Day: 19 April 2012

Two goals from Fionnuala Andrews inspired Manchester Metropolitan University to a memorable varsity win over a disappointing University of Manchester side.

After the last-ditch cancellation of the varsity fixtures set to take place at Moss Lane, the universities ladies teams decided to play their game in the familiar surroundings of the Armitage site, where the Manchester ladies have won four of their five home games during their successful league season. Despite the late relocation, both sides enjoyed a sizeable level of support, with around large crowds spanning either touchline, the Man Met contingent being outnumbered by the vociferous home support.

The home side started brightly and dominated the early proceedings, the central trio of Francesca Self, Sarah Baker and captain Olivia Thackray linking promisingly without really threatening the visitor’s goal. However, for all their early dominance, it was Man Met who created the first real opportunity of the game. Captain Rachel Dunlop, collecting the ball under pressure in her own half, played a fabulous reverse ball to release Sandra Belsmand, but the advancing left-back was hesitant in releasing the unmarked Andrews and the chance was squandered.

Around 20 minutes in, the game began to settle into a familiar pattern, with Manchester passing the ball around nicely and showing patience in the build-up, while the visitors remained happy just to stand off and allow them to play in front of the back four. The game was livened somewhat, however, when, on 25 minutes, a marauding surge from Natalie Robinson earned the home side a corner over on the far side. The resulting delivery was only half-cleared to the feet of Sarah Baker, who was allowed all the time in the world to square the ball to Chloe Tomlinson, who completed a simple finish.

With the first goal of the game against them, and the increasingly boisterous home fans continuing to make their presence felt, Man Met may have been forgiven for showing a lack of adventure in the latter stages of the first half. However, as the home team again toiled in possession, it was the visitors who began to force the issue. First, Amy Pipe beat right-back Nicola Cooper and saw her teasing cross cleared off the line, before goalkeeper Beth Evans showed good awareness to intercept an incisive through ball from Vicky Frisby.

Then, just moments later, another hopeful through ball pierced the two centre-halves to find Andrews on the edge of the area. Beating three chasing defenders to the ball, she flicked it beyond Evans and into the area, the goalkeeper clattering into the Man Met forward and leaving her sprawled out on the edge of the area. Whether Evans managed to get a slight touch on the ball is unclear, but the referee certainly thought so, as play was waved on with the keeper fortunate to escape punishment.

Any injustice was immediately forgotten, however, as the visitors finally got their breakthrough on the stroke of half-time. Manchester centre-half Laura Gilroy threw herself bravely in the path of a thunderous drive from Frisby, but, from the resulting corner, the hosts failed to clear and Andrews was there at the back post to slot the ball home.

After a much-needed half time interval, the home side returned a rejuvenated force, with Thackray beginning to dominate in the congested midfield area. The enforced substitution of forward Jess Casey, meanwhile, had brought Chloe Mapp into play, and, having been anonymous in the first half, she began to exert her influence in the second, providing a much needed link between midfield and attack as Manchester started to make inroads into the Man Met defence.

In terms of chances however, Man Met still had the edge. Central defensive pairing of Jess Burns and Delcie Thankachar meanwhile maintained good discipline in preventing the likes of Thackray and Mapp from exerting their influence in behind the away team’s back four.

At the other end, meanwhile, Cooper and Southern were still struggling to contend with Pipe, whose persistence on the left flank finally paid off midway through the second half. After breaking free from the attentions of Southern, she crossed neatly into the feet of Summerleigh Watson, who, with back to goal, laid the ball out towards the edge of the area. There, once again, was Andrews, who displayed her potency once more as she curled the ball beautifully into the top corner.

Still, the Manchester girls remained true to their, patient, passing game, but within a matter of minutes the result was sealed for good measure. The latest in a series of corners found the irrepressible Andrews yet again, although this time the final touch appeared to come off a rather unfortunate home defender, who stumbled backwards over the line while trying to shield the ball from the Man Met forward.

With the best part of twenty minutes remaining, Manchester continued to push forward, and they were almost rewarded for their efforts when Sophie Grace-Girdle drew a superb fingertip stop from keeper Sophie Grimmet. However, the Man Met defence remained firm, and when the referee finally blew for full time, pandemonium duly ensued amongst both players and supporters, many of whom rushed onto the pitch as they celebrated getting one over the ‘redbricks’ at last.

