Millwall v Scunthorpe United

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Football League One Play Off

Millwall :
Forde, Frampton, Whitbread, Dunne, Alexander, Craig, Harris, Grabban (Hackett 63), Martin, Abdou (Laird 46), Bolder
Subs not used:
Pidgeley, Barron

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Morris, Crosby, Sparrow, Togwell (Trotter 55), McCann, Woolford, Hayes, Hooper (Forte 80)
Subs not used:
Lillis, Wright, Thompson

SULSESC REPORT

by Martyn Girdham / National papers at Wembley

I used to read Roy of the Rovers when I was growing up in sunny Scunny. You know the score, the stuff that dreams are made of, not at all reflecting reality. But we are all allowed to dream aren't we?

I'm gonna tell you a typical far fetched Roy of the Rovers story, but to ensure I get no issues with copyright I'd better change a few names.

Instead of Roy, we'll have Captain Cliff of the Ironical. Called Cliff purely for the reason that Ironical, we'll not call them Ironicals as their fans don't like anyone putting an s on the end, a funny lot maybe, but they reckon their club is called the Ironical as another bigger team, West Slummers are called the Ironicals.

Where was I ? Oh yes, Captain Cliff is his name, because Ironical fans, ironically, live life permanently on the edge. We'll throw in the fact Captain Cliff is Irish, got roasted regularly at the higher level the previous season, but is Ironical through and through, proud of his role, proud of his club, proud of his adopted town and adored by many of the Ironical (notice no 's') fans who frequent their favourite town pub, the Crooked MP. (Am I on expenses for this Mr Sumner?).

Now the Ironical are a small town club, with a tin pot ground, a tin pot support, have a physio as manager, a chairman recovering from heart related illness and to make matter worse, the club has just been relegated. Season ticket holders have walked away in droves, supporters are up in arms that little cash was spent in trying to stay up and three star players have moved to other clubs. Local boy Spadge, ten years service already for his home town club (although born within sight of the famous twin towers - more of that later) had found the going tough at the higher level the previous season, but was as always, ready to spend yet another season shuffling between right midfield, centre midfield, subs bench, injury and suspension.

Not a lot to be confident about eh? Further relegation is a possibility and another season of life on the edge beckons.

But wait there have to be some positives don't there. We do have a prize asset in Jumping Joe, a super keeper who still has another year to run on his contract. In 2008 such things are important as tight gits in the Sky 'cash induced multi millionaires playground league', don't want to give teams like 'ickle Ironical' any dosh at all. Not even a few pennies. 'Stuff you mate, we'll wait another year until his contract runs out and get him for free if we want, tee hee'. So Jumping Joe is still with us, and just for fun let's make him Irish too, so that at least someone will be able to understand Captain Cliff. So now we have two paddies (three with Renault McCann) and Spadge but we still need a bit more. Enter 'Sunshine-on-Sea', unwanted goal machine Hooperman and Woolly White Sheep from Dork. Even a serious injury to new Scottish stopper Mills&Boon aint gonna stop us now.

At this point in the fairy story, the Test Matches started and I was hooked on the TV spectacle that is Ashes cricket, provided of course you have succumbed to this pay loadsa dosh thingythat is Sky. Ye,s the very Sky that has brought about the virtual destruction of English football, well at least as we knew it! Snag is, it seriously curtailed my feeble attempts at completing the fairy story, but truth be told, you can all guess the likely outcome anyway.

You know, in true Roy of the Rovers fashion, Captain Cliff of the Ironical, scores an unlikely late equaliser against Transcousers to put the club into the play-offs, all this after the team had plummeted from top to seventh in a disastrous post Christmas slump. He then blasts a penalty high and wide in the play off semi at Franchise Plastics and eventually lifts the golden prize after heroics at Wembley. Those heroics performed first of all by local boy Spadge and finished off by Woolly White Sheep. Even Morris Minor and Forgotten Forte came back to play bit-parts in the production.

OK, it's all a bit far fetched and real Roy of the Rovers stuff but that's what happened in this story folks.

