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| Penalty heartbreak for Brewers |
| A night
of high emotion and excitement ended in agony for Albion, who for the second
time came from a goal down to lead Oldham Athletic 2-1, only for the Second
Division high flyers to clinch a late equaliser, before going through to
the Second Round via the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. We've seen some fantastic games under the floodlights down the years, but this would have been the great Eton Park night had the Brewers been able to hang on in the dying stages of extra time to the lead given them by a Christian Moore double, yet despite the result this game will live long in the memory once the heartbreak of defeat has faded. From the outset this was a much more even contest than the first game at Boundary Park, with chances coming at both ends. Paul Talbot's speculative lob almost caused problems for Les Pogliacomi, with Neil Glasser and Christian Moore also testing the Latics 'keeper in the early stages. |
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| The
best chances of the half fell to Oldham, who as in the first game let themselves
down with some wayward finishing. Wayne Andrews and Clint Hill spurned
good chances to score, while Latics saviour at Boundary Park, Fitz Hall,
came closest to breaking the deadlock, poking a shot onto the crossbar just
before half time. Oldham came out for the second half looking more dangerous, and within five minutes had taken the lead, albeit with an element of good fortune about the goal, David Eyre's initial shot taking a deflection before falling to Winjhard, who drove a low shot home from the edge of the box. Andrews spurned another gilt-edged chance for Oldham, but despite their patient, doggedly determined performance, the game seemed to be slipping away from the Brewers until a fantastic goal sent the sell-out crowd into delirium, five minutes from the end. |
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Player
manager Nigel Clough picked up Aaron Webster's pass on the right hand edge
of the box, before floating in a perfectly weighted cross to the far post
where Christian Moore had arrived to gleefully head home. An unbelievable climax to the game was denied by the referee when Moore went down in the box, appearing to have had his shirt pulled, but instead a nailbiting 30 minutes of extra time ensued. After a nervy first period which saw few chances at either end, the dreaded penalty shoot-out looked on the cards, but five minutes into the second period, the script took another dramaric twist when Aaron Webster headed on substitute Andy Sinton's corner, and Moore was there again to despatch the ball into the Latics net with his head. |
| Eton
Park was now a fervent of excitement, with even the usually moribund Popside
joining in the singing. The old place was rocking, and bracing itself for
the most famous night in it's history, but once again fate, and Ian Dowie
had other plans, as the Latics exploited the tired limbs in the Brewers defence
to forge a late sortie into the Albion box, David Eyres converting a
left foot shot from six yards out, to send an already epic contest into an
even more nerve-jangling climax. Albion don't have a great record in penalty shoot-outs over the years, and when the usually unflappable Aaron Webster saw his low effort to the keeper's right saved by Pogliacomi from Albion's first penalty, the omens didn't look good. Matt Duke capped another masterful display between the sticks by saving from Winjhard, but while Andy Sinton, Darren Stride and Nigel Clough all converted for the Brewers, Pogliacomi also denied Dale Anderson, leaving Duke needing to save from Darren Sheridan. With fingernails down to stumps all around the ground, Duke repelled a poor effort from Sheridan, to send the contest into the ultimate climax - sudden death penalties. Neil Glasser's confidently converted spot-kick was matched by Clint Hall, but Stuart Reddington's effort came riccocheting back off the crossbar, leaving Carlo Corrazin with the opportunity to win the game for Oldham. Nearly two and a half hours of breathless, nerve-jangling Cup football dissolved in an instant as Corrazin's spot-kick crashed into the back of the net, sending Duke the wrong way. So rather than being the famous victory we'd all hoped for, it's one to file alongside Kidderminster etc under 'heroic defeats'. Nevertheless we can be truly proud of a performance in which, in front of the live TV cameras, the Brewers gave a truly representative account of themselves - words like heroic, gutsy and spirited while fitting should not detract from the fact that we played really well, gave a good account of ourselves, matched, and nearly defeated a Division Two side. If nothing else that should give the team confidence as they attempt to turn inconsistent league form (particularly at home) into something more substantive. Oh and £100,000 from Sky (not to mention gate receipts) won't go amiss either! |
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| More home misery |
| Two
goals in two second half minutes from Warren Patmore condemned the Brewers
to their fifth home league defeat of the season, in an uninspiring encounter
with Woking at Eton Park. Albion started promisingly, passing the ball around well at times, with Nigel Clough bringing an early save out of Cards 'keeper Schwan Jalal, and Neil Glasser saw a similarly long-range effort sail over the bar. At the other end Matt Duke tipped over a thunderbolt from Jon Coates, and was equal to efforts from Raphael Nade and a Patmore header. After the break, Chris Sharpling spurned a couple of good chances to put Woking ahead, before the visitors did finally take the lead, on 65 minutes, Nade heading back Ian Hamilton's cross for Warren Patmore to convert from close range. |
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| Two
minutes later and Woking were firmly in the driving seat after Nade's run
into the box was ended illegally by Duke, and Patmore comfortably sent home
the resultant penalty. To compound a bad day, Neil Glasser limped off with what looked like a recurrence of his hamstring injury to further add to the Brewers' injury list ahead of Wednesday night's televised FA Cup First Round replay against Oldham Athletic. |
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| Last gasp Latics deny brave Brewers |
