AXA sponsored FA Cup second round - Saturday 20th November, 1999
Cambridge United (4-3-3): Van Heusden, Ashbee, Joseph, McNeil, Wilson; Mustoe, Wanless, Mackenzie; Kyd (Taylor 56'), Butler, Benjamin.
Bamber Bridge (4-4-2): Dootson, Baldwin, Brown, Jones, Bryson; Smith (Turner 90'), Aspinall, Cliff, Carroll (Vickers 75'); Greenwood, Whittaker.
Referee: W. Burns (Scarborough)
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For the second time this season, Cambridge United edged almost nervously past a resolute Unibond team by a single goal at the Abbey. This time it took a Martin Butler penalty to deny the non-league outfit who were 'rugged' to say the least.
There was one unforeseen change to the line-up when goalkeeper Shaun Marshall was involved in a car accident on his way to the ground, and although he was unhurt he was too shaken to play. Arjan Van Heusden, returning from a hand injury, was promoted from the bench and youth team keeper James Mercer sat alongside colleague Daniel Chillingworth, a striker edging closer to his first team debut.
The game kicked off in bitterly cold conditions and there was little in the way of football action on the pitch to warm the shivering crowd, although our blood was soon boiling at referee Bill Burns as he allowed the visitors to get away with anything short of murder. Their aggression and the referee's inaction seemed to completely unsettle United and no one held the ball for too long as they knew a scything tackle was likely to come crunching in from behind.
Bamber Bridge had the first chance of the game after seven minutes when midfielder Peter Smith sliced a shot wide with Arjan Van Heusden at his mercy in the seventh minute. They had the ball in the net ten minutes later but the effort was ruled out for handball. In a disjointed and untidy first half they had the better of the play and Martin McNeil's poor back-pass might have been more costly after half an hour had passed, when striker Andy Whittaker was too slow to react and Van Heusden raced out.
Martin Butler looked very unimpressed with the refereeing and Trevor Benjamin had to play most of the game with Jez Baldwin wrapped around his neck and shoulders, so it was Michael Kyd, playing in a deeper-than-usual role on the wide right, who was first to test Craig Dootson. Just before the interval he meet Clive Wilson's cross with a close-range header that forced an excellent reflex block from Dootson, but the United players trooped off clearly knowing they were in for a roasting from Roy McFarland. (Half-time 0-0)
The U's were marginally improved after the break but the stalemate looked set to continue and in a tough midfield battle Bamber Bridge conceded a string of free kicks. John Taylor, the hero of many FA Cup matches past, was plunged into the action in the 56th minute in a clear attempt to send an experienced head into the simmering atmosphere on the pitch. He joined the action at the expense of Michael Kyd, who looked hugely disappointed as he walked to the bench and was consoled by Roy McFarland after showing plenty of effort but seeing little of the ball.
On the hour Martin Butler went close with a header from about four yards
while the niggles and blatant foul play continued. Only Neil Mustoe looked
like letting the visitors 'tactics' affect him as he flicked a toe at
one of their players after play had stopped for yet another crunching
incident, but his retaliation went unnoticed. Jez Baldwin was eventually
booked in the 66th minute for another foul on Benjamin and five minutes
later his strong arm methods led to the penalty. He yanked Benjamin to
the ground as he rose to meet an Ian Ashbee cross and the lenient Mr Burns
had no option but to award the spot kick, which Martin Butler converted
at the Corona End in the 71st minute.
Waves of relief swept around the ground after the deadlock was broken
but the non-league side were far from finished and forced a couple of
late chances which were fired off-target, the closest an Aspinall free
kick from 25 yards that was inches off target. For a moment it seemed
19-year-old Martin McNeil had saved the day when he headed one shot off
the line after Van Heusden was beaten, but the move had been ruled offside
anyway. Bamber Bridge had nothing to lose and rather than risk losing
possession and conceding a late goal the U's played out time, with Taylor
charged with keeping the ball in the corners, much to the displeasure
of some of the home crowd.
The game was largely a midfield battle and many of the U's players will have left the field with an assortment of bumps and bruises. Match sponsors Moosenet took a vote to decide the man of the match and although Paul Wanless and Ian Ashbee had their supporters, the human dynamo Neil Mustoe was the clear and deserving choice. He has been punished for losing his temper before so the atmosphere of this game was probably more of a test for him than his teammates, but apart from one minor lapse that went unnoticed he tolerated the uncompromising scrap and did his best to drag the game above mediocrity.