We certainly haven’t been bowled over by the depressing April showers; however the end of this drizzly month brings excitement with the opening of the long anticipated cricket season. Manchester Women have been preparing since September under the guidance of head coaches Derek Morgan and Rick Halkon. With a balance of experienced players and exciting new talent from their intake of freshers, the girls are hoping to better last year which saw them clinch the top spot in the BUCS Northern 1B league and finish an impressive 8th in the National Knockouts.
UMWCC are currently battling it out in the nets as they prepare for their opening home game against bitter rivals York on the 25th April. The Mancunion watched the team in their penultimate coaching session to find out more. Performance levels were extremely high most notably in the fielding drills, with emphasis being placed on players backing one another up on the rare occasions of missed balls. Dynamic Captain Carrie Ellwood urged her team on throughout practice and after commented; “I’m really pleased with how the team is shaping up. With the York game so close we are looking specifically at game scenarios and so catching and run-outs are crucial. I’m confident in the team’s ability and if we perform like we do regularly in training then we will be tough to beat.”
Highly detectable from the training was the fantastic team spirit which will no doubt help them in their matches. This has been helped this year with the enthusiastic committee and in particular the appointment of Cicely Dudley as social secretary for the club whose motto is “work hard, play hard.” Dudley stresses the importance of doing well but for her it is more than just a sport. “Anyone is welcomed into the club, no- matter what their ability is! Everybody has room to improve no matter how ‘good’ they are. I think we have the balance just right at the club, hard work at training but also fantastic social nights out.”
So hopefully the season will hold more thrills and fewer spills for the women’s cricket team, and it certainly looks that way with their balance of talent and team work. Tough fixtures lie ahead with York, Sheffield and Leeds to play but it looks like Manchester are the team to beat!

David Ginola graced the Premier League between 1995 and 2002, turning out for Newcastle, Spurs, Villa and Everton. Renowned for his magical touch and flamboyant style, the silky Frenchman captured the imagination of football fans across the country and he remains one of the most popular foreign imports in Premier League history. His ability was a catalyst for Newcastle’s oh-so-close title challenge under Kevin Keegan and Spurs’ League Cup win in 1999. Ginola was no stranger to controversy, a spat with former France manager Gerard Houllier, after failure to qualify for World Cup 1994, saw him branded a ‘bastard’ by Houllier, ostracised by his native supporters and limited to just seventeen national caps.

Since retirement in 2002, Ginola has explored several new pursuits. Famous for his L’Oreal adverts of the mid 90’s that made him a nationwide pin-up, Ginola has extended his television career. Akin to fellow Frenchman Eric Cantona, Ginola attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) classes. His first film – Rosbeef, in which he stars as Didier la Flore the butcher – premiered in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May 2004 and he has since featured in several other productions. Ginola allegedly turned down a role in BBC soap opera Holby City, but has most recently been on English screens with a cameo appearance on ‘Coach Trip’ as a tour guide for the French town Saint-Maxime.

Away from acting, Ginola received a silver medal at the International Wine Challenge for a rosé wine produced at his vineyard in Provence. Also, reports claim his latest project is setting up an exclusive A-lister retreat at a secret location in Wiltshire. Designed for celebrities looking to unwind, The Centre bears the slogan “Be well, be safe, believe”.

In March Ginola was involved in a skiing accident in which he broke three ribs and suffered ‘severe trauma’ to his throat. Though he is recovering well, the injury has temporarily put on hold his varying charity and endorsing work and his appearance on the French version of ‘Dancing With The Stars’. Ginola lives near St Tropez with fashion model wife Coraline and the couple have a son and a daughter.