| The
Brewers came agonisingly close to pulling off the biggest cup upset in their
52-year history, in a thrilling FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic at Boundary
Park on Saturday. A goal down and reduced to ten men inside 25 minutes, the prospects looked bleak for Albion against a team currently riding high in Nationwide Division Two, but a spirited rearguard action kept the Latics at bay and a goal against his former club by Craig Dudley looked to have earned a fairytale result, before a last gasp equaliser from Fitz Hall prevented Albion from making Saturday's Cup headlines, meaning the two sides will meet again at Eton Park. |
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| The
Brewers were always going to be up against it, with skipper Darren Stride
- a player who's reputation was forged in the heat of cup battles like
this - watching from the sidelines as a result of his red card against
Morecambe a fortnight ago, and the experienced Andy Sinton another absentee
through injury. Albion looked nervy at the back in the opening stages, with Oldham frontman Wayne Andrews coming close with two early strikes, and a shot from John Eyre being somewhat perilously deflected over his own bar by Stuart Reddington, before the opening goal arrived on 17 minutes - David Beharall's angled ball in from the left being headed on by Carlo Corrazin for Josh Low to fire home from the edge of the six yard box. The size of Albion's task became even more daunting five minutes later when Colin Hoyle was red carded for a late challenge on Andrews, but the sending off seemed to inspire the Brewers, who battled valiantly to keep Ian Dowie's team at bay, and against the odds turned the game on it's head to lead their hosts 2-1. Albion could be forgiven for thinking the fates were against them after Hoyle's sending off, and with more than one similar Oldham misdemeanour being met with only a yellow card, but their luck changed five minutes before half time when Christian Moore went down in the Oldham box after a push from Clint Hill, and the referee pointed to the spot. Aaron Webster is not one to let the occasion get to him, and cooly slotted home the spot-kick past Latics 'keeper Leslie Pogliacomi. |
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The
second half saw the ten men having to defend wave after wave of Oldham
attacks, but resolute defending, calmness under pressure and an inspired
goalkeeping performance by Matt Duke meant that Albion were able to prevent
the home side re-taking the lead, and then astonishingly it was the Brewers
who found themselves in front just short of the hour mark. Nigel Clough's defence-splitting pass set free Craig Dudley on the right hand side, and, roared on by the thousand plus Albion contingent behind the goal, the former Latic raced past Beharall and into the box before rounding Pogliacomi to slot home, sparking scenes of delirium in the away section. |
| Not
surprisingly, Albion's approach, which by necessity had had to be a cautious
one, became even more unadventurous after this, and at times saw them resort
to hoofing the ball into touch to play out time. Oldham continued to throw everything at the Brewers, who against the odds looked set to claim a place in the Second Round when Carlo Corrazin had a goal disallowed for offside three minutes from the end. Then, with just seconds remaining, Oldham's incessant pressure finally paid off. Darren Sheridan had sprayed quality balls around for the Latics all afternoon, and left the most telling one until last, slinging in a cross from the right, which Fitz Hall directed goalwards with his head. The ball looped agonisingly out of reach of the despairing Duke and under the bar, to the huge relief of the home fans, and the disbelief of the Brewers players who had seen a famous victory snatched away from them in the dying seconds. Nevertheless a 2-2 draw away against a team riding high in Division Two is a fine result, especially given the handicap of having a man sent off, and Craig Dudley's goal in particular will live long in the memory for any Brewers fan who was there to witness it. The replay takes place at Eton Park a week on Tuesday - 26th November - and is all-ticket. For ticket details see the Burton Albion Official Website. |
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| Two-goal blitz cuts down Poppies |
| Two
goals in as many minutes from Albion's England call-ups Dale Anderson and
Aaron Webster set the Brewers back to winning ways at basement side Kettering
Town. Albion endured a dismal first half, falling behind on 24 minutes when Simon Parker headed in Shaun Murray's centre. By this time the Brewers had already lost Andy Sinton, stretchered off injured, while the Poppies dominance of the half could have seen them with a greater margin at the interval. The turning point of the match came in the 62nd minute when Nigel Clough chose to bring himself on as substitute in place of Lee Glover, the player manager engineering both goals as the Brewers hit back to stun the home side. The Brewers' first arrived on 73 minutes, Clough setting free Dale Anderson who kept his head to slot past Kettering 'keeper Kelly. Two minutes later and Albion were in front, Clough swinging in the cross from the right for Aaron Webster to head home, to secure the Brewers their fifth away win of the season. |
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| All
in all it's been a good week for the club, after the horror show of last
Saturday's 4-1 home capitulation to Morecambe, with Stuart Reddington's transfer
from Mansfield Town being made permanent, Webster and Anderson's selection
for the England semi-pro squad's trip to Italy, and the club announcing record
profits for their UniBond championship winning season. Albion are next in action on Wednesday when a mix of reserve and youth players is expected to be fielded for the Staffordshire Senior Cup match at home to Stafford Town, while it's the real thing on Saturday when Albion travel to Nationwide Division Two high-flyers Oldham Athletic in the First Round of the FA Cup. All the ticket and away travel information for this match can be found on the Oficial Burton Albion Football Club website - click here... |
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| News - November 2002 | << main >> |
