Match report
And that’s that. Swansea made a little bit of FA Cup history; Rangers kept on Celtic’s shoulder in Scotland; erstwhile Premier League clubs Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City all made promotion statements; and Real Madrid continued to faff around in La Liga. It’s been a blast. Thanks for reading! Nighty night!
FULL TIME: Swansea City 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
The Swans sail serenely into the quarter finals. It’s their best cup run since 1964, the year they were put out by Preston North End in the semis, as Swansea Town. Now they’ll host either Tottenham Hotspur or Rochdale in the last eight!
FULL TIME: Reading 1-3 Sheffield United
The Blades usurp Bristol City in the Championship play-off places. Reading remain in serious danger of being dragged into a relegation dogfight.
Wednesday are applying no pressure whatsoever to Swansea, who look set fair for the quarter finals. It’ll be a fairly shocking comeback if this one goes to extra time, put it that way.
FULL TIME: Hull City 1-1 Barnsley
Michael Dawson’s second-half equaliser keeps the Tigers above the Tykes in the relegation struggle. They’re three points above Birmingham in the dropzone, and one ahead of Barnsley in 21st place.
Some results from further down the Football League. In League One, Blackburn Rovers won 3-0 at AFC Wimbledon, Bradley Dack their two-goal hero, Elliott Bennett scoring the other. Rovers move four points clear of Shrewsbury Town at the top. Meanwhile Peterborough United came from behind to beat Walsall 2-1 at London Road. Peterborough are now within touching distance of the play-offs. And in League Two, Coventry City won at Wycombe Wanderers, Marc McNulty’s 82nd-minute penalty the difference. City also have play-off designs.
GOAL! Swansea City 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday (Dyer 80)
Nathan Dyer is sent scampering down the right by a clever through ball from Abraham. Dyer enters the area, draws Dawson, and nutmegs the keeper. That’s his third goal of the season, and they’ve all come in the FA Cup.
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FULL TIME: Heart of Midlothian 1-1 Kilmarnock
All of the scoreboard-bothering action at Tynecastle came in the first half. The teams stay in fifth and sixth spots respectively.
FULL TIME: St Johnstone 1-4 Rangers
So Graeme Murty’s side are now just six points behind Celtic at the top, having played one game more. The champions won’t be too worried, but at least they’re being kept honest by their old rivals. The Saints remain in eighth.
GOAL! Hull City 1-1 Barnsley (Dawson 73)
Michael Dawson levels things up in the relegation struggle at the KCOM.
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GOAL! Reading 1-3 Sheff Utd (Sharp 63)
It’s a good night for Sheffield United. Wednesday are losing in the cup, while it appears three points are in the Blades’ bag at Reading. Billy Sharp nets his second to turn the mood sour at the Madejski.
The snow is really falling in Perth now. Craig looks for the bottom-left corner of the Rangers goal from 20 yards, but it’s wide, and with less than ten minutes remaining the only thing that’ll stop Rangers picking up all three points is a short-order snowdrift. Even the Beast from the East couldn’t summon up one of those.
GOAL! Swansea City 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday (Ayew 55)
The positive substitution has worked for Swansea! They triangulate prettily down the right. Then Carroll decides to take a pop from distance. He lashes a glorious low shot past Dawson and off the base of the right-hand post. The ball flies along the goal-line and off the left-hand post ... and out! It’s awful luck, because it was a wonderful strike. But Swansea needn’t fret, because Ayew, who has been on the pitch for just over nine minutes, is on hand to sidefoot the rebound powerfully home!
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GOAL! Reading 1-2 Sheff Utd (Richards 51)
Reading desperately need points, and accordingly have launched a comeback in the early stages of the second half at the Madejski. Omar Richards has halved the deficit.
Swansea make a double change at half time, presumably with a view to getting a result in 90 minutes one way or the other. Olsson and Ayew replace Ki and Routledge. Olsson is quickly linking up with Dyer down the left, nearly releasing the striker into shot-taking territory. Not quite. But there’s an upturn in tempo.
GOAL! St Johnstone 1-4 Rangers (Kerr 61)
A corner from the right is launched long. Foderingham finds his route to the ball blocked. Kerr rises high at the far post, and plants the simplest header into the net from close range. That’s his first goal for the Saints. And the comeback is, er, on!
GOAL! St Johnstone 0-4 Rangers (Morelos 54)
It’s fair to say that Graeme Murty’s side have secured the three points at McDairmid Park. Morelos flicks a glorious header home from a tight angle, helping on a cross from the right. Meanwhile poor Murray Davidson’s dismal evening comes to an end: he’s tweaked a hamstring and his race is run.
