ENGLAND 3 SCOTLAND 2
Rickie Lambert applied a Roy of the Rovers finish to a comic strip kind of game as England edged a five-goal thriller with Scotland at Wembley.
The world's oldest international match was an annual staple throughout the comic book hero's halcyon days and a first meeting between the countries in 14 years was a worthy addition on the scroll of 111 fixtures.
Played in a superb atmosphere, and with a passion and intensity seldom seem even in competitive matches at this level these days, Scotland led twice, through James Morrison and Kenny Miller, only to be pegged back by Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.
It was thrilling stuff, in which even debate over Wayne Rooney's fitness was easily cast aside.
And even Scotland would acknowledge there could be no more fitting match-winner.
Lambert has had to scrap every step of the way up the footballing ladder.
Discarded by Blackpool, he spent his early years at Macclesfield, Stockport and Rochdale, before moving south to Bristol Rovers, where he got his big transfer to Southampton.
And Lambert had rode the wave, up through the divisions, into the Premier League and tonight on to the end of Leighton Baines' corner, heading the winner with his very first touch.
Having had victory on their last Wembley visit 14 years ago tarnished somewhat by overall defeat in a Euro 2000 play-off, Scotland must have sensed a real celebration when Morrison put them ahead.
Times have changed somewhat since 1977, when the Tartan Army dug up the penalty area and broke the crossbar after one of their most famous wins.
Yet enough had made the pilgrimage south of the border for some heavy duty acknowledgement of Scottish success to take place should it be required.
A penny for Joe Hart's thoughts on the matter though.
For, though there was venom in Morrison's effort after Shaun Maloney's corner had been cleared to the midfielder by Walcott, Hart should still have kept it out.
The goalkeeper appeared to be in completely the wrong position though, and his efforts to keep the shot out only met with it bouncing in.
Morrison ran away in celebration. Darlington-born he may be and a former England youth player at a number of levels but, thanks to his grandparents, it is to Scotland that he is committed, although at that precise moment it would have been a benefit to Roy Hodgson if he had been able to pick him, as Garth Crooks suggested last season.
For a while, England were ragged.
Watched from the stands by club boss David Moyes, a pundit for ITV, Rooney sparked but too often showed his clear lack of match sharpness.
Rooney almost turned home an early Baines cross and had an effort incorrectly ruled out for offside after Steven Gerrard picked him out with a sublime pass.
But there were plenty of heavy touches too, so it will be very interesting to see how Moyes plans to use him on Saturday, when United open their Barclays Premier League title defence at Swansea.
As it turned out, another Manchester United player created the equaliser.
Tom Cleverley may not be to everyone's liking but Hodgson is clearly a fan. For Cleverley has started each game he has been available for since Euro 2012.
And the first-time pass that sent Walcott clear of the Scotland defence was perfect.
Often criticised himself for poor finishing, the Arsenal man, who had scored just once since that famous hat-trick in Croatia almost five years ago, streaked into the box, steadied himself, cut inside Steven Whittaker and applied a cool finish.
It might not exactly had been preparation for next month's vital World Cup qualifiers with Moldova and Ukraine as Hodgson suggested last week - but it was pulsating stuff.
And following the half-time introduction of Frank Lampard, the sides exchanged goals in a frenetic four-minute burst.
First Miller completely deceived Gary Cahill on the edge of the box before driving a shot into the bottom corner, then Welbeck rose highest in a crowded penalty area to nod home Gerrard's free-kick.
Robert Snodgrass, then Grant Hanley, had to be pulled away from Walcott as temperatures began to boil over, them Lampard chopped down Maloney to stop the Wigan man advancing into dangerous territory.
It was the kind of rough competitiveness rarely seen in friendly matches these days and Rooney must have been sorry to depart midway through the second period as Lambert was handed his debut.
For someone with his background, it was a dream to be on the pitch.
That he should score with his first touch as he powered Baines' corner into the net just made the moment even more magical.
Newcastle United Fixtures ...
Monday August 19
20:00 Premier League Manchester City v Newcastle United *Sky Sports
Saturday August 24
15:00 Premier League Newcastle United v West Ham United
Wednesday August 28
19:45 League Cup - 2nd Rnd Morecambe v Newcastle United *Sky Sports
Saturday August 31
15:00 Premier League Newcastle United v Fulham
Saturday September 14
15:00 Premier League Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Saturday September 21
15:00 Premier League Newcastle United v
Hull City
Monday September 30
20:00 Premier League Everton v Newcastle United *Sky Sports
NEXT AWAY GAME ... MAN CITY
How To Get There And Where To Park
The stadium is located in the North East of Manchester.
From the South M6
Leave the M6 at Junction 19 and follow the A556 towards Stockport and then join the M56 going towards Stockport. Continue onto the M60 passing Stockport and heading on towards Ashton Under Lyne. Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A635 towards Manchester. Branch off onto the A662 (Ashton New Road) towards Droylsden and Manchester. Stay on the A662 for around three miles and you will reach the Stadium on your right.
