Sheffield United's wait over, Leeds United's statement win, Rotherham United's need for points and Bradford City get their man - The YP's FootballTalk Podcast
On this week’s show, The YP’s football writing team of Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall start by celebrating a first Premier League win of the season for Sheffield United before moving on to the ‘statement victory’ for Leeds United in beating the Championship’s runaway leaders, Leicester City.
They also consider how Rotherham United can improve their league position in the Championship, as some of their performances suggest should be the case, as well as the appointment of Graham Alexander by Bradford City as their new manager. The FA Cup first round and the subsequent second round draw are also mulled over.
Plus, our panel also reveal their choices for Team of the Week and Player of the Week – see if you agree.
They also consider how Rotherham United can improve their league position in the Championship, as some of their performances suggest should be the case, as well as the appointment of Graham Alexander by Bradford City as their new manager. The FA Cup first round and the subsequent second round draw are also mulled over.
Plus, our panel also reveal their choices for Team of the Week and Player of the Week – see if you agree.
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SportTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:11 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:14 we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:17 of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football
00:20 Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post,
00:24 Leon Wopshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't
00:28 forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond
00:31 by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as well as checking out our various Twitter
00:38 feeds, the main one being @ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire
00:43 Post Football, or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And
00:47 if you have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter
00:50 or Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject matter as Football Talk Podcast
00:55 at yp.sport@nationalworld.com. YorkshirePost.co.uk. As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week
01:02 we're joined by Chief Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football
01:06 Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Leon Wopshall. Good morning, guys. Morning. Hello. Morning.
01:12 Morning. So this week saw a number of our Yorkshire sides playing the FA Cup, which
01:17 we will be covering more later on in this week's podcast. But first, we start in the
01:22 Premier League, where Sheffield United claimed their first win of the season by claiming
01:26 a late and nerve-wracking 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, thanks to Oliver
01:31 Norwood slotting home the winning goal in the 10th minute of added time. Now, how crucial
01:37 is it for Paul Heckingbottom's side to get that first victory, Stuart? Oh, I think it
01:42 was really crucial. I mean, whether you agree with it or not, you know, the noise around
01:48 his job prospects was really starting to get quite loud. You know, I've talked in previous
01:55 podcasts about how long it took them to get their first win their last season, they were
02:01 in the Premier League and the damage that that did. But of course, if this is just to
02:05 be a one-off, then it's a fairly limited value. They've got, you know, we were talking for
02:13 a long time about how this Wolves game was a big one on the horizon for them. Next up,
02:20 they've got Brighton and Hove Albion. You know, obviously they've had a huge amount
02:25 of applaud, it's the last 18 months and rightly so. But as we speak now, they've only won
02:31 one game out of their last eight. So it's not quite the fearsome prospect. You know,
02:37 it might look at first glance and then after the international break, they've got Burnley
02:41 and Bournemouth, two games in that mini league that we've talked about. So it's really important
02:47 that they, you know, they follow it up with some points from those three games. But yeah,
02:53 the confidence it will have done them, the character they had to show, given that Wolves
02:59 equalised in the 88th minute, the defensive strength they showed, which again, you know,
03:04 something Leon's talked quite a few times about. It's been a bit of a concern, you know,
03:10 they've been a bit flaky at times. Obviously they've lost John Egan and Chris Basham and
03:16 Anil Ahmed-Hosic recently. So it was important to tick that box, you know, a goal for Cameron
03:23 Archer. It was a really good day for them and say a real shot in the arm in terms of
03:30 their confidence. But now they have to use that confidence to build something because
03:36 all of a sudden, you know, the league table looks a lot less daunting than it did. You
03:41 know, they're level on points with Burnley, Luton are only a couple of points away, Bournemouth
03:46 are obviously in there as well. There's something for them to fight for, which is what they
03:51 needed.
03:52 Yeah, I just think it's, I agree with what Stuart said, it's just huge psychologically,
03:56 isn't it? And you can imagine, obviously Burnley lost at home to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth
04:03 got a good hiding at Manchester City. I'd imagine the pain when they were both coming
04:09 in the dressing room afterwards was compounded by seeing the results at Sheppard United.
