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Date Saturday 11 August With Mike Flynn missing the first game of the season, having not missed one for the whole of last season, the captaincy was handed over to Shefki Kuqi. Colin Woodthorpe took Flynn's place in the back line. Petri Helin and Scott Taylor both made their County debuts. County statrted thew opening game of the season pleasingly against one of the favourites for promotion. County forced a couple of early corners as the match started at a high tempo which seemed to worry a Coventry side blooding their new striker Lee Hughes up front. Hughes was the main threat to the County defence and served notice within the opening quarter when he raced clear of the County defence, only for Woodthorpe to make up the neccessary ground and put in a briliant tackle. However, there was to be no denying Hughes on 29 minutes. Bosnian international Muhamed Konjic punted a long ball forwards from the back and Hughes, looking offside, gathered in the ball and swiveled in the six-yard box before firing it low beyond Lee Jones. Coventry then rather took control of the game, with County failing to have a series shot on target during the entire first half. Only Petri Helin, who blasted over from twenty-five yards and a similar effort from Aaron Wilbraham offered any hope. Coventry contiuned their domination of the game in the openig period of the second half with the wind at their backs they penned County back in to their own half. A David Thompson corner from the left wing had to be headed off his own line by Peter Clark with Lee Jones beaten by the swirling ball. Only after this and around the hour mark did Conuty begin to work up a head of steam, with the Coventry defence looking raged, but there was no killer instinct up front. On 63 minutes Jones produced the save of the game, tipping over a powerful drive from Thompson. However, just moments later a THompson corner has comfortably headed home by Coventry skipper Lee Carsley, with the County marking all over the place. From then on the match petered out and over-zealous refereeing made the card count up to six. Only Lee Hughes looked likely to add to the two goals scored already, and he almost did this in the last minute but his shot rebounded off the inside of the upright and out for a goal-kick. County had been outclassed by Coventry and their opening game in division one had eventually been won at a canter. County up front failed to offer too many variations and were for the most part coped with comfortably by the Coventry defence. County: (3-4-3) Jones 8; Roget 6, Clare 7, Woodthorpe 7; Gibb 6, Fradin 6, Helin 5, Clark 6; Taylor 6 (Hurst 6), Kuqi 6, Wilbraham 6. Not used: Bryngelsson, Dibble, Hardy, Smith. Booked: Clark, Gibb, Wilbraham. Coventry: (4-4-2) Kirkland; Nilsson, Williams, Konjic (Shaw), Hall; Thompson, Carsley, Chippo, O'Neill; Hughes, Boothroyd. Not used: Hedman, Quinn, Strachan, Martinez. Goals: Hughes 29, Carsley 64. Booked: Hall, Carsley, O'Neill.
Date Saturday 18 August New signing Jason Van Blerk came in for his first County start on the left wing in place of Peter Clark who dropped to the bench. Captain Mike Flynn returned to the back three with Colin Woodthorpe moving to midfield. County started promisingly early on with Leo Roget getting the first shot of the game from Ali Gibb's corner, but his header went over the bar. Palace worked their way back in to the game as the half went on but it was County how forced the best chance of a mostly quiet first half. County's newest Finn Petri Helin worked the ball forward in to the Palace penalty area for Karim Fradin to run on to. Fradin then tried to round Palace 'keeper Kolinko after a dummy from Wilbraham, but his first touch was too heavy, taking him away from the goal. The second half however contained far more incident. This started six miuntes in to the second half when Gibb's free-kick was hammered forward towards Freedman, he laid it off for Clinton Morrison, who rolled it to Riihilati who neatly placed the ball past Jones. Scott Taylor was then brought on to give County extra optuions up front and this approach brought the reward of an equalising goal. Ali Gibb, County's star man, whipped in a pacy ball from the right and Karim Fradin bulleted it in for Conuty's first goal of the season. However, County were level for just six minutes before Clinton Morrison, fresh from his international debut for Eire in midweek, played a one-two on the edge of the area. With the County defence nowhere Morrison was able to slide the ball under the advancing Jones. The main talking point of the game came shortly after when Aaron Wilbraham was dismissed for an elbow on Aki Riihilati on 75 minutes. Both sides almost aded a further goal, Palace hitting the bar through Rodger, and Fradin almost getting a second, before Palace killed off the game. With just five minutes to go the County defence went awol again and Dougie Freedman was able to skip through to make it safe. Then, to add insult to injury they added a fourth against a now deflated County, and a second for Morrison as Palace piled on the agony to send County bottom of the table. Crystal Palace: (3-4-3) Kolinko; Smith, Zhiyi, Austin (Berhalter); Rodger, Riihilati, Mullins, Gray; Freedman (Rubins), Morrison (Black), Thomson. Not used: Carlisle, Gregg. County: (3-5-2) Jones 6; Roget 6, Flynn 6, Clare 6; Gibb 7, Fradin 7, Woodthorpe 6, Helin 6 (Taylor 6), Van Blerk 6 (Clark 6); Kuqi 6, Wilbraham 5. Not used: Dibble, Hurst, Smith.
