BLAST FROM THE PAST

I was having a bit of a spring-clean at home and stumbled upon this very old match report- in fact it was the first match report that I have ever written, dated February 23rd 1996. Have a read and see what you thought of my journalistic skills when I was a mere 13 years old...

KINKY’S THE GEM OF THE CROWN

Manchester City 3-3 Newcastle United

Georgi Kinkladze is starting to prove to the critics that he is one of the best players Manchester City have had the pleasure to buy.

But this spectacular match was overshadowed by the two on-pitch incidents which included Columbian new boy Faustino Asprilla and City captain Keith Curle. Asprilla, was Keegan bought for over £7 million, firs elbowed Curle in the face during a jostle for the ball. Then, after the referee had blown his end-of-match whistle, Asprilla and Curle were still playing and were once again joined in attack for the ball. This time, Asprilla opted to head-butt Curle directly in front of the watching linesman who didn’t take any action, unlike the F.A. who have decided to review video footage to decide whether they should take action on the Columbian.

POSITIVE

The match itself was enthralling. The home team took the lead on 16 minutes when Nigel Clough’s shot on goal was deflected into the net by Niall Quinn’s shin. City had some good chances but Newcastle gained possession through David Ginola’s wing position. Nicky Summerbee was the unlucky defender who tried to put up with Ginola but the Frenchman was too strong for him. The Magpies equalised on 44 minutes when Philippe Albert struck a well-taken shot into the corner of the net.

HONOURS-EVEN

After half-time, City went ahead when Kinkladze’s shot was saved but Quinn was able to head home in the 64th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, in the 71st minute, Eike Immel saved from Albert only to watch Asprilla score his first goal for Newcastle. The match was closely fought out and City looked to have secured a victory when Uwe Rosler scored in the 81st minute. But Newcastle struck back four minutes later when Albert’s shot whizzed past the on-looking defence.
Despite this glorious performance from both teams, it seems like the Premiership title might just be slipping away from Newcastle. However City are having to fight a tricky relegation battle but if the Blues play like they did today all the time, it might just be a different matter. They were four bookings during the 90 minutes: Summerbee for City and Peter Beardsley, Albert and Asprilla for Newcastle.

So there you have it, my first ever venture out into the world of match reporting. Not quite Oliver Holt or Henry Winter, but a decent effort considering. Nice to reminisce over the Rosler/Kinkladze days although being reminded of how dark those days really were is such a stark contrast to the status of City right now. Look out for more of my retro musings over the coming weeks...