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Tranmere Rovers

League Cup
Round 3: Tuesday 31 October 2000

Tranmere Rovers 3 - 2 Leeds United
(Half-time: 0 - 2)
AET: 2 - 2 after 90 minutes
Crowd: 11681
Referee: R Styles (Waterlooville)
Leeds United
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Match Facts
Tranmere Rovers Team Leeds United
Joe Murphy   Paul Robinson
Gareth Roberts   Gary Kelly
Goal - 76 minutes Steve Yates   Ian Harte
Clint Hill   Jonathan Woodgate
Subbed - 19 minutes Des Hamilton   Danny Hay Subbed - 75 minutes
Sean Flynn   Dominic Matteo
Booked - 73 minutes Richard Hinds   Matthew Jones
Dave Challinor   Eirik Bakke Booked - 84 minutes
Jason Koumas   Jacob Burns
Subbed - 50 minutes Stuart Barlow   Darren Huckerby Goal - 25 minutes Goal - 34 minutes Subbed - 71 minutes
Subbed - 114 minutes Scott Taylor   Mark Viduka Booked - 103 minutes
Subs
John Achterberg   Danny Milosevic
Reuben Hazell   Lucas Radebe Sub - 75 minutes
Sub - 114 minutes Wayne Gill   Gareth Evans
Sub - 50 minutes Goal - 50 minutes Goal - 119 minutes Andy Parkinson   Alan Smith Sub - 105 minutes
Sub - 19 minutes Wayne Allison   Tony Hackworth Subbed - 105 minutes Sub - 71 minutes
Match Reports
Martyn Brown Short review of last nights action
Si C Tranmere report: Be very afraid
BBC Tranmere 3 - 2 Leeds
The Guardian Parkinson lays down the law
The Independent Parkinson pounces to deny Tranmere
SkySports.com Late night Parky floors Leeds
Soccernet Tranmere relive cup glory days
The Sporting Life Tranmere 3 - 2 Leeds
SportLive Yates hits back to rock Leeds
The Electronic Telegraph Extra special Tranmere march on
The Times O'Leary in despair over extra torment
Yorkshire Evening Post United tricked - and it's no treat

The Times, Sunday Times and Telegraph now seem to require registration to view articles on their sites, with the Times and Sunday Times charging readers outside the UK. The Times/Sunday Times has also moved some of the older articles into an archive which requires separate registration and requires you to pay to access the content. The Independent now charges for access to articles more than a week old.


Short review of last nights action - Martyn Brown

Pre-game traffic stall on M62. Travel 9 miles in 1.5hrs. In the rain. Not good. Get there before kick off, which is a suprise.

No pie. No pint. Me not happy bunny.

Watch Leeds look a class above Tranmere first half, scoring two and wasting shed-loads of other chances, should have been over at half-time and we thought it was.

Watch Tranmere change the game, close it down and remove the concept of passing from our play. Watch bizzarre linesman decisions, Tranmere players waste time drying the ball with towels (all game) and our lads cave in, especially when Forrest went off.

Watch in horror as the extra time we could ill afford came around, watch us dominate, with Lucas safe at the back, only for them to sneak down the pitch and knick a deflected goal in the last seconds.

Offski. But we had a laugh and am pleased we're out of it.

Scores;

Robinson - 5, I thought he was poor last night, especially distribution. One good save 1st half but not much chance for the goals.
Kelly - 5, Constantly either out of position or passing the ball to a white shirt (for a change) - pity we were playing in yellow.
Harte - 4, His uncle has taught him well, looked like he felt he shouldn't be playing the likes of Tranmere. Shite free kicks.
Woodgate - 6, Did well, troubled against their forward, Heskey will give him grief.
Hay - 6, Looked ok, but needed replacing by Radabe later to add composure.
Matteo - 6, Looked lively but underused by the wayward passing cretins at the back.
Burns - 4, It wasn't his night.
Jones - 6, Up for it, but short on matches.
Viduka - 7, For me he was our best player, the only source of inspiration or quality passing.
Forrest - 6, Got two goals, don't ask how. Spent the rest of the time exercising the linesmans flag.

Subs;
Hackworth - 4, Dire. Subbed himself.
Radabe - 7, Looked a class apart.
Smith - 6, Too late to make an impact (2nd half of extra time).

Ref - 5, Poor.
Linesmen, 4, even worse
Ground - 7, I thought it was quite tidy really, to say they've never been in the top flight. Good view, decent bogs, so-so nosh.
Roads - 4 on the way, 10 on the way back.


