Kult & Punk file their mid-term report on St Pauli

The boys rest and reflect on the first half of this seasons campaign.  This is their mid-term report, well not really.

FC St. Pauli earned promotion to the Bundesliga after an eight-year absence last season and rattled in no less than 72 goals in the process.


Back in the top flight, coach Holger Stanislawski was firmly set on sticking to that attack-minded policy as far as was practicable, as evidenced by the signing of former Germany international Gerald Asamoah from Schalke 04 to partner top scorer Marius Ebbers up front.

Goals in short supply

Thus far, it has to be said, the strike force have been having a pretty tough time of it this season, bagging just two goals apiece in the league. Indeed, in their opening 17 games the popular Hamburg club managed to hit the net just 16 times all-told. By way of comparison, they had already racked up 41 goals at the midway stage in 2009-10, albeit one flight lower down.

St. Pauli went into the winter break on 17 points and in 15th place, a position they would be more than satisfied to be occupying come the end of the season - as it would mean they had avoided a swift and unwelcome return to the 2. Bundesliga. "We started well before unfortunately going off the boil, but picked up again over the final matches", summarised sporting director Helmut Schulte, who reckons the team, "won the games we had to win. We didn't get much from the ones we expected to be very hard, but I think we had a fairly good season half overall."

Points more useful than praise

There was no shortage of plaudits for the promoted side's refreshing brand of attacking football, but the final outcome all too often was defeat and, as midfielder Fabian Boll acknowledged, "That won't get us far... I'd rather play badly on occasion but take the points." On their own patch though, at the famously atmospheric Millerntor, they have taken just eight of a possible 27 to date, the second poorest home return in the division behind cellar-dwellers Borussia Mönchengladbach.

That notwithstanding, Stanislawski - himself in his day a tough-as-nails old-school centre back - will continue to send out an attack-minded, quick-passing team to entertain the loyal home fans and, he is convinced, secure St. Pauli's status as a born-again top-flight outfit. Schulte, who says the club will not be adding to the squad over the winter break, shares that opinion, "because we're a unit from front to back here, and everyone at the club is a totally committed part of it."

Kult & Punk wish all followers to the exploits of St Pauli a very very happy 2011.  Remember if your in Hamburg pop along and see us.  The boys are more than happy to help out, opposite is their picture, so you will recognise them (we are obviously joking, so please don't approach some poor old thing and shout Kult). The boys promise to actually file their own reports next year, but for the meantime thank you to our friends at the official Bundasliga website for their considerable help.

Joinning Sol y Futbol and Kult & Punk in 2011 are Franco & Toni.  Franco & Toni, two New York hairdressers, will be sending reports about the exploits of Brooklyn Italians, as their season starts.  Keep an eye out for the Brooklyn Italians FC history next month, if this is getting too surreal for anyone let me know, it is a real team.  We will also be entering the world of Baseball, as we follow Lake County Captains throughout their season

San Isidro knocked for SIX, as Lanzarote get into the Festive mood.

UD Lanzarote  6   San  Isidro  1

After the home defeat against Tenisca, los Rojillos travelled to UD Tijarafe.  They returned with a point following a 0-0 draw.

The home match against San Isidro was brought forward from Boxing Day to the 23rd.  There was a rumour doing the rounds, that Mr Lane had returned and wanted too buy everyone a Christmas drink on the 26th.

Lanzarote made the game look easy, with a very convincing performance.  They even had the cheek to trail after 11 minutes, when Tesenery opened the scoring for the visitors.

Los Rojillos levelled the scoring when Rosman shot home after the half hour mark.  Lanzarote entered the interval with a 2-1 lead, when Nauzet put the ball into his own net - no help was needed however.

The prospect of drinks from Mr Lane perked the lads up further. In the 48th minute Rosman made it 3-1 and completed his hat trick just after the hour making it 4-1 in the 62nd minute.

Lanzarote took things a bit easier until the final 10 minutes.  When in the 81st minute Yaco made it 5-1, then in the 86th minute Tonito completed the scoring, making it 6-1 and Lanzarote top of the league for Christmas.

Lanzarote will travel to CD Vera on 2nd January, when Mr Lane will be back in the chair.

Ian Holloway new F.A.Chairman, joking, David Bernstein appointed to the post.

Article taking in full from our friends at Sky Sports News.

David Bernstein has been named the new chairman of the Football Association following a board meeting on Wednesday morning.

The FA has been looking to fill the position on a permanent basis since the sudden departure of Lord Triesman in May and a number of high-profile names were reportedly in the frame.

Acting chairman Roger Burden announced earlier this month that he would be withdrawing his application in protest at Fifa's World Cup bidding process, with Russia getting the nod for the 2018 tournament ahead of England.

Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein had been among the favourites, along with ex-Football League chairman David Sheepshanks.

However, the decision has instead gone in the favour of former Manchester City chairman Bernstein after he was recommended by the nominations committee.

Excellent choice

The committee was chaired by Phil Gartside and consisting of Michael Game, Tony Kleanthous and John Ward.

Bernstein, 67, is currently chairman of Wembley Stadium and he will officially take over as FA chairman if, as is expected, his appointment is endorsed by the FA council on 25th January.

He was on the Man City board for nine years, five of them as chairman, and is thought to have the right credentials to be successful with the FA.

Burden said: "The board was united in its view that David would make an excellent choice as chairman of the organisation. I have worked with David for some years and have always been impressed by his professionalism and integrity.

"We look forward to working with David to take the FA forward in the best interests of football at all levels across the country."

Honoured

Gartside added: "David was the outstanding candidate for the role. He combines strong business and leadership skills with tremendous insight and knowledge of football."

Bernstein, a chartered accountant who also sits on the boards of several companies including French Connection, Ted Baker and Blacks Leisure and is the president of the National Association of Disabled Supporters, is proud to have been appointed.

He said: "I am honoured to be asked to take on the role as chairman of the FA.

"It is a tremendous challenge but I look forward to working with the board, the staff at the FA and everyone in football from local playing fields to Wembley and the international stage."



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Athlete of the Year 2010 Winners, anounced by BOA

This posting taking in full from our friends at BOA.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has today announced the list of recipients of the 2010 Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy.

The award was introduced in 2005, to mark the BOA’s Centenary Year and the success of London being awarded the 2012 Olympic Games. The BOA presented a trophy to each of the 33 summer and winter Olympic sports for them to award on an annual basis to their top performing athlete of the year.

To mark outstanding performances in 2010, the following athletes have been awarded the BOA Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy:

Aquatics - Rebecca Adlington

Archery - Alison Williamson

Athletics - Mo Farah

Badminton - Rajiv Ouseph

Basketball - Pop’s Mensah-Bonsu

Boxing - Tom Stalker

Canoeing - Ed McKeever

Cycling - Emma Pooley

Equestrian - Laura Bechtolsheimer

Fencing - Chrystall Nicoll

Gymnastics - Beth Tweddle

Handball - Holly Lam-Moores

Hockey - Helen Richardson

Judo - Euan Burton

Modern Pentathlon - Sam Weale

Sailing - Ed Wright

Shooting - Elena Allen

Table Tennis - Liam Pitchford

Taekwondo - Jade Jones

Tennis - Andy Murray

Triathlon - Jonathan Brownlee

Volleyball - Nathan French

Weighlifting - Peter Kirbride

Wrestling - Myroslav Dykun

Biathlon - Lee-Steve Jackson

Bobsleigh/Skeleton - Amy Williams

Curling - Eve Muirhead

Luge - AJ Rosen

Skating - Sinead and John Kerr

Skiing - Andrew Musgrave

*Ice hockey, football and rowing are yet to announce their Olympic Athlete of the Year for 2010.

Andy Hunt, BOA Chief Executive said:

“Undoubtedly the British Olympic highlight of 2010 was Amy Williams’ outstanding performance on the Whistler Sliding Centre where she claimed Olympic gold for Team GB in such fantastic style. The skeleton slider became Britain’s first individual Winter Olympic Champion for 30 years and inspired the millions of Team GB fans watching on TV across the UK.

