Referee:  Steve Dunn (Bristol.) Adequate, but has a dodgy watch and an equally inaccurate linesman.

Goals:

27 mins. The industrious Kevin Gallacher made progress down United's right flank before firing in a curling cross that Speed met at the far post. His downward header squeezed between keeper and upright and he celebrated with the toon fans behind the goal.1-0
36 mins. Gallacher again the provider from a wide right position, his cross being knocked into Shearer's path by Ferguson. As the ball dropped away from the England captain, Domi acted quickly to control it and prod the second in from close range. 2-0
45 mins. The inevitable Challinor howitzer, which dropped onto the shaven head of Allison. His header ended up in the back of the net after Given could do no more than throw himself after it. 2-1
58 mins. Shearer ended up on the cinder track in front of the United dugout, but a break down the right maintained its momentum through the persistence of Dyer. His low cross was met by the unmarked Ferguson, who steered the winner home back past the 'keeper into the corner of the goal from just inside the six yard box. 3-1
76 mins A bit of ping-pong in the United box saw Allison poke the ball wide of the goal only for a fortuitous back flick from Kelly send it back into the path of Jones, who had the easiest of finishes. 3-2

Waffle:

Yet again, for the third time in three years, staff at the GNER railway ticket office had their afternoon slumbers interrupted by a flood of jubilant toon fans booking trips to London to see their heroes. This time of course it wasn't for the big day itself, but what for many will be an anti-climatic semi-final at the twin towers, albeit one that more "real" fans will be able to witness live than the Cup Final Corporate Carveup.

What was once a far-off dream for those who can recall losing to Chester, Exeter and Brighton to name but three, is now almost a annual event, along with a new face leading us out to be introduced to some overpaid offshoot of the monarchy.

Once again Trading Standards officers will be on double time all over Tyneside, as tat merchants peddle inflammable flags and those oh-so-funny jesters hats. Of course, victory over Chelsea will also open the floodgates for yet another Wembley Special Newspaper (the poor buggers must be desperate for something new to write - after all, you can only interview Bob Stokoe so many times.....)

Most terrifyingly of all, especially for those of you with children, is the fact that we're only one match away from not only another banshee-like rendition of "Abide With Me", but also the dreaded Cup Final Record. Who knows what delights we're on the verge of ? My personal preference would be some Peruvian panpiper players (how about the Little Nobby & The Handy Andes ?) performing a selection of terrace favourites. Let's face it, anything would be better than that "Bringing F*** All Back Home" that Sting allegedly penned......

Enough of this nonsense, let's return to the hotbed of soccer that is Birkenhead. Considering their position as the third team on Merseyside, Rovers have undergone a hell of an improvement since we faced them twelve years ago in the bizarre Wembley League Centenary tournament (and lost 2-0.) Prenton Park now has three rebuilt stands and considering the disgraceful amounts charged by Spurs and West Ham for their average away accommodation, £13 for a seat undercover with no posts to obscure the view is a bloody good deal. If I could change one thing however, i'd pass on the free twiglets that were almost impossible to avoid and came in a variety of chemically created "flavours."

Unsurprisingly the travelling fans were in good voice and with events on the pitch mostly following the desired script, good support was evident throughout the afternoon, including the usual generous reception afforded to David Kelly. TV viewers were treated to a loud rendition of the "Peter Reid..." ditty, while "Kieron Dyer on the Wing" and "Moo Moo Black and White Army" were particularly popular (we were in the Cowshed Stand after all.) Also deserving of mention was the "Bobby, give us a wave" that eventually got its desired response and prompted a couple of choruses of "Happy Birthday, Dear Bobby." Whether Silvio Maric and Diego Gavilan (both in with the away fans) joined in is open to question, but at least the young lad from Paraguay had the excuse of not being able to understand the language......

Events on the pitch could have been a lot easier had more chances been taken, but our goalscoring yield continues to be good, with welcome contributions today from midfield to augment the front two. However, after another Dyer run ended in his dragging a shot past the post, perhaps he might care to spend a little time in improving this area of his game - i'm sure England coach Peter Beardsley would find time to assist.

It's always a good sign when post-match opinions differ about our man of the match and while Barton and Domi were both valid candidates and Gallacher again ran his bits off, Aaron Hughes again gets my vote for an assured performance in yet another unfamiliar position. Once again the United team weren't shown cards of any colour, which is also pleasing, but Gallacher was perhaps a shade fortunate to avoid a yellow after twice continuing with a run and shot when the referee's whistle had already stopped play.        

Luckily the injury to Rovers player Roberts wasn't as serious as first thought, his 50/50 tackle with Dyer resulting in medical staff crowding around him, and the consequent time time added on didn't matter. However, things could have been very different, and another Prenton Park refereeing controversy could have arisen. Put simply, over seven minutes of added time were played, the injury took four and the fourth official added only one more for the rest of the half making a number five displayed on his board. The fact virtually nobody saw the board go up and an extra two minutes mysteriously appeared only added to the cheers of relief and celebration that marked the belated final whistle. Like the team, the referee seemed determined to give us all palpitations.

So, another deserved victory and further proof that United have the right man at the helm, finally. Hopefully Bobby will manage to avoid the disgraceful pre-Wembley coasting that Rudi's team indulged in after the semi-final win over Spurs, played 6, won 0 if you dare to recall, with all the attacking menace of a toothless alligator.

A word about the Challinor long throws - dodgy. Dodgy in the sense that United just about coped, with one notable exception. Dodgy in that wherever the ball went out for a Rovers throw, Challinor was mysteriously able to chuck it in from one of the three specially made gaps in the perimeter, regardless of where the ball went out of play. However, it has to be said that the throw itself is a thing of beauty and a fearsome weapon. Big Dunc came back to head more than one clear - one can only imagine the havoc he'd wreak if we had someone capable of making such elongated deliveries...   

PS. Full marks to the management of the "Mersey Clipper" adjacent to the ground for taking a flyer and opening for the 11.30am kickoff of the Leeds v Man Utd game. 

Biffa

PPS. Courtesy of NUFC.COM's answer to Cyril Fletcher, some random moans & observations about the game:

Send your outraged letters of protest about any of the above sexist, regionalist or foodist comments to us at NUFC.com.....and we'll ignore 'em.

Duncan Mc.