GOAL! Reading 0-2 Sheff Utd (Duffy 44)
Mark Duffy makes it two for the Blades just before half time at the Madejski. Meanwhile here’s Chris Smith with an alternative view on Carlos Carvalhal: “Matt Collins may have only just become used to seeing and hearing from Carvalhal and may therefore believe that he’s easy going and fun loving. As a Wednesday fan, let me tell you that he uses it as his form of prickliness when things start falling out of his control. Watch Swansea tumble away once he has to build a squad of his own, and once that happens and people start questioning him (fairly) you’ll see how ‘fun’ he is.”
FULL TIME: Espanyol 1-0 Real Madrid
That breaks an 11-game losing streak for Espanyol against Real. A thoroughly deserved victory, as they were on top for the majority of a poor match. They rise to 13th spot in the Primera División; Real Madrid continue to mooch around in third place.
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GOAL! Espanyol 1-0 Real Madrid (Moreno 90+3)
Espanyol win it with pretty much the last kick of the game! A low cross from the right is met by Moreno, 12 yards out. He shapes like Zidane at Hampden in 2002 - well, OK, maybe a little too much artistic licence there - but he does belt a shot into the right-hand side of the net!
Barnsley defender Adam Jackson has been stretchered off, following a clash of heads with Hull’s Jon Toral at the KCOM Stadium. Play was stopped for over 10 minutes, the incident occurring five minutes before half time. Jackson has only recently returned from a four-month lay-off with posterior cruciate ligament damage sustained against the same opposition back in October. Toral wasn’t able to continue either, but was at least able to make it off the field on his own.
Espanyol are doing all the late pressing in their match against Real Madrid. Moreno is released into the box down the right, but his effort to swish one into the top left gets no curl. Then Sergio Garcia tries to chip Navas from the best part of 50 yards. He’s a saucy one.
Abraham bursts down the middle of the field at the Liberty, with Dyer to his right and Wednesday light at the back. An overhit pass allows Dawson to scamper off his line and claim, though Dyer should really have been put clean through on goal.
Something happens in Swansea! Carroll dinks a little ball into the Wednesday area. Clucas decides to go for the spectacular, and lashes an overhead kick wide left of goal from 12 yards. A half-decent effort, and full marks for ambition, though Abraham was pretty much free in the middle, and a clever cushioned header down by Clucas would have probably resulted in a simple tap-in goal. Still, it’s something. “Watching Carlos Carvalhal’s pre-match interview, I wondered if he’s the only manager around with a ‘Hey guys it’s only a game, let’s enjoy this’ cheery default disposition?” wonders Matt Collins. “It’s a refreshing change from the usual mix of prickly, defensive, sarcastic, brow-beaten etc etc.” Yes, he does appear to have everything in proportion. It’s almost as though he’s worked out that all of this is just meant to be a bit of fun.
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Chris Kane of St Johnstone has just been booked for booting David Bates up the seat of his trousers in the comic-book style. Haw. It’s not quite Gemmell on Haller, but you’ve seen red cards flashed for that sort of thing. Rangers, three up at the break, won’t be too fussed, though poor Bates might have to sit on a plump cushion tomorrow.
GOAL! St Johnstone 0-3 Rangers (Goss 41)
Sean Goss, on loan from QPR, dinks a delicious free kick over the wall and into the bottom right. Mannus had no chance! A shame Rangers were so poor in the early stages of this season, because they’re in form now, and we might have had a title race.
Gareth Bale tries to flick one home from a corner, but his near-post activity is all pirouette and no power. Meanwhile in Scotland, Jamie Murphy of Rangers embarks on a Gazzaesque burst down the park, but is clipped by Murray Davidson just before he enters the box. Free kick, and a booking for Davidson. Replays show Davidson got some of the ball, so that’s added insult to the two injuries he suffered in the first ten minutes of this game. Not only that ...
Not much going on at Espanyol, or in Swansea. Pity po’ Clocko. The snow’s coming down in Perth, though.
GOAL! Hearts 1-1 Kilmarnock (Naismith 27)
All level at Tynecastle as Steven Naismith finds the net for Craig Levein’s side. Meanwhile Rangers have the ball in the back of the St Johnstone net again, Morelos slamming home from close range after a penalty-box stramash. But Bates had been a-pushin’ and a-shovin’, so the whistle went.
