Bristol keeper gearing up for England debut

CITY and Rovers have let a jewel slip through their fingers but teenage Bristol goalkeeper Jack Butland has his grip on a greater prize – his first England cap.

The towering 15-year-old from Clevedon has been called up to the England Under-16s squad for their Victory Shield opener against Northern Ireland, which is being shown live by Sky Sports on Friday (7.40pm).

Butland, who still attends Clevedon Community school, signed for Birmingham City’ s academy at the age of 14 following a whirlwind six-month spell which saw him progress from his local Clevedon United side to the then Premier League outfit thanks in part to a stint with the Jamie Shore Football Academy in Bristol.

England were nearly denied his talents though as his dad, Matt, revealed. “We are a rugby family,” he said. “My dad and I both played for Somerset. I was a No 8 and my dad (Jack’s grandad) was a centre.”

Jack began his sporting career as a No 8 in the mould of his father. But his talents as a shot-stopper quickly came to the fore, helped by his love of Manchester United and his idol Edwin Van der Sar.

Butland is now just one inch in height and one football division below the 6ft 5in United keeper and his dream, along with a full England cap, is to appear for the Blues at the Theatre of Dreams.

Jack will turn 16 in March when he will hear if he has earned a two-year modern apprenticeship with Birmingham and the England call-up has helped to prove that he is on-track to achieve it.

He said: “I have not been at this level of football for very long. The England call-up will take a while to sink in. Two years ago I was playing against my friends on a Sunday afternoon.”

Butland now trains with the Blues’ first team and revealed striker Marcus Bent comes closest in the tricks stakes to his favourite outfield player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

A highlight for the youngster are the regular penalty shoot-outs after training and he has even upset one of the big names with his ability.

“Gary McSheffery likes to think he’s the best penalty taker,” said Butland of Brum’s £4 million acquisition from Coventry.

“I saved one and someone told me it’s the first time a youth team keeper saved one of his penalties for two years.

“It’s a privilege to train with the first team keepers at Birmingham. (Alex) McLeish and (Steve) Bruce before him always talk to us.

“You just have to take your chances, I just have to stick with it and work hard. But it’s started brilliantly.”

Former Aston Villa keeper Nigel Spink was key in Birmingham’s recruitment of Butland. Spink was working as a coach at the club under former manager Bruce when Jack went for a trial, and his manner and enthusiasm made an immediate impression.

“Birmingham were very down to earth,” added his dad, Matt. “We heard some horror stories about clubs academies. We trialled with Birmingham first and I liked the way they conducted themselves. It just seemed right for Jack. We didn’t have any contact from the Bristol clubs so we didn’t try out with them. He slipped under their radar.”

The Iron too strong for Yeovil

Scunthorpe United 2

Yeovil Town 0

By Andy Sloan at Glanford Park

Yeovil Town manager Russell Slade described Scunthorpe United’s performance in their comprehensive victory as the benchmark his side must aspire to.

Scunthorpe’s attacking verve surpassed even Slade’s pre-match predictions following various scouting missions and, without a win in eight outings, the Yeovil manager is hoping his players took note.

“I think we probably played the best team in the league,” he said. “The tempo at which they played and the ability they’ve got throughout the side was a fantastic yardstick for where we need to travel, where we need to be.”

The Iron unleashed an avalanche of attacking play from kick-off, buoyed by the prospect of topping League One if other results went their way and roared on by a hearty support lapping up the late-summer sunshine at Glanford Park.

Only Asmir Begovic and some sturdy woodwork kept Yeovil in the match as Nigel Adkins’ side showed why they, and not Leeds or Leicester, are making the early running at the top of the table alongside Oldham.

“The gaffer warned us all week, the first 15-20 minutes they will try and win the game and then just coast,” said Town striker Paul Warne. “And, to be fair, they absolutely destroyed us in the first 20 minutes.”

Paul Hayes hit the inside of the post and fired a shot straight at Begovic from point-blank range before some of the crowd had even finished taking their seats.

Then Martyn Woolford tested the Yeovil keeper with a header from Matt Sparrow’s cross and Sparrow himself forced Andy Welsh into a desperate, diving block on the edge of the area as the Iron flexed their muscles.