04:14 You're just glad for everybody concerned with the club and more especially Paul Higginbottom,
04:19 he's had to field and deal with a lot this season, hasn't he? A whole manner of injury
04:25 problems and a pre-season which was pretty fraught and difficult. Are you pleased with
04:35 the supporters? Obviously it's great to see them win a game at Bramall Lane in front of
04:44 their own supporters. I think it was something like, was it just before, I can't remember
04:48 quite if this is right, but I think it is, I think it was, was it the Norwich game just
04:52 before Covid, was that the last win, wasn't it? In front of their own spectators in the
04:59 top flight. So that was about two and a half years, a bit longer wasn't it, three and a
05:05 half years ago. So yeah, I just think everybody needed it and a really important moment as
05:16 well. I think it was this time a few years ago that Sheppard United had hit Skid Row,
05:22 I think they lost about seven or eight on the trot. Obviously it was a season they didn't
05:27 win the first game in the league until January, so they've got the monkey off the back in
05:33 that regard. Stuart's right to talk about the defensive aspects as well, they've got
05:40 key players out but it seems to be the likes of Jack Robinson and Baldock and Trusty showing
05:47 some leadership and mettle. So yeah, exactly what they needed now ahead of Brighton on
05:57 Sunday but you just feel this is the key spell in the season so far, they've got Burnley
06:05 not too far down the line and I think they've got Luton-Ambly on Christmas and Bournemouth
06:12 as well. So yeah, a real timely fill in, they've got the win, it didn't particularly matter
06:18 how they got it.
06:20 Yeah, and Leon's right, it didn't matter at all how they got it but as it turned out,
06:26 they deserved it really. The first half was Wolves' half in terms of them having all the
06:32 ball but the way they defended, and Leon's right to mention those three players in particular
06:36 who made up the back three, meant that there was very little work for Wes Frodringham to
06:41 do. I think there was only one really good chance all half which actually was an absolute
06:47 sitter that Aitnori missed but other than that, Sheffield United kept them at arm's
06:52 length, didn't offer anything really the other way but the second half was a different story.
06:56 They came out with much more aggression, dominated the half, they had lots of chances. So for
07:03 them to concede an 88th minute equaliser after Cameron Archer had scored, that was a real
07:09 morale blow. That was the sort of thing that could finish teams off and from that position,
07:13 you're more likely to lose a game than win it. So to see them come back, to see Oliver
07:18 Norwood score a pressure penalty which obviously VAR has been the talk of this week, the amount
07:23 of time he was stood around in the pouring rain thinking about the enormity of the penalty
07:29 kick he was probably about to take, that was a real pressure kick and there are leaders
07:37 missing from that Sheffield United team in terms of players that are injured but Norwood
07:42 has really stood up as captain. I was really impressed with Trustee at the back in the
07:47 way he, not just the way he defended but the way he organised the players around him and
07:52 that's what it needs in this phase. As I say, they're missing the likes of Egan and Basham,
07:58 they're missing big personalities for the team. It needs other people to step up and
08:04 take the responsibility and that's what happened on Saturday. Obviously the win was by far
08:10 the most important thing but second on the list in terms of encouragement was the character
08:16 and the leadership the players showed.
08:19 And now we turn our attention to the Championship and start with Leeds United who claimed an
08:23 impressive 1-0 victory over Leicester City. That win was their fourth win from their last
08:28 five games and helped them strengthen their position in third place. How did you assess
08:33 the game and how should the team use this result as they head into their game at home
08:37 against Plymouth Argyle, Leon?