“Throughtout 2010, athletes from all 26 summer Olympic sports continued to prepare themselves for the once in a lifetime opportunity presented by a home Olympics in London in 2012. During this year we have seen many well-established sports continue to excel at World and European Championship level, while other sports have demonstrated great progression in their ambition of competing with the very best in 2012.

“During 2010 many young athletes have produced thrilling breakthrough performances and it’s particularly encouraging to see so many young athletes named by their sports as the Olympic Athlete of the Year – none more so than taekwondo athlete Jade Jones who made history by becoming Britain’s first Youth Olympic Champion at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August.

“The award of the Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy recognises the dedication, commitment and excellence of athletes who represent the very best of British talent in their respective Olympic sports. I wish all the award winners the very best as they continue their preparations for London 2012, Sochi 2014 and beyond.”

Commenting on receiving their awards:

Amy Williams, skeleton, said: “I’m delighted to receive the BOA Olympic Athlete of the Year award. This caps a really special year for me, the highlight of which was of course becoming Olympic Champion with Team GB at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me on the journey so far. I’m now back in training and aiming for more success at the European and World Championships in 2011.”

Jade Jones, taekwondo, said: “I am really honoured to win this award which rounds off a truly memorable year for me. Winning medals at the World Junior Championships and then the European Seniors was really special and then to become the first British athlete to win a Youth Olympic gold medal is something that I will never forget. Of course I hope to be able to repeat the experience at future Olympic Games.”

Rebecca Adlington, swimming, said: “I'm proud and honoured to have won this award in 2010, given the achievements of so many British Swimmers at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. I can't wait to test myself against the best in the world in 2011, as I continue to prepare for London 2012.”

Beth Tweddle, gymnastics, said: “I’m really happy to win this award, in what has been a outstanding year for British Gymnastics. Becoming World Champion for the third time in my career in 2010 has given me great confidence towards my aim of reaching the podium at the London 2012 Olympic Games. We experienced the support of the home crowd during the European Championships in Birmingham and that has given us a great taste for the amazing support Team GB will receive in London in 2012. I will continue to work hard and hope for further success in 2011 and beyond.”

Eve Muirhead, curling, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for this award and it rounds off what has been an exciting year in my progression to curling at senior level. Competing at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver was an experience I will never forget and the year got even better when our team went on to win silver at the World Championships and again most recently at the European Championships earlier this month. Getting a taste of success makes me all the more determined to go on and reach the top of the medal podium and I would love to have the opportunity to represent Team GB again in Sochi in 2014.”

Jonathan Brownlee, triathlon, said: “It’s absolutely great to win this award, it’s been a long hard season for me and to get this award at the end of it is really amazing. It has been a great breakthrough year with winning the Sprint Distance and Under 23 world titles, as well as finishing on the podium at the World Championships Series event in Hyde Park. I’m looking forward to continuing my development in 2011 and beyond. Following a short break at the end of this season I’m back into the hard work now. The unique opportunity of competing at a home Olympics in 2012 is a great motivating factor.”

Helen Richardson, hockey, said: "It truly is a great honour to receive this award and I really must thank everyone who has helped me throughout my career. I am so proud to play for my country and have enjoyed many fantastic moments over the past 12 years. 2010 has been a successful and promising year for the England team and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of a GB squad, with the backing of the British Olympic Association, which has the desire, ambition and ability to achieve great things. There are exciting times ahead; especially looking towards the London Olympics in 2012 and the whole squad is relishing this unique opportunity."

For further information please contact BOA Communications Officer Phil Wilkinson: philip.wilkinson@boa.org.uk / 0207 842 5700.

Idea for a late Christmas Present - F.A.Coaching courses.

Local Courses


FA Learning runs a wide-range of coaching courses for all abilities.

If you ever fancied yourself as a football coach and think you could develop and motivate players, why not become a FA-qualified football coach?

FA Learning Courses range from the basic entry level qualifications such as the Level One Certificate in Coaching Football to more advanced levels such as the UEFA A and Pro Licences or the FA Youth Award Courses. There are also courses which deal with more specialist areas of football education, such as Goalkeeping Coaching level One of Coaching Disabled Footballers.

The majority of FA Learning courses are run through your Local County FA – which there will definitely be a course running near you.
Go to F.A.com to find contact details for your local County Association and for a full list of courses available. Good luck and look forward to working with our future coaches.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

SportTrades would like to wish all of our Pulse readers, Talk followers and SportTrades clients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We thought we would take this time to offer our season greetings as it was a quiet sporting weekend.

We would like to thank you all for being part of SportTrades in 2010 and look forward to our continued partnership in 2011. A massive thank you to our colleagues and contributors for all their hard work during the last year. The company has changed greatly since this time last year.  It has certainly been a testing year and we have survived relatively unscathed.

In the next few weeks on Pulse, the normal features will continue to appear mixed with some off beat additions.  If you have any unusual sporting memories or wish to highlight the dedication of volunteers at your club, please contact us.  Next year will see a complete make over of Pulse in terms of features and contributions, some friends like Soly Futbol, Kult & Punk, The Sting and Ice Man staying, with Shout, 2012 coming back and new friends joining us. Pulse will also receive a brand new look, so keep an eye out for details.

As a company, SportTrades will also receive an exciting make-over we will bring you all the details in January. 2011 is an important year for SportTrades, we won't hide the fact that it will be hard work.  We are confident that the consolidation that 2010 became and the new opportunities that came our way will make 2011 exciting.  We said goodbye to some good friends in 2010 and we thank them for their hard work and wish them well in their new ventures. Team SportTrades have some new colleagues for 2011 and we are ready for the hard work ahead and look forward to your company.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

from all @ SportTrades

Kult & Punk: Mainz Ze gap -St Pauli lose again.

The highlight of the day, was the drunk St Nick and the incident with the Sushi Bar Girls, but that is for a completely different blog. The boys made it to the game, but are still out, so report courtesy of the official bundesliga site. The guys will be gracing us with their presence, when they add ink to their imagination, for a review after Christmas and hopefully before the New Year. We wait and see, but they do send you season greetings and hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

FC St Pauli   2   FSV Mainz 4

Hamburg - 1. FSV Mainz 05 rounded off a hugely successful first half of the season with an impressive 4-2 win away to FC St. Pauli.


An Andre Schürrle double had put the visitors firmly in the driving seat within the opening half hour, though a brace from Pauli midfielder Matthias Lehmann either side of Adam Szalai's third for Mainz had set up an interesting final period. However, a fine fourth from Marco Caligiuri eventually made absolutely sure of the three points for the 05ers, who move into second pending Bayer Leverkusen's result against SC Freiburg on Sunday.

Schürrle strikes

Backed by the ever-reliable Millerntor support, St. Pauli immediately tried to put their guests under pressure and managed a first shot on goal after just four minutes when Marius Ebbers' powerful bobbling strike gave Heinz Müller a fright in the Mainz goal. Nevertheless, the opening goal came courtesy of the visitors, Schürrle finish a nice move with a simple tap-in from Szalai's centre.

Inspired by their lead, Thomas Tuchel's side began to remind the 24,000-strong crowd just why they remain among the leading pack in this season's Bundesliga. Schürrle added his and Mainz's second on 28 minutes, turning in a scuffed Malik Fathi effort from close range after being played onside by Fabio Morena.

Lehmann responds

St. Pauli were handed a way back into the match four minutes later when Elkin Soto handled in the box, giving Lehmann the opportunity to fire down the centre and reduce the deficit to one goal. Mainz soon restored their advantage, however, Szalai finishing off Christian Fuchs' searching diagonal ball with a measured volley past Mathias Hain for his fourth of the season.

Holger Stanislawski had clearly uttered some harsh words at the break as St. Pauli re-emerged from the tunnel fighting. Max Kruse wasn't far away on 53 minutes when his sweeping left-foot strike narrowly missed the right-hand upright with Müller flailing. The hosts did manage to pull another one back ten minutes later though, Lehmann's fearsome strike taking a wicked deflection off of Nikolce Noveski and looping over Müller and into the net.

