Maynard needs to become a fall guy

Bristol City’s Nicky Maynard might need to lose his clean-cut image and start appealing for penalties if he is to haul in the goals - according to his manager Gary Johnson.

The Robins’ summer signing failed to make a mark against his former club Crewe in midweek and his new boss highlighted the 21-year-old’s eagerness to stay on his feet and battle for every ball as part of the problem.

He said: “I thought Nicky Maynard could have gone down and in his honesty stayed up.”

Johnson is a fan of honest endeavour though and conceded that, had his new ‘fox in the box’ hit the deck and slotted home from the spot, Crewe would have been hard done by.

He said: “If we’d have gone into extra time we wouldn’t have deserved it because we only played for 10 minutes and they outplayed us for 80.

“We certainly didn’t have enough quality going into the box, whether it’s crosses or shots, we didn’t really work their goalkeeper much until the last 10 minutes.

Maynard, partnered by fellow Crewe old-boy Dele Adebola, did find the net in the second half, only to be confronted by the linesman’s flag for offside.

It was one of several good chances for the youngster at the Alexandra Stadium. A fierce shot was well blocked and his speciality, a swivel on a sixpence to shoot with either boot, was well collected by Crewe keeper Steve Collis.

Maynard’s pace was kept in check by a well marshalled Crewe backline who caught their former teammate offside on several occasions.

In response to the home side’s opener, captain Louis Carey dribbled deep into the opposition’s half and let fly a speculative rocket which was well blocked but fell to Maynard on the edge of the 18-yard box.

The City fans rose to their feet in expectation but the linesman’s flag rose as well, indicating an infringement. The talented striker will have to learn to outfox the linesman as well as his opponents, but his record of 32 goals in 52 league games for his former club is a clear indicator that goals will come, whether he goes down or not.

Maynard on show at old club Crewe

PAST results are no guarantee of future performance but Bristol City are on a high and, instead of a distraction from the league, their Carling Cup tie against Crewe tonight represents an opportunity to enjoy themselves some more.

At the front of the queue will be record signing Nicky Maynard, who returns to the club which schooled him in the art of scoring.

Whether he would celebrate a goal at his old ground remains to be seen but City fans can rest assured he won’t be doing his old team-mates any favours.

He said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better tie, especially going back so soon, but hopefully I’ll come out a winner.

“I was obviously going to go back there sooner or later. I’ve never been away from Crewe so whatever happens on the night we’ll just see what my emotions are like. Celebrations depend on the state of the game.”

The 21-year-old is not the only former Crewe trainee in City’s squad. Dele Adebola, 13 years his senior, also began his career with the Railwaymen.

He said: “It’s been a long time since I played for them but you still go back there with fond memories. It’s an interesting tie for me.

“They’ve got a lot of the same coaching staff from when I was there, and Dario (Gradi) of course.”

The 33-year-old rose to the occasion on his return to another old club, Coventry City, on Saturday and is likely to be rested tonight.

But he stressed the importance of maintaining City’s unbeaten run. “You want to win as many games as you can, no matter what side the manager puts out,” he said.

“It’s about winning games. If you’re losing games, even if they’re not as important, you can get into a little rut and you don’t want that at this stage of the season. If you’re winning or not getting beat you want to keep it going in all competitions.”

Crewe upset Championship side Barnsley 2-0 in the first round, although their victory was reliant on two strikes from the penalty spot, and in 2006 they took a third round tie against Manchester United to extra time at the Alexandra Stadium.

Adebola said: “It’s sometimes the League One sides that provide the sterner opposition, as they are very big games for them. It’s a test for them against higher-league opposition and you usually find it’s the Championship sides who rest players.

“I’m sure (Nicky) will enjoy it regardless. I’m sure they will give him a good reception. If he can get a goal or two and not celebrate then it will be a good day for him.”

Maynard was in buoyant mood after City’s 3-0 demolition of Coventry at the Ricoh Arena and, if a result can be reached against Crewe, he believes the club’s early-season form could ensure City are this season’s giant killers in the third round. He has already had a taste of such an opportunity. He was part of the 2006 side which almost upset the Premiership Champions.

He said: “The dressing room’s buzzing and we reckon we could beat anyone on our day, whether it be a higher Championship or a lower Premiership team. Hopefully we can continue this form.

“He was main striker when I was at Crewe academy. Obviously I looked up to him while I was there. Hopefully we can show what we learnt off them and use it against them.”

Brooker gives Maynard a timely lesson

by Andy Sloan at Bloomfield Road

Steve Brooker hit a last-minute winner for Bristol City to bank three points at Blackpool in the opening match of their Championship campaign.

The second-half substitute’s half-turn and snap shot proved the difference between the two sides in an afternoon of missed opportunities.

