Tuesday, 31 May 2011

F1 2011: Vettel streaks clear as Hamilton snaps

SEBASTIAN VETTEL extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to a massive 58 points after he completed a hat-trick of wins in Monte Carlo.

With victories in Barcelona and Istanbul earlier in the month of May, the 23-year-old German has now won five of the first six races. As such, the championship already looks like a procession.

Indeed, the margin of error for the defending champion is so great that he could retire or finish out of the points in two more races than his nearest rivals - and yet still be ahead of them.

But, while we are unlikely to have a thrilling finish to the championship, F1 fans can take great pleasure from the amazing quality of the racing among those trailing in Vettel's wake.

Thanks to the introduction of the DRS wing, KERS and the tyre-wear on the new Pirellis, the increase in overtaking manoeuvres on previous years, as shown here on James Allen's excellent blog, is simply outstanding.

There was even excitement at the Circuit de Catalunya, traditionally the worst permanent F1 venue for overtaking, as Lewis Hamilton closed in on Vettel in the closing laps.

However, Hamilton failed in his objective of passing the German and it is fair to say that, as Vettel disappears over the horizon in championship terms, this has been a frustrating few weeks for the 2008 champion.

Hamilton's bad weekend in Monaco began in qualifying when, having set the fastest time in Q1 and Q2, his Q3 time was deleted by stewards after he missed a chicane.

In the race itself, he lost a lot of time early on behind Michael Schumacher before being penalised for making contact with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Williams' rookie Pastor Maldonado.

The penalties resulted in an angry outburst from Hamilton who said: "It's an absolute frickin' joke. I've been to see the stewards five times out of six this season.

The Stevenage-born racer added in jest: "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says."

Hamilton escaped further censure for his comments and today he apologised to Massa and Maldonado through the social-networking site Twitter.

But, while Hamilton attempts to rebuild bridges in the paddock, his eventual sixth place finish now leaves him well adrift of Vettel.

The Red Bull driver has 143 points with Hamilton on just 85. Vettel's team mate Mark Webber is in third place on 79 points, three ahead of Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button.

Ferrari's double champion Fernando Alonso may have finished second in Monaco but his relatively poor early start to the season is still costing him as he trails in fifth on 69 points.

Germans Nick Heidfeld (29 points) and Nico Rosberg (26) continue to impress for Renault and Mercedes, as does Japanese racer Kamui Kobayashi after his fifth place finish in Monte Carlo for Sauber.

Doubts over the value of seven-time champion Schumacher's return to F1 remain after the German retired on lap 34, leaving him down in 11th place in the standings on 14 points.

Schumacher's long-time team mate at Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello, scored Williams' first points of the season with a ninth-placed finish in Monaco.

The calendar now takes the F1 drivers to Canada in two weeks before they return to Europe for the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 26 June and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 10 July.


F1 2011 SEASON RESULTS
PODIUMS
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault

Malaysian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault

Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault

Turkish GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari

Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes

Monaco GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes

REMAINING CALENDAR
12 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
26 June European GP (Valencia)
10 July British GP (Silverstone)
24 July German GP (Nuerburg)
31 July Hungarian GP (Budapest)
28 August Belgian GP (Spa)
11 September Italian GP (Monza)
25 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
9 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
16 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
30 October Indian GP (Greater Noida)
13 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
27 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)

F1 2011 STANDINGS
World Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 143
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 85
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 79
4 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 76
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 69
6 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 29
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 26
8 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 24
9 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 21
10 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 19
11 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 14
12 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 8
13 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
14 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 2
15 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 2
16 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India-Mercedes 2
Eight drivers have yet to score: (17 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 18 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus-Renault, 19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus-Renault, 20 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin-Cosworth, 21 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Cosworth, 22 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin-Cosworth, 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) HRT-Cosworth, 24 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) HRT-Cosworth)

Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault (Aut) 222
2 McLaren-Mercedes (Gbr) 161
3 Ferrari (Ita) 93
4 Renault (Gbr) 50
5 Mercedes (Ger) 40
6 Sauber-Ferrari (Swi) 21
7 Force India-Mercedes (Ind) 10
8 Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Ita) 7
9 Williams-Cosworth (Gbr) 2
There are three teams (Lotus-Renault (Mal), Virgin-Cosworth (Rus) and HRT-Cosworth (Spa)) which have yet to score.

The Season 2010/11 - For the record: Swans soar after Sinclair hat-trick

SCOTT SINCLAIR scored a hat-trick as Swansea City became the first Welsh club to be promoted to the Premier League after they beat Reading in a pulsating playoff final at Wembley.

The Swans raced into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to two goals from Sinclair and a fine strike from Stephen Dobbie.

But two set-pieces early in the second half brought Reading right back into the game. Joe Allen could only divert the ball into his own net before Matt Mills reduced the deficit to 3-2 with more than 30 minutes to play.

Swansea were on the ropes and, as the Royals poured forward in search of an equaliser, Jem Karacan struck the base of the post and Gary Monk blocked Stephen Hunt's shot on the rebound.

But, with that chance gone, Brendan Rogers' men could breathe a little easier as the Reading comeback began to run out of steam.

Swansea gradually regained composure and Fabio Borini won a penalty after he was unceremoniously bundled over in the box by Andy Griffin.

Former Chelsea youngster Sinclair kept his composure and hit the ball right in the corner out of Adam Federici's reach to fire the Swans into the top-flight for the first time since 1983.

On Sunday, Peterborough United beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 to regain their place in the Championship which they lost 12 months ago.

Tommy Rowe, Craig Mackail-Smith and Grant McCann scored the three goals in the last 12 minutes of the game as Posh broke Huddersfield hearts.

The score was harsh on Lee Clark's men who had gone 27 matches unbeaten in the league since December, only to see their good work undone in a matter of minutes at Old Trafford.

But Peterborough deserve a lot of credit for their ultra-attacking approach which saw them score 106 goals in the regular season with Mackail-Smith hitting 35 of them.

The goals continued to flow in the playoffs for Posh and Darren Ferguson's men are worthy of their place back in the second flight.

While Peterborough are making a return to the Championship, Stevenage will play at their highest level ever next season after gaining back-to-back promotions.

The Boro, who only went up from the Blue Square Premier last season, beat Torquay United 1-0 in a tight League Two playoff final at Old Trafford.

John Mousinho scored the only goal towards the end of the first half which Stevenage had dominated.

The Gulls went close of an equaliser through Jake Robinson but Graham Westley's side held on to cap a meteoric recent rise through the divisions.

The curtain now comes down on Season 2010/11 though football-starved fans will be encouraged to hear there are numerous tournaments throughout the summer.

After Euro 2012 qualifiers for the senior team next weekend, England Under-21s will be play in Euro 2011 which takes place in Denmark between 11-25 June.

Stuart Pearce's men face Spain, Czech Republic and Ukraine in Group B with the top two qualifying for the semi finals. Denmark, Belarus, Iceland and Switzerland are in the other pool.

England have a good recent record in the Championships having reached the Final in 2009 and the semi finals in 2007 when they lost 13-12 to Netherlands in an epic penalty shootout.

Then, in July, there is the Copa America, hosted in Argentina, and the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

At this point, though, this seems a fitting time to provide a list of ups and downs, for the record:

ENGLAND
PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal
Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City, Stoke City, Fulham (fair-play award)
Relegated: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United

CHAMPIONSHIP
Champions: Queens Park Rangers
Runners-up: Norwich City
Playoff winners: Swansea City (beat Reading 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Preston North End, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United

LEAGUE ONE
Champions: Brighton & Hove Albion
Runners-up: Southampton
Playoff winners: Peterborough United (beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town

LEAGUE TWO
Champions: Chesterfield
Runners-up: Bury. Also promoted automatically: Wycombe Wanderers
Playoff winners: Stevenage (beat Torquay United 1-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Lincoln City, Stockport County

BLUE SQUARE PREMIER
Champions: Crawley Town
Playoff winners: AFC Wimbledon (beat Luton Town 4-3 on penalties in the Final after 0-0 draw)
Relegated: Southport, Altrincham, Eastbourne Borough, Histon

BLUE SQUARE NORTH
Champions: Alfreton Town
Playoff winners: Telford United  (beat Guiseley 3-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Hyde United, Stafford Rangers, Redditch United

BLUE SQUARE SOUTH
Champions: Braintree Town
Playoff winners: Ebbsfleet United (beat Farnborough 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Thurrock, Lewes, St Albans City

DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
All matches played at Wembley
FA Cup Final: Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
League Cup Final: Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal
FA Community Shield: Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Carlisle United 1-0 Brentford
FA Trophy: Darlington 1-0 Mansfield Town (after extra time)
FA Vase: Whitley Bay 3-2 Coalville Town

SCOTLAND
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Rangers
Europa League: Celtic (runners-up), Hearts, Dundee United
Relegated: Hamilton Academicals

SCOTTISH DIVISION ONE
Champions: Dunfermline
Runners-up (not promoted): Raith Rovers
Relegated: Cowdenbeath, Stirling Albion

SCOTTISH DIVISION TWO
Champions: Livingston
Playoff winners: Ayr United (beat Brechin City 3-2 on aggregate in the Final)
Relegated: Alloa Athletic, Peterhead

SCOTTISH DIVISION THREE
Champions: Arbroath
Playoff winners: Albion Rovers (beat Annan Athletic 4-3 on aggregate in the Final)

DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
FA Cup: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell
League Cup: Rangers 2-1 Celtic (after extra time)
Challenge Cup: Ross County 2-0 Queen of the South

WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Bangor City
Europa League: Llanelli AFC (cup winners), The New Saints (runners-up), Neath
Relegated: Haverfordwest County

IFA PREMIERSHIP
Champions: Linfield
Europa League: Crusaders (runners-up), Glentoran (third), Cliftonville (fourth)
Relegated: Newry City

DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
Welsh FA Cup: Llanelli 4-1 Bangor City
Welsh League Cup: The New Saints 4-3 Llanelli (after extra time)
IFA Cup: Linfield 2-1 Crusaders
Irish League Cup: Lisburn Distillery 2-1 Portadown

EUROPE
UEFA FINALS
Champions League: Barcelona (Spa) 3-1 Manchester United (Eng)
Europa League: FC Porto (Por) 1-0 Sporting Braga (Por)
Super Cup: Atletico Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Inter Milan (Ita)

MAJOR EUROPEAN LEAGUE WINNERS
Spain: Barcelona
Italy: AC Milan
Germany: Borussia Dortmund
France: Lille
Portugal: FC Porto
Holland: Ajax Amsterdam

Thursday, 26 May 2011

England face finalists in tough summer schedule

ENGLAND take on both World Cup finalists in all forms of the game in a tough summer ahead for the Ashes winners.

Sri Lanka provide the first opposition of the season in three Test matches, a Twenty20 international and five One-Day games.

And, from July to September, England take on ODI world champions India in four Test matches, a Twenty20 international and a six-match One-Day series.

For the record, the current ICC Test rankings put India top, Sri Lanka fourth with England in third after their 3-1 Ashes win over the winter.

The ODI rankings have India and Sri Lanka in second and third, and England down in fifth after a disappointing World Cup in which they were beaten by Bangladesh and Ireland.

England eventually bowed out of the tournament at the quarter finals stage - having got there with dramatic wins over Netherlands, South Africa and West Indies, and an incredible tie against India.

But, in the last eight, they were outclassed as the Sri Lanka openers pulverised the English bowlers for a crushing 10-wicket win.

Before England fans despair too much, though, they should consider that the heavy defeat in Colombo came in unhelpful conditions for seamers at the end of a long, hard Ashes winter.

Those extra obstacles are now not in England's way and, back on home soil, you can expect the team to play better.

Of course, there is actually little wrong with England's recent Test performances. Plenty of runs were made and wickets taken in three huge innings wins Down Under.

And Test captain Andrew Strauss proved he was not cowed by the Sri Lankans in scoring 151 in the first innings of a warm-up match for Middlesex in Uxbridge.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka still won that match by four wickets, and also achieved an unlikely victory in their other warm-up match against England Lions at Derby.

Following on 233 runs behind, openers Tharanga Paranvitana and Tillakaratne Dilshan both scored centuries as Sri Lanka scored 448 in their second innings.

The Lions were then bowled out 183 giving the tourists a confidence-boosting 38-run win after an uneasy period since their World Cup Final defeat in Mumbai.

Since the loss in early April, Sri Lankan cricket has been rocked by the resignations of captain Mahela Jayawardene and the country's four selectors.

At about the same time, there have also been unrelated match-fixing allegations made by former captain Hashan Tillakaratne and his ex-team mate Arjuna Ranatunga.

And the preparation for this tour has been curtailed by the desire of some of the players to continue playing in the Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga has retired from Tests to concentrate on the shorter formats while paceman Dilhara Fernando is struggling with a knee problem.

Already deprived of the retired genius Muttiah Muralitharan of course, the remaining attack looks like it could be a fertile source of runs for England's in-form batsmen.

Indeed, if the conditions allow it, the Test series should be a high-scoring affair with as Sri Lanka's batting is also clearly now their stronger hand.

The retirement of Paul Collingwood from Test cricket caused selectors a slight headache with Ravi Bopara in line to succeed him due to his ability to contribute to the bowling.

But Bopara was outplayed by Middlesex man Eoin Morgan in the Lions match against Sri Lanka with the Irishman making 195 in the first innings to get the nod.

As a result, England will line-up with just four bowlers. Three seamers from four - James Anderson, the fit-again Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett - will be complemented by spin from Graeme Swann.

It is a bit of gamble but the move should allow England to bat well down the order before taking advantage of helpful seam conditions.

Actually, a more fascinating facet of the current England squad is that there are now three captains: one for each form of the game.

While Strauss retains control of the Test team, Alastair Cook is now captain of the One-Day team in place of Strauss despite having failed even to make the World Cup squad. Stuart Broad is the new Twenty20 skipper in place of Collingwood.

A split captaincy is often a controversial move as there is the immediate possibility than one man will undermine another.

The dynamics of it certainly did not work in the early 2000s when Nasser Hussain was Test captain and Michael Vaughan was ODI skipper.

History suggests that the responsibility must ultimately lie with one man as it did when Vaughan soon took over both roles from Hussain.

And it would come as no surprise if that was the eventual outcome on this occasion, too.

Prediction: England 2-0 Sri Lanka in Tests. Sri Lanka to win 4-1 in the ODI matches.

ENGLAND'S SUMMER FIXTURES
England v Sri Lanka
Test matches
26-30 May First Test at Cardiff
3-7 June Second Test at Lord's
16-20 June Third Test at the Rose Bowl
Twenty20 international
25 June at Bristol
One-Day Internationals
28 June First ODI at the Oval
1 July Second ODI at Headingley
3 July Third ODI at Lord's
6 July Fourth ODI at Trent Bridge
9 July Fifth ODI at Old Trafford

England v India
Test matches
21-25 July First Test at Lord's
29 July-2 August Second Test at Trent Bridge
10-14 August Third Test at Edgbaston
18-22 August Fourth Test at the Oval
Twenty20 international
31 August at Old Trafford
One-Day Internationals
3 September First ODI at Durham
6 September Second ODI at the Rose Bowl
9 September Third ODI at the Oval
11 September Fourth ODI at Lord's
16 September Fifth ODI at Cardiff

Ireland v England
One-Day International
25 August in Dublin

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Superinjunction farce leaves Giggs exposed

THE WORST-kept secret in Britain was blown out the water yesterday when a Liberal Democrat MP used parliamentary privilege to expose Ryan Giggs as the married Premier League footballer hiding his affair behind a superinjunction.

John Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley, revealed that Giggs was the man at the centre of the gagging order during an urgent questions session at the House of Commons.

But, while Mr Hemming's revelation was an unexpected part of the debate, it came as no great surprise to the many people who were already aware of Giggs' name being used in relation to this on Twitter.

Mr Hemming was able to make his statement without fear of prosecution for contempt of court as he is afforded the protection of absolute privilege in the Commons.

However, that protection does not extend to the media in areas of strict liability such as contempt.

And so that meant the BBC was originally in the frankly farcical position of being able to tell us an MP had blown Giggs' cover but without using the Welsh footballer's name.

Meanwhile, the superinjunction officially remained in place, much to the frustration of the Sun newspaper who had appealed twice to the High Court to have it removed - but failed both times.

The second of these failures came just minutes before Mr Hemming stood to speak in the Commons. 

And so, this morning, in a rare show of unity in strength by the national press - albeit perhaps an unintentional one - every newspaper had Giggs on its front page.

But, despite the Sun's attempts in the courts, top marks must actually go to the sub editors at the Mirror for their brilliant pun, 'Naming Private Ryan'.

Of course, Giggs is not the only philanderer failing to keep his name out of the public eye with the use of a superinjunction.

Last week, the former boss of collapsed bank RBS, Fred Goodwin, was similarly 'outed' in Parliament when Lib Dem peer Lord Stoneham used absolute privilege to reveal his name during a debate in the Lords.