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GOAL! Reading 0-1 Sheff Utd (Sharp 11)
Promotion-chasing Sheffield United want to usurp Bristol City in the play-off places, and they’re going the right way about it. Billy Sharp opens the scoring at struggling Reading.
GOAL! St Johnstone 0-2 Rangers (Windass 25)
This is a gorgeous goal. Greg Docherty dinks a clever little ball into the box down the middle. Josh Windass times his run to perfection, and steers an immediate finish into the bottom left past a flat-footed Mannus. That’s cute football.
GOAL! Hull City 0-1 Barnsley (McBurnie 22)
Hull and Barnsley are both desperate to put some distance between themselves and the Championship dropzone. The early signs tonight are better for Barnsley, who take the lead through Oliver McBurnie.
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Espanyol and Real Madrid have started their second-half manoeuvres. The home team are on the front foot early doors, Moreno bothering the top of the bar from a corner. Meanwhile the FA Cup tie between Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday is also underway. An early chance for Butterfield to cause the hosts a few problems with an early free kick down the right. But though the visitors load the box, the delivery is no good whatsoever.
GOAL! St Johnstone 0-1 Rangers (Tavernier 12 pen)
Penalty for Rangers as Morelos chases a long ball and rounds Mannus on the left. The keeper clatters into the Rangers man. He’s booked and it’s a spot kick. Tavernier calmly dispatches it into the bottom right. On the plus side for St Johnstone, Murray Davidson hasn’t suffered any more physical indignities in the last five minutes.
GOAL! Hearts 0-1 Kilmarnock (Brophy 3)
As if pipping them to the 1965 title wasn’t enough, Killie continue to riff on Heart of Midlothian’s pain with an early goal at Tynecastle. Eamonn Brophy gets it.
But not yet! For no sooner is Murray Davidson back up and about, than he’s back on the floor again, clattering accidentally into Josh Windass and taking one upside the head. That’s gotta hurt, to borrow a phrase from George Costanza’s Big Book of Cinema Banter. He’s still good to continue, but the poor guy really has been in the wars.
And that’s the end of a goalless first half in Spain. Now then, what’s happening at a beyond-freezing McDairmid Park? Not much, because Jamie Murphy has just danced all over Murray Davidson’s trouser arrangement, the result of both men stretching into a 50-50. Ooyah, oof. A lot of understandable grimacing and rolling around. Action to follow!
Isco has just whipped a very average free kick over the bar from a dangerous spot just outside the Espanyol box. Seconds earlier, Bale had a good shout for a penalty kick when his low shot from a tight position on the left was blocked by Victor Sanchez, who was skittering around on his arse in the slapstick style, the ball hitting his hand. It was a good save, if accidental, and yes, you’ve seen them given nonetheless.
It’s been 38 minutes of turgid fare at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat. No goals yet. But Gareth Bale’s just gone in the book for hanging out a leg to bring down Darder. He can have no complaints, and to be fair he doesn’t bother making any.
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... and the lads at the Liberty ...
Swansea: Nordfeldt, van der Hoorn, Fernandez, Bartley, Roberts, Ki, Carroll, Clucas, Dyer, Abraham, Routledge.
Subs: Britton, Narsingh, Olsson, Jordan Ayew, Mulder, Naughton, James.
Sheff Wed: Dawson, Frederico Venancio, Loovens, Pudil, Hunt, Butterfield, Jones, Reach, Boyd, Rhodes, Lucas Joao.
Subs: Fox, Palmer, Nuhiu, Baker, Wildsmith, Pelupessy, Abdi.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
The men at the Madejski ...
Reading: Mannone, Gunter, Ilori, van den Berg, Moore, McCleary, Clement, Kelly, Bacuna, Martin, Bodvarsson.
Subs: Evans, Edwards, Barrow, Blackett, Jaakkola, Richards, Smith.
Sheff Utd: Blackman, Basham, Stearman, O’Connell, Baldock, Lee Evans, Duffy, Fleck, Stevens, Clarke, Sharp.
Subs: Moore, Donaldson, Leonard, Lafferty, Holmes, Ched Evans, Lundstram.
Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire)
Now Moreno has the ball in the net, a wild long shot deflecting into his path. He’s free on the penalty spot, and after trapping the ball, tucks it away into the bottom left. The flag goes up for offside, and to be fair to the officials he looked miles off. But replays show there really wasn’t much air between him and Llorente. Real breathe again. They don’t exactly look solid at the back.