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Van Heusden was a late change, apparently due to Marshall being involved
in a car accident.
The Bamber Bridge manager had joked about putting 4 players on Benjamin
to stop him, as it turned out he just put their #5 (Baldwin) on, over
or went through him. Perhaps Trevor should have swapped shirts at the
beginning to avoid Baldwin trying to take it off him! Bamber did get the
ball in our net, a kick from Van Heusden was charged down with the use
of a hand, for which I think their player was booked.
As in the game with Gateshead, we had a lot of possession, but struggled
to make good use of it. Too many mistakes were being made, poor passing,
mis-control and off target shooting covering most of our moves. Bamber
had their best chance when a poor backpass meant Joseph had to clear from
near the goalline. At half time it was into the warm for drinks and cakes,
which meant I missed the start of the second half by a few seconds!
10 minutes in and Taylor came on for Kyd. We did slightly better, putting
on bit more pressure, which eventually resulted in the #5 being booked
for yet another foul challenge on Benjamin. Soon after Benjamin was pulled
back as he went for a cross which resulted in a penalty, and Butler scored
to give us the lead. We tried for a second goal without success until
the last 5 minutes, when we tried (again unsuccessfully) to play keep-ball
in the corner which frustrated us more than the opposition!
The hard bit was trying to decide on our Man of the Match with 10 minutes
to go, Mustoe was the clear winner in the voting. At the end it was back
into the warm Ruston room for - guess what - more drinks!
Match sponsors usually nominate one person to do the MoM presentation,
but we had to be different! The hope was for two groups, one with Mustoe
as MoM, the other with Ashbee for October player of the month. What actually
happened was everyone in both pictures, including Kyd and Mackenzie as
our sponsored players and Marvin the Moose. The photographer had a real
problem getting us all in, we may need a double page spread in the next
programme! Most of the players were watching.
This was the first time I'd been to a match as a sponsor, and I was
impressed by the way the back room staff look after the people, and their
smart dress too (except of course for Spurs fan Robbie Ellis!). I hadn't
realised until I'd got my ticket that it is usually a collar and tie type
of do, luckily it had been agreed in advance that there wouldn't be a
dress code (but Luke gets a prize for being best dressed!).
All in all a great day, the right result if not quite the game we would
have liked, but at least Andrea got to hear Coconuts! Many thanks to Jamie
for organising it, the mystery person for the drinks (incidentally I was
driving, so only had a couple of pints all afternoon), and not least the
club for putting up with us (singing in the Main stand, what is the world
coming to!).
I don't suppose there will be any shortage of sponsors for our next
cup game against Crystal Palace, and after our last meeting where we played
quite well and lost I'm expecting us to play badly and win!
Terry Wilby. |
"Almost kicked into touch"
Today Cambridge United take on the must surely be the weakest side left in the FA cup. Bamber Bridge, a Northern Premier side from just outside Preston, come to the Abbey after winning a brawl of a game at St Albans by 3 falls to 2. They talk about the magic of the Cup, but it is doubtful if there will be any magic this afternoon. Bamber Bridge ended the game at St Albans with 9 men and their manager Tony Greenwood suggests that they will have to play 4 men on Butler and 4 on Benjamin to stand any chance. After the St Albans game which ended in a mass punch-up, Bamber Bridge already face a charge by the FA, so they have nothing to lose if they rough up United as well. Although the team sheet has been printed with Shaun Marshall's name against the goalkeeper spot, it is Van Heusden who runs out with the green jersey. Marshall has been involved in a nasty three-car crash on his way to the ground, and although unhurt, he is too shaken to play.
Paul Wanless is the first into action bravely blocking an early shot without flinching. Around 200 have made the trip from Lancashire and attacking their end, Cambridge United start slowly and nervously. Mackenzie gives the ball away to Aspinall but he shoots wide, then the first United attack breaks down as Kyd wastes a pass from Mackenzie. In a low key opening the first real chance falls to Bamber Bridge, Peter Smith slicing a great opportunity wide as United's defence are caught out by Dave Carroll's pass. This referee - Bill Burns from Scarborough - is already looking dodgy. He is punishing few fouls, and letting Bamber Bridge get away with sly taps and shirt pulling.
