The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 28

SPORTS GUARDIAN 28 Monday November 16 1987 David Lacey at Old Trafford Manchester United 1, Liverpool 1 Russell Thomas Norwich 2, Arsenal 4 All Rocastle and rancour Liverpool checked by Whiteside pain barrier IF makes life doubly difficult for Dave Stringer, the Norwich loyalist entrusted with removing the team from the relegation area. "I can understand the feeling," said the acting manager. "Ken was here a long time. Everybody likes him; I like him. But like the players, have got to divorce myself from these things." Graham paid tribute to the commitment and spirit instilled by Stringer in a traumatic week.

"If Norwich had played like that at the start of the season, the fellow would not have got sacked. They created more chances against us than any other team." Rocastle, outstanding in young England's midweek success, made a further deep impression with two goals together with the surge and pass that enabled the overlap-. ping Thomas to score the pick of Arsenal's four. Groves's backheader completed the startling 12-minute response to DrinkeU's first goal. Kenny Brown's contribution to that brought a smile to his father's face, but there was little more for the former manager to relish until Arsenal's tiring defence made the late error that presented Drinkell with an easy second goal.

SCORERS Norwich: Drinkell 2 (31 min and 81). Arsenal: Rocastle 2 (49 and 54), Thomas (52). Groves (61). Norwich City: Gunn; Brown. Elliott.

Bruce, Phelan. Butterworth. Crook (Biggins. 64min). Drinkell.

Rosarlo. Goss. Gordon. Arsenal: Lukic. Thomas, Sansom.

Williams. O'Leary. Adams (Caesar. 88). Rocastle.

Davis. Smith. Groves. Richardson. Referee: I Key (Rotherham).

Arsenal came to East Anglia, conquered with four lightning strikes and left Carrow Road with the ground still echoing to thunderous protest. While disaffected home fans chanted their support of the sacked Ken Brown, Arsenal's travelling band chortled with glee at a 13th successive victory forged by football of magnificence that would have destroyed teams in a far happier frame of mind than Norwich. Arsenal's latest success was a triumph of togetherness. The midfield laboured for a long time, the defence opened with uncharacteristic generosity and tiredness was etched in the faces of their five England midweek representatives. Yet George Graham's players, notably the ebullient David Rocastle, still conjured up a -dozen magical minutes worth four goals and top place.

Norwich's players had promised the watching Brown a performance to remember him by and the crowd gave loud support to this aim. But as defeat loomed, calls for the head of Robert Chase, the chairman cast as villain after last Sunday's sacking, grew more raucus. Afterwards about 1,000 fans gathered outside the main entrance to call for Brown's reinstatement. An office window was smashed and small children were hurt before about 200 demonstrators found their way back into the ground to continue their protest briefly. Off-the-pitch discontent SOCCER COMMENT LIVERPOOL missed their cue at Old Trafford yesterday and as a result Arsenal woke up today with the unusual Monday morning feeling of still being top of the First Division.

On two previous occasions George Graham's team had gone top merely to keep the place warm for Anfield. Having won 11 League matches out of 12, Arsenal are again serious championship contenders. The power of their recovery at Norwich on Saturday after going a goal down was the sort of performance that teams produce when they have built up a momentum of confident, aggressive football. In the end the superior depth of Kenny Dalglish's squad will probably be decisive. For the moment, however, Liverpool seem to have paused for breath.

They were not at their best yesterday and had Manchester United possessed quicker reflexes near goal would probably have been beaten in a League fixture for the first time this season. As it is, Alex Ferguson has begun his second year as manager content in the knowledge that fitful though United's form may be their ability to frustrate Liverpool is undiminished. Liverpool have now only beaten Manchester United once in 15 meetings. "Slowly but surely I am building a team of winners," Ferguson told the United supporters in yesterday's programme. "I want people prepared to endure a little pain to give of their best." In the case of Norman Whiteside the pain is more likely to be inflicted than endured but if anyone could have provided the touch for a winning goal yesterday it would probably have been the Irishman.

