http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/feb/18/match.portsmouthPreston suffer cruel hand of fate as James saves Pompey blushes
FA Cup Fifth Round Preston North End 0 Portsmouth 1
Carter (og) 90
by Ian Winrow at Deepdale, The Guardian, Monday February 18 2008
The underdogs' good fortune disappeared in dramatic fashion here yesterday, after a Saturday of surprises, as Preston North End suffered the most painful of exits at the hands of a Portsmouth side that had David James to thank for their interest in today's sixth-round draw.
Alan Irvine's struggling Championship side already had reason to feel sorry for themselves, having seen James produce an outstanding series of saves including a full-length dive to deny Simon Whaley's 58th-minute penalty, when, with the game already deep into added time, a Portsmouth corner was diverted goalwards by the visiting left-back Hermann Hreidarsson's hand and then smashed into the roof of the net by the Preston midfielder Darren Carter's desperate attempt to clear. The Championship side's misery was complete.
The outcome was cruel in the extreme with Preston fully deserving the opportunity of a replay after taking the game to their Premier League opponents in a manner that belied their perilous position in the lower reaches of the second tier. But few teams advance to the later stages of the competition without a slice of luck and, if Harry Redknapp is to come close to becoming the first English manager to lift the trophy since Joe Royle triumphed with Everton in 1995 - and Liverpool's defeat by Barnsley this weekend will only enhance that possibility - he will consider this victory as a pivotal slice.
At 37 James' continuing excellence has been one of the underlying reasons behind Portsmouth's progress in both league and Cup. Once again the keeper looked anything but a veteran, particularly when he clawed away Neil Mellor's powerful 30-yard drive.
With James' spirits apparently lifted following his inclusion in Fabio Capello's first England line-up this month, Redknapp is convinced his player can continue at the highest level for years to come. "He's different class and the last couple of weeks he has been in great form," Redknapp said. "When the lad stepped up to take the penalty he must have looked and seen David who is so imposing. And he will think he has to strike a really good penalty to beat him because, if anyone can make a save, it is him because he is that good.
"There's no reason why he can't make the World Cup in 2010 because he will play on for a long time yet. He is such a perfectionist and a great trainer. He works non-stop on the training ground, he watches videos of his performances in the afternoon. He is absolutely dedicated and he is in such great condition. I've seen him being linked with a move away but he is going nowhere. I only gave him a new contract last year and he will be with us for a long time yet."
Redknapp was correct in his assessment that, having eagerly seized the ball after Sylvain Distin had tripped Billy Jones in the 58th minute, Whaley appeared daunted by James' frame and succeeded only in firing his shot too close to the keeper. "I know what Harry means about David James because he looked massive to me when Simon walked up to take the penalty and I was on the touchline," said Irvine. "Simon grabbed the ball and wanted to take the penalty. But there will be no finger pointing. We have 14 games left and we don't want anyone feeling any worse than they already do."
Preston might have folded following that disappointment but instead they rallied commendably with Chris Sedgwick and Mellor both creating good opportunities. At that point Portsmouth would justifiably have felt relieved at simply holding on for a replay, their lacklustre showing having created little apart from a couple of Sulley Muntari free-kicks and a long-range effort from Glen Johnson.
Then, in the third minute of added time, Paul McKenna failed to clear Niko Kranjcar's left-wing corner and the ball fell to Carter via Hreidarsson and the midfielder sliced the ball into his own net. "It was very cruel and we certainly didn't deserve to lose that game," Irvine added. "It was definitely an own-goal but I believe it was handball immediately beforehand. But we played well and, if we play like that in our remaining games, we will be safe."
Man of the match David James
Faced with a barrage of Preston attacks in the second half as his defence disappeared, James stood firm, relishing the challenge and producing a string of impressive saves
Best moment Had Preston gone ahead when they were awarded a 58th-minute penalty, the outcome might have been different but James's presence intimidated Simon Whaley and the keeper dived to keep his side in the tie
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3386773.eceFebruary 18, 2008
David James stands tall and saves the day for Redknapp’s men
Preston North End 0 Portsmouth 1 by James Ducker at Deepdale
Harry Redknapp awoke yesterday morning to reports linking David James with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but after watching his goalkeeper provide the platform for this most fortuitous of FA Cup victories against Preston North End, it is not hard to understand why the Portsmouth manager is so fiercely opposed to such a prospect.