It was to be the theme of the afternoon. Woolford had the better of Lee Peltier on Scunthorpe’s left wing and Sparrow was simply too good for Nathan Jones to cope with on the right.

Welsh and Danny Schofield switched wings in an effort to work a way past the Scunthorpe full backs but were literally muscled off the ball on too many occasions.

Peltier courageously took on Woolford in the second half in a crunching block tackle but was left lying on the turf after a sickening smack. It took him ten minutes to run off the effects.

Sam Togwell, a former Yeovil transfer target, bossed the centre of the park imperiously despite the best efforts of Gary Roberts and Darren Way.

Jones was in for Nathan Smith, the only change from the encouraging draw with Bristol Rovers last week. Yeovil twice took the lead at Huish Park against Rovers but had no real chance of achieving a similar feat at Glanford Park.

Their sturdy, if at times fortuitous, resistance ran out just before the half-hour mark, and in frustrating fashion.

Scunthorpe captain Izzy Iriekpen drifted free of Yeovil’s own leader, Terry Skiverton, and had time to loop a careful header, from Grant McCann’s corner, back across the face of goal and past Begovic. There may have been something inevitable about the goal but the manner of its happening galled Slade.

“There was some good defending in there,” he said. “We got some good blocks in. But to concede from a set play is a bit of an Achilles heel. You don’t want to concede from set plays.”

Scunthorpe started to ease up towards the end of the half, gifting Warne a couple of chances. And Slade massaged his formation after the break to make the most of Yeovil’s temporary ascendancy.

Aidan Downes had suffered a recurrence of the knee injury which has seen him sidelined recently and was replaced by Andre McCollin as Slade switched from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 – and saw an immediate result.

“For the first half an hour it was one-way traffic,” said Slade. “They could have put the game to bed in that period, there’s no doubt about that.

“The second period was much better. I felt a little bit disappointed we didn’t get a goal.”

Yeovil centre back Terrell Forbes did get on the score sheet, just at the wrong end. His unfortunate and unavoidable own goal, turning in Woolford’s wayward cross, sank hopes of a comeback after a more settled spell from the visitors.

McCollin’s pace up front alongside Warne pulled Scunthorpe’s defence deeper but the non-league recruit from Fisher Athletic would do well to study the Iron’s front pairing of Hayes and Gary Hooper. Their interplay was worthy of the Championship and their team are tipped by Slade to get back there.

Scunthorpe United: (4-4-2) Murphy; Byrne, Iriekpen, Pearce, Williams; Sparrow, Togwell, McCann, Woolford; Hooper, Hayes (May 68). Subs not used: Lillis, Mirfin, Hurst, Morris.

Yeovil Town: (4-5-1) Begovic; Peltier, Skiverton, Forbes, Jones; Downes (McCollin 46), Way, Roberts, Schofield, Welsh (Tomlin 69); Warne. Subs not used: Bircham, Alcock, Murtagh.

Warne set for pain at Yeovil

YEOVIL TOWN striker Paul Warne predicted a “week of hell” for the Glovers players after their humbling at the hands of Scunthorpe United in Lincolnshire on Saturday.

The 35-year-old frontman offered a sober assessment of the 2-0 defeat at Glanford Park and insisted the team had to bounce back against Southend on Saturday or suffer the consequences of continued failure to win games.

The Glovers are without a victory in eight matches, despite being unbeaten at home, and are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league.

Promise was shown in the 2-2 draw against Bristol Rovers but positives were distinctly lacking from their trip to Scunthorpe.

Warne said: “Next week is going to be a week of hell as the gaffer (Russell Slade) is a proud man. He doesn’t want to come and lose games.

“We need to toughen up, have a hard week, and have to bounce back next week. If not, the way football is, heads will roll. Different people will come in and people will go, that’s the sad truth.”

The Iron graced the Championship last season and looked like a class above Slade’s outfit. Warne forced Scunthorpe keeper Joe Murphy into a few smart saves on Saturday but Yeovil never looked like taking all three points, and the former Oldham front man was clear on what they deserved.

