RIVALS STUMBLE, UNITED STRIDE

 

(Image taken from Manutd.com )

Last time around, well our first Premiership encounter with Wolves hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. We won 3-0 at Old Trafford but what got people's attention was Mick McCarthy fielding a weakened team against us, having clearly written the encounter off. A few months later and United headed for Molineux where McCarthy fielded a stronger lineup. It still wasn't enough to stop us though, United winning 1-0 with a second half effort. In the meantime, Wolves did just about enough elsewhere to stay up though and as it turned out, we needed to to more than do the double over them to claim the title. Still, not getting those six point would have been embarassing.

This time around, well we were starting to get our act together after an iffy season so far but still, we had work to do to really prove that we were capable of getting our title back. Wolves in the meantime, were doing the same as usual, getting sucked into the relegation battle. And so, this Premiership match at Old Trafford looked to be a much needed and fairly straightforward three points. United went 4-3-3. Brown at right back, Vidic and Rio central defence, Hargreves(when was the last time 'he' was in a United shirt?) Fletcher and O'Shea in midfield, Hernandez, Obertan and Park up front. That looked like a strong enough side to do the business.

Unfortunately our comeback kid didn't last very long which was a bummer for a variety of reasons. United still had the early opportunities though but they turned out to be nothing Wolves couldn't handle and, taking heart from our weakened team sheet, starting getting big ideas of their own. Those big ideas could well have come to fruition and on one occasion in particular and United defender could have put the ball into his own net. However United would still not be stopped. In the 45th minute Fletcher caught the Wolves defence on the hop, finding Park who stuck the ball in the net. The half time whistle blew and United fans would have been happy enough.

Wolves looked unlikely to get an equaliser in the early stages of the second half, but the Reds didn't look like burying them either, and we wound up paying for that. In the 65th minute, Nenad Milijas fired the ball towards the United goal where it was picked up by former United assasin Sylvain Ebanks-Blake who turned the last defender and then hit the net. United threw on fresh legs in search of another winner only for us to blow our first opportunity to retake the lead! Park showed his teammates how it should be done in injury time, the South Korean again being set up by Fletcher before slotting it into the corner. Mission accomplished.

Elsewhere, Arsenal faced Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium. It would have been of no real surprise that the Gunners were running the show for most of the 1st half...but then Andy Carroll opened the scoring for the Magpies just before half time! The second half, probably thanks to that goal, proved to be much more even, in face Newcastle actually had a slight edge in the latter stages. They were unable to get a second but even Arsene Wenger knew that this had not been his side's day. That allowed United to move up to 2nd in the Premiership and remain on course for the Champions League group stages, two points behind leaders Chelsea(who lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield) and three points ahead of Man City(who beat West Brom 2-0 at the Hawthorns) and a detour through the preliminaries.

North of the border, Aberdeen faced Celtic and Celtic Park in the SPL! What what can I say? Anthony Stokes opened the scoring for the Celtic before Gary Hooper grabbed himself two goals for the home side and Stokes got his second before half time. The Dons then shot themselves in the foot with Josh Magennis putting the ball in his own net and then Hooper completed his hat-trick, Joe Ledley got Celtic's seventh, Stokes completed his hat-trick and Patrick McCourt made it nine! Yes nine! As in the worst result in the Dons history. As in, the vultures are starting to sniff around Mark McGhee. As in...Halloween was last week, right?

Elsewhere, St Johnstone faced Kilmarnock at McDiamond Park. Home advantage turned out to count for zippo though as the Saints were constantly under siege and the pressure forced Michael Duberry to put the ball into his own net before half time. The Saints got their act together in the second half but desite their opportunities, were unable to find an equaliser. Killie then showed them how it should be done with Connor Sammon and Liam Kelly burying their hosts. That means that the Dons slip to 9th in the SPL, five points behind Inverness CT(who lost 2-1 to Motherwell at the Caledonian Stadium) and the top half of the table and only two points ahead of St Mirren(who lost 3-1 to Rangers at St Mirren Park) and relegation.

Back south of the border, the FA Cup 1st round took place. In theory my main interest in these early stages should have been on Exeter City who lost 2-0 to L2 Bury at Gigg Lane, getting mugged in the 1st round not being what Paul Tisdale had in mind. However the show was stolen by Evostik Premier Division side FC United who mugged L1 Rochdale 3-2 at Spotland! The seventh tier MUFC splinter club played well above their lowly status(other than the manner of the goals they conceded) and the reaction of their fans and the spirit of their players made me feel like I was watching the men from Old Trafford on occasion, an awesome display.

The 2nd round draw has now been made though and after that performance my focus has to be on FC United. They'll face either L1 Brighton or BSP Woking at either the Withdean Stadium or the Kingfield Stadium. First up, who's win the 1st round replay between Woking and Brighton at the Kingfield Stadium. Well Brighton may be running the show in L1 at the moment but you have to wonder if they've blown their big chance to reach the 2nd round. So, let's say FC United played Woking at the Kingfield Stadium in the 2nd round. Well, it's a reasonable assumption that the United fans will outshout the Woking fans - what would stop them from mugging the BSP side? Not much.

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