FA Premier Academy League - Arsenal v Blackburn 01/05/99

FA Premier Academy League, 3rd round play off, Sat 1 May 1999

Arsenal 2 (2) Blackburn Rovers 2 (0)

(After extra time, 1-1 after 90 mins, Blackburn win 6-5 on penalties)

Scorers: Noble ~20, Carlin Itonga ~100

Att: ~100?

Arsenal: Graham Stack; Keith Fahey, Rohan Ricketts, Liam Chilvers, Greg Oates; David Noble (John Spicer ~80), Stephen Sidwell, Jermaine Brown (Cedric Itonga ~85), Jermaine Pennant (Carlin Itonga ~60); Graham Barrett, Joe Kuffour

Arsenal again started with what was probably close to the strongest side available, with Jay Bothroyd and Leon Britton away with the England squad in the Czech Republic for the European Under 16 championships. Against a Blackburn team with players significantly bigger on average, Arsenal played the better football and on their first half performance should have won, but eventually lost on penalties.

The young Gunners started off well, and more or less completely dominated the first half, but only had one goal, a lovely shot from a free kick, to show for it. Pennant played mostly on the right, but it was on one of the occasions he drifted over the other side that Arsenal's best early chance came. Pennant cut in from left and went round a challenge in the edge of the area to leave himself with a decent chance, but he shot straight at the keeper.

Soon afterwards Kuffour very nearly put the young Gunners in front with a brilliant effort. He got past a defender on the left, and cut in before firing in a superb left foot shot from the edge of the area which smacked against the near post and straight out again to be cleared to safety. I think it was Kuffour who was involved again later on another Arsenal break when he flicked a ball into the box to pick out the right back Ricketts who'd made a forward run. He was left with a decent chance but hurried his shot and again it went straight at the keeper.

The deserved breakthrough eventually came midway through the half when Arsenal were awarded a rather dubious free kick a few yards outside the area. The free kick was tapped short and stopped for Noble to hit a brilliant curling shot into the top left hand corner of the net, leaving the keeper little chance.

Arsenal had chances to increase their lead before half time. On another break Kuffour got away, the keeper came out to block well on the edge of the area, and Kuffour hooked the loose ball past the keeper and a defender, but it bounced just the wrong side of the post. There was then a real goalmouth scramble with I think Kuffour and Ricketts both having shots saved by the keeper and blocked respectively, before Sidwell hit a final shot wide. Arsenal also worked some good moves down either flank, Barrett and Brown both doing well, dribbling in from the left, but on both occasions their low crosses evaded the inrushing red shirts at the far post.

At the other end Blackburn were barely in evidence for most of the first half, their only threats coming when the odd free kick or corner was lofted into the box. From one of these, just after Arsenal's goal the ball was flicked on at the near post to the big no 10 at the far post, but his header glanced off the top of the crossbar. The only time Stack had a difficult save to make was when one of the Blackburn forwards was almost played in down the inside left channel, and Stack came out well to make a good save at his feet.

The second half was a somewhat different story. Arsenal still probably had more of the better chances, but the longer the half went on the more pressure Blackburn were able to apply as the home team tired and tended to try and defend their lead. Arsenal should really have put the result beyond doubt by then though. Pennant had picked up an injury about 10-15 minutes before half time, and tried to run it off until about 15 minutes into the second. He set up Kuffour with a good chance early in the 2nd half with a lovely pass forward which picked out the striker's run and left him clear. With the keeper coming out quickly he probably should have tried an early shot, but chose instead to try and round him, and the keeper made a good save at his feet.

Soon afterwards Pennant had to go off, and was replaced by Carlin Itonga who initially played in Pennant's place wide on the right. I think it was him who won the corner which Noble floated in from the right to pick out the centre half Chilvers in the middle, but under pressure from a defender his header went over the bar. Another Noble corner, from the left this time found Barrett unmarked in the middle and his header was on target and beat the keeper, but was cleared off the line by the defender guarding the far post.

Meanwhile Blackburn were coming much more into the match. A superb break down Arsenal's left ended with a low cross being whipped along the 6yd line, but it was missed by everyone, including two Blackburn forwards running in.

The clearer chances were still appearing at the other end though. Brown did very well down the left, got round a defender and cut in along the byline, but his pullback from just outside the 6yd box was just cleared by a defender with a red shirt waiting behind him. An intricate move down the inside right channel then played Kuffour, I think, in again, but having to hit a quick shot he again put it straight at the keeper.

The last 10-15 minutes of the second half though was more or less incessant Blackburn pressure. Arsenal were beginning to tire, Brown had an attack of cramp and was replaced by Cedric Itonga, and Sidwell was also substituted late on by John Spicer. Stack made one good save when a good move down the Blackburn right ended with the winger free wide of the 6yd box. Stack stood up well though, and the shot from an acute angle smacked against his chest. The equaliser eventually came about 5 minutes from time, and again it was a quick break down the Blackburn right which did the damage. A cross was whipped in, and the Blackburn player in the middle got in front of the defence and beat Stack to the ball at the near post to glance a header into the empty net.

Blackburn then looked the more likely winners, though Arsenal almost nicked it at the end of the 90 minutes when Carlin Itonga ran from left to right along the edge of the box before letting fly with a superb shot which may have been on target, but it took a deflection and fizzed a foot or two over the bar.

Extra time started with Blackburn continuing to look the stronger team, and they seemed to have the game won when they took the lead midway through the first period. Spicer gave the ball away just inside the Blackburn half, and a quick break down the left ended with another cross being whipped in towards the near post, and again the Blackburn player rushing in got his head to the ball first and glanced it into the far corner.

However, to their credit the young Gunners didn't buckle and the most experienced player in the team, Barrett now really came to the fore and took over the game. He dropped back into midfield, and I think it was his pass following a quick break out of defence by Spicer which sent Carlin Itonga clear. As the keeper dashed off his line to meet him at the edge of the box, Itonga nudged the ball past him and it rolled agonisingly slowly towards the far post. It eventually went in off the post and a defender's desperate effort to clear.

Arsenal then probably had slightly the better of the rest of the game, despite being effectively down to 10 men because the centre half Greg Oates was struggling with a leg injury and had to move up front, Arsenal having used all 3 subs. Cedric Itonga moved back into defence, and treated us to the rather funny sight of him marking Blackburn's giant centre forward. Must have been at least a foot difference in height.

Both teams had chances to have won the game in the 2nd period of extra time. Blackburn first had a break down the left which ended with a cross reaching the big no 10 unmarked at the far post. Somehow it was Arsenal's striker Kuffour who got back to put in a challenge which half blocked the shot, and Stack made a comfortable save. Arsenal's chance came a couple of minutes before the final whistle when I think Carlin Itonga got round a defender to the byline and chipped back a cross which Kuffour got a head to. He probably should have scored but his glancing header reached Oates at the far post, and the ball wouldn't quite bounce for the makeshift striker and he couldn't get in an effective shot.

So to penalties, and the first 5 for each side were scored remarkably emphatically, both keepers had little chance with any of them. Arsenal's scorers were Barrett, Fahey, Chilvers, Stack (the keeper!) and Cedric Itonga. The fateful 6th penalty was taken by Spicer and he put a rather tame shot to the right, and the keeper went the right way to make a relatively comfortable save. One of the Blackburn subs took their 6th kick and scored as emphatically as his teammates.

Derek

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