Reid puts Everton back on top of first division

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 29

Reid puts Everton back on top of first division

NZPA-AFP London The England midfield player, Peter Reid, marked his first league match for five months yesterday by putting Everton back on top of the first division for the first time since it won the championship last season. The 29-year-old’s eightythird minute goal gave the champions a 1-0 home victory against Tottenham, and dislodged Manchester United, which plays at West Ham today, from the head of the table for the first time this season.

Liverpool and Chelsea, joint second with Everton before yesterday’s games, failed to capitalise on United's inactivity. Liverpool lost, 1-2, at Ipswich and Chelsea was held to a 2-2 home draw by Leicester. Liverpool had taken the lead through Ronnie Whelan after 36 minutes, but secondhalf goals from the South African-born Mich d’Avray, and Kevin Wilson gave the relegation-threatened Suffolk club a vital and deserved victory. Chelsea were in front twice through the newcomer, Duncan Shearer, and the substitute, Keith Jones, only for Alistair Mauchlen and Steve Lynex to cancel out that advantage.

At the other end of the table, it was a great day for the new Birmingham manager, Mr John Bond, whose struggling team won 1-0 at Oxford with a goal from Wayne Clarke — its first league victory since September 21.

It was a bad day for Queen’s Park Rangers, which, as well as crashing 4-0 at Nottingham Forest, had the former Eire striker, Michael Robinson, carried off with a suspected fractured cheekbone and the Welsh midfielder, Robbie James, sent off for dissent Meanwhile, Alan Brazil, signed by Coventry from United in a player-exchange deal with Terry Gibson this week, celebrated his debut for his new club with a goal in its 3-2 defeat at Newcastle. West Bromwich, bottom of the table, continues to struggle, though. They lost 2-1 at Manchester City, where the ex-Wales forward, Gordon Davies, scored the winner in the dying seconds. Arsenal beat Luton, 2-1, in the “warm-up match” for their F.A. Cup fifth round clash. lan Allinson and the onetime England midfielder, Graham Rix, grabbed the gunners’ goals, while Mick Harford netted his sixteenth of the season for Luton. Another late scorer was the England wing, John Barnes, in Watford’s 2-1 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday, but Aston Villa could only draw 0-0 with Southampton before its lowest home crowd since-1957 —8456,

In the second division, leaders Norwich saw their run of 10 successive wins end at Barnsley with a 2-2 draw, Gwyn Thomas, snatching a controversial equalizer for the home side four minutes from time. The second-placed Portsmouth took advantage by thrashing Huddersfield, 4-1, to close the gap to three points. Charlton, with three games in hand on the two leaders, also made up ground on Norwich in moving into third place with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough. Sunderland fared better, the substitute, David Hodgson, stealing a point at Oldham with a controversial penalty two minutes from the end.

Blackburn and Hull also drew 2-2, even though Blackburn’s John Lowey was sent off after 57 minutes.

Leeds had a superb afternoon in routing Stoke, 4-0, at home, their first goal coming from John Stiles, son of West Bromwich manager, Mr Nobby Stiles. Perhaps the best second division victory of the day came at Sheffield United, which trounced the high-fly-ing Brighton, 3-0, with goals from Colin Morris, Keith Edwards and the ex-England forward, Peter Withe. In division three, the biggest shock of the day took plape at Walsall, who slaughtered the runaway leader, Reading, 6-0, Nicky Cross notching a double. The second-placed Gillingham thrashed the thirdplaced Notts County, 4-0, at home, but is still 14 points behind Reading. Rotherham also scored four goals at home, to Swansea, Tommy Tynan netting three of them, while Andy Garner kept Derby’s promotion hopes alive with the only goal at Blackpool. In the fourth division the top three clubs — Chester, Swindon and Mansfield — pulled away from the chasing bunch by all winning away. Chester won at Hereford 20, in spite of missing a penalty, Swindon triumphed 1-0 at Northampton, and Mansfield defeated Wrexham, 2-1. In the Scottish premier division, the pacemaker, Hearts, completed its eighteenth consecutive league match without defeat with a 1-1 draw at relegation-threat-ened Clydebank, but it was close.

