By Dave McArdle
CCFL
Last Sunday I
was in Tullamore for the John Farrell Combined Counties Cup fourth round tie
between Premier division leaders CK United and Division 2 title contenders
Dynamo Town. Dynamo, despite being the away side and two divisions below their
opponents, were nonetheless confident they could cause an upset after they had
enjoyed a fine 5-1 victory over Senior Division Gallen United in the previous
round.
However, it was
CK United who started better and they found themselves in front inside two
minutes. Full-back Niall Bracken broke well up the left flank and when he dug
out a cross with his right foot, striker Niall Kearns was on hand to turn the
ball home inside the box to give CK the lead. As Dynamo settled into the game,
they began to pose a threat – mostly from set-pieces – and they were unlucky
not to have found an equaliser by the time they went further behind in the 23rd
minute. Paul Kinnarney swung in a corner from the left, Dynamo keeper Brian
McCormack got his fingertips to it but the ball dropped for CK winger Stuart
Carroll who powered home a header to extend the home side’s advantage.
As the first
half drew to a close, CK were given the chance to put the tie to bed when Dynamo
Captain Martin Mulhall fouled Niall Kearns in the box. Referee Adrian Martin
had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and CK United Captain Brendan Bracken
stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, firing low into the bottom right
corner to give CK a commanding lead heading into half time. As the second half
got underway, Dynamo Town Player-Manager Liam Marum came on to try and help the
away side get back into the game as Dynamo pressed high up the pitch in search
of goals. However, with so many players pushed forward, Dynamo were left short
at the back and CK were in on goal almost every time they broke down the pitch
– Niall Kearns, Eddie Keenahen and Trevor Wright all should have done better
with guilt-edged chances but the second half was summed up in injury time when,
with three men totally unmarked in the box, CK United amazingly managed not to
score as Stephen Kinnarney somehow contrived to fire over the top from only a
couple of yards out. And so it finished, CK United march on into the last 8 of
the cup while Dynamo Town can hold their heads up high after a fine cup run –
final score from De Brun Park in Tullamore was CK United 3-0 Dynamo Town.
This Sunday, I
will be in Athlone for ‘The Inside Line’ feature game as Willow Park face up to
St.Kevin’s Boys in the LFA Senior Cup 3rd Round. Intriguingly, the
winners of this game will face a glamour tie against League of Ireland side
Longford Town in the next round and Willow Park will be hoping to cap their
anniversary celebrations in style with a win this weekend. This weekend also
sees several other interesting ties taking place across the CCFL – on Saturday
in the Umbro FAI Youths Cup 4th Round Tullamore Town host Caslebar
Celtic in Leah Victoria Park while Edenderry Town travel to Limerick to face
Fairview Rangers. Also on Saturday, Senior Division Killavilla United host
Premier Division leaders CK United in the Paddy Cotter Cup 1st Round
in what should be an entertaining game while in the Senior Division Mullingar
Athletic will be hoping to keep their title bid on track as they host Melville
United. There is a wide range of cup action taking place on Sunday – as Gallen
United host Stradbally Town, St. Peters host Willow Park B, Abbeyleix Athletic
travel to Mountmellick United, Rosenallis host Mullingar Town, Birr Town travel
to Arlington and Edenderry Town host Clara Town in Paddy Cotter Cup action.
Meanwhile, in Dennis Delaney Division 2 Cup Quarter Finals 1st Leg
matches, Gentex host Dynamo Town, Noresdie Celtic face Edenderry Town B and
Coolraine host Raharney. For full details of fixtures, results and league
tables, visit: www.ccfl.ie
Premier League Preview
Fulham v Stoke - Saturday 12:45 – Live on Sky Sports 2
Fulham welcome
Stoke to Craven Cottage in the first game of the weekend with both sides
looking for a victory which would push them further towards the magical 40
point mark. Sascha Riether and Steve Sidwell are available once more for the
Cottagers while Mahamadou Diarra will miss out through injury. Marc Wilson has
returned to the Stoke City squad after a lengthy lay-off while Brek Shea could
be in line for his Premier League debut. Cameron Jerome is expected to shake
off a knock and should be okay to feature but Tony Pulis has a doubt over the
fitness of striker Michael Owen.
Arsenal v Aston Villa – Saturday 3pm
Under-pressure
manager Arsene wenger will be seeking a much-needed victory to prevent the
vultures from circling as Arsenal welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates on
Saturday afternoon. The beleaguered Arsenal manager saw calls for his head
intensify after an abject performance against Bayern Munich in midweek but he
will be confident his side can get back to winning ways against an Aston Villa
side who are only just outside the relegation zone after a narrow victory over
West Ham last time out. Arsenal will have to do without full-backs Bacary Sagna
and Kieran Gibbs - with Nacho Monreal and Carl Jenkinson set to deputise -
while Olivier Giroud is pushing for a start up front. Charles N’Zogbia should
be fit enough to feature for the away side while Karim El Ahmadi and Gabriel
Agbonlahor should also be fit after missing out last time through illness. Paul
Lambert is also expected to welcome back Chris Herd following injury but Marc
Albrighton and Richard Dunne will continue to miss out.
