Derby Day Demolition

Newcastle United came out on top of the Tyne-Tees derby thanks to goals from Marlon Harewood and Shola Ameobi.

The Toon opened up a 10 point gap at the top of the table with the victory over their North East rivals Middlesbrough.

The game wasn't the most exciting, but the Geordies did play some good stuff, the partnership of Jonas Gutierrez and Jose Enrique down the left was quite impressive as they tore open the Boro defence at will.

On paper the Teesiders have a few quality players with the likes of Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson and Gary O'Neill who have all played their trade in the top tier at some point.

However none were able to impose themselves on the game and caused little trouble for a solid United defence, who kept their 14th clean sheet of the season.

Harewood bundled the ball in to the net, as Boro keeper Brad Jones made a mess of collecting the ball from a Newcastle free kick.

Middlesbrough should have equalised when Isaiah Osbourne's shot was blocked on the line by Steven Taylor's arm. The ref failed to spot it and the Geordie defender got away with it.

United's second was a simple header by Ameobi, though the cross for the goal was a sublime one by Danny Guthrie.

Top of the table and bragging rights, what more could you want for Christmas.

Chants of the Day

Here are some of the best chants I heard at the match between Newcastle United and Middlesbrough at the sportsdirect@St James' Park

Newcastle Fans:
"feed the boro, let them know its Christmas time"
(along to band aid tune)

"your going down on your sister"

"duh duh duh duh, F**k the boro"

"paedo,paedo,paedo"

"dirty smoggies, dirty smoggies, dirty smoggies"

"what's it like to taste fresh air"


Middlesbrough Fans:
"there is only one Mike Ashley, one Mike Ashley"

"come on you reds"

and that was about it from them.

Middlesbrough Preview

Time for the Tyne-Tees derby, where the victor will claim bragging rights, just in time for Christmas.

Newcastle are sitting happy at the top and look on course to go straight back up at the first attempt, whilst Middlesbrough are struggling to cope since being relegated from the Premier League.

I'm attending tomorrow's game at St. James' Park as a neutral, I'm hoping for a good game of football which I witnessed when I attended this same fixture last year.

Although the rivalry is not the biggest in the North East, it still counts and the fans will turn out in force to prove that.

Boro lie 14th in the table, but don't let that fool you, they perform well away from home and tend to score quite a few goals on their travels.

Also they now have Gordon Strachan in charge and perhaps he hasn't changed the teams fortunes much since he arrived, but don't forget he has plenty of experience in one of the biggest derbies in the world, the Old Firm.

Geordie striker Andy Carroll is suspended for the game after picking up five yellow cards this season.

Danny Guthrie is scheduled to return and the Toon should be at near enough full strength, Joey Barton apart. Plus left back Jose Enrique will hope to keep up his good form as he picks up his November player of the month award before kick off.

The Teesiders have a few injury worries before the big match, Adam Johnson, Jeremie Aliadiere, Didier Digard, Seb Hines and Chris Riggott are all out. And with defender Sean St Ledger ending his loan spell and returning to Preston, Strachan will have to reshape his team.

One interesting point for the Smoggies is that striker Dave Kitson has never featured in a derby game and with the form he is in, the big ginger fellow is one to watch.

Santa wrecks Christmas for Black Cats

It wasn't jolly old saint Nick who ruined our festive cheer, no that fell to Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz.

The Paraguayan netted two on the day, one of which proved to be the winner as City ran out 4-3 winners.

To be honest I was as surprised as you that we were able to score three goals away from home, but it wasn't enough.

The Sky Blue's opened up a two goal lead inside the first 12 minutes, with Santa Cruz tapping in, then Carlos Tevez converting from the spot.

The penalty was very harsh, referee Andre Marriner deciding Nyron Nosworthy took Craig Bellamy's legs away in the box, when he made minimum contact and was closer to the ball than the little Welshman.

Based upon recent form, many would have expected Sunderland to roll over and admit defeat there and then, however they fought back to draw the game level.

John Mensah nodded in from a corner to start the fightback and then young midfielder Jordan Henderson rifled in a shot that struck keeper Shay Given and knocked him over as it was so ferocious.

Ex-Toon striker Bellamy restored City's advantage with a fine finish. He gave Nosworthy a torrid afternoon and was a constant threat with his pace and movement. His goal went along with his man of the match award.