Caligiuri settles it

Sensing a point was still in the air, the Kiezkicker twice threatened Müller's goal with strikes from Timo Schultz and particularly Lehmann, though it was Mainz who went closest to scoring the game's next goal as Szalai fired into the side netting after popping up free at the far post from a Soto free-kick.

The Hungarian frontman was denied another chance by a superb Ralph Gunesch challenge late on, but ultimately it was irrelevant as Caligiuri crashed in an excellent strike from the right side of the box after being spotted by substitute Sami Allagui from the left. St. Pauli thus remain just two points above the relegation places, while Mainz can raise a Christmas glass to fantastic opening 17 games.

Pauli: Hain - Rothenbach, Morena, Gunesch, Oczipka - Boll (Bruns 57'), Lehmann - Asamoah, Kruse (Takyi 57') - Hennings (Schultz 57'), Ebbers

Mainz: Müller - Zabavnik, Bungert, Noveski, C. Fuchs - Soto (Polanski 81') - M. Caligiuri, Fathi - Holtby (Allagui 65') - Szalai, Schürrle (90+2')

Goals: 0-1 Schürrle (11'), 0-2 Schürrle (28'), 1-2 Lehmann (pen 33'), 1-3 Szalai (41'), 2-3 Lehmann (63'), 2-4 Caligiuri (83')

Attendance at the Millerntor: ca. 24,000

The Sting: Wasps overcome the Wolves in fantastic display

Hull Wasps 88 Warrington Wolves 77


HULL Wasps produced their best basketball so far this season to come from 15 points behind to defeat former league leaders Warrington Wolves. Battered and bruised John Brignell produced an awe-inspiring fourth- quarter display to lead his Hull Wasps to an incredible 88-77 victory over the Wolves.
 
The Wasps player-coach looked finished for the game when a first-quarter collision left him with a black eye and a deep, bleeding gash in his nose.


But the 6ft 8in centre dragged himself off the bench in the final period and scored 16 of his game-high 24 points to inspire his side to a victory that lifts them into second in the league.

It is the first time the Wasps have occupied a promotion spot in England Basketball's National League Division Four.

They entered the fourth quarter down 67-58, but clawed back the deficit with a string of defensive stops. It was then that Brignell ignored the advice of everyone on the Wasps bench to produce a performance of true heart.

He repeatedly proved too strong for a Warrington defence featuring former England star Delme Herriman as his side outscored the visitors 30-10 in the final period.

Player-assistant coach Jamie Goodwin said: "He didn't know where he was after he was hit. Blood was pouring from his wound.

"I said to him: 'we are not risking it. You are done for today, mate'. But it never entered his head that he would not come back into the game. When I saw him asking the scorers' table to come back into the game in the fourth quarter, I thought he must be crazy. I asked the referee to keep an eye on him.

"But the first thing he did was take the ball hard to the basket and score. He then did it again and again. It was like a scene from a Rocky film. He played with true heart and showed himself to be the leader we all know he is."

Centre James Rayner hit 21 points, including three three-pointers, and guard Ash Rice added 14 points and a string of assists.

Goodwin added: "Ash stepped up with his best game of the season and James filled in more than capably for John during the second and third quarters.

"It was just as important that we performed well as a team defensively to give our offence the platform to perform. Once again, John Kelsey typified that, as did Miles Anderson and Rob Birchmore."

The Wasps cross the Pennines to take on Stockport Falcons II on Saturday in their final game before the Christmas break.

Wasps now lie in second place in National League 4 North, level on points with Burnley who, after beating Tees Valley Mohawks, are now top of the league on win percentage.

          Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4   Final Score

Home 18   42    58   88        88

Away  26  44    67   77        77

Leading Scorers: Scorer 1 Scorer 2 Scorer 3

Home Brignell 24 Rayner 21 Rice 14

Away Herriman 22 Arden 21 Griffiths 8

Fix n Mix: Chieftains have a weekend in the South West

Chelmsford Chieftains have a weekend away in the South West.  On Saturday they play Bristol Pitbulls with face off 17.55.  They then travel to Swindon Wildcats on Sunday with a 1915 face off.

Harpenden Rugby travel to Hemel Hempstead on Saturday in a local derby. Over the festive holiday, Harpenden will be hosting the Dave Singleton Memorial Event, check with the club for information.

Hull Wasps travel to Stockport Falcons in the league on Saturday.

In March to the Arch St Blazey host Bemerton Heath Harlequins in the F.A.Vase.  The winners will face a trip to Leverstock Greeen.

Kult & Punk, after their drubbing at Bayern Munich, FC St Pauli host FSV Mainz in the Bundesliga.

Sol y Futbol, U D Lanzarote will try and return to winning ways when they travel toTijarfe.

Jesmond Parish Churches are already in party mode and will not return to action until 8th January.

As always, please check with all the clubs to confirm, time, location and day.  If the Arctic conditions return as promised, take care on your journey to and from fixtures.

2 out of 2 for Chieftains

Chieftains head coach Dean Birrell was delighted with his team after netting 10 goals in 2 games over a disappointing Streatham side. 
 
"We've been scoring well recently, but we've slipped up and dropped points we shouldn't have done and getting back to back wins over a side like Streatham is very pleasing. We worked well as a unit and put them under pressure and it paid off as we got 4 points and move higher up the league".

Saturday night was the Tom Long show as he ran in a natural hat-trick with 3 goals in a row in a dominant performance from the Chieftains which saw them give a debut to new boy Kyle Jones who immediately made an impression with the Chieftains fans as he checked every Redskin in sight on his first shift. Once Long had got his third, the Redskins hit back through youngster Chris Rasmussen who shot past Euan King who was making his first start since returning from injury. Less than a minute later and James Ayling had restored the Chieftains 3 goal lead and defenceman Richard Gunn rounded out the scoring on 47:54 when he got his 1st goal for the Chieftains this season. Needless to say, Long took the plaudits and the man of the match award for an outstanding display.

In South London on Sunday evening it was always going to be tougher for the Chieftains as they knew that the Redskins wouldn't take a defeat like that lightly and so it proved as they restricted the Essex side to just 1 goal in the first 35mins of the game and this time it was Matt Turner who got the goal, but was set up by Long, who was having a storming weekend and also won the man of the match award in the away game. Late in the second period and the Chieftains, who had been on the back foot for much of the session, made it 2-0 with an unassisted goal from Blaho Novak. Early in the third it was 3-0 when Danny Hammond netted, quickly followed by Ayling getting his second of the weekend. A mass brawl broke out late on in the period after a nasty check on Hammond left the Chieftains forward injured and his team-mates quickly moved in to stick up for their star forward and it took a few minutes to calm everything down. Jones made sure he made an impact in this game as well as he made it 5-0 to the Chieftains with 30seconds to go to end a strong weekend for the Chelmsford side.

While all this was going on, the Chelmsford second side headed to Hampshire to take on high-flying Basingstoke Buffalo in a game many expected the Warriors to struggle in. As it was, they took the game to the Buffalo early on, but succumbed to a Buffalo goal in the first, however Ben Osborne, on a good run of form, netted before the end of the period. Later in the game, Ashlee Cave, Gary Brown and rising star Courtney Grant all scored unanswered goals to end the game with a 4-1 win to the visitors.

The Warriors now have to wait until the 9th of January before they take to the ice again. The Chieftains have a 2 game road trip next weekend when they take on Bristol Pitbulls on Saturday and Swindon ENL Wildcats on Sunday.

Sol y Futbol: After a good week, Rojillos suffer home defeat

This has been a good week for UD Lanzarote a good draw against Las Palmas, followed by an away win against CD Tenerife.  The week ended, however, on a sour note as they went down 2-1 at home to Tenisca.  The result could of been worse, as Lanzarote are still top of the league with a 2 point lead after Las Palmas drew at home and Tenerife lost away, their nearest rivals.

After 32 minutes Juando scored to put Tenisca in the lead, only to be pegged back by Lanzarote after 40 minutes when Echedy levelled the score.

