United they stand as Rovers bite dust

Scholes turns tables for Reds

Blackburn 1
Man Utd 3
by Martin Lipton
PAUL SCHOLES will score many better goals in the future, but if Manchester United retain their title next month, he will score few more important goals than the one which put them six points clear of Arsenal.
Alex Ferguson had seen his side run ragged by a one-man demonstration of the art of forward play by Chris Sutton, even though he had recalled Peter Schmeichel, Gary Pallister and Ryan Giggs.
Sutton's first-half penalty, after Gary Neville brought Damien Duff crashing to the ground, was no more than Roy Hodgson's side deserved.
With Sutton dominant, Rovers controlling midfield and Colin Hendry a tower of defensive strength, they looked on course to record only their second win in 12 Premiership attempts over the Reds.
But Ferguson's introduction of Nicky Butt as a half-time substitute saw United drag themselves back into the game by their bootstraps.
Andy Cole, released by David Beckham, twisted past Stephane Henchoz to claim his 23rd goal of the season, but only his second in the League in 1998.
Then Scholes struck the vital blow. Beckham sped down the right before firing in a low cross which Hendry could not quite reach and the ball struck Scholes on the outside of his right knee and dribbled past a helpless Alan Fettis.
With virtually the final kick, Beckham, freed by a sliderule pass from Giggs, sealed the victory with an assured finish that puts the pressure back on the Gunners, even if they have three games in hand.
From the outset, though, Sutton seemed determined to turn the match into a one-man show.
Inside four minutes he soared above Pallister to nod down for Gallacher, but the most impressive of back-post interventions by Gary Neville prevented him from converting Garry Flitcroft's low cross.
Giggs had drifted out of the game, even though Hodgson's men had no natural width on the right, while Sutton's dominance saw Pallister booked for one crude grapple.
Despite that, the first shot on target did not come until the 23rd minute, Sutton — inevitably — releasing Jeff Kenna to cut inside and shoot weakly.
Schmeichel, however, failed to hold it first time and then spilled a high ball from deep and a Duff corner.
His uncharacteristic fumblings did not help United settle and when they pushed forward, Hendry was outstanding. On the half-hour Rovers earned their reward.
Sutton fed Jason Wilcox, who laid the ball into Duff. The young Irishman was confronted by Scholes and Neville, who initially hitched a piggy- back ride on Duff just outside the box. But he took the ride all the way inside, so that Duff had nowhere to go but down, and when Mr Ashby awarded the penalty, Sutton drilled the ball home under the diving Schmeichel.
United had to improve and when Butt replaced the disappointing Solskjaer, United were a different proposition.
Soon the tide began to turn.
Gary Neville wasted the first by shooting weakly from eight yards at Fettis when Wilcox went to sleep as Giggs centred from the United left.
Two minutes later, though, Cole equalised, receiving Beckham's driven pass down the right, turning inside Henchoz as if he was not there and planting a low, left-footed shot past Fettis into the bottom corner.
Now everything changed, United suddenly showing the conviction lacking earlier as Butt's presence gave them the drive they had been so clearly missing in the opening period.
Giggs was also finding room and he was released by Cole for a cross that Scholes met firmly, but a fraction off target before the passions boiled over.
Beckham, incensed by what he claimed was an unpunished elbow by Wilcox, went in high in retaliation and Ferguson himself remonstrated with Mr Ashby and his linesman, before Scholes flew in on McKinlay.
United, though, had the bit between their teeth, aware of how vital victory was, and pushed forward in search of the goal that could prove so crucial come May 10.
Even when it came — Scholes rightly claimed the goal, even if he did not know too much about it — Blackburn could have claimed a point.
Sutton dragged one shot wide, before Hendry, up to meet Flitcroft's corner and left unmarked, thundered his header straight at Schmeichel.
It was still not over. Mr Ashby played on when Gallacher was dumped, but Schmeichel stood up to foil Kenna and Gallacher fired wide after outpacing Johnsen.
But United stood firm and finished Rovers off in the final minute, Giggs brilliantly releasing Beckham, whose finish was impeccable.
United play Liverpool on Friday, with the chance to really put the pressure on, but this, for 45 minutes at least, was a champions' display.
BLACKBURN: Fettis, Kenna, Sherwood, Hendry, Gallacher, Sutton, Wilcox, Flitcroft, McKinlay, Henchoz, Duff.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Pallister, Beckham, Cole, Giggs, P. Neville, Scholes, Solskjaer (Butt 46).

