'Jock' McGovern scores for Lincoln United as The Whites and The Moors build up to the big game next Saturday

Yesterday both Lincoln United and Spennymoor Town were in action ahead of their clash in the FA Cup at Ashby Avenue Lincoln next Saturday. Both teams play in the Evostik League with The Moors in the Premier Division and The Whites in the First Division South. Teams in United’s division enter the FA Trophy in the Preliminary Round and hence Lincoln United were required to play in the Trophy yesterday. Evostik Premier teams are exempt beyond the Preliminary Round and thus Spennymoor United were fulfilling a league fixture.

Lincoln United played host to Romulus FC from Sutton Coldfield in the FA Trophy at their trim home ground. They led 2-1 with the game heading into stoppage time but Romulus equalised with what seems to have been virtually the last kick of the game. The Whites goals were scored by Gary King and Jack McGovern. When I saw young Jack’s surname I thought aye aye … that laddie must have Scots roots. Unfortunately I have drawn a blank again. I have been in touch with Jack via twitter and he tells me is aware of a Celtic Connection but it is not Scotland. Jack has Irish roots and although he concedes that somewhere down the line he may be from Scottish stock he is only aware of his Irish lineage. For a midfielder, Jack is something of a goal machine scoring 22 goals for the Whites last season. He has already made the onion bag bulge on a number of occasions this season – including a vital winning goal against Nuneaton in an earlier round of the FA Cup.

Jack McGovern celebrates after scoring for the Whites in the FA Cup earlier this season

Spennymoor Town were in league action and made the long journey south to take on Coalville Town from Leicestershire. The Moors won with the only goal of the match. The prolific hitman Glen Taylor stitched up Coalville with a smartly taken half-volley just before the half time whistle.

Both teams are in fine fettle ahead of the big one. The Moors are in 7^th position in the Evostik Premier Division and have games in hand on all the teams that sit above them. Lincoln United are in mid table in the Evostik Division One South but also have games in hand on all the teams above them.

Both teams would have been hoping for a short hiatus ahead of such an important match next weekend. No such luck. After that late equaliser, The Whites now have to head for Sutton Coldfield on Tuesday night for an FA Trophy replay. On the same night Spennymoor Town will be in Lancashire to visit my old friends Skelmersdale United in an Evostik League encounter.

While the gladiators from Lincoln and County Durham were battling away yesterday I headed for Hampden yesterday with my wife Anne to see Bella Caledonia take on the might of Lithuania. An overnight stay was in order so that much alcohol could be consumed. Watching Scotland these day requires a strong anaesthetic. 

Two hours to kick off at Hampden yesterday: No more room for beer - so it's on to red wine

Regular readers will know of my obsession with match-day pies and I have to report that the Hampden steak pie was a disgrace. I was so mouth-burning hot that I was tempted to call on the services of Red Adair. Also, the base was stuck to the aluminium casing. The price of £2.80 was far too steep. The SFA should send a working party / feasibility study group to Dunston for some advice on this matter. This morning the streets of central Glasgow were adorned with half eaten take-aways from the night before. I was not sure whether this was an indication that the Scotland performance put the late night revellers off their food or whether this was just a typical aftermath of a Saturday night in Glasgow.

Kebab uneaten - but good to see this Saturday night reveller finished his fags

I am hoping for better catering to be available at Ashby Avenue next Saturday. It is shaping up to be a great match. I note from the Spennymoor Town twitter feed that they are now taking bookings for a fourth supporters bus. A big crowd is guaranteed. I will be meeting up with some old friends from Lincolnshire at the match. Also I have heard via facebook that Lincoln United devotee Stuart McCallum Minto from Dumfries will be at the match. I am looking forward to meeting up with Stuart for a pint as he appears to be one of a very few links between The Whites and Bonnie Scotland.

Ewe Beauty: Scots Lincoln United fan Stuart McCallum Minto engages in some traditional Scottish recreation!

Another person I am looking forward to meeting is Liam Molloy. Liam, like Peter Tissington of Sheffield, is also on the ‘Road to Wembley’ and we now have three roadies whose routes have collided. I guess us three that will be not only at the match next Saturday but also every subsequent match up to and including the final at Wembley next May. The FA Cup 4^th Qualifying Round tie at Ashby Avenue next weekend is the next stop for me on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Only six days to go now – cannae wait. Come back here on Wednesday to find out how The Whites and the Moors fared on Tuesday night as the build up to the big game continues.

