The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 16

THE GUARDIAN Tuesday January 10 1989 Soccer FA Cup Fourth round draw Sutton visit fantasy Hand on a day trip to Norwich 16 SPORTS NEWS David Lacey amounts to a parody of the long-ball style he introduced at Watford, who if they beat Newcastle tonight are at home to the winners of the replay between Southampton and Derby. These days Charlton Athletic and the FA Cup are rarely mentioned in the same breath, but with a home tie against Kettering or Halifax thoughts of Wembley should continue to brighten the gloomy tenancy at Selhurst Park. There is still a strong Yorkshire interest, with Bradford City best placed to make further progress. Their reward for beating Spurs is a home draw against Hull City. Reviving Leeds will not be overawed at the prospect of visiting Nottingham Forest, but Howard Wilkinson's previous team, Sheffield Wednesday, may struggle at Blackburn.

CUP Fourth round, Bradford City Hull City; Aston villa Wimbledon; Manchester utd or OPR Sunderland or Oxford Utd; Nottingham Forest Leeds Utd: Portsmouth or Swindon West Ham or Arsenal; Stoke City Barnsley; Plymouth West Bromwich or Everton; Grimsby Tranmere or Reading: Norwich City Sutton Utd; Hartlepool Bournemouth; Blackburn Rovers Shettleld Wednesday: Walsall or Brentford Manchester City; Newcastle utd or Watford Derby County or Southampton; Millwall Liverpool; Sheffield utd Colchester; Charlton Kettering or Halifax. Matches to be played on January 28. LUOINO ODDS 511 Liverpool: 132 Arsenal, Nottm Forest; 81 Everton. Aston Villa: 91 Norwich: 101 Man Utd; 201 Wimbledon; 221 OPR: 251 Shell Wed: 281 Charlton, Millwall, Man City; 331 Southampton; 401 Derby; 501 Bradford, Blackburn. Bournemouth.

Stoke; 661 Barnsley, Newcastle; 1001 Hull. Leeds, Shelf Utd. Watford. West Ham: 1501 Plymouth. Portsmouth, Swindon.

WBA. fensive weaknesses, especially in the air. Liverpool are still Cup favourites with the bookmakers but this may change if Arsenal, Manchester United, and Ever-ton win their replays. Arsenal ought to beat West Ham at Highbury tomorrow night, in which case they will travel to Swindon or Portsmouth confident that their good away form will see them in the last 16. Without Bryan Robson, United may struggle to survive at Queen's Park Rangers, but a home tie against Oxford United or Sunderland awaits them if they do.

Everton face the long trip to Plymouth if they dispose of West Bromwich Albion. So far only one big name, Tottenham, have disappeared from the competition and the rest have been kept apart for another round, which increases the prospect of a major confrontation at Wembley. At the same time, in addition to Millwall, a few of the less-fashionable teams have been provided with opportunities to tread more steps along the path to the final taken by Brighton, Watford, Coventry and Wimbledon. Wimbledon and Watford are still in the FA Cup, of course, and the holders must be confident of reaching the fifth round having already won at Villa Park this season. Graham Taylor, the Aston Villa manager, again finds himself confronted by what at times sulates the easy-come-easy-go nature of the competition.

BBC TV cameras will be at The Den to see Millwall take on Liverpool only seven days after ITV's coverage of the League game between Millwall and Norwich. Once upon a time only earnest interviewers from Panorama used to venture down Cold Blow Lane. Now Millwall, lying third in the table in their first season of First Division football, are occupying the centre of the stage for sound footballing reasons. On hearing the draw John Docherty, the Millwall manager, said he was happy to play another First Division team because there would be less risk of the players becoming complacent. There's cool for you.

Liverpool's feelings must be rather more mixed. Just when the grim memories of their defeat by Wimbledon in last season's FA Cup final were beginning to fade they have been handed another prickly encounter against a team even more likely, in the present circumstances, to demolish their hopes from a great height. In November Millwall had the better of a 1-1 draw at An-field and their form in the League has started to pick up again after a flat spell before Christmas. Of all the sides Liverpool might have met, Millwall are the team best equipped to exploit the champions' present de- SUTTON UNITED have to go to Norwich, but otherwise the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup has taken its cue from the results in the third. Once again some teams with serious hopes of reaching Wembley face awkward away ties, and again some of the less-fancied sides can see a way through.

