Valuable point for City in the race for the title.


equaliser

By Andy Leggott
March 24 2002

An Ali Bernabia goal, in the 60th minute of a scrappy encounter, gave City a valuable point in a game only memorable for the behaviour, once more, of the Soth Yorkshire constabulary.


First to the game, a scrappy affair on an unprepared pitch against a team determined to kick City off the park and play it up to their big men. Fair credit to Rotheram, they played to their strength and took a point from the game aginst a City side who were perhaps just a little more up for this one than the Stockport game on Tuesday.
Keegan made two changes for this one, the welcome return (briefly) of Eyal Berkovic for Gerard Wiekens and Huckerby back up front for Macken.
The first half was a nothing game on a nothing pitch, City unable to put together their usual passing game due to the physical game played by Rotheram. Nash was having a particularly poor game in goal, struggling to deal with the aerial bombardment of his goal. It came as little surprise when Rotheram scored on half time. Another high ball into the box was not claimed by Nash and despite a goal line clearance by Horlock, Lee was on hand to put the ball away. 1-0 down at half time.
Keegan must have had strong words at half time, City coming out and looking to get back into the game. Rotheram stuck to their game plan but were unable to shackle Bernabia forever. On 60 minutes he broke free of his shackles and was in the box to connect with a Jensen cross, the keeper saved but Ali reacted quickest to slot the rebound home. A deserved equaliser? Well just about. Both teams pressed for a winner without either team looking like getting it. The only chance of note for City was when Wright-Phillips forced a good save from the Rotheram keeper, after Ali had put him through one on one. Rotheram should have been reduced to 10 men for Lee's deliberate elbow into Pearce's face, surely one for the FA to look at. In the end a draw was a fair result and so it proved, a valuable result with Wolves once more showing their famous lack of promotion bottle, drawing 0-0 at home to Norwich. City remain 5 points clear with only 5 games left, surely the 5 points dropped this week just a blip.
Now to our old friends, South Yorkshire Police. To judge by the police presence you would have believed that Rotheram was home to one of those infamous Global Summits. City fans trying to get a drink or arriving by train were subject to what should amount to false imprisonment. Those arriving by train being forced to wait until all trains from Manchester had arrived, an hour in some cases. Those in pubs only being allowed out on production of match tickets and then being forced to wait without toilet facilities, before being marched down narrow alleyways to the ground. Only the patience of the City support and the belief of "some" officers that this was overkill, prevented a major outbreak of trouble. South Yorkshire is the force that presided over Hillsborough, they have learnt nothing. It is not the first occasion when City fans have been subject to their brand of "policing", just ask those that have visited Sheffield wednesday, Sheffield United, Barnsley and now Rotheram in recent years. It is barbaric and humiliating and belongs in the 80's. Unfortunately those that run S.Yorks fail to see this and I fear that it is only a matter of time before they cause problems on a large scale again.
We are football supporters, not criminals.

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