He said: “We did create a couple of chances, more from huff and puff really. We probably muscled up three or four chances and they muscled up 15.

“If we’d have come away with a point, although it would have cheered us up, it would have been a disgrace to football.”

His manager was similarly minded. “Our weaknesses were exposed by a good side,” said Slade. “They set the standard for League One.”

Yeovil managed to weather Scunthorpe’s opening salvos but were undone by a first half set-piece and a second half Terrell Forbes own-goal – material for Slade to work with this week.

He said: “We’ve got to tighten up on our travels. The only way I know is to work harder on the training ground with the players and get a few more rules in place to make sure we’re a little more solid.”

Swindon restricted to one in one out

MAURICE Malpas has revealed any action for Swindon Town in the ‘emergency’ loan market is strictly subject to a one in, one out, policy.

Blair Sturrock made in a trial appearance for Bournemouth reserves last night as Swindon boss Malpas seeks games for his increased squad – an increase which has already proved its worth but which has created problems at the same time.

Sturrock, who played a big part in Town’s promotion to League One in 2007, has fallen to fifth in the striking pecking order at the County Ground behind Simon Cox, Billy Paynter, Barry Corr and Ben Joyce.

Malpas admitted he “badly needed games”, but did not rule him out of a future with the club. The manager has increased the size of his squad from last season and, while the decision has proved wise given the run of injuries and illness, he is having difficulty ensuring those on the fringes of the first team remain match fit.

“Blair’s been a bit unfortunate, he’s missed a few games and Ben Joyce has jumped in front of him,” said Malpas.

“Hopefully Bournemouth will take him on loan for some period of time and Blair can get his fitness back up and get going again.”

Cherries’ boss Jimmy Quinn asked Sturrock to undergo a trial in last night’s reserve game with Cheltenham Town, which they won 4-1, before determining whether he takes the player on, a decision Malpas described as “the way of the world now”.

He said: “It’s all a bit frustrating that I can’t get some players out on loan. I’m juggling the squad around in terms of the ones who go and play with the reserves because guys need games. It’s important for us to say that a person is available on loan and when the manager asks me if he’s been playing I don’t say ‘no, he hasn’t played since the start of the season’.

The problem becomes all the more pressing with the revelation from Malpas that: “There’s nobody coming in until we get people out.”

Corr and Jerel Ifil were in action for Swindon reserves last night in their 2-0 defeat against Exeter.

Corr made his return to the first team on Saturday with a second-half substitute appearance against Stockport and is pressing for his first start of the season while Ifil is looking to bounce back from being dropped following the loss to Leeds.

Smith out to rewrite recent Swindon history

SWINDON defender Jack Smith is hoping his side can erase the bad memories from both last week and their last visit to Stockport when they face the Cheshire side today.

Smith is one of the few survivors from Swindon’s previous trip to Edgeley Park, a League Two clash in March 2007 that saw the Robins beaten 3-0 and reduced to 10 men after Jerel Ifil was sent off.

But the 24-year-old believes Town have the quality up front to ensure a result – as long as he and his defensive colleagues cut out the errors and maintain their composure.

He said: “We want to put last week behind us, out of our minds. We’ve been looking good going forward and we’ve scored, I think, in every game bar Cheltenham. We’ve just got to try and keep a clean sheet, and if we do that we’ve got a great chance. We’re always likely to score a couple of goals.”

Town boss Maurice Malpas, a 55-times capped former Scotland international defender, has called for a strong reaction from his players, including a better mentality on the pitch when incidents go against them. And Smith admits the advice is evident in the film of last week’s match.

“It’s always tough watching the video but it gives you ideas how to put it right,” he said. “Any manager would have been tearing their hair out. It’s just a bad game, a bad day at the office.”

The spectre of the axe still looms over some of the team despite the manager’s assertions that any reshuffle of his side should not indicate any player being made a scapegoat.

Smith said: “We’ve had a loss, so I guess everyone’s position is up for grabs. You could play that game again and not make those errors. We never felt unduly threatened by Leeds, so it was just that we weren’t playing well.”

The team retains a sense of humour, though, and a number of players, including Smith, have agreed to join midfielder Craig Easton in raising money and awareness for testicular-cancer charity TacheBack by growing moustaches.