After his team had beaten Coventry City at Gander Green Lane, Barrie Williams, the Sutton manager, was asked, inevitably, whom he would like in the next round. He replied that since his team had just knocked out the side lying fifth in the First Division anyone above them would do. Now Williams's wish has not only been granted but in drawing Norwich, another non-abrasive side, Sutton have been paired with the one team in the top four whose footballing style gives them the teeniest glimmer of a chance. "The fantasy continues," remarked Williams on hearing the draw. Norwich, who led the First Division until Christmas, might say the same.

The three big clubs involved in replays today and tomorrow each have the added incentive of earning themselves fourth-round ties against Second Division opposition, but television's choice for live coverage on Sunday, January 29 encap- McGrath future in the balance League defiance cuts referees' ban Gola rusn Tom Kaihman Montana on his four-yard touchdown run to help take the 49ers to Miami proves too hot for the Bears MarkTran reports on how San Francisco and Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl Patrick Glenn TWO top-class referees were spared the embarrassment of a lengthy suspension yesterday because the Scottish League, on their behalf, took the unprecedented step of telling the Scottish FA that it would be defied. Kenny Hope and Louis Thow, both Grade One officials, were involved in incidents in matches between Rangers and Aberdeen this season. They expected the SFA to recommend to the league that they be left off the next ballot, resulting in a lay-off of six weeks. Both incidents attracted much publicity and there was widespread unease that the referees had been tried by press and television. The SFA secretary, Ernie Walker, had told reporters in Italy almost three weeks ago that the Referee and Disciplinary Committee would be suspending the referees.

But yesterday it was decided Hope and Thow should instead be dropped from this season's Scottish Cup. That is hardly Cynthia Batwnan PAUL McGRATH, who shocked Manchester United by pulling out of the FA Cup tie against Queen's Park Rangers just before the kick-off on Saturday, was called into a meeting at Old Trafford yesterday with the club's manager, Alex Ferguson, chief executive, Martin Edwards, and a players' union representative. United are expected to issue a statement later in the week, but McGrath will not play in the third-round replay at Loftus Road tomorrow. The Republic of Ireland central defender returned to the United team for the televised game against Liverpool on New Year's Day. It was his first game after being out for three months with a knee injury.

McGrath came on for 20 minutes as substitute, having tested the knee in the reserves the day before. Twenty-four hours later he started at Middlesbrough. The knee seemed to hold up well, but on Saturday McGrath declared himself unfit, after Ferguson had given him a clean bill of health. But the manager accepted the player's view and made a late reshuffle to his injury-hit side. This latest injury incident must put McGrath's career at Old Trafford in the balance.

His relationship with the club has not been smooth, and he is currently banned from driving. At the end of last season he asked for a transfer and was going to Tottenham in the autumn until a last-minute change of heart. his receiver, who tipped the ball into the air and into the hands of a Cincinnati defender. The Bengals quarterback. Boomer Esiason, promptly returned the compliment by throwing an interception of his own.

The comedy of errors continued with Kelly again being intercepted. This time the Bengals did not waste their opportunity and Woods crashed over from the one-yard line. The Bills pulled back with a nine-yard touchdown pass from -Kelly to Andre Reed in the second quarter. But Esiason lobbed delicately to James Brooks for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Bengals ahead for good, 14-7. The Bengals put the game away with a third-quarter drive, kept alive first by a fake punt then by a timely penalty.

When the Bills thought they had made a morale-boosting play by stopping Woods for a loss, they had Derrick Burroughs ejected for deliberately smashing his forearm into a Bengals receiver. The penalty brought the Bengals to the four-yard line and two plays later Woods drove in for his second touchdown. The Bengals prevailed despite a last-minute NFL ruling, banning them from lining up their offence without the usual committee meeting. This would have the effect of depriving the opposing team of time to make substitutions. But in Miami the Bengals will face a 49ers team in towering form.

Unless Cincinnati can move their game into overdrive the game could be a repeat of the last Super Bowl these teams played, in 1982. On that occasion, Montana and his 49ers beat the Bengals 26-21. from Montana, who was being blitzed by a bevy of Bears, and dashed into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Chicago replied with a drive of their own, but had to settle for a field goal. In the second half the 49ers picked up where they left off.

Rice caught a huge pass for what seemed a touchdown. But it was disqualified after a TV replay; the officials ruled that Rice did not have full control of the ball as he hit the ground. Montana came right back with a touchdown pass to John Frank, capping a 78-yard drive that consumed over five minutes and deprived the Bears of precious time to mount a comeback. The frosting on the cake came with Rathman's rumbling four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Bears-49ers game put the Bengals-Bills confrontation in the shade.

