:00:21. > :00:24.On tonight's Late Kick Off, a year on from Wembley we meet Murphy's
:00:24. > :00:32.more but, and Carlisle still have a sniff of returning through the
:00:32. > :00:37.play-offs. We have a good team. York City are chasing a Wembley
:00:37. > :00:42.double, and the First Lady of northern football -- can the first
:00:42. > :00:48.lady take the Munster men back in the league?
:00:48. > :00:53.Newcastle now need heroics to join Europe's elite.
:00:53. > :00:58.Hello, Balkan to the penultimate Late Kick Off of the series.
:00:58. > :01:08.Joining Danny Mills and myself tonight, the former Middlesbrough
:01:08. > :01:08.
:01:08. > :01:14.midfielder Craig Hignett. It was disappointing. They had been
:01:14. > :01:19.really good season, top six for 90% of it, but just at the end, they
:01:19. > :01:25.failed, injury suspensions to their own people, and a Hong format was
:01:25. > :01:31.poor. They drew up far too many games at home. Cardiff where losing
:01:31. > :01:35.at Crystal Palace at one stage, but ultimately it is not down to one
:01:35. > :01:39.game. 2nd January, if they had won a blackball they would have gone
:01:39. > :01:46.top. It was just after that period when they had his sticky spell.
:01:46. > :01:54.They started to struggle. Defensively as well, which is quite
:01:54. > :02:00.strange. Me a break is there, a very good defender, it just has not
:02:00. > :02:04.quite worked. But Broadford gave -- put up a really good fight. --
:02:04. > :02:08.Watford. You have got your own exacting
:02:08. > :02:14.theories. It is unusual for us to have quite so much football
:02:14. > :02:20.analysis on this programme. But you have his theory, they are just not
:02:20. > :02:26.defending well from crosses. They just seem to struggle. Too many
:02:27. > :02:30.chances, too many goals conceded from crossings, -- crosses. Even
:02:30. > :02:35.during the Leeds game, although there were not necessary goals
:02:36. > :02:40.coming from that, there was a lot of chances created from crosses. It
:02:40. > :02:43.is difficult - you are not sure whether it is bad defending or bad
:02:43. > :02:49.coaching or a mixture of the two. You would think it would get
:02:49. > :02:54.drilled home. They will be absolutely particular at
:02:54. > :02:58.Middlesbrough. They had the best defensive record up until December.
:02:58. > :03:06.And then after that they had put spell in January, didn't win again,
:03:06. > :03:11.they were second on 45 points. Ind of January this still had 45 points.
:03:11. > :03:15.Started letting in bad goals, sloppy goals, and when you are not
:03:15. > :03:19.scoring them at the other end and start letting in bad goals you are
:03:19. > :03:22.always going to struggle. On the subject of that we have
:03:23. > :03:27.another little theory. Middlesbrough have hit the woodwork
:03:27. > :03:32.more times than anybody else in the league. On the Liverpool in the
:03:32. > :03:39.Premier League have had more of. Does not come into spot? It evens
:03:39. > :03:43.itself out. Although they chorus of one game, maybe. But you did term -
:03:43. > :03:52.- deserve to finish where you finish in the league. Unfortunately
:03:52. > :03:56.you get nothing for hitting the post. We sold their some chances
:03:57. > :04:02.against Cardiff. Have they had won that game we could be talking about
:04:02. > :04:08.a different scenario. The margins are ever higher in the top -- ever
:04:08. > :04:13.finer in the top echelons of the league. If it was Ender on hands,
:04:13. > :04:17.they would not have gone down to Watford. They only got beaten
:04:17. > :04:22.because they pushed men forward. I think the Cardiff game is the one
:04:22. > :04:31.that was disappointing. Do you think do you think Tony Mowbray
:04:31. > :04:35.knows that they are not quite ready for this?
:04:35. > :04:39.If you could get up to the Premier League with all the money you can
:04:39. > :04:44.get, you could make the club so much stronger. After the
:04:44. > :04:48.Southampton game, when nobody expected a win, they put in a great
:04:48. > :04:54.performance at home. You thought it was on. I thought Palace would beat
:04:54. > :05:04.Cardiff. When they went 1-nil up, you thought that was it. But the
:05:04. > :05:06.
:05:06. > :05:10.what third keeper made three or four macro fantastic saves.
:05:10. > :05:19.We are reading today that apparently he was not in the
:05:19. > :05:23.starting line. Disappointed and refused to play. If that is true it
:05:23. > :05:26.is so unprofessional. I would be surprised if he was there come next
:05:26. > :05:30.season. There was some news last week that
:05:30. > :05:35.puts all these football ups and downs into perspective. Lee
:05:35. > :05:41.Miller's wife, passed away after suffering from a brain tumour.
:05:41. > :05:48.Everyone on "sexting"'s thoughts go out to his family. -- every one of
:05:48. > :05:55.Late Kick Off's thoughts. Peter Murphy's girlfriend was killed in a
:05:55. > :06:01.car accident, but last season he was that Blue's clues mock -- the
:06:01. > :06:11.Plews -- the Blues' highest scorer. We have been for a catch up with
:06:11. > :06:33.
