English essay

[H_26]

Hi

Does anyone know where I can find an archive report of the coca cup final 1997. Im doing this for my english project.

Thanks

H

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Football_League_Cup_Final

Gives the squads and a bit of info

[Bert]

This may help a little bit....

[Smudge]

If you live near Leicester, you could visit, The Record Office in Wigston; they have archive copies of the Leicester Mercury.

[Zingari]

reports from "The Independent" newspaper archives

Heskey 118 Ravanelli 95

76,757

after extra time

Leicester City 1 Middlesbrough 1

Juninho stood alone, a Boro scarf around his neck, a Brazilian flag on his shoulder, still struggling to believe what he had seen. The Coca-Cola Cup final had just finished and the little Brazilian bore the disbelieving look of a man robbed of something precious.

Middlesbrough did not lose yesterday's final, it just felt like it. Leading through Fabrizio Ravanelli's goal after four minutes of extra time, they were shattered by Emile Heskey's scrambled equaliser two minutes from the end.

It was a dramatic finale to an ordinary game but it was nothing new for Leicester. At Wembley 10 months ago, in the promotion play-off final, they left it even later before Steve Claridge defeated Crystal Palace. No team, not even Wimbledon, can best this club for heart.

Middlesbrough certainly cannot: their galaxy of foreign stars all disappointed. Ravanelli may have scored but he missed two fine chances and, like Emerson - a curious man of the match - spent too much time complaining. Mikkel Beck was simply anonymous while Juninho took too long to make an impact.

Some will say the poor quality of this game is another argument for scrubbing the competition. They may not recall that the last FA Cup final, featuring the two biggest names in the game, was even worse. The pleasure both sets of fans derived from simply being at Wembley justified the League Cup's continued existence.

The replay is at Hillsbrough on 16 April. Before then Boro have pressing League business to attend to. Coventry's unexpected victory at Anfield yesterday has dropped them back into the relegation zone. Instead of returning home last night dreaming of Europe, they had the Nationwide League on their minds.

There was much else for Middlesbrough to ponder. Only in extra time, when Leicester tired, did their superior quality show. That moment after the match was one of the few occasions Juninho had been alone all afternoon. Pontus Kaamark, Leicester's Swedish international defender, never left his shoulder during the game.

For understandable reasons Martin O'Neill, the Leicester manager, had set out to stop Middlesbrough first and hope to nick something at the other end. Mike Whitlow came in to make up a flat back four, Heskey dropped deep on the left to make a midfield four, and Kaamark watched Juninho.

This nullified Middlesbrough but it also left Leicester's attack bereft of pace, and Steve Claridge without a partner. Add a referee, Martin Bodenham, who allowed all manner of checks and holds to go unpunished in the mistaken belief it would help the game flow, and you had a soporific first half. The only incident of note was a wide shot by Ravanelli after a neat dribble. Even the supporters, so vibrant at the start, had fallen silent.

It had to get better in the second period. Fortunately it did. With Heskey pushed further forward Leicester now had a threat and Middlesbrough more space. In addition, Kaamark, having been booked after 37 minutes for fouling Juninho, now had to be more careful in his marking.

It took just six minutes for Middlesbrough to press but Leicester's defence was equal to the challenge. Whitlow made a crucial tackle on Juninho, Steve Walsh headed clear from Ravanelli then steered Nigel Pearson's goal-bound shot wide. Led by the inspirational Walsh, they covered for each other throughout with a succession of key tackles and blocks.

They also launched a few attacks of their own, with Mark Schwarzer having to make his first save, from Whitlow's header, after 57 minutes. Six minutes later Heskey rose to Garry Parker's free-kick and bounced a header off the bar but, in between, Kaamark had made a magnificent headed clearance as Juninho closed in on Ravanelli's cross.

With 13 minutes remaining, Ravanelli almost scored. Taking advantage of the temporary absence of Spencer Prior, who was being treated on the touchline, he glanced Craig Hignett's cross on to the far post. Prior returned and almost gifted Hignett a goal, but Kasey Keller reacted quickly to block. It was his first real save, an indication of the quality of Leicester's defending.

Middlesbrough had gradually taken over as Leicester's legs grew heavy and, as the game moved into extra time, they penned City back. They should have scored after two minutes, but Beck's cross again fell to Ravanelli's weak right foot. Two minutes later a chance finally came to his left. Juninho danced into the box and, though Neil Lennon halted him, the ball rolled to Ravanelli. Boom, the silver fox thumped in his 11th goal of the competition.

The running foxes kept running. Mark Robins came on, Walsh was pushed into attack. With two minutes left he headed Robins' cross back across goal to Heskey, who headed against the bar. He, Claridge and a clutch of defenders dived in for the loose ball and Heskey got the crucial touch.

Goals: Ravanelli (94) 0-1; Heskey (118) 1-1.

Leicester City (4-5-1): Keller; Grayson, Prior, Walsh, Whitlow (Robins, 105); Lennon, Parker, Kaamark, Izzet (Taylor, 107), Heskey; Claridge. Substitutes not used: Poole (gk).

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Cox, Pearson, Festa, Fleming; Hignett, Emerson, Mustoe, Juninho; Ravanelli, Beck. Substitutes not used: Vickers, Moore, Blackmore.

Referee: M Bodenham (Cornwall).

Bookings: Leicester City Kaamark, Grayson, Prior, Heskey; Middlesbrough Beck, Juninho, Cox.

Man of the match: Walsh. Attendance: 76,757.

