Kids watch: Eccleston does the trick, Hammill continues Saint futility, Anderson settles for assists, & more

Nathan Eccleston is looking more and more the business. The 16-year-old Manchester product netted three more goals today in the U18s 5-0 annihilation of West Brom. The same West Brom that held them scoreless just a month-and-half ago. That brings the young striker's tally to 15 in 16 matches. Did I mention that in three of those matches he played less than a total of 120 minutes? The kid's scoring pace has been impressive to say the least. Just imagine our side five years from now if he, David Amoo, Marvin Pourie, Gary Mackay-Steven, and the whole plethora of young International hopefuls continue to progress and develop into Premiership-quality players. We're going to be world-beaters even if a fraction of them 'make it'.

(Oh, by the way, my friend Ciara wanted me to mention that Michael 'Fekkin' Magic' Collins also scored. Typical Irish.)

The thing about Eccleston is that he didn't come with all the hype that accompanied most of our other Academites. I wouldn't necessarily say he came out of nowhere, but he did work his way from a player who wasn't even on the bench at the beginning of the season to playing every minute of our last 13 matches. That is deserving of recognition and commendation alone. In the article I linked above, Hugh McAuley seems to hint at the 16-year-old possibly already moving up the ladder and playing for the Reserves as early as this spring, an impressive feat nonetheless.

Apparently, England has no talent at the youth level, which is easily rubbished by pointing out Eccleston. He plays on a youth side with players from all over the world, Dean Bouzanis is an Aussie, Shane O'Connor and Michael Collins are Irish, Ayala is Spanish, Astrit Ajdarevic and Alexander Kacaniklic are Swedish, Gary Mackay-Steven is Scottish, and Marvin Pourie is from Germany. Pourie and Collins are both forwards as well, competing for time with the Manchester kid, but despite the German's prolific scoring record, he now sits second fiddle to the Englishman.

Since I'm on the subject of the Academy, I was wondering where all our other 'baby galaticos' are? It appears Argentine ace, Gerardo Bruna, despite being just 16, will train with the first team and get some time with the Reserves. Finnish wonderkid, Lauri Dalla Valle, also 16, arrives in January and it is rumored that he'll do the same and young Spanish star, Dani Pacheco, 17, has seen minimal time with the Reserves already. Who knows about Ayala, he might be injured, but I haven't heard much of him lately.

I'm beginning to wonder if Southampton is the right fit for Adam Hammill. Just when it looked as if he was settling in after a two assist outing, leading the Saints to a 4-0 thrashing of Hull, he was essentially a non-factor in his club's 1-1 draw at Coventry. In fact, he was taken off the pitch in the 68th minute with the score at one apiece. At least it ended in a draw. The Saints next play a home fixture on Saturday with Preston, the team of none-other-than Neil Mellor who scored just his second goal of the campaign this season, helping the Lilywhites defeat Burnley.

Paul Anderson has decided to no longer score goals and now just set them up. The 19-year-old Wirral wonder got two more assists today to help Swansea win 3-0 at the Liberty over Southend. Anderson only played 59 minutes before being replaced by Thomas Butler. With Leyton Orient taking it up the arse, 0-1 at the hands of Carlisle, the Swans now sit all alone atop the League One table, a point and a goal clear of the aforementioned Cumbrians, which they travel to on Saturday. Anderson, like Hammill at Dunfermline last season, appears to be turning me into a Swans supporter. Hell, if Rafa goes, this blog will be changed to Swans Banter?

Since Hartlepool wasn't playing a side that featured another Liverpool player on-loan, they won, 3-0. Godwin Antwi started and played the full ninety. The Monkey Hangers head to Swindon next Saturday. Finally, Ryan Flynn failed to make the bench for Hereford. Shocker.

Kids watch: Academy kids destroy Wycombe, Southampton finally wins with Hammill, Antwi loses to Peltier, & more

The U18s began their double defence of the FA Youth Cup with a resounding 5-0 shellacking of Wycombe. The Wanderers were undefeated in thirteen contests coming in while racking up a ridiculous +27 goal difference. Though they managed to hold our boys for the first half, an explosion of goals in the second, led by a brace from Nathan Eccleston, crushed the young Chairboys' hopes and dreams of the upset. I was utterly shocked to read about this win, especially considering Wycombe's dominance of all previous comers and the fact that it was at their house. Here are some other pics from the contest.

Adam Hammill may have finally had the match that gives him the belief of shining in the Championship. The flashy left-winger set up at least two goals and possibly three in the Saints 4-0 demolition of Hull City last Saturday. The most important aspect is that his side won, a first when the 19-year-old starts. Hopefully this will give George Burnley confidence in the youngster to make him a regular starter.

Godwin Antwi has continued his futile streak when it comes to on-loan 'derbies'. The twenty-year-old has now been on the third losing side of Hartlepool when they face a club featuring another Liverpool player on-loan. This time it was Lee Peltier and Yeovil Town thrashing the Monkey Hangers, 3-1, at Huish Park. I'm not sure if it's a continued sign of hard luck or an emphasis of his value to the side, but after going up 1-0, Antwi had to go off the pitch to receive treatment and while his side was down to ten men, the Glovers scored a pair to take the lead. Both players played the full ninety.