Television made Whiteside I iMMnimniM imiiiiiMiiiiisrCiii iiniimmwiinaiilll mmm United's tough guy Norman Whiteside strikes the equalising goal which he and his side deserved yesterday David Lacey Everton 3, West Ham United 1 Unfinished lesson erpool largely happy to escape with a draw, the game had a tepid ending. Fortunately the ugly passions on the terraces were never reflected on the pitch. This fixture is regularly played against a background of mounting bitterness and mutual loathing. Perhaps it ought to be switched to Beirut. During the first half the Stretford End appeared to be hurling the contents of a medium-sized dustbin at Grobbelaar in the Liverpool passes would take the match beyond United's reach but having taken the lead their tendency to slow the pace and invite the opposition to attack them helped lose them the initiative.

With McGrath injured, Ferguson had thought of moving Bryan Robson into the back four again. Instead he played Duxbury alongside Moran with Robson sitting in front of the defence and breaking up Liverpool's attacks before they came within range a much more effective role for the England captain. The plan worked well until Moran hobbled off 20 minutes from the end after hurting a shin in a tackle with Beardsley. Then Robson had to retire to centre-back, Manchester United lost their shape, and, with Liv Whiteside sent likely shots wide and high. The way Liverpool survived to take the lead with a beautifully-created goal after 20 minutes suggested that they were about to raise their play to an unapproachable level.

Hansen carefully held the ball outside the United penalty then produced a delicate chip over the heads of the defence which sent McMahon to the right-hand byline. With the defence transfixed, McMahon's centre reached an unmarked Aldridge and he scored his 13th goal of the season with a well-directed header. Olsen responded with a shot which skimmed the Liverpool bar and then Robson was disgusted with himself for heading over after Grobbelaar's weak seen their manager Harry Gregg sacked mid-week, eccentrically invaded the Moss Rose pitch after Brent Hetherington, who sounds like a refugee from Dynasty, had put United ahead. The sudden show of warmth clearly so alarmed FA CUP FIRST ROUND REPLAYS. Today: Kidderminster Halesowen.

Port Vale Tranmere; Tomorrow: Atkerstone VS Rugby, Chesterfield Notts Co. Mansfield Preston. Rotherham Doncaster. Stockport Telford. Walsall Southend: Wednesday: Burton York, Yeovil Worcester.

Carlisle that they allowed the mighty Mac carte blanche in the second half. "We can play much better than this," said the Macclesfield manager, Peter Wragg. Only six more rounds to Wembley, Peter. Other GMVC scuttlers of the megalithic, notably Bar-net and Altrincham, faltered Martin Thorpe Middlesbrough 1, Hull City 0 Points of interest Stephen Bierley on the FA Cup First Round Arresting encounter at Turf Moor Everton's capacity for baffling opponents with science is as strong as ever but at Goodison Park on Saturday they behaved like absent-minded professors. Having destroyed West Ham with footballing logic, they often forgot that the object of the exercise is to score goals.

West Ham owed much to McAlister, who made a string of saves in the way that beleaguered goalkeepers do, and Everton wasted other opportunities either by under-hitting their shots or simply putting them wide. Heath was a persistent offender. Before the game, there had been a ripple of interest at the latest reappearance of Billy Bonds in the West Ham side. Bonds, now 41, played in his 737th League match because the club's two full-backs, Stewart and McQueen, were unfit. With Robson switching to right-back, Bonds operated in midfield and, while he bore out the opinion of his manager, John Lyall, that he had the fitness of a 25-year-old, those around him aged like Dorian Gray.

Everton often swept through unchallenged and the West Ham centre-backs were forced to bear the brunt of their midfield failures. Even with Martin fully fit, they would still have had a struggle on their hands. In fact, the former England centre-back's obvious lack of fitness and the consequent pressure put on his partner, Hilton, hastened the reduction of the West Ham defence to rubble by half-time. "You can't come to a place like this without all your resources," said Lyall laconically after the game. Lack of playing strength is likely to ROUGH JUSTICE Manchester their man-of-the-match although Gordon Strachan and Bryan Robson could not have been far behind.