Goal machine Nicky Maynard spurned an open net before substitute keeper Chris Weale was called upon to make two sensational saves at the other end but Johnson will feel his team deserved the result after a much improved second-half performance.

Maynard fired a hat-trick on his debut against Royal Antwerp and could have repeated the feat but missed three good chances, the pick of which was a free header in front of an open goal from five yards.

Brooker came on to show him how it’s done and steal the headlines as City got their season off to the perfect start.

For City fans the greatest sporting competition in the world kicked off in Blackpool, not Beijing, but the Robins failed to get out of the starting blocks in their first 45 minutes at Bloomfield Road.

The hosts had the chances to inflict a nasty welcome to Pleasure Beach on City boss Gary Johnson whose side were fortunate to make it to the break without conceding.

The Robins could have upset their hosts though when record signing Nicky Maynard latched onto a nod down from strike partner Dele Adebola in the 45^th minute, but blasted his shot straight at the Seasider’s keeper.

Fellow new boy Gavin Williams made his bow in a City side featuring six of the team who started at Wembley in May. Cole Skuse took the place of Marvin Elliott who failed a late fitness test.

Johnson kept faith with City’s player of the season Ivan Basso in goal ahead of Chris Weale, who started this fixture in August last year when City came from behind to draw courtesy of Scott Murray’s 75^th minute equaliser.

Blackpool, who lost Wes Hoolahan to Norwich and Captain Michael Jackson to Shrewsbury over the summer had brought in 12 new signings and handed starts to four of them, with another four on the bench.

City failed to create any chances in the opening exchanges and were forced to defend a number of attacks from the Tangerines, most of which came through Liverpool loan signing Adam Hammill and a couple of early mistakes by City captain Louis Carey.

Blackpool skipper Keith Southern tested Basso twice and on the second occasion should have scored, the Brazilian keeper only just managing to fumble the shot to safety.

Ben Burgess was granted two golden opportunities too in an unfruitful first 45 for City.

The Blackpool striker beat Jamie McCombe to Mo Camara’s cross but blazed over from five yards to cries of disbelief around Bloomfield Road and just before the half-hour mark he spurned another fine chance to give the hosts the lead, heading Hammill’s curling cross narrowly over Basso’s bar.

City’s first chance of note saw Adebola play in Williams whose flick found Johnson, but his half-volley was deflected over. Maynard could have given City the lead on the whistle but the first half ended 0-0.

In a repeat of City’s opening match last season Basso failed to emerge after the break with Chris Weale getting the chance he has been craving. It could have been short-lived though as the Yeovil-born keeper handled outside his area later in the half and was lucky Graham Laws deemed the infringement to warrant only a yellow card.

McIndoe set the tone for City’s second-half testing Blackpool keeper Paul Rachubka from a 25-yard free kick early on as the Robins upped the tempo.

Hammill was soon proving his worth once more though weaving his way through the City defence before eventually shooting just wide of Weale’s right-hand upright.

And McCombe allowed Burgess a third crack at goal from 18 yards before Blackpool centre-back Ian Evatt headed agonisingly wide from Danny Coid’s freekick with Weale wrong-footed.

Williams’ league debut ended on the hour-mark with a straight swap for Ivan Sproule in right midfield in a bid to add legs to a City midfield struggling to cope with Blackpool’s advances.

It was McIndoe though who whipped in a cross from the left to create a chance Maynard will have nightmares about.

Adebola beat the keeper to the ball and flicked it across to City’s new young gun who, with an open net at his mercy, somehow headed wide from five yards.

The 21-year-old signing from Crewe, had another chance ten minutes later, again courtesy of McIndoe, and shot narrowly over after a deft turn inside the box.

Adebola made way for Brooker but before he could send the 1,521 travelling fans into a frenzy of delight it was Skuse and Weale who drew the plaudits.

Skuse’s clearance off the line from Southern kept City in the game after a fine block from Weale.

Basso’s understudy last season rescued City again at the death with a finger tip save from man of the match Hammill.

But it was Brooker who made the breakthrough and banked the points for City in Blackpool, the home of National Savings and Investments.

A Johnson free-kick was half-cleared from the far edge of Blackpool’s six-yard box but only as far as Brooker who, unlike those before him, made no mistake and banged home his first goal since March.

Blackpool: Rachubka, Coid, Southern, Evatt, Hammill, Taylor-Fletcher (Vaughan 77), Jorgensen (Aluko 88), Wright, Camara, Edwards, Burgess. Subs not used: Gilks, Broomes, Fox,.

Bristol City: Basso (Weale 46), Orr, McAllister, McCombe, Carey, McIndoe, Williams (Sproule 62), Johnson Skuse, Adebola (Brooker 81), Maynard. Subs not used: Fontaine, Wilson.

Referee: Graham Laws

Attendance: 8,244 (1,521 away)

Yellows: Camara, Skuse, Orr, Weale