And the rest of the lads? A good weekend for some (says he with a wry snigger over Boro's result) - "Jack Grimmer and Larnell Cole helped Shrewsbury Town claim an excellent 2-1 win at league leaders Burton Albion. The hosts led in the first half through Damien McCrory’s effort, but Andy Mangan restored parity following a corner seven minutes into the second half. Shaun Whalley then found the net in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a huge three points for his side, who moved out of the relegation zone as a result. In the Championship, Fernando Amorebieta and Middlesbrough suffered a second consecutive defeat as Nottingham Forest left the Riverside Stadium with a 1-0 win. Jamie Ward hit the decisive goal with 70 minutes played, although Boro then felt they should have had a penalty when Amorebieta went down under Gary Gardner's challenge. The result, coupled with Hull City's narrow win at Craven Cottage, saw the Teessiders slip to second in the table."
Cameron Burgess has joined Cheltenham Town on a youth loan for the remainder of the season. please log in to view this image "The 20-year-old centre-back arrives in Gloucestershire with the team sitting top of the Vanarama National League, as they look to return to League Two at the first time of asking. He could make his debut for the Robins when they host Bromley on Saturday. Cameron has four First Team appearances for Fulham to his name, and has recently returned from international duty with Australia’s Under-23 side."
Better outing for Sean Kavanagh tonight. Mansfield were one down against Morecombe away when he came on in the 83rd minute. They then scored in the 86th and 90th minute to run out 2-1 winners. Not a good night for Jack Grimmer and Larnell Cole though as Shrewsbury went down 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers Oldham. One of those ‘if only’ moments for Jack early on when he saw the Oldham goalie off his line but his cunning lob was cleared off the line by a defender. Shortly after that Oldham got their winner with a ‘worldy’ shot from 25 yards. Not sure what happened with Larnell, who had created a few chances for himself, but he didn’t come out for the second half. Can only assume he picked another injury.
First up has to be that glorious win for Shrewsbury who of course had Larnell Cole as well as Jack Grimmer playing: “Wednesday started brightly and McGugan drove over from 25 yards before he fired the visitors in front in the 19th minute. Awarded a free-kick 25 yards out on the left, McGugan’s strike found its way to the bottom corner of the net. Wednesday might have doubled their lead just before the interval but Lucas João headed an inviting cross from Modou Sougou over the bar. Shrewsbury,third round conquerors of Cardiff,enjoyed plenty of possession but chances were hard to come by - although Junior Brown saw a shot deflected off target. Shrewsbury equalised in the 56th minute when Akpa Akpro headed in a cross from Andy Mangan. Wednesday regained the lead in the 76th minute thanks to McGugan smashing in a 20-yard drive which took a deflection on its way in. But Shrewsbury never gave up and levelled matters at 2-2 four minutes from time. Akpa Akpro was tripped by Vincent Sasso and, although his penalty was well saved by Lewis Price, substitute Whalley was on hand to turn in the rebound. Shrewsbury then grabbed a dramatic late winner in the 97th minute when Scott Vernon’s cross was headed home by Grimmer, on loan from Fulham, to send Micky Mellon’s League One strugglers into the last 16 for the first time since the 1990/1991 season.” The Guardian Elsewhere in the Cup Jordan Evans came on for the last 20mins with Oxford already down 3- 0 to Blackburn, which was the final score. Sean Kavanagh and his new side Mansfield Town continued their wee run of success beating Crawley 1-0 away. Sean might struggle to get regular games at LB though as he only came on 5mins from the end to replace regular left back Malvind Benning who returned after three months out with a knee injury. In the National League Welling United did their relegation fight some good, coming from one down to draw 1-1 away to Halifax Town. The late equaliser was Welling’s only real chance of the game with Marek Rodak again impressive in keeping his team in with a chance before that. Also in the National League Cameron Burgess was a stalwart as Cheltenham Town consolidated second place with a 4-1 win at home to Bromley. Cameron showed his commitment when even with his team well ahead and only ten minutes left, he blocked a goal bound shot full bloodied in the face - literally, needing a fair bit of treatment. Glad to say he was able to resume play. FA Cup Footnote: Matt Briggs came on after 20mins for Colchester in their 4-1 defeat to Spurs.