And, earlier this month, BBC presenter Andrew Marr was technically in contempt of his own gagging order after he performed a spectacular U-turn by revealing the details of his affair himself.

"I did not come into journalism to go around gagging journalists," Marr told the Daily Mail, rendering his superinjunction invalid.

But, as the latest issue of Private Eye magazine succinctly pointed out, he had in fact spent the last three years of his career doing exactly that.

Now, the real issue here - as is often the case with media furores - is one of the public interest - i.e. is it in the public interest that people know about these affairs or is the right to a private life a more important consideration?

Well, the answer usually lies somewhere in between but, in the Marr case, the superinjunction should surely never have been imposed as the sheer hypocrisy of it absolutely wreaked.

As Private Eye notes, Marr is "a hack of three decades-standing, a respected writer on the history of journalism and a former political editor responsible for countless ministerial grillings".

And the satirical fortnightly magazine also reveals a Marr quote in which he opposes exactly the sort of gagging order which he himself had used.

"There is an argument about whether to allow a judge-made law to accumulate or to have a clean, honest, open debate in Parliament," Marr has said.

"I'm on enough of a traditionalist to believe that is what should happen rather than allow it to be settled by judges."

As for the other cases detailed in this blog, there is a compelling argument for Goodwin's injunction being overturned in that his affair took place in the months leading up to the collapse of his ailing bank.

The Giggs case is less clear cut than those of 'jug ears' Marr and Fred 'the Bed' Goodwin - but it is still wrong that some rich people use the law as a playtoy while other less fortunate have their private lives exposed.

Of course, the three cases mentioned here are just a drop in an ocean of gagging orders.

For a start, Private Eye states it is aware of no fewer than 53 superinjunctions and the nature of these instruments often means that the media cannot even mention that there is a court order in place.

Perhaps most importantly, it should be pointed out that not all of these injunctions will simply be a Who's Who gallery of shaggers.

Some of the orders will be protecting companies like Trafigura who used a superinjunction to hide the fact that they had been charged with dumping toxic waste off the coast of west Africa.

In line with events this week, this gag was also unmasked by a combination of 'mischievous' Twitter users and Paul Farrelly MP in Parliament.

It is becoming pretty clear that even superinjunctions are no guarantor of keeping your name out of the public spotlight.

That news will not sadden any journalists out there - especially considering the fact that these gagging orders are often evidently being used when the details are in the public interest.

Perhaps those who feel they have been mistreated by the media should use the law already in place to make their point, rather than hiding behind the gagging orders.

For the avoidance of doubt, the existing law is article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to privacy...

This is balanced, of course, by article 10 - the right to freedom of expression.

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

The Season 2010/11: Birmingham and Blackpool drop in dramatic finale

Premier League
Final table
SURVIVAL Sunday lived up to its SkySports-hyped billing for once as the Premier League relegation battle went right to the wire.

In the end, Carling Cup winners Birmingham City and, perhaps inevitably, Blackpool were the teams to drop but only after a dramatic and constantly-changing couple of hours.

After a quiet opening in all of the games, Blackburn Rovers struck first against fellow relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers with Jason Roberts getting the goal.

But, at about the same time, Blackpool fell behind to champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, meaning Wolves were still safe.

That had changed by half-time, though, as Charlie Adam curled in a wonderful free-kick to bring the Seasiders level and Wolves conceded another two goals to trail 3-0 at Molineux.

It meant that, as the sides went into break, Wolves were going down with Wigan Athletic who were drawing 0-0 with Stoke City while Blackburn, Blackpool and Birmingham were safe.

There was early drama in the second half, though, as goal-shy Birmingham went 1-0 down against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane thanks to Roman Pavlyuchenko's strike.

The Russian's goal meant that the Blues were heading down with Wigan and that Wolves were off the hook despite their embarrassing first half performance.

Indeed, Blackpool's situation briefly got even better when Gary Taylor-Fletcher gave Ian Holloway's men a 2-1 lead but the leaky Tangerines defence soon gave Anderson too much space to make it 2-2.

A 74th-minute Ian Evatt own goal sent Blackpool tumbling back into the bottom three and spoilsport substitute Michael Owen then made sure of the demotion by scoring a fourth Man United goal.

Brave Blackpool's attempts of staying up were over but, even going into the last 10 minutes of the season, the other place remained undecided.

Wolves had improved their chances of staying up by closing the gap to 3-1 behind against Blackburn after a clever free-kick which allowed Jamie O'Hara to stroke the ball home.

However, their dreadful first half performance still looked like it was going to cost them when Birmingham grabbed an equaliser through Craig Gardner and Hugo Rodallega headed Wigan into the lead at Stoke.

Wigan withstood some late pressure from the Potters and held on to ensure there will be a seventh consecutive season of Premier League football at the DW Stadium next season.

And, then, it all changed between the Midlands clubs. First, Wolves pulled another goal back through a fine Stephen Hunt curler meaning the Molineux club, despite losing, were staying up all of a sudden - above the Blues on goals scored.

Birmingham knew that they had to score themselves but, as their game went into stoppage time and the centre-backs were sent forward on a desperate mission, Spurs applied a sucker punch.

Pavlyuchenko scored his second goal of the game and Birmingham were condemned to the Championship alongside Blackpool and West Ham United.

Wigan had worked some final-day magic once again while Wolves had stayed up despite defeat against Blackburn, who were never in serious trouble.

Rather oddly, of course, Birmingham will be in the Europa League with their conquerors Tottenham after their Carling Cup win in February as they became the first club since Norwich City in 1985 to win a Cup and go down.

The last-day results confirmed that Spurs finished above Liverpool in fifth, having suffered just one defeat in the league at home all season, as the Reds lost 1-0 to Aston Villa.

Above that battle, Manchester City continued their strong finish to the season with a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers to claim third place ahead of Arsenal.

Indeed, Roberto Mancini's FA Cup winners ended the season level on points with runners-up Chelsea after the Blues lost their ninth league game 1-0 at Everton who finished seventh.

That result proved terminal for Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked by owner Roman Abramovich barely an hour after the game had ended.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, with just two wins in their last 11 league games, only just rescued a point against Fulham thanks to Theo Walcott's late goal in a 2-2 draw.

And the fourth-placed finish for the Gunners means the London club will face a potentially tricky Champions League qualifier early next season.

The Championship
Final table
SWANSEA CITY will take on Reading in the Championship playoff final at Wembley after both clubs won the second leg of their semi finals to progress.

Both first-leg matches - Nottingham Forest v Swansea City and Reading v Cardiff City - had finished 0-0, leaving the two Welsh clubs with a clear advantage.

But, while Swansea coped with the pressure well, Cardiff could not and Dave Jones' men failed in the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

Swansea had survived playing the first leg with 10 men for virtually the whole game after Neil Taylor was sent off after 52 seconds.

Brendan Rogers' men seemed to cope quite well with their deficit in numbers in the first half but Billy Davies' Forest applied plenty of pressure after the break.

Their failure to make the breakthrough left Swansea confident that they would be able to win the tie at home in the second leg.

And it was no surprise to see the Swans make a cracking start in front of a lively atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium.

Leon Britton curled a brilliant opener before Stephen Dobbie sprinted past Guy Moussie to fire in a second.

However, the match was a much more even contest than the score suggested. Forest had two penalty appeals turned down and hit the woodwork three times through David McGoldrick, Lewis McGugan and Robbie Earnshaw.

Former Cardiff striker Earnshaw gave Forest the chance of forcing extra time with a goal 10 minutes before the end.

But it was confirmed that the Forest play-off hoodoo - four semi final defeats in four attempts - would continue when Darren Pratley scored from the half-way line with Lee Camp out of his goal.

Pratley's strike brought to an end a pulsating, quite breathtaking game which the other semi final could not match for drama.

After Cardiff had held Reading at home 0-0, the Bluebirds should have been favourites for the tie.

However, a poor late run of form in the season meant confidence was fragile and it took another hit when club captain Craig Bellamy was ruled out of the second leg altogether with a hamstring injury.

The Royals seized on Cardiff uncertainty as Shane Long put the Berkshire club ahead after a mix-up between Kevin McNaughton and his goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.

Long scored a second on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot after Dekel Keinan had brought down Matt Mills with a shirt-tug.

And, with Cardiff struggling to make any impact, the tie was sealed in the closing minutes when Jobi McAnuff kept his balance to fire past Bywater after a 30-yard run.

Earlier, in the regular season, Queens Park Rangers had their promotion and league championship confirmed just minutes before their final league match.