Again the majority would of doubted the Black Cat's chances of getting anything from the match and again they proved them wrong. Substitute Kenwyne Jones headed in a delightful cross from Henderson. If the young lad from the North East continues his impressive performances he has a big future ahead of him.

For all their hard work in coming from behind twice, the Mackems were undone by Santa Cruz and there was no coming back this time, especially as Michael Turner was sent off for elbowing City and England midfielder Gareth Barry.

The collision was not deliberate or malicious, yet the ref wanted to keep up his trend of sending off Sunderland players as he did with Jones against West Ham.

Still unable to pick up three points, though the performance was much improved and if this can carry on, we should soon be back to winning ways.

Man City Preview

Back on the road and tomorrow Sunderland will be travelling to mega-rich Manchester City.

Finances apart, these two clubs are both in similar stages at the moment. They both have potentially great managers at the helm, both on a poor run of form, both have a squad of talented professionals. Plus they each have a fantastic fan base and are both looking to reach that 'next level'.

The real difference is the level they are trying to progress to. Sunderland hope to improve upon their league position and establish themselves as a top half Premier League force. Whereas Man City are looking to move on and have ambitions of crashing the 'top four'.

With the players each club acquired over the summer, they have every chance of doing this.

The Black Cats bought sensibly and brought in the likes of Darren Bent, Lorik Cana, Lee Cattermole and Michael Turner, all of which have played in the Premier League or to that standard.

Money bags City really splashed the cash and raided the top clubs for some of their star players such as Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor.

The mackems have really struggled away from home this season and so far have only picked up four points. Their Sky Blue opponents have picked up the reputation of draw specialists this season and I have a feeling it may continue tomorrow.

Sunderland are missing captain Lorik Cana who was sent off against Aston Villa through the week, so Lee Cattermole may be forced to start after returning early from injury. Defender Michael Turner is a doubt meaning the opportunity is their for either Phil Bardsley or John Mensah to stake a first team claim.

Man City must do without Nigel de Jong, Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott but could welcome back Craig Bellamy.

World Cup Bid

It was announced this week that both the Sunderland and the Newcastle/Gateshead bids to be a host city for the 2018/2022 World Cup were successful.

If England's campaign to stage one of the future World Cups is accepted then we could see some of the World's greatest talent brace the North East and play in either St. James' Park or the Stadium of Light.

This is fantastic news and I sincerely hope it goes ahead, our region is so passionate about sport and football in particular, so what better way to celebrate it than stage World Cup games.

A Draw is not a Bad Result

The winning run had to come to an end at some point and fortunately it came in the form of a draw away from home.

A point at Oakwell is not a bad result with all things considered as they have really turned the corner under the stewardship of Mark Robins.

The real disappointment about the outcome was that twice United took the lead and failed to hold as Barnsley finally equalised in the 87th minute.

Manager Chris Hughton made several changes to his side, admitting that he needed to keep his squad fresh for the Christmas run in.

His selection was proved decisive as Kevin Nolan returned from suspension to give the Magpies the lead with a delicate finish past keeper Luke Steele.

The Tykes drew level early in the second half through Emil Hallfredsson before on loan striker Marlon Harewood restored the Toon's lead.

However it wasn't enough as the robust Barnsley fought back and grabbed a share of the spoils when Bobby Hassell headed home from a corner.

A small slip in Newcastle's surge to the top but still a point gained and what a point it could prove to be come the end of the season.

A Night of Negatives

It was a night that went horribly wrong.

Sunderland lost 2-0 to Aston Villa.

Sunderland's performance lacked passion and drive.

Sunderland failed to really test goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Sunderland captain Lorik Cana was sent off.

This basically sums the game up, the Black Cats had the ideal opportunity in front of them to correct their recent poor run of form and get the season back on track. However they failed to do this and put in a terrible performance, which left the red and white army leaving with a number of questions in mind.

The only real positive to come out of the match was the return of Lee Cattermole. The combative midfielder had a 20 minute run out after coming on as a sub, he looked his usual busy self but could not change the course of the game.

Villa never looked amazing and there wasn't much between the two teams in terms of possession. Though Villa showed quality where it mattered. An immense defence built around the stonewall that is Richard Dunne and a clinical front line who took chances when they came along.

Emile Heskey opened the scoring when he was played in to slot past the on rushing Marton Fulop. Midfielder James Milner doubled the lead with a wonder strike outside the box, it was that good even I was applauding and remember he is an ex-Maggie!

Cana's sending off was foolish, the Albanian had already been booked early in the game, so to slide in as he did was a stupid idea from the skipper who should of lead his teams fightback.