The referee might have come to a similar conclusion about Whiteside for different reasons but forebore even to take his name in spite of a series of high tackles, flying elbows and provocative shoves. Nevertheless Whiteside did have a good game and at the end of it came to the singularly Irish conclusion that "Liverpool are unbeatable but we were unlucky not to beat them today." In fact Dalglish's side looked more vulnerable at Old Trafford than they have done on other grounds this season. There were periods, especially before half-time, when the accuracy and timing of their disciplined side increasingly at tracting the attention of bigger clubs, eyeing the likes of Gary Pallister, a defender, and 13-goal Bemie "The Wolf Man" Slaven. However, Rioch's contention that "we're not in a position where we need to part with anyone," underlines the recovery of a club criticised in the past by their many supporters for selling the likes of Souness, Mills, Johnston, Hodgson and Kennedy. The stress now is on consistency and attacking football, an ideal only let down when, as happened against Hull, Middlesbrough's finishing failed to match the quality of their approach work.

The goalkeepers, for the most part, were adding to the already high local unemployment figures. Only Ripley's volley from the edge of the area was capable of breaking the stalemate and keeps the club on course for a return to the First Division. They owe a lot to that debt of 14 months ago. SCORER Middlesbrough: Ripley (27min). Middlesbrough: Pears: Glover.

Cooper. Mowbray. Parkinson, Pallister. Slaven, Ker-naghan (Stephens. 39mln).

Hamilton. Kerr. Ripley. Hull City: Norman: Palmer. Daniel, Jobson, Skipper, Parker.

Roberts, Bunn, Dyer. Askew, Williams Peyton. 75min). Referee: Simpson (Sowerby Bridge). Linfleld, the Irish League champions, have been ordered by UEFA to play their next two European ties at least 150km from their Belfast stadium after missiles were thrown during their European Cup first round, second leg tie against Norway's Lillestrom on September 30.

for money was sandwiched between two from Walker and the other two from McAvennie but he made another goal and generally created the impression that he is full of quality. Topping up Celtic's satisfaction at the end was the discovery that those around them in the Premier Division had all dropped points. Rangers, despite leading twice through goals from Ally McCoist, had to content themselves with a 2-2 draw at St Mirren. Hearts, the leaders, travelled to Aberdeen for a 0-0 draw. This was Aberdeen's fourth successive outing without a goal, and that is a genuine worry as they prepare to meet Rangers at Ibrox tomorrow night.

Falkirk, with a 2-0 victory over Morton, came off the bottom of the table and moved two points closer to those immediately above, Dunfermline having lost 0-1 to Dundee United at Tannadice, and Motherwell having suffered a similar fate against Hibernian in Edinburgh. punch. "Sparky Come Home," read a United banner pining for the return of Mark Hughes and it was a pertinent comment on their lack of snap in the box. Five minutes into the second half, however, Manchester United drew level with a goal that Liverpool protested should not have been allowed. After Olsen's corner on the right Moran appeared to help the ball on with an arm.

Whiteside seized the chance with a shot through the legs of Johnston and the unsighted Grobbelaar. SCORERS. Manchester United: Whiteside (50 min). Liverpool: Aldridge (20 min). Manchester United: Walsh; Anderson.

Gibson, Duxbury. Blackmore, Moran min), Robson, Strachan, McClair, Whiteside, Olsen. Liverpool: Grobbelaar: Gillespie, Lawren-son. Nlcol, Whelan. Hansen.

Beardsley. Aldridge. Johnston. Barnes, McMahon. Referee: D.Scott (Burnley).

and fell. Telford United, who have reached the Third Round three times since 1983, were held by Asa Hartford's Stockport, twice previous victims of Telford's Cup success. "It's getting tougher each United's manager Stan Storton, although Alex Ferguson was not there to watch Bury buried. He sat next to Tommy Docherty at Altrincham. No Cup magic for the Doc this year, but maybe Ferguson was hoping a bit of Stardust might rub off.