For the journey north, Barry Corr’s place on the bench is in doubt after he missed training with a 24-hour bug, but Peter Brezovan could replace substitute keeper Mark Scott after recovering from a slight shoulder injury.

Stockport are boosted by the return of summer signing Carl Baker in midfield, and they are seeking their first home win of the season.

Swindon Town (from): P Smith, Brezovan, Scott, J Smith, Aljofree, Ifil, Nalis, Amankwaah, Casal, Easton, McGovern, Marshall, McNamee, Peacock, Timlin, Cox, Paynter, Corr.

Bristol City's shot at the billionaires

The Queens Park Rangers show comes to Ashton Gate today complete with its Formula One owners and Real Madrid loan starlet, but Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown believes the Robins can steal some of the limelight.

Flavio Briatore, manager of the Renault Formula One team, and Grand Prix supremo Bernie Ecclestone took over at Loftus Road a year ago and have overhauled the team in their bid to take Rangers back to the top tier of English football.

Lansdown is not planning on letting them have it all their own way, though, and insists City have the resources and the quality to continue their progress and another flying start to the season.

He said: “We have got something to prove. I think we go into the game probably as underdogs because of the situation, but we know what we’ve got here (at Ashton Gate) and we want to show we deserve to get to the top of the table. Competing against teams like QPR will be a good test for us.”

Money has been lavished by Briatore and Ecclestone on hauling QPR out of debt and into the role of Championship contenders.

Exotic imports such as Real Madrid’s teenage midfield sensation Daniele Parejo and Genoa’s Argentinian forward Emmanuel Ledesma have been brought in on loan to add flair to new manager Iain Dowie’s side.

Lansdown said: “From a QPR perspective, it’s probably one of the best things that could have happened to them. You had people who had wealth to their name and who were in a situation to help the club through a very bad patch.

"From a Bristol City perspective, obviously you watch with interest how they progress with regard to how they invest in the club, what they spend on players and the squad they build up.

“They have spent quite a considerable amount of money. One shouldn’t be misled about the fact there haven’t been major transfer fees paid. Players are only going to go there for a good salary and knowing there is cash there and the club is ambitious to get to the Premiership. Make no mistake about it - they have invested heavily in the squad.”

QPR are cited as one of the favourites for promotion given the new investment, yet their temperament on the road was tested and found wanting in a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

And Lansdown is hoping City can further dent Rangers’ aspirations as manager Gary Johnson continues to further aspirations of his own.

Lansdown said: “I am really looking forward to this one because it is so interesting for all sorts of different reasons, and hopefully the results will prove we are on the right track. And I’m confident we can give a good account of ourselves and come away with a result. But I have to say, it’s not going to be easy. They never are.”

US Ryder Cup victory can help the South West

WHILE European golf fans are hoping Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo has picked wisely, the organisers of the 2010 event across the Severn bridge are backing the Americans.
And head groundsman Jim McKenzie believes the changes made by the US side to the Valahalla course to frustrate Faldo’s team could make the difference - as will those he makes in 2010.
The Ryder Cup venue in two years time is the Celtic Manor Resort in the Usk valley, just half an hour’s drive from Bristol, where staff are quietly crossing their fingers for a US victory – to add spice to their event.