So, due to time limits (the next instalment of the Ironical roller-coaster starts this week), and the need to get this story on the web prior to Saturday, I'll have to curtail plans for more merriment along the way. A shame really, as I had several characters up my sleeve including, (Big-Bob), (Big- Bob), (Big-Bob Big-Bob Big-Bob) flying in from SingalotofIronicalSongs, Matt the Bacon and his now famous 'pre Wembley' breakfasts, Skez the ticket skiv and transport guru Neil the Knowledge. To add to the excitement I even had a pre-Wembley, Wembley warm-up lined up. Don't believe me? OK, maybe I'm talking out of my hat(ters).

'If you're going to go up then do it at Wembley'. I recall many of you saying those exact words back in 1999 and can well remember the post match celebrations at the famous old stadium, followed by a joyous tube ride and 'bit of a do' back at the Bricklayers Arms. Life for us once 'long suffering' Iron fans has just about seen it all in the intervening ten years.

In true, Roy of the Rovers fashion, Captain Cliff got married during the summer,

the sun shone (well in June anyway), England regained the Ashes (well maybe) and we all lived happily ever after. A whole generation of Ironical fans have grown up accustomed to success, we've never had it so good, so lets enjoy the feel good factor whilst it lasts. Last it will, until next Saturday (August 8th) at least, when Captain Cliff takes his troops to Wales to start the new season.

Now before we all go to Welsh Wales, anyone know where we can sign a couple of heroes for next years fairy story? I'm not asking for a lot, just a couple of full-backs who can defend at Championship level and a decent standby striker, oh and an injury free centre back would help.

You couldn't write the script, could you?

THE SUN

A YEAR ago Martyn Woolford was playing in front of 2,000 people. Now he can look forward to strutting his stuff in front of 50,000 at Newcastle.

The winger helped fire little Scunny back into the Championship at the first attempt on a boiling, action-packed Wembley afternoon.

While pitchside temperatures hit 100 degrees, Woolford was as cool as a cucumber as he slotted the late winner to complete a rags to riches tale.

Woolford, 23, joined Scunny from Blue Square Premier club York last summer after previously trying to make it at Frickley and Doncaster.

After sinking the brave Lions in one of the classic end-of-season ding-dongs, he said: "It's absolutely brilliant, a dream come true for me.

"I was playing in front of 2,000 last season, less than that sometimes, so to score in front of 60,000 is overwhelming. It hasn't sunk in properly.

"By the time I looked up after shooting, the ball was just sneaking under the 'keeper so I was very happy."

Yesterday certainly ended better for Woolford than his last trip to Wembley, when he was left out of Scunny's line-up for their 3-2 Johnstone's Paints Trophy final defeat just seven weeks ago.

He recalled: "I was disappointed and it was a big thing for me to start today.

"I had about 40 friends and family here. I could see a few of them when I scored, but they were sitting in different areas. I could see my mum, dad and girlfriend so that's the main thing.

"I'll give it a couple of days until I watch the re-run, but then I probably won't have it off the television!

"Going from non-League to Championship in a year is a hell of a leap. I can't wait for it to come around, there are a lot of big clubs in the division and I wish the season was starting tomorrow."

Iron boss Nigel Adkins said: "That final defeat against Luton definitely helped us beat Millwall.

"Bouncing back at the first try is a fantastic achievement for a club of our size."

Defeat was harsh on Millwall - whose record 45,000 following outnumbered Scunny's by almost five to one - and, in particular, their striker Gary Alexander who grabbed two goals.

His first strike was one of the best ever seen at the new Wembley - or the old one. But the Lions should take some consolation at playing a big role in the latest of a long line of epic play-off finals.

Scunny got off to the perfect start when Lions keeper David Forde could only parry Woolford's shot into the path of Matt Sparrow, who slotted the loose ball into the roof of the net with six minutes gone.

Gary Hooper then hit a post as Millwall went close to falling on their sword with barely half an hour played.

But when a rare Millwall breakaway resulted in Scunny defender Sam Togwell deflecting David Martin's cross on to his own post in the 31st minute, the confidence seemed to drain out of Adkins' men.