08:39 I just think it's a statement victory. There's been a lot of noise and pats on the back,
08:46 justifiably so, in the direction of Leicester. We talk about psychological moments in the
08:52 season with Sheffield United, that just seemed to be one for Leeds there. They've obviously
08:56 gone to Ipswich earlier in the season, a bit of a crazy game, 1-4-3. It was just a really
09:05 top professional performance. We've spoken before about liking the spine of the Leeds
09:10 team, with the Rodons, Ampadu, Kamara had a really good game as well. Root has obviously
09:18 had a lot of deserved bouquets from his direction. He's just one of those teams at the top of
09:29 the table with top two aspirations. What a result. There's obviously still a bit of a
09:40 gap but Leeds are the real deal for me in terms of automatic promotion candidates. There's
09:46 obviously a long, long way to go and variables will come into the mix. We'll have to see
09:51 what transpires in January. But, interesting as well in the regard that Ipswich have dropped
10:01 four points since Leeds won at Leicester, drew against Birmingham on Saturday and obviously
10:12 were pegged back right at the end against Rotherham in midweek. I'm sure Leeds will
10:16 have been grateful for that. I just like that, it just seems to be everything is coming together
10:22 quite nicely at Leeds. Touch wood, a bit of a mix of the silk and steel. You've got the
10:27 flair of Somerville who's having an outstanding time with a bit of late. Bull is chipping
10:33 in, Dan James. But we've got the solidity at the back, the people you can rely on, the
10:38 road-ons of this world. Quite a lot of the players are putting their hand up. They've
10:44 won five of the last six. All the teams as well, to be fair. You're looking at Leeds
10:52 and probably Southampton at the minute who you would think can challenge the top two.
10:59 I think the other thing to say is that obviously an outstanding away winner at Leicester. I'm
11:05 liking the consistency that they're showing at home at Ellum Road. They're unbeaten yet
11:12 so far in the league. That was always going to be for me a bit of an issue. They struggled
11:20 at home in the previous two seasons, albeit against a lot stronger opposition. But there
11:26 was a need earlier in the season to get their act together at home. They're doing that and
11:31 obviously got Plymouth on Saturday.
11:37 I think Leon absolutely hit it on the head with the first words he used there, 'statement
11:41 victory'. The way they were in Leicester's faces right from the start, not intimidated
11:47 by a team that has rightly had a lot of plaudits for the football they've played. They really
11:53 took the game to them, really set the stall out early on. They're just looking in a really
12:00 good position. Daniel Farke has been asked a couple of times in press conferences about
12:05 Leeds' position in the table, is he concerned, is he happy about the gap and all this sort
12:12 of thing. I think from Leeds' perspective, just to be stalking the top two is fine at
12:19 this stage of the season. With Leeds' reputation, with Farke's reputation, so long as they're
12:27 in touch, the teams above them will be constantly looking over their shoulder and just worried
12:33 about what Leeds will do. So long as they're in the top three or even fourth or fifth if
12:44 the gap's quite small by Easter, you'd be quite happy. They just need to be in a position
12:48 to pounce, the opposite of the way they fell away in that first season under Bielsa. But
12:58 yeah, there will have been teams, with it being a Friday night game particularly, there
13:03 will have been teams like Ipswich in Southampton and what have you watching that game on Friday
13:11 night thinking, crikey, these are serious contenders for automatic promotion. As we
13:22 said about Sheffield United, it is just a psychological thing, just continues that momentum,
13:29 continues that belief that when it comes to crunch time they can do something. And it
13:34 makes it easier, there's a lot of competition for places at Leeds United and that can cause
13:40 unhappiness if players aren't playing. But it's a lot harder to be unhappy when your
13:46 team's just outplayed Leicester City without you. You don't have the same arguments so
13:53 it just keeps the ship going along that bit more smoothly. It was a great win for them.
14:00 For Leeds it's just a case of keeping the foot on the pedal. I actually had a bit of
14:05 a busman's holiday and I was at the Plymouth game last weekend and they're a decent side,
14:13 counter-attacking, got in front of them, they've got two or three really good players like
14:19 St Morgan, Whittaker and I thought Fenerzahd was excellent at number 10, Ballet Mumba.
14:26 But I thought defensively they looked susceptible and I would expect if Leeds are at full pelt,
14:34 something like full pelt, for them to be too strong for Plymouth. But I just think looking
14:38 at Leeds at the top end of the table, there certainly are threats there in the likes of
14:43 Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester of course, but they've really just got to control themselves.
14:51 They've got enough talent in there and we're with all in the squad. I think if Leeds don't
14:59 achieve their aims this season it will be to do with Leeds rather than others, to be
15:03 quite honest. They've got enough in the building there and if they just add one or two shrewd
15:08 additions in January you'd hope that they'll be fine but of course still a long way to
15:14 go. But really encouraging signs from Leeds under Farquhar who's just showing why Leeds
15:20 brought him in. In the summer he's got an excellent track record in this division and
15:25 they can look back at their opening third of the season pretty happy about things but
15:32 sort of knowing and listening to Farquhar, the last thing he'll be is satisfied.
