Teams
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Bould, Keown, Winterburn, Davis, Hillier,
McGoldrick, Parlour, Campbell, Dickov
Subs: Selley, Morrow, Bartram
Hartlepool: ? sorry forgot to bring programme in.
Result : Arsenal (0) 2 Hartlepool (0) 0
Scorers : Campbell 79, Dickov 89
Agg: 7-0
Bookings:
Att : 20520
Referee :
I guess this was one of those games which was never going to be totally
enthralling. The sort of match which, even before it starts, you ask
yourself just why you came. However, with lots of changes and
supposedly inferior opposition there ought to have been the potential
for a few goals. Adams, Wright, Schwarz and Merson all rested, Bould
and Keown in central defence, Campbell and Dickov up front, with a
midfield of Davis, Hillier, McGoldrick and Parlour, and Winterburn
captain for the night. You'd have thought some of the "fringe" players
would come out with something to prove, but in the first half at least
it didn't look much like it. Then again, perhaps we saw just why they
are fringe players.
Anyway, the first half was pretty uneventful, with the only noise coming from the Clock End where there was a bit of friendly chanting between the Arsenal and Hartlepool fans. "Boring, boring Arsenal" was countered with "Five nil to the Arsenal", which in turn received the optimistic riposte "Six nil to the Hartlepool". On the pitch, there wasn't a great deal to distract one's attention. There were a couple of nice moves down the right between Dixon and Parlour, though with the final ball in either being blocked or going behind the forwards. Parlour and McGoldrick swapped sides and a cross from Dixon towards Parlour at the far post resulted in the ball dropping nicely onto Pizza's left foot, but he blasted over the bar from six yards. Bould flicked on a corner which Dickov got to but headed wide of the far post. Towards the end of the half another good move down the right involving Hillier, Dixon and Campbell I think, briefly raised some excitement but two attempts to pull the ball back from the byline were well blocked by the Hartlepool defence. At the other end Hartlepool had one good spell where they might have scored with a bit of luck. First a long diagonal cross was left to each other by Seaman and Dixon to leave the Hartlepool player with a free header, but he put it well wide. Then another attack caused a lot of dithering and uncertainty in the Arsenal defence before the ball was finally cleared.
Presumably George had a bit of go at the players, because after the break there was a definite improvement. The first to show was Eddie with a scintillating run into the box which ended in a drive which the keeper did very well to beat out. Another reasonable attack down the left looked to have broken down, but a defender was caught in possession in the box by a Davis challenge. The ball broke to Campbell with only the keeper to beat from about 10 yards. He carefully steered the ball inches wide of the far post. It was one of those chances where he had too much time and space. It seems to me that if he gets time think about where he's going to place the ball then he usually misses. If he has to react instantaneously, more often than not he'll score. There were a few morons booing him after this, but outnumbered by those telling them to shut up. As time began to run out the Gunners got more desperate for a goal, and eventually it arrived courtesy of a Bould flick on at a McGoldrick corner. Dickov, twisting backwards, did well to direct a header against the bar, and Campbell got above a pair of defenders to nod the rebound into the net. Soon afterwards he almost got another. After himself doing well to send Parlour away down the right, he carried on to the far post to meet the centre with a header which he nicely lobbed back over the keeper, but which unfortunately just dropped onto the top of the bar. A minute from time, the scoreline was made to look almost respectable. From a corner on the right Davis took a short return from Campbell and lifted his cross to the far post, where who else but Bould was waiting to head back towards goal. Dickov nipped in to head unchallenged past the keeper from about 5 yards.
Overall not a very good performance from Arsenal and there was a brief airing of "Georgie, get yer checkbook out" from the Clock End. To my eyes, Dixon was possibly the only exception to the general mediocrity of the first half. There was a general improvement in the 2nd, with Parlour in particular, Hillier and McGoldrick all having their moments. The, err.., little white hope Dickov didn't impress until the latter part of the second half. Early on particularly his first touch and passing were poor, but he did have some good moments late in the match. The real plus was the return of Baldy. He looked a bit uncertain a couple of times early on, but later was his old self, and those flick-ons at corners are a real bonus.
Report by Derek Brownjohn