Hand of Doc helped Wolves get so VAR in Cup – Wembley next?
NO shocks in the FA Cup over the weekend with the West Midlands’ only survivors, Wolves, who are also, of course, the region’s only Premier League club. They continue to have a great season after being runaway Championship title holders .
Seventh in the league, they are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and – even after getting in-form Man United, at home, in last night’s draw – they have a solid chance of winning it for the first time since 1960!
Wolves are exciting to watch with some talented players and will go from strength to strength. This is a terrific season back in the top flight.
No VAR in the Ashton Gate tie, which left Bristol City boss Lee Johnson describing Matt Doherty, with two incidents of suspected handball, as being like a Harlem Globetrotter!
Referee Martin Atkinson did not see it that way and if the Robins’ manager wants to see the real thing, the Globetrotters are playing in Birmingham on May 2!
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez stomped round Molineux like an angry bull after Wolves equalised in the 95th minute in their 1-1 draw eight days ago.
Benitez’s beef was that Wolves’ central defender Willy Boly had “fouled” goalie Martin Dubravka when heading in.
Benitez was wrong. It was a fair goal and the keeper’s fault! Newcastle’s time-wasting and substitutions had also caused the extra stoppage time.
It’s not much fun at present if you support Aston Villa.
They get amazing support and the crowd, including, of course, West Bromwich Albion supporters, attracted just under 40,000.
The Baggies’ 2-0 win at Villa Park leaves Villa still in 10th place, seven points outside the play-off spots and with only two wins from their last 13 matches. This coming Saturday, Villa go to Stoke, who are anxious to improve their season after relegation. There is not so much pressure for promotion this season from those who own and run Villa.
It has been a difficult season all round and the new owners and others at the top know they have to be patient.
In contrast, the Baggies are neatly wedged in the play-off places but they face a tough visit to QPR tonight. Rangers were somewhat unlucky to pull back from 4-0 against Birmingham (4-3 but QPR missed a stoppage-time penalty) and ran Premier League Watford close at home in the FA Cup fifth round before losing 1-0.
The Baggies have been warned. Promotion after relegation is expected but the next two matches are tricky.
What Albion do have, of course, is plenty of form and goals, with only two defeats in their last 16 games. They trail the top two by just four points with a game in hand. They have also scored 64 goals in the Championship with Jay Rodriguez on 17 and Dwight Gayle on 16.
Gayle missed the weekend and will also be absent tonight after receiving a two-match ban. He accepted a charge of ‘successful deception of a match official.’
He was accused of diving in the last minute in the penalty area. Rodriguez converted for 2-2 versus Nottingham Forest.
Gayle returns for Saturday’s home match with high-flying Sheffield United.
In contrast, Villa, it seems, when Tammy Abraham does not score it’s a struggle.
He has 20 goals so far this season... next is Jonathan Kodjia with six followed by central defender James Chester and midfielder Conor Hourihane, both with five.
There is no doubt Villa have missed their biggest star, Jack Grealish, who has been injured for the last 12 matches with a shinbone problem. He has been limited as a result to two goals and four assists.
Most results may well have been different with the talented 23-yearold in the starting line-up. Hopefully he will be back on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Coventry City had their biggest win of the season – 3-0 at home to relegation-threatened Walsall. Plenty of irony here. Walsall had beaten Coventry at home earlier in the season, both in League One and the FA Cup, and former Walsall player, Amadou Bakayoko, opened the scoring.
They need to maintain this on Sunday with a high-noon kick-off at high-flying Luton, who are looking stitched-on for their second successive promotion as they lead League One by six points – third-placed Portsmouth are 11 points behind the Hatters.
Luton’s win at Fleetwood on Saturday set a new club record of 20 games unbeaten. No wonder their former chairman and No.1 supporter, BBC’s Nick Owen, has a bigger smile than ever!
Solihull Moors’ season just goes from strength to strength. It’s quite amazing.
Losing 2-0 at home to Barnet, who had a player sent off, the Moors came back to draw 2-2 with a lastminute equaliser from Kyle Storer to stay TOP of the Vanarama National League.
On Saturday, Tim Flowers’ team are at home again in the quarterfinals of the FA Trophy against AFC Telford. Wembley beckons!
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