Tranmere report: Be very afraid - Si C

So, there we were in the quaintly named Cowshed Stand discussing the fact that watching a Nationwide type "referee" a game (I'd been warned about this nutter pre-match) made us realise just how well we were off with the Premiership list....and now I find this bloke now IS a Premiership ref. Oh.....my....God. Mind you, his lino with the yellow flag made him look positively sane.

"Offside!"
"Er, lino, that's a steward"
"Look, he's wearing yellow and moving towards that goal, so as far as i'm concerned he's offside"
"And the ball's down the other end of the pitch"
"So?"

Anyway, we were mildly decent for the first half, pretty appalling for the rest of it, and frankly it might not be such a bad thing to save ourselves any more games in this competition. <anorak>And I clocked up a new ground</anorak>. And Spurs lost at home to Brum. Ho Ho.

0-1 25 mins Viduka lofts it into the box, Tranmere look uninterested, Forrest puts it in. Cue rubbish "Huckerby/Darren" song.
0-2 33 mins Quick short corner, Forrest legs it into the box and whacks it into the far corner. Cue "Forrest for England".
1-2 51 mins Yet another of Challinor's enormous foul throws isn't cleared, some Tranmere bod whacks it in from 20 yards.
2-2 75 mins Yet another of Challinor's enormous foul throws is headed towards goal, stopped, an attempted clearance hits a startled Tranmere player and flies in.
3-2 119 mins Yet another of Challinor's enormous foul throws is headed out, a shot comes back in from 20 yards, hits two Leeds players, a Tranmere player, the ref and an escaped zebra from Chester Zoo, before taking a final touch off Lord Lucan and rolling past the wrong-footed Robbo. Bugger.

Robbo 7 didn't do much wrong
Kells 6 Better than recently, but STILL can't pass and entered winning efforts for the "Silliest Clearing Header" and "Most Ludicrous Corner Conceded With An Overhead Kick" competitions.
Harte 3 How long is it going to be before DOL realises what a total f*cking liability this bloke is. It's the Worthless Cup for God's sake, couldn't Evans have been given a go. It's not as if he can take free-kicks any more either.
Woody 7 Did well, hampered by ridiculous interpretation of the "backing in" rule
Hay 6 Might've been at fault for the 2nd, couldn't really tell, did OK otherwise
Burns 5 Anonymous, wasted wide right anyway really
Jones 8 MoTM Was everywhere, how Burns can be preferred to him escapes me.
Alien Bakke Clone 5 The real one doesn't play this badly.
Matteo 6 Kept getting dragged into the middle without Bow or Dacourt there to put their foot on it
Viduka 6 Good holding up, but gave the ball away too much and anyway was flagged offside every time he set foot into the Tranmere half
Forrest 7 Two goals, but pretty Forrest-esque otherwise

Subs Hackworth 5 Bit unfair as he got no service. One chance fell to his left foot. He hasn't got one.
Lucas 7 Far too good to be playing in a shite game like this.
Smiffy 6 Only given 15 mins. Gloveless.

Ref A Styles 1 Appalling. Made the Munich 1860 ref look like Dermot Gallagher.
Lino (Red flag) 7 Actually knew the offside rule
Lino (Yellow flag) -100 Insane.

Ground - Made from Lego. Bizarrely modelled on Filbert Street (one side 300 ft high, the other 30). Vicky called it "sweet".

Crowd - Vaguely uninterested until ref and lino got them going. Mexican waves when we won throw-ins by the end.

Well, at least it saves us losing to Leicester.


Parkinson lays down the law - Ian Whittell

Copy from Football Unlimited of 01/11/2000.

If David O'Leary was glad to see the back of a competition which is becoming more of a hindrance than a help to clubs of Leeds United's ambition, he was not showing it.

Angry that his team, already stretched by injuries and jaded by their Champions League exertions, had brought upon themselves an ultimately fruitless period of extra-time, he called their performance "a disgrace".

With judgment day in Milan only a week away, and the small matter of a summit meeting with Liverpool in the meantime, Leeds needed this like a hole in the head. Though elimination from the Worthington Cup will be of little concern in the long run, the physical demands of the extra period, which could have been avoided, may well be.

Read the rest...



Parkinson pounces to deny Tranmere - Tim Rich

Copy from The Independent of 31/10/2000.