Lest we forget the foreign contingent - "On Sunday, Kostas Mitroglou was on target as Benfica secured a 4-1 away win over Moreirense. He scored after Jonas had given his side the lead, the same man who made it 3-0 midway through the second half. Nicolas Gaitan then added some gloss to the scoreline, before Iuri Medeiros hit a solitary response for Moreirense in stoppage time."
Back to earth for young Jack and his team - "Jack Grimmer played the full 90 minutes as Shrewsbury Town were beaten 2-1 at home by 10-man Southend United in Sky Bet League One last night. Will Atkinson’s 25-yard shot put the visitors ahead, before Andy Mangan equalised from close range just after the break. Southend’s Michael Timlin was then dismissed for a second yellow with 25 minutes remaining for a foul on Grimmer. But, despite their numerical disadvantage, the Shrimpers won it when West Ham United loanee Stephen Hendrie smashed high into the net from Jamar Loza’s cross. The result leaves Shrewsbury a point clear of the relegation zone in 20th." And a disappointing night for our other youngster as well - "In the Vanarama National League, Marek Rodák and Welling United went down to a 1-0 defeat at 10-man Braintree Town. Dan Sparkes slotted home from 12 yards as Braintree claimed a ninth-minute lead. But Sean Marks was shown a straight red card when he swung an elbow at Ian Gayle and the Iron had to play with 10 men for nearly an hour. Harry Lee and Michael Bakare hit the woodwork for the visitors but could not halt Welling’s 12-game winless run. United sit 22nd in the table."
Kostas Mitoglou was on the rampage last night, getting a hat trick in Benfica's 5-0 away win against Belenenses. please log in to view this image Source: http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/match/2068515/belenenses-vs-benfica/report
Quiet but okay weekend for the other lads at the weekend - "Jack Grimmer helped Shrewsbury Town to a goalless draw at Fleetwood Town on Sunday afternoon. Both sides had opportunities to win the game, but the point was enough to keep the Shrews – who withdrew Grimmer in the 79th minute after he picked up a knock – just outside the Sky Bet League One relegation places. In the Vanarama National League on Saturday,Cameron Burgess played 90 minutes as Cheltenham Town took a 2-1 win away from Barrow. Danny Wright put them in front early on but then had a penalty saved, which gave Barrow the opportunity to level through Simon Grand. But Asa Hall was on hand in the 82nd minute to snatch a third successive victory for the Robins, who moved back to the top of the table with the three points. Elsewhere in the division, Marek Rodák made a number of important stops as Welling United drew 1-1 at home with Altrincham. He was eventually beaten by Michael Rankine’s strike just before the hour mark, but the hosts earned a deserved point in the final minute of normal time when Sahr Kabba smashed the ball in. The stalemate leaves Welling four points from safety." Larnell Cole is out injured (again) and none of the others on loan made the bench. And over in France Ange-Freddy Plumain seems to be having a mixed time of it as well. On Friday night, he was replaced (again) by our ex-winger Hameur Bouazza at half-time as Red Star won 2-1 in Sochaux.
Mixed weekend for the home loans, mainly because two were in opposition. But abroad .. he's at it again! "Ben Pringle’s Ipswich Town debut ended in defeat as the Tractor Boys lost 2-1 at Bristol City in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. Pringle started the game but his new side were 2-0 down at half-time after Aden Flint’s double. Substitute Brett Pitman hauled Ipswich back into it just after the hour mark, with Pringle making way for Luke Varney in the 68th minute as Lee Johnson got off to a winning start as City boss. In League One, Jack Grimmer played the opening 45 minutes of Shrewsbury Town’s crucial 3-2 win at Blackpool.The visitors were 2-0 up inside the opening nine minutes. Nathaniel Knight-Percival opened the scoring with a brilliant overhead kick and Shaun Whalley took advantage of poor defending to score their second. Andy Mangan blasted in a loose ball for a third after 29 minutes, before Tom Aldred pulled one back on 36. Grimmer was withdrawn at the break and Blackpool grabbed their second in the 54th minute through Danny Philliskirk. Shrews goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler tipped Brad Potts' shot onto the bar as Town moved up to 19th with the win, level on points with Blackpool in 18th. In the Vanarama National League, Cameron Burgess took bragging rights over Fulham teammate Marek Rodák as leaders Cheltenham Town beat Welling United 2-0 to extend their unbeaten league run to 19 games. Rodák saved from James Rowe early on, but Danny Wright headed the Robins into a 17th-minute lead. Rodák then denied James Dayton and produced another fine stop from Jack Barthram, before Dan Holman added a second shortly after the restart. Welling, without a league win since October, rarely threatened as they remained in relegation trouble. In Portugal’s Primeira Liga on Friday, Kostas Mitroglou put Benfica in front at home to FC Porto but the visitors hit back to win it through Hector Herrera and Vincent Aboubakar. With Sporting Clube de Portugal winning 4-0 at Nactional on Saturday, Benfica sit second, three points off the top."