McKenzie, director of golf courses and estate management for the Resort said: “We’ve won it a few times now and we would hate to see the Americans lose interest. I think it would be good for 2010 if this one was very close but the Americans just nicked it, and they may well do.
“The ommission of Tiger Woods is seen by many as possibly being an advantage to the Americans, and I think it would be good if we had it all to play for with the Americans coming over defending it and us trying to win it back, rather than the Americans coming over to perhaps lose it again.”
McKenzie has been in Newport since 1993 when the Celtic Manor’s owner, Welsh telecommunications entrepreneur Sir Terence Matthews, told him of his Ryder Cup dream.
“To be honest I was very sceptacle,” said McKenzie. “But here we are.”
Newport beat off rival bids from Scotland and the North of England, by proving Wales and the South West would benefit most geographically from hosting the event.
“Taking the Ryder Cup to Scotland would be a little bit like having £50million to invest in the good of English football, you wouldn't give it to Manchester United,” said McKenzie, a Scotsman.
“And if the Ryder Cup had gone to Scotland in 2010 it would have made an already strong golfing nation even stronger. How ironic it is now that we’re going to Valhalla and there’s not a Scotsman in the team for the first time since the 30s.”
McKenzie will liaise with the 2010 captain to mould the “TwentyTen course” at Celtic Manor to the Europeans’ strenghs and the Americans’ weaknesses as has his compatriot Mike Montague in Valhalla.
McKenzie said: “It is one of the advantages in being the home venue. Both the Belfry and the K Club were set up as courses to beat the Americans. And likewise Mike, a close friend from Valhalla, has set up a course to benefit the American "boomers”.
“The Americans also play these very high, soft shots into greens and as a result Valhalla will suit them as there is water in front of greens and strips of rough in front of the greens and bunkers in front of the greens.
“That said guys like Casey and Poulter and some other notables in the team play a lot of their golf in America so they will be semi used to the conditions. Of course Padraig Harrington has won in America so he’s more than capable of playing in these conditions.”
In 2006, at the K club, captain Ian Woosnam had all the grass cut very, very short all round the greens to counter the Americans’ prowess with the flop shot.
“Guys like Phil Mickelson and other notable Americans, they get up and down with the flop shot 9 times out of 10 whereas our guys only do it 7.5/8 times,” said McKenzie.
“Woosnam looked very closely at what the American strengths were and took that option away.” McKenzie is now in Kentucky with the European team, monitoring every American move with a view to getting the course right in Newport. And he is excited by the potential of seeing a local golfer in the 2010 side.
“I think Chris Wood is an exciting prospect,” he said. “Very similar to Justin Rose in the way they’ve broken through. Rose didn't get off to the best of starts (after turning pro) but he’s come back, he’s won events, he’s won the Order of Merit and he’s in the Ryder Cup team. I don't see any reason why guys like Chris Wood can't do the same and wouldn't it be fabulous to have a local guy playing the Ryder Cup.
“It’s tough to think about 2010 at the moment,” he added. “Everybody’s talking about Faldo, everybody’s talking about his picks but when we come back the spotlight will be on the South West, then we’ll get excited.”

Trollope dreaming of a simple win

POINTS mean prizes and Bristol Rovers Paul Trollope is eager to shake the tag of “entertainers” if it means a 1-0 result against Walsall tomorrow at the Memorial Stadium.

Trollope has made clear he won’t be sacrificing his attacking intentions in the wake of Rovers’ defensive leaks though. And despite drilling his side on Monday and Tuesday in the art of keeping the back door locked, the remainder of the squad’s build up to tomorrow’s encounter has been spent on creating chances to score goals.

“You need the balance (between attack and defence),” said Trollope. “You need to work on some defending aspects. We did a little bit of DVD analysis and worked hard on the training pitch, especially on Monday and Tuesday.

“We’ll do bits of defending that we need to brush up on, but there’s still an emphasis on passing, on movement, of hopefully creating and scoring goals. We’re delighted to be top scorers in the division and we want to continue that.”

But Trollope would prefer a 1-0 win ahead of a 5-4 result in Rovers favour.

He said: “We’d be delighted with a clean sheet. Obviously, for the neutral and for the fans, 5-4 wins are probably better, but for us, from a professional point of view, we’ll be looking to defend solidly and a clean sheet would be a huge bonus after the goals we’ve conceded.”

Rovers’ last appearance at home was the comprehensive 6-1 overhauling of Hereford, but since then they have been on the road and without a win in three outings.

“There were individuals at fault for certain goals at Peterborough, but they were the same players who defended magnificently at Leeds seven days before so there’s no major witchhunt.

“We had a promotion here a couple of years ago on a lot of clean sheets, a lot of 1-0s, and certainly when Lennie (Lawrence) and I first came together we had a lot of 3-2s and 3-3s and it wasn’t something we liked to be honest.”

There are important players in the treatment room in the form of Danny Coles and Joe Jacobson, but the former is back in training along with Ryan Green, and Jacobson is now just weeks away from a return.