Not even the San Siro, where Leeds go next week, will be tougher than Prenton Park which echoed to the sound of a magnificent Tranmere victory.

With 11 unfit players and games against Liverpool and Milan to come, the last thing David O'Leary needed last night was to squander a two-goal lead and lose a Worthington Cup tie in extra time.

As they proved last season when reaching the final – scoring 16 times at home and conceding one goal – Tranmere are difficult opponents in this competition and they will now face either Leicester or Crystal Palace in the next round.

Their recovery was started and finished off by Andy Parkinson, whose speculative 30-yard shot canoned past Paul Robinson in the 119th minute.

Tranmere manager John Aldridge is rumoured to be considering his position after failing to secure what he sees as adequate transfer funds but his two substitutions, one enforced the other inspirational, turned this game.

Compensation for the loss of Des Hamilton, who limped off with an ankle injury, arrived in the hulking shape of Wayne Allison, whose header made the equaliser 15 minutes from time. Gary Kelly stopped it on the line but could not prevent Steve Yates bundling the ball into the net.

Parkinson had been on the field for less than 40 seconds when, standing on the edge of the area, he met a half-clearance with a sweet shot that flew past Robinson. The game was 50 minutes old and suddenly alive.

The first half had been a different matter entirely, dominated by Darren Huckerby, who scored twice. His goals were fashioned from a centre-forward's old-fashioned virtues of speed and strength. The first, in the 25th minute, saw him barge his way past three challenges before turning and belting the ball past Joe Murphy. The second was even more emphatic as he cut in from the left and crashed his drive into the corner of the net.

Leeds might have scored more. The bar denied Erik Bakke who unleashed a venomous shot against it from 30 yards, and the rebound then struck the prostrate Murphy on the back and might easily have gone over the line. As early as the third minute Gareth Roberts turned away Mark Viduka's header on the line.

The report used to be available online here.



Yates hits back to rock Leeds - Paul Joyce

Copy from SportLive of 01/11/2000.

SportLive is no longer operational. Should it return to the web, this report will be removed and the link restored.

Steve Yates stunned Leeds with a 76th-minute equaliser after Darren Huckerby looked to have wrecked Tranmere hopes with a double strike at Prenton Park.

Tranmere substitute Andy Parkinson had put them back in the match when he scored with his first touch in the 51st minute.

Twice Scott Taylor contrived to somehow fire high and wide from close range inside the opening 15 minutes as the Leeds' defence was sliced open with comparative ease. Then Stuart Barlow missed his kick when well placed.

Huckerby's first came on 25 minutes when he chested down Mark Viduka's cross to fire home. Eirik Bakke sent a 30-yard shot against the bar before Huckerby doubled the advantage, accepting a short corner from Jacob Burns to blaze a right-foot shot into the bottom corner.

But back came Tranmere through Parkinson, then Yates seized on the lose ball after a shot had been cleared off the line.

The report used to be available online here.



United tricked - and it's no treat - Phil Rostron

Copy from Yorkshire Evening Post of 01/11/2000.

TRICKS and treats were in plentiful supply as a mischievous Tranmere, last season's beaten finalists, subjected Leeds to a Worthington Cup nightmare at Prenton Park.

Their tormentor-in-chief was mountainous defender Dave Challinor, whose barrage of trademark monumental throw-ins landed relentlessly and unerringly

like a clutch of grenades, invoking constant terror right in the danger zone.

United's ghoul had some help along the way. Little gaps mysteriously appeared in the advertising hoardings so that he might enjoy a long run-up to the launch of his explosives, and what had been a greasy ball was dutifully wiped clean by towel-bearing ballboys before it was handed over.

All, presumably, quite legitimate, though thoughts of illegitimacy must have occupied a few Leeds minds.

This was a shocker for Leeds, lobbing along nicely in a 2-0 goal lead by half time thanks to a brace from Darren Huckerby, who grasped with both hands the opportunity presented when manager David O'Leary opted to rest leading scorer Alan Smith.

He came knocking twice in the space of ten minutes with excellent goals which might have dimmed lesser spirits, but not for nothing are the Merseysiders known for their cup exploits and if Leeds thought they had done enough then they were sadly mistaken.

Rovers roared into a second half blitz which rocked United back on their heels and forced extra time in which they contrived a winner just 20 seconds before a penalty shootout came into force.