Some of Steve Bruce's decisions and tactics left many scratching their heads, for example allowing Kieran Richardson to play on even though he had been awful and removing Kenwyne Jones who yes wasn't at the top of his game, but gave the defence a target.

Perhaps these decisions lost us the game and were a poor call of judgement, but I encourage all Mackems to keep faith and turn out in force over our next few games to get the lads back on track.

Keep the Faith
FTM

Aston Villa Preview

There is a bit of deja vu as Sunderland head into tonight's clash with Aston Villa.

Only a few weeks ago the Stadium of Light welcomed the claret and blue to its doors in a Carling Cup clash on a cold, wet Tuesday evening.

Villa ran out eventual winners of that tie after their keeper Brad Guzan saved three penalties in the shoot out to help his team progress to the next round.

So the Black Cats will be looking for revenge and hoping that they can get their season back on track following a minor blip where they have only picked up one point in three games.

The late goal conceded against Portsmouth was a hammer blow, but hopefully Steve Bruce will focus his team for the evening encounter and get something out of the game.

It will be difficult as Aston Villa are a tricky team full of pace and creativity, whilst they have hopes of crashing the 'top four'.

My team tonight would be:

Fulop

Nosworthy Da Silva Turner Richardson

Malbranque Henderson Cana Reid

Bent Jones

Subs: Campbell, Bardsley, Healy, Carson, McCartney, Anderson, Meyler

This may be a surprise to some as Frazier Campbell did well on Saturday and George McCartney is a specialist left back. However Malbranque offers more guile and holds the ball better, whereas Jones has linked up well with Bent and is also handy in defending set pieces. McCartney has been found out a number of times this season, he has lost his pace and is responsible for conceding a lot of goals.

Villa have doubts over Stephen Warnock, with Wilfred Bouma and Curties Davies definitely out. Therefore I don't expect them to make many changes from the team that recently beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.

I hope the result is not a case of deja vu to. I would settle for a point from tonight's match.

He's Behind You!

Its Pantomime season and Younes Kaboul was given the role of villain as he stole points from Sunderland in the last couple of minutes.

The Black Cats looked on course to seal all three points after they had taken the lead with Darren Bent's 10th goal of the season. However Kaboul, who I had recently admitted my dislike for, poked in from a corner to hand Portsmouth a share of the spoils.

The French centre back was booked for a foul earlier in the game, then was sent off following his goal celebrations where he removed his shirt and jumped into the away crowd.

The Mackems had little time to capitalise against ten men and the final result was 1-1.

Though they should have extended the lead a number of times and made their first half superiority count. Midfielder Jordan Henderson shot just over, Andy Reid clipped the crossbar with a well taken free-kick and England goalkeeper David James saved well from Sunderland skipper Lorik Cana's header.

Those missed chances were rued by manager Steve Bruce as Pompey equalised. So far this season Sunderland's home form has been immense, whilst on their travels they have struggled.

Bruce will be hoping that the pressure of playing at the Stadium of Light does not get to his players as that could seriously damage what has been strong progress from last seasons flirt with relegation.

This may have been less than what everyone expected, but since the Chelsea game, Sunderland are undefeated at home, lets hope they can keep it up.

Barnsley Preview

Chris Hughton has a bit of a selection headache for the trip to Barnsley, however I think it's a one that he will welcome.

The selection dilemma comes as he has so many forwards to choose from who have all been scoring in recent weeks.

Shola Ameobi returned from injury against Coventry in midweek and scored the opener. Nile Ranger grabbed his first league goal for the club in the same game. Andy Carroll has been ever present and has provided some vital strikes for the campaign so far, whilst the partnership of Peter Lovenkrands and Marlon Harewood has helped destroy a number of defences.

The ex-Spurs coach may decide to freshen things up following a tough encounter against the Sky Blues recently and Barnsley are another difficult team to play under boss Mark Robins.

The Tykes have already claimed six points against the two teams chasing United, in West Brom and Cardiff at Oakwell. Therefore it is a game the Geordies should not take lightly, especially as the Toon Army following of 7000 fans will be there to cheer them on.

Barnsley have a number of players hoping to return for the big clash. Skipper Stephen Foster, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Emil Hallfredsson and once Sunderland striker Andy Gray should all be fit.

Newcastle last played Barnsley in 2007 in the Carling Cup, the Magpies won 2-0 and there was five players involved who are likely to compete again tomorrow.