Indeed the NFL scheduled that game first, backing a hunch that the Chicago game would provide the day's climax. They were right. Although more points were scored at Riverfront stadium in Cincinnati, the game lacked the drama at Soldier Field. The Bills spent most of the game pinned down in their own half, their defence, rated the best in the league, unable to stop Cincinnati's first-year running back, Ickey Woods. Woods, who celebrates touchdowns with the what he calls the "Ickey ran for 102 yards, including two touchdowns.

Again and again, Woods relied on sheer power to pound his way past Bills defenders, knocking them over like saplings. The Bills started in the worst way possible with an interception. Jim Kelly overthrew Elche rock Real ment. An old-style full-back who puts his head down and just ploughs ahead like a bulldozer, Rathman also scored a touchdown. That the 49ers attack excelled was not surprising, but it was coupled with a stalwart defence which restricted the Bears to just a field goal.

The whole package makes for a formidable team. As the Bears' coach. Mike Ditka, said presciently before the game: "It's their defence that's gotten them through their big games." The Bears were outclassed. Ditka gambled by picking Jim McMahon to lead the team, even though the quarterback had been out since October 30. It was as if Dikta knew the Bears could not beat the 49ers on talent alone but had to rely on inspirational leadership.

Unfortunately, the rusty McMahon failed to provide the spark. His passes repeatedly went astray as the 49ers defence gave him little time to find his receivers. McMahon's performance seemed all the more dismal when compared with Montana's wizardry. Montana started confidently, finding his men with passes as crisp as the cold. Towards the end of the first quarter, he found Rice on the right sideline.

Rice outleapt one defender, came down, turned and evaded him and another Bear. While the two defenders collided, Rice shot off for a 61-yard touchdown. Montana and Rice struck again in the second quarter. Rice sped in from the sidelines, stooped low to catch the pass I Cricket Umpires AUSTRALIAN umpires were criticised yesterday for the number of wides they have been calling in the World Series Cup. "They are not inconsistent, just consistently poor," said Pakistan's captain, Imran Khan.

West Indies were penalised 37 times while conceding a record 59 extras in Saturday's match against Pakistan. Pakistan were themselves called for 13 wides in that match and 12 next day during their five-wicket defeat by Australia, who were penalised seven times. Osman misses out Bryan Robson will also miss the replay and may be out of Saturday's League game with Millwall. He was discharged from hospital yesterday after swallowing his tongue and suffering concussion on Saturday. Dave Bassett, Sheffield Unit-ed's manager, has asked his old club Watford about the 32-year-old defender Wilf Rostron, given a free transfer after nine years at Vicarage Road.

The player also interests Birmingham. Wayne Fereday yesterday signed a new 4'i-year contract with Queen's Park Rangers, while David Mitchell, the Australian international striker signed from Feyenoord for 200,000, makes his Chelsea debut against Nottingham Forest in the Simod Cup tonight. Mel Sterland, the England full-back, hinted at a move yesterday despite having a written transfer request turned down by Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday's interest in Newcastle's John Hendrie may be reinforced by Jim Smith's plans to sell the winger while bringing in two Danes from AGF Aarhus in a 600,000 deal later this week. Robbie James, Swansea's captain, yesterday submitted a written transfer request, claiming the club had not honoured a gentlemen's agreement made a year ago over expenses.

West Bromwich are set to make a 300,000 offer for Walsall's transfer-seeking midfielder Craig Shakespeare after losing Colin Anderson for six weeks with a fractured cheekbone. injury their midfielder Glenn Cockerill, who has missed two games, and the striker Colin Clarke, fit again after suffering a knock while on loan to Bournemouth. Derek Statham, who damaged a knee last Saturday, definitely plays. Newcastle give fitness tests to Boeder and McDonald before their replay at Watford, who may recall their Welsh international Jackett after a three-match ban, especially with Porter troubled by a knee injury. Portsmouth's defender Hardyman joins a long list of players out of the replay at Swindon.

Hardvman's ankle injury may keep him out for several weeks. can't be even bothered to even turn up and listen to the ministers to give them the details." A League spokesman said last night that it had considered asking chairmen not to attend, but had rejected that idea because it would have been seen as narrow-minded. Moynihan has withdrawn the controversial claim he made in a letter to MPs about soccer-related violence. He had said that manslaughter charges were likely after the death of a young man in Shrewsbury who was involved in a skirmish. Following the inquest, no charges are to be made and a ministerial spokesman said last night that "we will no longer use this case in.any material to do with the bill" punishment at all, for it is unlikely that either would have handled more than two ties.

