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Football: SIDELINES

THE EX-FILES

Phil Shaw,Nick Harris,Paul Newman
Saturday 29 November 1997 00:02 GMT
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When Trautmann

joined County set

In the space of three years in the mid-1960s, Stockport County finished last in the League and Manchester City first. Today they meet in a First Division derby with County 13 places above City - a situation Bert Trautmann must find more bemusing than most.

The former PoW, now retired in Germany, played 508 times in City's goal at Premiership level before sampling life at the foot of the Fourth Division as County's general manager. Curiously, Trautmann is one of numerous keepers to serve both clubs, including Steve Fleet, Alan Ogley, Ken Mulhearn (of City's title-winning side of '68), Barry Siddall, Paul Cooper and current County custodian Eric Nixon.

Stockport also have a tradition of appointing ex-City players as manager. Gary Megson is the latest in a line stretching from David Ashworth in the 1920s, through Bob Marshall before the war and Jimmy Meadows in the "Go, Go, Go County!" era Trautmann helped to launch, to Mike Summerbee and Asa Hartford in recent times.

Stuart Lee and Bill Williams made scant impact on stepping up from Edgeley Park to Maine Road, whereas County's historic role has been to take City's surplus stock, like the splendidly named Albert Emptage, David Shawcross and Ade Mike, or veterans such as Alex Herd and Roy Clarke. Herd, who partnered his son David (later of Manchester United) in County's attack, was part of City's first championship team in 1937. Typically, they went down a year later.

Ten things that Derby County's

Estonian

Mart Poom

might be missing

today

1 Cleaner, Singer Vinger, Metro Luminal and Roovel Oobik. Not exotically named imports to the Estonian league, but top Baltic pop bands.

2 Viljandi's Drama Theatre, traditionally a venue for light farces and comedy but becoming more serious these days. Not unlike Pride Park.

3 Cabbage, cabbage and more cabbage. With cabbage. Cabbage for afters.

4 The Korremia Landscape Reserve, tantalisingly advertised as: "Virgin bogs and forests. Lady's slipper is a rarity here."

5 The plethora of wines, vodkas and other spirits the tourist board have obviously been enjoying.

6 Sixth century towns of unrivalled beauty.

7 Twentieth century towns of unrivalled concrete content.

8 Wrestling.

9 Being idle. One of the country's main selling points according to the tourist board, alongside golf and fishing, is "complete idleness."

10 Being occupied. By the Swedes, the Danes, the Russians, the Germans, the Russians again...

NAME OF THE GAME

No 11: COLO COLO

Happily, the most famous club in Chilean football were not an early sponsorship target by a soft-drinks company. Colo Colo were founded in 1925 by five angry members of the Magallanes team, who disagreed over the choice of a new captain and went off to form their own club. When it came to finding a name, the rebels decided that the local term for a wildcat would be most appropriate. It is not known whether every Colo Colo goal is termed a wildcat strike.

THIS

WEEK

On 2 December 1911, Blackburn Rovers travelled to Manchester to continue their challenge for the First Division title.

Their opponents that day, however, were not their main championship rivals, top-of-the-table Manchester United, but the other local team, and supposed walkovers, Manchester City.

A walkover it was not. Despite being under the stewardship of captain "Cultured" Bob Crompton, an England full-back in the Graeme Le Saux mould, Blackburn lost 3-0, and even suffered the indignity of a Crompton own goal.

On the same day, Manchester United beat Newcastle 3-2, but ultimately it mattered not for Rovers. They went on to win the First Division title that season for the first time, with both United and City well behind.

HISTORY

LESSON

When Manchester City travel today to Stockport County, who are 13 places above their neighbours in the First Division, they might like to look back on the last season the two clubs were in the same division.

The 1909-10 campaign ended with the same margin between the two clubs but, while Stockport finished 13th City won the title. City won both matches against their local rivals 2-1.

The First Division that year looked very similar to today's Premiership, with a top five of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Blackburn, Newcastle and Manchester United.

Football in the south was struggling to make an impact then. In the top two divisions there were only six clubs from south of Birmingham: Tottenham, Bristol City, Woolwich Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham and Clapton Orient.

THis WEEK'S TRANSFERS

TRANSFERS: Thomas Myhre (goalkeeper) Viking Stavanger (Nor) to Everton (pounds 800,00); Bjorn Johansen (midfielder) Tromso (Nor) to Southampton (pounds 200,000); Mitch Ward (midfielder) Sheffield United to Everton (swap); Carl Tiler (defender) Sheffield Utd to Everton (swap); Graham Stuart (forward) Everton to Sheffield Utd (swap deal plus pounds 500,000); Paul Trollope (midfielder) Derby County to Fulham (pounds 600,000); Steve McAnespie (defender) Bolton Wanderers to Fulham (pounds 100,000); Owen Archdeacon (midfielder) Carlisle Utd to Morton; David Curtolo (midfielder) Vasteras (Swe) to Aston Villa (nominal fee); Colin Hill (defender) IFK Gothenburg (Swe) to Northampton (free); Ole Bjorn Sundgot (forward) Bradford City to Molde (Nor) (free).

LOANS: Nicholas Wright (forward) Derby County to Carlisle Utd; Chris Allen (midfielder) Nottingham Forest to Luton Town; Neil Gregory (forward) Ipswich Town to Peterborough Utd; Paul Heckingbottom (defender) Sunderland to Scarborough; Stuart Gray (midfielder) Celtic to Morton; Derek Holmes (midfielder) Hearts to Cowdenbeath; Andy Rhodes (goalkeeper) St Johnstone to Scarborough.

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