Claridge's five-star silver service

COCA-COLA CUP FINAL REPLAY: Leicester's determination is enough to end 33-year wait and leaves Middlesbrough in despair

Leicester City 1

Claridge 100 Middlesbrough 0

After extra time

The late blossoming of Steve Claridge's extraordinary career found full bloom at Hillsborough last night, as the veteran striker won Leicester their first trophy for 33 years.

Claridge's goal, after 100 minutes of the Coca-Cola Cup final replay, also condemned Middlesbrough to, at best, another month of waiting for silverware after 121 barren years.

It could well be longer. Boro, who are back at Hillsborough to meet Chesterfield in the FA Cup semi-final in six days' time, will find it hard to get over this defeat. Ten days ago they were within two minutes of winning the competition at Wembley - now they have just losers' medals to remember their Cup run by.

Few neutrals will remember the final, it was epic only in terms of length. This match was better than the first game, but after a bright start it gradually deteriorated as Leicester's relentless endeavour squeezed the life out of Middlesbrough's foreign flair.

Not that that will worry Leicester, even if Pontus Kamark, who again man-marked Juninho, went into the match declaring such a practice to be immoral. Their fans will retort that, when you lack millions, you make up for it with heart.

Claridge, whose last-minute goal won Leicester promotion in May, epitomises that mood. Having squatted in a directors' flat at Cambridge, trained in dog muck at Aldershot and gambled away his pay-off after being rejected as a teenager, he appreciates what he has now. So do Muzzy Izzet, edged out by the foreign invasion at Chelsea, Steve Walsh and Neil Lennon, who have suffered potentially crippling injuries, and Simon Grayson and Garry Parker, whose family lives have been marked by sadness and worry. Middlesbrough are not dilettantes, but such spirit is hard to quench. They do have some with a similar passion, Juninho, a millionaire but also a worker, stood in disbelief at the end, barely able to comprehend his team's fate as opposition and foe consoled him.

The Brazilian had a very quiet match. Bryan Robson had pushed him forward to play alongside Craig Hignett in a Christmas-tree formation behind Fabrizio Ravanelli in an attempt to thwart Leicester's man-marking. For a while it worked, with Leicester effectively playing five at the back. Emerson enjoyed the resultant space in midfield, while Hignett proved hard to shackle.

Hignett had a powerful ninth-minute shot deflected wide and only telling tackles by Walsh on him and Spencer Prior on Juninho kept Middlesbrough at bay. But gradually Leicester fought their way back. Parker's passing, aided by the willing running of his cohort Lennon, gave Heskey a platform to harry the Boro defence. After 25 minutes he and Claridge set up Parker, whose shot from just outside the area was shovelled by Ben Roberts into the path of Mike Whitlow. However, the defender could only lash the ball wide of the far post.

Heskey then just failed to control a glorious 50-yard pass from Parker, Lennon shot wide, then fed Heskey who shot past Roberts only to see the ball rebound back from the far post.

Boro responded after the break with Ravanelli setting up Juninho for a 20-yard shot which dipped just over the bar. Middlesbrough continued to control the second half, penning Leicester back but creating few chances. At this stage City were creating nothing, and the chant that rolled down the red and white bedecked Kop of "Boring, Boring Leicester" seemed harsh but fair.

Leicester did respond in the best possible fashion, carving out a series of half-chances, though only Claridge's header, seven minutes from the end of normal time, brought Roberts into action.

They began the extra period the brighter, Grayson and Lennon having chances before Claridge struck. Whitlow's deep free-kick was won by Steve Walsh and the unmarked Claridge swivelled to volley in.

The Leicester fans went delirious with joy. It was the first time Boro had been behind in more than three and a half hours of the tie, and within a minute they could have been level. Emerson, bursting from midfield, played a one-two with Hignett, he shot from near the penalty spot but Kasey Keller made an outstanding save.

He also saved from Alan Moore, then watched with relief as Ravanelli's feared left foot for once misfired from inside the box. It was to prove Middlesbrough's last chance. They now have to lift themselves for a hugely important relegation battle at Sunderland this weekend, while Leicester can start thinking of playing in Europe for the first time since a brief foray in the Cup-Winners' Cup in 1961. This competition has its detractors - but you won't find any in Leicester today.

Leicester City (4-1-3-2): Keller; Grayson, Walsh, Prior, Whitlow (Lawrence, 109); Kamark; Izzet, Parker, Lennon; Claridge (Robins, 117), Heskey. Substitute not used: Poole (gk).

Middlesbrough (4-3-2-1): Roberts; Cox (Moore 105), Pearson, Festa (Vickers, 76), Kinder; Mustoe, Emerson, Blackmore; Juninho, Hignett (Beck, 105); Ravanelli.

Referee: M Bodenham (Looe, Cornwall).

edit ; not sure if can be reproduced so here is link

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/claridg...ce-1267700.html

[H_26]

Thank you to the people who have contributed to this page. It has made me enjoy myself writing an english essay. Also brought amazing memories back of my first ever game. This was truly the best way to see how city played. Now Im hooked. Annoying that I dont live in Leicester or the outskirts.

H xxx

[Fox92]

When I was at school, a few years ago now, I did an essay on Leicester v Preston when the Preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergon scored against us from his own area.

Also, Trevor Benjamin scoring from a beautiful Gareth Williams free-kick.

[H_26]

I left school 13 years ago. Re doing my GCSE English so I can hopefully go and teach in the end.