Lanzarote tried to get back into the game, but on the 69th minute Memo scored what was to be the winning goal for the visitors.

Next week Ian will have returned and normal Sol y Futbol service will presume - I can hear the sigh of relief. Next weekend UD Lanzarote travel too Tijarafe.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli suffer Bavarian misery.

The match out of the way, the boys are heading to the bars of Munich. That is all you can really say about it all.


Bayern Munich 3 St Pauli 0

Bayern München beat FC St. Pauli 3-0 to move a small step closer to their new stated goal of direct qualification for the Champions League


The visitors held their own for much of the match, but eventually came unstuck after their goalkeeper was sent off with just over 20 minutes remaining.

End-to-end opening

The first chance of the match fell to Fin Bartels after just three minutes, but the St. Pauli midfielder skied his effort when given a free sight of goal inside the Bayern box. A few minutes later in what was a lively start to the contest, Franck Ribery played in a low ball from the left that Toni Kroos just failed to connect with.

With quarter of an hour played the visitors were more than holding their own, but in the 16th minute Hamit Altintop struck for the record champions. The Turkish international worked a space for himself on the edge of the St. Pauli box before nailing a beauty into the top-right corner.

Chances for St. Pauli

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk blocked a shot from Max Kruse not long after as the Hamburg outfit responded well to the early setback in the period that followed. A goal to the good, the home side tried to stamp their authority on the proceedings but there was little clear sign of them cracking the St. Pauli defence a second time. In fact, it was the guests who ended the first half on the front foot, Marius Ebbers firing just wide in the 42nd minute, although Toni Kroos pulled a good save out of Thomas Kessler with the final chance before the interval.

Four minutes after the restart, St. Pauli should have been level again when Kruse teed up Ebbers at close range, but his shot was blocked on the line by Diego Contento. The half continued in the same vein as the first, with the visitors more than holding their own, in terms of football as well as commitment. The tipping point arrived though in the 68th minute.

All change after Kessler sent off

Kessler hauled down Thomas Müller inside the box and received a straight red card for the professional foul. Philipp Lahm converted from the spot against fresh-on-the-pitch substitute keeper Mathias Hain and St. Pauli suddenly had a mountain to climb. Fin Bartels almost pulled one back shortly after, but with eleven minutes to go Franck Ribery sewed things up with number three, outfoxing Ralph Gunesch and Hain before slipping his first goal of the season into the empty net.

After that, the hosts wound up for a final ten-minute power-play but a combination of stand-in keeper Hain and the aluminium kept the score at 3-0.

Line-ups

FC Bayern: Butt - Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Breno, Contento - van Bommel, Kroos - Altintop, Schweinsteiger, Ribery - Müller

St. Pauli: Kessler � Volz (Bruns 46'), Morena, Oczipka, Rothenbach - Boll (Asamoah 62'), Lehmann - Gunesch, Kruse (Hain 71'), Bartels - Ebbers

Goals: 1-0 Altintop (16'), 2-0 Lahm (72', pen.), 3-0 Ribery (81')

Red card: Kessler (68')

Attendance in the Allianz Arena: 69,000 (sold-out)

Fix 'n' Mix: FC St Pauli travel to Munich and other fixtures.

The weather caused major disruption to last weekends sporting calender, it may do so again this weekend. Please check with the club to confirm time, day and venue of all fixtures and also to make sure it has not fallen victim to the cold snap.  If your match is not cancelled, please take care in your journey their and back.

Weather permitting March to the Arch continues.  In the F.A.Cup Brighton won 3-1 at FC United of Manchester, to set up a tie against Portsmouth.  In the F.A.Trophy, Wealdstone take a trip to Wales and visit Newport County.  Weymouth Ladies travel to Newquay on Sunday, in the F.A.Women's Cup and in the Youth Cup Southampton head North to Bradford City on Tuesday evening.

Kult & Punk:  The boys are already in Munich, 'Christmas Shopping', no chance of finding them then. You have guessed it, FC St Pauli visit Bayern Munich tomorrow, after their 1-0 win against Kaiserlautern ended a long run without victory.

Sol y Futbol:  UD Lanzarote have another home match this weekend.  They play SD Tenisca on Sunday, I had mentioned it was CD Tenerife during the week, but was wrong (Ian hurry back).  The Rojillos drew 2-2 against 2nd placed Las Palmas last Sunday, they then travelled to 3rd place CD Tenerife during the week and returned 1-0 victors to stay top of the pile.

In basketball, Hull Wasps play Warrington Wolves at the Bonus Arena on Saturday, tip off 7.30pm. Last weeks fixture was postponed due to travel problems.

Our Kings of the Ice Hockey rink, Chelmsford Chieftains, are in action again this week.  On Saturday they host Streatham Redskins - face off 17.40, then visit the Redskins on Sunday with face-off at 18.45.

Harpenden Rugby have not been in action for a few weeks now, but hope to host Hammersmith & Fulham this Saturday at Redbourn Lane.

Jesmond Parish Church Hockey Club hope to be in action this weekend. We believe these will be the final fixtures until January.  The Women travel to Newcastle Ladies on Saturday, while the Men entertain Newcastle Medics. Promised for a few weeks, but we will update you on the seasons progress very soon.  need to find someone sober, remind you of anyone in Hamburg!

If you have any events over the festive period, please send us the details and we will gladly post it on the blog for you. info@sporttrades.co.uk

Sol y Futbol: UD Lanzarote Draw in the Top of the Table clash

UD Lanzarote 2 Las Palmas Atletico 'B' 2

Welcome to the short version of Sol y Futbol. You will be happy to know, not long until the return of Mr Ian Lane and proper match reports. Apparently he nipped out for a Chinese and is yet to return.

The Rojillos braved the freezing temperatures, to turn out for this top of the table clash with Las Palmas Atletico. I am obviously lying, as a balmy afternoon was enjoyed by all in Arrecife, but it makes me feel better.

UD Lanzarote managed to remain top as they drew with an in form Las Palmas.
The visitors took the lead in the 37 minute, as Roque converted from the penalty spot. In a very tight match Atletico held onto the 1-0 lead until the break.

The second half saw no change in a close encounter. Jotha repaid the complement in the 62nd minute from the spot to level the scores. The Rojillos took the lead after 77 minutes, when substitute Ayoze scored. Lanzarote looked to be heading for an important 3 points but were pegged back when Derek equalised for Las Palmas in the 81st minute.

The games do not get any easier as UD Lanzarote travel to CD Tenerife this coming weekend.

Chieftains hit 14 goals in 2 games

Saturday night saw the Chieftains take the long trip to Bristol in what, for many players, was their first senior experience of a 'rink with character' as some fans described it. Things didn't start off too well and hopes of a repeat of the 16-3 demolition at the beginning of the month soon began to fade but on 12:35 James Ayling slotted home a nice goal, followed up 4minutes later by Danny Hammond who fired in a one-timer to the top corner. 6 seconds of the period remained when the Pitbulls hit back  through Richie Hargreaves. The second period was all Chelmsford though and Aaron Connolly and BT Williams netted to end the period with the Chieftains 4-1 up. Ben Clements was kept fairly quiet in the Chelmsford net, facing just 6 shots all period. The third period was a similar affair with Blaho Novak scoring, while Connolly and Ayling added to their tallies. While at the other end the Pitbulls managed 13 shots and netted twice through Hargreaves again and Phil Dibble. Ross Brears rounded out the scoring with 1 second to go to end the game Bristol Pitbulls 3, Chelmsford Chieftains 8.

