Barlow Matt
ON MONDAY
● HAPPIER times beckon at last for Scunthorpe United. After falling from the second tier to the sixth against a backdrop of winding-up orders and rotten owners, they have secured the future of Glanford Park under a not-for-profit company run by fans, club officials and councillors. The Iron celebrated with a 360-mile round trip and a 5-1 win at Hereford to stay top of the not-very-regionalised National League North.
● AMAZING how much fresher Match of the Day feels after the bold call to cut free from the chains of the Big Six. Burnley’s first home win of the season was a perfect lead for Saturday’s programme and a break from the tired insight into the same old things.
● CASUAL reference to Hereford and Newcastle as arguably the greatest FA Cup upset last week drew sharp response from the good people of Walsall, where they are concerned the toppling of Arsenal in 1933 must be vanishing into the mists of time. Herbert Chapman’s team were considered the finest in the land at the time, on the way to the first of a hat-trick of league titles. Arsenal legend Chapman, nothing if not ahead of his time, made a few changes against opponents from Division Three North, but Cliff Bastin, David Jack and Alex James were all up front. Walsall thrilled 11,000 packed into Fellows Park with a 2-0 win, both goals coming in the second half — the first by Saddlers legend Gilbert Alsop and the second a penalty by Bill Sheppard. on the train back to London, Chapman told Tommy Black, who committed the offence for the penalty, that he would never play for him again and promptly sold him to Plymouth Argyle.
● FOOTAGE of Ashley Cole’s masterclass against Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004 has been doing the rounds on social media. Almost 20 years on, it is most striking how Cole wins his tackles without grabbing or pushing Ronaldo. Perhaps the practice has evolved in response to those wingers desperate to tumble over any outstretched leg or because they want to turn over possession rather than kick the ball out, but the first instinct of full backs is so often to get hands on and grapple with the winger. Cole now has his hands full as part of Wayne Rooney’s coaching team at Birmingham City.
● SIR Alex Ferguson braved the cold to see son Darren’s Peterborough united summon a midweek fightback from two down against Steve Evans’ in-form Stevenage. Having taken a point from one former Posh boss, Fergie Junior knocked another out of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Grant McCann’s Doncaster.
● THIS week’s illustration of the reach of the Premier League’s international tentacles comes from a brief encounter on the Athens metro with a young Albanian man who was wearing a Southampton tracksuit top because his favourite player is Adam Lallana, now at Brighton, who were in town to play AEK Athens.