Swansea is on a roll and though Anderson has cooled off on his goal-scoring pace, when the 19-year-old Wirral product plays, the Swans usually get a result. In fact, they are undefeated in his last 19 appearances. Unbelievable. Their lastest match was a 6-2 drubbing of Horsham in the FA Cup. Though Anderson failed to net, he did have one disallowed for reasons unknown and assisted on at least one other. The Swans still sit atop the League One table with a match-in-hand and a considerable goal difference differential of 13 over table top sharers, Leyton Orient. They play Southend at the Liberty on Saturday.

Finally, Danny Guthrie played the full match in Bolton's 4-1 win over Wigan at the Reebok. The 20-year-old failed to score, but did collect his first career Premiership booking. Ryan Flynn has still yet to feature for Hereford and if you haven't heard, Besian Idrizaj, Craig Lindfield, and essentially Robbie Threlfall, have all concluded their loan spells. Cheerio.

Kids watch recap: Németh nets brace as Reserves crush Everton, Lindfield returns to LFC, Peltier Injured, & more

Krisztián Németh netted a pair for the second straight contest as the Reserves took the mini-derby, three to nil, at Halliwell Jones. It also saw the return of 19-year-old Spanish midfielder Francisco Durán, who came on in the 76th minute after being out for nine months with a knee injury. Leto was apparently quiet throughout, but Nabil El Zhar garnered Man of the Match honors from the official site. The squad currently sits 6th on the Premier Reserve League North table, but with a match-in-hand over everyone else except Middlesborough, they could go atop when they host 'Boro on December 10th.

Plenty of kids-on-loan yesterday found their names on the starting sheet, though no one managed to net. Most surprisingly may be Adam Hammill, who got the call for just the third time this season from George Burnley. The good news is, the Saints didn't lose this time as they have Hammill's previous two starts, the bad news is they not only didn't win, but failed to score as well in the 0-0 result at St. Mary's.

Paul Anderson returned to the starting line-up for Swansea and helped them win 3-0 over Northampton. The 19-year-old winger played the entire match, so it appears his injury worries are behind him. The three points keeps the Swans atop the League One table with now only Carlisle having a chance to overtake them with their match-in-hand. Coincidentally enough, the two sides meet on December 22nd.

Godwin Antwi started for Hartlepool and they actually won, 3-1, over Tranmere. The 'Pool had been winless in the five previous League One matches with Antwi from the outset, posting an 0-1-4 over that span. Unfortunately, the Rovers loan goal was due to a free kick on a questionable foul committed by the 19-year-old.

The only other player to see the pitch for his temporary club was Lee Peltier at Yeovil Town. The 20-year-old defender/midfielder started for the Glovers in their 2-1 win over Bournemouth, but was taken off in the 58th minute after suffering some sort of knock. I've yet to find any details about the injury, but will post accordingly.

In shocking news, Besian Idrizaj was no where to be found for Crystal Palace, though the Eagles did defeat QPR and their Chelsea on-loan contingency at Loftus Road, 2-1. Ryan Flynn failed to make his debut for Hereford United.

Finally, Craig Lindfield has ended his one month on-loan spell at Meadow Lane. Notts County no longer required the services of the 19-year-old after their roster was boosted by the return of a couple of injured strikers. It's probably not the best of times for Lindfield to return to the Reserves with the emergence of Németh and Jordy Brouwer playing well, but I guess he'd have to fight for a spot anyhow.

The only kid in action over the next two days is Danny Guthrie, as Bolton take on Red Star Belgrade at the Marakana in an UEFA Cup tie tomorrow. A win gives the Wanderers a decent chance to get through to the knockout stages, but a draw or loss puts too much emphasis on the results of group rival, Sporting Braga, who have a match more to play and sit just a point behind Bolton. Cheers.

Kids watch: Anderson returns, Leto back for mini-derby, Threlfall returns to Anfield, & more

Paul Anderson is expected to be back on the pitch for Swansea today when the Swans take on Northampton in a League One fixture. The 19-year-old winger suffered a slight knock on the knee against Hartlepool last Tuesday and missed his club's FA Cup draw at Horsham last Friday. The Swans still sit atop the League One table though by game-in-hand, Nottingham Forest could overtake them with just a draw and Carlisle United both could surpass them with a win. The Cobblers currently sit in 17th place, 12 points off the pace.

Every other fit, on-loan kid currently playing in the Football League could see action today as well. Godwin Antwi and Hartlepool host Tranmere, Lee Peltier and Yeovil welcome Bournemouth, Adam Hamill and George Burnley's side take on Sheffield Wednesday at St. Mary's, Besian Idrizaj probably won't get on the pitch for Crystal Palace as the Eagles travel to Loftus Road to take on QPR, Craig Lindfield and Notts County will look to put their FA Cup woes behind them when Peterborough United come to town, and finally, Ryan Flynn may or may not get his debut with Hereford, as the Bulls play Wycombe at Adams Park. Speaking of Hereford, Robbie Threlfall has returned to Anfield to undergo treatment for his ankle injury and is expected to be out until the new year.