:06:33. > :06:43.As a player, he is Mr reliable. Everything he does, he does
:06:43. > :06:43.
:06:43. > :06:51.professionally. I grew up in it tough area where there was a lot
:06:51. > :06:56.going on crime wires. I was never involved in that, there was Gallic
:06:56. > :07:04.football and rugby. I had a lot of things to take it -- me away from
:07:04. > :07:14.that. In my neighbourhood I was the eldest in a group of lads who were
:07:14. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:25.always playing. Around the driving in, and thinking,
:07:25. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:29.this is in Nice Town. -- I remember driving him. This is a nice time.
:07:29. > :07:39.It's been ten years now and I must have done all right in my first
:07:39. > :07:40.
:07:40. > :07:50.couple of days! It got my career sort of started. Determined,
:07:50. > :07:57.
:07:57. > :08:05.professional, stubborn. Opinionated. I would like to think of myself as
:08:05. > :08:12.a perfectionist. I like things to be done right, I think a lot deeper
:08:12. > :08:17.than most people but you don't normally sure that side of you. --
:08:17. > :08:22.show at that side of youthful stop things can be taken away from you.
:08:22. > :08:29.All of a sudden something big happens in your life that is big
:08:29. > :08:33.team changes. So it makes you appreciate what you have it was an
:08:33. > :08:39.accident - and nobody could legislate for an accident. It makes
:08:39. > :08:44.you stronger. Depending on how people let things affect you, I
:08:45. > :08:54.made -- it made me appreciate things more. You can go crazy about
:08:55. > :08:55.
:08:55. > :09:01.little things - that for me is not the way.
:09:01. > :09:08.At the time John asked me, you don't have to come back, because it
:09:08. > :09:14.was the off-season. I was doing my own running down there. She came
:09:14. > :09:20.over and said you don't have to come back -- he came over. I said,
:09:20. > :09:26.why would I not want to comeback? I just wanted to concentrate on
:09:26. > :09:34.football, because it was something different. Some think I enjoyed
:09:34. > :09:42.doing. -- something I enjoyed doing. Out of a really bad situation, I
:09:42. > :09:49.have found an unbelievable partner and had been little child who's the
:09:49. > :09:54.best thing that has happened to me as well. Fit's a big thing for me,
:09:54. > :10:04.but I also think it gives you morals and in grounding. -- faith
:10:04. > :10:08.is a big thing for me. I am not preaching, but it is a good thing
:10:09. > :10:14.to have, no matter what faith people have in their lives. It
:10:14. > :10:24.worked for me, I believe in God and everything else like that. That has
:10:24. > :10:35.
:10:35. > :10:39.The man that became a father in the week Peter Murphy!
:10:39. > :10:49.I didn't realise I was that far out, I thought I was inside the six-yard
:10:49. > :10:50.
:10:50. > :11:00.box. I have not watched this back. It's an unbelievable feeling,
:11:00. > :11:02.
:11:03. > :11:09.because of everything. It was unbelievable for my wife to see the
:11:09. > :11:19.game. When I ran off and did a celebration, I was running up to
:11:19. > :11:20.
:11:21. > :11:30.God, because it is unreal. We have a good team spirit, and all
:11:30. > :11:35.the years I have been here it was never really people saying, he is
:11:35. > :11:39.not involved in the big thing... There were never really cliques of
:11:39. > :11:49.people sticking together, I am quite fortunate in that way. Maybe
:11:49. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :11:54.that makes up for all the wages that we don't get!
:11:54. > :12:00.Probably people dream of doing this and don't get the chance - I have
:12:00. > :12:10.had the chance and done it, so a whole career of trying hard to do
:12:10. > :12:14.
:12:14. > :12:17.things, I have been lucky enough to I think it says a lot about Peter
:12:17. > :12:24.Murphy's character that I do not think too many people know about
:12:24. > :12:29.his personal tragedy. Lee Miller was at the game, came off the pitch
:12:29. > :12:35.at half-time and got a huge ovation. You lost your son 10 years ago.
:12:35. > :12:41.What is it about football that allows you to draw strength? There
:12:41. > :12:47.was also Billy Sharp. He had a tragedy, scored and did very well.
:12:47. > :12:54.It's partly escapism. Footballers are so focused, dedicated to what
:12:54. > :13:01.they do for that 90 minutes, whatever they play, they are so
:13:01. > :13:06.dedicated to the job on hand, at the block out the real world. It is
:13:06. > :13:13.an opportunity to forget. It is like footballers go back into the
:13:13. > :13:17.real world. It is obviously a very emotional environment. I saw Billy
:13:17. > :13:27.Sharp on Saturday, Southampton promoted, he came up the tunnel
:13:27. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:36.virtually in tears. He lost his son in October. How are you able to do
:13:36. > :13:42.you work in those circumstances? Purely because you focused. People
:13:42. > :13:49.have had parents die, a good friend of mine, Andy Gray, his wife had a
:13:49. > :13:54.brain tumour. It is about that release of emotions. Once the game
:13:54. > :14:02.is Spanish, reality hits home again. That's when the emotions come out.