Preston should have been out of sight by the time Portsmouth claimed an undeserved winning goal, when Darren Carter turned the ball into his own net with virtually the last kick of the game. But in James they came up against a brick wall. No wonder Fabio Capello restored the man to the England team for his first match in charge earlier this month.
Simon Whaley may have most reason to curse James, who saved the Preston midfield player’s 60th-minute penalty, but the home team had plenty of other chances to take the lead.
During the 14 minutes that followed Whaley’s penalty miss, James appeared to be on a personal crusade to keep the scores level as Preston regularly exposed Portsmouth’s ramshackle midfield and defence. The longer such heroics went on, the longer it looked like not being Preston’s day and, when Portsmouth won a corner in the third and final minute of stoppage time, the locals could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
The goal that followed should not have stood as the ball appeared to hit the arm of Hermann Hreidarsson, the Portsmouth defender, before eventually finding its way into the net. However, it was symptomatic of Preston’s misfortune that Mike Dean, the referee, failed to spot the infringement.
Niko Kranjcar’s corner should have been cleared by Paul McKenna, but the Preston midfield player misjudged a header, and after the ball rebounded off Hreidarsson, Carter seemed bamboozled by the melée around him and thrashed the ball into his own goal.
“It was cruel, we didn’t deserve to lose that game and it was a handball [by Hreidarsson],” Alan Irvine, the Preston manager, said. “I was really pleased we created some very good chances, but we faced a top-class goalkeeper on top form.”
Even accounting for the state of the pitch, Portsmouth had no excuses for being so poor. Other than the absent Jermain Defoe, who was cup-tied, Redknapp fielded his strongest team available, but for all their possession for long periods of the game, Portsmouth were one-dimensional.
Pass after pass went astray and shots were miscued. It was a wonder that Portsmouth are challenging for a European place. Kranjcar should have done better with a free header and Sulley Muntari had a 25-yard free kick tipped over, but Portsmouth created precious little else. Kanu was given little support by a lifeless midfield who in turn offered their defence no protection as Preston roamed forward at will. Sylvain Distin and Sol Campbell were given a torrid time. Distin was suffering from flu, although after this runaround, his defensive partner must have been feeling nauseous, too.
Whaley’s penalty miss, after Distin had tripped Billy Jones, was not the half of it. Chris Brown had a swerving drive superbly snuffed out by James two minutes later before Carter was the next to be denied after wriggling past two markers and shooting low. James’s best save of the game came in the 74th minute when he tipped aside a stinging shot from Neil Mellor.
Portsmouth, though, were to have the last laugh. With luck like this, their name may well be on the trophy this season.
How they rated
Preston North End
4-4-2
A Lonergan 7
B Jones 6 Y Mawene 7
L Chilvers 7
C Davidson 6
C Sedgwick 6
P McKenna 6
D Carter 7
S Whaley 7
C Brown 7
K Hawley 6
Substitutes: N Mellor (for Hawley, 71min), R Chaplow (for Sedgwick, 87). Not used: G Szamotulski, B Ormerod, M Hill. Next: Watford (a).
Portsmouth
4-1-4-1
D James 8
G Johnson 6
S Campbell 5
S Distin 5
H Hreidarsson 6
P Bouba Diop 5
J Utaka 6
L Diarra 5
S Muntari 6
N Kranjcar 6
Kanu 5
Substitutes: M Baros (for Muntari, 76). Not used: J Ashdown, L Aubey, Lauren, R Hughes. Next: Sunderland (h).
Goalscorer: Portsmouth: Carter 90 (og)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2008/02/18/ufnjames118.xmlHarry Redknapp hails 'imposing' David James
By Richard Morgan
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp says that goalkeeper David James is fit enough to still be playing for England in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. The England international turned in a man-of-the-match performance as the South Coast club won 1-0 at Preston North End in yesterday's FA Cup fifth-round tie, including a brilliant second-half penalty save to deny Simon Whaley when the scoreline was still goalless. And his manager has nothing but praise for the veteran shot-stopper, 37, who he signed from Manchester City two years ago. "He's different class and the last couple of weeks he has been in great form," Redknapp said. "But he has been on another level ever since he walked into Portsmouth. "When the lad stepped up to take the penalty he must have looked and seen David, who is so imposing. "And he'll think he has to strike a really good penalty to beat him because if anyone can make a save it's him. He's that good."