15:39 And next we turn our attention to Rotherham United who had to share the points in their
15:43 one-all meeting against Queen's Park Rangers which was followed by an impressive two-all
15:47 draw when they welcomed Ipswich Town to the New York Stadium. The Millers currently sitting
15:52 four points away from safety but the last two performances haven't been that bad. What
15:59 does Matt Taylor have to do to get his side into a more comfortable position, Stuart?
16:05 Just get them more consistent. I've seen Rotherham three times at home this season and everything
16:10 I've seen has been totally out of kilter with their position in the league. Also sort of
16:17 a Hillsborough and then they did look like a team should be in the relegation zone. But
16:23 against Ipswich it was a really good performance. Again, like we were talking about with Sheffield
16:28 United before, key defenders missing and a really good defensive performance. Ipswich's
16:33 top scorer was in the division, they had three shots on target all night, scored with two
16:41 of them plus one in stoppage time. That was with Daniel Ayala playing his first start
16:49 since May, since he was at Blackburn. And Hakim Edofan, who we've come to know as an
16:55 attacking central midfielder, playing centre-back alongside him. It was a really disciplined
17:02 performance. Again, like Sheffield United, you felt when Ipswich went 2-1 up in the 88th
17:12 minute, you felt like this was such a massive psychological blow for Rotherham. But they
17:18 came back, they scored a brilliant goal from Christ Tee in stoppage time to get an equaliser.
17:26 It was a really good performance. If you only saw those games, you would think, how is this
17:39 team possibly adrift in the relegation zone? It just makes no sense. But I think the problem
17:50 is that a small squad with a lot of injuries, reliant on a few players whose fitness record
17:58 has been patchy. Obviously, Ayala signed as a free agent this season with not much football
18:03 behind him for the last six months. Sean Morrison signed as a free agent last season. Same problem,
18:11 and has never really had the rhythm of games. Grant Hall falls into that category as well.
18:19 I think they struggle quite badly with three game weeks. They struggle with reproducing
18:27 that form away from home, which is odd really. One of the things you would say about them,
18:32 or something I would say about them, is that the better the opposition, the more they rise
18:36 to it. Matt Taylor was saying he thinks they play better against teams like Ipswich because
18:41 there's less onus on Rotherham to attack. It feeds into their underdog mentality. You
18:51 would think a team like that would quite relish playing away from home. But apart from the
18:58 draw at Southampton, which was significant, they've been really poor away from home. It's
19:05 really undermined them. They've got to get over that psychological hurdle because the
19:10 ability is there. Sadio Nombé scored his first goal for the club, which was important
19:16 for him having come as a club record signing and struggled to even get game time. Again,
19:22 that was a tick in the psychological box. But it'll all be blown away if they go to
19:28 Watford and put in another limp performance. They need to build on the very good things
19:37 that are there and get more consistency, I suppose, more than anything else. On a night
19:43 like Tuesday, you wouldn't have said there should be four points adrift of safety 15
19:50 games into the season. I think not for the first time. I agree with what Stuart said.
19:54 Not the first time. It just seems to be a season that's going to well be defined by
19:59 Rotherham's away statistics or lack of them really. In the previous three or four seasons,
20:07 it's historical. They really have struggled for victories away from home. They'll go to
20:14 Watford this weekend. I think it's just over the calendar year now, isn't it? The one at
20:20 Sheffield United. All the things that we associate and admire with Rotherham in the past, they've
20:25 shown sporadically this season. Certainly at home, difficult to beat, not feeling sorry
20:29 for themselves. Some power plays in aspects of the performances. They've had a hell of
20:35 a lot to contend with, haven't they? One of the lowest budgets, if not the lowest budget
20:42 in the division, along with Pauly Plymouth. They've had a hell of a lot to contend with
20:48 in terms of injuries and unavailability. They're just managing to keep their heads above water
20:57 and keep in touch with those above them. The next step is just marrying it together and
21:03 just getting a bit more consistency on the road. There's been too many, for me so far
21:10 this season, the negatives. They've gone to places like Huddersfield. They did that game.
