Scunthorpe United v QPR

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Football League Championship

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Cork, Crosby, Butler, Williams, Forte (Morris 89), Goodwin, Sparrow, Hurst, Hayes (Ameobi 78), Paterson
Subs not used:
Lillis, Mulligan, Baraclough

QPR :
Camp, Malcolm, Stewart, Rehman (Timoska 73), Barker, Buzsaky (Ainsworth 89), Rowlands, Bolder, Leigertwood, Sinclair (Nygaard 76), Vine
Subs not used:
Cole, Balanta

SULSESC REPORT

by Keith Solomon at Glanford Park

“Why is there smoke coming out of those chimneys, Dad?” The youngster dressed in his blue and white hoops asked on the northbound service, close to Retford.

“Because this is the North, son,” the lad's father replied.

More worried that the said smoke was travelling horizontally, rather than vertically, I smiled, remembering that QPR have been denied the joys of visits to Scunny for many a long year, whilst looking forward to first lashings of winter ahead.

Doing my bit to educate the masses, I lead a trainload of bemused visitors to the Lawyer, feeling this would simply add to the learning curve and experience...how right I was.

Playing with the tide, Rangers drew first blood, as Buzsaky smacked in the opener after 12 minutes, prompting fears of a long, hard afternoon ahead, only for Paterson to restore parity midway through the first-half.

Reaching half-time level against the elements would have been something of an achievement, but United don't do those and the visitors' Buzsaky restored their lead three minutes before the break.

With the wind at their backs, United tried to salvage something from the windswept afternoon and Forte's leveller put us on level terms with over half an hour still left to play.

Games that see goalkeepers having their clearances tipped over the bar by their opposite number are obviously far too silly to comment on objectively, but this didn't stop the brain-dead from giving the Iron the bird at the end, proof if it were needed that stupidity is alive and well and not diluted by either wind or rain.

Suitably bedraggled, post-match festivities were enlightened by anecdotes from Methuselah 'Vic. Added to this treat were comments from our visitors that they could now scotch rumours that Scunny was a town blighted by Neanderthals and untouched by any advance over the last hundred years.

The last time I looked, we had one more point than we did on Saturday morning. We have not yet descended to the position many expected us to be in, come December, but the deluded few still think the team can sweep aside teams whose status and resources outstrip our own by a country mile...I reckon the wind must have washed rainwater into their heads!

Fortunately, the 'scandal' of not brushing aside QPR has been aided by the man with the abacus at league headquarters. Next stop, Portman Road, where surely, according to the boo-boys, the hosts' home form will be shown to be the fluke it undoubtedly is and anything less than a win will be treated with scorn...and I thought I was the one who was bonkers. (I may be, but that's not the point!).