Portsmouth Preview

It's not often that we are compared to Manchester United, but in this situation we face a similar problem as the current Champions.

Sunderland have a huge shortage of defenders for this weekends game against Pompey and just like the Red Devils who had eight defenders missing for their last game, we may have to put players into unfamiliar positions.

Anton Ferdinand is the latest casualty after he suffered a serious ankle injury from Eric Nevland's tackle in last weeks game vs Fulham. John Mensah has suffered a recurrence of a calf strain and George McCartney is rated 50-50 with hamstring trouble.

Plus make shift left back Kieran Richardson and fellow full back Phil Bardsley are both suspended for each picking up five yellow cards through the season.

That only leaves Michael Turner, Paulo Da Silva and Nyron Nosworthy, who had to receive six stitches last week for a clash of heads.

Steve Bruce's options may be move captain Lorik Cana into the back line, but I think this could then limit our physical presence in midfield, maybe Andy Reid or Jordan Henderson could form make shift full backs. Another option for Bruce is he could promote a few more youngsters and reserves to the first team such as Michael Liddle or Michael Kay.

Then again he may decide to change the formation and just play three at the back, with a heavy emphasis on attacking the team who are bottom of the league.

The south coast club should be able to recall England goalkeeper David James to the starting line up, as well as defender Younes Kaboul who returns from suspension.

Not to be bitter, but I hope Kaboul gets a bad reception at the Stadium of Light. Remember he was once a target for the Mackems and his response to being linked was "I would not join Sunderland-even if there was an earthquake."

Let's hope the stadium rocks tomorrow and Kaboul leaves with nothing but regret at turning down an incredible club.

Sky Blue's the limit for Newcastle Championship Charge

Not quite 'the Entertainers' under Kevin Keegan, but the current crop of Newcastle's squad have equalled one of their records with seven consecutive victories.

Though I don't think many will be rushing to proclaim manager Chris Hughton as the next 'Messiah', it must be said again that he is doing a wonderful job and looks set to guide the Geordies back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Last night's win over Coventry has now opened up a seven point gap between United and second placed West Brom, so it is all in Newcastle's hands if they are to complete their main objective.

A terrific away following of 3,937 fans witnessed this remarkable achievement and were in good voice to boost their team forward.

The biggest cheer erupted when Shola Ameobi, starting upfront after returning from injury, showed a lovely bit of quality and opened the scoring. The striker gained control of the ball in the box before turning his defender and firing past Cov keeper Kieren Westwood.

The Sky Blue's did have their chances, twice they hit the woodwork in quick succession and Toon keeper Steve Harper had to be alert as he made a low save from Republic of Ireland striker Leon Best.

However all three points were wrapped up when youngster Nile Ranger came off the bench and tapped in following good work by left back Jose Enrique. It was the forwards first professional goal in the league and he will be hoping to add to it sooner rather than later.

The Newcastle Championship charge continues as they look to smash the victory record and set their own.

Coventry Preview

Games are coming thick and fast in the Championship as the festive period is under way. It's the time when Newcastle United must prove their mettle and show that they can handle the pressure at the top.

A Wednesday night trip to the Ricoh arena is the next test, with United looking to keep up their impressive form against a struggling Coventry City.

The magpies have an opportunity to extend their lead to seven points as fortunately for them second placed West Brom were beaten by Cardiff City last night.

United will have to do it without the suspended Kevin Nolan after he was sent off in the match against Watford. The midfielder is likely to be replaced by fit again Nicky Butt.

Another option would be to give winger Fabrice Pancrate his first start in black and white, following his tremendous goal at the weekend. Though manager Chris Hughton may just decide to ease the Frenchman in, planning for a busy schedule ahead.

Striker Andy Carroll may have damaged his chances of getting back into the starting line-up due to being arrested late on Sunday night for apparently fighting in a city centre nightclub.

Coventry have a number of injury worries to deal with. Full back Marcus Hall who only just returned from a long spell on the sidelines aggravated a calf problem in the Sky Blues recent loss to Scunthorpe.

Ben Turner and Sammy Clingan are not yet ready to return to action, plus Isaac Osbourne has another few weeks out of the squad.

Former Sunderland defender and Cov captain Stephen Wright is suspended.

Out of 66 meetings between the two clubs since 1936, Newcastle have won 32 of them and tonight look like making it 33.