 

Sunday night was always going to be a tougher game when the Cardiff Devils came up to Essex for what is always a lively clash and this game didn’t disappoint. The Chieftains raced into a 3 goal lead at the first break with a rejuvenated Jerry Pavlus scoring twice and setting up Blaho Novak for his 3^rd of the weekend. The second period was much more like Chelmsford V Cardiff games and the hits were flying in and on 27:36 the officials adjudged BT Williams to have thrown one too many big hits and sent him to the penalty box on a 2+10 penalty call for checking to the head. Ben Clements had a fairly quiet night, only facing 26 shots all game, but it wouldn’t tell the whole story without mentioning some of the remarkable saves he pulled off. He was beaten at 31:07 by Steve Fisher though with a scrappy goal.  Matt Turner and Chris Hart dropped the gloves and the Chelmsford player, Turner, got the win. Shortly after the fight it became 4-1 when Danny Hammond scored a screamer of a goal from a tight angle. Fisher then got his second to make it 4-2 at 36:47. It was all Chelmsford in the final session as they rounded out a convincing win with Novak and Darren Brown completing the scoring.

 

Tomorrow night sees the Chieftains at home when sponsors Grants SEAT will be making a special presentation on the ice during the match up against 4th placed Oxford City Stars.

More info on the Chieftains site.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli get into the Festive spirit with 3 pints, sorry points.

The boys braved the elements and moved from the pool table to the dart board without incident.  St Pauli return to winning ways, let us hope it becomes a habit again. Kult & Punk would like to apologise to the ladies in Sushi's Bar, they couldn't resist - no, I have no idea either what they mean and best not too, just to be safe. Beautiful night, proper game of football no bribe insight, how we look forward to Russia. F.I.F.A (F**k Integrity Follow Abramovich)

Fc St Pauli 1 FC Kaiserlautern 0

Hamburg - FC. St Pauli finally ended their six-match winless streak with a plucky home victory over 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Friday evening.


On a frosty Millerntor pitch it was the home side who worked the advantage early in the second half thanks to an own goal by Christian Tiffert. The visitors attempted to up the pace for the remainder but were ultimately too lackadaisical in the final third and the Kiezkicker duly held on for the win.

Game peters out

The battle of the two promoted clubs began with a fierce midfield battle that produced its first chance 11 minutes in, Lautern's Jan Moravek turning his marker inside out on the right side of the box before seeing his near-post strike turned away by Thomas Kessler. Pauli soon responded in the form of Marius Ebbers, the blonde striker embarking on an impressive solo run into the box only to be denied by a good save from Tobias Sippel.

Paralysed by the icy cold, neither side managed to build upon those chances for the remainder of the first half, though FCK's Ivo Ilicevic wasn't too far away with a left-foot strike that bent away from goal and Matthias Lehmann struck a powerful free-kick for Pauli which Sippel had to watch all the way.

Tiffert unfortunate

With plenty to be desired in the quality stakes, it was only fitting that the deadlock was broken by an own goal. It arrived within three minutes of the restart as Max Kruse delivered a free-kick from the right flank, Tiffert rose to clear but unwittingly diverted the ball beyond Sippel and into his own net.

Lautern intensified their attacking endeavours in the hope of a quick response, but, other than a snapshot from Moravek from the left, were largely nullified by the solid Fabio Morena and Ralph Gunesch in the heart of the Pauli defence. If anything it was Holger Stanislawski's home side looked the more likely to get the game's second goal, Rouwen Hennings volleyed goalwards following some clever juggling skills and Lehmann struck another fearsome free kick, though both were met by the firm hands of Sippel.

Winless run comes to an end

There was one final threat from Kaiserslautern as Srdjan Lakic took a touch and fired inches over from the edge of the box, but the home side remained dogged at the back and almost finished off the tie in injury time when Ebbers narrowly missed a Lehmann cross with the goalmouth gaping.

The cheers of relief reverberated around the stadium as the final whistle was finally blown, bringing a much-anticipated end to Pauli's miserable recent run. They pick up their second home win of the season to move into 13th, level on points with Lautern who keep their noses in front thanks to their superior goal difference.

Pauli: Kessler - Rothenbach, Gunesch, Morena, Volz - Boll, Lehmann - Bartels (Bruns 75'), Asamoah (Hennings 64'), Kruse (Schultz 89') - Ebbers

Lautern: Sippel - Dick, Amedick, Abel, Bugera - Tiffert (Nemec 88'), Kirch - Ilicevic (Micanski 87'), Moravek, Rivic (Hoffer 64') - Lakic

Goals: 1-0 Tiffert (o.g. 48')

Attendance at the Millerntor: 24,373

Fix 'n' Mix: Amongst the snow hopefuly fixtures.

Before we start this addition of Fix 'n' Mix just a word of warning.  As always, we suggest you check with all clubs, for confirmation of venue, time and day of each fixture.  This weekend we also have the Artic weather to contend with. So please check and if your fixture is on - take care.

Sol y Futbol: UD Lanzarote have a top of the table clash against Las Palmas. We will get our report elsewhere, so it will be short and sweet as Ian is away on International duty. The Rojillos had last weekend off an we do not know of any disruption due to snow.

Kult & Punk:  Last weekend saw St Pauli beaten by Werder Bremen.  They play FC Kaiserlautern this Friday evening as they try to stop the rot and pull away from the bottom half of the league. Will the boys make it out of Zoes Bar - doubtful!

Men in Black: Harpenden Rugby return to action this week, as they travel to UCS Old Boys in the league.

Geordie Hockey Sticks: We will as promised bring you up to date with the season so far in the next few weeks. A report is being compiled as we speak.  The Ladies play at home this weekend as they entertain Northumbria St George.  The Gents travel to Hartlepool Caled.

The Sting:  In Basketball, Hull Wasps travel to play Huddersfield Heat with tip/off at 5.30pm.

The Ice Man. Our adopted Ice Hockey team, Chelmsford Chieftains play at home to Oxford City Stars on Saturday.

March to the Arch: Last weekend in the F.A.Cup Brighton drew with FC United of Manchester the replay is due next week.  This weekend is the turn of the F.A.Vase. St Blazey entertain Bemerton Heath Harlequins.

We listed a number of upcoming towns to be covered in our 2012 feature.  2012 is the series that brings you 20 fixture covering 12 sports in 1 area. We have delayed this feature until January. This due to our workload in our day jobs, but we will be back.

The Sting, Wasps Defeat at Bury, but fly away with the game against Jets

Hull Wasps had a mixed weekend, thanks to Dave Bushall and the Wasps for providing us with the story.

HULL Wasps missed the chance to go top of National League Division Four North after losing 79-73 to bogey side Bury Blue Devils on Saturday.


The Wasps bounced back to see off a young Cheshire Jets side 106-82 the following day.

But with the top two, Warrington Wolves and Huddersfield Heat, both suffering surprise losses to mid-table Stockport, Wasps missed out on a place at the summit.

“It was a missed opportunity for us,” said Wasps captain Jamie Goodwin.

“We expected to beat both teams, although Bury are our bogey team and we have now not beaten them in five attempts in our three seasons in the National League.

“We did not play as a team against Bury, we did not share the ball well and we turned the ball over a lot. We only trailed 75-73 with a minute left but again we were not able to see a game out.”

John Brignell led the way with 23 points, while Matt Fawcett had 17.

The Wasps then stayed overnight in Warrington and the extra time spent bonding as a team helped them bounce back a day later at the Jets.

Goodwin bagged 21 points, as did Ade Blatherwick – all coming from an impressive seven three-pointers.

Goodwin said: “It was good that we had the chance to bounce back immediately. We went back to basics and did the things we have been doing well this season.”

Keeping Active over the coming Festivities.

As we limp towards Christmas, the office party or just catching up with friends time is fast approaching.  Some of you may feel, you must exercise to reduce the excess these social occasions entail.  I, however, will try and complete a season on Football Manager, while drinking coffee and helping finishing the Christmas fayre.  I do appreciate that there are people out there, that find exercise important.  So we pride ourselves at SportTrades in providing a service - we're like that.  Our friends at Run Britain, I suggest you do a bit at a time - have asked us to remind people of this.  There are a number of runs you can enter over the festive season, to just keep fit or brush off the cobwebs.

So for events in your area and beyond please visit our friend at RunBritain at http://www.runbritain.com/.  Alternatively stay in doors and play wii and other good game consoles. Joking, stay active and keep healthy.

I have no need to say this, but apparently must.  Please enter events that you are comfortable with and always make sure that you are fit enough mentally and medically to complete.