Finally, the Reserves take on Everton at Halliwell Jones tonight. Sebastian Leto, who I guess was out with a knock, will return. The starting line-up is expected to be:
Dean Bouzanis
Emiliano Insua
Mikel San Jose
Ronald Huth
Martin Kelly
Sebastian Leto
Damien Plessis
Jay Spearing
Nabil El Zhar
Jordy Brouwer
Krisztian Nemeth

Subs:
Peter Gulacsi
Stephen Darby
Daniel Pachecho
Ray Putterill
Francisco Duran

Interesting to see Martin Kelly starting over Stephen Darby. I haven't seen Kelly play much, but Darby is a more than adequate Reserve right back. Hungarian wonderkid Krisztian Nemeth gets another start, that's good, but any speculation that he'll break into the first team any time soon is simply laughable. Physically, he's got to get stronger and not lose pace in the process, and also when a player is that young (he's 18), if they're either good enough for the first team right away (like a Michael Owen), then they rarely play for the reserves except for a running out. Cheers.

Kids watch: Not a good weekend to be on-loan from LFC

Robbie Threlfall got injured, Ryan Flynn absent, Godwin Antwi played, but his side lost, Craig Lindfield forgotten as Notts County suffered an FA Cup embarassment, and Adam Hammill barely got on the pitch as his side won.

In a face-off of two clubs with Liverpool kids on-loan, Hereford United beat Hartlepool United, 2-0, in second round FA Cup proper. Unfortunately though, none of our youngsters walked away from the pitch smiling. For the Bulls, Robbie Threlfall started, but had to be taken off due to injury just 26 minutes into the match, and Ryan Flynn, who had just joined the club in the past week was overlooked for the squad. On the other side of the pitch, Godwin Antwi played the full ninety, but obviously, his side lost. No news on the extent of Threlfall's injury as of yet, but I'll be sure to keep blog readers informed.

Craig Lindfield may have lucked out by not being used at all in League Two side Notts County's 0-1 humbling loss to Conference South club Havant & Waterlooville. I've been unable to find any explanation as to why the 19-year-old Wirral product was omitted from the squad entirely, he was on the bench in their last match and there's been no evidence of injury. The loss is a financial disaster for the club as they miss out on the next round of FA Cup action, which could have meant a Premiership opponent and extra cash to spend in the January transfer window.

Although it appeared Adam Hammill was finally breaking into regular first team ball at Southampton after starting his club's last match, such thoughts now seem a bit premature. When the Saints took on Leicester at Walkers Stadium on Saturday, Hammill found himself on the bench and only got on for a run-out in the 85th minute. What probably makes things worse is that Southampton won and as long as they continue to do so, barring injury of course, Hammill can't expect to be more than just a sub.

Finally, Swansea take on Northampton at the Liberty tomorrow in League One action. As of now, it looks like there's a good chance Paul Anderson will play, how much though is still uncertain. I'll be back tomorrow with another kids watch update. Cheers.

Kids watch: Anderson unfit, Antwi vs Threlfall & Flynn, U18s take on Man U, & more

Paul Anderson didn't travel with the Swans this evening as the club headed to Atspeed Stadium to take on Horsham in second round FA Cup action. His injury is now being described as 'dead leg', which for some reason conjures images of Peter Jackson's Braindead. I'll let you work that one out. Anyhow, Swansea's next match is a League One tie Tuesday at home against Northampton, hopefully Anderson will make his return then and there'll be no zombie babies in the crowd. Had to, sorry.

In another FA Cup match, Godwin Antwi's Hartlepool travel to Edgar Street on Saturday to take on Hereford where Robbie Threlfall and Ryan Flynn are currently breaking in their boots. Both Antwi and Threlfall are expected to start for their respective clubs, while there's a good possibility Ryan Flynn could make his debut for the Bulls.

In the Daily Echo today, there's an article about our own Adam Hammill amd his recent trials and tribulations at Southampton. While the author of the piece seems to think that Hammill played a great match at Ipswich last Tuesday, the comments appear to tell a different story. I guess slagging off a 19-year-old who has hardly had a chance to play is the status quo when it comes to the class of the average Southampton supporter. The Saints travel to Leicester on Saturday where Hammill is expected to start.

Other on-loan kids who could see action includes Craig Lindfield, who's Notts County have a second round FA Cup tie at home against Conference South side, Havant & Waterlooville. In all likely-hood, Lindfield will get the starting nod, but as for Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, who knows? The Eagles are home against West Bromwich, but whether or not our on-loan Austrian will even make Neil Warnock's bench is yet to be seen. In Spain, Xerez is at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, but these days, Besian appears to have a better chance of playing than Miki Roque.