Espanyol should be a goal up. Varane’s dismal clearance ended up at the feet of Moreno, who found himself one on one with Navas. A little dink would have sufficed, but instead Moreno went low, and dragged his shot wide left of the target. He’s claiming a corner, insisting Navas made a save, and he may well be right. But he’s not getting it. A terrible miss.
The teams at Tynecastle tonight ...
Hearts: McLaughlin, Randall, Hughes, Berra, Mitchell, Cowie, Cochrane, Adao, Milinkovic, Naismith, Lafferty.
Subs: Irving, Amankwaa, Michael Smith, Hamilton, Callachan, Godinho, Henderson.
Kilmarnock: MacDonald, O’Donnell, Broadfoot, Greer, Taylor, McKenzie, Power, Mulumbu, Jones, Brophy, Tshibola.
Subs: Fasan, Erwin, Findlay, Simpson, Dicker, Kiltie, Wilson.
Referee: Don Robertson
Sergio Ramos has just gone this close at Espanyol. The Real Madrid defender planted his head on a 14th-minute corner, sending the ball whistling inches wide of the top-right postage stamp. Not totally convinced Diego Lopez was getting there, had it been on target.
The team news from McDiarmid Park ...
St Johnstone: Mannus, Kerr, Shaughnessy, Anderson, Comrie, Willock, Davidson, Craig, Alston, Kane, C Williams.
Subs: Johnstone, Millar, MacLean, Wotherspoon, Clark, Gordon, Thomson.
Rangers: Foderingham, Tavernier, Bates, Martin, Halliday, Docherty, Goss, Candeias, Windass, Murphy, Morelos.
Subs: Cummings, Miller, Herrera, Hodson, Bruno Alves, Holt, Alnwick.
Referee: Steven McLean
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Some breaking news ... Steve Evans has resigned as manager of Mansfield Town. Evans and his assistant Paul Raynor have left the Fourth Division League Two club amid rumours linking them with Peterborough United. Evans has been in charge of the Stags since 2016, leading them to 12th place last season. Mansfield, who are currently fifth, have “reluctantly accepted” the resignations. Their chairman John Radford says: “Whilst I am disappointed by their decision, there are no individuals bigger than Mansfield Town Football Club and the process of appointing a new management team which can lead the club to League One is already under way.” Peterborough host Walsall tonight.
And here’s your Real Madrid XI, embedded below for your leisure and pleasure:
📝 #RMLiga | #RMMovistar
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 27, 2018
¡Nuestro once inicial para el partido contra el @RCDEspanyol! pic.twitter.com/kXcW5Ntk0q
They’ve just kicked off at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat. Nothing much going on yet. No Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo tonight for Real, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Here’s the Espanyol starting XI, in super-social-media form:
Ja tenim l'onze de QSF per jugar davant el @realmadrid! Som-hi, som-hi, #RCDE! #EspanyolRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/apJ8I6TCUM
— RCD Espanyol (@RCDEspanyol) February 27, 2018
Tonight’s teams from the KCOM Stadium ...
Hull City: McGregor, Aina, Dawson, MacDonald, Clark, Larsson, Irvine, Bowen, Toral, Diomande, Dicko.
Subs: Hector, Marshall, Keane, Campbell, Tomori, Stewart, Grosicki.
Barnsley: Townsend, Cavare, Jackson, Lindsay, Pinillos, Gardner, Joe Williams, Potts, Thiam, Moore, McBurnie.
Subs: Davies, Bradshaw, Moncur, Mallan, Mahoney, Pearson, Yiadom.
Referee: Michael Jones (Chester)
Preamble
Welcome, one and all, to a midweek Clocko special!
The big action tonight comes from the Liberty Stadium, where Swansea City take on Sheffield Wednesday in an FA Cup fifth-round replay. It can’t be any worse than the original tie at Hillsborough, it just can’t. There’s the potential for extra time and penalties, as well. That kicks off at 8.05pm.
In the Championship, Hull City welcome Barnsley (7.45pm) while Reading take on Sheffield United (8pm). Up in Scotland, Hearts host their 1965 tormentors Kilmarnock, while St Johnstone roll out the red carpet for Rangers. The kick-offs north of the border: 7.45pm.
And it’s 15th versus third in La Liga as Espanyol host Real Madrid. A 7pm start in the UK money for that one. So then: four countries, four competitions, four different kick-off times. No scope for farcical confusion there! Let the midweek Clocko fun commence!
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