Ian Ashbee crosses into the crowd in what is already threatening to become a scrappy non- event. It takes United 11 minutes to bring the Bamber Bridge keeper into action, but the Wanless header is easy for Dootson. A Marc Joseph long throw seemed to bounce right through Trevor Benjamin and already Roy McFarland is off the bench. "Come on, Trevor. Come on!" is the admonition. As a Bamber Bridge player gets treatment their No. 8 Steve Aspinall chats to Trevor Benjamin. He doesn't look a day over 14 and you really think he ought to be at home squeezing his spots. But this is no baby-faced angel. He can trip with the best of them. The referee ignores Jez Baldwin's attempt to mountaineer all over Trevor Benjamin, much to the crowd's disgust. Martin Butler is the next to be inelegantly pushed flat and although the referee cannot ignore this foul as well, Cambridge waste the free kick. After 17 minutes the sole front runner Andy Whittaker goes into the book. Van Heusden has all the time in the world to belt the back pass away but instead he takes three touches and then slams it right into Whittaker. The ball rebounds into the net and the linesman flags. The ref books Whittaker for deliberate handball to cut short his celebrations. Baldwin and Benjamin are both lectured as Benjamin comes close to reacting to another crude physical attack from this Yeti. Woefully Cambridge again waste the free kick.
It takes them 20 minutes to put together any kind of move, Clive Wilson's cross winning a corner which leads to another as the keeper tips away Neil Mustoe's inswinger. Baldwin - with all the subtlety of a hung over Sunday park player - again knocks Martin Butler over, but there is still no card and sure enough, the free kick is wasted again. It's that kind of afternoon. Four minutes later Cambridge United have their first shot of the game, but Wanless is off target. Mackenzie tries to join in but slashes the ball into the terraces then the ref waves 'play on' as Kyd is tripped, and seconds later ignores a body check on Benjamin. "Can we have a referee?" is the song from the stand, where there is plenty of noise coming from the presence of Moosenet.
As Cambridge at last put on some pressure, they pussy foot around looking for a better opening until Ashbee shoots miles off target. This really is a dire game with Bamber already wasting time, not that this ref would notice. On 33 minutes McNeil's error almost gives Bamber the lead. Van Heusden has no chance with an under hit back pass but when Whittaker knocks it over his head, Marc Joseph races back to hook the ball out of the six yard box as it bounces towards goal. United are struggling to get any rhythm or style in this game today and another yellow is shown as Mark Jones cynically trips Martin Butler. Three minutes from the break United have their first real effort of the game, but Dootson makes a brilliant reaction save from Michael Kyd's point-blank header which looks a goal all way. One minute before the break Michael Kyd's awful pass gives Bamber Bridge a corner and you can almost hear the groans as a board is held up to show that we have another three minutes of extra time to watch at the end of this grim half. Baldwin uses this three minutes to kick more lumps out of Benjamin and Butler but still this awful ref ignores it. The half ends with United on the back foot, Van Heusden punching a free kick then racing out to block Whittaker. The most damning comment you can make about this is that apart from the cynicism of the non-leaguers, you would be hard pushed to say which side was which.
Right from the restart a Kyd cross sees Trevor Benjamin airborne under a challenge from Baldwin the Terminator. The ref declines to give the penalty and at the first opportunity Baldwin collapses and asks for the trainer. The ref allows two minutes of treatment on the pitch then ludicrously orders him to the touchline, Baldwin limping off with a good imitation of a funeral march. Trevor Benjamin gets to the byline but the keeper catches his cross then Benjamin is scythed down again. If 10 is brilliant and 3 is crap, this ref get a 1. A huge belt down the middle sees the ball almost bounce over Van Heusden and when he catches it, he's hit by Whittaker. With 56 minutes gone John Taylor replaces an ineffective Michael Kyd. Almost immediately Bamber Bridge miss another good chance as the ball loops from a challenge to Whittaker but he slices it well wide of the target. Thank God this lot can't finish.