Finally, the Academy kids take on Man U in a rematch of last year's FA Youth Cup final, though only our Swedish behemoth, Astrit Ajdarevic, Steven Irwin, and Sean Highdale remain from the winning side. The Saturday morning match is apparently being held at Old Trafford. The kids are hoping to make manager Hughie McAuley forget their last outing, a 0-3 loss to Man City. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Quaresma wants weeping, Ferreira just wants focus, Lucho laidback, but Kuyt confident

Ricardo Quaresma has volunteered to be the Matías Delgado of today's match. Remember Delgado the Beşiktaş midfielder who proclaimed prior to the 8-0 thrashing his club suffered at the hands of our boys that 'This Liverpool side is vulnerable and not the super team of previous seasons'? Yeah, wasn't so smart, well, Ricardo Quaresma has one-upped the Argentine by declaring that he wants to make us fans cry. His exact words were 'They will weep with despair.' If our boys needed any more motivation, well, there you go. I hope Mascherano personally humbles 'the Q' himself.

Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira just wants his side to remain focused. Though it would appear that all the current turmoil involving Rafa and the owners would be more of a distraction for our side than his, Ferreira doesn't want his players thinking that we won't be at the top of our game because of it. He needs not look further than Barça in our tie with the Spanish club at Camp Nou last year as proof that controversy sometimes helps a side play better. After all, football is merely just a distraction in itself.

Dragões captain, Lucho González, feels all the pressure is on our side and along with Porto's carefree attitude, could be the right ingredients for an upset. He may be right, but he fails to take in consideration that our club tends to thrive on pressure. Porto also needs to remember that despite a woeful performance from our side when we played them at Estádio do Dragão, they still required a penalty to get the draw. We had one attempt, mind you not just one shot-on, that entire match, and failed to earn a single corner as well.

Dirk Kuyt has nominated himself to be the voice of the rallying cry this time. Talk is cheap, boys, just get it done.

In other news, former Academy product and brief first-team midfielder, David Thompson, has decided to throw in the towel on his career due to knee injury. The 30-year-old played in 56 total matches for our side between 1996 and 2000, tallying five goals.

Finally, it appears the knee injury that forced Paul Anderson off the pitch yesterday is being assessed as not serious and only 'badly bruised.' The on-loan at Swansea winger is very doubtful for his club's FA Cup venture to Horsham on Friday night, but will most likely be back next Tuesday to face Northampton in League One action. I'll be back later with the starting line-up against Porto. Cheers.

Kids recap: Paul Anderson injured as Swans go top & Németh nets brace in Reserves victory

The news out of Swansea is that Paul Anderson had to leave the match with Hartlepool United today in the 53rd minute due to a knee injury. No word on the extent of the knock as of yet, but he was able to 'limp off' the pitch. Despite losing the speedy, young winger, the Swans were able to win 1-0 on an 82nd minute strike from Spanish defender Angel Rangel. It was Rangel's first goal for the club and put his side atop the League One table with 31 points and a +11 goal difference. As soon as I hear anything about the fitness of Anderson, I'll be sure to mention his status in a post.

Also in that match, Godwin Antwi started and played the full ninety for the Monkey Hangers, so I guess he's back in the good graces of manager Danny Wilson. As for our other on-loan boys, Adam Hammill got a rare start for Southampton and played the full match, but failed to be a factor in the Saints 0-2 loss at Ipswich. Besian Idrizaj wasn't even on the Crystal Palace squad who beat Preston North End 2-1 at home. Neil Warnock and Liverpool aren't exactly on the best of terms dating back to the Gérard Houllier days and leading up to last year when Warnock blamed Liverpool for playing weak sides that essentially assisted in Sheffield United's relegation. I hope Idrizaj isn't suffering the brunt of Warnock's Liverpool disdain since the young striker signed with club on a one-year loan back before Warnock became their manager. Hopefully Rafa is keeping an eye on the situation.

Finally, our Reserves side notched a 3-2 win at Man City to go third on the Barclays Premier Reserve League North table. A brace from Hungarian debutant Krisztián Németh along with a strike from Jordy Brouwer with three minutes in regulation supplied the goals. It's got to be encouraging that a side missing three of it's more important players can go on the road and beat a quality side like City. The Reserves next match is scheduled a week from today when Everton visits Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Kids watch: It's Anderson vs Antwi, Hungarians to make Reserves debuts, Third-straight FA Youth Cup peril, & more

In League One action today, Hartlepool travel to the Liberty to take on Paul Anderson and the Swans. Godwin Antwi is on-loan to the Monkey Hangers and though he played the full ninety on Saturday, his inclusion in the starting XI is nothing definite. The 2-1 loss at Gillingham was the first time in over a month that the Ghanaian-Spanish centre back/defensive midfielder has played in a League One match for Hartlepool. Once again Swansea has a shot to top the League One table with a win.

Hungarian striker Krisztián Németh and keeper Péter Gulácsi are set to make their Reserves side debut tonight at Man City. Oddly enough, Sebastián Leto and Jack Hobbs were excluded from the side. Does that mean they'll play a part against Porto tomorrow? I can definitely see Leto playing in some sort of capacity and Hobbs on the bench as a precautionary measure, especially with Agger still apparently unavailable. I guess Lucas is now rightfully considered a member of the first team. I'll be particularly curious to see how Németh does for us tonight. If I have the time, expect a review, but with our match tomorrow, don't hold your breathe.