Trollope said: “Coles’ knee is fine but obviously there’s a concern if you do put him in too soon that he’ll injure something else and be out for an even longer period of time. So we’ll assess later in the week.”

Walsall come to the Memorial Stadium chasing their first away win of the season and also, like Rovers looking for a first clean sheet.

Trollope said: “They’ve got some threats in Jabo Ibehre, Ishmel Demontagnac, and Marco Reich. They’ve had a mixed start not dissimilar to ourselves – a couple of good results beating Scunthorpe as well as demolishing Southend so we know they’ve got attacking threats.

"We know we’ll have to be better defensively than last week. But we’ll be going all out to win.

Lambert in same mould as Walcott

ENGLAND’S Theo Walcott is not the only striker who is openly greedy – Bristol Rovers’ top-scorer Rickie Lambert has also admitted snaffling more than his fair share of chances.

Walcott bagged a hat-trick for England against Croatia on Wednesday and confessed his goal haul came from a conscious decision to concentrate on shooting rather than passing, something Lambert has learned as well.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be selfish,” said Rovers’ 26-year-old marksman, who has scored in every league game this season.

“I’ve gone through it myself, and passed it when I should have shot,” he said. “It’s frustrating after the game, going through it in your mind. It was a brilliant game for Theo, so congratulations to him.”

Like Walcott with England, Lambert took some time to establish himself in the hearts of the Gas supporters. But since the Liverpudlian’s first goal finally came in his 10th appearance he hasn’t turned back.

“It was a pretty bad start from my point of view and I did try and emphasise to the fans that this is not me, I am a lot better than what you are seeing at the minute,” he said.

“Then I put my head down and made sure I could show the fans what I’m really about. And hopefully that’s what I’ve done over the last year or so.”

He scored 10 in his first season, 19 in his second and already has six in the bank just five games into Rovers’ current campaign.

And the highlight of his 99 starts and 35 goals? “Bristol City!” he replied without hesitation, referring to the goal that knocked the Robins out of the League Trophy in 2007. “No, really it would have to be promotion and the play-off final.”

As far as his 100th start goes, which will come tomorrow against Walsall, the most pertinent of his strikes is the 34th-minute header which gifted Rovers all three points against the Saddlers in April.

“We played well that game,” said Lambert. “We thought we deserved the win. Hopefully we can follow it with another one on Saturday.”

The 6ft 2in front man has earned his right to be selfish and will be fighting off Chris Lines to take the free-kicks at the Memorial Stadium after his last strike came from a 22-yard dead ball opportunity.

Greed has it’s limits though, and diplomacy ruled out any heady declarations from Lambert of maintaining his scoring streak for the rest of the season.

He said: “I want (my run) to carry on as long as possible. But I won’t be thinking past Saturday. If I don’t score, but we win, then I won’t be bothered.”

Rovers lose out in nine goal thriller

Peterborough United 5

Bristol Rovers 4

While the England team served up another poor offering on Setanta against minnows Andorra, Bristol Rovers and Peterborough United rewarded Sky TV’s production staff with a nine-goal thriller.

It was a drama fit for television though there were more villains than heroes for Paul Trollope’s Rovers side in Saturday’s London Road encounter.

There won’t be many, if any, occasions again this season where the Pirates score four goals and come away empty handed but Trollope clearly has his work cut out shoring up a defence which has leaked eight goals in two games.

The Rovers back line was at sea when faced with the pace and movement of the Peterborough attack in the opening half an hour. Steve Elliott even had the indignity of landing on his rear at one point, turned inside out by man of the match Craig Mackail-Smith who later dribbled past Stuart Campbell, Byron Anthony and David Pipe to seal his hat-trick.

Trollope said: “It was a big effort from us, but the outcome is a huge disappointment. We had high hopes of an away win, but it’s clear today that there are some areas of our team that need serious working on.

While the defence was at fault for the five conceded and bore the brunt of Trollope’s post-match analysis, Rovers attack could and should have saved them.