Chesterfield staged a remarkable recovery against Notts County at Meadow Lane to force a replay at Saltergate tomorrow night. Three goals down after 67 minutes, they shook County by scoring three goals in 17 minutes, two of them coming from their substitute, Dave Travis. BBAZER HOMES LEAGUE. Premier Division: Alvechurch 2, Cambridge City Bedworth 2. WUIenhall Bromsgrove l.Corby Fareham 3, Nuneaton 1: Gos-port 0.

Dorchester 0: Reddltch 2. Leicester Utd 3: Shepshed 2. Crawley 4: Witney 2, Ashford 3. Leading positions: Crawley 15. 24; 2, Bromsgrove 12, 22: 3.

Aylesbury 10, 21. Midland Division: Banbury 3. Paget Rangers 0: Bilston 2. Forest Green Buckingham Bridgnorth pp; Dudley 1, Welllngboro 2: Gloucester City 5, Coventry Sporting Grantham 3. Mile Oak Rovers HednesTord 1.

Rushton 2: Sutton Coldfleld 1. Stourbridge Trowbridge 0. King's Lynn 2. Southern Division. Andover 3.

Rulsllp Bury Town 4. Sheppey Utd 0: Corinthian 0, Dover Ath Chatham Salisbury pp; Erith and 1, Burnham Folkestone 2, Hastings 5: Poole I. Tonbridge Thanet Utd 1, Baldock 3. IRISH LEAGUE. TNT Gold Cup, Final: Linfleld 3.

Newry 0. NORTHEAST COUNTIES LEAGUE. Belper Town 0. Brlgg Town 2: Harrogate Railway 3. Easton Utd Ossett Albion 2, Armthorpe Welfare 3.

GREAT MILLS LEAGUE. Barnstaple Town 3. Minehead Dawlish Town Clevedon Town pp; Exmouth Town 1, Weston-Super-Mare Llskeard Ath 6, Melksham Town 0: Mangotsfleld Utd 4, Bideford Paulton Rovers 0. Bristol City Plymouth Argyle 2. Taunton Town 2: Saltash Utd 0, Frame Town Torrington Clandown pp.

BASS NORTH-WEST COUNTIES LEAGUE. Atherton LR 1. Bootle 4: Clttheroe 2. Burscough 0: Colne Dynamos 6. EUesmere Port Formby 3, Leyland Motors 2: Klrky 1.

Darwen Prescot Cables 3. Rossendale 1. DRYBROUQHS NORTHERN LEAGUE Brandon Utd 1. Whitley Bay 1: Crook Town 1. Newcastle Blue Star 1: Gulsborough 0.

Spennymoor Utd 1: Ryhope CA 2. South Bank Shiidon 4. North Shields Whitby' Town 2, Blyth Spartans 3. EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP. Group 2 Qualifying matches: (Valeria): Malta (0) 1, Switzerland (I) 1.

6,000. Standings: Italy Sweden Switzerland Portugal Malta 7:0:2. (Naples): Italy (2) 2. Sweden (1) 1. 59,000.

Italy qualify for the 1988 finals in West Germany. OPEL LEAGUE OF 2, Bray Wdrs Galway 0. Shelboume 2: St Patrick's 4. Limerick Shamrock 2, Cork SUgo 0. Derry 3: Waterford 0.

Bohemians 1. DUTCH CUP. Second round: Wiliem Til-burg 4, Twente Enschede MVV Maastricht 1 PSV Eindhoven 3: VW Venlo 2, Haarlem 2 (VW qualify); Roda Kerkrade 2, FC Eindhoven 0: Den Bosch 1 Alax Amsterdam DWV 0, Fortuna Sittard Den Haag 2. PEC Zwolle Alax 3, Groningen 1: Venray 0. DS'78 Dordrecht 1: DOSKampen 1.

NEC Niimegen RBC 2. Cambuur 1: Excelsior Rotterdam 5, Heracles 0: Wagenlngen 3, Volendam 3 (Vo-lendam qualify); RKC 2, Veendam 1: SVV 4, Be Graafschap 3. GERMAN FIRST DIVISION. Stuttgart 3. Bayem 0: Kalserslautern 1.

