York City v Everton

YCFC Logo EFC Logo

Coca-Cola Cup, 2nd Round, 2nd Leg
Tuesday 24 September 1996; Bootham Crescent, York


Result: York City (1) 3 - Everton (1) 2 -- Aggregate Score: 4 - 3
Scorers: Tolson 35, Bull 57, Murty 86; Rideout 25, Speed 90

An abysmal performance, as the scoreline suggests...

York City: Warrington; McMillan, Sharples, Barras, Hall; Murty, Pepper, Randall, Stephenson; Bull, Tolson.
Subs Not Used: Bushell, Clarke, Cresswell. Booked: Barras.

Everton: Southall, Hottiger, Barrett, Unsworth(c), Hinchcliffe, Kanchelskis, Parkinson, Speed, Limpar; Stuart, Rideout (46 Branch). Booked: None.
Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Jackson. Injured: Watson, Ferguson, Ebbrell, Short.

Ref: S Lodge Att: 7,354 Link to First Leg Other Coca-Cola Cup Results

Previous League Match: Blackburn Rovers v Everton - Next League Match: Everton v Sheffield Wednesday


The Lost Men

Guy McEvoy: The first thing I saw when I arrived at Bootham Crescent was Limpar, Stuart, Hottiger, and Jackson playing keep 'em ups in the middle. All that was missing was Vinny Samways. It was like being transported into an episode of "The lost men", indeed by the end of the evening I felt like something of a lost man myself.

With Ferguson injured (of course, he'll be fit just in time to serve his forthcoming ban), the system was the same as that which was so lack-lustre against Blackburn, the changes being that Rideout took on Duncan's role, Stuart took on Rideout's, Barrett shifted to centre-back in the absence of Short which allowed us to see Hottiger for the first time this season.

First Half

Like the home leg, it all started off well enough. Both wings created early problems and Gary Speed could easily have headed us in front in the first five minutes. Whilst York again put together nice passing movements, they didn't really threaten at this stage and it was no surprise at all when Everton took the lead. Joe Parkinson's shot was parried by the keeper, the ball rebounded high and Rideout was first to react and managed a good enough volley to see the ball home.

The relief though was short lived. Slack defending gave Royle's old boy Tolson the chance to rub his face in it as he grabbed the equaliser. The capacity (and a few more) lot in the home end went barmy, the less-than-capacity lot in the Everton end collectively glowed red.

As soon as the equaliser went in, I got the fatalistic feeling. I had it often during Walker's time. In my heart of hearts, I knew we'd had it. Kanchelskis had a wonderful chance to steady the nerves again when Limpar's floated cross was goofed by the covering defender and picked up by Andrei with only the keeper to beat. Wide!  The half time whistle was welcome. Surely Joe would now give them the bollocking required and make a genius tactical switch...

Second Half

Well, I don't know about the bollocking, but the tactical switch was certainly less than genius -- he chose to swap Rideout for Branch. Don't get me wrong, I rate Branch very highly. The thing is that without Ferguson, Watson and Short, our ariel threat once Paul had left consisted of Gary Speed. Added to this Graham Stuart was having possibly his worst game in an Everton shirt, with Rideout's confidence being boosted by the goal it seemed Joe had plumped for wrong man (unless Rideout has an injury, in which case all is forgiven).

Branch had obviously been briefed to have a bit of a run at them, which he set about doing and was rewarded with being crunched to the floor within about five seconds of his first touch. Nevertheless, he stuck at it and his electric pace created a shot that just dipped over the bar.

If you haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing Branch, you've got a treat coming. He is by far the quickest man on the field, if he makes a bad touch that you think will run out he has this wonderful ability to accelerate from nothing and keep it in. An exciting prospect, though I am terrified that if he doesn't score in the next few games he could end up as another Stuart Barlow. Having said that his 100% effort is a shining example to his more senior pro's.

It became apparent that York's confidence was growing with every kick. At times, it looked like they were playing with us for fun as our uncharacteristic midfield failure to close men down quickly gave them more than their rightful share of possession. However, their danger never came from these periods of midfield pass-and-move.

What they did so well was to hit us on the fast-break counter. The second goal was class. One player picked it up and skipped past Unsworth to hit a lovely low curling shot round Southall from 5 yards outside the box. That effort was worthy of a goal and though the post got in the way first time round, the rebound was tapped in to give York the lead. Bad had suddenly become worse.