Oh no, Mitroglou didn't score .. even though it was only a Champions League game. "In the UEFA Champions League, Kostas Mitroglou played over an hour of Benfica’s late 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg in Portugal. The Greek striker was replaced by Jimenez Rodriguez in the 63rd minute, but the key incidents all happened in stoppage time. First, Zenit defender Domenico Criscito was shown a second yellow card, and then Jonas headed in Nicolas Gaitan’s free-kick to give Benfica a slender advantage in the last-16 tie. The two sides will meet again in Russia for the second leg on Wednesday 9th March." And back on home soil our other lad playing had a good nigh, with his side extending their lead at the top. "Cameron Burgess played the full 90 minutes of Cheltenham Town’s 2-0 home win over Kidderminster Harriers in the Vanarama National League on Tuesday evening. Daniel Wright’s penalty five minutes into the second half got the ball rolling for the Robins, and Dan Holman doubled the lead shortly after. The win means they are now four points clear at the top of the table, and it’s 144 days since they were last beaten in the league."
It's the "idiot abroad" who catches the eye again among our loanees - "In Portugal, Kostas Mitroglou set Benfica on their way to a 3-1 win at Pacos de Ferreira. The on-loan Fulham man’s 13th-minute strike was cancelled out by a Diogo Jota effort, but a spot-kick from Jonas in first-half stoppage time and a Victor Nilsson Lindelof goal just before the hour mark secured the win that kept Benfica top." And so taken by Mitrog scoring, one demented fan rushed onto the pitch .. to shine the man's boots - Most of the home lads had a less good time of it though: "George Williams came off the bench in the 79th minute to make his Gillingham debut on Saturday, but he couldn’t prevent them from slipping to a 2-1 loss at Oldham Athletic. The Gills had taken an early lead through Doug Loft’s long-range shot, but second-half efforts from Timothee Dieng and Jonathan Forte earned the home side victory. Gillingham slip to third in Sky Bet League One as a result of the loss. In the Vanarama National League, Cameron Burgess played the entirety of Cheltenham Town’s 1-0 win at Tranmere Rovers. Danny Wright’s goal three minutes in proved the difference between the sides, as the league leaders set a new club record of 21 games unbeaten. Elsewhere in the division, Marek Rodák’s Welling United were beaten 2-0 at home by Wrexham. Lee Fowler’s close-range finish and a Connor Jennings penalty gave the Welsh outfit all three points, as Welling remain 22nd in the standings. Finally, Andrew Dawber made his debut for Bishop’s Stortford as they were beaten 1-0 at home to Maidstone United in the Vanarama National League South. Goalkeeper Dawber has joined Stortford on loan until 30th April."