Nuremberg Bayer Uerdingen 1, Waldhof Mannheim Scnalke 2, Cologne Karlsruhe 2, Moen-chengladbach Hanover 1, Eintracht 2: Hamburg SV 0, Werder Bremen 0. Played on Friday: Bayer Leverkusen 2. Dortmund 2. Standings: Bayem 16:12:24: Cologne 16:9:24: Stuttgart 16:8:20. SOCCER IN DETAIL Robert Pryce Tottenham 1, QPR 1 Dennis has an off-day keep West Ham in a state of crisis, in spite of a slight improvement in results.

As well as suffering from a hamstring injury, Martin is due for an operation to remove a piece of bone from a foot and could be out again for six weeks. In attack, Cottee badly needs support after the departure of McAvennie. "If any of you knows of a 6ft 4in striker, I'll be in the office all day Monday," was Lyall's wry parting comment. The immaculate centre-forward play of Sharp, laid extra stress on this particular West Ham need. After Watson, with a header from a free-kick, and Reid, exploiting a fraught back pass from Bonds, had scored in the space of three minutes, Sharp's classic header ended the one-sided first half.

Then Steven was forced off by a hamstring injury that could keep him out three weeks and Sheedy, freshly healed, was taken off as a precaution. Hilton, thrown into the West Ham attack as part of the salvage operation, scored after Ward had hit a post and Cottee began to appear in dangerous positions. Thus, what should have been a clear statement of Everton's determination to retain the championship, ended in empty rhetoric. Against teams in West Ham's situation, they must try to look hungrier. West Ham were glad that Gary Lineker only sat in the stand.

SCORERS. Everton: Watson (35mln). Held (38). Sharp (45). Wast Ham: Hilton (81).

Everton: Southall: Stevens. Van Den Hauwe. Ratcliffe. Watson. Reid, Steven (Harper.

50min), Heath. Sharp. Snodin. Sheedy (Wilson. 65).

West Ham United: McAlister, Bonds. Par-ris (Strodder, 75). Hilton, Martin (Keen. 81). Brady.

Ward. Dickens, Ince, Cottee. Robson. Referee: Milford (Bristol). DENNIS: Eleventh dismissal He may also wonder why the likes of Doug Livermore organise their defensive resources at free-kicks so that the goalkeeper is pushed to the far end of the goal, begging the likes of Brock to bomb away at the nearer top corner.

In South America they sometimes use two walls, one for each post, and keep the keeper in the middle of the goal. Even when Spurs were reduced to one striker Jim Smith kept three men in his central defence. Parker marked Clive Allen, Martin Allen shadowed Ardiles, and McDonald and Fenwick sat back and invited Paul Allen to run at them, which he did once, to devastating effect in the 29th minute. Otherwise Spurs channelled everything through Ardiles, which may have been too much of a good thing. On this show, the return of Waddle and the variety he will provide for the attack is what is most needed to shake Spurs out of their slump.

SCORERS. Tottenham Hotspur: P. Alien (29). QPR: Coney (11). Tottenham Hotspur: Parks; Stevens, Hughton.

Ruddock. Falrclough. Mabbutt. C. Allen, Ardiles, Hodge.

Claesen (Samways, 16). Queen's Park Rangers: Seaman; Fereday, Dennis. Parker. McDonald. Fenwick, M.

Allen, Coney. Charming. Byme. Brock. Referee: Hackett (Sheffield).

He was under enough pres sure without having his concentration disturbed in such a fashion. In the sixth minute Anderson met Olsen's cross from the left with a superb header that rebounded from the foot of the left-hand post. A minute later first Olsen then indulged themselves in a fit of the tribals. Two score were arrested after Mr John Thomas, whose parents should have known better, ensured it was the Wanderers who will cluster around the radio this morning. Clustering too will be Runcorn, Lincoln, Macclesfield, and Sutton GM Vauxhall Conference men all who did to death their senior brothers.

