been on pole position and that run stretches back to Brazil last year as well so it's nice to see someone different at the top.

If Hamilton can convert the pole position into victory tomorrow then I am sure that smile will return to the face of Hamilton who has admitted himself that this has been his worst year in Formula One but he has the chance to end it strongly. Although the battle for the world title is over, there is still plenty to race for and a strong end for Mclaren will give them the baseline for more development in 2012. It should be an interesting race and will  test whether Hamilton has still got the ability to get race wins. The race begins at 7am in England tomorrow morning.

France edge past Valiant Wales

A brave Wales side, who were reduced to14 men in the first half, could not beat the French at the Eden Park stadium in New Zealand. France won the game 9-8 after 80 minutes in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in controversial circumstances as Irish referee Alain Rolland sent off Welsh captain Sam Warburton for a high tackle after just 18 minutes of play.

A dejected Warburton after his dismissal.

It was nothing but a stupid tackle, however this foul did not appear to warrant a red card and a yellow would have been a justified decision. Nevertheless, Wales were given a disadvantage and this may have ruined the game as a spectacle. It was Wales who took an early lead with a penalty converted from James Hook. Hook had another penalty when the French front row was penalised but Hook couldn't put it in between the posts as it drifted towards the right. Then in the 18th minute it all went wrong for Wales when captain Warburton challenged Vincent Clerc and took him off his feet but immediately released him as his feet went off the floor. It was a bad challenge but Warburton realised this and let him go as soon as Clerc's feet were lifted off the ground. Despite Warburton's innocence, the referee, without referring to video evidence, sent off Warburton and Wales were facing a huge task ahead of them.

France soon got it level as well, Wales had a scrum and had the put in but France pushed the srum and won a penalty which was well taken by Morgan Parra. This made it 3-3 and France had the advanatage once more when Wales conceded another penalty from a scrum that was once again converted by Parra making it 6-3 to   Les Blues. It was continuing to be a kicking game when France extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half and Parra continued his good record in this game gaining the 3 points from a difficult position.

Williams with Wales try.

Wales responded and kept on pressuring the French and this paid off in the 58th minute. Wales got the first try of the game with Phillips picking up the ball from the ruck, dummying a pass and then going all the way to grab 5 points that got it back to 8-9. The conversion would have taken Wales into the lead but Stephen Jones  hit the post and agonisingly missed the opportunity to give Wales the advantage. It was now all to play for though with just a point separating the two sides.

Wales attacked France and kept possession for as long as they possibly could but with just 5 minutes to go, their opposition were remaining resilient. A drop goal would have been enough to win the game but the Welsh couldn't get themselves in the position to do so and that was a credit to France's determination. With the 80 minutes up, it was do or die for Wales but they lost possession and France inevitably kicked the ball out to put them through to the Rugby World Cup final.

France players celebrate victory.

It was utter heartbreak for Wales who have been magnificent for the whole campaign and showed great commitment again in this semi-final. They were given an early setback with the dismissal of their captain but kept on fighting until the very end and came so close to reaching that glamorous final but France just edged past them in the end. The sending off will be the main talking point of this game and the referee will come under a lot of criticism for this unfair decision. Wales have a lot of positives to take from this World cup and can certainly look forward to the future, there is a lot of potential in the side and they will most definitely be a world class side with more progress and development. Many believe that France have been the worst side in this tournament and don't deserve to be in the final but the fact is that they are there and have a great opportunity to win the world cup. They will either face New Zealand or Australia depending on the outcome of tomorrow's massive semi-final which should be a fantastic contest in this major rivalry. For Wales, their journey is not over just yet , they still have a 3rd/4th play-off to play next week so they still have the chance to finish strongly. 3rd place will still be a great achievement and reflect on how successful they have been in this tournament. They will play the losers of tomorrow's semi-final. France will now wait to see who they will face in the battle to claim the World Champion's status next weekend.