ATTENDANCE: 15,760 Date Tuesday 21 August Conuty reverted to a flat-back-four for the visit of the Cumbrians to Edgeley Park. Scott Taylor was operated on the left side of midfield with David Smith replacing Petri Helin and Karim Fradin dropping outr injured for Taylor to come in. County did what they needed to do in starting well against the less-fancied opposition with a pile-driving Kuqi free-kick being tipped away and a long-range shot from Colin Woodthorpe being tipped away by Luke Weaver. From the resulting corner Conuty were able to take the lead with a powerful Kuqi header, unmarked from six yards after an Ali Gibb corner. Carlisle could only manage occasional forrays in to the County half and there was hardly ever any danger to the County goal despite some worrying moments when the County defence would not close down on-rushing players. Mike Flynn and Leo Roget both had oppourtunities to double County's money from set pieces before half-time but were unable to do so with mis-placed headers. In the second half it was Roget again who almost added a second, this time his header rebounded off the frame of the goal after it had looped over Weaver. The second goal did then come after 55 minutes when Scott Taylor beat three men on the edge of the area before drilling a low shot in to the bottom-right-hand corner of the goal. A finishing instinct that had been missing up to that point. Neill Hardy then came on for his County debut with 17 mniutes remaining and gave a pretty impressive account of himself, but it was Taylor who netted County's third and sealed the victory. This time Dave Smith took a quick free-kick to Van Blerk on the left-wing, and his first time cross was met by Taylor's head for three-nil and round two. County: (4-4-2) Jones 7; Clare 6 (Wiss 7), Flynn 7, Roget 8, Van Blerk 7; Gibb 7, Smith 8, Woodthorpe 7 (Helin 7), Taylor 8; Kuqi 7, Wilbraham 7 (Hardy 7). Not used: Dibble, Clark.
Carlisle: (3-5-2) Weaver; Whitehead, Morley, Hopper (Berhalter); Birch, Elliott, Harkin (Haddow), Murphy, Maddison (Berkley); Stevens (Allan), Halliday. Not used: Keen, Andrews. Date Saturday 25 August Keith Briggs came in for his first start in two seasons and right-back as cover for the injured Rob Clare in the only change to the team that beat Carlisle in the Worthington Cup. County again started the game well with David Smith forcing his way in to the Portsmouth box in the opening 10 minutes but the ball cannoned of him over the bar after Shefki Kuqi's pass. Kuqi himself had the chance of the first half after 16 minutes. A left-wing set piece came across to Leo Roget whos header hit the bar and rebounded to Kuqi six yards out who somehow headed over an open goal. This continued with Aaron Wilbraham seeing a deflected shot come back off the base of Beasant's near post and after good work from Kuqi in robbing a defender, Wilbraham brought another save out of Beasant. In response only a Peter Crouch shot wide of target offered anything for Pompey. At the start of the second half Jarkko Wiss hit a stinging shot to test the power of Beasant, and Leo Roget also saw a header stoppped as County remained camped in the Pompey half. However County's dominance ebded in the 61st minute. With County still attacking debutant Robert Prosinecki picked up the ball and sprayed it in to the path of Lee Bradbury. With Bradbury racing through on goal Jason Van Blerk hauled him down in the area. Incredibly, as he was the last man, Van Blerk wasn't even booked but Prosinecki comfortably scored from the spot. Even then County weren't finshed as they poured forward in search of what would have been a deserved equaliser. Conuty had two more brilliant chances, both of which fell to Scott Taylor. Firstly he seemd to have done all of the hard work in beating Beasant, but under pressure from a defender he could only stab the ball wide. Then, with time fast running out he thundered a shot in from the edge of the box, which was brilliantly saved by Beasant, who had one of those days when nothing could get past him. County: (4-4-2) Jones 7; Briggs 7, Flynn 7, Roget 7, Van Blerk 6 (Clark 6); Gibb 8, Smith 7, Wiss 7, Taylor 7; Kuqi 7, Wilbraham 6 (Hardy 7). Not used: Dibble, Helin, Woodthorpe.