The half seemed endless, the Evertonians at their most despondent since Joe took over. Several choice phrases were levied at the players and manager. We did have a bit of a late flurry in which Branch was denied a worthy shout of a penalty, but you have to hand it to York for resisting the temptation to sit back and defend the lead and instead keeping to their system.

Hinchcliffe did nothing but fall on the floor when he and Murty raced for a through ball, giving Murty the opportunity to put the ball under Southall and the game beyond Everton. Worse had become Armageddon.

Sitting in a second division ground hearing chants of "easy, easy" is a pretty soul destroying experience. To give you some idea of the strength of feeling brimming in the crowd there was one very loud shout of "Hey Joe, there's a job going at Man City you know". Ouch.

In the dying seconds Branch picked up a consolation for his industry when his assist was back-heeled into the net by Speed. But there was a weird eerie silence from Evertonians, knowing that only seconds remained and it was just too late no-one even bothered cheering.

Final whistle, pitch invasion, the ultimate in "I was there" games......if you're a York fan. For Evertonians, either a hasty getaway, or else a long sit with head in hands pondering.

I tried to find some comfort on the way home:

None of this really washes though, does it?. The result is a nightmare.

Individual Performances

Upset, annoyed, frustrated.


Ok - NOW you can panic!

Dave Shepherd:

The Handicap:

The Mission:

The Form:

The only good news was that Limpar was not out as rumoured.

Joe showed his continued faith in Barrett by moving him to centre-back and playing Hottiger at right-back. With the choices of O'Connor, Jackson, Allen and Moore available, this was a managerial decision which left you wondering what was going on, and it was not the last. If Jackson is out of favour, why was he on the bench? If not, why was he not played?

Still Parkinson is left alone and floundering in midfield, although there is Samways available for Ebbrell.

Rideout is up front, and sort of partnered by -- oh no, it's Graeme Stuart, who has done nothing this season. Grant? Branch? Even Townsend? No, it's dodgy Diamond.

First Half

A team almost as depleted as the Feyenoord 2nd leg thus kicked off it's first ever match at Bootham Crescent, heading for a disaster so inevitable that the match was almost a formality.

Somewhat surprisingly, the disaster showed no signs of turning up for a long time. A few hardcore blue moaners were already at it as soon as the first attack didn't hit the net, but attacks there were, and York were tentative and rarely seen in the Everton half. The exception was a fine run and shot by Randall, who was also their best player at Goodison: Southall saved low to his right, out by the spot. Strangely, this was his last good contribution.

Everton ploughed on with their pass-and-shoot policy until, at last, it paid off. A long drive from number 18, listed in the program as Joe Atkinson, got through to the last defender and hit him, bobbling high into the air. Rideout reacted first and hooked a turning volley into the top corner -- great goal, great start, great tonic and great to have the run of the ball.

York had no reply and looked a sorry shadow of the little team of terriers who passed confidently around Goodison Park. Everton, now free of away-goal worries could have wrapped up the tie right then with a second, because York would then need 3. The pressure kept raining in, with Limpar on much better form than Saturday, and the tie was as good as won.

The dying game got suddenly resurrected when one of York's lame attacks resulted in a joke of a left wing cross -- weak and knee-height -- it missed all the Everton defenders and was shinned in by Tolson. Low division garbage -- and the Everton defenders and keeper couldn't deal with it. You can see Craig Short or Dave Watson disdainfully striding in to thump it clear and release Kanchelskis, but sorry -- this is your nightmare, and Earl Barrett does not understand what 'marking' is.

Half time followed quickly. The half was one of those that seemed to last only 20 minutes. But scoreline apart, the chance of the upset was ridiculously thin on the evidence of the first 45.

Second Half

Thus we entered what I now confidently redoubled my prediction as one of the most significant halves (plus extra time if needed) of football in the recent history of Everton... and WHAT...?? As they line up, we notice it's Branch on for Rideout! This is not good. This smells like a suicidal move. Did PR pick up an injury drinking his Yorkshire Tea?

Not that I haven't confidence in Branch (though I'd rather not risk an unproven player in a cup-tie), nor that I believed Rideout was looking like a gamewinning cert, but firstly, Stuart was playing so badly that he was a liability, so why not sub him?, and secondly, removing PR with no Dunc, Short or Watson on the pitch left NO tall heads to aim for if our THREE cross-men got free on the flanks.

So what happened? It was so predictable it was way beyond a surprise.. Everton attacked, attacked, attacked, got caught on the break, conceded goals to the only accurate shots York managed, and lost another game.