Rangers had feared a points deduction after breaching regulations in the 2009 signing of Alejandro Faurlin.

But, after one-day delay in the verdict from the hearing, the FA decided not to take any points away from Neil Warnock's men but to fine them £875,000 instead.

Norwich City will join QPR and either Reading or Swansea in the Premier League next year while Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United and Preston North End were relegated to League One.

League One
Final Table
FREE-SCORING Peterborough United face Huddersfield Town in the League One playoff final at Old Trafford after both clubs scrambled through exciting semi finals.

Posh beat Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 at London Road to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg.

Craig Mackail-Smith scored his 34th goal of the season to add to Grant McCann's early free-kick as Darren Ferguson's men gave themselves a chance of an immediate promotion back to the Championship.

It was a far cry from the first leg at Stadium:mk where the home-side scored three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second-half to take control of the tie.

However, Posh remained in touch in that game thanks to Mackail-Smith's early goal and McCann's late penalty, leaving them only one goal down going into the decisive second-leg.

The second-leg was barely decisive in the other semi final as Lee Clark's Huddersfield and Lee Bradbury's Bournemouth went toe-to-toe until the very end.

After the first leg had finished 1-1, this dramatic tie remained on a knife-edge as two Steve Lovell goals helped the Cherries twice come from behind to force the match into extra time.

Lee Peltier and a Danny Ward penalty had given the Terriers the lead but the west Yorkshire club fell behind for the first time in the tie early in extra time when Danny Ings headed Marc Pugh's inch-perfect cross.

However, Bournemouth's joy was short-lived when Antony Kay replied with another header to make it 3-3 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.

Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men before the extra period was finished, Jason Pearce having been shown a straight red for a studs-up challenge, but Huddersfield could not take advantage.

And so, onto penalties which manager Clark had said his Huddersfield team had been practising.

The practice made perfect, so it seems, as the four Terriers players all scored while Bournemouth's Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson missed for the cruelest of exits. Huddersfield, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten league run to 27 games.

Another club who made a cruel exit in the regular season were Dagenham and Redbridge who, despite a tiny budget, still had hopes of survival going into the final day.

However, a 5-0 defeat at Peterborough on the final day ended the Daggers' dream as their hosts racked up their 106th league goal of the season.

Dagenham thus join Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town in League Two with Walsall and Notts County just surviving.

Gus Poyet's Brighton and Hove Albion had of course won the division ahead of second-placed Southampton who also gained automatic promotion.

League Two
Final Table
STEVENAGE have given themselves the chance of winning a second successive promotion in the League Two playoff final against Torquay United at Old Trafford.

The Boro, who won promotion as Blue Square Premier champions last season, have had a brilliant first year as a league club, knocking Newcastle United out of the FA Cup before finishing sixth.

That gave Graham Westley's men a playoff semi final place against Accrington Stanley who are also a fairly recent addition to the Football League.

But Stevenage proved stronger, taking advantage of two Stanley red cards to win the second-leg 1-0 for a 3-0 aggregate victory.

First half goals from Stacy Long and Joel Byrom had given Stevenage their comfortable first leg advantage but Stanley threatened a comeback at the Crown Ground.

That threat was ended once Joe Jacobson was sent off for a challenge on Lawrie Wilson and Sean McConville followed straightaway for an alleged punch.

Accrington's chances in the tie were effectively over and Chris Beardsley's late goal simply confirmed the Boro's progress.

Torquay, who were promoted from the Blue Square Premier themselves as recently as 2009, also enjoyed a relatively comfortable path to the final after a first-leg win against Shrewsbury.

The Gulls won 2-0 at Plainmoor thanks to first-half goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O'Kane, and a dominant display deserved even more goals.

The Shrews were well aware of their uphill task in the second leg and could not force an early breakthrough as the tie petered out as a contest.

It was a second disappointment for Shrewsbury in as many weeks after the Salop club only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day despite a 3-0 win over Oxford United.

That was because Wycombe Wanderers had held onto third spot with their own home win - a 3-1 success over Southend United - to join Chesterfield and Bury in League One next season.

But, while that came as no surprise, there was a shock at the other end of the table as Barnet pulled off a great escape.

The Bees won 1-0 at home to Port Vale thanks to Izale McLeod's penalty early in the second half while Lincoln City lost 3-0 against Aldershot at Sincil Bank to be relegated alongside Stockport County.

Blue Square Premier
Final Table
AFC WIMBLEDON reached the Football League just nine years after their formation following a dramatic penalty shootout win over Luton Town.

The Dons and the Hatters had finished in second and third in the final table so it was no surprise that they had beaten Fleetwood Town and Wrexham in the semi finals, respectively.

And, in the final itself at Eastlands, the two teams could not be separated after 120 minutes of action.

Dons' top scorer Danny Kedwell struck the decisive penalty, condemning Luton to a third successive season outside of the Football League.

For Wimbledon, though, this represents perhaps to end of the beginning of their task to regain their place at football's top table.

Their next aim: to get above Milton Keynes Dons - a task made all the more realistic by their rival's failure to progress through the League One playoffs. The two clubs are now just a single division apart.

Thursday, 19 May 2011

The Season 2010/11: Survival Sunday calculations

Premier League
Full Table
MANCHESTER UNITED secured an English-record 19th league title last weekend as a late Wayne Rooney penalty ensured the Red Devils came away with a 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men have finally overcome Liverpool's long-standing record thanks largely to a phenomenal home record in this season of 17 wins and a draw.

However, Man United's away record in the league has been less impressive with just five wins throughout the campaign - the same amount as Ian Holloway's Blackpool.

Ferguson's men produced another edgy away performance at Ewood Park, falling behind to a Brett Emerton first-half goal after a mix-up involving stand-in keeper Tomasz Kuszczak

But, Man United eased their way back into the contest and Rooney kept his cool to convert a 73rd-minute spot-kick and send the large travelling army of supporters into raptures.

Meanwhile, cross-city rivals Manchester City enjoyed the prelude to their FA Cup Final win over Stoke City by beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

A year ago, Peter Crouch scored the only goal as Spurs beat Man City late in the season to reach Europe's elite competition.

And Crouch was on target again in the repeat fixture - but, this time, he could only divert the ball into his own net, ensuring Roberto Mancini's men would finish somewhere in the top-four.

Indeed, Man City are now favourites to finish third after a second win over Stoke in a week took advantage of another Arsenal lapse after Arsene Wenger's men were beaten at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs had similarly been on an ill-timed poor run of form but Harry Redknapp's men at least beat a resurgent Liverpool team under Kenny Dalglish at Anfield to leapfrog their hosts into a Europa League spot.

And so, with most of the important matters at the top of the table already decided, attention will turn to an extraordinary situation at the bottom.

Five of the bottom six heading into Survival Sunday, as it stands, are separated by just a single point and many of the teams carry similar goal differences:

15Blackburn Rovers371010174357-1440
16Wolverhampton Wndrs37117194463-1940
17Birmingham City37815143656-2039
18Blackpool37109185374-2139
19Wigan Athletic37815143961-2239
20West Ham United (R)37712184367-2433

Selected final-day fixtures (kick-off: 4pm)
Manchester United v Blackpool
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur v Birmingham City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers

Only West Ham United have been so far relegated after a dreadful campaign, neatly summed up by their penultimate match against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium in which they gave away a 2-0 half-time lead.

That 3-2 win, thanks to two goals from Charles N'Zogbia and one from Connor Sammon, has given Wigan a chance of salvation heading into the last day.