A Marc Joseph long throw up almost unlocks the door but Martin Butler has too much space. From inside the 6 yard box his precise header is just wide as he aims for the far top corner. At the other end, we get a warning that a single lapse in concentration could lead to all the wrong headlines tomorrow, as Whittaker is inches away from connecting when a free-kick is flicked on. Martin Butler loops a shot off a defender for a corner from which McNeil's effort is blocked on the line. As the ball goes into touch the referee allows Bamber Bridge to waste a load more time despite anger from the crowd. When Van Heusden catches a cross as Ashbee is beaten, he starts a Cambridge break and at long last Baldwin gets a yellow card for a rustic rugby tackle to stop Benjamin. The only surprise is that he has taken 65 minutes to get it. The massed defence keep Cambridge out again, and the crowd groan as Marc Joseph opts for a back pass from the centre circle. Baldwin decides he has to play it safer, so when he next pole axes Martin Butler, he tells the ref that Butler needs treatment. Butler gets up rubbing the back of his head, but he's lucky he can find it.
On 71 minutes the referee at last points to the spot as Baldwin - who else? - pushes Trevor Benjamin over as he climbs for Ashbee's cross. Blatant as it is, this is one of the mildest fouls he has committed all afternoon and I for one am surprised this ref gives the penalty. He's ignored far worse. After the token protests Martin Butler steps up to rifle it low into the next. You can feel the relief as Moosenet launch into "Walking in a Butler Wonderland". Neil Mustoe, working hard as ever in midfield, is the next to get dissected with a tackle and Aspinall is the baby-faced assassin shown the yellow card. With a quarter of an hour left John Taylor wins a couple of corners from which he has an effort headed off the line. A snap shot from substitute Vickers is off target when Bamber attack then he goes down as he and John Taylor goes for the same ball. He pretends that Taylor has hit him in the back of the knee with an axe but quickly recovers as Aspinall hammers a ferocious free-kick inches wide.
Jones is the next to go down for a prolonged breather then under pressure Van Heusden drops a deep cross, McNeil brilliantly back heading the ball over his own bar off the line. The referee has given a foul on the keeper but McNeil is not to know this and Ian Ashbee pats him on the back in congratulations. A minute later McNeil gets booked as Cliff gives us a three-act drama after a tackle. "Cry in a minute, he's gonna cry in a minute" jeer Moosenet. Bamber are still up to their tricks when Trevor Benjamin flies through the air under challenge from Mark Jones. As the ball is knocked to the Cambridge end, keeper Dootson races 40 yards out of goal to stand nose to nose with Benjamin, obviously accusing him of a dive, but the ref hasn't even noticed. Mackenzie can't find the target as Taylor races down the right and Mustoe has a shot blocked. Bamber break and Wilson wins applause for fine cover. With my accurate digital stop watch already showing two minutes over the allocated 45, the board is held up showing another four minutes.
With 50 minutes on my clock Martin Butler is tripped by Bryson, and Neil Mustoe and Bamber want a fight. There is very nearly a repeat of the brawl at St Albans, and Neil Mustoe is lucky not to get at least a yellow card as he foolishly dives in. I am not the only one to worry about this hot-headedness of Mustoe. Two of the first callers to Radio Cambridgeshire's post-match phone in also independently of each other remark that he was lucky to stay on the pitch. John Taylor takes the ball to the corner flag and holds it there as seven minutes extra are played, some of the crowd booing from the embarrassment of United having to do this against a non-league side of this standard. When the whistle goes, it goes to the relief of the fans who have seen Cambridge United sink to the occasion rather than rise to it.
After the game, before even the inquest on this scrappy game and poor United performance, the fans are asking each other how on earth you get a ref like that at this standard of football. He has been absolutely dire and Roy McFarland is not afraid to say so. He remarks that he has had to warn his players not to retaliate. "The only person who can protect the players is the ref," he says, adding that although Cambridge United played poorly "the referee had a poor game too".
He praised his players, in particular Trevor Benjamin, for not retaliating after some of the fouls, but admits "We found it very difficult to play. We've played poorly in both games in the FA cup but we got through." He says that Shaun Marshall is not injured but when he arrived at the ground at 1.30 he looked a "very shaken and very ashen". McFarland says that he did the right thing in coming to him and saying that he did not feel he was in the right frame of mind to play.
