Goala! - The Football League

SAINTS PULL
OFF A BIG
BRICK TRICK
FORGET flowers and chocolates,
Southampton have come up with a
novel present for mums on Mothers
Day – a brick.
The club are offering fans the
chance to buy a personalised brick
for their loved ones which will be
displayed outside their St Marys
stadium.
Saints say sales have been going
well and they hope more fans will
take up the idea before Mothering
Sunday on 26 March.
The bricks are available from £40
and the deadline for applications is
Monday March 13.
AIDY’S HEROES
ON THE TELLY
CHAMPIONSHIP leaders Reading
host surprise package Watford
tomorrow.
ITV’s The Championship will feature
extended highlights from
9.25am on Sunday, along with a
round up of the division’s other fixtures.
Victory for Reading would mean
three wins and they are into the
Premiership. Fourth-placed
Watford are chasing the second
automatic qualification spot.
The next Sky game will be the
Monday March 20 clash between
Southampton and Watford. Kick Off
7.45pm.
CHERRIES FIT
TO GREET THE
UNDER-18s
BOURNEMOUTH will host their
first-ever international at their new
stadium when England Under-18s
take on Slovenia next month.
The club are hoping to raise their
profile as well as some much needed
money when the friendly takes
place at the Fitness First Stadium
on April 2.
Chairman Peter Phillips said: ‘It will
be an honour for the town to host
such a high profile game. We have a
10,000 seater stadium and we hope
to fill it to mark a great occasion.’
STARS TURN OUT
FOR TRAGIC WPC
BRADFORD are hosting a benefit
match in aid of murdered police
officer Sharon Beshenivsky who
was killed on duty in the city last
November.
The game will take place at the
Bradford & Bingley stadium on
Monday May 1.
A Bradford City All Star XI will
take on a celebrity XI featuring a
number of stars from Emmerdale,
Coronation Street, Footballers’
Wives, Soccer AM, and BBC Radio
One.
The £1million
Goal-O-Meter
4,500
£1 million goal target for 2005/06
MARLON KING and Cameron Jerome are slugging
it out for the number one spot in the
Championship goal-scoring chart.
Both players were on target last weekend to help
3,239
Goals scored so far this season
take the total to 3,239 goals this season.
King made it 18 to date as he helped Watford
earn a 2-2 draw against Derby.
But Jerome is hot on his tail after netting goal
number 16 as Cardiff beat Sheffield Wednesday
1-0 at Ninian Park.
Their goals helped take the Championship total
to 1,085 at an average of 2.47 goals per game
over 439 games.
In League 1 Lee Trundle reached the 20 mark
after grabbing a crucial equalizer against
Barnsley in a 2-2 draw.
Freddy Eastwood took his tally to 15 after scoring
the first in Southend’s 3-0 derby win against
Essex rivals Colchester.
League 1 sides average 2.53 goals per game after
netting a total of 1,066 goals in 422 games.
League 2 clubs still edge the goal count with a
total of 1,088.
Carlisle’s Karl Hawley leads the way with 19 but
Mansfield’s Richie Barker closed the gap netting
goal number 15 in a 2-2 draw at Notts County.
If teams manage to reach the golden number of
4,500 goals they will each receive a share of the
Coca-Cola £1 million prize money to invest in
grassroots facilities at their club.
Keep an eye on GOALA! each week to see how
the Goal-O-Meter is filling up in the race for the
£1 million jackpot.
Page 2
MARLON KING
Watford
18 goals
LEE TRUNDLE
Swansea
20 goals
KARL HAWLEY
Carlisle
19 goals
Royals sign up a great WAP2
offer
READING players are offering
their fans memorabilia in return
for registering in the great
Coca-Cola WAP2 competition.
Steve Coppell’s lads will hand
out a signed programme for
every 1,000 entries received,
and a signed shirt to the fan
who enters most times overall.
And next Tuesday March 14
as a special double your vote
treat from Coca-Cola, every
entry received will count as two
entries, doubling the tally
received on that specific day.
A staggering one million
Coca-Cola Ch’ship
TEAM ENTRIES
1 Leeds United 122945
2 Sheffield Wednesday 87770
3 Brighton & Hove Albion 39666
4 Watford 39352
5 Reading 37461
6 Leicester City 30453
7 Plymouth Argyle 27466
8 Luton Town 24969
9 Ipswich Town 22426
10 Southampton 21068
entries have already been registered
as fans scramble to Win
A Player for their club.
Last year 1.1 million entries
were registered during the
80-day promotion and interest
this season has been so
high that last year’s target will
be smashed in under 60
days.
Fans are voting in a bid to
give their team a better chance
of winning £250,000 to spend
on a player.
The more entries a club has –
the greater the chance of
scooping the prize.
Leeds are out in front in the
Championship, having sailed
past the 120,000 barrier.
Gillingham lead League 1
with 52,884 votes and Bristol
Rovers still top League 2 with
42,579 votes.
The supporter pulled out of
the hat first will collect £10,000
from Coca-Cola.
This year Win A Player 2 is
offering two teams a £50,000
runners-up prize in each of the
other divisions.
Fans from these clubs will
Coca-Cola League 1
TEAM ENTRIES
1 Gillingham 52884
2 Southend United 29471
3 Brentford 13679
4 Swindon Town 13285
5 Tranmere Rovers 11665
6 Nottingham Forest 11154
7 AFC Bournemouth 10465
8 Blackpool 10355
9 Bristol City 10042
10 Hartlepool United 9968
also collect £1,000 apiece.
The winners will all be
announced on Sky’s Soccer
AM show on April 29 and will
meet presenters Helen
Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy.
You can only register support
once a day.
To play your part in Win A
Player 2, text the name of your
team to 88555, or enter online
at www.coca-colafootball.co.uk.
The competition closes on
April 25. SPL fans can also
enter. Text messages cost 12p.
Coca-Cola League 2
TEAM ENTRIES
1 Bristol Rovers 42579
2 Stockport County 25534
3 Leyton Orient 15800
4 Wrexham 10196
5 Lincoln City 10135
6 Notts County 9221
7 Oxford United 9194
8 Barnet 8599
9 Wycombe Wanderers 8312
10 Northampton Town 8285
Got a story? Call the GOALA! Newsdesk on 020 7329 2235 or email goala@paulridleyltd.com