LIVE MATCH-DAY FOOTBALL BLOG (From The Northern Echo)
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LIVE MATCH-DAY FOOTBALL BLOG
12:48pm Saturday 12th January 2013 in Sport
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- Get involved on Twitter or leave a comment to let us know what you are thinking as our reporters follow the North-East teams around.
- Norwich City v Newcastle United - Paul Fraser
- Sunderland v West Ham United - Steph Clark
- Middlesbrough v Watford - Scott Wilson
- Shrewsbury Town v Hartlepool United - Nick Loughlin
5:22pm
FINAL SCORE: SUNDERLAND 3-0 WEST HAM
No wifi at the Stadium of Light (again), but I can tell you they eased to victory over West Ham.
Goals from Larsson, Johnson and McClean. Sessegnon outstanding, but there were great performances throughout the side. Looked like scoring every time they attacked.
4:57pm
FULL-TIME: MIDDLESBROUGH 1 WATFORD 2
Scott McDonald scored a stoppage-time consolation with a header from Adam Reach's cross, but Boro nevertheless slipped to a deserved defeat.
4:54pm
After the final whistle Coloccini simply applauded the Newcastle fans along with the rest of the players. Time to go and interview him ... we will see.
4:53pm
FULL-TIME: Norwich City 0 Newcastle United 0
And that was that ... report to follow.
4:53pm
FT: Shrewsbury 1 Hartlepool 1.
Character from Pools to come back and draw 1-1. Wyke goal got Pools level and the back four were strong and organised as the game went on.
Normally Pools crumble after conceding first, but it didn't happen today.
Saying that, the point was down to two magnificent Flinders saves in injury time.
4:47pm
GOAL: MIDDLESBROUGH 0 WATFORD 2 (Vydra 83)
Game over now as Boro concede a second.
Deeney's through ball sent Vydra scampering into the area, and the Czech Republic international kept his composure to slot a low finish past Steele.
4:37pm
Still no goals at Carrow Road. We have had a shot on target, Krul saved Pilkington's effort. That's been about it with eight minutes left.
4:36pm
Two Hartlepool subs - Walton and Wyke off, Austin and Poole on
4:20pm
Middlesbrough 0 Watford 1
Boro could well have been 2-0 down at the start of the second half, but Steele did well to deny Vydra as he broke clear.
Tony Mowbray has wasted no time making his first substitution of the afternoon, with Reach replacing McEachran.
4:20pm
Hartlepool had a big big penalty shout rejected as Sweeney is pulled down in the box. Corner comes in and Howard header is hacked off the line.
4:12pm
Shrewsbury 1 Hartlepool 1
55 mins, cross from the right by Franks found Wyke, low shot deflected on its way past Weale.
Signed on loan from Boro until the end of the season on Thursday, scored first goal today.
4:11pm
Cabaye told to get ready, he has had the call and Pardew waiting for the next opportunity to bring him on. Newcastle need something extra.
3:49pm
GOAL: MIDDLESBROUGH 0 WATFORD 1 (Vydra 45)
Dreadful end to the first half as Boro concede in first-half stoppage time.
Rhys Williams tried to chest the ball back to Jason Steele after a deep cross arrived from the right, but the defender only succeeded in presenting the ball to Matej Vydra, who slotted it home.
3:48pm
3:48pm
HT: Shrewsbury 1 Pools 0.
Not much at all between the teams, both have had chances and openings on goal.
Only difference a regular one we've seen before, Pools didn't defend well enough and failed to clear after being given a chance to on more than one occasion.
3:45pm
@nufcfans This game looks like its being played by a 6 year old on FIFA13. #NUFC #AvinALaugh
— @nlitendchild 12 January 2013
3:45pm
A local suggests it is the worst half of football they have seen at Carow Road this season. Very uneventful so far.A local suggests it is the worst half of football they have seen at Carow Road this season. Very uneventful so far.
3:40pm
Middlesbrough 0 Watford 0
More of the same, with Boro dominating possession but struggling to carve out chances.
McDonald shot into the side netting, while McEachran wasted a great position by trying to pass to Jutkiewicz when he should have shot himself.
Watford still to record a single effort on goal.
3:28pm
Middlesbrough 0 Watford 0
Boro still well on top here, and should be in the lead.
Leadbitter delivered a typically dangerous corner from the left, and Hines headed over from inside the six-yard box. Waste.
3:25pm
Shrewsbury v Hartlepool.
25: Shrews one up, Taylor finish at the far post. Poor defending, Pools had two chances to clear and didn't take them. Cross comes over and it's too easy for Taylor to knock in.
That after two decent chances for Pools - great curling cross from Richards for Howard, header straight at keeper Weale.
Then Franks tried a long range effort which Weale tipped over.
All too familiar this.
3:15pm
Middlesbrough 0 Watford 0
Quiet opening period at Boro, with neither side really testing the opposition goalkeeper.
McDonald tested Almunia with a long-range strike, but a deflection took the venom out of the shot.
In other news, though, my Twitter followers will be pleased to know that the Bet of the Weekend has just won at Warwick!!!
3:13pm
unlucky from jonas trying to pick out Cisse #nufc
— @miketoonage 12 January 2013
3:12pm
Debuchy's first serious test was to stop Pilkington down the line. But the Norwich winger beat him to send in a dangerous cross.
Still 0-0 and Newcastle need to do more going forward.