Carl Jenkinson has not set the world alight since joining Arsenal last June. The young right back, eligible for both England and Finland, has featured in just eight league games and is yet to score. However, he deserves a great deal of credit for powering one club to an almost perfect season.
Jenkinson’s former employers, Charlton Athletic, invested the £1m received from the Gunners for the defender to completely overhaul the squad and secure an impressive automatic promotion. Eighteen new – albeit mostly free – players arrived at the Valley in the summer, with the ranks swelled by another ten loanees over the course of the season. Competing against more wealthy sides such as Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth and the two Sheffield clubs, manager Chris Powell has galvanised a mix of lower-league journeymen and academy products into a record-breaking outfit. Promotion was secured at Carlisle with an astonishing fifteenth away win of the season, surpassing anything in the South London club’s history.
Powell, a figure already popular amongst the fans from his playing days, has enhanced his reputation even further, despite a shaky start to his managerial career. After taking over from Phil Parkinson last January, Powell presided over four successive wins followed by an eleven match winless streak, leaving the Addicks mired in mid-table. However, the recently-appointed chairman Michael Slater saw fit to give the former England left-back chance to build his own squad, and the board’s faith has been repaid.
Perhaps the most important factor in Charlton’s promotion is the club’s shrewd moves in the summer transfer window. High earners such as Jose Semedo, Miguel Angel Llera and Therry Racon were offloaded and replaced by young, hungry talent. Ben Hamer, signed on a free transfer from Reading, has been a revelation in goal while centre back Michael Morrisson has recovered his best form after an indifferent spell at Sheffield Wednesday. Danny Green, meanwhile, has added guile on the right wing after being plucked from the relative obscurity of Dagenham and Redbridge.
Perhaps the most surprising success story, however, is that of French forward Yann Kermorgant. An expensive flop under Nigel Pearson at Leicester City, Powell clearly saw enough from the 28-year-old during his spell as a coach at the King Power Stadium to offer the out-of-contract striker a new club. Ten league goals and a complementary partnership with the pacy Bradley Wright-Phillips have followed, and Kermorgant’s career has been resuscitated.
These additions have been supplemented by a number of effective loanees, with Hogan Ephraim and Dany N’Guessan both offering an injection of pace on the wings. Those players retained from Parkinson’s squad, meanwhile, have been rejuvenated under Powell. Johnnie Jackson, promoted to captain, has blossomed into an accomplished box-to-box midfielder, chipping in with thirteen league goals, including a decisive free-kick against Sheffield United. Up front, Wright-Phillips has shaken off his persistent injury problems to top the scoring charts with 22 goals.
Despite a slight slump in March, the Addicks achieved promotion from League One after three long seasons with three games to spare. The obligatory pitch invasion occurred, with Powell and his squad embraced by travelling fans on the Brunton Park turf. So the next time Carl Jenkinson reluctantly cheers on Bacary Sagna from his heated seat on the Arsenal substitutes’ bench, he might find comfort in knowing he played a major part in a team in red and white’s recent triumph.

It has been a long thirteen years for Ulster since they beat French side Colomiers to clinch the Heineken Cup. That 21-6 victory at Lansdowne Road in 1999 saw them become the first Irish side to claim the trophy, but since then Ireland’s Northernmost rugby province has had to watch southern neighbours Leinster and Munster surpass them in both domestic and European competition. This year, however, is a different story as the Ulstermen find themselves heading to Dublin to face Edinburgh in this year’s semi-final. Fans of Brian McLaughlin’s team are delighted with the chance of setting up a final showdown with either reigning champions Leinster or French heavy weights Clermont Auvergne.
A resurgent Ulster have had an excellent tournament, with their stunning display to defeat Munster at the fortress of Thomond Park in the quarter finals a particular highlight. It is the culmination of a steady rebuilding process for the team over the past few seasons. Like most of Europe’s top sides a substantial foreign contingent has aided their progress. South African players provide the nucleus of this with Ruan Pienaar, who joined the club in 2010 proving particularly effective at scrum half and also with the boot. Fellow countryman and skipper Johan Muller meanwhile is a strong presence in the pack alongside another Springbok in Pedrie Wannenberg. Sadly Ulster will be without New Zealand’s World Cup winning prop John Afoa, after he was cited for a dangerous tackle in the win over Munster and suspended for the semi-final.
It is not all about foreign imports, however, with Ireland and Lions star Stephen Ferris being instrumental alongside the ferocious Chris Henry in the back row. The backs meanwhile are a constant threat, with Andrew Trimble recovering well from injury to join young Craig Gilroy, a player who looks to have a bright future for both club and country. Indeed, Mclaughlin has been pleased with his home grown players alongside the clubs formidable foreign contingent. He was openly disappointed earlier this season that the likes of flanker Henry and second row Dan Tuohy were not given more of an opportunity for Ireland during the Six Nations, and opinion that was vindicated as Ireland’s ageing squad struggled to replicate their performances of recent years.
They will not have an easy path to the final, however, as they must face an Edinburgh side buoyant after defeating Toulouse in front of a Scottish club record crowd of 37,000 at Murrayfield earlier this month. The Gunners lie 11th in the Euro Pro 12 but have upped their game in European competition, proving to be a shining light in what has been a grim year for Scottish rugby after a winless Six Nations Championship. David Denton has continued his fine international form in the pack while Greig Laidlaw has been excellent at stand-off. Dutch flyer Tim Visser has also been a real asset on the wing and is looking to make his international debut for Scotland this summer when he will qualify on residency grounds.
Ulster will have to be at the top of their game to overcome Edinburgh in what promises to be a mouth-watering encounter.