Jack Mowat, the chairman of the committee, would make no comment, but it was learned that the league had made it known it would have nothing to do with a recommendation to drop the men. Charges against Graeme Sou-ness, the Rangers player-manager, over published criticisms of Thow after the Pittodrie match on October 8 were dealt with in his absence yesterday. He could not appear because his team were at Gretna for a match against the local club to raise money for the Lockerbie Disaster Fund. The findings were to go to Rangers before being made public. Penalty shoot-outs will be introduced in the Scottish Cup from next season, and the 1990 final will be settled in this way if drawn after extra-time, doing away with any replay.

In every round up to the final, there will be only one replay. If clubs cannot be separated after the second match, penalties will again decide. chez found the net twice in the last two minutes Real Madrid, who had begun by treating the whole affair as a practice session, looked highly embarrassed. As it is they stay two points clear of Barcelona, who beat Cadiz 3-0, at the top. The Portuguese leaders, Ben-fica, actually did lose 1-0 to Penafiel, who also lack glamour but have struggled up to fifth place.

It was Benfica's second successive league defeat and in Lisbon that amounts to a crisis. Yet Porto, two points behind, wasted a chance to draw level when they were routed 4-1 by Boavista, who only a week earlier had ended Benfica's 18-match unbeaten run. Benfica are feeling the loss of their injured Swedish striker Mats Magnusson. Internazionale are still top in Italy although neither Juventus nor Napoli show any sign of giving up the chase. A 1-0 home win against Bologna preserved Inter's three-point lead but with Juventus winning 3-1 at Roma and Napoli beating Torino 1-0 they cannot let up.

There is little sign of Milan, the champions, making a belated impact in the league this season. Cesena defeated them 1-0, thanks to Holmqvist. John Smith, wants it to do is to play the role of arbitrator. Smith, who also happens to be chairman of Liverpool, wants those involved the Football League and Association, merchandising organisations and direct-mail companies to seek the Sports Council's help to ensure that soccer derives every possible benefit if and when the scheme is introduced. The council has had some success as an "honest broker" in resolving impasses in other sports for example between Rugby League and Rugby Union but to take that role in this instance would leave many people suspicious that it was toeing the line of Colin Moyni-han, the Minister for Sport, whose task seams to be to get JOE MONTANA, making a mockery of Arctic conditions and home-field advantage, led a sparkling and powerful San Francisco 49ers team to the Super Bowl with a 28-3 drubbing of the Chicago Bears.

In triumphing over the Bears the 49ers became the first visiting team to win the National Football Conference final' in nine years, and their emphatic win over one of the NFL's most intimidating teams make them firm favourites over the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Buffalo Bills 21-10 for the American Conference title. "This could be as good a team as we have had in my ten years in San Francisco. This is certainly the greatest road victory we have ever had," said their coach, Bill Walsh, afterwards. On the strength of Sunday's display, few would argue with him. Visiting teams are not supposed to enter the Bears' lair and give them a thrashing, certainly not "finesse" teams such as San Francisco.

But Montana, despite gusting winds and IS degrees of frost, picked apart the Chicago defence with his precision passing. In doing so he received ample support from his team-mates, including the star receiver, Jerry Rice, who repeated his form of the previous week against the Minnesota Vikings to score two dazzling touchdowns. It was not just aerial prowess that had the Bears in knots. In Tom Rathman, the 49ers have the equivalent to a blunt instru Sport in brief Darts The defending champion. Bob Anderson, missed a 52,000 bonus by one inch at the Embassy World Professional championship at Frimley Green, Surrey, last night.

He needed double 12 to complete a nine-dart 501 during his 3-1 second-round victory over Australia's Wayne Weening but his shot at the double finished above the wire. Sailing Challengers from 11 nations have agreed unanimously on the type of boat for the next America's Cup races, New Zealand's Mercury Bay Boating Club announced yesterday. The boat will be a 75ft (23m) light-displacement yacht with a 102ft (31m) mast. They also approved an eight-leg, 22.6-nautical mile course and called for the next cup to be raced in 1991. San Diego or Mercury Bay, whichever loses the court case over last year's debacle, will be accepted as a late challenger.