Lincoln United's links with Scotland emerge. They have actually played league matches north of the border!

Lincoln United v Spennymoor Town on the 15^th October is my next stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. For each match on the Road to Wembley from Scotland I always try to find links with the match to Scotland. As previously reported, I discovered that Spennymoor have a rich Scots heritage and their current Secretary David Leitch is Scottish. Finding links between Lincoln United and Bella Caledonia has been much more problematic. This morning I received a facebook message from the club and it said: “Hi Chris, we do not have any Scotsman within our current squad, and fairly sure we have not faced any Scottish opposition either. None of our directors etc are Scottish either”. I thought I was drawing a blank but then I found out that Lincoln United are one of an elite band of clubs that have actually played league matches in Scotland! In season 00-01 and 01-02 both Lincoln United and Gretna FC were in the old Northern Premier League. On the 16^th September 2000 and the 23^rd March 2002 The Whites strutted their funky stuff on a football pitch in God’s chosen land. The latter match was drawn 2-2 but in the fixture in season 2000-01 Lincoln United recorded a 3-2 win. In the summer of 2002 Gretna were elected to the Scottish League and the teams have not locked horns since.

Raydale Park Gretna: Where Lincoln United won in September 2000

 So what does The Road to Wembley from Scotland blogger do on a night off from the blog? Go and watch a game between two non-league teams in the Scottish FA Cup of course! Last night I went to see Cumbernauld Colts play Leith Athletic in the Scottish FA Cup first round replay. I must confess I was at the first match in North Edinburgh also. This was obviously not a game on The Road to Wembley and it was certainly not an Epiphany on the Road to Damascus either! It was a cold night in the West of Scotland and the 100 or so fans rattled around in a huge stadium that seemed inappropriate for such a tie. The snack bar was closed and the match programme, uniquely in my experience did not contain team listings. Poor show but a good match nevertheless. The home team ran out 1-0 winners.

A sparse crowd in Cumbernauld last night

Nae pies ! The Food Kiosk at Broadwood Stadium was closed!

 

Broadwood Stadium Cumbernauld: Too big for Cumbernauld Colts

Hopefully the weather will be better on the 15^th October in Lincoln and hopefully the pie stall will be open for business!

The Spennymoor Secretary is Scottish! They should be renamed Spennicuik Town !

As regular readers will know the unique feature of this Road to Wembley is that I am looking for Scottish links for each match. I thought I had exhausted my supply of Caledonian heritage from Spennymoor Town when I found out over the weekend that the current Moors secretary David Leitch is Scottish.

David was kind enough to do an email interview over the last couple of days and I have discovered that this young man hails from Cardross in the West of Scotland, not far from Dumbarton. His own football career was short and ended at the age of 20 when he moved south, initially to Dover, in 1989. Before leaving Bonnie Scotland he played for Denny Amateurs under 18s and Cardross Rock FC. As a supporter his first love was Dumbarton but as he grew into his teens the lure of the Bhoys in green took his fancy and he considers that his second team is Celtic.

David moved to the North East in 1993 and currently lives in the village of Easington 16 miles from Brewery Field. He is in his second stint as Secretary, his first spell ended on a high note when The Moors won the Vase in 2013. He returned to the role earlier this year. The Scottish influence is strong as David, like any good Scotsman, is keen to look after the pennies. He has a reluctance to spend the club's money and quite sensibly would rather leave it in the bank. David is a family man and likes nothing better than spending time in the company of his grandson Spencer. What is the betting that he refers to the wee fella as 'Spenny'? Interesting to note that with the grandparent rule young Spencer is qualified to play for Scotland ... although maybe not for a few years.

Scotsman David Leitch with his grandson Spencer

He, like all at Spennymoor Town is looking forward to the big match against Lincoln United on October the 15th when The Moors take on the Minnows from Lincolnshire. Spennymoor are now in a role-reversal position of being favourites. Will they manage to swat Lincoln United like a mosquito on the hide of a rhino or will the mosquito bite. It promises to be a great match on the Road to Wembley from Scotland.