Redknapp is also convinced that James, who started between the posts for his country against Switzerland at Wembley earlier this month in what was new manager Fabio Capello's first match in charge, can still be England's No1 come the next World Cup when he will be 39 years old.
"There's no reason why he can't make the World Cup in 2010 because he will play on for a long time yet. He is such a perfectionist and is a great trainer.
"He works non-stop on the training ground, he watches videos of his performances in the afternoon. He is absolutely dedicated and he is in such great condition."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2008/02/18/sfgpre118.xml
David James spot on as Portsmouth ride luck By Mark Ogden
Preston North End (0) 0 Portsmouth (0) 1
Do not mention FA Cup heartbreak to David James. Having been on the losing side in two finals, the Portsmouth goalkeeper could write a book about the ability of the competition to inflict agony in equal measure to ecstasy. But after producing a memorable penalty save from Simon Whaley to deny Preston early in the second half, James had the pleasure of having the boot on the other foot. Portsmouth booked their place in the quarter-finals with an injury-time own goal by Darren Carter which was created by Hermann Hreidarsson's right arm nudging Niko Kranjcar's corner towards goal.
If somebody's name is on the cup this season, then it certainly is not that of Preston North End.
Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, said: "Preston really didn't deserve to lose that game. I was asking how much time was left and saying, 'Let's get them back to Fratton Park', but you need a bit of luck."
Considering the number of Premier League clubs already out of this season's competition, and the absence of two of the 'Big Four' from today's quarter-final draw, Redknapp would have realised going into this tie that Portsmouth could be pushing at an open door to Wembley.
But their anaemic first-half performance suggested that their primary concern was to avoid the embarrassment suffered by the likes of Liverpool, Fulham and Birmingham City by exiting at the hands of lower-division opponents rather than to grasp the opportunity of taking a purposeful stride towards their first FA Cup final for 69 years.
Despite currently being embroiled in a fight to avoid relegation from the Championship, Preston found themselves largely in control of the first half thanks to the tenacity of Carter and composure of Paul McKenna at the heart of midfield.
It was Carter's vicious in-swinging corners that offered Preston their likeliest route to goal in the first half. James fluffed the first Carter delivery on 14 minutes, but the England goalkeeper did not make the mistake a second time, despite the physical presence of Chris Brown.
Goal-scoring opportunities were thin on the ground, however, and it was not until Kranjcar sprung the offside trap to head Sulley Muntari's cross into Andy Lonergan's hands on 28 minutes that a goal seemed remotely likely. Nine minutes later, Muntari forced Lonergan into a fine save with a dipping 30-yard free-kick that the Preston goalkeeper did well to tip over the crossbar.
The sparring of the first half gave way to the full-blooded cup tie after the break that many had anticipated, though, and Portsmouth were forced to withstand prolonged Preston pressure as the home side attempted to secure the club's first quarter-final appearance since 1966.
It was the penalty incident that transformed the game. Sylvain Distin's clumsy tackle on Billy Jones was correctly judged by referee Mike Dean to have warranted a penalty, but as soon as Whaley placed the ball, he appeared to shrink at the sight of James looming in front of him.
The Preston youngster went for the corner with his spot-kick, but James read it perfectly and he pushed the penalty away to deny Alan Irvine's team a deserved lead.
Preston used the miss as motivation, however, and surged forward as they chased the opening goal. James saved well to deny Brown, and Carter also brought the best from the goalkeeper with a long-range strike.
By the time substitute Neil Mellor forced another save from James in the 73rd minute, Portsmouth had been pressed back in their own half for the best part of 15 minutes. But Irvine's players found James in unbeatable form and Portsmouth appeared content to allow their goalkeeper to earn them a replay with his heroics.
It was the hand of Hreidarsson, rather than James, that provided the crucial intervention that secured Portsmouth's victory, though. Kranjcar's corner, three minutes into stoppage time, evaded the Preston defenders and bounced off the defender's right arm in the six-yard box.
As it bounced towards goal, Carter attempted to clear the ball, but his touch guided the ball into the roof of the net and, in the most heart-breaking of circumstances, Preston were out.
Irvine said: "It was a very cruel way to lose and we certainly didn't deserve to lose that game. We are not pointing the finger at Simon Whaley. We are not going to make him feel any worse than he does at the moment."