Cricket The Sports Council has agreed to provide Surrey with a grant of 300,000 towards the development of a sports centre with indoor cricket facilities at The Oval, providing a community recreation facility for Lambeth. Rugby Union Brian Smith, the Australian international who scored two tries in Oxford's 27-7 University match win at Twickenham in December, has been elected captain for 1389. David Lacey DOMESTIC cup competitions in Europe tend to lack the weight and importance of the English original, so Sutton United equivalents are hard to find. On the other hand one or two lowly teams did their best to follow the example set by Motherwell at the weekend and shake up the league leaders. Take Elche, for example, bottom of the table in Spain and with apparently nothing to gain from a visit to the Bernabeu Stadium other than a footballing lesson from Real Madrid.

Real won 4-2, but only after Elche had led twice. Barragan put them ahead on the half-hour and Benito Sanchez restored their lead shortly after Butra-gueno had equalised 15 minutes into the second half. At this point the question of who was supposed to be teaching whom was debatable. Vasquez brought the scores level at 2-2, but until Hugo San- widely criticised Russell Thomas SOUTHAMPTON, who have the First Division's worst defensive record this season, will be without their former England centre-back Russell Osman for the FA Cup third-round replay against Derby tonight. Osman starts a ban imposed after his sending-off along with Coventry's Gary Bannister on Boxing Day and misses the meeting which returns two other England internationals, Peter Shilton and Mark Wright, to The Dell.

But Southampton may have two players back after its illogical conclusion by rulings that frequently defied cricketing common sense." The Australian Daily Telegraph commented: "At times it seemed almost as if any ball not pitched on the stumps was liable to be called a wide." Meanwhile, Pakistan are considering wholesale changes in a last effort to make the finals of what is the world's richest cricket tournament. They must beat Australia today and then hope the West Indies perform a similar feat on Thursday. "The rulings were fair enough against Australia but it was ridiculous at times on Saturday," Imran said. Even deliveries that passed over the middle of the bat were Tony Cozier, the West Indian commentator, said in an article in The Australian: "The game was in danger of being reduced to a farce by the rigid interpretation of the conditions governing wide balls for the one-day internationals. "The need for the emphasis to avoid defensive tactics is obvious.

But it was carried to The Identity Card Debate Sports Council risks 1 poodle9 fag by seeking honest-broker role Guardian Ski Service the bill through Parliament at all costs. Meanwhile, Moynihan has accepted an invitation from the League to attend a meeting with all club chairmen on January 26 to discuss the scheme despite the possibility of some chairmen boycotting a similar meeting he has called in the Commons next Tuesday. The minister, speaking on Thames Television last night, expressed astonishment at the prospect of his earlier meeting to discuss the Football Supporters Bill being spurned by some clubs. "If they actually boycott that meeting, said Moynihan, "then I'll find it as millions of other people will frankly amazing that some of them John Rodda THE Sports Council is sitting on the fence and making itself look ominously like a Government puppet over its attitude to the scheme to introduce identity cards for Football League club supporters. The council discussed the proposed legislation yesterday.

According to David Pickup, its director-general, some members wanted to "take a hostile attitude" to the plans, but in the end they merely noted the Government's commitment to act over soccer hooliganism. It did decide, however, to press for the exclusion of other sports from the legislation. What the council's chairman, Lowor(cm)Uppr PUU Off-Ptete Comment Fair Crust Soma worn patches Good Crust Nice conditions, very quiet, no queues Good Varied Lower slopes showing signs ot wear Good Heavy Good snow on upper slopes Fair Varied Glorious sunshine, hoping tor more snow Fair Varied Good sunny skiing above Good Crust Runs holding out well, no quoues Fair Varied Brilliant spring skiing Icy Crust Spring skiing conditions Varied Lower slopes icy Worn Varied Sunny skiing, no queues Good Crust Conditions still good Fair Varied Worn patches on most slopes Fair Varied Good on higher runs Worn Varied Skiing still good Worn Varied Sunny skiing, no queues ANDORRA Soldeu AUSTRIA Brand Obergurgl SaalbachHinterg FRANCE (sola 2000 La Piagne Megeve Val Thorens ITALY Cervinla Courmayeur 10 SWITZERLAND Crans-Montana Davos St Montz Vorbier Wengen Zermatt Compiled tor the QuirdUn by the Ski Club of 20 40 30 90 85 90 60 170 15 20 10 90 15 50 40 65 20 130 50 Fair 20 60 50 95 15 30 5 120 20 85 15 so Qrast Britain..