Good to see the lads on loan getting game time. Marek Rodak is certainly getting plenty of goalie practice (not fully covered in this Club report) with poor little Welling. "Ben Pringle played 80 minutes as Ipswich Town were beaten 1-0 by Hull City at Portman Road on Tuesday evening. Both sides struck the woodwork but the Tigers remain top of the league courtesy of Mohamed Diame’s finish just after half-time. Ipswich dropped to 10th in the Sky Bet Championship table as a result of the defeat. In League Two, Jordan Evans came on in the 64th minute of Oxford United’s 4-1 win at Exeter City. Cheyenne Dunkley headed the visitors in front early on, before Jordan Bowery struck either side of the break to make it 3-0. Alexander MacDonald added another just after the hour mark, although the Grecians did pull one back through Alex Nicholls. The U’s remain third in the standings following the win. In the Vanarama National League, Cameron Burgess helped Cheltenham Town to a clean sheet as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Gateshead. The central defender played 90 minutes as the Robins’ unbeaten run continued, although Forest Green won to close the gap to two points at the top. Elsewhere in the division, Marek Rodák’s Welling United were beaten 2-0 at fellow strugglers Torquay United. The Slovakian saved well from Nathan Smith early on but was beaten by the midfielder after an hour, and Iffy Allen sewed things up 10 minutes later as the Gulls moved level on points with their opponents in the relegation zone."
[QUOTE="Cottager58, post: 8946703, member: 1007983" And so taken by Mitrog scoring, one demented fan rushed onto the pitch .. to shine the man's boots - [/QUOTE] Must be a Fulham fan begging him to come back and play for us, I'm sure that's a half-&-half Benfica Fulham scarf
The Pringle got off to a good start but not such an enjoyable weekend for the rest of the lads on loan: "Ben Pringle hit the only goal of the game as Ipswich Town’s three-match losing streak came to an end with victory at 10-man Huddersfield Town in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. Pringle took advantage of hesitant defending by Joel Lynch to give Town the lead in the 19th minute. The winger then made way just after the hour mark as Ipswich held on to rise to ninth, four points off sixth-place Sheffield Wednesday. In League One, George Williams entered the fray in the 33rd minute but high-flying Gillingham went down to a surprise 2-1 home defeat to struggling Chesterfield. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake tapped the visitors in front in the 36th minute and Lee Novak doubled the Spireites’ lead deep into first-half stoppage time with a long-range effort. Emmanuel Osadebe pulled one back for Gillingham with 10 minutes left but the hosts are now four points off the automatic promotion places. In the same division, Jack Grimmer and Larnell Cole featured as Shrewsbury Town earned a 0-0 draw at fellow strugglers Colchester United. Grimmer played the full 90, while Cole came on in the 35th minute. The Shrews remain in the final relegation spot in League One. In League Two, Sean Kavanagh stepped off the bench in the 72nd minute but a late goal by Scott Boden saw Mansfield Town lose 1-0 at relegation-threatened Newport County. Boden pounced with four minutes left as Mansfield drop to ninth. In the Vanarama National League, Marek Rodák and Welling United were beaten 1-0 at home to Aldershot Town. Rodák had saved from Ross Lafayette, Jake Gallagher and Jim Stevenson before disaster struck. The young keeper brought down Lafayette in the area with 14 minutes left and the Aldershot man scored from the spot. The result leaves Welling in 22nd place, eight points from safety. In France’s Ligue 2, Freddy Plumain was a 90th-minute substitute as Red Star defeated Nimes 1-0. Anatole Ngamukol got the only goal of the game shortly after the restart as Red Star remain third."