Gander Green Lane, Sutton's home, had never seen the like and Aldershot will not want to gander it again. But fine as Sutton's victory was over their Third Division opponents, Macclesfield's recovery from two goals down against Carlisle was truly Cup heroism. Certain Carlisle fans, who had THE WEEKEND'S Barclays League FIRST DIVISIONS-Coventry 3, Wimbledon 3: Everton 3, West Ham 1: Newcastle 0. Derby Norwich 2. Arsenal 4: Norfm Forest 5, Portsmouth 0: Sheffield Wed 0.

Luton 2: Southampton 3, Oxford Uld 0: Tottenham 1. QPR Watford 2, Charlton 1. Man Utd (0) 1 Liverpool (1) 1 Whiteside Aldridge 47.106 Anenal 19 It Liverpool 13 10 S.P.R. IS 9 ottm For 14 9 Man Utd IS 6 Everton 15 7 Chelsea IS 8 Tottenham 16 6 Wimbledon 15 5 Southmptn 15 5 Oxford 15 Luton 15 5 Derby Cnty 14 4 Coventry 15 5 West Ham 15 3 Shelf Wed IB 4 Newcastle 14 3 Portsmth 15 3 Watford 14 3 Norwich 16 3 Charlton 15 2 2 30 0 33 2 20 2 29 1 25 4 24 6 23 6 17 5 21 5 22 7 19 7 20 5 11 8 17 6 15 9 15 6 IB 7 14 8 8 11 12 10 13 APts 10 3B 8 33 12 31 11 30 16 26 12 23 24 25 17 22 19 20 22 20 24 20 19 18 14 17 25 17 20 15 29 13 23 14 32 14. 17 12 25 11 26 8 FA Cup FIRST ROUND.

Altrincham 0. Wigan Harriet 0. Hereford 1: Billingham 2, Halifax Bishop Auckland 1. Blackpool Bognor 0. Torquay Brentford 0.

Brighton Bristol City 1, Aylesbury Bristol Rovers 6, Merthyr Burnley 0, Bolton Cambridge Utd 2, Famborough Chelmsford 1. Bath 2: Chester 0. Runcorn 1: Chorley 0, Hartlepool Colchester 3, Tamworth 0, Maidstone Doncaster 1, Rotherham 1: GUlingham 2, Fulham Halesowen 2, Kidderminster Hayes 0. Swansea Leyton Orient 2. Exeter Lincoln 2.

Crewe Macclesfield 4. Carlisle 2 Northampton 2, Newport 1: Northwich 1. Colwyn Bay Notts County 3. Chesterfield 3: Peterborough 2. Cardiff 1: Preston 1.

Mansfield Rochdale 0. Wrexham 2: Scarborough 1, Grimsby 2: Scunthorpe 3, Bury Southend 0. Walsall Sunderland 2, Darlington Sutton Utd 3, Aldershot Telford 1. Stockport 1: Tranmere 2, Port Vale VS Rugby 0. Atherstone Welling v.

Carshatton PP; Wolverhampton 5. Cheltenham Worcester 1, Yeovil 1: York 0. Burton 0. Notts Co (1)3 Cheterl'ld(0)3 Kevan Waller McParland Travis 2 Blrtles 4.B90 OM VAUXHALL CONFERENCE. Boston 4.

Wycombe Enfield 5, Wealdstone 2: Kettering 2. Fisher Weymouth 2. Stafford 0. Leading posiUorts: 1, Kettering 1B.3S: 2. Barnet 1533: 3.

Lincoln 16.32. VAUXHALL -OPEL LEAOUK-Blshop's Stortford 2. Basingstoke 0: Croydon 1, Barking 1: Dulwich 1. Harrow 2: Hitchin 2, Wokingham 3: LeytonstoneHford 1, Toot-lngMltcham Leyton-Wingate 0. Hendon Slough 3.

Kingstonlan 1: WindsorEton 1, Bromley 1. Leading Windsor 16, 31; 2. Slough 17. 29: 3. Bromley 12, 26.