Tomorrow I hope to report on links between Lincoln United and Bella Caledonia. Come back tomorrow for an update.

Its Lincoln United v Spennymoor Town up next: So what does Lincoln mean to me?

Earlier today the draw was made for the 4^th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup for season 2016-17. I discovered that the next stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland is going to be in Lincolnshire. Lincoln United of the Unibond League Division One South will entertain Spennymoor Town. This is great news for me personally as, having lived in Boston Lincolnshire from 1991 to 2008, I have been hoping that the journey would swing past Lincolnshire. They say that patience is a virtue and I have waited until the 4^th qualifying round to book a visit to yellow-belly country but on the 15^th October I will be back.

So what does Lincoln and specifically Lincoln United mean to me? Lincoln is great wee city and I have spent many happy times there both visiting and working as a self employed educational consultant. It is a vibrant place and the University of Lincoln establishing itself over the last decade or so has added a more bohemian feel to the old city. The shops up the ‘Steep Hill’ are quaint and the cathedral is magnificent.

As far as football goes, I have visited the place many times to watch Lincoln City. The most memorable games for me were when Lincoln City and Boston United were in the same league and the Lincolnshire Derby took centre stage. I recall one pulsating match in September 2004 played in front of a full house at Sincil Bank when Boston scored a late equaliser to ensure that the match finished 2-2. The match was noteworthy because the cross for the late equaliser was supplied by Paul Gascoigne. Hard to believe that Gazza once played for The Pilgrims.

 

Gazza enjoying playing for Boston United in 2004

I have also been to see Lincoln United play at home – but only once. When the draw was made I was sure that I had seen them play in the FA Cup but as a good anorak does I had a rummage through my old programmes and discovered that the match in question was a Northern Counties East League fixture against Hallam FC in October 1994.

 

The 94-95 Lincoln United Programme Cover: Pic inspired by Frank Zappa's Freak Out album cover?

At the time I was ‘collecting’ non league grounds in Lincolnshire and I was thus able to tick the Ashby Avenue Ground off my list.

 

Lincoln United v Hallam FC team listings from October 1994

My programme shows that United won 3-0 with Potter, Simmons and ex Boston United favourite Ged Creane on the scoresheet. The Hallam FC team featured Shane Kent at number 8 and a few years later I was to appoint young Shane to a post as a Sports Science lecturer at Boston College. Small world! In truth I can’t remember much about the match except that the Ashby Avenue ground is trim and attractive.

Picturesque Ashby Avenue framed by tall trees

I am looking forward to returning later this month. On Saturday Spennymoor Town flew by the seat of their pants but managed to record the big W against Chorley. With Lincoln United plying their trade one division below The Moors they might have things a little easier in this round. However, it is the FA Cup and you just never know what the outcome will be. One thing for sure, it is going to be yet another fascinating stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland.  

Spenny are Spiffing as the Magpies wings are clipped

Saturday the 1^st October 2016

FA Cup Third Qualifying Round 

Spennymoor Town 1 Chorley 0

With my good pal Howie stuck in Hull as his alternator packed in when he was just about to leave for County Durham yesterday I attended the Spennymoor Town v Chorley match on my tod. Despite the lack of the avuncular big fella I had a great day at the Brewery Field. It felt like a special day as this Road to Wembley from Scotland fixture had the feel of a big match. A healthy attendance, a good ground, supporters singing their hearts out and some good old fashioned drinking prior to the game.

Get In! The winning goal. Pic coutesy of David Nelson photography

This is how the day panned out.

Pre Match Communications: Full marks yet again. I have been privileged on the Road so far to get such fantastic support for my esoteric project from the clubs involved. Once again the friendly and accommodating people from Chorley have been very generous with their time and have provided loads of interesting information about their club in the lead up to this tie. This tie was my first experience of liaising with Spennymoor Town and volunteer and devoted fan ‘Spenny Fan Chris’, Moors Tavern regular DJKrisopolis and ‘SpennyToffee’ all on twitter have been fantastic in not only telling me about their club but also identifying the Spennymoor Town links with Bella Caledonia. It was great to meet Spenny Fan Chris and DJ Krision yesterday 10/10

Twitterer @DJKrisopolis (right)enjoying a pre-match libation in The Moors with his mates 

Pre Match Pint: The nearest pub to the Brewery Field is The Moors Tavern. I was advised to go there for my pre-match pint by Krision and I was not disappointed. The beer was good. Real ale available and the Red Fox beer was great. The pre-match pint felt altogether more familiar not dis-similar to a Hearts home game. Lots of football fans in this busy pub. The anticipation of the big match was palpable.