Ludlow 1-4 Sundorne

Ludlow School 1-4 Sundorne School

Starting XI: Wills, Jones, Smith, Green, Simmons, Jehu, Burrows, Rogers, Hanks, Dance, Clarke

Subs: Bebb, Mitchell

Sundorne School’s Year 11 team began their season with a victory that was less comfortable than the score line suggests when they made the trip down to the South of Shropshire on the 6^th October. The team had been training for a few weeks and were finally ready to play their first game of the academic year.

With goalkeeper Matthew Richards ill and unavailable to play as well as Matthew Parton for the same reasons, the team were given an early setback, also without Mark Murch and Aiden jehu because of injuries. Will Wills was called in to play in goal, and Chris Green was called up to the squad along with Jay Clarke. This match also saw a debut for Chris Jones who made a great first impression at the back.

The visitors started the game well, keeping possession and making regular attacks putting pressure on Ludlow before Josh Hanks had a great chance to open the scoring but he could only put the ball straight to the keeper who collected comfortably. The rain started to fall down and the conditions were not the most pleasant, particularly for those on the side lines. Then another opportunity fell to Jay Clarke who again couldn’t put it past the keeper and was unfortunate not to score. Sundorne kept on pressing and were winning a lot of corners and when the opportunity for a long throw from Hanks came about, defender Chris Green made his way up from the back but his close-range effort was put over the bar much to the agony of manager Mr Street. Ludlow were beginning to deal with the constant attacks and started to play the ball around themselves creating a few opportunities before they got their first real chance which they took with two hands. Against the run of play, the home side took the lead and that probably gave Sundorne a reality check and the need to start playing it on the floor more. Ludlow almost doubled their lead when their striker decided to have a shot that hit the post .However, they couldn’t find an equaliser before half-time and when the first period was over, Ludlow were leading 1-0.

Mr Street gave his side a thorough team talk and motivated the players to come out stronger in the second half. This appeared to have just gone in through one ear and out of the other when the second half started as Ludlow continued to attack with the Sundorne defence dealing with it well and managing to clear the danger. Eventually with just over 20 minutes to keep themselves in the cup, Sundorne started playing a lot better, Jordan Burrows was controlling the midfield and made some pin point passes finding James Jehu on the right hand side who was looking a lot sharper and eager. After a long time with no chances, striker Josh Hanks managed to get an opportunity which he took first time and grabbed an equaliser for last year’s County Plate and District Cup finalists. This certainly gave the away side the momentum and confidence to finish off the game and that they did. Hanks doubled his goal tally with a second for Sundorne which was shortly followed by a goal from Scott Dance who realistically ended all hopes of Ludlow coming back. It was great to see Ashley Bebb back on the football scene after his recent torment with his kidneys and he was brought on to replace the Jordan Burrows who, along with Jamie Rogers, controlled the midfield very well in the second half. We hope that Ashley will return to full fitness very soon and wish him the best.  Scott Mitchell also came on after for James Jehu. Although Ludlow continued to advance up the pitch, they couldn’t find a second and when Sundorne won a corner Chris Green rounded up the match with a fourth; the year 10 centre back rising up brilliantly to head it home. This was the final action of the game and the referee blew the final whistle.

Despite a rusty start, Sundorne had completed the comeback and put in a lot better performance towards the end of the second half. This was a good start considering it was the first game and should give the side a lot of confidence, the younger year 10’s were excellent; Jay Clarke and Chris Green showing great displays in their respectable positions. Captain Jamie Rogers spoke after the match of the need to be more punishing when in front of goal “I feel we need to be more clinical in front of goal and take some of our opportunities, they took their one chance and scored.” When asked about the younger talent in the squad he added “Yes, they fit in almost perfectly, Chris Green is a great new addition at the back along with Jay Clarke and we know Aiden Jehu and Mark Murch can offer a lot of talent to strengthen the squad even more.” Last year, the team reached the County Plate final and the District Cup final losing on both occasions. Rogers hopes the team can go one step further, “I believe we can go very far this year and I hope the lads feel the same as well because falling short in the last 2 years has been very disappointing. I think the silverware is ours this year.” The next game for Sundorne is against Bishops Castle who they beat 2-1 last year, this will be at home which will come as a relief for a lot of the players not having to make the long journey down to the south of Shropshire once more.