21 - 31 October 2002

21 October 2002 - Des Byrne fails to sign in time for the LDV match at Oldham tomorrow night but Roddy Collins hopes to have him in the squad by the weekend. Lee Maddison, Richie Foran and Lee Andrews are still on the injury list.  Ryan Baldacchino, who  was  substituted in the game against Macclesfield has suffered no long term effects from his knock. Other news - Everton's teenage prodigy Wayne Rooney has agreed a three-year deal at Goodison Park. He had been expected to sign the deal on his 17th birthday on Thursday but because he is switching agents the deal has been delayed until December. Leicester City apply to the High Court to go into administration after failing to reach agreement with creditors. Gary Lineker is leading a consortium bidding to take control of the club with the objective of buying Leicester City as a going concern from the administrator. Police searching for a mystery sniper in the Washington area of the United States have arrest two people in connection with the shootings. An explosion on a bus in northern Israel, kills at least 15 people and injurs more than 30 others. A series of earthquakes and tremors, reaching 3.9 on the Richter scale, hit Greater Manchester.

22 October 2002 - United beat Oldham 4 -3 with a golden goal in extra time. Roddy Collins will be trying to extend the loan deal of midfielder Leon Osman for the rest of the season. Other news - In the Champions league Arsenal are beaten 1-2 by Auxerre, whilst Liverpool beat Spartak Moscow 3-1 with a Michael Owen hat trick. In the American state of Maryland a 35-year-old bus driver is shot and killed, renewing fears that a sniper is still operating in the area. Parents are told not to give aspirin to children under 16, because of possible links to a rare disease that attacks the brain and liver.

LDV first round

Oldham 3 - 4 Utd (after golden goal). Scorers, Osman x 2, Farrell x 2. Att: 2821.

Team: Glennon -7. Shelley -6, Kelly -6, Taylor -7, Murphy -7, Magennis -6 (Wake -6), Summerbell -7, Osman -8, McDonagh -6 (Baldacchino -7), McGill -7, Sutton -7 (Farrell -7).  Subs not used: Birch, Jack.

3 games Man of the Match. Leon Osman - two goals and excellent creative play.

3 games comment. This was thrilling end to end stuff. Oldham had not conceded more than 2 goals at home all season before tonight and must have expected an easier game but even after a mad two minutes when Oldham pulled two goals back, we didn't buckle and in the end were the deserved winners. 

23 October 2002 A quiet news day at Brunton Park. Other news - Darlington sack manager Tommy Taylor. Graeme Souness has been handed a three-match touchline ban and fined £15,000 following his outburst during the Premiership game against Liverpool in August. In the Champions League Newcastle beat Juventus 1 -0 at home, whilst Manchester United win Olympiakos 2-3 in Athens. Up to 100 armed guerrillas, thought to be Chechen separatists, storm a Moscow theatre, taking up to 1,000 members of the audience, theatre staff and actors hostage. Education Secretary Estelle Morris resigns in the wake of the debacle over A-level marking. 

24 October 2002 - Des Byrne signs a two year deal and could be in the squad for the weekend. Lee Andrews says he is happy to stay at Brunton Park. Other news - Patrick Vieira has been given a two-game ban and fined £25,000 after being found guilty of misconduct. Vieira was charged after allegedly verbally abusing referee Andy D'Urso when he was shown the red card at Chelsea on 1 September. Bruce Grobbelaar wins his appeal over match fixing allegations - but had his damages slashed from £85,000 to just £1. In the US police arrest two men in Maryland who could be connected with the sniper shootings. Labour Party Chairman Charles Clarke replaces Estelle Morris as education secretary. An inquiry starts after inmates managed to take over almost all of Lincoln Prison during a riot. It took prison officers and police nearly eight hours to take back control of the jail.  In the Moscow theatre siege 5 hostages, including a British man are released but another hostage, a woman, is killed trying to escape.

25 October 2002John Courtenay offers 20% of the Carlisle United shareholding to CCUIST. With an offer of further shares up to 49% to follow as and when CCUIST can afford to buy them. CCUIST will also have first refusal on a further 2% of the shareholding when John Courtenay leaves the club, thus giving the majority shareholding to the supporters.  The initial 20% will cost £400,000, with £100,000 paid immediately and the remaining £300,000 within 3 years.  The board of CCUIST welcome this proposal, all members will get  a postal vote  in the next few days. United's youth team are beaten 3 -0 at the McAlpine stadium in The FA Youth Cup. Despite the heavy rain over the last few days, groundstaff at United say they are 99% certain the game will go ahead. No pitch inspection is planned. Other news - Arsenal decide not to appeal against Patrick Vieira's two-match suspension for insulting a referee. Chechen militants holding hundreds of hostages in a Moscow theatre are reported to be threatening to start killing them on Saturday. Property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter of a former business associate.

26 October 2002 - United draw 2-2 at home against Swansea City. In the draw for the next round of the LDV  Cup, United draw Stockport at home, the game will be played on Tuesday the 12th of November. In the draw for the first round of the F.A. Cup, United are to face Lincoln City at home.  The match will be played on Saturday 16th of November.  Liverpool go four points clearat the top of the Premiership, winning 2-1 at home to spurs as Arsenal lose 2-1 at home to Blackburn. The Moscow theatre siege ends when Russian special forces storm the building. At least 140 people - 90 of them hostages - are now known to have died in the raid. Fire Brigade union officials have decided to suspend their first two strikes after holding internal meetings.