21:15 They didn't compete at all. They got rolled over at Millwall. They were heavily beaten
21:20 at Stoke twice. Obviously, Stuart was at the Sheffield Wednesday game as well, where they
21:26 never seemed to really lay a glove on Wednesday in a local derby. As well as it's done in
21:35 terms of the character aspects and battling and chiselling away to get results, they've
21:41 got to produce something away from home, I would say certainly a couple of times before
21:47 the end of the year to really give that transfusion of belief going into the new year in January.
21:53 They've got three of their next four away from home and the home game is Leeds. I mean,
21:58 I've seen how they played against Ipswich. They've nothing to fear from being at home
22:02 to Leeds, but it's not a game you can bank on. So, if Huddersfield, for example, were
22:08 to get their acting order in that time, that gap could widen if they don't pull their finger
22:13 out away from home. I'd say that the ability is there. That's the frustrating thing. I
22:20 think it must be, I'd say some of it is physical in reproducing. You know, they're formed three
22:28 times in a week, but not all of these away games sort of fall into that category. I think
22:33 a big chunk of it is between the ears and it's something they need to address because
22:38 they're just not showing their best often enough. They certainly are showing it in big
22:45 home games, but QPR, you looked at, well, this is a great opportunity to get a win.
22:51 They, by all accounts, showed a lot of character that day, but nevertheless, they didn't win
22:55 the game. It was a missed opportunity and every missed opportunity at home just adds
23:01 to the pressure away. If they could just get that monkey off their back, it could do wonders
23:09 for them. But, you know, they do keep talking about it. They have to do something about
23:14 it. Yeah, I think that's why Saturday's important.
23:18 So, look at the few of the away games down the track. They've got to go to home. They're
23:23 difficult to beat at home, albeit they haven't won as many as they like. They're a hard nut
23:27 to crack at home. They've got to go to Plymouth and before Christmas Plymouth are good at
23:32 home. I think they've got Leicester as well. So, yeah, it just feels like a big game for
23:36 Rotherham on Saturday.
23:37 And now our focus turns to Bradford City, who have announced Graham Alexander as their
23:43 new manager. What do you think we could expect from the new man in charge in terms of playing
23:50 style and how could he approach the team that he's sort of inherited from Mark Hughes-Leon?
23:55 I think, first of all, it's worth saying that, I don't know what Stuart thinks, but I think
23:59 it's a sensible joined-up appointment really. He's someone with a track record of success
24:07 in the lower divisions with to the likes of Fleetwood and he obviously took Salford into
24:14 the Football League and he did a decent job in the circumstances at Scunthorpe. He's not
24:22 a sexy name if you like, Graham Alexander, but he's been around the block, he knows the
24:28 circuit, he was a very well-respected player for the likes of Preston and Burnley, you
24:37 know, a pro's pro. So, yeah, I think it's a solid appointment to me and it's a bit ironic,
24:46 isn't it, he was manager of the month in August and then, such is football, he'd lost his
24:52 job a month and a half later. But I think the fact that MK Don's wanted him to commandeer
24:59 them and hopefully get them straight back up for the first time speaks a bit about his
25:04 reputation. In terms of his style, he spoke well at his press conference. He just basically
25:12 spoke about being adaptable first and foremost. He's been in a situation before where he's
25:19 taken over a club in mid-season. I think he said he'd taken over one in March and December
25:25 and then, I think he said one in January as well. So, being thrust into a club without
25:33 a pre-season doesn't seem like it'll phase him. But if you look at what he's done at
25:39 other clubs in terms of his tactical approach, he has been adaptable. He was saying that
25:45 when he went to Motherwell, he looked at the players that he had there. I think he went
25:50 there in the New Year and they were in a relegation fight and looked at the players he had and
25:57 decided that the direct route would work for them and that's how they got out of trouble
26:03 in the end. He's also spoken about having a possession-based game at Salford. I think
26:10 at the minute he'll have to quickly assess what balance he's got in the squad and getting
26:15 the best out of it. There were spells under Kevin McDonald, the players seemed infused
26:20 by this foot approach, getting more crosses into the box, a bit more higher tempo which
26:27 is a bit of a deviation away from the sort of possession-based game they had under Mark
26:32 Hughes. That'll possibly be the way that Alexander goes with it. He's obviously going to be
26:39 conscious of the fact that you've got to get results pretty quickly. The clock is starting
26:46 to tick. Bradford will still have designs on hopefully getting in the top seven this
26:53 season. So as much as it is about style aspects, the overriding concern is getting some early
27:00 results.
