Tranmere Rovers 0-4 Charlton Athletic

Tranmere Rovers will always hold a special place in this writer’s heart. In the mid 1990’s through their excellent ‘Football in the Community’ initiative I received my introduction to live football at my local club. Those were heady days when under Johnny King Rovers challenged for promotion to the Premiership with the likes of John Aldridge, Pat Nevin and Gary Stevens turning out for them.

The all-seater Prenton Park is still impressive and off the field Rovers continue to provide excellent service in all departments, but on the pitch currently it’s a different matter. The Wirral club are now an established League 1 rather than Championship side and financial constraints look likely to keep it this way at best.

Over the summer the fairly popular, experienced manager Ronnie Moore was replaced by Liverpool legend John Barnes for no other reason it seems than to raise the club’s profile. Though the style of football under Moore tended to be functional and pragmatic at times, it took Rovers to within a few minutes of the play-offs last season.

The visitors Charlton Athletic have experienced an even quicker decline. A Premiership side just two years ago, their fall has been alarming given their own reputation for being a stable, well-run club. Under the guidance of Phil Parkinson though, they look well placed to bounce back.

From the opening whistle Charlton had Tranmere penned back deep in their own half. The Addicks kept possession, moved the ball around and toyed with Rovers without creating a clear-cut chance. It was a long while before Rovers were able to venture forward, let alone fashion a chance for themselves.

The away side’s dominance paid off on 25 minutes when teenager Jonjo Shelvey excellently sidestepped a challenge before sending over a deep cross powerfully headed home by Lloyd Sam.

Two minutes later a similar move saw Deon Burton set up Jose Semedo to finish for the second goal. Rovers managed to keep the scoreline down to 2-0 at half-time but were being badly let-down by an almost non-existent midfield.

John Barnes made a double substitution at half-time which saw ex-England striker Michael Ricketts introduced. He had little time to make an impact before Rovers were 3-0 down.

On 48 minutes Lloyd Sam netted his second of the game from close-range following a Kelly Youga cross. Understandably Charlton dropped off a little without relinquishing their grip on the game.

The hard-working Ian Thomas-Moore and Terry Gornell were forced to feed off scraps up front for Tranmere, though teenage substitute Ryan Fraughan injected some life into their performance. Small, nippy and with good control he was not afraid to cut inside in trying to make things happen.

With just over 20 minutes to go Charlton completed the rout, Nicky Bailey finding the ball at his feet just outside the area to lash home impressively.

The game petered out as Charlton retained possession well and a bedraggled Tranmere kept going through the motions to the end. The final whistle was cue for a chorus of boos from the Prenton Park faithful distinctly unimpressed with this showing, and their start to the season overall.

Charlton look a safe bet for an immediate return to the ‘Championship’ having won all 5 of their games so far. They look well-balanced, well-organised and packed with quality in all areas of their side.

Unfortunately Tranmere could be facing a long-season and a relegation battle. John Barnes has some talented youngsters and experienced pro’s to work with, but it’s a small squad seemingly lacking in confidence, and he has little money to bolster it. Midfielders Paul McLaren, John Welsh and Alan Mahon were second best all game but will surely perform better in future outings.


Man of the Match: Jonjo Shelvey. It’s difficult to believe the tall, bald, hunched all-action midfielder is only 17 years-old. His potential is frightening. Already a key influence in Charlton’s first-team he was everywhere, outstanding on the ball and helped run the game from start to finish. He just edged out his lively, tricky, two-goal team-mate Lloyd Sam. The hype surrounding Shelvey though is fully merited and it’s surely only a matter of time before he leaves ‘League 1’ for the Premiership.

Wrexham 1-0 York City

The first evening kick-off of the season saw a swift return to the Racecourse Ground for Wrexham’s second home game of the season. After surprisingly losing away to Crawley Town at the weekend they needed to bounce back quickly.

Mid-week games always carry a slightly different atmosphere, especially in the summer when the game kicks off in bright sunshine, but as the light fades throughout the evening, the floodlights see it to its conclusion.

The visitors York City are another former Football League club to have lost their way slightly in the Blue Square Premier. They only ensured safety from relegation in only their penultimate fixture last term, but did make it to the FA Trophy Final losing to Stevenage at Wembley.

Managed by Martin Foyle, assistant to Brian Little at Wrexham just a year ago, their line-up featured two former Dragons. Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Michael Ingham was a popular figure at the club in two separate spells, while midfielder Levi Mackin came up through the ranks at the Racecourse.

Within the first few minutes of the game Wrexham goalkeeper Sam Russell was called into action to save from Michael Gash who had exploited Wrexham’s defensive unease.