Raising a glass to celebrate a special day

After enjoying the atmosphere at The Moors Tavern I then headed in to the bar in the ground. Here I met Andy Hardman and Steph Jones, devoted Magpies fans. They are engaged to be married. Andy told me that before Steph met him she had no interest in football. Sometimes true love conquers all and now they both attend all Chorley matches home and away. Andy told me that Steph has drawn the line at being married at Victory Park but she has ok-d Andy wearing his replica Magpies shirt on their wedding day!

Andy and Steph: Magpies lovebirds

The pre-match pint(s) were most enjoyable. 8/10

Programme: The match day magazine is priced at £2 and is good value. The 40 page glossy publication has everything that you would want from a programme. Interesting articles by the manager, the programme editor, good match reports and great coverage of the visiting team. Plus a battery of statistics to warm the cockles of the heart of a football anorak. A good effort 8/10

Ground: This was my first visit to the Brewery Field and I was very impressed. The ground has an imposing main stand that runs most of the length of one touchline. The stand was actually full at 2.45pm as the locals booked their prime viewing spot. A ‘shed’ behind the goal accommodates the more vociferous fans and the remainder of the ground is well maintained with three step concrete terracing. Yesterday the attendance was 713 – more than double the previous highest attendance on the Road to Wembley from Scotland.

The Main Stand at Brewery Field. Not an empty seat in sight

The view from the Main Stand: Terracings opposite well filled also

One endearing feature of the ground is the pronounced slope that gives teams attacking the ‘shed’ end a distinct advantage. It reminded me of Hibs ground Easter Road in the 1970s – but I won’t hold that against The Moors!

Note the slope: The linesman looks like he is ready to go ski-ing

As seems to be tradition at non-league grounds, the stadium also has a bar in the ground and that can’t be a bad thing 8/10

Atmosphere: The Spennymoor matchday team make sure that all patrons are left with the clear impression that this is a friendly club. On arrival I was met by committee man Mike Rowcroft and his mate ‘Edgy’ who informed me that Mike works in Edinburgh – so there is another Scottish link. These two guys have been following the blog and welcomed me warmly to Brewery Field. The atmosphere was friendly but by no means anti-septic. There was a lot of passionate vocal encouragement being offered by the fans. When The Moors captain was sent off late in the first half the Spennymoor twitter feed noted that ‘a few eyebrows were raised’. The Spenny fans close to me did more than raise their eyebrows, they were incandescent with rage. Both sets of supporters sang their hearts out to urge on their favourites. The most poignant bit of chanting came mid-way through the first half when The Moors fans broke out into a chorus of ‘David Currie – he is one of our own’. Spennymoor legend of the 70s David ‘Kid’ Currie’ sadly passed away recently and the fans paid tribute to this stalwart and local man with gusto and empathy.  8/10

Scottishness: As previously reported Spennymoor have a batch of former players who are Scottish, they also regularly host pre-season friendlies against SPFL teams. However at present none of their squad have Scottish connections. In the current Chorley ranks there are also no Scots players although centre forward Jason Walker did play for Morton for a couple of seasons.  5/10

Entertainment: Another Saturday in the North East of England and another good match.  A first half where Spennymoor had been slightly the better side had been fairly quiet and seemed to be petering out when late in the first period that man Jason Walker of Chorley used his incredible pace to latch on to a flicked header from fellow striker Sefton Gonzales. Jason’s pace took him just beyond the last defender Moors captain Chris Mason. Mason’s momentum as he chased resulted in a collision with Walker. The contact was neither deliberate nor malicious but he was the last defender and these days we all know what happens next. The dismissal seemed harsh but by the letter of the law the ref had no option. Half time Moors 0 Magpies 0.

