Category Archives: preston North End

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The Globe and Mail

Winless to start the season and badly in need of a goal with Chicago descending on BMO Field.

Danny Dichio knows all too well what Toronto FC is feeling headed into Saturday’s game.

In 2007, a freshly minted Toronto franchise was 0-4-0 when the Fire came to visit may 12. TFC had been outscored 10-0 going into the game.

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Five years on, Toronto is 0-5-0 and has been outscored 10-2.

Dichio, now head coach of TFC’s senior academy team, put the franchise on the scoreboard for the first time when, falling backwards, he poked in a low cross from Edson Buddle.

Fans celebrated by flipping commemorative seat cushions — someone’s ill-conceived idea of a promotion — like frisbees onto the pitch.

The goal came at 23:13 and fans at BMO Field celebrate that score every home game with a tribute song to Dichio in the 24th minute.

“it was a special one, not only for myself but the club as a whole,” the 37-year-old Dichio said Friday.

Adding to the drama, the six-foot-three target man was sent off later for an altercation in a wild-and-wooly game that featured 43 fouls and two red cards.

“it was a real day to remember,” he added.

His one regret is his family was not there to see it. they were still packing up in England.

TFC was Dichio’s 10th club following stints with Queens Park Rangers, Barnet, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Millwall and Preston North end (England) and Sampdoria and Lecce (Italy).

It could have been Chicago.

Dichio spent time on trial with the Fire — he also had an offer from D.C. United — but ended up in Toronto after a call from then coach and GM Mo Johnston.

Five years and 166 MLS goals later after Dichio’s ice-breaker, Toronto FC is again struggling offensively.

“I thought about it the other day,” Dichio said. “this is Chicago coming again and we haven’t got a win so far and we haven’t scored many goals.

“So maybe this is our lucky team we need to do it against.”

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Hartlepool Utd 3 Notts County 0: Sweeney gets Pools on the move

Published on Saturday 18 February 2012 17:13

Hartlepool United shot up five places to ninth in League one thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Notts County at Victoria Park, writes CRAIG HOPE.

Neale Cooper’s men were in firm control throughout and they made it four unbeaten on home soil courtesy of a brace from Tony Sweeney and an effort from Andy Monkhouse.

Pools stuck with the side which was narrowly beaten at Preston North End on Tuesday night, but Adam Boyd, listed for loan on Friday, returned to the bench.

And it was the young man keeping him out of the side, teenager Luke James, who should have broken the deadlock on 26 minutes.

The 17-year-old was presented with the seemingly routine task of converting from close range when the ball fell into his path from a goalmouth scramble, but somehow he prodded wide.

And team-mate James Brown was guilty of another poor miss when he headed over from six yards having strode unmarked onto Neil Austin’s lofted centre just two minutes later.

But SWEENEY made no mistake from similar distance on 37 minutes when he rose to nod Evan Horwood’s expert centre into the bottom corner for his fifth of the season.

Pools were in control and James could have made it two when checking inside Liam Chilvers on the edge of the area but his right-footed curler flew wide.

The hosts should have been out of sight by the break and Sweeney, in on goal with just Stuart Nelson to beat, lifted over from six yards just seconds before the whistle for the interval.

But Sweeney wasn’t going to pass up another opening of such clarity and 11 minutes into the second half he made it two.

Monkhouse did well to free Austin down the right and when his low centre ran into the stride of SWEENEY, he duly dispatched first time from 12 yards.

And MONKHOUSE got his reward for his part in that goal when he drilled low into the bottom corner 12 minutes from time to cap a memorable afternoon.