Although Clydebank's Jim Given was ordered off early in the second half, the side stunned Hearts by taking the lead through David Shanks, and a big shock was on the cards until Sandy Clark salvaged a point three minutes before the end. Celtic, who have two games in hand on Hearts, trimmed its lead to four points by beating Dundee,. ,3-1, with goais- from Mo Johnston, Paul

McStay and Brian McClair, after Ray Stephen had put Dundee in front with a penalty. Dundee United and Aberdeen failed to pick up the two points needed to boost their title claims, United being held to a 1-1 draw by St Mirren, while Rangers returned a similar scoreline against Aberdeen. Paul Hegarty -gave United the lead early in the second half, only for Jim Rooney to net a quick equaliser for the Saints.

As for Aberdeen, Joe Miller gave them a flying start with a third minute goal, but Rangers always looked capable of coming back and did so through Hugh Burns. Meanwhile, Hibernian crushed bottom club Motherwell 4-0, with a brace from Steve Cowan and one each from John Collins and Motherwell’s Graham Forbes. Results of British soccer matches played yesterday:— English division one: Arsenal 2, Luton 1; Aston Villa 0, Southampton' 0; Chelsea 2, Leicester 2; Everton 1, Tottenham 0; Ipswich 2, Liverpool 1; Manchester City 2, West Bromwich 1; Newcastle 3, Coventry 2; Nottingham Forest 4, Queen’s Park Rangers 0; Oxford 0, Birmingham 1; Watford 2, Sheffield Wednesday 1.

English division two: Barnsley 2, Norwich 2; Blackburn 2, Hull 2; (Bradford v. Wimbledon postponed); Crystal Palace 1, Carlisle 1; Grimsby 1, Fulham 0; Leeds 4, Stoke 0; Middlesbrough 1,

Charlton 3; Millwall 2, Shrewsbury 0; Oldham 2, Sunderland 2; Portsmouth 4, Huddersfield 1; Sheffield United 3, Brighton 0. English division three: Blackpool 0, Derby 1; Bristol Rovers 2, Newport 0; Bury 0, Darlington 1; Doncaster 1, Lincoln 1; Gillingham 4, Notts County 0; Plymouth 2, Brentford 0; Rotherham 4, Swansea 1; Walsall 6, Reading 0; Wigan 1, Bristol City 1; Wolverhampton 0, Bolton 2; Bournemouth 3, Chesterfield 2; Cardiff 2, York 1. English division four: Aidershot 2, Cambridge 1; Hartlepool 3, Burnley 1; Hereford 0, Chester 2; Northampton 0, Swindon 1; (Peterborough v. Rochdale postponed); Port Vale 2, Orient 0; Torquay 1, Preston 0; Wrexham 1, Mansfield 2; Halifax 2, Colchester 2; Southend 2, Exeter 0; Stockport 3, Crewe 0; Tranmere 2, Scunthorpe 1. Scottish premier division: Clydebank 1, Hearts 1; Dundee 1, Celtic 3; Hibernian 4, Motherwell 0; Rangers 1, Aberdeen 1; St Mirren 1, Dundee United 1. Scottish division one: Airdrieonains 1, Morton 2; Alloa 1, Montrose 1; Brechin 1, Falkirk 1; East Fife 2, Kilmarnock 2; Forfar 4, Dumbarton 0; Hamilton 3, Clyde 0; Partick 2, Ayr 2. Scottish division two: Arbroath 2, Queen of the South 2; Berwick 3, St Johnstone 1; Dunfermline 2, Stirling 3; East Stirling 2, Cowdenbeath 1; Meadowbank 2, Queen’s Park 1; Stenhousemuir 2, Raith 0; Stranraer 0, Albion 2.