Utd 2 -2 Swansea City. Scorers Magennis, Farrell (pen). League position 24th. Att: 3940

Team: Glennon - 6, Shelley - 6 , Taylor -7, Murphy -7, Byrne -7, Magennis -7 (Baldacchino -6), Birch  -6(McDonagh -6) Osman -7, Mcgill -7, Sutton-6(Wake -6), Farrell -7. Subs not used: Jack, Keen.

3 games man of the match - Osman, his clever footwork caused havoc and he won the penalty.  Murphy deserves a mention for playing well in an unaccustomed role.

3 games comment - We should have won this one, it was there for the taking but as yet we haven't the confidence to dig in and defend a lead. It's very frustrating for fans and players alike, so much quality football but no killer instinct. On the plus side, we are scoring goals and making many more chances. Murphy proved more than capable of playing centre back and Des Byrne showed flashes of absolute class, he is going to be a great asset to the club.

28 October 2002  - United go into tomorrows match at Cambridge with more injury worries, Mark Birch has a dislocated toe and Brian Shelly is suffering from a hamstring strain. Roddy Collins hopes to extend the loan spells of Leon Osman and Craig Farrell, both initially signed on months loan deals which finish next week. Other news - Joe Royle takes over as manager of Ipswich Town. Jump jockey Adrian Maguire is forced to retire from horse racing after failing to overcome a serious neck injury.  The UK suffered severe storm damage over the weekend. Seven people died and the cost of the damage is estimated as being as high as £50 million.  One of the victims of the severe weather was a 12 year old boy who died saving his 16 year old brother. Christopher Vince pushed his brother Ben clear as a tree fell in high winds at Costessey, near Norwich, Norfolk. 

29 October 2002United lose 2 -1 to a controversial Cambridge goal. Glennon fumbles an apparently run of the mill save and the assistant referee rules the ball has crossed the line although tv replays do little to confirm it. Other news - In the Champions league, Newcastle come back from a goal down to beat Dynamo Kiev 2-1. Manchester United, already through to the next round, field a weakened side and are beaten  3-0 by Maccabi Haifa. The Football League has agreed a new two-year highlights deal with ITV and will receive £2m cash and a £3m advance on the liquidation of ITV Digital from the latest package. Russian security forces arrest dozens of suspects following the theatre siege. Up to 29 patients at a hospital on Teesside may have been exposed to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease  through instruments used on a patient diagnosed with the fatal brain disease. Angus Deayton has been dropped as presenter of the BBC's quiz show 'Have I Got News For You' after newspaper stories about his alleged cocaine use and encounters with prostitutes.

Cambridge 2 - 1 Utd. Scorer Sutton. League position 24th.  Att: 3334

Team: Glennon -6, Shelley -6, Taylor -7, Murphy -7, Byrne -7, McGill -6, Summerbell -7, Osman -7, Magennis -7 (Baldacchino -6), Sutton -7(Mcdonagh -6), Farrell -6.

3 Games Man of the Match. Magennis again ran himself to a standstill doing his best to lift the team.

3 Games comment. Life is tough at the bottom. When you're expected to lose, any 50: 50 decision goes against you, making the mountain even steeper to climb.  Bad results  lower crowd attendances meaning less and less money comes into the club and additions to the squad  become impossible, now is the time we must start grinding out results.

30 October 2002 - A quiet day at Brunton Park. Other news - In the Champions league Arsenal lose 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool lose 1-0 to Valencia. Police confirm that the 14 year old girl raped in Herefordshire on Friday is the tenth victim of a serial rapist. Israel's coalition government collapses after talk fail and Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres resign. Television presenter John Leslie, who has been fired from ITV1's  'This Morning', has contacted the police about allegations made against him. Ten people, including four Britons, die after a bus carrying British, Canadian and German tourists crashes in eastern South Africa.

31 October 2002 - The new strips goes on sale at the club shop from Friday morning. Prices are Adult sizes £38.99 childrens sizes £33.99. John Slaven agrees a new three-year deal. Roddy Collins says he is hopeful that Leon Osman, Craig Farrell and John Sutton will all agree longer loans. Other news - Adam Crozier resigns as chief executive of the Football Association following disagree

ments with other leading officials about commercial deals involving the England team. In the EUFA Cup Fulham beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, Celtic beat Blackburn 1-0 and Leeds and Ipswich both win their matches. Terry Yorath resigns as manager of Sheffield Wednesday. Emergency services in southern Italy are making frantic efforts to rescue young children trapped in a village kindergarten which collapsed during an earthquake today. Police say that at least four of the children have died, and a further eight are in a critical condition in hospital after the tragedy in the village of San Guiliano di Puglia. Two adults were also killed, around 20 more children and adults remained unaccounted for.  A firefighter dies while tackling a fire in a disused hosiery factory in Leicester. 

Back to September/October 2002

Back to Daily diary