Tony Greenwood, who as the Bamber Bridge manager must take the ultimate blame for what appeared to be pre-planned clogging and gamesmanship, comes out with the ludicrous "We were the only team trying to get the ball down and play". People like to talk about the romance of the Cup, and wanting the underdog to roll over the bigger club, but for my part I'm only too happy to see teams like this lose before they try - literally - to kick someone else out. United today have been grim but in the end all that matters is that they have got through. The draw for the 3rd Round gives them a home game against struggling First Division Crystal Palace. We must have a chance against them. We can't continue to play this badly in the Cup. Can we?
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It took a late penalty to give Second Division Cambridge their second victory in the FA Cup over non-league Bamber Bridge.
They needed a late goal to beat Gateshead in the last round and this time were relieved to see the referee point to the penalty spot when Jez Baldwin brought down Trevor Benjamin. That gave Martin Butler the chance to score his 14th goal of the season and calm the worries of the league side's 3,000 fans.
It was a rugged encounter littered with fouls as the uncompromising Unibond League side collected four bookings. But they carved out two excellent chances in the first half which could have embarrassed Cambridge.
Peter Smith fired wide with a clear sight of goal in the seventh minute and Andy Whittaker was a fraction too slow when a bad back-pass by Martin McNeil in the 33rd minute gave him the opportunity to break from the edge of the box.
It took Cambridge until three minutes before half time to force a save from Craig Dootson, when he pulled off a brilliant reflex block to keep out a Michael Kyd header. There were few chances in the second half, Butler going close with a header just before his penalty.
Report © Soccernet
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THERE was Sunday training at the Abbey Stadium, in preparation for a week of long distance second division matches rather than as a punishment for another poor FA Cup performance. But it was physio Ken Steggles who had the toughest day, treating the bangs, bruises and abrasions accumulated in an ugly dogfight of a match. Bamber were more barricade than Bridge, often pulling eight ultra-determined men behind the ball and making sure there were always a couple on hand with the apparent mission of pulling the shirt, or an arm, off Martin Butler and Trevor Banjamin. It was rugby league crossed with wrestling at times when United finally got up enough steam after their usual sluggish start, to launch sustained attacks. Too many referees these days use the whistle so much they transform a physical sport into a nanny-knows-best non-event. But Scarborough official Bill Burns achieved the same result by ignoring not so much the occassional late, lunging tackle, which was often penalised, but the non-Leaguers, persistent, niggling, spoiling tactics. "It was a horrible game," said United defender Ian Ashbee, not a man to shy away from any challenge, while one of the abused strikers Michael Kyd commented: "They were pulling and tugging and kicking heels, everything. We just had to keep going and get through it." You couldn't blame a side who had lost eight Unibond League games this season out of 17 from trying it on. Their manager Tony Greenwood knew his men dare not allow United to play, after seeing them blow away Luton a week earlier. "I wish I hadn't seen the match," he admitted. "I went away worrying we might get slaughtered." As he went on, though, you wondered if he had seen this one. "I thought we were the only team trying to get the ball down and play," he said. "I don't think the refereeing was lenient. After all the goal came from a dubious decision against us. I don't think it was a foul. It's the sort of thing you see every week without it leading to a penalty." United boss Roy McFarland praised the visitors for "making as many chances as we did, giving it everything they'd got, and doing themselves proud." But he laid the blame for the scrappy football and the lack of entertainment squarly on the shoulders of the man in black. "We didn't play anywhere near as good as we can do," he said. "But although we are told not to criticise referees, I've no doubt the tone of the game was totally the fault of the referee. There were situations he could have handled a lot better. Trevor Benjamin was fouled and manhandled all afternoon. "The only protection my players can get is from the referee. They can't hit back themselves because I tell them not to retaliate, but that protection wasn't there. In the end we were just pleased to get through, and it was probably a bit of justice that we should win because of a foul on Trevor which produced a definite penalty." He also admitted, though, his team were "fortunate" that Bamber Bridge, who failed to get a shot on target, wasted the chances sloppy defending handed to them on at least three occasions. There could have been a shock start when a Dave Carroll pass gave Pete Smith a clear sight of goal in the seventh minute, but he sliced a shot wide of the right-hand post. And in the 33rd a mis-hit back-pass by Martin McNeil presented Andy Whittaker with the chance to break from the edge of the box, only for him to push the ball too far and lose the race with goalkeeper Arjan Van Heusden. The Dutchman got a last- minute promotion from the substitutes' bench because Shaun Marshall, although unhurt, was badly shaken when he was involved in a car crash on his way to the ground. It took disjointed United until three minutes before the interval to threaten Bridge keeper Craig Dootson, and then he pulled off a brilliant reflex save to block Kyd's close ranger header. Another wasted chance by Whittaker early in the second half confirmed the minnows were not going to win on the day, but a trip to their village ground was looking likely as the game developed into a grim battle. When Butler missed the target with a four-yard header on the hour, the United fans behind that goal must have feared the worst, but the striker made amends with a perfect spot kick 12 minutes later. There was one scare when Steve Aspinall drove a 25- yarder inches wide in the 80th minute, before United laid claim to the ball, substitute John Taylor, the winning goalscorer in the last round, playing an important part this time as he used all his skill and experience to keep the play near the visitors' corner flags until the relief, in more ways than one, provided by the final whistle.