However, as you can see, the permutations for each of the five teams involved are far from straightforward:

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Win (43 points)
- Definitely safe
Draw (41 points)
- Rovers will remain above Wolves on goal difference, and will be safe UNLESS Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan all win
Loss (40 points)
- Rovers will be relegated IF they suffer a particularly heavy loss AND two of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan draw
- Rovers will also be relegated IF they lose by any score AND two of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan win

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Win (43 points)
- Definitely safe
Draw (41 points)
- Wolves will remain below Blackburn on goal difference but will only be relegated IF two of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan win
Loss (40 points)
- If Wolves lose by one goal, they will be relegated IF two of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan win
- If Wolves lose by two or three-goal margins, they will be relegated IF Birmingham and Blackpool draw, OR one of those teams draws and Wigan win
- If Wolves lose by four+ goals, they will be relegated IF two of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan get a draw

BIRMINGHAM CITY
Win (42 points)
- The Blues will be safe UNLESS the Wolves-Blackburn match produces a winner AND both Blackpool and Wigan win by a greater margin than Birmingham
Draw (40 points)
- Birmingham will be relegated IF both Blackpool and Wigan win. Also relegated IF one of Blackpool and Wigan wins UNLESS Wolves are beaten by two goals
Loss (39 points)
- Birmingham will be relegated IF both Blackpool and Wigan draw OR they suffer less severe defeats - Blackpool need to be one-goal better while Wigan need to be two-goals better off.
- Birmingham will also go down IF either Blackpool or Wigan draw AND the other escapes with the aforementioned narrower defeat than Blues

BLACKPOOL
Win (42 points)
- Blackpool will be safe UNLESS the Wolves-Blackburn match produces a winner AND Birmingham and Wigan both win. Note: Wigan require a greater margin of victory than Blackpool.
Draw (40 points)
- Blackpool will be relegated if Birmingham draw or win OR Wigan win UNLESS Wolves are beaten by two goals
Loss (39 points)
- Blackpool will be relegated UNLESS Wigan also lose AND Birmingham lose by at least one more goal than Ian Holloway's men

WIGAN ATHLETIC
Win (42 points)
- Wigan will be safe UNLESS the Wolves-Blackburn match produces a winner AND Birmingham and Blackpool both also win
Draw (40 points)
- Wigan will be relegated IF both Birmingham and Blackpool draw
- Wigan will also be relegated IF one of Birmingham or Blackpool also draws UNLESS Wolves are beaten by four goals
Loss (39 points)
- Wigan will be relegated UNLESS both Birmingham and Blackpool lose by at least two goals more than the Latics

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

London 2012: Detailed torch route announced


**UPDATE (19/03/2012)**: Street-by-street routes have now been provided. Details can be found here on the BBC News website.


FROM Land's End to the Outer Hebrides, and the Orkney Isles to the Channel Isles, the Olympic torch will weave its path across the whole of the United Kingdom this time next year.

Starting in Land's End in Cornwall, the torch will be carried through Plymouth and Exeter in Devon, Taunton in Somerset, then Bristol and Cheltenham in its opening few days.

It will then travel to Worcester before a four-day sojourn in Wales where it will visit Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Bangor.

Heading back over the border to Chester, the torch then visits Stoke-on-Trent, Bolton and Liverpool before making its way across the Irish Sea for a day in the Isle of Man and four days in Northern Ireland - in Portrush, Londonderry, Newry and Belfast.

Day 20 gives the torch a rest before it is picked back up in Scotland where it will visit Glasgow, Inverness, the Orkney and Shetland Isles, the Isle of Lewis, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.

Crossing the border into north east England, the torch will visit Alnwick in Northumberland, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Durham and Middlesbrough.

Then, there is a brief excursion to the Yorkshire areas to take in Hull and York before it heads back towards the Scottish border to Carlisle and Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District.

From Cumbria, the torch moves south to Blackpool and Manchester and it will then be carried across the Pennines to Leeds and Sheffield.

A couple of days in Lincolnshire sees visits to Cleethorpes and Lincoln before several days in the midlands, taking in Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester.

The torch then heads east to Peterborough, Norwich, Ipswich, Chelmsford, and Cambridge on Day 50 of the tour.

Moving back inland again, the torch avoids London at that point instead to make appearances in Luton, Oxford, Reading and Salisbury.

The round-trip heads back to the south west to take in Weymouth and Portland where the Olympic sailing will be held, before being carried in Bournemouth and Southampton.

The two main Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey are next on the itinerary before the torch makes its way along the south coast via Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove, Hastings and Dover.

The torch nears London with trips to Maidstone and Guildford and then eventually it enters the capital on Saturday 21 June 2012 in Waltham Forest.

Bexley, Wandsworth, Ealing, Haringey and Westminster are the other areas of London in which the torch will be carried.

And it finally completes its journey of more than 8,000 miles at the Opening Ceremony of the Games at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on Friday 27 July 2012.

Olympic organisers hope that the torch tour will help to unite the country behind the Games with more than 8,000 "inspirational torchbearers" leading the way.

Half of the successful nominees carrying the torch will be aged between 12 and 24, and there are concerts planned on 66 of the 70 days. Nominations can be made through the Olympics website here.

However, the torch route has already caused consternation in the areas which have been missed out.

Indeed, Sunderland MP Julie Elliott used today's Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons to announce her disappointment that her city had not been included.

PM David Cameron replied that he was not aware of the omission and that he will try to get the route changed while organisers Logoc stress the details are not comprehensive and more places to be visited will be named shortly.

Meanwhile, more pressingly, the wait for ticket money to be taken from bank accounts is expected to go on until 10 June with ballot winners set to remain unaware of their events until 24 June.

The system came in for criticism after the ticket website came under severe strain on the deadline day, meaning the final deadline was pushed back by an hour to 1am on 27 April.

Applicants were also disappointed to hear from 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe that only about half of the tickets for big events would be available for "ordinary people" with the rest given over to sponsors.

Additionally, there were ticket limits of four per person for the most popular events such as the men's 100m final and the Opening Ceremony.

Most worryingly, there are reports of some people risking thousands of pounds without knowing how successful they will actually be due to nature of the ballot system.

Organisers have confirmed an official ticket re-sale will take place early next year but that still potentially leaves wildly successful applicants out of pocket for months.

It should be remembered, though, that the chances of everyone getting everything for which they asked are very slim.

And so, despite the announcement today of the torch tour, the overriding feeling currently is one of being in limbo rather than any building excitement - yet.


OLYMPIC TORCH TOUR DETAILS
MAY 2012
Sat 19 Land's End to Plymouth via Sennen, Newlyn, Penzance, Marazion, Rosudgeon, Ashton, Breage, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay, St Stephen, St Austell, Stenalees, Bugle, Lanivet, Bodmin, Liskeard, and Saltash
Sun 20 Plymouth to Exeter via Brixton, Yealmpton, Modbury, Kingsbridge, West Charleton, Chillington, Torcross, Stoke Fleming, Dartmouth, Totnes, Paignton, Torquay, and Teignmouth
Mon 21 Exeter to Taunton via Okehampton, Folly Gate, Hatherleigh, Merton, Great Torrington, Bideford, Sticklepath, Barnstaple, Wrafton, Braunton, Knowle, Ilfracombe, Combe Martin, Lynton, Lynmouth, Porlock, Minehead, Dunster, Carhampton, Washford, and Williton
Tue 22 Taunton to Bristol via Ilminster, Yeovil, Ilchester, Somerton, Street, Glastonbury, Coxley, Wells, Croscombe, Shepton Mallet, Frome, Southwick, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Bath, Bitton, Longwell Green, and Hanham
Wed 23 Bristol to Cheltenham via Flax Bourton, Backwell Farleigh, Backwell West Town, Nailsea, Failand, Leigh Woods, Bristol, Chippenham, Calne, Marlborough, Chiseldon, Wroughton, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Cirencester, Stroud, Painswick, Brockworth, and Shurdington
Thu24 Gloucester to Worcester via Maisemore, Hartpury, Corse and Staunton, Ledbury, Bartestree, Lugwardine, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Clee Hill, Cleobury Mortimer, Far Forest, Callow Hill, Bewdley, Kidderminster, Droitwich Spa, and Fernhill Heath
Fri 25 Worcester to Cardiff via Powick, Malvern, Malvern Wells, Ross on Wye, Monmouth, Raglan, Abergavenny, Brynmawr, Blaenavon, Abersychan, Pontypool, and Newport
Sat 26 Cardiff to Swansea via Dinas Powys, Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert, Ynyswen, Treorchy, Nant-y-moel, Ogmore Vale, Bryncethin, Bridgend, Laleston, Pyle, Margam, Taibach, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry, and Neath
Sun 27 Swansea to Aberystwyth via Llanelli, Burry Port, Kidwelly, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Newport, Cardigan, Sarnau, Brynhoffnant, Llanarth, Aberaeron, Llanon, and Llanrhystud
Mon 28 Aberystwyth to Bangor via Bow Street, Tal-y-bont, Tre Taliesin, Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Llan Ffestiniog, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Porthmadog, Criccieth, Pwllheli, Bontnewydd, Caernarfon, and Y Felinheli
Tue 29 Beaumaris to Chester via Menai Bridge, Conwy, Deganwy, Llandudno, Penrhyn Bay, Rhos on Sea, Colwyn Bay, Old Colwyn, Abergele, Towyn, Kinmel Bay, Rhyl, Rhuddian, Connah's Quay, Shotton, Queensferry, Hawarden, and Saltney
Wed 30 Chester to Stoke-on-Trent via Wrexham, Rhostyllen, Acrefair, Trevor, Oswestry, Pant, Llanymynech, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Cressage, Much Wenlock, Benthall, Broseley, Ironbridge, Telford, Newport, Gnosall, Haughton, Stafford, and Shelton
Thu 31 Stoke-on-Trent to Bolton via Cobridge, Burslem, Middleport, Crewe, Congleton, Macclesfield, Knutsford, Runcorn, Widnes, Warrington, Lowton, Abram, Wigan, Scholes, Ince, Hindley, and Westhoughton