27:01 Yes, I mean 100%. As Leon says, he's not the sexiest name you'll ever get. This is
27:12 League Two, this is the real world. This is mid-season, a team in a bit of bother. You
27:19 want someone who knows the division, you don't want philosophies, you don't want big
27:25 names. They went down the big name route last time and it didn't work. They went down the
27:29 philosophy route last time and it didn't work. You want someone who can look at a squad and
27:33 say this is the best way to play with this squad because you can't change it until January.
27:38 And even in January there's a limit to what you can do. It's a case of, as Leon says,
27:43 like Kevin McDonald did, looking at that group of players and saying how do I get the best
27:48 out of them and how do I get the best out of them to win matches in League Two. This
27:53 guy knows about the level, he knows what's required and Bradford fans just want to be
28:01 in that playoff picture. If they play the most beautiful football Bradford City have
28:05 ever seen, that's a bonus. But first and foremost, they do not want to be in League Two because
28:13 they look around at the crowds they get and the stature of the club and they just see
28:18 a club that's not punching its weight. And anyone who can get them punching their weight,
28:22 whatever style of football they play, however they do it, that's what's needed in the circumstances.
28:30 Let's be honest, watching Phil Parkinson's Bradford wasn't like watching Brazil.
28:35 But it was exciting, it was successful, it was something people bought into and it's
28:42 something Bradford fans would love to see again. Graham Alexander just seems like a sensible guy
28:53 who's got his head screwed on right. He's not going to get caught up in highfalutin ideas about
29:00 doing this or doing that. He knows he's just got to get Bradford in the playoffs at minimum
29:05 this season and then take them from there. And as I say, how they do it really is neither here
29:14 or there. He's got to re-energise that football club because the gate for the FA Cup game at the
29:21 weekend was alarming, just over 3,000. Obviously, cup gates generally are much lower because it
29:28 isn't covered by season tickets, but that was a good indication of how disillusioned a lot of
29:33 Bradford fans are at the moment. They just need someone to re-energise them really. That's about
29:41 putting wins on the board and hopefully Alexander is the man who can be parachuted into a situation
29:50 like this, hit the ground running and do that. It's a bit of a dangerous work talk about
29:57 being encouraged with Bradford, but probably you'd use it anyway. I've had a little look at
30:02 the reaction you gauge on the message boards and on social media. Refreshingly, there seems to be
30:11 a fair amount of realism amongst the Bradford fans saying, "Look, it's a steady, solid appointment,
30:18 somebody who knows the division. It's a name that hasn't got much status." But there seems to be a
30:25 realisation that it's not about personalities and names for Bradford, it's about here and now.
30:31 I think also from the Bradford hierarchy's respect, you look at Alexander, he's relatively
30:42 recently out of work at MK Dons. You look at his record and what other clubs will be changing
30:50 manager in the lower divisions. He's a sort of pragmatic candidate that would
30:55 interest other clubs. You wouldn't necessarily see him being out of work for too long.
31:02 There's that aspect of Bradford maybe nipping him before Alexander went elsewhere and
31:08 made a success of it. I think it's a joined-up appointment. We'll obviously have to wait and
31:19 see how he fares. I think the thing as well is he's come into clubs before in mid-season or part
31:26 way through and took things on relatively quickly is important as well.
31:31 Next we turn our attention to the first round of the FA Cup where a number of our teams took part.