Australia, as a country, is undoubtedly a sporting giant.
Decades of Pommy-bashing – including the Shane Warne-inspired jinx held over the English cricket team for over a decade – have helped forge a rivalry of great quality, enjoyment and more often than not, torment.
But when it comes to football, Australian influence in Britain is comparatively negligible. Granted, there was Craig Johnston – the mid-80s Liverpool winger who designed the Adidas Predator – and Tim Cahill’s sporadic corner flag abuse provoked fleeting amusement. Mark Schwarzer, meanwhile, has proved a capable goalkeeper at both Middlesbrough and Fulham. Aside from this, a sprinkling of distinctly average footballers – think Brett Emerton, Lucas Neill or Vince Grella – is pretty much all Australia have had to offer.
Heading down-under, it was this dearth of flair that made it difficult to be excited about the prospect of the Hyundai A-League providing my fix of live football. The A-League is largely devoid of the stardust the likes of Thierry Henry, and of course David Beckham, have sprinkled over America’s Major League Soccer. Average yearly league attendances only just creep above the 10,000 mark, and the football is largely considered to be absolute dross.
Still, I couldn’t resist dipping my toe in the water and heading to a game – Emerton’s laser-blue clad Sydney FC against the Newcastle Jets – a local derby and a match pivotal to both sides’ play-off chances.
The standard of football was, as expected, very poor. The sluggish pace made Emerton look like Zinedine Zidane and suggested even the Jets’ bench-warmer and perma-crock Francis Jeffers wouldn’t have been out of his depth.
Yet the football aside, my A-League debut was an impressive and enjoyable experience. We stood on ‘The Cove’ – Sydney’s answer to the Stretford End – where the influence of European, and particularly British chanting, on Australian fan culture was clear. Alongside the swathes of banners and flags, the crowd of 15,000 sang songs normally heard on terraces across England at 3pm on a Saturday. Indeed, the crowd were soon enjoying a chorus of ‘‘they’re Sydney, they’re barmy, they’re off their fucking heads’’.
As the game heated up, so too did the atmosphere. Whereas it’s a heinous crime to be seen with alcohol on an English terrace, it seems tantamount to heresy to be seen without it in Australia. Stewards were also incredibly lenient with any persistent standing, and barely lifted an eye when a missile was launched at the away team’s goalkeeper after Sydney’s winning third goal – although thankfully it was only a tennis ball.
It isn’t just the football that appears to have been ‘Anglicised’ either.
Watching my adopted local Rugby League team – the South Sydney Rabbitohs – was again reminiscent of watching football at home, as the Bunnies’ fans raised their beers to ‘‘Drink a drink, to Sutton the king’’. They even had one ditty set to the irritatingly overused ‘Sloop John B’.
The parallels between English and Australian fan culture are clear. However, given that the A-League was only established in 2004 and that the Premier League has such a pervasive global influence, this is hardly surprising.
It appears that for once, the Aussies are willing to take a lead from their great Pommy rivals.