A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, with Phil Lloyd

IT WAS a strange feeling, one that a commentator once called 'djM- vu, all over again'!

Ten-man Rovers, defending heroically a precious one-goal lead, but defending deep against opponents playing with much possession but little invention. Tension in the crowd, where we were convinced that the Darwen End clock had stopped, and impressed that where others saw Ashley Ward as a centre-forward, Mr. Kidd had seen an emergency left-back.

Surely some mistake? Had someone picked up the script of the Leeds game in error and thus consigned us to watching a repeat?

Whatever the reason, you won't find too many Rovers fans complaining - we're in Round Five and can now look forward to putting out another set of Geordies, though I thought John Bond was a friend of Rovers until he picked us for an away tie.

I've always been one to believe the old adage that things (penalty decisions for example) even themselves out over a season. So, since we have at times

this season played with one, or even no, main striker, I'm naturally looking forward to the manager redressing the balance soon, perhaps by playing all six of our strikers in one match! Last Saturday, I took a college friend to his first English football game. He's from Ghana and asked for clarification on what the Sunderland fans were chanting - you know, the one about Ewood being less salubrious than the

Stadium of Light and slightly underpopulated in the home areas. Believe me, some aspects of football don't translate too easily!

That said, other elements are clearly understood the world over. My friend had no doubts that we were denied a penalty when Nathan Blake was upended and that David Dunn was a tremendous and tireless worker for the Rovers cause.

He also said that supporters of some teams in Ghana tend not to come alive and raise the roof until their side gets that all-important first goal. Or, in Rovers case, until 'we've only got 10 men'!

There is one big difference in Ghana apparently - they normally open the stadium gates at 8.30am for an afternoon kick-off.

Any volunteers for the early shift at Ewood before the Spurs game next Saturday?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.