Norwich v Everton – Saturday 3pm
Norwich host
Everton on Saturday with both sides in contrasting form. Norwich rose to
seventh place in the league after beating Wigan last December but their failure
to win any of their nine games since has seen them slide down to fourteenth in
the table and only six points above the relegation zone. Everton, on the other hand, are flying high
in sixth place and their defeat against Man United last time out stands as
their only defeat in their last six games. Norwich captain Grant Holt is fit
and available for selection but Chris Hughton has doubts over the fitness of
both Alexander Tettey and Andrew Surman. John Ruddy remains a long-term
absentee for the Canaries. Victory Anichebe and Seamus Coleman are rated as
doubtful for the Toffees while David Moyes will definitely have to make do
without the services of full-back Tony Hibbert.
QPR v Man United – Saturday 3pm – Live on Setanta
Sports 1
Harry Redknapp
faces his toughest test to date as manager of QPR as the Premier League
basement boys welcome league leaders Manchester United to Loftus Road. QPR are
four points behind 19th placed Wigan and seven points adrift of
safety but they will take heart from fantastic performances in their defeat of
Chelsea along with draws against Man City and Tottenham. United, on the other
hand, are 12 points clear at the top of the table and have won 12 and drawn 2
of their last 14 games. QPR striker Loic Remy is doubtful for the R’s. Junior
Hoilett and Samba Diakite are available once more while Harry Redknapp will
have to decide whether to start Bobby Zamora as the striker continues his
comeback from injury. Wayne Rooney is set to miss out for United along with
Phil Jones and Paul Scholes while Javier Hernandez could be in line for a start
up front for the Red Devils.
Reading v Wigan – Saturday 3pm
Reading host
Wigan at the Madejski in what is being billed as a relegation 6-pointer.
Reading have won two and drawn one of their last four in the league while Wigan
are without a win in six. Jimy Kebe is in line for a return for the Royals
having missed the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last time out. Mikele
Leigertwood is doubtful for Brian McDermott’s men while Jason Roberts and Alex
McCarthy are both set to miss out. Antolin Alcaraz could return after a six
month absence for the Latics while Roberto Martinez must decide whether to risk
Ryo Miyaichi and Emmerson Boyce as both have recently returned to training
following injury.
West Brom v Sunderland – Saturday 3pm
West Brom
welcome Sunderland to the Hawthorns as they seek to build on an impressive
victory over Liverpool last time out. That win halted an awful run of eight
games without a win and the Baggies will be confident that they can win again against
a Sunderland side who have been poor on their travels this season. The Black
Cats have lost their last two on the bounce but they will take heart from the
fact that they have not lost three in a row all season. Goran Popov serves the
second of his three game ban for the Baggies while Romelu Lukaku and Youssouf
Mulumbu are both set to start. Peter Odemwingie could be involved once more
after being left out of the last two games following his unprofessional
behaviour as he sought to force through a move to QPR on deadline day. Danny
Graham could be in line for his first start for Sunderland after impressing
from the bench in his last couple of appearances while Danny Rose and Lee
Cattermole are both doubtful for Martin O’Neill’s side.
Man City v Chelsea – Sunday 1:30pm – Live on Sky
Sports 1
Manchester City
could be fifteen points behind rivals Manchester United when they host Chelsea
at the Etihad on Sunday lunchtime and they will be in need of a victory to keep
their slim title hopes alive. Chelsea, on the other hand, will know that they
could move to within one point of City if they can record a rare away win in
Manchester. City are winless in their last three in the league and Roberto
Mancini will check on the fitness of captain Vincent Kompany and midfielder
Gareth Barry while Joe Hart and Carlos Tevez are both expected to start after
being absent last time out. Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard
are all expected to start after being left out against Sparta Prague last time
out. Demba Ba was ineligible for their European endeavour as he is cup-tied so
Rafa Benitez must decide whether to start with the Senegal international or
Fernando Torres up front.
Newcastle v Southampton - Sunday 1:30pm
Southampton
travel to St.James’ Park on Sunday to face a Newcastle side who only trail them
in the table on goal difference. The Saints will be seeking to build on a fine
victory over Man City last time out while Newcastle will be confident of
recording a home win after progressing to the last 16 of the Europa League on
Thursday evening. Goalkeeper Tim Krul is doubtful for Newcastle after hobbling
out of the game against Metalist Kharkiv. Cheick Tiote and Davide Santon could
return following illness and injury respectively while Mathieu Debuchy and Yoann
Gouffran are set to return after being cup-tied for Newcastle’s Europa League
exploits. Gaston Ramirez and Luke Shaw are slight doubts for the Saints while
Veggard Forren and Jose Fonte will hope to come into contention.