It was almost the last laugh of the witch who cursed us that Everton did eventually score, ironically from one of those silly Speed sideheels, creeping tamely over the line from 6 yards wide of the charmed keeper -- but 3 minutes unnecessary injury time had already been played. It was the only Everton goal I have ever seen where not one Evertonian clapped or cheered. Those who were still there just kept on shouting 'What the **** is going on?'.

Unsurprising though this unfolding of events was, it still managed to stun everyone that such outrageous luck continues to haunt us. The much bandied phrase Port Vale didn't apply. Vale was a heartless performance - this had a lot of heart in it, and delivered two goals despite the makeshift lineup.

York are one of those banana-skin cup teams who come through now and again like Oldham or Bolton. They are perfectly suited to playing sides who attack them and are vulnerable on the break. Everton's football system is not well machined enough to be adaptable yet, but losses to Millwall, Portsmouth, Port Vale and almost Bristol City show that the few selfish voices (two, I heard) shouting 'Royle Out' have learned nothing about the poor correlation between cup results and the general state of the club.

Then again, the management for this game seemed crazy, the team morale seems to be as shattered as under Mike Walker, and Royle is standing up in interviews basically saying he's ****ed if he knows what the **** is going on either. Oh great! Welcome to the nightmare! 

Captain Joe has now extinguished the 'don't panic' sign, so you are free to gibber and wail and throw out wild theories about buying foreigners or throwing him out of the plane if you wish, but please remember others of your fellow passengers are trying to sleep it off in peace.

Final thought - if Arsenal had not scored twice in the last 10 minutes last season, we would have been in Europe last night, not in York. Whether this would have been preferable under current circumstances, I leave it to you to decide.

Ratings

TEAM PERFORMANCE: - 6 - There was lots of effort on an individual basis, but almost nothing in the way of team-work.

Ref: S. Lodge (Barnsley) Very light on the whistle - even at full time.


Just Not Good Enough

The Suggs-Meister: I don't know why, but I didn't want to go to yesterday's game. It might be because we're playing crap, it might be because I couldn't really afford it, it might be because I knew we'd get beat. But I decided at the start of the season that I would try and get to every Everton game this season -- home and away -- and so far, I have managed it.

When I got there, the Blues end (terracing behind the goal and a few hundred seats) was fairly empty whereas the York end was filling up. But by kick-off time the Blues end seemed fairly full with about 1,500-2,000 Evertonians present.

The whole evening had a surreal feel to it. Chants of "There's only one Brett Angell" (after our former hero (sic) scored twice for Stockport against York on Saturday), "Gary's on Speed", something about Joe Parkinson eating all the pies and "Barrett for England" seemed to disspell the belief that Evertonians have only got one song.

In reference to Bootham Crescent, one bloke said: "It's identikit Stockport" and he wasn't far off the truth. There were two small stands down the length of the pitch and the away end was covered. The only difference was York haven't got a new 5,500-seat stand behind one of the goals.

The team showed two changes from the one that drew at Blackburn on Saturday:

  1. Short was out with a foot injury and so Hottiger came in at right-back with Barrett replacing Short in the heart of the defence.
  2. Ferguson was missing with that knee injury he seems to have picked up and so Stuart came in.

Branch, Jackson and Gerrard were on the bench -- we were missing Watson, Ebbrell, Grant and Ferguson (and probably several others that I've forgotten).

First Half

The game started with each team trying to give the ball away as much as possible. But the Blues started to get on top and we began to create chances. Kanchelskis was put clear on the right but his cross/shot went wide and was also out of Stuart's reach. At the other end, York had a couple of long-range efforts that went high and wide but the first decent save of the match came when one of their players (I don't know who -- and I don't care) had a shot well saved by Southall.

The first goal came on 24 minutes. Parkinson picked the ball up 30 yards out and let fly. The shot was blocked but it deflected very kindly for Rideout, who was unmarked. As the ball fell he managed to turn and hit the ball at about waist height past the advancing Warrington in the York goal. The ball hit the keeper's right-hand post and went in: 1-0.

The goal seemed to lift Everton. Speed had a couple of efforts and Limpar hit one that had Warrington scrambling across his goal. We were on top when suddenly York scored.

A free-kick ten yards inside our half was pumped into the box. Southall got a fist to it but it fell at the edge of the box. Someone fed Stephenson on the left -- who was of course unmarked -- and he squared the ball. The ball found Tolson -- who was of course unmarked -- and he fired home from ten yards out: 1-1.