Wey Aye

We always lose 1-0. We always lose 1-0

Second week running and SAFC lose 1-0 away from home. Why is it that the players fail to show up when on their travels?

Fulham have an incredible home record, not many teams have claimed all three points at Craven Cottage, but again it is the manner of defeat which is most disappointing.

The lads produced an awful first half performance, they were really poor and never exploited the fact that Fulham had just played in Europe a few days earlier.

Sunderland should have kicked off and gone straight for the win with a high tempo, lots of movement and crisp passing. However they failed to do any of that.

In the second half things did improve as the Black Cats created a number of chances, only for striker Darren Bent to shoot narrowly wide on several occasions, when I would have put money on him to score or Cottagers keeper Mark Schwarzer would make a few good saves.

Striker Bobby Zamora scored the only goal of the game when he shrugged off right back Phil Bardsley and guided the ball past Marton Fulop. His celebration was a rant against an unknown player or group (perhaps the media), since he has always been criticized for not scoring enough goals.

Well from this performance he proved that he does much more than just score, his hold up play was immense as he constantly caused havoc in the red and white defence.

After the game Fulham manager Roy Hodgson suggested that Zamora could force his way into the England squad for the World Cup. I think that is a step too far as there are better players ahead of him in the pecking order, namely Bent for one.

So another away defeat and another dismal display. And as Steve Bruce said, a change of personnel may be needed in the future, which is what I suggest for Match of the Day 2 as well, that wasn't fair having Messrs Shearer and Speed analysing our match!

cracking start to the festive period

On the fifth day of Christmas the Toon Army asked me, "can we have three points and plenty of goals please?"

Well the attendance of 43,050 got that, plus more as West Brom dropped points it meant that Newcastle have opened up a four point lead at the top of the table and are 10 points clear of third placed Nottingham Forest.

The new deadly duo of Marlon Harewood and Peter Lovenkrands worked the opening for United, with the latter tapping in from close range following a poor back pass from Watford defender Craig Cathcart.

Things weren't always going Newcastle's way though when midfielder Kevin Nolan was sent off for collecting two yellow cards early in the second half. This gave Watford belief in pushing on for an equaliser. They created a number of good chances but the black and white defence stood firm to claim their 11th clean sheet so far this season.

It's this sort of strength and determination in defence which is the foundation that United have built their season upon and that should lead them to promotion. With a near enough fully fit squad, the Geordies had a lot of options from the bench to help determine the games outcome.

The substitutions against Watford all played a part, Andy Carroll offered direction and enthusiasm upfront, a physical presence to keep a hold of the ball, whilst Nicky Butt provided more protection for the defence as he used his experience to help steady the ship from Nolan's sending off. Then there is new boy Fabrice Pancrate, his pace and trickery made sure that Watford were open to the counter attack, and boy did it work. Pancrate ensured the win in the 83rd minute when he turned two Watford defenders in the box and unleashed a ferocious shot in to the roof of the net.

It was a cracking strike, it proved why Chris Hughton took a gamble and signed the Frenchman. Hughton has received constant praise this term for guiding Newcastle to the top, he picked up the November manager of the month award, his third so far. With signings and substitutions like that I can see him winning many more awards over the next couple of months.

Fulham Preview

The Red and White army head to the capital again looking to address the problem of their away form with an exciting fixture at Craven Cottage.

Steve Bruce is still seething this week after his side produced a terrible performance away at Wigan where they did not even have an attempt on goal. And he is determined to turn the travelling fortunes around. Bruce stated that he may make changes in the future in order to toughen his team up away from the Stadium of Light, with Kenwyne Jones looking likely to be brought in to the starting line-up for a more physical presence upfront against the Cottagers.

A key figure who is still missing for the Black Cats who played a significant part in Sunderland's success away from home this season (win at Bolton and draw at Man Utd) is midfielder Lee Cattermole. Unfortunately he misses out on Sunday with the knee injury he picked up against Liverpool, however he is scheduled to hopefully return in the Christmas period. To me he is what we are really missing at the moment in away fixtures as he is such combative figure in the middle of the park, him and captain Lorik Cana really boss the midfield, whereas current players such as Jordan Henderson and Kieran Richardson, although very good technically, they are a bit too attack minded and don't have that menacing bite about them.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon is another long-term absentee, also defender John Mensah has suffered a recurrence of a calf problem. Midfielder Steed Malbranque returns to the club where he made his name in Premier League football and David Healy will hope to feature against his previous employers.