West Ham v Tottenham – Monday 8pm – Live on Sky Sports 1
West Ham
welcome Tottenham to Upton Park on Monday evening for a London derby which
promises to be an entertaining spectacle. The Hammers come into the game in
poor form having lost three of their last four in the Premier League while
Spurs will be confident having won their last two in the league along with a
last minute goal on Thursday evening which saw them through to the last 16 in
the Europa League. Joey O’Brien, George McCartney and James Collins are all
doubtful for the hosts while Dan Potts will definitely miss out. Jermaine Defoe
is expected to miss out for Spurs, who will also be without Younes Kaboul and
Sandro. Tom Huddlestone is working his way back to fitness and Andre
Villas-Boas may decide to leave him out once more.
Fantasy Football
The main point
to consider in gameweek 27 is the blank gameweek for both Liverpool and
Swansea. Due of Swansea’s participation in the Capitol One Cup Final on Sunday,
both these sides had a double gameweek last week to make up for the blank
fixture this week. For those of us that had three double gameweek players or
more last week, squad strength comes to the fore this week. It is during weeks
like these when your squad is thin on the ground that your lesser players
become important. If your cheaper players who normally warm the bench are
regular starters for their clubs and can give you the potential of points, they
can be the difference between having 11 players playing versus 8 or 9.
The main
contenders for the captain’s armband this week are Robin Van Persie and Theo
Walcott. United travel to bottom side QPR on an unbeaten run of fourteen games
in the league and with Alex Ferguson’s assertion that Wayne Rooney is unlikely
to recover from a sinus problem, Van Persie is surely set to lead the line
against QPR. And as the leading Fantasy Premier League performer this season,
Van Persie will surely get the nod by many managers. Another intriguing
prospect for captaincy this week is Theo Walcott. Walcott has been in excellent
form of late and if he can retain his starting berth up front, then he could
produce an explosive haul against an Aston Villa rearguard that has leaked a
staggering amount of goals this season. Another strong candidate for the
captaincy comes in the form of Gareth Bale. The Welshman has been in superb
form of late and he has shown that he can produce the goods in any game, so the
short trip across London to face West Ham will not faze him in the slightest.
In terms of a
transfer in this week (along with the three captain contenders above),
Newcastle face Southampton at home and Moussa Sissoko and Papiss Cisse look
particularly inticing prospects. Cisse has failed to live up to his amazing
form of last season but since Demba Ba’s departure to Chelsea, Cisse has played
consistently in the centre forward position and looks to be coming back to
form. Sissoko, on the other hand, has made an immediate impact since his move
in the January transfer window with 25 points from just 3 appearances so far
and he looks a real candidate for selection until the end of the season. Also
worth considering is that Newcastle’s fixtures are good in the short term with
a run of Southampton and Stoke at home along with away trips to Swansea and
Wigan in their next four games which should harvest plenty of points. Another
contender for a cheeky budget transfer this week could be Adam LeFondre. Coming
in at just in the FPL game and with 30 points in his last 5 appearances,
LeFondre has shown that he is a strong budget option that can score points and
free up funds for big-hitters elsewhere in the team. Home clashes with Wigan
and Aston Villa in two of Reading’s next three fixtures should provide the
Royals with plenty of chances and if they are to score a few goals, LeFondre is
bound to be in the thick of things.
Liverpool and
Swansea (as mentioned above) do not have a game this week so they have been
left out of my consideration. Man City versus Chelsea seems too close to call
and this is why I have not recommended any of their players. Also, a big point
worth considering is that due to certain club’s progress in the FA Cup and
other club’s progress in Europe, there will be at least four teams with a blank
week in gameweek 29 – with Man City, Man United, Wigan and West Ham all facing
a blank. Arsenal’s game with Everton is also under threat and is likely to be
postponed if Everton can overcome Oldham in their FA Cup replay. With this
massive blank only a couple of gameweeks away, it would be wise to start
preparing for it now by saving transfers, resisting transferring in players
from the above mentioned teams and possibly even transferring out players from
the above teams. This large blank, and the subsequent massive double gameweek
that is likely to be announced in the coming weeks, could be pivotal in this
season’s game and could be the difference in many a mini-league.
Also, I can’t
finish this week without alluding to the fact that I am now top of the Midlands
Sport league. I refer to this now because by the time I write my blog next
week, I may well be back down the pecking order once more. There is plenty of
competition in this league and there are plenty of interesting times ahead –
but I have to say I am glad to be on top (even if it’s only for one week!)
Join me again
next week for more news and views from the world of football.
You can follow
Dave McArdle on Twitter: @DaveMidlands103
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