March to the Arch: FC United take the Seagulls to a replay

As you know our March to the Arch feature concentrated on the F.A.Cup this weekend.  The following report of the Brighton & Hove Albion v FC United of Manchester match, was taking in full from our friends at FC United directly from their website.  The winners of the replay will host Portsmouth in the 3rd Round.  Our adopted club, as far as the feature, is Brighton, but we wanted a report on behalf of the Real United, in celebration of their development news at Ten Acres. Just a quick note regarding Fix 'n' Mix feature. UD Lanzarote had the weekend off and Harpenden Rugby did not make it to Braintree in the cup, so there will be no reports from those 2 features this week.

This report thanks to http://fc-united.co.uk/ by Victoria Fullen.

Brighton & Hove Albion 1   FC United of Manchester 1

Sam Ashton saved an injury time penalty to keep FC United’s FA Cup dream alive with a 1-1 draw at League One leaders Brighton & Hove Albion meaning the sides will replay during the week commencing Monday 6th December at Gigg Lane.

The Reds gained a shock lead five minutes before half-time through Nicky Platt and they were just seven minutes away from pulling off one of the greatest FA Cup upsets ever before Fran Sandaza bundled home an equaliser to set up a frantic finish.

The result was even more incredible given the fact that FC United played with 10 men for 26 minutes after Scott McManus was sent off for violent conduct. Hearts were in mouths right at the death as Karl Munroe conceded a 96th minute penalty but Ashton became FC United’s latest FA Cup hero with a fantastic save and it was clear to see United’s travelling army of supporters were once again feeling on top of the world.

Saturday’s encounter at the Withdean Stadium was the biggest to date in FC United’s short history as the youngest and lowest ranked team remaining in the FA Cup came up against the highest placed side in the competition at this stage.

United were buoyed prior to kick off by the news that Ben Deegan and Kyle Jacobs had been given the go ahead to line up in the starting XI after coming through late fitness tests.

The game got off to a lively start and Ashton was called into action early on as Glenn Murray produced the first shot of the game for the home side within the first two minutes.

FC United’s first real attack came just short of five minutes as Deegan carried the ball forward and picked out Mike Norton who battled in the six yard box, under pressure from two defenders. Half-hearted penalty claims were made as the United striker appeared to go down inside the area, but Brighton managed to clear and break forward and the Reds were forced to deal with constant Albion pressure as the home side looked for a way through with the intention of taking the lead early on in the tie.

This could easily have happened was it not for Ashton who produced an excellent save to deny a point-blank header from Ashley Barnes. The Brighton no. 9 was picked out at Ashton’s left post and the strong header goalwards looked to be on course for the back of the net, however the United keeper stepped up to the plate to make a top-class stop.

As the half progressed, the gulf in the rankings of the two sides – 112 league places - began to show increasingly, with Brighton enjoying long spells of possession and United largely having to sit deep to soak up the Albion pressure.

Ashton again was on hand to prevent the hosts from gaining the advantage as Liam Bridcutt unleashed a strong shot from the edge of the area which the keeper did well to parry to safety. United were then able to break down the right and Carlos Roca skilfully pulled the ball away from two defenders and found Norton in the area. The forward laid the ball off to Platt who hit it first time, firing across the keeper into the bottom left corner, stunning Albion and giving the Reds the lead against the run of play.

With Platt being responsible for breaking the deadlock at a similar point in the first round against Rochdale, the supporters and players could be forgiven for immediately thinking back to that epic encounter at Spotland and wondering whether another huge upset was on the cards.

FC began the second half fairly brightly as Jerome Wright, playing in the left-back role, carried the ball down to the dead-ball line and did well to cross. Platt almost had the opportunity to go for United’s second, however Peter Brezovan got to the ball just ahead of the midfielder.

Brighton then had a very good chance to level courtesy of a free-kick conceded by Deegan 25 yards from goal. Cristian Baz drove the set piece low through the wall and United were left relieved as the ball sailed narrowly past the left post.

As the hour mark approached, Albion threatened the FC goal on several occasions, including Baz’s close range header over the cross bar. 20 minutes into the half, FC’s captain Jacobs was forced to hand over the armband to Jimmy Holden who came on in a like-for-like swap to replace the right-back who had struggled in his first game back from an injury picked up two weeks ago at Northwich.

Just minutes later, the United back-line was dealt a further blow when McManus was dismissed from the field of play. The officials deemed the centre-half to have used his elbow to strike Brighton substitute Gary Hart during an off-the-ball clash.

Down to ten men, the Reds opted to bring on Martin Parker to complete the remainder of the game in the centre of defence. This was at the expense of Deegan who was substituted, leaving United with just one up front.

Lone striker Norton continued to hassle the Brighton back line at every opportunity and with a quarter of an hour to go, the Reds centre forward did well to hold onto the ball under pressure and go for goal from outside the area. The shot was deflected wide for a corner. Roca sent the ball and United nearly stole another goal but Munroe’s powerful header was just held by Brezovan.

Despite spirited attempts to take the game to Brighton, the home side looked intent on making the extra man advantage count and unfortunately with seven minutes to go, United could hold on no longer as Albion equalised. The ball came in from the left and assistant manager Mauricio Taricco’s header goalwards was put beyond Ashton by Sandaza.

Tense moments ensued as FC sat deep for the majority of the final stages to prevent a late Brighton winner. Munroe kept the Reds in the game as the board was held up for six minutes of additional time, heading Barnes’ close range effort off the line and over the bar.

The centre half was then responsible for conceding a penalty in the final minute of injury time, after bringing down Sandaza with a robust shoulder charge. Elliott Bennett stepped up and FC United prepared themselves for some heartache as Brighton looked almost certain to snatch a late victory. However, Ashton capped off a stunning performance by producing a fantastic save to divert the ball to his right.

United then hung on until the final whistle and the scenes behind the goal for several minutes after summed up the immense pride in the team who have undoubtedly pulled off an incredible achievement in earning a place in the third round draw after a strong, spirited performance at the home of the highest ranked team in the second round.

The Reds now have a week and a half to prepare for what is sure to be an unforgettable occasion as the two sides battle it out in the replay at Gigg Lane to compete for a dream place in the third round of the FA Cup.

Report by Victoria Fullen

Kult & Punk: Almeida Hat-Trick consign St Pauli to another defeat.

Kult & Punk watched from Zoe's Bar in disgust.  How could those dancing girls from the Sushi Bar get coverage in the Observer, regarding the space giving to them on Match Days - shocking! Thankfully an 8% guest ale, numbed the pain of watching St Pauli go down to a 3-0 defeat at Vermin Brennan.

Werder Bremen 3  FC St Pauli 0

Three goals from Hugo Almeida earned Werder Bremen a much-need victory at home to St. Pauli on Sunday.

The Portuguese striker bagged the lot in the 3-0 win over the promoted outfit, before blotting his copybook by being sent off for retaliation with ten minutes remaining.

Long time coming

The result gives Thomas Schaaf's men their first maximum points haul in eight matches, while St. Pauli's form slump continues - they are now without a win since Matchday 8.

Werder required all of 52 seconds to end a 450-minute competitive scoring drought, Hugo Almeida picking up a diagonal through-ball and running on to slot it past guest keeper Thomas Kessler. St. Pauli's response was immediate, an unmarked Gerald Asamoah getting on the end of a cross from the left and heading it onto the bar just a minute later.

Bremen forge ahead

Then it was promptly back to the other end in a turbulent opening few minutes, Kessler saving well from Per Mertesacker's shot on the rebound following an Almeida free kick. The last man in the St. Pauli back row then pulled off a double save from Marko Marin in the eighth minute, before a period of relative calm ensued. It lasted until Matthias Lehmann's 19th minute effort from 30 metres that had home keeper Tim Wiese stretching to tip it over the bar.

From the resultant corner the ball found its way to Marin, who sent Almeida on his way. The experienced frontman once again kept his nerve to come out on top in the one-on-one with Kessler, tucking the ball into the corner of the net to put the Green-Whites 2-0 up.