Chorley's Beesley and Moors' Ramshaw tussle for the ball

After half time the 11 men of Chorley laid siege to the Spennymoor goal. Then, as so often happens in football, ten man Spennymoor scored against the run of play in the 69^th minute – and what a goal it was. A fine deep cross to the back post saw Moors hit-man Glen Taylor leap Connor Sammon like at the back post to thump a magnificent towering header into the net. The keeper and Taylor’s marker had no chance. From that point on the former siege was now stepped up a notch into Alamo proportions. Corner followed corner as The Magpies went in search of an equaliser. Sefton Gonzales squandered a couple of good chances and then with two minutes to go, from yet another corner, Walker had an accurate bullet header from 8 yards out kicked off the line. At that point the Magpies must have known it was going to be time to concentrate on the league

The Moors defend a corner in the second half

The Moors defend another corner in the second half!

The ball flashes across the Moors goal but Chorley can't apply the finishing touch

Final score Spennymoor Town 1 Chorley 0. Chorley will consider themselves very unfortunate to not get at least another bite of the cherry. The Moors rode their luck a wee bit and their victory can be attributed to some dogged defending, an inspiring hard working team spirit and a great goal. 8/10

Match Day Catering: The Dunston catering will not be beaten on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. This contest is now closed as Dunston UTS pies are simply perfection. However the fare on offer at the Brewery Field was more than acceptable. Three different types of pies on offer and I went for the steak pie. At £1.50 a throw it was a tasty morsel with the gravy nice and warm and the pastry soft and delicious. 8/10

Value for Money: The admission price of £10 was fair for the visit of a team from the Vanarama League for an important FA Cup tie. It was a good match played in a good atmosphere with a big crowd in attendance.  8/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: The unusual feature of this match was yours truly being interviewed on the Magpies Live programme on Chorley FM at half time. The interview can be heard by pressing this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lammjdKAkOE&t=47m17s Many thanks to Ian of Magpies Live for giving me the chance to tell his listeners about this wonderful nonsense.It was also great to meet Peter Tissington from Sheffield. Peter is also on The Road to Wembley and had been following Spennymoor prior to this round. Our 'roads' joined up yesterday and I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of Peter as the season goes on. A very enjoyable day out in County Durham yesterday. 8/10

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Rating 79/100

It is always a melancholy moment when a tie is decided and I have to say goodbye to new friends who I have met from the vanquished team. Chorley are a great wee club with so many interesting and devoted fans. About 200 of them made their way from Lancashire to County Durham and gave their team excellent support. I wish them well for the rest of the season and, who knows, I might visit Victory Park at some stage in the future. It was a pity that, despite having watched Chorley twice I never got the chance to go to their home ground on ‘The Road’. So, Spennymoor Town are now ‘my team’ on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. The draw for the next round is made tomorrow lunchtime. Will I be heading for back to the Brewery Field in a fortnight or will by I be following the Moors away? Visit this blog tomorrow afternoon to find out.

Miles on the clock for this match 290

Total Miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 1930

Basking in exhaustion! More midweek action for Chorley and The Moors ahead of the big match. Both still going well

On Saturday Spennymoor Town will host Chorley in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. I will be there as my next stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Both teams were in midweek action over the last two nights and both confirmed that they are in fine form ahead of the big match.

On Tuesday night Spennymoor Town visited near neighbours and promotion rivals Blyth Spartans in an Evostik League Premier Division fixture. Croft Park in Blyth attracted a healthy crowd of 818 spectators for this North East Derby match. The game was fairly uneventful and finished honours even in a 0-0 draw. Both sides will be fairly happy with the result as it consolidates their top-five positions in the league.

Croft Park Blyth: Scene of  Blyth Spartans 0 The Moors 0 on Tuesday

Last night Chorley travelled to Prestwich Hays for a tie in the relatively low profile Lancashire Challenge Trophy. With Saturdays huge tie just over the horizon I expected Chorley manager Matt Jansen to rest many players. Although ex Greenock Morton Jason Walker was given the night off the Chorley gaffer surprisingly put out a very strong team. Eight of the side who knocked out Dunston UTS were on duty last night and the Magpies won at a canter by five goals to nil. Gonzales, Lynch, Teague and Carver (twice) were all on the scoresheet. The match was notable as it was the first time that Prestwich Hays had staged a match under their new floodlights. In the next round of the Lancashire Challenge Trophy Chorley are on their travels again and they will visit Squires Gate.