3:05pm
Middlesbrough 0 Watford 0
We're under way at the Riverside, with Nicky Bailey playing at right-back.
Boro lining up in what appears to be a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Haroun and Leadbitter sitting in midfield and McEachran pushing on.
2:33pm
Shrewsbury v Hartlepool
Same again for Pools - that's 4-1-3-2, third game in a row.
SHREWSBURY TOWN: Weale; Grandison, Jacobson, Jones, Purdie, Richards, Morgan, Taylor, Goldson, McAllister, Rodgers. Subs: Anyon, Summerfield, Bradshaw, McGinn, Parry, Mambo, Gayle.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Flinders; Richards, Collins, Hartley, Horwood; Murray; Sweeney, Humphreys, Franks; Howard, Wyke. Subs: Austin, Poole, Monkhouse, Baldwin, Holden McHugh, James.
Referee: Carl Berry (Surrey)
2:31pm
Middlesbrough vs Watford
Nicky Bailey is set to line up at right-back after Tony Mowbray opted to reshuffle his defence for the visit of Watford.
Despite the availability of Stuart Parnaby, Bailey is expected to move from his usual position of central midfield to right-back.
However, Mowbray could opt to go with a three-man defence, having trialled the formation in last weekend's FA Cup win over Hastings.
Boro's injury problems are finally clearing up, with Seb Hines, George Friend, Josh McEachran, Emmanuel Ledesma and Scott McDonald all back in the starting line-up after a variety of knocks.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Steele; Bailey, Hines, R Williams, Friend; Haroun, McEachran, Leadbitter, Ledesma; Jutkiewicz, McDonald.
Subs: Leutwiler (gk), Reach, Parnaby, Smallwood, Thomson, Zemmama, Miller.
WATFORD (3-5-2): Almunia; Doyley, Nosworthy, Ekstrand; Cassetti, Abdi, Chalobah, Battocchio, Pudil; Deeney, Vydra.
Subs: Bond (gk), Eustace, Yeates, Forsyth, Bond, Geijo, Forestieri.
2:27pm
Mathieu Debuchy set to start his first game in a Newcastle shirt following his £5.5m move from Lille.
And the biggest plus is that Fabricio Coloccini is at the heart of the defence for a game which manager Alan Pardew admitted his team could not afford to lose.
Coloccini's state of mind is said to be good following the uncertainty surrounding his future. Now he needs to find a performance befitting of a Newcastle skipper.
NORWICH CITY (4-4-2): Bunn; Martin, Bassong, Turner, Garrido; Pilkington, Johnson, Tettey, Snodgrass; Hoolahan; Jackson. Subs: Rudd, Holt, Fox, E. Bennett, Barnett, R. Bennett, Kane.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Perch, Anita; Obertan, Marveaux, Gutierrez; Cisse. Subs: Harper, Tavernier, Bigirimana, Cabaye, Amalfitano, Sammy Ameobi, Ranger.
2:25pm
Good afternoon from a freezing Stadium of Light. Here are your teams for SAFC v West Ham.
Sunderland (4-4-2): Mignolet; Gardner, O’Shea, Bramble, Colback; Johnson, Vaughan, Larsson, McClean; Sessegnon, Fletcher.
Subs: Westwood, Bardsley, N’Diaye, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden, Kilgallon.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Jaaskelainen; Demel; Collins, Reid, Potts; Diarra, Collison; Jarvis, Nolan, Cole; Cole.
Subs: Spiegel, Tomkins, Vaz Te, Taylor, Diame, Chamakh, O’Neil.
No debut for new boy Alfred N'Diaye. He's starts on the bench.
2:22pm
Coloccini leads the Newcastle players out for their warm-up at Carrow Road. Applauds the away supporters already in the ground.
Hearing that he has been very relaxed in the build up to the game and that the speculation surrounding his future has not been affecting him or the squad. Time will tell.
1:35pm
Half-time in the early Premier League kick-off and it's goalless between QPR and Tottenham in the London derby.
1:20pm
BLOG: Quick solution needed for Coloccini saga. What to do? #NUFC http://t.co/nXrQwOyj
— @paulfraserecho 12 January 2013
1:09pm
I'm thinking it's probably a "2 pairs of socks" day for the Boro match.
— @kenjude 12 January 2013
1:09pm
Today's Middlesbrough game is scheduled to be the feature match on the BBC's Football League Show. Let's hope it's worth burning the midnight oil for....
1:03pm
It's absolutely freezing here in Middlesbrough, so if you're coming along to the Riverside, make sure you wrap up warm.
Boro should have plenty of players back today, with the injury list finally beginning to shorten, and will hope to move closer to the automatic promotion places.
12:53pm
RT @seery27: Don't know what I'd do if Coloccini left Newcastle..
— @Guille_Romero 12 January 2013
12:52pm
There's no rain or snow at Carrow Road, but there is still time. It's a nice day so far for Fabricio Coloccini to make an appearance for Newcastle United. Will it be his last one?
All suggestions point to Coloccini starting and retaining the captaincy this afternoon, despite the uncertainty surrounding his future after requesting to leave.
The team coach will be due around 1.15pm and the team announced around an hour later. Keep up to date on here.
It's a big day for Newcastle, just two points above the bottom three, and Sunderland in the Premier League. But Middlesbrough could also do with another home win to stay in touch with the top two.