JUNE 2012
Fri 1 Bolton to Liverpool via Horwich, Chorley, Euxton, Croston, Burscough, Ormskirk, Southport, Ainsdale, Formby, Crosby, St Helens, Huyton, Knotty Ash, Old Swan, Liverpool, and Birkenhead
Sat 2 Liverpool to Isle of Man via Douglas, Laxey, Onchan, Ballasalla, and Castletown
Sun 3 Belfast to Portrush via Holywood, Bangor, Newtownards, Comber, Dundonald, Stormont, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Glynn, Larne, Drains Bay, Ballygally, Glenarm, Carnlough, Glenariff, Cushendall, Ballycastle, Dervock, and Bushmills
Mon 4 River Bann to Londonderry via Coleraine, Articlave, Castlerock, Downhill, Ballerena, Limavady, Ballykelly, and Greysteel
Tue 5 Londonderry to Newry via New Buildings, Magheramason, Bready, Ballymagorry, Strabane, Sion Mills, Omagh, Dromore, Irvinestown, Enniskillen, Fivemiletown, Clogher, Augher, Aughnacloy, Caledon, Armagh, Portadown, Gilford, and Banbridge
Wed 6 Newry to Belfast via Lisburn only
Thu 7 Newcastle to Moorfields via Dundrum, Clough, Downpatrick, Crossgar, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, Templepatrick, Antrim, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, and Ballymena
Fri 8 Stranraer to Glasgow via Cairnryan, Ballantrae, Girvan, Turnberry, Maidens, Kirkoswald, Maybole, Alloway, Ayr, Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs, Stewarton, Dunlop, Barrmill, Beith, Lochwinnoch, Kilmacolm, Port Glasgow, Rutherglen, Glasgow, and Giffnock
Sat 9 Glasgow to Inverness via Bearsden, Clydebank, Dumbarton, Luss, Tarbet, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Glencoe, North Ballachulish, Fort William, Spean Bridge, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Lewiston, and Drumnadrochit
Sun 10 Kirkwall to Lerwick
Mon 11 Stornoway to Aberdeen via Inverness, Aviemore, Carrbridge, Grantown-on-Spey, Tomintoul, Crathie, Ballater, Dinnet, Aboyne, Kincardine O'Neil, Banchory, Drumoak, Peterculter, Bieldside, and Cults
Tue 12 Aberdeen to Dundee via Stonehaven, Marykirk, Hillside, Montrose, Brechin, Forfar, Meigle, Coupar Angus, Woodside, Burrelton, Balbeggie, Scone, Scone Palace, Perth, Abernethy, Newburgh, Cupar, Dairsie, Guardbridge, and Leuchars
Wed 13 St Andrews to Edinburgh via Milnathort, Kinross, Crook of Devon, Alloa, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Stirling, Cumbernauld, Larbert, Camelon, Falkirk, Skinflats, Cairneyhill, Crossford, Dunfermline, Hopetoun House, and Broxburn
Thu 14 Edinburgh to Alnwick via Duddingston, Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Lasswade, Loanhead, Bilston, Milton Bridge, Penicuik, Eddleston, Peebles, Innerleithen, Walkerburn, Selkirk, Galashiels, Earlston, Gordon, Greenlaw, Duns, Chirnside, Foulden, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, and Bamburgh
Fri 15 Alnwick to Newcastle Upon Tyne via Hipsburn, Warkworth, Amble, Ashington, Newbiggin-By-The-Sea, Ashington, Choppington, Morpeth, Hartford, Bedlington, Blyth, Whitley Bay, Cullercoats, Tynemouth, North Shields, Howdon, and Wallsend
Sat 16 Gateshead to Durham via South Shields, Whitburn, Sunderland, Low Fell & Chowdene, Blaydon, Prudhoe, Stocksfield, Hexham, Riding Mill, Consett, Moorside, Castleside, Tow Law, Esh, Langley Park
Sun 17 Durham to Middlesbrough via Sherburn, Sherburn Hill, Haswell Plough, Peterlee, Horden, Blackhall Colliery, Hartlepool, Billingham, Sedgefield, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Middridge, Newton Aycliffe, High Beaumont Hill, Harrogate Hill, Darlington, and Stockton-on-Tees
Mon 18 Middlesbrough to Hull via Redcar, Marske-by-the-Sea, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Brotton, Carlin How, Loftus, Hinderwell, Lythe, Sandsend, Whitby, Pickering, Scarborough, Filey, Bridlington, and Beverley
Tue 19 Hull to York via Brough, Goole, Camblesforth, Selby, Monk Fryston, Barkston Ash, Tadcaster, Boston Spa, Wetherby, Harewood, Knaresborough, Harrogate, and Ripon
Wed 20 York to Carlisle via Thirsk, Northallerton, Aiskew, Bedale, Aysgarth, Leyburn, Richmond, Barnard Castle, Brough, Appleby-in-Westmorland, and Penrith
Thu 21 Dumfries to Bowness-on-Windermere via Annan, Eastriggs, Gretna, Carlisle, Wigton, Aspatria, Maryport, Flimby, Workington, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Keswick, Grasmere, and Ambleside
Fri 22 Kendal to Blackpool via Milnthorpe, Carnforth, Bolton-le-Sands, Hest Bank, Morecambe, Lancaster, Garstang, St Michael's On Wyre, Fleetwood, and Cleveleys
Sat 23 Lytham St Anne's to Manchester via Warton, Preston, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Crawshawbooth, Reedsholme, Rawtenstall, Rochdale, Heywood, Bury, Whitefield, Prestwich, Higher Broughton, and Cheetham Hill
Sun 24 Salford to Leeds via Trafford, Moss Side, Rusholme, Longsight, Levenshulme, Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Marsh, Huddersfield, Brighouse, Halifax, Bradford, Keighley, Skipton, Ilkley, Headingley, Potternewton, Harehills, and Richmond Hill
Mon 25 Leeds to Sheffield via Hunslet, Beeston, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract, Ackworth, Lundwood, Cundy Cross, Barnsley, Darton, Kexbrough, Chapeltown, Ecclesfield, and Parson Cross
Tue 26 Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Rotherham, Templeborough, Dalton, Thrybergh, Conisbrough, Warmsworth, Doncaster, Armthorpe, Dunsville, Hatfield, Scunthorpe, Brigg, Wrawby, Immingham, and Grimsby
Wed 27 Grimsby to Lincoln via Louth, Legbourne, Withern, Maltby Le Marsh, Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe, Sutton-on-Sea, Mumby, Hogsthorpe, Ingoldmells, Winthorpe, Skegness, Wainfleet All Saints, Wrangle, Boston, Sleaford, and Bracebridge Heath
Thu 28 Lincoln to Nottingham via Saxilby, Darlton, East Markham, Tuxford, Kirton, Boughton, Edwinstowe, Mansfield, Kelham, Newark-on-Trent, Balderton, Grantham, and Radcliffe-on-Trent
Fri 29 Nottingham to Derby via Glapwell, Bolsover, Calow, Chesterfield, Matlock, Darley Dale, Bakewell, Buxton, and Ashbourne
Sat 30 Derby to Birmingham via Burton upon Trent, Streethay, Lichfield, Hopwas, Tamworth, Great Wyrley, Newtown, Bloxwich, Leamore, Birchills, Walsall, Willenhall, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Oldbury, West Bromwich, and Smethwick