31:38 Was there anything that stood out for you during the first round or was there a fixture that caught
31:44 your eye in the second round draw, Stuart? I think there's a few second round ties which look
31:50 potentially quite tasty. There's a lot of replays to be negotiated first. We've got the possibility
31:58 where we know that Harry are going to Bolton Wanderers. We've got the possibility of York
32:04 versus Wigan and Scarborough Athletic versus Blackpool if the Yorkshire teams can get through
32:14 their replays. Three games against Lancashire opposition with Premier League history and
32:22 FA Cup history. Quite distant in the case of Bolton and Blackpool but three games to really
32:32 look forward to. I think it was good to read about David Stockdale coming back from injury in such
32:41 impressive style for York, keeping a clean sheet there. They've missed him badly in the early
32:51 stages of the season so hopefully York can see off Chester in the replay and set up that game
32:59 against Wigan. Obviously a bit of a heartbreaker for Scarborough to concede in stoppage time to
33:07 Forest Green in their first game in the FA Cup first round proper. But a really good game by
33:18 the sound of it. Playing in front of a sell-out crowd, it's good to see the momentum behind that
33:27 Phoenix club. We've got the possibility of Grant McCann taking Doncaster Rovers to Peterborough,
33:33 that could be quite entertaining. Doncaster had a decent draw with Atherton Stanley where
33:40 by all accounts they gave a good account of themselves. Hopefully they can come through
33:46 with that. Disappointing for Barnsley to be held to a draw by Horsham but that was one of those
33:54 classic 'this is what the FA Cup is all about' moments. The flipside was a really good goal for
33:59 Fabio Gelo. Good to see him making a mark on senior football. I know he's a player that a lot
34:07 of Barnsley fans are very excited about. 17-year-old Portugal youth international. Nice
34:16 to see him getting an opportunity, taking an opportunity and hopefully Barnsley can get the
34:23 job done in the replay. Quite a tantalising draw in terms of the potential for a lot of good games
34:32 but still quite some work to do to actually sew that up. I think there's some quite nice ties
34:39 isn't there? If Scarborough did manage to come through and get Blackpool it would be a nice
34:45 seaside derby of sorts. You look at Barnsley, I'd actually want to get past Horsham and get
34:54 Sutton but I'm sure one or two other ground-hoppers who support Barnsley will be probably
35:00 not too bothered about that at the end, getting Sutton and maybe ticking one off there.
35:08 Partisanship aside it would have been nice for Barnsley to go through obviously but there's a
35:14 Horsham aspect as well. I know there was a lot of disappointment at their end that the game was on
35:20 a Friday night, somewhat controversially, to the police advice. I think it'd be churlish not to
35:31 be happy for them that they're going to get the moment at the home stadium next Tuesday on ITV4
35:39 isn't it against Barnsley. There's a bit of romance there although hopefully not too much romance and
35:45 Barnsley can get through. Horsham are a reminder of course of why it's so important to protect FA
35:54 Cup replays. They're obviously getting undermined and chipped away and goodness knows how long they'll
36:01 last beyond the third round stage. But yeah, really important that clubs like Horsham,
36:06 like Scarborough and other clubs like that get the opportunity to have these big replays and
36:16 just earn their place in the next round rather than the lottery of a penalty shooter.
36:24 It might not be the most glamorous draw in the competition in the second round but if you get
36:29 your place in the half with the big boys, Simon, that can generate and you can get a really big
36:36 fish in the third round. I know there's another argument talking about will the Premier League
36:43 sides play the strongest teams. They probably won't but when you're a lower division side going
36:48 to a leading Premier League side or getting a home tie, it's a huge deal isn't it and obviously
36:56 some welcome money as well. Yeah, I mean the chance to watch York or Aragat or Scarborough or whoever
37:03 or Old Trafford, Anfield, that's what it's about. It's not such a big deal. York City fans don't
37:12 say it was alright going to Old Trafford in the League Cup however many years ago it was but
37:18 Manchester United only played their reserves. York City fans say we went to Old Trafford and
37:23 we beat Manchester United. Full stop, that's what it's about. And as Leon says, second round is all
37:31 about what could be next really but even that notwithstanding, for clubs the size of Aragat
37:39 and Scarborough to have the potential to play at Bolton and Blackpool, they're big second round
37:42 ties in themselves but it's the thought of what could be ahead. But as I say, there are a lot of
37:49 replays to negotiate before we get to that so hopefully we're able to talk about most if not
37:55 all of those teams actually getting that opportunity. Yeah, true, true. And now we
38:00 turn to our final segment for this week's podcast which is our Team and Player of the Week. This
38:07 time we're going to ask Leon for his team, for the team that caught his eye this week and then
38:12 we'll go to Stuart for his Player of the Week. So Leon, which team has caught your eye this week?