Fulham have a very strong home record, both in the league and Europa League, which they featured in on Thursday night against CSKA Sofia. This may prove in Sunderland's favour as they have had more time to prepare for this particular fixture. Yet Fulham are able to recall first team players such as top scorer Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and Aaron Hughes who were all rested against European opposition. Though they are still without ex-Sunderland player Dickson Etuhu, striker Diomansy Kamara and Andy Johnson is missing, which is a big plus for the Mackems, as he has always tormented us.

Watford Preview

On the fifth day of Christmas the Toon Army asked me, "can we have three points and plenty of goals please?"

Well after last weeks performance this could happen. Through the week United manager Chris Hughton has suggested that he may stick with the front pairing of Marlon Harewood and Peter Lovenkrands, who scored the goals to tare Swansea City apart.

This new partnership (although not first choice to many fans) did the business last week and their styles of play seemed to compliment each other, so it may just work again against a play-off chasing Watford side.

Hughton will have options from the bench as he welcomes back Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll who have been out with a foot problem and illness respectively. Plus young striker Nile Ranger may play some part as United have a busy week ahead with trips to Coventry and Barnsley following the Watford game.

Newcastle's treatment room is starting to empty, with the likes of Nicky Butt and Steve Harper recovering well in time for the home clash against the Hornets. Only midfielder Joey Barton is a long-term absentee, which bolds well for a tough festive period.

Newcastle will have to look out for Watford's on loan Manchester United star Tom Cleverly, whom the Geordies have recently been linked with. The young midfielder has scored six goals so far in the league this season and has produced some fantastic performances to help get the Golden Boys up to 9th place.

Watford a club in financial trouble have midfielder Don Cowie back in their squad and defender Jay DeMerit has been training this week but the game could come to soon for him. Manager Malky Mackay may choose to switch his team around after losing 3-0 to Crystal Palace last time out.

I get what I want

Ask and you shall receive, this was the case for Chris Hughton as his Newcastle side ended Swansea City's 11 game unbeaten run.

Hughton wanted a strong start from his side as they looked to carry on their good form and push for promotion.

The United manager said,"I asked for a high-tempo start and after half an hour I was delighted - I couldn't have asked for any more.

"To get three goals in that period was tremendous and it has won us the game.

"It would have been nice to add a couple more, of course, but take nothing away from Swansea, they're a side in form and we were never going to get it all our own way.

"All we can do is continue to do what we are doing and be hopeful that the other results go for us."

The goals flowed for the new forward partnership of Marlon Harewood and Peter Lovenkrands, who were brought in due to injuries to Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll.

Harewood broke the deadlock when he headed in from a well worked United corner, before Lovenkrands doubled the lead as he rose high between the Swansea defence, to score his first goal since his return to the club in September. Harewood on loan from Aston Villa completed the scoring after 28 minutes, again heading in, this time a cross from his strike partner.

Steve Harper made a couple of decent saves in the first half, chances caused due to sloppy passing from his midfield. However he was replaced at half time by young Dutch keeper Tim Krul, since he was complaining of back ache.

So another comfortable victory for the Toon as they stay top of the league.

FA Cup Third round draw

Sunderland have been draw at home to face either Oxford United or Barrow.

Whilst Newcastle United will make the long journey south to face Plymouth Argyle.

Ties to be played over the weekend of 2/3 January

we didn't show up!

Well what a disappointment. We go and beat one of the best teams in Europe and the next week we don't even turn up.

This was an ideal opportunity to really get some momentum going in the league and put a good run together, yet again the lads went and let us, themselves and mainly Steve Bruce down.

Fair enough if we had lost to a Wigan side who played tremendously well and we had had a go, but we didn't and it is something which must be addressed quickly if we are to establish ourselves as a Premier League force.

In the build up to the game, Wigan chairman had criticized Bruce and you would think that the players would have went out and gave him a response from their manager. This only occurred briefly in the second half when Kieran Richardson and Andy Reid had a couple of chances.

In the end a Hugo Rodallega goal was enough to see us off and leave the travelling red and white army with an unhappy trip home.

The outcome didn't have much impact on our league position as we stayed in 8th place, but it is very tight around their and a couple of wins or losses can send you in either direction quickly.

Let's hope the players learn from this and gain that bit more resilience, which is what Bruce stated was missing,"we should have had enough about us to take a point away from here even though we've not played well.

"Maybe it's mentality, they've got to change that or we'll have to change something quick."

(quotes taken from safc.com)