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Season 2004-05
Liverpool res (h) Premier Reserve League North
 
 
 
Date: Monday 4th October 2004, 7pm

Venue: Kingston Park

Conditions: 
the long hot summer just passed us by, as Paul Weller once sang....


 

Newcastle United

0 - 0 Liverpool
  Teams

Goals

Half time: Newcastle 0 Liverpool 0

Full time: Newcastle 0 Liverpool 0

We Said

New boy Ronny Johnsen said:

"It was always the idea to play an hour. And it was just nice to be back playing as it's been a while. I just want to do the best I can. I've been training hard and playing last night is one step in the right direction for me.

"It's up to the gaffer, what he wants to do. I'm here now and I'm doing the best I can. I'm happy to be here, everyone's been great.

"Newcastle United is a huge club, I couldn't believe it when they came in for me. They've been doing really well and getting the right results. Since Graeme Souness has come in there have been many great results and they have all been deserved.

"It's all about results, that's the most important thing. The whole team has been doing really well. It's up to the gaffer to decide if the chance is there for me to come in. Obviously I need to be fit first, and playing last night was good for me."

Tommy Craig commented about him:

"We've got to be careful with him. That was his first, real competitive game for some time. We don't want to get him so fatigued he gets injured."

Moving on the game:

"It was a poor footballing performance. There were too many misplaced passes and headers and we never controlled the game. I felt we cancelled each other out.

"Both goalkeepers were at the right place at the right time, Tony Caig did more than anyone to get us the point. A point's a point, but I'm disappointed. I'm looking at the way we're trying to develop players, and passing is a major part of what we're trying to achieve at this club.

"I know what we're capable of and over the last year we've produced some memorable performances by playing a passing game.

"We had a good start to the season, and with any group of young players you're going to get a rollercoaster. I'd like us to get back our controlled, passing game.

"Peter Ramage has a badly swollen ankle and at this point looks doubtful for next week."

Waffle


No lack of effort from Tommy Craig's side on Monday night and an improvement on last week's dismal showing against Forest. 

However that's now just two home goals in six hours of reserve team football this season for the faithful few and tonight we seldom looked like improving that tally.

And had it not been for a fine save by Tony Caig with fifteen minutes remaining to deny striker Neil Mellor, then Liverpool would have left Tyneside with all three points.

On a frustrating night for United, some decent approach work was continually ruined by over-ambitious shooting or poor pass selection, as we dominated proceedings but failed to test Paul Harrison often enough in the visitor's goal.

Our best chances in the first half came in the early stages, Frenchman Charles N'Zogbia blazing his shot over the bar on 10 minutes and then jinking into the box on 27 minutes but electing to shoot from an acute angle rather than pull the ball back to one of four arriving colleagues. Shades of LuaLua......

In between those two efforts came one triple attack from the Magpies, as Lewis Guy forced his way towards goal and tested the 'keeper with a shot and another from the rebound, before strike partner Guy Bates sent his shot from the second rebound goalwards, only to see a defender on hand to clear.

But it took until midway into the second period before we began to threaten the Liverpool goal again, Guy seeing his shot tipped over on 69 minutes, N'Zogbia whipping in the resultant corner for Bates to try his luck with a header straight at the goalkeeper.

And within a minute Bates had let fly from the left hand edge of the area with a wicked curling shot that Harrison did well to tip round his left hand post.

But aside from another Guy effort set up by N'Zogbia on 78 minutes that was it in terms of goal efforts and the game gradually petered out with little else worthy of note.

Debutant Johnsen had a quiet night at the back and while he got in a couple of decent clearing headers, there was little else to suggest on this showing that he'll dislodge the current first team defensive picks at the Valley a week on Sunday.

He will have another warm-up game though at a familiar venue, when the reserves visit Villa Park next week to face one of his former clubs.

Biffa

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Page last updated 04 October, 2012