JULY 2012
Sun 1 Birmingham to Coventry via Solihull, Earlswood, Redditch, Astwood Bank, Alcester, Evesham, Wickhamford, Broadway, Chipping Campden, Newbold on Stour, Alderminster, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, and Kenilworth
Mon 2 Coventry to Leicester via Rugby, Dunchurch, Northampton, Wellingborough, Isham, Kettering, Geddington, Corby, Dingley, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Foxton, Kibworth Harcourt, and Oadby
Tue 3 Leicester to Peterborough via Quorn, Loughborough, Hoton, Wymeswold, Asfordby, Melton Mowbray, Langham, Oakham, Uppingham, and Stamford
Wed 4 Peterborough to Norwich via Market Deeping, Thurlby, Bourne, Spalding, Moulton, Whaplode, Holbeach, Long Sutton, King's Lynn, South Wootton, West Rudham, East Rudham, Fakenham, Holt, Cromer, and Aylsham
Thu 5 Norwich to Ipswich via Acle, Filby, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Wrentham, Reydon, Southwold, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Aldeburgh, Wickham Market, Ufford, Melton, Woodbridge, and Felixstowe
Fri 6 Ipswich to Chelmsford via Colchester, Hatfield Peverel, Heybridge, Maldon, Rayleigh, Southend-on-Sea, Hadleigh, Basildon, Grays, Herongate, and Brentwood
Sat 7 Chelmsford to Cambridge via Harlow, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross, Hertford, Ware, Bishop's Stortford, Stansted Mountfitchet, Newport, Saffron Walden, Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, and Newmarket
Sun 8 Cambridge to Luton via St Ives, Huntingdon, Bedford, Cotton End, Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans, and Hemel Hempstead
Mon 9 Luton to Oxford via Dunstable, Milton Keynes, Bletchley, Buckingham, Winslow, Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury, Waddesdon, Bicester, Kirtlington, Woodstock, and Kidlington
Tue 10 Oxford to Reading via Abingdon, Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Nettlebed, Henley-on-Thames, Bisham Abbey, Maidenhead, Slough, Windsor, Egham, Ascot, and Bracknell
Wed 11 Reading to Salisbury via Theale, Thatcham, Newbury, Basingstoke, Kings Worthy, Winchester, Andover, Ludgershall, Tidworth, Amesbury, and the Winterbournes
Thu 12 Salisbury to Weymouth via Wilton, Barford St Martin, Fovant, Ludwell, Shaftesbury, Fontmell Magna, Iwerne Minster, Stourpaine, Blandford Forum, Winterborne Whitechurch, Milborne St Andrew, Puddletown, Dorchester, Winterbourne Abbas, Bridport, Chideock, Lyme Regis, Burton Bradstock, Abbotsbury, Portesham, Chickerell, Wyke Regis, and Portland
Fri 13 Portland Bill to Bournemouth via Southwell, Weston, Easton, Portland, Fortuneswell, Weymouth, Preston, Osmington, Winfrith Newburgh, Wool, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Stoborough, Wareham, Sandford, Lytchett Minster, Upton, Hamworthy, Poole, Ashley Cross, Branksome, and Wallisdown
Sat 14 Bournemouth to Southampton via Boscombe, Christchurch, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Totland, Yarmouth, Carisbrooke, Newport, and East Cowes
Sun 15 Southampton to Portsmouth via St Peter Port, St Helier, Fareham, Bridgemary, and Gosport
Mon 16 Portsmouth to Brighton and Hove via Petersfield, Rogate, Midhurst, Easebourne, Tillington, Petworth, Duncton, Chichester, North Bersted, South Bersted, Bognor Regis, Woodgate, Westergate, Arundel, Worthing, Lancing, and West Blatchington
Tue 17 Brighton and Hove to Hastings via Crawley, Copthorne, Felbridge, East Grinstead, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough, Lewes, Eastbourne, Pevensey Bay, Pevensey, Bexhill-on-Sea, and St Leonards-on-Sea
Wed 18 Hastings to Dover via Rye, Hamstreet, Ashford, Hythe, Sandgate, and Folkestone
Thu 19 Deal to Maidstone via Sholden, Sandwich, Great Stonar, Cliffsend, St Lawrence, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, St Peters, Cliftonville, Margate, Westgate-on-Sea, Birchington, Upstreet, Sturry, Canterbury, Thanington, Faversham, Challock, and Harrietsham
Fri 20 Maidstone to Guildford via Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Higham, Gravesend, Borough Green, Seal, Sevenoaks, Riverhead, Godstone, Bletchingley, Redhill, Reigate, Dorking, Westcott, Shere, and Godalming
Sat 21 Greenwich to Waltham Forest via Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Hackney
Sun 22 Redbridge to Bexley via Barking & Dagenham, and Havering
Mon 23 Lewisham to Wandsworth via Bromley, Croydon, Sutton, and Merton
Tue 24 Kingston to Ealing via Richmond, Hounslow, and Hillingdon
Wed 25 Harrow to Haringey via Brent, Barnet, and Enfield
Thu 26 Camden to Westminster via Islington, City, Southwark, Lambeth, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Kensington & Chelsea
Fri 27 Hampton Court to Olympic Stadium in Stratford

Saturday, 14 May 2011

Eurovision 2011: Azerbaijan surprise leaves Britain feeling Blue

AZERBAIJAN duo Ell and Nikki upset the odds to win their country a first-ever Eurovision title on Saturday in Duesseldorf's Espirit Arena.

Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, to give them their proper names, finished on 221 points, winning the contest with three rounds to go.

Great Britain could claim some credit for the Azerbaijani victory with Baku-born Nigar now living in Enfield in North London, but the United Kingdom's own competitor, boyband Blue, finished down in midtable.

Returning entrant Italy - who had not competed since 1997 - did well on its comeback, finishing runners-up on 189 points, four points clear of third-placed Sweden.

And 2004 winner Ukraine was third on 159 points - ahead of Denmark's appeal to the British vote with its group name, A Friend In London.

Remarkably, it was Bosnia-Herzegovina - down in sixth - who picked up the most instances of 12 points (five) in a much more even contest as compared to the previous two years.

In 2009, Norwegian Alexander Rybak smashed the record with 387 points for a margin of 169 over his nearest rival while last year's winner Lena Mayer of Germany was also comfortably clear of second-place.

Lena returned to the Eurovision fold this year - not only performing the opening act, as is custom, but hoping for a double-victory as Germany's entrant again.

Sadly for her, this year's song 'Taken By A Stranger' had none of the catchy bounce of 'Satellite' from last year and Lena was forced to settle for 10th.

That was still one place clear of the representatives from Blue, who proved they could not restore Eurovision glory with their entry, 'I Can'.

In fairness to Duncan James, Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe and Antony Costa, they did better on the scorecard than many recent British acts with the UK having finished bottom three times in the last six years.

But their uninspiring ballad, which had only reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart, always seemed destined for midtable fodder.

At least the UK had a bright start in the voting. Indeed, the UK were top after two rounds thanks to douze points from Bulgaria - but it proved to be the last maximum of the night for the Blue boys.

There was perhaps some consolation taken from Latvia's five points to the UK in the final round, an award which took the British to a nice, round 100 points.

Inevitably, Ireland's Jedward caught the mood of Eurovision a little better with a raucous performance of their latest single 'Lipstick'.

The popularity in the UK of Jedward - 19-year-old twin brothers John and Edward Grimes - from their role in last year's X Factor was clear as the UK gave Ireland 12 points, a move which was not reciprocated.

The Irish also got maximums from Scandanavian pair Denmark and Sweden, the song having since gone to the number one in the official charts of the latter.

However, it was not enough to give Ireland a seventh crown and the brothers had to settle for 119 points and eighth place, 102 behind winners Azerbaijan.

And so, thanks to the efforts of Ell and Nikki, next year's extravaganza will be held in Baku, at the crossroads of Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. Iran is one of the four countries to border the former Soviet state.

The unusual venue certainly adds an extra element to next year's contest which, thanks to acts like Jedward, remains as fun to watch as ever.


FINAL RESULT
01 AZERBAIJAN - 'Running Scared' by Ell and Nikki 221 points
02 ITALY - 'Madness of Love' by Raphael Gualazzi 189
03 SWEDEN - 'Popular' by Eric Saade 185
04 UKRAINE - 'Angel' by Mika Newton 159
05 DENMARK - 'New Tomorrow' by A Friend In London 134

06 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - 'Love In Rewind' by Dino Merlin 125
07 GREECE - 'Watch My Dance' by Loukas Giorkas feat Stereo Mike 120
08 IRELAND - 'Lipstick' by Jedward 119
09 GEORGIA - 'One More Day' by Eldrine 110
10 GERMANY - 'Taken By A Stranger' by Lena 107

11 UNITED KINGDOM - 'I Can' by Blue 100
12 MOLDOVA - 'So Lucky' by Zdob si Zdib 97
13 SLOVENIA - 'No One' by Maja Keuc 96
14 SERBIA - 'Caroban' by Nina 85
15 FRANCE - 'Sognu' by Amaury Vassili 82

16 RUSSIA - 'Get You' by Alexey Vorobyov 77
17 ROMANIA - 'Change' by Hotel FM 77
18 AUSTRIA - 'The Secret Is Love' by Nadine Beiler 64
19 LITHUANIA - 'C'est ma vie' by Evelina Sasenko 63
20 ICELAND - 'Coming Home' by Sjonni's Friends 61

21 FINLAND - 'Da Da Dam' by Paradise Oskar 57
22 HUNGARY - 'What About My Dreams?' by Kati Wolf 53
23 SPAIN - 'Que me quiten lo bailao' by Lucia Perez 50
24 ESTONIA - 'Rockefeller Street' by Getter Jaani 44
25 SWITZERLAND - 'In Love For A While' by Anna Rossinelli 19

--
Preview
SERBIA, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Hungary, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Greece all qualified in the first semi final at the Espirit Arena in Duesseldorf on Tuesday.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, Ukraine, Moldova, Sweden, Slovenia, Romania, Estonia and Denmark qualified on Thursday along with six-time winners Ireland who are represented this year by former X Factor contestants Jedward.