The away team looked much the better side and ironically, given that Foyle was part of a management team that favoured a ‘route-one’ approach during his time at Wrexham, they passed the ball along the ground well.

Wrexham didn’t seem to get going and created very little at all going forward. Striker Matty Wolfenden toiled hard up front but to no avail. With no real link between the midfield and forward line he was feeding off scraps.

The previously impressive Hedi Taboubi was ineffective, second in most midfield challenges and poor in his distribution.

In contrast was the performance of Mackin for York. Many a time when he was at Wrexham he had been the object of fans frustration, often unfairly. Now he looked confident, composed, showed an excellent range of passing and no little skill on the ball dictating the play at the heart of York’s midfield.

For the quality of their possession however, York also lacked bite up front with Rankine and Gash failing to stretch Wrexham’s back four. The score remained goalless at half-time.

Into the second period Wrexham manager Dean Saunders made an inspired change swapping the hard-work of Wolfenden for the lightning speed of Adrian Cieslewicz. The Pole’s pace saw him get beyond the York defence, playing his part in a move that finished with a goal for Gareth Taylor.

The 36 year-old looked to be offside as he glanced home an Andy Fleming cross, but if he was, it evened out the many occasions when Wrexham have been on the receiving end of poor decisions from officials in this division.

Chasing the game at 1-0 down with half-an-hour left, York did now revert to a long-ball game. They introduced Richard Brodie and Adam Smith specifically for the purpose. This was countered when Saunders replaced Taboubi with Christian Smith to close the game down which he did with effect.

Wrexham had done enough to take the 3 points though a draw might have been a fairer reflection of the game. Both teams played well in parts, and though Wrexham might get punished for such a slow start against the better teams in this league, they appear to be over their blip at Crawley.

On the evidence of this performance York should do much better than last season’s limp over the finish line in avoiding relegation, looking good enough for mid-table at least.


Man of the Match: Silvio Spann. The Trinidad & Tobago international received a standing ovation when he was substituted towards the end and rightly so. Something of a misfit as a midfielder in his first two years at Wrexham, since being converted to right-back during pre-season he has been a revelation and not put a foot wrong. Levi Mackin was York City’s leading candidate for the award.

Everton 1-6 Arsenal

What better way to open the new Premiership season than with a meeting of two of English football’s grand old teams at one of the country’s great old stadiums. Though certain areas of Goodison Park are showing their age, it is a little cramped and a number of pillars obstruct the view, it will be a very sad day when the Toffees leave a home rich in atmosphere and steeped in history.

The not-so-traditional 5:30 PM kick-off, in order that the ESPN channel could broadcast one of their first Premiership games, ensured that a spell of heavy afternoon rain had subsided by the time the action started.

Centre-back Joleon Lescott received a mixed reception from the home fans over his ongoing Manchester City transfer saga, and the minute’s applause for the late Sir Bobby Robson was warm and genuine. Despite limited transfer activity by both clubs this summer hope and optimism still prevailed among both sets of supporters.

Many anticipated a tight affair with last season’s FA Cup finalists Everton using their well-organised, hard-working, functional approach to contain a vibrant young Arsenal side, playing their own imitation of Total Football, spearheaded by Robin Van Persie and Andriy Arshavin.

As it transpired Everton disappointed by beginning the game sluggishly and off-the-pace, as if they were still in pre-season. Arsenal were first to most loose balls and when Everton did receive possession they were quickly dispossessed. Arsene Wenger’s young guns showed a work ethic to match their quick fluid passing game.

The opening goal arrived on 25 minutes when Denilson curled a beautiful shot past Tim Howard from outside the area. Everton seemed unable to raise their game in response to the setback and the pattern for the rest of the match was set.

By half-time the Gunners had added two more goals, both headers from central defenders Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas at woefully defended set-pieces.

Two minutes after the break Cesc Fabregas was given the freedom of Goodison to run at the heart of the Everton defence. Even as he burst into the penalty area the Everton back-line left him unchallenged to make it 4-0 with a cool finish.

As Arsenal sat back knowing they’d been gifted the three points the home side ventured forward but the nature of their attacks were feeble, limp and unthreatening. The disgruntlement of the home fans was summed up by their frustration at right-back Tony Hibbert’s inability to clear the first man with any of his crosses.

Hibbert was soon put out of his misery along with the ineffectual Jo and Osman as youngsters Gosling, Rodwell and senior striker Louis Saha entered the fray. It was too little too late, and shortly after Arsenal broke away resulting in another close-range goal for Fabregas as the Everton defence and midfield went AWOL again.