The tone for this highly entertaining and fast-paced encounter was set almost straight from the kick-off, when Viduka's stunning shot was acrobatically touched over by Murphy and from Jason Burns' corner the Aussie, heading powerfully, was denied by Roberts' goalline clearance.

At the other end there was early warning of Challinor's potential when he looped Taylor a clear scoring chance, but Robinson brilliantly pushed his shot aside.

And the United keeper shone again a minute later, diving low to his left to keep out Hamilton's goalbound shot.

Taylor spurned another chance to establish the lead, shooting over from close range, before setting up a golden opportunity for Barlow, who managed to miskick right in front of goal.

That was the signal for Leeds to up their pace and they nosed in front in the 25th minute when Viduka displayed some nifty footwork in the area before bringing in Huckerby, who crashed home an unstoppable shot.

Almost immediately Bakke nearly demolished the framework with a cracking 25-yard drive which cannoned back off the bar.

In a purple patch for Leeds, Harte was narrowly over with his header from Burns' corner and Viduka sent Matteo surging through on goal only for his shot to be turned round the post by Murphy.

The resulting corner, again taken by Burns in the 34th minute, saw Leeds go two up as Huckerby took the short kick in his stride and found the far top corner with his beautifully-angled shot.

Tranmere might have pulled one back before the interval, but the hapless Taylor was too slow to react to a Barlow cross which begged to be turned in.

Little did we suspect, but the introduction of Andy Parkinson in place of Barlow just five minutes into the second half was to turn the game on its head.

His immediate first touch was a 20-yard drive which rifled past Robinson into the far corner and Rovers, fuelled by excellent midfield urgings from Jason Koumas, were suddenly on the rampage.

United's only respite was a Harte free kick which was well collected by Murphy and even this followed a Koumas effort which whistled inches wide.

Huckerby was forced out of the action by an ankle injury in the 68th minute and his replacement, Tony Hackworth, found it such hard going that he later gave way to Smith.

Rovers came up with their equaliser on 75 minutes. Kelly scrambled Allison's header from Challinor's chuck off the line but Yates was on hand to turn it home from close quarters.

On came skipper Lucas Radebe for Danny Hay and encouragingly he looked as though he hadn't missed a day since being counted out with a double dose of concussion in the space of 17 days last month.

Although he won everything in the air against the imposing Allison both he and Yates were perilously close to grabbing a winner before the end of normal time.

Leeds composed themselves in the extra period, Jones bringing Murphy to his knees to save and Viduka going close with a lob.

Then, with the seconds ticking away, yet another Challinor lob descended from the sky, United failed to clear and Parkinson's 20-yard shot skittered in via at least one deflection.

While this was a massive tribute to the good old-fashioned English cup tie the pity for Leeds is that one route to European football next season has, at such an early stage, been blocked.

LEEDS UNITED

PAUL ROBINSON Faced a bombardment 7

GARY KELLY Forced into errors 6

JONATHAN WOODGATE Aerial supremacy 7

DANNY HAY Failed to sparkle 6

IAN HARTE Torrid time 6

EIRIK BAKKE Orchestrated affairs 7

MATTHEW JONES Overrun 6

JACOB BURNS Poor second half 6

DOMINIC MATTEO On the back foot 6

DARREN HUCKERBY Double strike 8

MARK VIDUKA Immense presence 7

SUBSTITUTES

TONY HACKWORTH (for Huckerby, 68)

LUCAS RADEBE (for Hay, 76)

ALAN SMITH (for Hackworth, 105)

SUBS NOT USED: Milosevic, Evans.

TRANMERE ROVERS

JOE MURPHY Some good work 7

STEVE YATES All-action 7

DAVE CHALLINOR Massive influence 8

CLINT HILL Sound defence 7

DES HAMILTON Injury woe 6

SEAN FLYNN Captain's innings 7

GARETH ROBERTS Good competitor 7

RICHARD HINDS Tough opponent 7

JASON KOUMAS Ran midfield 9

SCOTT TAYLOR Caused problems 7

STUART BARLOW Disappointing 6

SUBSTITUTES

WAYNE ALLISON (for Hamilton, 20)

ANDY PARKINSON (for Barlow, 50)

WAYNE GILL (for Taylor, 115)

SUBS NOT USED: Achterburg, Hazell.

REFEREE: Mr R. Stiles (Waterlooville)

ATTENDANCE: 11,681

BOOKINGS: Tranmere Rovers - Hinds

Leeds United - Viduka

The report used to be available online here.



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