Arsenal reserve matchAvon Insurance Combination, 16 April 1997Cardiff City 1 Arsenal 3Just returned to the office having watched our reserves in action this afternoon against Cardiff City at Ninian Park.Spent a very enjoyable time sitting in the grandstand (along with quite a few Welsh Gooners!) watching the game. problem is though that the grandstand is on the west side of the stadium, and the east stand, which was bathed in sunshine, was closed. therefore we had to endure a rather chilly breeze. We started as follows:
Harper
Marshall Wicks Woolsey
Taylor Parlour
Shaw Selley Merson
Rankin Anelka
The first half was brisk enough, with Anelka showing some great class.
Our finishing was poor first half and we went in 1-0 down (penalty). At
half time in the directors bar (no restrictions for reserve games), I
was reminded
of another 1-0 scoreline in Cardiff's favour - by the miniature F.A. Cup
from 1927 in a glass showcase. A shirt once worn by great Welsh gunner
Derek Tapscott, was also on display.
Second half was much more lively, and a penalty equaliser soon followed, coolly put away by the Merse. I am sure Wenger had given him orders not to engage in any tackling, as every time a Cardiff player got the ball anywhere near him he seemed to politely wave them past! - he was still class in the midfield though, delivering some superb passes to Rankin and Anelka. It was Anelka who put us 2-1 up, and Ray who got the third - the game finished 3-1. It's nice to watch these "no pressure" type games. When the ball was being blasted over the bar, you could simply shrug your shoulders and think "better luck next time" - it will be a little different on Saturday though. You can also pay greater attention to the individual players. Other players on the bus were Tommy Black, Peter Clark and Paolo Vernazza, who all got a run out in the second half. I'm sure that the scientists back at THOF have perfected cloning - Ross Taylor is a dead ringer for Nige, plays in the same postion, similar haircut but not quite so tall - could be mistaken for each other from a distance, and even more amazingly, Scott Marshall is a complete replica of Tone, the way he plays, walks, looks, everything. Nice to know we have young players ready to fill the boots of some older chaps. I feel sure that Wenger is grooming Ray to take up the right-wing-back position next season from Lee Dixon. He covered for him earlier in the season, and was playing there today also. Report by Chris Parry Cardiff City 1(1) Arsenal 3(0) Dunno who scored for Cardiff (oops) Merson (pen), Anelka, Parlour Cardiff - John Rendall, Mark Evans, Jerome Jeremiah, John Hill, Lee Philips, Nathan Cadette, Leigh Vick, John Sanderson, Richard Dennis, Christian Roberts, Alan Clarke. On the bench were Karl Wedgebury, Gavin Smith, Dan Thomas Arsenal - Lee Harper, Ray Parlour, Ross Taylor, Scott Marshall, Jeff Woolsey, Matthew Wicks, Ian Selley, Paul Shaw, Nicolas Anelka, Isiah Rankin and Paul Merson. On the bench were Tommy Black, Perer Clark and Paulo Vernazza. We don't often get to see Gooners in these parts, so a trip to Ninian to watch a reserve game with a couple of big names was a treat to look forward to. I was surprised at just how many folks had come along to watch - there must have been between 150-200 spectators - half of whom were in the Arsenal shirts. First half was pretty even, with Cardiff going ahead through a mid half penalty. Both teams seemed lively, but Arsenal seemed to lack a killer instinct. Players seemed reluctant to go in for tackles, and I suppose, sensibly, seemed wary of getting injured. Merson played a steady first half, not overdoing it, but is clearly over the worst of his operation. As has been mentioned before, Anelka looked pure class. Ross Taylor was playing a Nutty role, which seemed to suit him - the guy looks, runs, walks and even has a haircut like Nutty. His corner taking was from the Nutty book of corners, and his final passing was generally accurate. Perhaps Highbury is perfecting cloning in some dark corner of Highbury. The first half passed off without too much incident. Anelka missed a couple of good chances, putting the ball wide right across the face of goal. Merson had a couple of speculative shots, with Rankin appearing to show the most spirit. The Cardiff keeper, John Rendall - apparently a lifelong Arsenal fan - was kept busy enough and made a couple of spectacular saves. This was his first match for Cardiff reserves - an impressive debut. The second half saw Arsenal step up a gear, and from a 50-50 first half, the second half was dominated by Arsenal Our first goal came from a penalty - Merson sending the ball slap bang into the middle of the net - the keeper had no chance. The goal seemed to settle the lads, and a more thoughtful, controlled game ensued. Geordie Armstrong kept on shouting for Parlour to get more involved and have a go at goal, but Parlour seemed happy enough playing down the wing laying on balls for Rankin, Anelka and Shaw. Wicks played well on the right, and showed plenty of determination. The second goal came from a bit of a scramble in the goalmouth with Rankin eventually laying on the ball for Anelka to pop into the net from 6 yards. The third from Parlour seemed to shut Armstrong up, and rounded off the afternoon nicely. Cardiff's team appeared more youthful than Arsenal's. They played a good game - and their passing seemed more fluent and accurate than the first teams. Two of their players stood out John Rendal(keeper) and Nathan Cadette. Nathan in particular. After the match the lads came out and signed shirts etc and I even managed to have a quick word with Merse regarding his possibility of playing on Saturday... A good afternoon's entertainment, and folks who live near Highbury don't know how lucky they are! report by Paul Nolan copyright belongs to original author where credited. otherwise © Rupert Ward, ArseWeb MMV ArseWeb is NOT the official Arsenal site. The (excellent) official site is here |