Barry praises his City slickers

by Noel Spillane
"THIS is beyond our wildest dreams to be honest with you," was Cork City manager Dave Barry's immediate reaction to the 3-1 victory over Athlone Town that has swept his side into their third FAI Cup final in a decade.
"Some of the lads out there were playing at St. Mel's for the first time ever and now they find themselves in a Cup final on May 10. It has been a fantastic season for us and to find ourselves back in the final is a great achievement for the club," enthused Barry.
"To come from where we were last season to a Cup final this year is beyond our wildest dreams, especially, when you look at some of the younger lads in the team. Players like John Cotter, Noel Hartigan, Derek Coughlan and Ollie Cahill are hardly in their twenties and here they are suddenly in an FAI Cup final.
"Really, when you look at it there has been only three Cork City teams in a Cup final in the last decade and this current crop of players are one of them and they have done it in a very short space of time as well. You have to go back to the days of Cork Hibernians and Cork Celtic before that to find the city represented in an FAI Cup final."
Goals from Jason Kabia (2) and Noel Hartigan brushed aside their First Division opponents and Barry said: "I'm delighted for the players but we have a special team spirit and camaraderie built up in the squad now and I hope it is going to take us all the way to victory on May 10 in Dublin.
"Since last May we have been running up and down hills, training hard and so on. We played and did very well in the Inter-Toto Cup last summer and that was the start of the evolution of this particular Cork City team.
"We did ourselves proud in that competition and we did the League of Ireland proud as well. I think it speaks volumes for the team that, a year down the road, they can come up with a performance like this in the FAI Cup semi-finals. We are a very united bunch of players. They train together, they socialise together and they all work in Cork as well. All that has helped to build up the bond that exists between all of them today.
"You could see that the wives and girlfriends were up for the match together as well and that all creates the right mood, the right atmosphere and the right environment in the club.
"I think we did things in a very professional manner in the run-up to the Athlone Town match and it will be the same for the Cup final.
"We wanted to overnight in Roscommon the night before the game and there was no problem with that suggestion among the directors and it's all paid dividends now.
"We are in the Cup final now, it's over 90 minutes and we are going to enjoy the whole experience."
Barry, who played in both losing Cup finals against Derry City in 1989 and Bohemians in '92, said the best element of the win was the way the lads coped and performed with the pressure.
"It will probably be a similar situation in the Cup final but we know we have a great chance of re-writing the history books now."
Cork will not know their Cup final venue until after tonight's replay between Shelbourne and Finn Harps.
If Shels, the Cup holders win through to their third final in a row, the game will probably go ahead at Dalymount Park on May 10 but if Finn Harps qualify for their first decider in 24 years, then, the decider could well be played at Tolka Park.
A spokesman for the FAI said last night that, as of now, Lansdowne Road was not in the debate.
"It was decided at the AGM in Athlone last June that the Cup final would be hosted at either Tolka or Dalymount and Lansdowne Road was ruled out of the equation.
"However, if say Cork and Finn Harps are to contest the final and they were to make a case for playing it at Lansdowne Road then I presume the FAI would listen to the two clubs and consider their case," said Brendan McKenna, the FAI Press Officer at Merrion Square.
The rugby headquarters is available on May 10 as the Republic of Ireland have two internationals coming up there against Argentina on April 22 and Mexico on May 23 — and, the week after the Cup final, the Paul McGrath testimonial match is fixed for Lansdowne on Sunday, May 17.
A decision on the Cup final venue will be finalised after tonight's replay between Shels' and Finn Harps.