The main five broadcasters in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom - received an automatic bye to tonight's Final.

The UK is represented by boyband Blue while last year's champion Lena has taken the unusual step of personally defending her crown for Germany. Coverage on BBC1 begins at 8pm.


TONIGHT'S RUNNING ORDER
from the Espirit Arena in Duesseldorf

01 FINLAND - 'Da Da Dam' by Paradise Oskar
02 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - 'Love in Rewind' by Dino Merlin
03 DENMARK - 'New Tomorrow' by A Friend in London
04 LITHUANIA - 'C'est ma vie' by Evelina Sasenko
05 HUNGARY - 'What About My Dreams?' by Kati Wolf
06 IRELAND - 'Lipstick' by Jedward
07 SWEDEN - 'Popular' by Eric Saade
08 ESTONIA - 'Rockefeller Street' by Getter Jaani
09 GREECE - 'Watch My Dance' by Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike
10 RUSSIA - 'Get You' by Alexey Vorobyov
11 FRANCE - 'Sognu' by Amaury Vassili
12 ITALY - 'Madness of Love' by Raphael Gualazzi
13 SWITZERLAND - 'In Love for a While' by Anna Rossinelli
14 UNITED KINGDOM - 'I Can' by Blue
15 MOLDOVA - 'So Lucky' by Zdob si Zdub
16 GERMANY - 'Taken by a Stranger' by Lena
17 ROMANIA - 'Change' by Hotel FM
18 AUSTRIA - 'The Secret Is Love' by Nadine Beiler
19 AZERBAIJAN - 'Running Scared' by Ell and Nikki
20 SLOVENIA - 'No One' by Maja Keuc
21 ICELAND - 'Coming Home' by Sjonni's Friends
22 SPAIN - 'Que me quiten lo bailao' by Lucia Perez
23 UKRAINE - 'Angel' by Mika Newton
24 SERBIA - 'Caroban' by Nina
25 GEORGIA - 'One More Day' by Eldrine

The Season 2010/11 - FA Cup Final: Toure strikes again as Manchester City end their barren run

Manchester City 1 Y Toure 74
Stoke City 0

Manchester City Hart - Richards, Kolarov, Kompany, Lescott - De Jong, Barry (Johnson 73), Yaya Toure, Silva (Vieira 90+2) - Balotelli, Tevez (Zabaleta 87). Subs: Given, Milner, Dzeko, Boyata.
Stoke City Sorensen - Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson - Pennant, Whelan (Pugh 84), Delap (Carew 80), Etherington (Whitehead 62) - Walters, Jones. Subs: Nash, Collins, Diao, Faye. Booked: Huth, Wilkinson.
Attendance 88,643 at Wembley Referee Martin Atkinson (W Yorks) Kick-off 3pm
Live on ITV and ESPN

YAYA TOURE added to his Wembley goal collection as Manchester City beat Stoke City 1-0 to win the FA Cup for the first time since 1969.

Toure struck just as it looked as if Stoke were going to be able to force the match into extra time but this was a deserved win for Roberto Mancini's men.


PREVIEW
EITHER Manchester City or Stoke City will end their long wait for trophy success in the FA Cup Final this afternoon, live on ITV and ESPN (kick-off 3pm).

Man City, who start as favourites with the bookmakers, are aiming to win their first major prize since 1976 when they beat Newcastle United in the League Cup Final.

A cup win would cap a brilliant week at Eastlands after Roberto Mancini's secured Champions League football thanks to Peter Crouch's own goal on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Stoke have also confirmed their meteoric recent rise by reaching their first ever FA Cup Final in their 148-year existence.

Potters fans have to go even further back than Man City supporters for their last major trophy - back to the 1972 League Cup Final when Stoke beat Chelsea 2-1.

Since then, the Staffordshire club has fallen as low as 14th in the bottom tier in 1990/91, though recent seasons have been in a solely upward direction.

It all started when Stoke gained promotion to the surprise of many by finishing second to West Bromwich Albion in 2007/08.

Expected by many to go straight back down, Tony Pulis' men confounded their critics by finishing 12th in their first season back in the top flight as they comfortably avoided the drop.

The detractors then predicted that Stoke would suffer from so-called 'second season syndrome' but Pulis' men did nothing of the sort in 2009/10, improving their final placing to 11th.

This season, another improvement looks likely with Stoke lying in the top half after their impressive 3-1 home win over Arsenal.

Pulis' critics continue to complain that his team has only achieved success by playing a horrible long ball game but it would be harsh not to accept that this has been developed during their time in the top flight.

True, their sturdy defence remains as important as ever but now Stoke have a decent attack with Kenwyne Jones and Jonathan Walters supplied by wingers Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant.

All of those players may be pretty direct at times but they are a far sight better than constant Rory Delap throws - and probably more effective if the 5-0 semi final drubbing of Bolton Wanderers is anything to go by.

Of course, Stoke are not the only team in this Final with an image problem. Manchester City may have finally broken into the top four but it was perhaps typical that they made it via an own goal.

Since the arrival of Khaldoon Al Mubarak of the Abu Dhabi United Group, Man City have spent more than £300m on transfer fees alone.

It is a simply astonishing amount given that they currently remain 11 points adrift off their Manchester rivals in the league.

Indeed, even in victory, United can somewhat rain upon City's parade by winning a record 19th English league title earlier this afternoon against Blackburn Rovers at 12.45pm.

At least the Red Devils will not pick up their Premier League crown until next weekend regardless of what happens though it is disappointing, to say the least, that the FA Cup Final is being played alongside league matches.

Worse still, it was announced yesterday that the same thing will happen next season even though the FA does not have the excuse that Wembley will be hosting the Champions League Final, as it is this time.

Of course, neither Man City nor Stoke will worry too much about such matters as long as they win - particularly the former after their swashbuckling semi final success over Man United.

That level of performance is exactly what is expected of Man City on a more regular basis and, though Carlos Tevez was injured on that occasion, he is often vital to providing a focal point to their attacks.

This is especially the case if the three nominally defensive midfielders - Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry and Patrick Vieira - are all used by Mancini.

Indeed, you could even go as far as to say that the late fitness call on Tevez is more vital to Man City than the doubts over Robert Huth and Etherington are for Stoke.

Otherwise, it means the likes of Edin Dzeko, David Silva and trouble-maker Mario Balotelli take to the pitch knowing that they still have much to prove.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to argue this week that the Blue Moon is not finally ascendant and, as such, it should be the case that the investment of hundreds of millions of pounds will finally produce dividends.

Not before a tough, tight encounter, though. Prediction: 2-1 to Manchester City.


ROAD TO WEMBLEY
Manchester City
R3 Leicester City (a) drew 2-2
R3r Leicester City (h) won 4-2
R4 Notts County (a) drew 1-1
R4r Notts County (h) won 5-0
R5 Aston Villa (h) won 3-0
R6 Reading (h) won 1-0
SF Manchester United (w) won 1-0

Stoke City
R3 Cardiff City (h) drew 1-1
R3r Cardiff City (a) won 2-0 after extra time
R4 Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) won 1-0
R5 Brighton and Hove Albion (h) won 3-0
R6 West Ham United (h) won 2-1
SF Bolton Wanderers (w) won 5-0

PREVIOUS FA CUP FINALS
Manchester City
Four wins, one draw, four defeats
1904 won 1-0 v Bolton Wanderers (at Crystal Palace)
1926 lost 0-1 v Bolton Wanderers
1933 lost 0-3 v Everton
1934 won 2-1 v Portsmouth
1955 lost 1-3 v Newcastle United
1956 won 3-1 v Birmingham City
1969 won 1-0 v Leicester City
1981 drew 1-1 v Tottenham Hotspur [after extra time]
1981 replay lost 2-3 v Tottenham Hotspur

Stoke City
None