Almeida wraps things up

St. Pauli, once again, stormed right back up the park in reply and this time it was a shot from Marius Ebbers that Wiese somehow managed to tip onto the bar. It was starting to look like this would not be the Hamburg side's day. Two goals to the good, Werder now seemed happy to sit back rather more and await their chance on the break and there was little more in the way of goalmouth action for the rest of the half.

The slowed-down tempo was maintained at the start second 45, barring a couple of half-chances from shots outside the area at either end. Werder then struck for the third time in the 64th minute, Said Hsejinovic playing in a low ball which found its way to Almeida on the left-hand side of the box. The striker gave due thanks by planting it home for his and his team's third of the day.

Two off

There was unlikely to be any way back from that for St. Pauli, but Holger Stanislawski's troops battled gamely on and continued to carve out chances of their own. The next incident of note was less savoury though, as hat-trick hero Almeida received his marching orders with ten minutes to go after lashing out at St. Pauli defender Carlos Zambrano.

The guests continued to chase at least a consolation goal as the clock ticked down. In the final minute of regulation time Markus Thorandt chased rather too hard, unnecessarily chopping down Torsten Frings on the half-way line. For that, the St. Pauli defender also saw red.

Line-ups

Bremen: Wiese - Pasanen, Mertesacker, Prödl, Schmidt - Frings - Fritz, Kroos (Husejinovic 54') - Hunt (Balogun 89') � Marin (Wagner 87'), Almeida

St. Pauli: Kessler - Rothenbach, Zambrano, Thorandt, Oczipka - Boll (Naki 59') - Kruse, Asamoah, Lehmann, Bartels (Bruns 82') � Ebbers (Takyi 82')

Goals: 1-0 Almeida (1'), 2-0 Almeida (20'), 3-0 Almeida (64')

Red cards: Almeida (80'), Markus Thorandt (90')

Attendance at the Weserstadion: 36,400

The Sting: Wasps taste defeat in the League against Burnley

HULL Wasps suffered their first defeat in the league this season as they were beaten by a tough Burnley side 88-73 at the Bonus Arena after a fourth-quarter collapse.


Hull levelled a see-saw encounter with less than three minutes to go, but could not stop their promotion rivals scorching an extra 15 points from beyond the three-point line in the game’s final stages.

Player-coach John Brignell, who scored 23 points in the defeat, said the play-offs would be a distant dream if his side could not find a way to stop long-range shooters in the final stages of games.

Brignell said: “We cannot let that happen again. We have to be able to produce our best basketball down the stretch in the fourth quarters of games.

“Perhaps because all season we have been putting games to bed in the first half, we were not used to having to fight for a win in the fourth quarter.

“Our offence has been good enough to carry us through bad performances against poor teams this season, but it was never going to be enough against another good side.

“We need to get back to what we know, and that’s defence. All summer, we talked about the importance of being the best defensive team in the league. We were far from that last weekend.

“We persevered with the zone defence that has been so impressive this season and found it tough to get out to Burnley’s three-point shooters.

“Maybe we should have looked at a man-to-man defence early in the game, but I think it is too easy to say that’s the reason we allowed their shooters to get hot from the outside.

“Whether we are in a zone or a man, we need to rotate better and play defence with our hands up.

“It is now so vital that we get two wins next weekend. We will make some changes and look at starting the game with a tougher, more defensive line-up and bring our shooters off the bench to change the game later on.”

Captain Jamie Goodwin scored 17 points for the Wasps, while guard Ade Blatherwick hit 11.

Fix n Mix: F.C.United have a day on the South Coast.

Much of this weekend fixtures in the UK depend heavily on the weather.  As always, please contact the club or visit their websites for confirmation that the match is still taking place and to confirm, time, venue and day.

In March to the Arch the F.A.Cup returns.  F.C.United visit our adopted club Brighton in the 2nd Round.  A day on the south coast may see the possibility of F.C.United of Manchester play Manchester United in the 3rd Round. We are obviously following Albion after they replaced Woking as our team, so come on you Seagulls.  Still in March to the Arch, last week Wealdstone won at Brackley Town in the F.A.Trophy and are rewarded with a trip to Newport County.  In the F.A.Youth Cup, Southampton visit Bradford City on Tuesday Evening.

In our European adventure UD Lanzarote have this weekend off in Sol y Futbol. Kult & Punk have a trip to Werder Bremen on Sunday, as St Pauli try to get back into winning ways.

Geordie Hockey Sticks.  The ladies of Jesmond Parish Churches have this weekend off, but the gents play host to Sunderland. We will update you on the progress of the season to date during next week.

Men in Black.  Harpenden return to cup action, as they travel to Braintree in the Intermediate Cup.  They go there on the back of a 28-12 victory over Chiswick, which sees them 2nd in the League.

In Ice Hockey,  last week Chelmsford Chieftains had a reasonable time on their home rink.  They hammered Swindon Wildcats 13-2, but drew 2-2 the next day with Wightlink Raiders.  This weekend sees them travel to Bristol Pitbulls on Saturday and then back home on Sunday to play Cardiff Devils, face-off 18.30. Presumably this fixture will not be affected by the cold, as long as Cardiff get there.

In Basketball Hull Wasps lose their fantastic record in the league, when they are beaten at home 88-73 by Burnley.  This weekend sees the Wasps on tour in the North West.  They play Bury Blue Devils on Saturday before Sunday at Cheshire Jets.

Other fixtures to look out,  England host the world champions South Africa in the final Autumn International of the year at Twickenham.  The Old Farm Derby in the nPower Championship, as Norwich City play Ipswich Town.

Whatever you are doing this weekend take care, especially in those area with wintry conditions.

It's Your Life, Your Sport so ENJOY.

Kick it Out: Mentoring project gaining momentum ahead of Birmingham event

Kick It Out is continuing its Mentoring and Leadership Project with an event in Birmingham later this month.

The project, headed up by ex-England ace Earl Barrett, is operating in six regions across England, and on the lookout for participants interested in getting involved in the scheme, particularly people who are interested in progressing in coaching and the administration/media side of the game.

A regional mentors and mentees meeting takes place at St George’s Community Hub in Newtown on Tuesday 30th November from 6-8pm, and will provide participants in the project with the opportunity to discuss their role in detail. Refreshments will be provided.

The meeting follows on from the event held in September, which saw Mark Walters and Baggies legend Brendon Batson participate in a panel discussion aimed at addressing the issue of under-representation of diverse communities in the football industry.

The interim period has seen the project take shape, with similar events held across the country. The event at St George’s Community Hub will see some of the key mentors already identified by the project discuss their aims and liaise with the individuals they will be working with over the coming months.

Earl explained: “This event will provide everyone involved with the opportunity to gain a further understanding of the project, and will hopefully see a significant progress made towards achieving the goal of increasing minority representation at every level of the game.”

SportTrades support this and similar projects. Please visit kick it out website, to see how you can get involved. http://www.kickitout.org/

The Ashes 2010 A-Z: baggy greens, doing a Harmy and lucky red hankies

A duffer's guide covering the key Ashes terms you'll need to become acquainted with before that first morning in Brisbane




Australian conditions n. adj


Parallel cricket dimension where nothing is quite the same: alien-strength sunshine, pitches made from concrete, flies the size of crows and humidity equivalent to living at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. No Englishman has ever mastered Australian conditions. To do so would be against nature.

Baggy green n


Tearfully revered badge of the Australian Test cricketer. Emblem of sporting nationalism. Piece of Ashes iconography. Also, slightly frumpy flat cap with amusing nobble on top.

Ball of the century n


Legendary Ashley Giles delivery to Damien Martyn during 2005 series that turned from leg to hit off, signalling start of period (18 months) of English dominance. Apparently there was a similar one in the last century too.

Barmy Army n

Supporters movement formed by backpacking England fans during 1994-95 series in Australia. Since co-opted into commercial juggernaut that provides a front for paunchy sunburnt drunken men with urge to conga everywhere.