FIFA step in to fight FAI's corner in Dublin Dons saga

WIMBLEDON'S plans to re-locate to Dublin will be the subject of a recommendation from the world governing body, FIFA.
The FAI are expecting a communication from FIFA backing the FAI attitude to the proposed Wimbledon plan and suggesting that teams should only play in the League of the country where they are based.
FIFA has been supportive of the FAI all along and little wonder.
For if Wimbledon are allowed to base themselves in Dublin and play in a cross-border league then the league structure as we know it will collapse right across the globe.
Another Irish subject occupying the minds of legislators at the highest level is the attitude of Derry City to the transfer last year of three players from Dundalk, Sligo Rovers and UCD.
Under the Bosman ruling players can transfer when out of contract without a transfer fee from one jurisdiction to another and Derry have exploited this by refusing to pay their League of Ireland rivals on the basis that they are based in Northern Ireland.
These and other legislative matters were topical when football officials from across Europe travelled to attend a seminar organised by the English FA in London yesterday.
The officials were invited to attend one or either of the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday and yesterday they visited 10 Downing Street to meet British Premier Tony Blair.
The Irish officials who travelled were Mr. Pat Quigley, President, and Mr. Brendan O'Byrne, Chief Executive of the FAI, Mr. Michael Hyland, President, and Mr. Paul Walsh, Chief Executive of the National League.
The English FA organised the seminar for all the European associations because Britain is the current holder of the Presidency of the EU. The football delegates discussed the Bosman case with a view to drawing up recommendations to help towards a uniform approach to problems.
The English are keen to take advantage of every opportunity they can get as well to canvas for support for their efforts to secure the right to stage the World Cup finals in 2006.
They are also pitching to have the Chairman of the FA, Mr. Keith Wiseman, elected to UEFA.
The UEFA congress will be held in Dublin at the end of the month and there are seven posts with UEFA up for election and 14 candidates.
Another of the candidates is Mr. Des Casey, Vice President of the FAI, who is up for re-election.
• THE French are selecting a new team for the World Cup.
It will include Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, Dominique Batheney, Marius Tresor and Dominique Rocheteau.
If those names ring a bell then do not be surprised; they were members of an outstanding French team in the 1970's and '80's, a team that won the European Championship in 1984.
The old stars are being wheeled out again by the French World Cup organisers to add a touch of class to their radio coverage of the competition.
Radio France is to create a new station for the duration of the World Cup — "98 Radio France".
It will be on air every day from 6.00am until 1.00am on 1852m medium wave and will deal exclusively with football matters.
They will offer programmes in English, German, Spanish and Italian as well as commentaries on all 64 matches together with information on ticket sales, accommodation, traffic news, weather and entertainment for World Cup visitors.
• THE psychology of the Celtic versus Rangers contest is fascinating.
How often in recent years have Celtic outplayed their fierce Glasgow rivals for much of the encounter only to fall to a sucker-punch with Ally McCoist more often than not the man to sink them.
If Celtic can beat Kilmarnock in the League tomorrow night they will then go into the next Old Firm match with a slight advantage.
And the Bhoys might enjoy more success if they were to play a rebound game rather than starting at 100 miles an hour as they invariably tend to against Rangers.

Ferguson is more than happy to get out of jail

MANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson admitted last night that his side had ''got out of jail''.
''In the first half we were outplayed and outfought and I have to say that that half was the best any side has played against us for two or three years,'' said Ferguson.
''Blackburn were magnificent. We were left trailing in their wake for so long that we just had to improve.''
The United boss brought Nicky Butt on at half-time and pushed Scholes into attack - a move which galvanized the Premiership leaders and saw them fight back splendidly.
''The second half saw a transformed team,'' he admitted. ''The most important thing was the substitution of Nicky Butt. He gave us a bit of steel and a bit of energy in midfield.''
Ferguson also pointed to the equaliser from Cole as the turning point in the match after the £7m striker cut in from the right and delivered a magnificent drive across Rovers keeper Alan Fettis into the far corner.
''He turned it round for us really. Once we got the equaliser then they knew we had come back from nothing.
''They had been giving us a 'doing' and then suddenly they have let in a goal 10 minutes into the second half. That made a difference.
''They all worked hard - we didn't have any special players tonight. All round I think you have to say it was a gritty performance and that we got out of jail.''
Ferguson, whose side face Liverpool next at Old Trafford on Friday, warned his squad: ''The first half was a reminder to us and if they don't take that on board, then they're not the players I think they are."
Blackburn boss Roy Hodgson was encouraged by Ferguson's compliments, but was left frustrated by the result and admitted that his side's championship hopes were now over.
''To be honest, we haven't had any serious ideas of reaching first or second place since we had a bad March, when we lost a lot of games and we should have done better,'' he said.
''The main point for us is to keep playing as well as we've done tonight and hope we get enough points to get us into the UEFA (Cup) because that was our aim at the beginning of the year.''
Hodgson refused to choose between United and Arsenal for the title, but added: ''This was a very important win for United - especially seeing as they won it with their three strikes on target.''
Manchester United's title odds have been cut from 4-7 to 1-3 by William Hill, who have eased Arsenal from 5-4 to 9-4.