Six minutes later the score was 1-1 thanks to a wonder strike that will be remembered for many a day. There was nothing on for Alexander when he collected Zak Whitbread's clearance with his back to goal, 40 yards out on the left. But in an instant he wrote himself into Wembley folklore as he swivelled and unleashed a right-foot shot that brushed keeper Joe Murphy's fingertips as it dipped into the net.

While Murphy could not be faulted for failing to keep out that effort, he should have kept out Alexander's header from Martin's cross on 39 minutes.

There would have been no worthier hero than Alexander, a boyhood Lions fan who tragically had to deal with the death of his stillborn baby son Albert last August.

The script appeared to be written but, in the 70th minute, Woolford's cross found its way to Sparrow - and he did the rest to level the scores.

Alexander then missed a glorious chance to complete his hat-trick when he headed Chris Hackett's cross wide from six yards in the 76th minute. And he was made to pay as Woolford seized on Sparrow's blocked shot to drill a shot under Millwall keeper Forde.

Lions boss Kenny Jackett admitted: "It's a hard one to take, but there is no middle ground at this place - it's either elation or desolation."

Alexander added: "It's devastating to score two and end up losing. For the first goal, I thought 'let's have a shot' but it means nothing. I don't even want to see it again at the moment.

"Fordey has been brilliant all season, so there's no blame on him for the goals."

DAILY MAIL

SEVEN weeks after the despair of losing at Wembley, Scunthorpe moved up to the Coca- Cola Championship in breathtaking style.

The parallels between the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final defeat by Luton and winning the League One play-off final yesterday went beyond the 3-2 scoreline. Beyond even the sequence of the first four goals and the fact their fans were again heavily outnumbered.

Rather it was in the gamut of emotions accompanying the twists of an extraordinary occasion that the uncanny resemblances shone most brightly on a day when pitchside temperatures topped 100 degrees F.

Scunthorpe's players, fans and their bright young manager, Nigel Adkins, rolled through familiar feelings of joy, despair, gloom and ecstasy with foreboding.

Then came the moment when history turned in their favour. Gary Alexander, scorer of Millwall's goals, including a hammerhead of a strike, stole into the Scunthorpe area 14 minutes from time. Chris Hackett's cross was perfect, so too the timing of Alexander's run, but instead of nestling in the net, the ball flashed inches wide.

Where Scunthorpe succumbed against Luton, now they had been reprieved. Belief coursed back into their veins and the winning goal was theirs five minutes from time when the excellent Martyn Woolford's low shot squirmed under hapless keeper David Forde.

For the first time on a hazy Sunday afternoon, 47,500 Millwall fans in a crowd of 59,661 fell silent. Numerical supremacy counted for nothing. The Wembley gods were with Scunthorpe and it is they who will contest next season's Championship after a season's absence.

Adkins said: "We bottled up the horrible feeling of losing at Wembley and this time fortune favoured us. It was about trying to keep calm when we went in 2-1 behind and keeping our nerve in an arena full of Millwall fans."

This was a fiesta of play-off final football. Five goals might have been 15 such was the open play. Scarcely a poor tackle, absolute commitment in searing heat and a magnificent game for the neutral.

Millwall fell behind in the sixth minute when an interchange between Gary Hooper and Woolford ended with Forde pushing the latter's shot into the path of Matt Sparrow, who scored.

Hooper and Sam Togwell might have made it 2-0 while a last-ditch block by Millwall skipper Tony Craig deflected a Paul Hayes shot on to the bar on the half-hour. Within a minute, Togwell deflected a David Martin shot against his own post.

Then the ball thudded into the chest of Alexander. Instant control, a swivel, a lash at the ball and it was sent spinning and dipping over Joe Murphy for an equaliser. Two minutes later, the Scunthorpe keeper was at fault as he misjudged the bounce of Alexander's downward header for a second goal.

Scunthorpe equalised in the 70th minute. Woolford shimmied past Zak Whitbread and his cross found cool-headed Sparrow, who placed his shot between two defenders on the line, and then Woolford wrapped it up.

Millwall boss Kenny Jackett said: 'It's a hard one to take. The play-off final is either elation or desperation. We have to use the extreme emotion to make sure we're doubly determined next season.'