Another Awesome Foursome!

By CCFC Sid
March 18 2004

I'm guessing you would have to go back a good few years to find the last time CCFC scored three times in the first eleven minutes! Three times in the first half is rare enough! The play-off charge continues....

True, Preston were hampered by injuries, but few teams could have lived with CCFC during the opening quarter of an hour! (CCFC also had Safri, Suffo, and Morrell unavailable, with regular first teamers Konjic and Whing not selected). CCFC might not quite be matching the Arsenal for sublime displays, but are as good as it gets in D1 at this moment in time....

Gudjonsson opened the scoring for CCFC only minutes into the match, and Shearer kept the score at 1-0 soon after with a fine save from Fuller. A poor goal kick from Lonergan set CCFC on their way again, and Gudjonsson set up Doyle for goal number two after seven minutes. Too easy!

Just after ten minutes were up when CCFC scored their third goal, with a fair few CCFC supporters not even in the ground at this point! The re-signed (And sometimes maligned) Brian Kerr set up Gary McSheffrey to send the lowly crowd of just over 13,000 into ecstacy - the CCFC supporters anyway!

After racing into a 3-0 lead, there was a lull in proceedings while CCFC decided whether they should go for all out attack, or whether to rest on their lead - they opted for attack!

Scott Shearer dealt well with a Preston attack on 25 minutes, and kicked the ball up-field to Joachim, who held off a Preston defender before crossing for Gudjonsson, who headed past Lonergan in the PNE goal. The only thing that was missing from Gudjonsson's display against Burnley was goals, and he was making up for that against PNE!

The panic in the PNE defence was clear to see every time CCFC attacked, and the end of the first half saw CCFC keep the pressure on by forcing three corners, but none of them threatened to add to the scoreline.

While the first 45 minutes were probably as good as it gets, CCFC appeared to have forgotten to join in at the start of the second half, as Preston came out playing like a team that had received one hell of a rollicking at half-time!

One of the few times Fuller escaped from Davenport's pocket, he managed to pull a goal back for Preston - and for a while they threatened to score more. CCFC of old might just have crumbled, but under Black and Knox they are made of stronger stuff!

A shameful dive by Fuller in the penalty area after 58 minutes went unpunished by the referee, and soon after Gudjonsson was unlucky not to grab his hat-trick, lobbing the ball just over the PNE bar.

Davis missed a sitter for Preston in the 67th minute, somehow managing to miss the target with most of the goal gaping. Soon after Shearer pushed a Healy shot round the post, and, much to the annoyance of the PNE fans and players, CCFC were given a goal kick.

Cresswell, usually a thorn in CCFC's side, was sent off after 75 minutes, having been guilty of nothing more than being on the same pitch as David Healy, who was guilty of kicking out at Davenport. Cresswell waited by the players tunnel to see whether his team mates would score from a potentially dangerous free kick just outside the CCFC penalty area, and disappeared down the steps doubly disappointed when it was wasted.

Cuddly Craig Brown (A tabloid newspaper description, not mine!!), who once admitted to being ashamed at having been sent off while managing Scotland, was sent to the stands once more for his protests!

McSheffrey and Joachim again showed that they might just be building up some sort of partnership, and McSheffrey appears to have found an extra yard of pace over recent matches - and they were still causing Preston problems in the very late stages of this match.

Joachim should have added his name to the score sheet, but, having rounded the keeper, he only managed to find the side netting with his shot (A touch of deja vu, as this was a replica of McSheffrey's miss versus Burnley!!).

Konjic came on as a substitute for Kerr with 10 minutes remaining, and, despite having three left-backs on the pitch (Grainger, Warnock, and Staunton), CCFC opted to move Grainger into midfield, and to put Davenport at left-back!!

Olszar replaced Joachim late on, and the man on loan from Portsmouth missed a great chance to become an immediate hero amongst CCFC supporters, somehow managing to put Gudjonsson's cross just wide of the post. He's possibly been told by Courtney Pitt not to do too well for fear of being left out next match....

With two minutes left, McSheffrey was upended in the penalty area, and there was a brief chat with Gudjonsson before it was decided that the Icelander would be given the chance to score his hat-trick. Sadly, his penalty was weak, and saved easily by the PNE keeper.