The goal lifted the home crowd and knocked the Blues (who had looked composed) out of their stride. The first-half petered out with little action and the score at half-time was 1-1.

Second Half

Branch came on for Rideout at the start of the second-half, a move which gave us the smallest attack since, well, since Cottee, Johnston, Beardsley, Barlow, etc. But Branch started well and within a minute had been hacked down by centre-half Barrass who couldn't cope with his pace. He was booked.

We had most of the possession but couldn't break York down. York also looked threatening on the counter-attack. A long-ball found Tolson - who was of course unmarked - but he fired just wide from twenty yards. We won a corner but from it York scored.

The ball was cleared to the edge of the box and someone (again I don't care who) played a brilliant cross-field ball to Stephenson -- who was of course unmarked. Hottiger went across to cover him but he kindly showed the right-footed left-winger the inside. He hit a curling 20-yard shot which beat Southall but hit the post. However, the ball fell to Bull -- who was of course unmarked -- and he tapped the ball into an empty net: 2-1.

The pattern of the game remained the same for the next half-an-hour. The Blues continued to attack but rarely threatened much and York looked dangerous on the break. Southall made a brilliant save from someone (I don't care who) which kept us in the game.

The only Blues who were having anything like half-decent games were Parkinson and Branch, who was having a blinder up front. On one occasion he picked the ball up thirty yards out and beat a couple of defenders before firing just over from the edge of the box. Another time he burst through three defenders before crossing the ball to... well, no-one could be bothered to follow it up actually.

He was having a better game than Barrett, who nearly lobbed Southall from the halfway line -- "blindfold him and tell him to kick backwards," someone shouted - and Stuart, who is having a stinker of a season. One guy shouted, "Look what you've done now Stuart, it's started to rain."

Kanchelskis beat his marker and fired the ball across the face of goal but Branch could not quite get on the end of it. With two minutes to go we were still 2-1 down and it was obvious we weren't going to equalise. Branch had been fouled in the box but the ref ignored it and several other efforts had gone close but not close enough.

Then York sewed the game up. A long-ball gave Hinchcliffe plenty of time but Murty hustled him out of it and managed to poke the ball past Southall: 3-1.

That set the Everton fans off. "What the f*** is going on," we sang. We won a corner a minute later and as the players waited for it to be taken they got appalling stick from the crowd. I don't think I've heard Everton players get such stick from the crowd since Ward stuck two fingers up at the Paddock a few years ago. Ironically we scored from the corner. The ball was driven into the box and Speed flicked it over the prostrate Warrington: 3-2.

From the kick-off York hoofed it into the Everton half but they needn't have bothered. The ref immediately blew for full-time and the players couldn't get off the pitch quick enough. Limpar half-applauded the fans although he was already halfway down the tunnel when he did so but the only player who seemed to care about losing was Branch. He applauded the fans and we responded by giving him a great ovation.

The whole day was a nightmare. My Walkman broke, I lost a lot of money at the bookies and a few Blues were even calling for Royle to be sacked.

Ratings

TEAM:- 5. It's just not good enough Joe, it's not good enough...

General Thoughts

It's no good us coming out with all this, "Oh it's only the Mickey-Mouse Cup, we don't care what happens". Well the only reason we say that is because we've never won the bloody thing. It certainly mattered to the Blues fans who spent good money going to watch that shower yesterday (God I wish there weren't rules on swearing on Toffeenet - I'd really be able to get rid of my anger then). We'll see how much the defeat and the crowd's reaction hurt them when they play Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

I've got my Everton - for better for worse T-shirt on and I'm trying to put a brave face on it but already I've snapped twice.

Forza Everton, Ste.


What's Going On?

PA News: Everton's early-season crisis continued tonight at York when they were knocked out of the Coca-Cola Cup.

The second division side chalked up a 3-2 victory to win 4-3 on aggregate and complete a marvellous two years in the competition for manager Alan Little. Last season Manchester United were banished and Everton suffered a similar fate at Bootham Crescent.

Manager Joe Royle said: "I am both hurt and disappointed at what has happened tonight. I have had a chat in the dressing room with the players and they are puzzled as much as I am.

"I heard our fans chant 'what's going on' and I wondered the same thing myself.

"This season started full of hope. There have been changes and strong people were missing tonight. But we can't make that an excuse.

"I haven't got a clue as to why we performed like that and conceded three goals.

"We should have had a penalty near the end, but that can't excuse the underlying problems we have at this club.