It seems churlish to suggest a side which has just scored four needs to learn to take its chances – Rickie Lambert had continued his feat of scoring in every league game so far, Elliott had rounded off a fine free-kick routine with a back-post header and winger Jeff Hughes stroked home a Chris Lines cross to end a simple yet effective move.

And Posh boss Darren Ferguson branded the match as farcical as, on three occasions, he saw his side surrender a two-goal cushion: at 2-0, 3-1 and 5-3.

But after Elliott’s header against the run of play took the wind out of the hosts, Hughes could have seen the sides go into the break level, spurning a one-on-one with Posh keeper Joe Lewis in injury time.

Rovers had fallen behind to two speedy breaks from Peterborough’s non-league diamonds Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith. The latter set up the former before the pair reversed roles to double the lead and seemingly bury the Pirates.

Had Hughes not hit his first-half shot straight at Lewis the final result could have been quite different. For Peterborough’s top-scorer last season and the chief protagonist of Rovers misery, McLean, was carried off on a stretcher with a dislocated elbow minutes earlier, Stuart Campbell was starting to dictate the midfield and Peterborough were on the back foot.

That miss and Mackail-Smith’s 50th minute penalty pulled the Posh back into shape. An own goal though from Shane Blackett four minutes later was not only redemption for Aaron Lescott, whose cross forced the error and whose feet had tripped Mackail-Smith for the penalty, it was a further lifeline for Rovers.

Jo Kuffour made his much anticipated debut on 67 minutes, replacing Darryl Duffy, after Peterborough had again restored a two-goal lead, this time through a marvellous individual run and shot from Mackail-Smith.

Trollope withheld Kuffour from the match against Bournemouth to ensure he was ready to make an impact. And though he failed to find the net he proved a useful threat and another fine foil for Lambert.

Trailing 4-2, Hughes, who enjoyed far more forward play in the second half, hit the post with a rare swing of his right peg and Kuffour could have gone down for a penalty. Put through by Lines, Kuffour opted to stay upright as he staggered towards his target after a niggly challenge but was unable to get his shot away with sufficient venom.

Hughes finally found the mark to make it 4-3 before Kuffour again broke through the struggling Peterborough defence, outpacing captain Chris Westwood whose recovery from a hamstring injury won’t have been aided by marking Duffy then Kuffour.

Lewis was forced to make another decisive save to deny Kuffour whose first outing since signing from Bournemouth looked promising.

While the attack will rue those missed chances the defensive frailties Trollope will be concentrating on in training were highlighted for Peterborough’s fifth and final goal. Steve Phillips came tearing off his line and completely missed his attempt to punch Chris Whelpdale’s cross. Substitute Scott Rendell gratefully accepted the resulting free header.

“It was great for the people watching, but not for us managers,” said Ferguson.

Top dollar - Rickie Lambert

RICKIE LAMBERT has become the highest-paid player at Bristol Rovers after signing a new three-year deal.

Top scorer Lambert has committed himself to the club in time for his 100th competitive start for the Pirates on Saturday.

It took the Liverpudlian 10 appearances to open his goal account for Rovers after signing for £200,000 in August 2006 from Rochdale. But, approaching his ton in starts, Lambert is now Rovers’ leading striker – and has signed a deal which will keep him at the Memorial Stadium until 2011.

Lambert is joint top scorer in League One this season with six goals in five starts and, after a summer of negotiations, is relieved to have secured his future.

He said: “From the beginning I knew how much they believed in me and wanted me, and the club knew I felt the same way.”

“There haven’t been any major problems, we’ve just been getting there slowly and now it’s all sorted.”

“I’m happy it’s done now and I can concentrate on playing football.”

Lambert’s ten strikes in his opening season were instrumental in Rovers promotion to League One and their appearance at the Millennium Stadium in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final.

Almost doubling his tally last season with 19 goals the 6ft 2in marksman helped keep Rovers in the division and fired them to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

In February 2007 he secured a lasting place in the hearts of Gas fans with a 65th minute, second-leg strike to knock rivals Bristol City out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and has become very fond of his new home.

He said: “I love the area and I’d be happy staying here for at least three more years. My family – my girlfriend and my little boy – are happy here just like me. So I’m pleased to say I’ll be a Bristolian until 2011.”