Fourteen months ago Mid dlesbrough, 1.8 million in debt, had reached their borrowing limit. Such is the turnaround at the club, that now they deserve all the credit they can get. Saturday's win was the eighth game in a row without defeat and strengthens many people's belief that the club will soon be back in the First Division. But it had been oh-so-differ-ent. The club spent the 1986 close season in liquidation and fighting for its life.

The official receiver's padlocks had sealed the ground, forcing manager Bruce Rioch and his players to travel around local grounds to find training space. However, a deal was struck which saved the club on the Thursday before the season started on the Saturday. By the end of that season, the team had been promoted back into the Second Division. That momentum has been maintained using only a 16-man squad which includes two goalkeepers. Strangely, the team now above them, Bradford, have also risen above adversity as have Hull, in third place but in the hands of the receiver themselves not so long ago.

"It was rally-round time at all three," said Rioch on Saturday. "Here it has helped produce a terrific morale and spirit in the team. And off the pitch we feel that people genuinely want us to do well because they feel part of us a bit more after what happened." The former Scottish international and his assistant, Colin Todd, have produced a strong, Patrick Glenn Celtic value Even Celtic directors queued on Saturday night to whisper to attendant journalists that the completion of the most expensive forward line Scotland has ever seen Joe Miller, Frank McAvennie, and Andy Walker cost a total of 1.725 million did not mark the end of the club's activity in the market. Coming from a quarter not previously noted for its spendthriftiness, the revelation was both stunning and pleasing. The challenge issued by Rangers has clearly been accepted indeed flung back in the Ibrox club's face.

It was the kind of day, though, when anybody connected with Celtic would tell you anything you wished to know. That forward line had between them just scored the five goals against Dundee which gave the team their most convincing League victory of the season, and Miller had made the kind of debut which uplifted the spirits of the 31,664 in attendance. Not only did the little forward score the third goal it AH, the magic of the Cup. Snarling police dogs, vehicles overturned, mayhem in a town centre pub. It is not just the mills that are dark and satanic in Lancashire.

Violence stalked the streets around Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon. It was sadly predictable. Just a few of the 10,000 Burnley and Bolton fans whose teams have known days of high FA Cup drama found the sudden inter-locking of two arthritic giants a bit too much to take and 'Yobs' not justified A journalist was justified in condemning violent behaviour by supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club at Scarborough, the Press Council has ruled. But his report was misleading in referring to "3,000 Wolves and to this extent a complaint against the Guardian was upheld. Michael Martin of Wolverhampton complained that the story contained inaccuracies, omitted a material fact, and implied that all Wolverhampton fans at the match were involved in hooliganism.

The report, by a freelance journalist, stated that officials at Scarborough were totting up a hefty bill after 3,000 Wolves fans had completed the mayhem they came to cause. Martin claimed that 300 fans at most had taken part in the trouble. He said he had asked for a published apology but did not receive a reply. The Guardian said that the reporter stuck firmly by his story. A large number of supporters had caused enough concern for the football authorities to take action, it added.

The journalist told the Press Council that his report made no suggestion of 3,000 people involved in acts of violence, but referred instead to He said he had felt obliged to nail the idea of a "minority of troublemakers." ITALY qualified for next summer's European Championship finals on Saturday when they beat Sweden 2-1 in Naples, with Vialli scoring twice in the first half. The visitors had equalised in the 38th minute through Larsson, but sustained second-half pressure could not produce another. SECOND DIVISION. Birmingham 2. Leicester 2: Bradford 2, Sheffield Utd 0: Crystal Palace 2, Stoke 0: Huddersfield 2, Bamsley 2: Middlesbrough 1.