The chance of our youth side winning a third straight FA Cup took a huge blow when we drew perennial teenage powerhouse Wycombe. The young Wanderers have strung together an alarming run of results to start their season, which has them undefeated in 12 matches (8-4-0) with a stunning goal difference of +26. That includes a pair of 8-0 thrashings of Hereford United and a 5-0 win over Dagenham and Redbridge. All the aforementioned results were played at Adams Park, where this upcoming FA Cup battle will be played out as well on December 12th.

Other on-loan players who could see action today are Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, as the Eagles host former player Neil Mellor and Preston North End, and Adam Hammill at Southampton, as the Saints travel to Ipswich.

Weekend Recap: Harry Kewell, Norway falls, Finland wins, Paul Anderson plays, & more

Even though we didn't play this past weekend, we had a ton of players who saw action for country or on-loan club. First off, as I mentioned in my daily, Harry Kewell played the full match for Australia in their Wembley friendly with Nigeria. He appears to have come away unscathed, but I'll believe it when he suits up for us again. By the way, the Aussies won 1-0.

I guess Paul Anderson wasn't subbed off early for injury reasons in his side's 1-0 Football League Trophy victory over Yeovil Town last Tuesday. The 19-year-old winger was replaced in the 50th minute of that match by Thomas Butler. This past Saturday the Swans looked to continue their current unbeaten run of ten matches when they faced Huddersfield. Paul Anderson started and played the full match, but Swansea lost 0-1, costing them a chance to go to the top of the League One table. Their next match is away to Tranmere on Saturday.

Of all the internationals, John Arne Riise probably had the worst weekend. All Norway had to do was draw with visiting Turkey to almost assure themselves a spot in the 2008 Euro, but they failed to do even that. The Norwegians took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute on a goal by Erik Hagen, but a little under twenty minutes later Newcastle's Emre Belözoğlu equalized. Then in the 59th minute, Villareal's Nihat Kahveci, a player I think Liverpool should inquire about, put the Turks up 2-1 with a clinical finish. That ended up being enough and now Norway will have to rely on the Bosnians to go into Istanbul and get a positive result or else their Euro dreams are over. Riise played the full match, but wasn't much of a factor.

On the other end of the spectrum, Sami Hyppiä and Finland won, just not in the fashion they would have preferred against group doormat Azerbaijan. Playing in Helsinki, it was believed that the Finns would have little trouble with the cellar dwellers, but it wasn't to be. The Azeri took a 1-0 lead on a stunning shot by Makhmud Gurbonov which sent the host side into a frenzy. Upping their play, the Huuhkajat managed to even things up with 11 minutes to go on a cheeky chest-catch and finish by Birmingham's Mikael Forssell. Then seven minutes later former LFC star Jari Litmanen placed a free-kick cross into the box that after bouncing off a head or two found Shefki Kuqi right outside of the net. The recent Fulham addition had powered himself into position and easily headed the ball past the line. The Finns next travel to Portugal on Wednesday, where they have to win to have any chance of advancing.

Javier Mascherano played the full match in Argentina's 3-0 World Cup qualifying match. The win kept the Albicelestes as the only side with a perfect record and to have yet to yield a goal in the CONMEBOL group. They play Colombia tomorrow in Bogotá. I really don't see the point in making Argentina and Brazil qualify. Despite Brazil's recent stumbles, and by stumbles I mean draws since they're still undefeated, both of these countries will easily qualify. I guess they do need to play home matches to raise revenue though.

In other on-loan action, no one managed to score, but a few saw action. On Saturday, Robbie Threlfall played the full ninety for Hereford United who won 3-0 on the road at Stockport, while Craig Lindfield started and played 72 minutes for Notts County in their 0-1 home loss to Macclesfield Town. On Sunday, Lee Peltier played the full match in Yeovil Town's 2-1 victory over Gillingham at Huish Park. Those who didn't play were Godwin Antwi at Hartlepool and Miki Roque at Xerez CD.

In other International matches, Steve Finnan played the entire ninety in Ireland's meaningless 2-2 draw with Wales at Cardiff on Saturday. Andriy Voronin started and played 69 minutes in the Ukraine's 0-2 embarrassing loss at Lithuania. Dirk Kuyt came on at the start of the second while Ryan Babel was subbed on in the 84th minute as the Netherlands clinched a spot in the 2008 Euro with a 1-0 win over Luxembourg in Rotterdam. Finally, as expected, Pepe Reina did not get to play in Spain's 3-0 home victory over Sweden which also booked their ticket to the exhibition tournament next summer. That probably means he'll play Wednesday against Northern Ireland. Great.

Oh yeah, then there was that insignificant friendly between England and Austria in Vienna. England won, Crouch scored, and Owen got hurt. Sounds like the typical Three Lions match. Steven Gerrard only played the first half as he and his English teammates prepare for Croatia on Wednesday. I could care less if they advance or not. Knowing my luck though, they'll lose and then replace Austria when the host country pulls out of the competition. Cheers.