From The M62
Leave the M62 at Junction 18 and then join the M60 Ashton Under Lyne. Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A635 towards Manchester. Branch off onto the A662 (Ashton New Road) towards Droylsden/Manchester. Stay on the A662 for around three miles and you will reach the Stadium on your right.
Whilst Iain Macintosh informs me; 'I find this an easier route to the ground; Leave the M60 at Junction 24 and take the A57 (Hyde Road) towards Manchester. Turn right onto the A6010 (Pottery Lane). There are quite a number of unofficial car parks on both sides of Pottery Lane, costing around £5 per car. Pottery Lane becomes the Alan Turing Way and goes right past the stadium on your left'.
Car Parking
There is some parking available at the stadium itself which costs £10 per car. The East Car Park is nearest to the away entrance. Please be aware that there is a residents only parking scheme in place in the streets near to the ground, which extends about a mile out from the stadium. So if you want to street park, it means parking further away and then walking to the stadium. Some unofficial car parks have sprung up mostly charging around £5 per car. Terry Ireland a visiting Chelsea fan adds; 'Plenty of car parking spaces were available when we arrived at the stadium around two hours before kick off. However, getting out after the game was a joke. It’s a little like a free for all and took us nearly an hour to exit the car park and be on our way. Meanwhile the unofficial car parks, all but 400 yards away, had cleared, been locked-up and were long gone by the time we passed them on our way home. And they cost the same to park!' Whilst Glen Connon tells me; 'I parked in the K2 car park, which is a field/scrubland, located on Ashton Old Road (A635) at the junction with Pottery Lane (A6010). The entrance is on the south carriageway of Ashton Old Road, about 200 yards from the junction (M11 3AA will get you right outside the entrance). It cost £7, and is staffed throughout the afternoon. The stadium is then a ten-minute walk away'.
Peter Llewellyn informs me; 'The road links are busy even on non-match days so make sure you allow plenty of time. The stadium is part of Sportcity so car users should follow the brown Sportcity signs until near the stadium'.
By Train/Metrolink
The stadium now has its own Metrolink stop on the East Manchester line, called Etihad Campus; this is only a five minute walk from the away end. Trams can be caught from either Victoria or Piccadilly railway stations (or Market Street or Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre), taking a tram towards Droylsden, calling at Etihad Campus (which is on the north side of the stadium, next to the outside catering and toilets at City Square) and then Velopark (south east side of the stadium, near Asda, which is slightly nearer the away fans stadium entrance, but please note this station is closed after the game has ended). Trams are frequent on matchdays (every 6 minutes). The journey time from Piccadilly Station to the Etihad Campus stop is 8 minutes. A return ticket for this journey costs £2.90 for adults and £1.40 for children. Pre-recorded passenger information such as the names of station stops are read out by individual Manchester City players and management!
The new Metrolink stop also makes it easier to park near the motorways and get a tram into the city as the Metrolink has other lines into the city from Oldham, Eccles and Altrincham with parking facilities at several (e.g. at Ladywell near the M62/M602 from Liverpool and Whitefield (near M60 junction 17). For a PDF map showing the stops around the stadium visit the Metrolink website.
The closest railway station is Ashburys which is a short five minute train ride away from Manchester Piccadilly Station. The stadium is about a 15 minute walk away from Ashburys station. As you come out of the station turn left and after proceeding up the road you will come to the stadium on your left.
Otherwise if you have time on your hands then you can embark on the 20/25 minute walk from Piccadilly Station to the stadium. At the bottom of the main station approach turn right into Ducie Street. At the end of the road turn right onto Great Ancoats Street. Cross over the road, then the canal and turn left into Pollard Street - this is well marked as a walking route to "Sportcity". Continue straight along Pollard Street which leads onto the A662 Ashton New Road and you will come to the stadium on your left.
A shorter route from the station is to use the new exit to Fairfield Street (the taxi rank). As you come off the platforms, it’s in the left hand corner of the main concourse. Lifts or escalators down. (There’s also an exit from the little concourse off the bridge near platforms 13/14.) At the street exit head toward the railway over bridge, under that, then left again under the railway (Travis Street continuing into Adair Street), left at the end and right into Pollard Street (then as above).
Alternatively you can get a taxi from Piccadilly Station (around £6) or a bus from Piccadilly Gardens - Go down the main approach from the station, then along London Road to Piccadilly Gardens; normal service buses (216 and 231) leave from the right (north) side of the Gardens (between Lever Street and Oldham Street) and special matchday buses just across the road - £1.50 each way. Service 53 runs round the city's ring road and past the stadium. On the return, the special buses leave from Ashton New Road just across from the away end.
Thanks to Steve Parish for providing the above directions and bus information.
Remember if travelling by train then you can save on the cost of fares by booking in advance. Visit the thetrainline website to see how much you can save.
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