Man of the matchDavid James (Portsmouth) 9
• Kept clean sheet• Saved second-half penalty• Great one-handed save from Mellor
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/its-love-not-money-for-the-honourable-finney-783332.htmlIt's love not money for the honourable Finney: Preston's finest hopes romance of Cup can beat big bucks by Steve Tongue, Football CorrespondentSunday, 17 February 2008
You turn off Sir Tom Finney Way, past the Tom Finney Stand and the National Football Museum with its Finney Statue outside. And here in the main office is the great man himself, 85 years young and remarkably sprightly with it. He turns up at the club every Wednesday to deal with his post, his charity work for research into Alzheimer's and all the invitations that still flood in, prompting him to say with apparent surprise: "It's very nice that I'm still remembered."
How could they forget a true local hero, described by the late sportswriter Ian Wooldridge as "the most honourable man who has ever played sport for England"? That sense of honour means that controversial opinions are not easily prised from him, though he berates the Football Association in their recent choice of two foreign managers to lead the national team – for which he played 76 times, scoring 30 goals from the wing.
"I think it's awful to see a foreign manager," he says. "It's disappointing to see what's happened to England since 1966 and it has not improved the situation to see so many foreign players." He makes an exception for Cristiano Ronaldo. "I see a lot of Manchester United and I like to watch him because he takes the full-back on and beats people. You don't see a lot of that wing-play like there was in our day."
Bill Shankly is no longer around to assess Ronaldo, but he played against Stanley Matthews, frequently had George Best in opposition to his Liverpool team, and still rated Finney, a Preston team-mate for two seasons after the war, as better than both. "He never lost possession. Grizzly strong. I'd have played him in an overcoat. He was the greatest player I've ever seen."
All the sadder then, that the FA Cup, which puts Preston in the national spotlight again this afternoon with a televised fifth-round tie at home to Portsmouth, was responsible for one of the very lowest moments of an otherwise exalted career.
The 1953 FA Cup competition famously provided Matthews with his winner's medal at last for Blackpool, and the following season's final, although it was against the League runners-up West Bromwich Albion, seemed all set up for Finney, Preston's captain, to emulate his old rival. Alas, in his own words, "I had a stinker".
It should be pointed out that a stinker for Finney still involved setting up one of Preston's goals, for a 2-1 lead, but Albion equalised with a disputed penalty and won in the last minute thanks to a goalkeeping error.
Self-critical as ever, he questioned whether he had prepared properly for the game, having spent hours sorting out ticket requests, giving interviews, vainly trying to persuade club directors to increase his team-mates' £25 victory bonus and, the night before the final, collecting the first of his two Footballer of the Year awards.
Fifty-four years, however, offer abundant opportunity for a sense of perspective and now he says: "It was a big disappointment to get there and lose, but somebody's got to win and somebody's got to lose. They were a good side were West Brom, and it was a very even game."
Just conceivably, he might by that time have been playing in Italy, where bonuses ran rather higher than £25. The precise offer from Palermo's president included three times Preston's wages and a £10,000 signing-on fee. But the response from the Preston chairman was blunt: "If tha' doesn't play for Preston, tha' doesn't play for anybody." Finney may even have been relieved not to be led into temptation. "I was never really interested," he says. "I just wanted to play for my home town, where I was born and bred and still live."
So he stayed until retirement in 1960, a loyal one-club man to the end, like his fellow England internationals Jimmy Armfield at Blackpool, Bryan Douglas and Ronnie Clayton at Blackburn, Nat Lofthouse at Bolton and Brian Miller at Burnley.
Throughout the Fifties, all those local clubs had been a power in the land along with Preston, until the final demise of the Lancashire cotton industry, the abolition of the maximum wage and the increased mobility of supporters on the new motorways began to favour Manchester, Merseyside, Leeds and London.
Finney's beloved North End dropped out of the top division in 1961, the season after he had retired to the family plumbing business, and by 1986 they were 91st in the Football League. "It's all about the clubs with money today, isn't it?" he says. "They can afford to spend millions on players, and there's no hope of North End doing that."