Portsmouth: (3-5-2) Beasant; Buxton, Zamperini, Hiley; Barrett, Vincent, Prosinecki, O'Neill (Quashie), Harper (Crowe); Bradbury (Burchill), Crouch. Not used: Tardiff, Pitt.
ATTENDANCE: 5,080 Date Monday 27 August County made one change from the team which had overwhelmed Portsmouth with no reward two days earlier with Colin Woodthorpe returning and Aaron Wilbraham dropping to the bench, with Scott Taylor moving up front. Birmingham is never a happy hunting ground for County and so it proved as with less than three minutes gone Birmingham took the lead. Leo Roget brought down Geoff Horsfield on the edge of the box and Martin Grainger, described by Kilner as "the Beckham of the lower leagues" expertly curled the ball over the wall in to the net. A few minutes later, however, County had learnt their lesson and Lee Jones kept out a Grainger free-kick from a similar position. The second half however contained far more incident. This started six Birmingham did double their lead on 21 minutesand again indiscipline did cost County. Scott Taylor made a real forward's tackle on Stan Lazaridis and former Watford striker Tommy Mooney slotted in the resultant penalty. Mooney could also have doubled his lead on the half hour but his header went wide of the goal. County's only chance of the entire first half again came from a set play, but Ali Gibb's corner was headed over by Leo Roget. Birmingham then had the final chance of the half with a swift counter-attack ending up with an acrobatic effort from Geoff Horsfield disappearing wide. At half-time Kinler made two changes, with both central midfielders going off (Wiss and Smith) with Helin and Wilbraham coming on as COunty switched to three up front. However this did not stop the flow of Birmingham attacks with Bryan Hughes seeing his early shot stopped by Lee Jones. There was then a blow for City on the hour when Mooney was carried off following a collision with Flynn. However Geoff Horsfield continued to worry the County defence and his curling shot had to be saved by Jones. Neill Hardy then came on as County's third substitute with 15 minutes to go, but he couldn't convert a decent chance from and Ali Gibb cross. There was one bright spot for County when they scored with five minutes to go through Shefki Kuqi. Kuqi was pulled back by Michael Johnson attempting to reach a long through ball and scored the resulting penalty, however there was never any prospect of an equaliser. Birmingham City: (4-4-2) Kelly; Gill (Sonner), Purse, M.Johnson, Grainger; Eaden, O'Connor, Hughes, Lazaridis; Horsfield (Furlong), Mooney (A.Johnson). Not used: Poole, Hutchinson. County: (4-4-2) Jones 6; Briggs 6, Roget 6, Flynn 6, Van Blerk 6; Gibb 7, Smith 6 (Helin 7), Wiss 5 (Wilbraham 6), Woodthorpe 6; Kuqi 6, Taylor 5. Not used: Dibble, Bryngelsson.
ATTENDANCE: 18,478
Copyright Ian Waterhouse 2000 & 2001. All rights reserved. |