On-loan watch: Will Paul Anderson play tonight?

Swansea City will look to extend an unbeaten run of 10 matches tonight when they face Huddersfield Town at the Liberty. It is unclear whether or not Paul Anderson will be available to play, but since I've yet to read otherwise, I'm going to assume that he will. On Tuesday, the 19-year-old winger was subbed off in the 50th minute of the Swans' League Trophy match with Yeovil Town, though there have been no reports to think that it was anything but a precautionary measure. Anderson will be looking to add to his goal tally of eight as the Swans have a chance to go to the top of the League One table if they manage to win by a margin of two or more. If anyone gets the chance to see this match, feel free to comment below on Anderson's performance.

on-loan watch: Miki Roque for Xerez? & League Trophy results

The only kid that could have saw action today was Miki Roque for Xerez CD. The Segunda División side faced former LFC player Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Recreativo de Huelva in the first leg of the 5th round of the Copa Del Rey. Don't expect the 19-year-old to have seen any action though, for according to the official Xerez site, he's yet to play a single minute for his temporary side, which currently sit third from bottom on the división table, a point from relegation safety.

If he's not going to play, why is he there? He may be injured, but since he hasn't played at all, I have to assume otherwise, even though with Torres we know how rough the Spaniards can be in training. At least if he had stayed he'd play once in a while with the Reserves and get a chance to train with top flight players occasionally. Seems like a waste unless Rafa doesn't figure the young Spaniard in the club's future anyhow. Who knows. Anyhow, it looks like his side fell 0-1 to Recre on a goal by former Xerez forward Javier Camuñas.

In yesterday's Johnstone Paint Trophy action, Paul Anderson and Swansea City knocked Lee Peltier and Yeovil Town out of the competition, 1-0. Anderson failed to score for the first League trophy match of his career and was actually substituted in the 50th minute though it doesn't appear because of injury. Lee Peltier played the full ninety for his club.

Finally, Hartlepool United and Godwin Antwi were eliminated by Morecambe on penalty kicks as the match ended 1-1 in extra time. Antwi played the full match, but did neither score his side's lone goal nor participate in the decisive penalty kicks. Cheers.

Paul Anderson's goal vs Millwall

Still looking for the Gillingham goal and the League Trophy goals, but here's his crucial 78th minute equalizer versus Millwall on the 6th of November. It's the last one of the highlights about 40 seconds in. Cheers.

Johnstone Paint Trophy: Loaned kids in action today

Three of our on-loan kids have a good chance of seeing action today as their respective clubs are in action for the Johnstone Paint Trophy. Two of them might even square off against one another.

Godwin Antwi and Hartlepool United will host Morecambe at Victoria Park this evening. The 19-year-old Ghanaian-Spanish centre-back/defensive midfielder saw action for the first time in a month two days ago. He replaced Gary Liddle in the 56th minute of the Monkey Hangers' 6-0 thrashing of Gainsborough Trinity in the first round of the FA Cup. The last time Godwin started or even played for the 'Pools prior was in their last League Trophy match, a 5-2 win over Lincoln. He has one goal for his temporary League One Side and that came in their August 18th 2-1 home win over Doncaster.

Paul Anderson looks to add to his goal tally of eight as the Swans welcome Yeovil to Liberty Stadium. The 19-year-old winger will also be looking to extend his streak of scoring in League Trophy matches to three as he as already netted in his side's wins over Millwall and Wycombe.

On the other side of the pitch, Lee Peltier could very well be facing his former youth-side teammate as he looks to get the start for Yeovil. The 20-year-old defender/midfielder has started in 14 matches so far this year for The Glovers, though has yet to score. He did net in pre-season for Liverpool though, in a friendly versus Crewe.

It's too bad James Smith is no longer at Stockport, because the Hatters are in action as well.

Today's Banter: Paul Anderson saves Swansea again, New stadium gets green light, Benayoun vows to rescue England, & more

There's just too many interesting responses to yesterday's match to include in my daily, so I'll do separate post in a bit.

Once again Paul Anderson was the hero yesterday as his goal with 12 minutes to go in regulation saved the Swans from certain defeat at Millwall. The 19-year-old on-loan winger scored the equalizer to make it 2-2 at the New Den after the Lions had come back from a goal deficit to take the lead. It was Anderson's eighth goal of the season. Interestingly enough, former LFC player, American Zak Whitbread, scored in this match as well. Swansea currently sits fourth on the League One table with a game-in-hand over all three teams ahead of them.

(Edit: I'm now reading reports that it was Darryl Duffy and not Paul Anderson who scored the equalizer. If anyone can confirm this, please do. Anderson did get the assist on the first goal though. At least that's what I read.)

Lost in all the excitement of yesterday's thrashing of Beşiktaş, the Liverpool city planning committee approved the plans for the new stadium. The 60,000 seat, £400m project is set to begin construction next Spring at the Stanley Park site. It is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011 season. For the club to take advantage of expansion options and increase the capacity to 76,000, additional approval would have to be given by the committee. The committee heard from concerned local residents before making their decision and proposed an increase in fines for traffic violations to help control the potential influx of chaos and gridlock.