38:18 Well I was a little bit torn to be quite honest. Obviously a huge, huge result for Sheffield
38:25 United, more so in the manner of it as well with Wolves equalising at the end and there being a
38:33 welcome twist in the tale at the death. Massive result for everyone connected with the club as
38:38 we've spoken about and the players and more especially for me for Paul Higginbottom, I
38:43 think he really deserved that, his first Premier League win as permanent manager there. So hats
38:51 off to him but I just think the result that Leeds got at Leicester was really, as you said, a real
39:01 showstopper and statement and one that didn't just resonate, or won't just resonate at Ellen
39:09 Rowe but across the upper echelons of the Championship. Arguably the standout result of
39:17 the arguments for the season so far at that level. Leicester had been, the form had just been so
39:26 remorseless hasn't it, look at the tally of points so far and there's a lot of talk about,
39:32 you know already about getting record numbers of points and talking about how much ahead of
39:39 in terms of points there were. Burnley at this stage of last season, Burnley absolutely
39:45 romped home, finished with a wet sail didn't they. So it's got to be the Leeds United result there at
39:55 Leicester that's the one that I'm appalled at. Yeah and in terms of me for the player again,
40:00 it's nice to be spoilt for choice because there's been a few weeks this season where we've been
40:05 scraping the barrel looking for positives. But yeah, I mean if you look at the team of the week,
40:11 they put picks online every week, there's plenty of good candidates there. You know,
40:15 mentioned David Stockdale already, mentioned Dustin Trustee, I was really impressed with
40:20 him in that game. You know, mentioned the sort of excitement around JLo at Barnsley. But again,
40:28 I can't really go away from that Leeds United victory and even within that, lots of candidates,
40:35 you know, Crescencio of Somerville's really having a really good start to the season, catching a lot
40:41 of attention. Important goal for Jorginho Ruta who's done a lot of good stuff apart from scoring
40:48 goals but it was vital for him to get that. But I think it was nice to see TV pick Glenn Kamara as
40:58 man of the match. You know, I think the way Leeds started the season, that central midfield partnership
41:03 between Archie Gray and Ethan Ampadu looked pretty much unbreakable but now Kamara's really
41:10 wedged himself into that conversation and you know, he's not the glamour boy of that team.
41:15 You know, I mentioned a couple of those already but he's the sort of really dependable midfielder
41:23 who just gives you so much going forward and in terms of winning the ball. When you play a passing
41:32 team like Leicester, it's really important to win the midfield battle and I thought Ampadu and
41:38 Kamara did that. I'd go for him as my player of the week. It was a really good performance from him.
41:46 I don't think there's too many arguments with that one. I would say a little mention in
41:52 dispatches, not necessarily for an individual player but I think Huddersfield's defence
41:58 obviously got battered. I don't know if Stuart was there, but it got battered at Ellen Road
42:04 all over the place and you just wondered what's next really in terms of the line-up as well for
42:11 the Watford game. For Darren Moore to get the defensive unit together and for them to be
42:16 pretty strong and get a good clean sheet against Watford was something that caught my eye as well.
42:24 On spectacular levels to name them as a team of the week or any individual of the week,
42:31 but I think in terms of a collective that was pretty important.
42:35 And with their holding midfield that Jonathan Hogg suspended as well. We talked about injuries
42:41 with lots of teams that Huddersfield have had to combat them too. I totally agree with Leon,
42:46 it was a real big psychological test because I not only saw them get battered at Leeds,
42:51 I saw them get battered by Cardiff a couple of days earlier. It was really important they
42:58 respond like that and really heartening to see them dig out a clean sheet. Like we said with
43:02 Rotherham now it's a case of building some consistency because the team's down there,
43:07 that's what they're like, that's why they are down there.
43:09 YorkshirePost.co.uk
43:11 YorkshirePost.co.uk
43:12 YorkshirePost.co.uk
43:14 YorkshirePost.co.uk
43:22 Many thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobtrell who will doubtless join us again soon for more
43:25 discussions on the Yorkshire football scene. But don't forget you can keep up to date with
43:29 all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com
43:35 or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football or even Sheffield
43:38 Sport on Facebook you can find us there as well. If you have any questions for our writers you can
43:43 get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or email us directly with a
43:47 subject matter as Football Talk Podcast at yp.sport@nationalworld.com. As ever,
43:53 many thanks for listening, look after yourselves and bye for now.
44:01 [Music]