Last night's progamme: Chorley are the first opposition team to play under the new Prestwich Heys floodlights

The new floodlights are switched on in Prestwich last night

Both Spennymoor and Chorley have had a very busy and successful start to the season. The Moors have already played 11 games in all competitions and have only lost twice. Chorley have now played 14 competitive games in season 2016-17 and have lost only once. The next match for both teams is the FA Cup tie on Saturday. You would imagine that with so many good results under their belts both teams would be basking in glory. However given the number of games that they have played I suspect that both teams are basking in exhaustion! Only two sleeps to go until the gladiators do battle. Brewery Field Spennymoor on Saturday here I come. Cannae wait.

Chorley and The Moors - there are similarities. Also, how Chorley are benefiting from the Souness work ethic

As we build up to the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round tie between Spennymoor Town and Chorley, I present a little bit more about the similarities between the two clubs and also how Scottish football icon Graeme Souness has influenced Chorley manager Matt Jansen. More also on The Moors links with SPFL clubs.

Both Spennymoor and Chorley are clubs on an upward curve. Both have progressed well in the FA Cup (obviously) but both teams are going really well in their respective leagues. The Moors are currently sitting 5^th in the Evostik Premier Division with games in hand over all of the teams above them in the league. They are well placed to secure an amazing third promotion in four seasons. Chorley are going great guns in the Vanarama National League North (the division just above the Evostik Premier). They also sit fifth in the league and they could return to the top flight of non league football at the end of the season. If they do achieve this it will probably be through the play offs. The similarities don’t end there. The two clubs both wear the famous old stripey black and white kit made famous by Newcastle United and Juventus among others.

 

Moors fans in the famous Old Stripey kit celebrating FA Vase success in 2013

A Chorley FC Cheerleader proudly wearing the black and white stripes

In a recent interview with nonleaguedaily.com Chorley manager Matt Jansen recalls his time with Blackburn Rovers and the effect that Graeme Souness had on his play and subsequent managerial career. Matt recounts: "Graeme Souness took over when we were relegated under Brian Kidd. Souness came in, he was stern but you took it because he had done it all in the game. He was great for us and I got on very well with him. He drove us forward and I agree with his 'It's free to work hard' ethos and that is what he demanded from his players. We had a good squad and he created a great dressing room environment. We did everything together, we socialised and before a big game against Burnley he took us to Dubai. He got hammered for that but we came back refreshed and beat them 5-0. He was all about the team and I have taken that on board and still use some of his methods in my role at Chorley. He was probably the manager I learnt the most from in my career.” Jansen managed to take his Football League form into the Premier League with Rovers, something many strikers struggle to do in a promoted side. A mid-table finish was secured and for the first time in the club's history they won the League Cup, then known as the Worthington Cup. The rest as they say is history! Chorley are certainly currently benefiting from the Souness influence.

 

A young Matt Jansen gets instructions from Graeme 'Its free to work hard' Souness

 In the same article Jansen also recalls how legendary Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him and why he turned him down! He was recently at a charity golf day hosted by Sir Alex. Apparently Ferguson made a  point of coming up to talk to Matt."He said 'Hey you, you never signed for me when I wanted you'. "I said I knew I would have more chance of playing first team football at Palace and that was why I went there. "He then said why the hell would I sign you and put you in the reserves?. The full article is available via http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/top-stories/sir-alex-souness-and-sven-matt-jansen-interview-part-one.html A rattling good read.

More Moors links to Scotland are also coming to light. In previous posts it was reported that they hosted pre-season friendlies against East Fife and Arbroath. It transpires they also entertained Hamilton Accies as recently as 2014. In July of that year they lost 5-0 to the Accies at the Brewery Field. They clearly like to welcome visitors from north of the border and that is good news for me and my pal Howie Baby on Saturday.

It is going to be a good contest on Saturday. Will Silky Spenny be able to cope with the ‘dogs of war’ that are the Chorley midfield? It is going to be another great match on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Catch up again on Thursday when I will report on how the two gladiators got on in their midweek matches.