A bad day at the office for most. Not young Grimmer though and you have to wonder if his going out on loan just before the new Manager took over was unfortunate. Certainly rate him defensively (if nothing else) over Richards and Fredericks. "Jack Grimmer played the full 90 minutes as Shrewsbury Town claimed their first home victory in Sky Bet League One since October to move out of the relegation zone on Tuesday night. The Shrews, for whom Larnell Cole was an unused substitute, went in front in the 12th minute when Shaun Whalley drilled a low shot past Josh Lillis from just inside the area. The hosts then doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Whalley's corner was headed in at the far post by Nat Knight-Percival. In the same division, George Williams made his first start for Gillingham - but it ended in defeat at Fleetwood Town. Wes Burns' corner caught a gust of wind and clipped a Gills head before flying past Stuart Nelson in the third minute to put the hosts in front. And they increased their advantage six minutes later when Burns crossed for Shola Ameobi to smash home at the far post. Williams, who started up front, saw a strike deflected wide before Luke Norris' drive reduced the deficit in the 36th minute. Williams then had an effort saved before the half ended and the Kent outfit couldn’t find a way through after the restart as they slipped down to fourth in the table. In League Two, Jordan Evans came on in the 82nd minute of Oxford United’s 4-0 thumping of struggling York City. The U’s led 3-0 at the time of Evans’ introduction thanks to goals from Jordan Bowery, Chey Dunkley and Danny Hylton. Kemar Roofe then scored his 20th goal of the season with five minutes left as Oxford moved into second spot. In the Vanarama National League, Cameron Burgess scored an own goal as leaders Cheltenham Town suffered their first defeat since September in a 1-0 loss at Eastleigh. Gary Johnson's side had gone a club-record 22 league games without losing but Burgess put the ball past his own keeper in the 13th minute to give the hosts all three points. Johnson said: "We're not used to losing are we? We don't like losing and so after 23 games it's even more disappointing when you lose, because you start feeling you're a bit invincible. We came up against a clever team - in more ways than one - I felt we had more of the play, but we didn't create enough chances from our play. "I'm disappointed, I've let the boys know some of them needed to show a little bit more and we'll see what happens over the coming weeks." At the other end of the National League, Marek Rodák and Welling United slumped to another defeat after a 2-0 loss at Bromley. Rohdell Gordon scored early on, before Moses Emmanuel grabbed the second from the penalty spot as Welling slipped down to 23rd in the table."
Kostas Mitroglou took the honours tonight scoring his 15th goal in 18 starts as Benfica won 1-0 away to Sporting. The Barn D'Or however went to Bryan Ruiz -
Ben Pringle, who again got the winning goal for Ipswich at the weekend, is to have his loan extended. please log in to view this image His initial loan of one month expires this week. However, it appears that Ipswich always intended to take him for the remainder of the season and have taken advantage of a 'quirk' in the Emergency Loan system which allows for a break. Not entirely sure how it all computes but the net result is that the can have him for 93 days which takes him beyond the technical end of the season (ie the last League game) and into the semi-final of the play offs if Ipswich get that far. Unfortunately for him and them, it doesn't quite stretch to the date of the final though. Source: http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29200/?
And the other lads? "Shrewsbury Town had a 1-0 win away to Doncaster Rovers, with Jack Grimmer playing the full 90. Shaun Whalley scored direct from a corner in the 62nd minute to extend the Shrews’ unbeaten run to five matches, a result which saw them climb to 19th in the standings. Also in League One, George Williams played the first half of Gillingham’s goalless draw at Scunthorpe United. The hosts had the better chances and went closest when Paddy Madden hit the bar. Despite the lacklustre performance, the point moved Gills up to third. In League Two, Jordan Evans played the entirety of Oxford United’s 2-2 draw away to Plymouth Argyle. A Peter Hartley own goal had given the visitors an early lead but Argyle hit back minutes later through Curtis Nelson. Kemar Roofe netted his 21st goal of the season from just outside the box to restore the U’s lead, but substitute Craig Tanner headed in a second equaliser of the afternoon with quarter of an hour remaining to ensure the spoils were shared. Oxford remain second following that draw. Elsewhere, Sean Kavanagh came on in the 74th minute as Mansfield Town hosted Yeovil Town, with the Glovers leaving with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Ryan Dickson’s 90th minute winner. It leaves the Stags sitting 10th in the table, three points off the Play-Offs. In the Vanarama National League, Marek Rodák and Cameron Burgess went head to head as Welling United and Cheltenham Town played out a 1-1 draw. The key action all happened in stoppage time, as Luke Wanadio’s drilled finish in the opening stages of stoppage time was cancelled out by Dan Holman’s 95th minute goal. The point didn’t see either side shift position in the table, with United in 23rd and Town at the summit. In France’s Ligue 2, Ange Freddy-Plumain entered the fray in the 69th minute of third-place Red Star’s 2-0 loss away to Nancy, in second. And last Thursday, Nikolay Bodurov started as FC Midtjylland lost 1-0 at home to FC Copenhagen."
And the Mitrog rumbles on .. into the last 8 of the Champions League. please log in to view this image Match report: http://www.skysports.com/football/zenit-vs-benfica/352787
