The feeling at St Mary’s is that results have not reflected performances
Posted in General on 06. Sep, 2010
The feeling at St Mary’s is that results have not reflected performances this season, and they certainly had reason to feel pick-pocketed yesterday.
As a decisive second remained stubbornly unforthcoming, Craig Fagan seized on a long clearance and played in Ellison down the left. The lanky Liverpudlian advanced into the box, and his shot clipped the inside of the post on its way past Antti Niemi.”Our play’s good,” said their manager, Harry Redknapp “The build-up is good. We open teams up, but we can’t put the ball in the back of the net. They’re sitting there waiting for one mistake and we made it.”The former Southampton manager Gordon Strachan once compared Claus Lundekvam’s predatory instincts unfavourably with those of a corpse, and it was hard not to think of that assessment when the Norwegian failed to score from a foot out after Michael Svensson’s header had been saved by Boaz Myhill.He was not the only guilty party, though. Even Matt Oakley, who gave Southampton the lead a minute before the break with a superb 25-yard drive, had earlier managed to spoon over the bar from six yards.”Every game’s been like that this season,” Redknapp said. “God knows how many corners and 13 shots off target, but the ball won’t go in.”. Glenn Hoddle insists that the season is still too young to draw conclusions from the Championship table, but he may have to concede that winning the title with Wolves may already be an ambition out of reach.
This result widens the gap between his side and the leaders, Sheffield United, to a daunting 14 points. What’s more, there is no sign that Neil Warnock’s team are about to take their foot off the accelerator after a beginning to the campaign in which they have an unblemished home record of seven wins from seven games and 11 from 13 overall.
Wolves had been determined not to allow the home side to dictate terms, presenting the division’s most attacking side with a defensive challenge by fielding three strikers of their own. But it was United who found the decisive edge.The crucial moment came after 16 minutes, when a moment of poor communication between Wolves defender Joleon Lescott and goalkeeper Michael Oakes handed United a free corner. David Unsworth, whose cross had been headed behind by Lescott, practically out of Oakes’s hands, delivered a deep corner from the right, Chris Morgan headed back across goal and Neil Shipperley nodded the ball in from close range.Wolves might have levelled matters, Unsworth surviving a penalty appeal after bringing down Carl Cort. Later, Rob Kozluk’s intercepting header stopped Cort getting to a Seol Ki-Hyeon cross with Paddy Kenny stranded. But, at the other end, Steve Kabba’s screwed-back shot beat Oakes only to hit a post.The threat to the Sheffield goal from Wolves was negligible until late in the game.
The second-half deployment of Darren Anderton in a sweeper role gave them a focal point in possession but it was not until Hoddle introduced George Ndah and Mark Davies for the final quarter that the home side came under sustained pressure. Two chances fell to Cort, who volleyed a Davies cross wide and was off target again with a glancing header from Anderton’s free-kick.Hoddle was disappointed but remains optimistic. “Poorly though we played, there was nothing much between the sides and I still feel I have a squad that is capable of winning promotion,” he said. “And I’m certain Neil Warnock will not be looking at the table and thinking it is all over.”. Burnley 1 Leeds Utd 2
Eddie Lewis and Rob Hulse were on target for Leeds as they came from a goal down at Turf Moor to beat Burnley and move up to fourth. The Clarets went ahead on the hour when Ade Akinbiyi was tripped and Garreth O’Connor scored the penalty, his sixth goal of the season.
Eleven minutes later Leeds were level, Lewis bending in a free-kick. Four minutes after that Lewis crossed and Hulse, back from injury, headed the winner. “Rob hasn’t been able to train with us, but he put in a real big shift, culminating with the goal, and I’m delighted with him,” Kevin Blackwell, the Leeds manager, said. But neither manager saw a reported scuffle in the tunnel between the players after the match.
Brighton 1 Cardiff City 2Cardiff substitute Alan Lee had been on the pitch for about 30 seconds when he scored the 74th-minute goal that earned the Bluebirds the 2-1 win and dumped Brighton to the bottom of the table.
Jason Koumas scored the Bluebirds’ first, but Paul McShane appeared to have to earned a point with Brighton’s equaliser. Then came manager David Jones’s inspired substitution.Derby County 2 Stoke City 1A relieved Derby County manager, Phil Brown, saw Inigo Idiakez give his Rams the lead in the first minute of first-half injury time, but the Belgian Carl Hoefkens’ first goal for the Potters levelled Paul Peschisolido scored Derby’s late winner. “After not having won for eight League matches when Paul’s winner went in, it was fair to say I enjoyed it,” Brown said.Norwich City 1 Millwall 1Championship reacclimatisation has not come easily to Norwich, and they were again on the back foot at Carrow Road where fast-improving Millwall went ahead after 22 minutes, Adrian Williams heading home. Dean Ashton made it 1-1 when Andy Marshall missed a cross but despite having Barry Hayles sent off and giving away a penalty, saved by Marshall, the Lions took a point.Coventry City 1 Crystal Palace 4Crystal Palace’s improvement continued when they crushed Coventry Darren Ward started the rout, firing in from 10 yards. Matt Heath levelled in first-half injury time but before the break Clinton Morrison headed Palace back in front. Goals by Ben Watson and Jon Macken completed the rout, City’s Claus Jorgensen was sent off between the two strikes. Palace go up to fifth.Crewe Alexandra 3 Luton Town 1Perhaps third-placed Luton Town thought they had an easy task on their hands at Gresty Road, where Crewe were bottom of the table at the start.