Hull 0: MiUwall 3. Leeds 1: Oldham 0. Aston Villa 1: Reading 0, Manchester City 2: Shrewsbury 1, Blackburn 2: Swindon 1. Plymouth 1: West Brom 2, Ipswich 2. Bradford 19 12 Middlesbro 19 11 Hull 19 9 Aston Villa 20 9 Crystal Pal 18 10 Ipswich IB 9 MiUwall 18 9 Blrmlnghm 19 8 Man City 18 8 Blackburn 18 7 APts 32 17 40 30 14 37 26 18 34 27 17 34 39 26 33 25 16 33 29 24 30 23 25 30 41 26 29 23 21 27 27 24 28 29 23 25 19 25 23 14 24 23 29 26 22 31 35 21 26 33 21 24 27 20 19 30 19 14 25 16 14 26 13 17 30 13 19 47 9 6 6 7 Barnsley 19 Swindon 17 4 6 6 6 8 4 8 6 8 3 10 5 8 4 10 4 9 7 9 4 10 6 11 Leeds Utd 19 5 Stoke 19 Leicester 18 6 Plymouth 19 5 W.B.A 19 6 Boumemth 18 5 Shell Utd 19 Oldham 17 4 Shrewsbry 18 2 Reading 17 3 Huddersfld 18 I Fine Fare Scottish League PREMIER 0.

Hearts 0 Celtic Dundee 0 Dundee Utd 1. Dunfermline Falkirk 2. Morton Hibernian 1, Motherwell 0: St Mirren 2, Rangers 2. Leading positions 1, Hearts 18. 28 2.

Celtic 18, 26 3, Rangers 17, 22. DIVISION ONE: Dumbarton 1, East Fife Hamilton 1, Forfar 0: Kilmarnock I. Airdrie Meadowbank 0. Clyde 2: Patrick 3, Queen of South Raith 1. Clydebank 0.

Uading positions 1. Hamilton 21. 27 2, Raith Rovers 21. 26: 3. Meadowbank 21.

25. DIVISION 0. Montrose 1: Ayr 2, Berwick Brechin 2. St lohnstone 1: Cowdenbeath 2, Alloa Queen's Park 0. Stenhousemuir 2: Stirling 3, Arbroath 0: Stranraer 3.

East Stirling 3: Leading positions: 1 Ayr 16. 28: 2, Brechin 16. 23; 3. St Johnstone 16, 22. NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE.

Ban- Sor City 1, Gateshead Barrow 2. Hyde 1: uxtpn 1. Marine Gainsborough 1. Southpprt 1: Goolo 1, Caernarfon Horwlch South Liverpool Matlock I. 2.

Workington 0. Leading positions: 1. Chorley 15. 32. Cup Preliminary Round.

Hut Lea: Accrington Stanley 1, Eastwood iojucj buiiyitnon uurzon smun Eastwood Town 4. Ratcllffe Boro Fleetwood 1, Stalybiidge Celtic Harrogate 2. Alfreton Irlam 1, Droylsden 0. mmriAv Arsenal 4, Brighton Luton 0. Tottenham wiiciaca Vti u.n r.

i u.iJ na Houna nepwys: at Helens 0, Ralnworth Wren Rovers 3, Let me pass on the wisdom as it was received from pubs along the Seven Sisters Road at Saturday lunchtime; Mark Dennis, the cynics said, would stay on the pitch only as long as it took for Ossie Ardiles to cross his path and, the scholars added, two teams who have lost the habit of winning would stumble to a draw. And so it came to pass. Spurs had to try the patience of the former Saint just once to get him sent off for the 11th time in his career. Dennis got a kick on the shin, Ardiles got an elbow in the face and the fullback's eventful come-back after three months recovering from a car crash (he had already laid on Coney's goal and sent Claesen to the local X-ray department) was terminated after half an hour by Keith Hackett. When the funny old game starts conforming to the glibbest stereotyping, it may be time to take up a less predictable sport such as professional wrestling.

This game got funnier as it got older. Dennis provided Coney with two free headers beyond the far post in the first 11 minutes, which suggested that the 6ft 2in Ruddock might be a faulty tower, but the 19-year-old centre-back settled to look thoroughly capable in everything he did. In an hour of frustrated effort against 10 men Spurs did not once call on the attacking skills of Mabbutt, who has a prodigious leap and a proficient finish. Their pressure still generated more corners than a Rubik cube but they tested Seaman's manual dexterity only twice after Dennis's exit something for Terry Venables to puzzle over when he receives his video this week..