"We are not back to where we were when I arrived here, but more performances like this and we will be close. There was nobody out there in a blue shirt you didn't know, but some of our play at times was appalling.

"The players are not having a good time but sooner or later they will have to pick me up instead of me picking them up."

Paul Rideout gave Everton a perfect start with the opening goal to put them 2-1 ahead on aggregate. But York, who lost at home to Stockport at the weekend, hit back with goals from Neil Tolson, Gary Bull and Graeme Murty. Gary Speed got a last-minute goal for Everton, but the damage had been done and jubilant York manager Little said:

"There were six or seven changes to the side that beat Manchester United, but we won it in style.

"Our front two ran them ragged and our two wingers also caused them problems.

"We went a goal behind but the lads didn't drop their heads. We had a goal at Everton and we got back to doing what we do best, and that is passing and moving the ball."


York lower the Royle standard

Peter Ball, The Times: YORK CITY, who banished Manchester United from the Coca-Cola Cup last season, added Everton to their growing list of conquests from among the elite in the same competition last night. The Nationwide League second division side won even more convincingly than the scoreline of this second-round, second-leg tie suggests, Gary Speed's last-minute goal at Bootham Crescent coming too late to give Everton even a flicker of hope.

By then, the Merseyside team were well-beaten. York claimed their victory on merit, playing the better football against a side that was a shadow of the team that began the season by beating Newcastle United, the last occasion on which they won.

"The side that beat Newcastle bore no resemblance to tonight's team," Joe Royle, the Everton manager, said. "I'm disappointed and angry. We had the hard core of our fans here tonight and they didn't deserve what they got. They are asking what's going on and I'm asking the same question."

Everton were without Ferguson, Ebbrell, Watson and Short. Alan Little, the York manager, said: "When you have got the heart of the defence missing it has got to be a problem." Yet Everton's problems went beyond the absentees; Tolson and Bull enjoyed themselves hugely against the Everton defence and, down the left, Paul Stephenson was impressive.

Indeed, everywhere you looked, York were winning the argument. They were the better side for the first 20 minutes, but then Everton took the lead with a fortunate goal, when Parkinson's shot hit Sharples and bounced up for Rideout to hook the ball home.

That should have been the platform for the Premiership players to impose themselves. They did not have the quality to do so and, instead, York came back with renewed vigour. Randall, who had been a force in midfield, turned away from a defender to reach the byline and cut the ball back for Tolson to shoot home. Tolson is determined to make Royle pay for releasing him during their days at Oldham Athletic, for he scored the York goal at Goodison Park as well.

He might have made Royle pay even more dearly, for he had the chances to score a hat-trick. Instead, the decisive second goal came from Bull, an easy tap-in after Stephenson had hit a post.

Then Murty sped away from Hinchcliffe to beat Southall as Everton's search for an equaliser left them exposed. Speed had the last word, but it was a muted one and Royle added a long postscript, keeping his side in for more than half an hour after the match.


Murty sees off Everton to seal York fightback

Keith Farnsworth, Electronic Telegraph: EVERTON'S first-ever visit to Bootham Crescent ended in embarrassment as York, 18th in Division Two, added another famous chapter to their giant-killing tradition by coming from behind to humble their Premiership opponents.

Joe Royle's side, who have fallen to lesser rivals at this stage in the League Cup in each of the last two years, failed to profit from Paul Rideout's first goal since December, which gave them the lead after 24 minutes.

Luck did not favour York as Joe Parkinson's 25-yard effort looped off home captain John Sharples's boot and, with goalkeeper Andy Warrington only able to get the slightest touch, Rideout pounced to score at the back post.

However, York equalised after 36 minutes when Adrian Randall, who had earlier forced a low save from Neville Southall, won possession on the left and his low cross was turned in at close range by Neil Tolson, a striker who, ironically, played under Royle at Oldham.

Everton, now without a win in eight games, were stunned after 57 minutes when Gary Bull scored a simple goal, tapping the ball in after Paul Stephenson had collected a long cross-field pass from Andy McMillan and delivered a shot-cum-cross which rebounded off the inside of Southall's rear post.

Anders Limpar, Gary Speed and Andrei Kanchelskis all went close as York, who last season knocked out Manchester United, resisted strong Everton pressure before the tie was effectively sealed in the 86th minute.

Andy Hinchcliffe appeared to have the ball covered when York delivered it through the middle, but Graeme Murty won possession and, to the delight of home fans in the 7,354 crowd, ran forward to push the ball past Southall.