The former Blackpool trainee turned heads at Macclesfield during a 12-month stint and secured a club-record £300,000 move to Stockport in 2002. After 98 league appearances and 18 goals he moved on a free transfer to Rochdale. He rediscovered his scoring touch and 22 goals in 2005-06 alerted Rovers.

Lambert’s last goal came in Saturday’s 5-4 defeat at Peterborough but he believes the team is progressing. He said: “I’ll think we’ll click as a team soon, and if we can get a win under our belts on Saturday then I think we’ll soon get going up the table.

“The season has started well for me on a personal note and every chance I get I feel I can score.“There would be no better way for me to celebrate this new deal than to score a goal or two against Walsall on Saturday.”

UK Athletics respond to Reed

UK ATHLETICS have hit back at revelations by Olympic athlete Kate Reed over her treatment in the run up to her 10,000m final in Beijing.

In a statement responding to our exclusive interview Reed on Tuesday, UK Athletics accused the 25-year-old Bristol & West AC runner of leading medical staff to believe she had morphine in her possession and that she might use it to overcome a persistent injury which had put her Games in doubt.

It said: “Just two days before the 10,000m final on Wednesday, August 12, (Reed) intimated to at least two members of the medical staff that she might take morphine to kill the pain. It should be noted that this substance is on the banned list for in-competition testing.

“Both members of the medical team independently interpreted her comments to mean that she had morphine in her possession.

“Also, it should be noted that despite being asked on several occasions throughout the trip to declare her full range of medications, as is the norm, the athlete failed to do so.”

Reed strongly denies both these counts and attributes the whole affair to a joke she shared with team physio Neil Black while seeking ongoing treatment for her injury, which has now been diagnosed as Achilles peritendonitis, peroneal nerve entrapment, and a stress fracture in her heel.

The Clevedon athlete said: “I was not aware there were two medics there. We were just having a joke about my leg. I asked for a jab and we joked about taking morphine.

“It was said in jest. You would have to be rather stupid to (think) I wasn’t joking.“It wasn’t until the next day at 10am that I was accused of carrying (morphine). And I had not even said that in the first place.

“The doctor (Paul Dijkstra) said he was in the room with me and Neil and said he overheard it. “I said, ‘for God’s sake, it was hardly a sensible conversation and why didn’t you ask me at the time?’”

Reed was subsequently subjected to two searches of her possessions and was relieved of her supplements and medication by the former UKA performance director Dave Collins, on suspicion of taking morphine.

Reed said: “I arrived at the hotel at 6pm. At 7pm I had a meeting where I declared my medications.

“Dr Bruce Hamilton, my coach Alan Storey, lead physio Neil Black and massage therapist Paula Clayton were all present. I was in there for an hour, so it was pretty thorough. I went down to things like Bonjela. They are not even a banned substance.”

According to Reed she was not asked to declare her medication again but was shocked and distressed when her room was searched.

The UKA statement described the “huge disappointment” among the British Olympic Association (BOA) and UKA medical staff at suggestions of a lack of medical support given in media interviews by Reed after her 10,000m final.

Reed again disagrees and says she was dismayed by the silence she was greeted with after she staggered across the finish line in 24th place. In the wake of her flop she revealed the agonising 2km time-trial she had been subjected to the night before the race to prove her fitness, and now says she believed the medical team blanked her for the rest of the Games.

She said: “I was walking around Beijing in some considerable pain and asked a BOA doctor to look at me because UKA appeared unwilling to help me. I had no idea why this was.”

Although Reed would like an apology, the most important thing in her eyes is understanding the miscommunications, why she feels she was blanked, and to ensure the same thing does not happen to other athletes in the future.

She said: “I will see (the medical staff) at all the championships. We have to work together again so it needs to be sorted out.”

The UKA statement did not detail post-race events but sought to explain the pre-race checks and tests. It said: “Had the doping test, the room search and physical test not taken place to satisfy the various concerns around the case, Team GB would have been sending an athlete to the start line of an Olympic final with serious uncertainties and grave doubts. Quite simply this was a risk that both the BOA and UKA were unwilling to take.”