Yesterday's hat-trick hero and nearly everyone's pick for Man of the Match, Israeli Yossi Benayoun, has vowed to do all he can to help England advance to the 2008 European Championship, when he leads Israel against Russia in an upcoming qualifying match. If Russia wins against the Israelis in Tel-Aviv, they only have lowly Andorra to run-over in their quest to advance and prevent England from doing so. Benayoun, the captain of Israel, wants nothing more than to see teammates Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch make it to final next summer. I'm going to pretty much hold my tongue on this one, but I will say this, there's really no point in the Three Lions advancing because they have absolutely no chance of winning it.

Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has responded to Rafa claiming that Clarets über-prospect, John Cofie, can be bought for considerably less than the £1m valuation, with a laugh. Cotterill apparently told a crap-shite poor excuse of a piece of paper that: "If they think they can nick him for £250,000 they’ve no chance." Not sure what Rafa was trying to do with his low-balling statement, maybe send out a feeler? But he obviously hit a nerve with the lad's manager.

Finally, it looks like Fulham, our opponent Saturday, will get a boost up front, as on-loan from Crystal Palace, Finnish International Shefki Kuqi looks to make his first full debut for the Cottagers at Anfield. He will more than likely be paired with Clint Dempsey who scored his first career Premiership goal, quite a controversial one I might add, against us last May. I know it was his first goal and I realize it kept Fulham in the Premiership, but they were playing a makeshift B-side that even the saddest of top-flight clubs should have beaten by more than a goal and they celebrated like they just won the Champions League. I hope we crush them. Cheers.

Craig Lindfield scores in debut for Notts County

It took Craig Lindfield all of 23 minutes to assure the Magpies fans that he's well worth the starting spot he was given at Accrington Stanley today. According to the official Notts County website:

"What a debut for Craig Lindfield. A mess-up at the back by Accrington presents a chance to the debut boy just outside the box, and with a rasping right-foot volley on his League debut the ball flew past Dunbavin and into the roof of the net. What a way to mark your debut."

Paul Anderson scored for Swansea as well. The 19-year-old on-loan winger saved the Swans from a potentially devastating loss to Gillingham Friday evening. His 79th minute equalizer was eventually the deciding factor in giving his club a point and momentarily putting them atop the League One table. I should have videos of both of these goals in due time, but for now, the Blackburn match is about to begin. Cheers.

Paul Anderson: League One & League Cup Goals

Here are videos of the goals Paul Anderson has scored for Swansea in League One & League Cup matches. The first is an absolute belter. It's the first of his career and what a way to announce yourself. It occurred in a League Cup match on August 14th against Walsall and put his side up 1-0. It's the first goal on this clip.

This next one is from September 14th versus Carlisle. It is his third goal of the season, but his first in league play. It is the last goal on the clip, starting at the 1:58 (or -0:30) mark. It was the game-winner for Swansea and quite a beaut at that.

"It's that good even the cameraman missed it!" Sure, whatever. The match is a League One contest with Swindon Town from October 2nd, Anderson gives the Swans a 1-0 lead. As you may have guessed the cameraman messed up on this one.

Finally, this last one was against Leyton Orient on the 6th of October. It's the fourth goal of a 5-0 thrashing by the Swans and starts at about the 1:36 (or - 0:36) mark. The camera angle is a birds-eye view, so you might need a magnifying glass. By the way the third goal is an amazing volley by Thomas Butler, well worth your time even if you need binoculars.

That's all folks. If anybody can tell me where I can find the League Trophy goals, I'll be happy to add them, but I'm not sure if they have cameras at most League Trophy matches. Cheers.

AB Awards for October

October was a month to forget record-wise. We played a half-dozen matches, winning a pair (@Everton, Cardiff City), drawing a pair (Tottenham, Arsenal), and amazingly losing both our Champions League ties (Marseilles, @Beşiktaş). Injuries devastated us with no less than 8 regulars missing matches and causing others to have to play when they would be rested otherwise. Not to mention, if you include his ties for England, Steven Gerrard had to play in no less than eight matches last month, six in an eighteen day period. The most amazing stat is that after getting seven shutouts in the first two months of play, we failed to blank a single opponent in October. If that doesn't tell you how much we miss Daniel Agger, I don't know what does. Anyhow, on to the awards.

Player of the Month
The only real candidates for this accolade in my opinion are Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Steve Finnan. Carragher gave it his all in every match and looked utterly spent by the end of most of them and Finnan was consistent as ever, but with the amount of matches he's played, showing the integrity to work his way back to class form, and ending the month scoring his third goal in as many games, Gerrard, to me, is the most deserving.

Unsung hero of the month
This one is between the two players that just never seem to get the proper credit they deserve, probably because they are always business as usual and leave the glitz and glamor at home. If you don't know which two players I'm talking about, it's Jamie Carragher and Steve Finnan. With Arbeloa injured, Finney was asked to play a lot more than his 31-year-old body can probably handle, especially when you add his appearances for Ireland, but the Irishman never seemed to miss a beat and was his normal reliable self. Unfortunately he has a teammate named Carra who had the responsibility of making up for a subpar Hyypia. Hopefully Agger will return in due time.