Speed claimed a goal for Everton in the 90th minute -- too late to spare his side's blushes as York deservedly bagged the honours -- their first victory in six games being one they will treasure.

Report Copyright The Electronic Telegraph


Results

Visit the Soccernet Coca-Cola Cup webpage for all the results of this competition.

Coca-Cola Cup, 2nd Round, 2nd Leg  

Wednesday, 25 September 1996

CHELSEA                     1-3     BLACKPOOL            (Agg: 5-4)
Spencer (63)                        Ellis (35, 61) Quinn (46)
DERBY COUNTY                2-2     LUTON TOWN           (Agg: 2-3)
Sturridge (40) Simpson (45)         Grant (12) Thorpe (68)
LEICESTER CITY              2-1     SCARBOROUGH          (Agg: 4-1)
Lawrence (40) Parker (90)           Ritchie (77)
PETERBOROUGH UNITED         1-4     SOUTHAMPTON          (Agg: 1-6)
Farrell (50)        Watson (33) Charlton (36) Magilton (56) Dryden (78)
PORTSMOUTH                  1-1     WIMBLEDON            (Agg: 1-2)
Carter (41)                         Gayle (47)
QUEENS PARK RANGERS         1-3     SWINDON TOWN         (Agg: 3-4 aet)
Brazier (55)                  O'Sullivan (45) Allison (66) Thorne (102)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR           3-0     PRESTON NORTH END    (Agg: 4-1)
Anderton (31) Allen (62, 76)
WEST HAM UNITED             1-0     BARNET               (Agg: 2-1)
Bilic (48)

Tuesday, 24 September 1996

BIRMINGHAM CITY             0-1     COVENTRY CITY        (Agg:1-2)
                                    McAllister (63)
BLACKBURN ROVERS            2-0     BRENTFORD            (Agg:4-1)
Gallacher (43) Sherwood (74)
BOLTON WANDERERS            3-1     BRISTOL CITY         (Agg:3-1 aet)
McGinlay(47) Blake(92) Thompson(107)  Owers (57)
BURNLEY                     1-2     CHARLTON ATHLETIC    (Agg:2-6)
Nogan (45)                          Allen (15) Whyte (90)
CARLISLE UNITED             2-2     PORT VALE            (Agg:2-3)
Thomas (8) Robinson (74)            McCarthy (41) Mills (78)
COLCHESTER UNITED           0-2     HUDDERSFIELD TOWN    (Agg:1-3 aet)
                                    Stewart (98) Collins (110)
CRYSTAL PALACE              4-0     BURY                 (Agg:7-1)
Veart (21) Quinn (30) Muscat (41) Freedman (47)
DARLINGTON                  0-2     LEEDS UNITED         (Agg:2-4)
                                    Wallace (18) Harte (30)
GILLINGHAM                  1-0     BARNSLEY             (Agg:2-1 aet)
Puttnam (97)
HEREFORD UNITED             0-3     MIDDLESBROUGH        (Agg:0-10)
                                    Beck (24) Stamp (48) Branco (51)
IPSWICH TOWN                4-2     FULHAM               (Agg:5-3)
Sonner (28) Sedgley (pen 50)        Sedgley (og 31) Brooker (72)
Mathie (63,69)
MANCHESTER CITY             0-1     LINCOLN CITY         (Agg:1-5)
                                    Bos (12)
NORTHAMPTON TOWN            1-2     STOKE CITY           (Agg:1-3 aet)
Gayle (og 89)                       Sheron (100, 108)
OXFORD UNITED               1-0     SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY  (Agg:2-1)
Jemson (85)
SHEFFIELD UNITED            2-5     STOCKPORT COUNTY     (Agg:3-7)
Taylor (34)                         Gannon (25) Armstrong (30,81)
Katchouro (65)                      Bennett (33) Angel (62)
SUNDERLAND                  1-0     WATFORD              (Agg:3-0)
Scott (6)
TRANMERE ROVERS             0-1     OLDHAM ATHLETIC      (Agg:2-3)
                                    Banger (50)
WYCOMBE WANDERERS           1-1     NOTTINGHAM FOREST    (Agg:1-2 aet)
McCarthy (38)                       Lee (102)
YORK CITY                   3-2     EVERTON              (Agg:4-3)
Tolson (35) Bull (57) Murty (86)    Rideout (24) Speed (90)


This Match Report Compilation was prepared by Michael Kenrick for Marko Poutiainen. 12 Dec 1996.