Still with 20 minutes to go, Goodison began to empty. Evertonians were angry, hurt and disbelieving at their team’s sorry performance, unable to take any more.

With a couple of minutes remaining more abysmal defending inside their own penalty area by Everton let Arsenal sub Eduardo fire home in after a scramble to make it 6-0.

Mercifully for Everton it did not get any worse. In stoppage-time Saha hit a sweetly-struck consolation for the home fans brave enough to stick it out to the bitter end.

Not only was the scoreline unusual for the opening game of the season but the nature of the home side’s performance was mystifying. Manager David Moyes runs a tight ship and though it’s clear the club has been rocked slightly by the Lescott saga (ironically one of their better performers in this match), it was still inexcusable.

The likes of Fellaini, Cahill , Jo, even the ever-dependable Phil Neville, simply failed to show. If they don’t get it together soon they could be battling in the wrong half of the table.

As for Arsenal, the future looks bright. The Gunners appeared capable of stepping up another couple of gears if required and were not only competent but very easy on the eye when in possession. They might not be title-winning contenders quite yet but they don’t look likely to struggle for a top 4 finish as some observers are predicting.


Man of the Match: Thomas Vermaelen. A very assured debut for the £10 million signing from Ajax. Though obviously not tested as much as he should have been, he showed enough to suggest Arsene Wenger was right to let Kolo Toure go. At 23-years-old, the Belgian centre-back has his best years ahead of him and his goal highlighted his threat at the other end of the pitch. For Everton, Steven Pienaar comes closest to meriting the award for effort alone.

Wrexham 3-0 Eastbourne Borough

Beginning the 2009-10 season with a trip to the Racecourse Ground to see Wrexham play hosts to Eastbourne Borough, it was difficult to know what to expect from this BSP opener.

Last term, Wrexham’s first season in non-league’s Blue Square Premier was a mixed bag even after the appointment of the likeable, hard-working and charismatic Dean Saunders as manager in October. A dream cocktail of attractive and winning football had Reds fans dreaming until it all tailed off disappointingly in both results and performance from February onwards.

Off the pitch, the large terrace Kop end at the Racecourse still stands empty awaiting a major redevelopment long in planning but slow in progress, leaving the historic ground 3-sided for the foreseeable future.

Whether the development will eventually generate enough profit to pay the clubs debts and secure its long-term future is a source of worry for Wrexham fans. There are few guarantees other than the word of the club’s hierarchy that should there be any hitches, the club and the ground will be safeguarded.

The visitors, Eastbourne Borough visited the Racecourse last December. They were hammered 5-0, a high point in Dean Saunders early days in charge and perhaps not a true reflection of the South Coast side in their otherwise impressive BSP debut season.

A crowd of just 3,726 (Eastbourne bringing fewer than 50 travelling fans) was perhaps less than expected for the first match of a new season. To their credit the home support made plenty of noise and atmosphere with optimism running high around the ground.

The game began with Wrexham setting the pace. With a large turnover in players during the summer it was impressive to see that a host of new signings have gelled quickly and confidently. The pick of the bunch, Hedi Taboubi dictated play in midfield while Adrian Cieslewicz provided a good outlet wide on the right with his blistering pace.

For all their attractive play however, Wrexham were unable to properly carve open a resolute Eastbourne side lacking in the quality to compete in an attacking sense. The visitors grew into the game though, without really threatening going forward, as the tempo slowed and Wrexham dropped back.

10 minutes before half-time Wrexham were awarded a free-kick in an inviting position just outside the penalty area. Taboubi stepped up and with no little power curled home the opening goal beautifully to lift the crowd and the game as a spectacle.

Not long into the second-half it was over as a contest. Cieslewicz’s speed on the break proved too much for Neil Jenkins who gave away a penalty in trying to stop the young Pole. The spot-kick was despatched confidently by veteran Welsh international Gareth Taylor.

Taylor grabbed his second goal of the game shortly afterwards. He used his height and strength to latch on to a long-ball, getting in between Neil Baker and goalkeeper Danny Knowles and lifting the ball into the net to make it 3-0.

Overall, an encouraging performance from Wrexham which hints that, though it is early days, they may well be up there challenging at the end of the season. There’ll be less encouragement for Eastbourne and their small but dedicated away following. They might struggle to match last season’s 13th place finish but look to have enough to beat the drop in 8 months time.


Man of the Match: Hedi Taboubi. The slight, bald, goatee sporting Frenchman is quickly becoming a cult hero with the Racecourse faithful. On the evidence of this performance, topped off with his excellent free-kick for the opening goal, it is easy to see why.