Bodyline n. adj


Intimidatory leg-side fast bowling tactics employed by Douglas Jardine's England during 192-33 Ashes tour which, if Aussies were whingeing types, might have caused a great deal of whingeing in the intervening years.

Boot camp n

Aussie innovation involving pre series character-building tasks such as abseiling, bog-snorkelling and anything that involves being shouted at by a middle-aged man with a whistle. Comes complete with unprecedented opportunity to look extremely silly three months later.

Boxing Day Test n

Famous occasion in Australian calendar as hordes of slightly frazzled men escape their families in order to take up sacred festive duty of lolling around watching cricket for eight hours drinking fizzy lager.

Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field

Label attached to Mike Gatting's touring party of 1986-87. Gatting's team went on to win the Ashes because fortunately Australia also couldn't bat, field or bowl, as well as being unable to win the toss, warm up properly or tie their laces without getting muddled up.

"The Colossus" n


Fashionable Ashes wicket celebration pose, involving spreading arms and legs to demonstrate supreme 100% physical prowess. First employed by Andrew Flintoff. Then by Brett Lee. Both of whom have since retired from Tests due to injury.

Comfort break n

Brief retreat to pavilion employed with great frequency by England bowlers during 2005 series. One such rest stop coincided with Durham whippet sub fielder Gary Pratt decisively running out Ricky Ponting at Edgbaston. He seemed upset.

David Hasselhoff n

Swaggering, small-screen legend who, according to Shane Warne, Graeme Swann is going to be "walking around like" during the current series. Apparently a compliment.

"Doing a Harmy" vb


Moment of disastrous nervous implosion while delivering opening Ashes blow on That first morning in Brisbane (see below). A career-defining moment for any cricketer. Compensations include YouTube superstardom and lifelong tenure of boozy corporate speaking circuit.

Fanatics n

Laughably contrived Aussie imitation of the Barmy Army, complete with unfortunate, politically sensitive moniker.

5-0 whitewash n


Standard Glenn McGrath pre-series result prediction. Always an amusing diversion. Right up until the moment it actually happened.

Fremantle Doctor n

Fabled Perth-based wind possessing unusual qualities of swing-assistance. While the Doctor is blowing Australians are advised not to fly or drive due to risk of "doing a lot" or "getting off the straight" in favourable conditions.

Hill, The n

Notorious Sydney fans' section known for badinage with opposition, bottle-lobbing, V-signs, harmless banter etc. Previously a grassed liquid-picnic-spot-cum-urinal. Now the cheap seats.

Kookaburra n


Australian version of a cricket ball. Much-discussed due to enigmatic properties, difficulty in bowling with and specialist technical skills required. All of which essentially derive from the fact that it falls to bits after half an hour.

Lucky red hankie, Steve Waugh's n

Aussie cricket holy relic, famously kept poking out of former captain's trouser pocket throughout seven winning series. Employed for magical properties, intimidatory value and mopping tears of joy on accidentally catching glimpse of own baggy green while batting.

MBE n. abbrev


Part of Warne's infamous sledge of Paul Collingwood in 2006-07. Warne asked Collingwood, who played only one Test in 2005, if his resultant gong stood for Must Be Embarrassing. After Cardiff 2009, Collingwood could reply that it stands for Manages to Block Everything.

Reverse swing n

English method of cheating involving making the old ball swing by impregnating it with sugary saliva, voodoo or as-yet-unidentified unfair dinkum substance. So strong is the Aussie sense of outrage on this topic their bowlers have flatly refused to master the skill themselves.

Sherminator, The n

Ian Bell. Until he finally scores a match shaping 150 in Australian conditions (see previous).

Spirit of cricket n


Famous Australian-led principles of fair play. Makes up part of the world's tiniest box set when bundled together with Australian Rules Of Etiquette and The Australian Guide To Not Talking Too Loudly In Public Places.

Targeting n

Australian tradition whereby leading bowler "outs" English batsman he intends to install as personal whipping boy (usually captain, star man, or chief posho). Warning: only appears to work properly when employed by men with names like "Glenn McGrath" or "Shane Warne".

That first morning in Brisbane n

Famed moment of truth as Ashes series commences. Go hard, come to the party and step up to the plate. Alternatively, simply relax and Do a Harmy.

"Under the Southern Cross I Stand" n

Aussie dressing room victory song. May or may not still be in use. Hard to be completely sure these days.

Urn, The n

Small plastic tourist replica traditionally waved around vaguely by victors at end of Ashes series. Still perhaps the least photogenic major sporting trophy yet devised.

This article was taking in full from our friends at Guardian Sport.

The Guardians Guide to Sleep Management for the Ashes

With the Ashes only days away, we are worried about you. So we have taking in full this advice from our friends at Guardian Sport. We do care.

As mentioned this article by Humphrey Klinkenberg was taking in full from our friends at Guardian Sport. For full coverage of the coming Ashes, follow it all in the Guardian

What are the effects of sleep deprivation?

Principally, it slows down reaction times, makes you feel tetchy, frustrated and generally exhausted. This is because the brain has not rested, not had the required Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and, as such, there are stress chemicals moving around the body which can be cured only through a prolonged period of sleep.

What are the major health risks associated with sleep deprivation?

Constant and excessive lack of sleep can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure and even diabetes. If someone does an 'all-nighter' one day then it is imperative they get between eight and nine hours of sleep the following day; a failure to do so could lead to an instant deterioration in health. With regard to the Ashes, no one should attempt to stay awake throughout the full five days of any given Test; they must get some sleep in between, even if that means missing a day or more's play. If someone does want to watch consecutive days' play then they should take the afternoon off work, or even a whole day off work, and get some sleep before play begins that night.

What is the best way of managing sleep and staying awake?


Having a nap as soon as you get home from work is a good idea, although you should wake up at least one hour before play starts to ensure you are properly alert. Have a light meal when you do wake up and make sure it is not high in carbohydrates as that will make you feel sleepy. Instead, make the meal high in protein as that will do a better job of keeping you awake. If you get hungry during the night, when play has begun, continue to avoid carbohydrates and stick with high protein foods. Main foods to avoid: bread, chips, potatoes, doughnuts. Main foods to eat: chicken, beef, eggs, cheese, nuts.

What aids/supplements will help people stay awake and which should be avoided?


Replace the bulbs in the room where you are going to watch the Ashes with daylight bulbs which will make the room brighter and less an environment that encourages you to doze off. In that respect, it is also important to keep the room cool, which can be easily achieved by opening a window or having a fan turned on at a low setting. Do not get too comfortable, ie do not sit on a sofa where you may have previously fallen asleep. Sit on another one, or even a chair. It may also help to take notes during play, such as keeping track of the score, as this will keep the brain active and give you motivation to stay awake. Going for regular, short walks is also advisable. At all costs, avoid a large amount of caffeine as that will keep you awake, but once the effects wear off you will drop off suddenly and then feel very jittery in the morning. Alcohol should also be given a wide berth.

Any other tips?

Do not go straight to bed the day after an 'Ashes all-nighter' as a means of catching up on your sleep. There is nothing to suggest that people who sleep for 12 hours feel better or react better than people who sleep for eight or nine hours. In fact, people who sleep for 12 hours are more likely to feel more grumpy than those who get three or four hours less sleep. The body and brain needs a good night's sleep, not a long night's sleep.

What to do Wednesday

7.30am Start with a high-protein breakfast to provide energy for work and 'train' the brain to stay alert and awake for longer. Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages are advisable

8am Walk to work if possible as this will also 'train' the brain

1pm Ensure your lunch is also made up of high-protein foods

6.30pm Take a nap as soon as you get back from work, but ensure you wake up at least one hour before play starts and have a high-protein dinner

11pm Go for a short walk as that will help get your body and brain active.

11.30pm Put daylight lamps on in the room and open a couple of windows

2am, 4.40am and 7am

Have a nap between sessions and one before getting ready for work

7.45am Take a vitamin B supplement alongside breakfast to reduce stress resulting from a lack of sleep

Humphrey Klinkenberg is a therapist at the Gloucester-based sleep clinic and consultancy, Sleepwise