Shels' boss confident of getting cup replay right

by Noel Spillane
SHELBOURNE boss Damien Richardson plans to get his side into their third successive FAI Cup final at the second attempt tonight.
The Cup holders, who drew 0-0 with Finn Harps up in Ballybofey on Saturday night, plan to complete the job this evening at Tolka Park (k.o. 7.30).
"We are playing well again and that's a boost for us. We are back to our best form of the season and if we just take the chances we create again tonight we will win through to the final okay," said Richardson who names an unchanged team.
Rico may switch to a 4-4-2 formation, though, at home as the Tolka Reds stay on course for a possible league and FAI Cup double.
"We could have won it up in Ballybofey. We had one late scare with a goal-line clearance in the last minute but that was it."
Liam Kelly is ruled out again for Shels' with a back injury while Charlie McGeever, the Finn Harps manager is forced to make one change, at least, to his team.
Midfielder Donal O'Brien, who played his 30th consecutive match for the club at the weekend since his move from Irish League side Crusaders, is suspended for tonight's replay.
McGeever can play either Gareth Callaghan or Paul Cullen in midfield but the more likely scenario is that James Mulligan will be asked to drop back into midfield from one of the striking roles. Harps will have Jonathan Speake and Dave Dowling up front and Shane Bradley will continue in the absence of the injured Pascal Vaudequin who has a hamstring injury.
If the sides are still level at the end of extra-time then a coin will be tossed to determine home advantage for a second replay.

Hall's tribute to fallen directors dismays fans

by Steven Baker
A NEWCASTLE United fans' spokesman has reacted with dismay after Sir John Hall dedicated Sunday's FA Cup semi-final win to disgraced duo Douglas Hall and Freddy Shepherd.
The pair quit the Magpies board last month following revelations about them in a national newspaper that enraged the club's fans. But Sir John, who has returned as chairman at St James' Park, praised Shepherd, his predecessor, and his son and former vice-chairman Douglas for helping turn Newcastle into a major force in the game.
However, Newcastle Independent Supporters' Association secretary John Regan condemned Sir John's comments.
"Douglas Hall and Freddy Shepherd are irrelevant to the future of Newcastle United Football Club, and nothing will put right in the eyes of Newcastle fans what has happened in the past," said Regan. "It's shoddy to praise their names in the club's finest hour. All the fans want to do is move on."
The duo took nine days to resign following the first newspaper claims after they had originally hinted they were prepared to ride out the storm. Regan insisted they left just in time for Newcastle's season to be salvaged and he added: "Even when things weren't going quite right on the pitch, it was always on the cards we'd get to the Cup final. The problems off the pitch were separate to what was happening on it, but if they'd gone on any longer it could have had an effect there as well.
"At the moment Newcastle fans are just thinking of Wembley, and Douglas Hall and Freddy Shepherd are not in our minds at all."

Cork swing back into cup action at the Cross

by Noel Spillane
FAI CUP finalists, Cork City go back into knock-out action when they meet Greenmount Rangers in their Munster Senior Cup semi-final clash at Turners Cross tomorrow night (k.o. 6.15)
They face the MSL Premier Division champions of the last two years in the first semi-final with Rockmount facing St. Michael's of Tipperary in the other on Sunday, May 3 at Rockmount Park.
Cork will use the game to clear Patsy Freyne's one match ban and also eat into Philip Long's two-match ban.
Declan Daly and left-winger Ollie Cahill, with one-match suspensions starting after Sunday's league game with UCD at Turners Cross, will be available.
Barry will use the game to give some of his reserve team experience and he has added the names of John McCarthy, Greg O'Halloran, Noel O'Donnell, Stephen Hurley and Brian Walsh to his squad.
O'Halloran, a midfielder, is just back from trials with Hull City while right-back O'Donnell played in the quarter-final win over Midleton.
Greenmount Rangers, winners of the Munster Junior Cup last year, but knocked out by St. Michael's in the quarter-final this year, expect to be at full strength.
They beat Avondale United 3-1, Cobh Ramblers 2-1 and St. Mary's 2-0 on their way to the last four and they hope to have Eddie Cotter back in the team after a cartilage operation.
"He has a 50/50 chance of playing against Cork," said manager John Lyne, who is assisted by Pat Mulcahy - a stalwart with the southside club for over 20 years.
The bulk of Greenmount's goals this season have come from Dougie Twomey, Darren Gubbins and Greg Cooney.
However, defenders Jimmy Connors, Anthony O'Brien and Shane McSweeney provide the experience.
The team is captained by goalkeeper Bertie Lane and also in action will be first team regulars like Mick O'Leary, Brendan Cronin, Peter Jones, Pat Tynan and the club's most consistent player all season, Declan O'Regan.