Bench player of the month
Lucas, hands down. His effort against Everton won him this award alone.

Goal of the Month
I have this down to three: Torres versus Tottenham, Nabil El Zhar versus Cardiff, and Gerrard versus Arsenal. The first goal was a brilliant header finish to equalize and save us a point, but I have to give Steve Finnan partial credit for getting the assist. The second is just brilliant especially considering it was Nabil's first in a Liverpool kit. The award goes to Gerrard versus Arsenal, though because it was a classic Stevie-G effort and allowed me to breathe a little easier.

Assist of the Month
Though Benayoun's effort yesterday is worth a mention, only one assist came to mind: Finnan's assist to Torres to get the equalizer versus Tottenham.

Player-out-on-loan Award
Few candidates for this one as most of our boys seem to either be having it tough getting playing time or are fighting fitness. The only two that come to mind are Paul Anderson at Swansea and Danny Guthrie at Bolton. Though Guthrie either played or was on the bench for all six Wanderers' matches last month, Paul Anderson has to get the nod. The 19-year-old winger featured in all of the Swans matches in October, scoring three goals and helping them to a 5-0 record. He is looking more and more like the real deal, but a spell in the Championship next season should be the next step. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Riise wants out?, Torres back for derby?, Babel loves his shuteye, & more

- According to Aston Villa striker John Carew, John Arne Riise is unhappy and would like to join his fellow Norwegian at the London club in January. Apparently the ginger left back is not pleased that he has to share playing time with Arbeloa and now Aurelio due to Rafa's rotation. Honestly, I don't want to see him go, but if he's a disruption in the clubhouse than so be it. Also he hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire when he does get to play. Other than the League Cup match at Reading where he came on as a sub and set up a Torres goal, I can't really recall any stand-out performances from him this season. He should probably think about this a little more before making such a rash decision. If he goes to Villa, will Martin O'Neill use him at left-mid occasionally, like Rafa does? Also he should consider Europe and actually having a shot at winning cups. I guess it really comes down to if he wants to play more or if he wants to be a part of a top club.

- Apparently Torres' injury is not as bad as initially reported and could be back Saturday for the Merseyside derby. That would be outstanding.

- Ryan Babel lost his chance at a starting spot for the Netherlands in their Saturday Euro qualifier at Romania when he overslept twice missing team meetings and a meal. Sounds a bit odd, I mean, I know he needs to be responsible, but couldn't one of his teammates have made sure to wake him up? Sounds like the normal team camaraderie of a Holland camp. Anyhow, I could care less, the less he plays for his country, the less chance he has of injury or fatigue when he returns to Liverpool. 'Big talk' Van Basten originally wasn't going to play the 20-year-old at all, but he still made it on to the pitch as a second half sub for Arjen Robben.

Some more links:
- We might be pursuing AS Saint-Étienne attacking midfielder/forward Pascal Feindouno
- The official site is catching Paul Anderson fever
- Everton defender Alan Stubbs doesn't think Liverpool are contenders

Today's Banter: Rafa waiting Mascherano game, Swansea wants Anderson permanently, City to make Crouch offer, & more

- One of the bigger mysteries at Liverpool, outside of the enigma that is Harry Kewell, is Javier Mascherano's contract situation. The good news is that the Argentine wants to stick around, the bad news is that it will cost us an additional £17m to keep him. With other needs to fill in January, I'm not sure we'll have the funds to make the acquisition then, but I think if we wait until his current on-loan contract runs out his price may go up. I don't think we need Masche, but he certainly makes things a lot easier for us. Rafa is at least willing to wait and see what FIFA rules about third-party player ownership since Mascherano is still technically owned by Kia Joorabchian’s company, Media Sports Investment (MSI). I think that's a good idea, but let's just hope that happens before the January transfer window closes.

- Paul Anderson has made such a splash at Swansea City, that the Swans want to keep him permanently. I personally hope Rafa has future plans for the 19-year-old winger at our club, but I can definitely see him being loaned out again next season and if Swansea gets promoted to the Championship, I don't see why that wouldn't be one of the options. I don't see him joining anything less than a Championship side with maybe a SPL club in consideration. His contract runs through 2010.

- Sven and Man City look to be early suitors for disgruntled striker Peter Crouch. The problem is they are only willing to pay £8m for him. I can't see us taking less than £10m. The reason being is that he'll be a fresh addition to any side thanks to Rafa's rotation policy. If Sven can't get ole Thaksin to cough up an extra £2m, I'm sure Redknapp Casino FC aka Portsmouth can.

- Remember Rob Styles? The man who gave Chelsea a point at Anfield with a rubbish call. Well, it turns out he could get an additional ban for the same match, though this time for his showing of two yellows to Michael Essien. Not sure why the FA has waited this long to try him again, but it sounds awfully fishy to me. Maybe he's had a fallen out with the good ole boys in the FA.