Twice in recent seasons, however, they have been one game away from the Premier League, losing play-off finals to Bolton and West Ham under David Moyes and then Billy Davies. Exactly a year ago, Manchester City were pushed hard in the fifth round of the FA Cup, and today the perils of a relegation struggle can briefly be forgotten. Deepdale will be up for the Cup once more and Sir Tom will be in his usual seat, having seen it all before but still a mighty proud president of proud Preston.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/preston-north-end-0-portsmouth-1-carters-gaffe-lets-pompey-off-hook-783598.html
Preston North End 0 Portsmouth 1: Carter's gaffe lets Pompey off hook
By Jon Culley Monday, 18 February 2008
If Portsmouth are the team to break the big four monopoly of the FA Cup's recent history then they may well look back on yesterday's scrambled win at Deepdale as the moment fate seemed to be on their side, when a stoppage-time own goal provided their passport to the last eight after David James had saved a penalty.
Harry Redknapp's team, as strong a side as he could put out as he senses the opportunity to finally mark his career with a major trophy, could not break down a resilient and determined Preston, who rose above their status just above the bottom three in the Championship in a rousing effort to claim another Premier League scalp after knocking out Derby.
Ultimately they were ready to thank James for winning them a replay yet at the last gasp, with Preston ready to accept the applause of the Deepdale crowd, a scramble in the goalmouth as goalkeeper Andy Lonergan tried to deal with a corner ended with Darren Carter, pressed by Hermann Hreidarsson on the line, volleying an attempted clearance into the roof of his own net.
In the absence of the Cup-tied Jermain Defoe and with David Nugent denied the chance to face his former club because of a hernia problem, Redknapp had chosen to go with only one striker, preferring Kanu over Milan Baros. But with a strong hand of attacking midfielders to provide support, the Portsmouth manager's attitude was anything but cautious.
The pairing of Sulley Muntari with Lassana Diarra in the centre of midfield for the first time had offered a mouthwatering prospect but Alan Irvine, the Preston manager, had clearly stressed the need for his players to deny their opponents space ahead of a scrappy opening half.
The pace of Niko Kranjcar on the left side provided another potentially productive line of attack for the Premier League team, although it was a half virtually devoid of chances. Kranjcar probably had the best, heading straight at Andy Lonergan after Muntari's cross. The closest to a goal, however, was a free-kick struck by Muntari from 25 yards, which was dipping under the bar when Lonergan stretched to push it over.
Yet there was plenty for Preston to feel satisfied with as they relished an opportunity to set aside their relegation worries. Their captain, Paul McKenna, led by industrious example in marshalling his midfield and team-mates Carter and Simon Whaley never flagged in their efforts to keep the centre of the field busily congested.
Whaley had their best chance of the opening half, when a little composure could have made all the difference as a block by Glen Johnson ran kindly for him. A snatched shot sent the ball high and wide. There were few opportunities, meanwhile, for strikers Chris Brown and Karl Hawley against Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin.
Yet Redknapp's team were lucky to escape when referee Mike Dean awarded Preston their penalty chance after an hour, although James might not see it that way. Distin brought down full-back Billy Jones as he ran on to Whaley's ball inside but the latter's attempt to score from the spot was superbly beaten away by the England goalkeeper.
Preston would rue the miss but at least it gave the contest a proper Cup-tie tempo. Pompey had started the second half with renewed conviction but as the home side began to believe more in themselves the Premier League side endured some rocky moments and James was again required to show his worth.
A well-struck drive from Brown brought another excellent, diving save and then Carter, on the end of a penetrating run, found the veteran goalkeeper too good. Neil Mellor, who had been frustrated to find himself on the bench at the start, was sent on with 20 minutes left but James denied him too.
Portsmouth replaced an understandably tiring Muntari with Baros with 15 minutes left and it was the Czech's pace in a different game plan that put Preston on the back foot. Yet they were desperately unlucky to go out as they did, the winning goal volleyed into his own net by Carter with Hreidarsson claiming the credit after Lonergan had been unable to deal with a Kranjcar corner. It came with a replay at Fratton Park only seconds away.
Goal: Carter og (90) 0-1.
Preston North End (4-4-2): Lonergan; Jones, Mawene, Chilvers, Davidson; Sedgwick (Chaplow, 87), McKenna, Carter, Whaley; Brown, Hawley (Mellor, 70). Substitutes not used: Ormerod, Hill, Szamotulski (gk).
Portsmouth (4-5-1): James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson; Utaka, Diarra, Diop, Muntari (Baros, 76), Kranjcar; Kanu. Substitutes not used: Ashdown (gk), Lauren, Hughes, Aubey.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Man of the match: McKenna.
Attendance: 22,210.