Report © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd |
- By Kristian Jack There is an old saying in sport: The best always get the luck and that certainly happened at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday. An outstanding performance from FA Cup second round new boys Bamber Bridge wasn't enough to see them into the hat for the lucrative third round draw. It took a penalty, converted by Cambridge's leading scorer Martin Butler 19 minutes from time, to send the visitors out of the competition in the cruelest possible way. Tony Greenwood's men certainly raised their game for this match and, from Cambridge's point of view, went from non-league nobodys to serious opponents in a matter of minutes. Brig more than competed with the Nationwide Division Two strugglers, who were booed off the pitch by their fans at the end. The same could not be said for Bamber Bridge, who enjoyed a tearful exit with their superb travelling contingent of around 500. This was a day the players, officials and supporters would never forget and the fact they looked so disappointed at the end was because they had the match for the taking. They started the brighter and had the best of the early chances, midfielders Steve Aspinall and Pete Smith both shooting wide inside the first eight minutes. Ten minutes later, Brig had the ball in the back of the net when Andy Whittaker charged down an Arjan Van Heusden clearance which went past the 'keeper and into the wide open goal. Celebrations were halted though when the referee adjudged the striker to have handelled for which, ridiculously, he was booked. An out-of-sorts Cambridge took 20 minutes to register any kind of attack when their skipper Paul Wanless headed a Neil Mustoe corner over the bar. This however wasn't to be the start of an expected onslaught as Brig maintained their dominance and started to dictate the game at their pace. Their tactics were equally impressive, as the U's dangerman Trevor Benjamin, rated in excess of £1m, was man-marked by Jez Baldwin. A move to right-back didn't worry the former Lancaster City defender who had Benjamin in his pocket for most of the game. The tall striker was constantly robbed of the ball and began to get frustrated for what his team and supporters thought was unfair rough play. Determined Brig maintained their style and should have taken the lead on 33 minutes when a short Martin McNeil back-pass was interuped by Nigel Greenwood whose partially blocked shot rolled agonisingly wide. On 43 minutes Cambridge saw their best chance brilliantly saved by Craig Dootson when the ‘keeper dived low to deny a Michael Kyd header from a left wing cross by Clive Wilson. In the second half, Whittaker had a good chance to put his side ahead but sliced his volley wide after clever work by Aspinall had opened up the home defence. Butler then put a free header over the top before the referee awarded a controversial penalty when he adjudged Baldwin to have pulled down Benjamin at the back post. The spot kick sent Dootson the wrong way and gave Cambridge, in the most unsatisfactory way, the lead. Greenwood then sent Vickers on for Carroll in an attempt to snatch an equaliser which almost came on 80 minutes when Aspinall's long range effort when just over after a clever Darren Brown free kick. In the end the game, which lasted over 100 minutes in total, went to Cambridge to put an end to Brig's spirited run in the FA Cup. However, they know they can hang their heads high after putting in a performance to be proud of. And who knows this defeat could have done them a favour, with a trip to Aston Villa in round three still a possibility. Bridge are back in cup actgion tomorrow night when they travel to Accrington Stanley in the UniBond League Challenge Cup second stage.
Report © Lancashire Evening Post Ltd
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Arrived
at a deserted Abbey Stadium just on one o'clock, picked up my tickets
at the club office and was soon enjoying the hospitality (many thanks
to the unknown benefactor) in the Ruston room. A nice meal, a couple of
drinks and all too soon we were being ushered out by Carla to our seats
near the half way line just before the teams come on to the pitch.