:14:02. > :14:09.-- once the game has finished. Football is a microcosm of everyday
:14:09. > :14:13.lives. Carlisle can still sneak into the play-offs. They beat
:14:13. > :14:21.Exeter in their new strip. They are relegated Exeter in the process.
:14:21. > :14:24.They have had bumps and grinds but they keep getting back on a horse.
:14:24. > :14:29.They have been regarded. They stuck at it all season. I think they
:14:29. > :14:39.deserve to be in the play-offs. The character they have showed, they
:14:39. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:45.have been fantastic. Is it a matter of focusing on what you have to do?
:14:45. > :14:51.You know there are teams ahead of you you need to split up. Do you
:14:51. > :14:56.just need to do you think? You get to have time and you find out one
:14:56. > :15:03.of the teams above you is winning 3-0. It all goes out the window.
:15:03. > :15:10.For the first have, you are focused and do your job. Get to have time,
:15:10. > :15:16.the lads will be asking what the score is elsewhere. That is that
:15:16. > :15:21.table. Notts County play Colchester. Stevenage played beret. If either
:15:21. > :15:29.of them when, it is game over for Carlisle. If they both failed to
:15:29. > :15:37.win, they will be in the play-offs. Last home game of the season for
:15:37. > :15:43.Hartlepool. First home win since February 18th. It was a morale
:15:43. > :15:47.booster at the end of their worst- ever home campaign. It mirrors
:15:47. > :15:55.Middlesbrough. They had that terrible run. They could not score
:15:55. > :16:02.enough goals. It's always a problem if you have a team that doesn't
:16:02. > :16:09.score goals. I love the story of Brian Noble. So frustrated, he has
:16:09. > :16:14.been practising with his dad in a field. That's what we want.
:16:15. > :16:24.Dedication. As his Twitter was not controversial enough, Mario
:16:25. > :16:30.
:16:30. > :16:39.Balotelli is on there now. You can find us at @LKONEC. Still to come...
:16:39. > :16:47.We are with York City's Shearman as they chase League third ball. --
:16:47. > :16:52.Director. Newcastle's Champions League hopes
:16:52. > :17:02.have been hampered. Chelsea are in the final, if they win it, they
:17:02. > :17:03.
:17:03. > :17:08.lose a place. Obviously, Newcastle got a thumping loss. Wigan are
:17:08. > :17:16.doing really well. They are the form team at the moment. Manchester
:17:16. > :17:20.United, Arsenal, they have been them. How can they suddenly let in
:17:20. > :17:27.four goals? They keep having these massive capitulation so. What does
:17:27. > :17:32.it say about them? Every now and then, they have a blip. It does not
:17:32. > :17:37.carry on, it happens. That could cost them. The top of the Premier
:17:37. > :17:47.League is so tight. It's really tough for them to get in. A lot of
:17:47. > :17:52.
:17:52. > :17:57.those teams play each other. It will change. What is your theory?
:17:57. > :18:03.Do you think they can make it? think Chelsea versus Newcastle is
:18:03. > :18:08.massive. If Newcastle beat Chelsea it puts them in the driving seat.
:18:08. > :18:14.Sunderland drew against Bolton. They have gone off the boil. Is it
:18:14. > :18:20.because of the new manager, Martin O'Neill, get the momentum going,
:18:20. > :18:28.then the reach a point where you just cannot keep going with that
:18:29. > :18:33.sort of ability? They have got to a point in the season now, there is
:18:33. > :18:38.nothing to play for, they're not going to go down, get involved in
:18:38. > :18:43.Europe, just one of them. The players are winding down for the
:18:43. > :18:49.holidays, and it's hard to keep going. Plenty for Martin O'Neill to
:18:49. > :18:54.be doing. He will take stock. He will think about what he needs to
:18:54. > :18:59.do in the summer. He has done brilliant. He made it stable again,
:18:59. > :19:03.they got great results. He will know what the squad needs for next
:19:03. > :19:08.season. I'm sure they will be stronger. York City have already
:19:08. > :19:14.booked a place in the FA Trophy final. Now their goal is to make it
:19:14. > :19:21.back to Wembley for the Blue Square Premier play-off final. The prize
:19:21. > :19:31.is regaining their Football League status. York directors Sophie Hicks
:19:31. > :19:42.
:19:42. > :19:46.is excited about the future both on She is on the board at a club on
:19:46. > :19:51.the verge of two Wembley finals in eight days. There is another bake
:19:51. > :19:57.bake on her mind. It seems to be a habit now. Every time we go to
:19:57. > :20:03.Wembley, I'm pregnant. I will be about six weeks off the arrival
:20:03. > :20:13.date. Fingers crossed, we will have a positive result, not too much
:20:13. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:17.excitement. I don't want to have a baby at Wembley. I have a boy at
:20:17. > :20:26.his 19 months old. The next baby will definitely come to the
:20:26. > :20:31.football as well. We need to breed to produce more York City fans.
:20:31. > :20:36.Sophie Hicks is part of a family team at York. Her brother is the
:20:37. > :20:44.chairman. She is one of very few women in the boardroom at
:20:44. > :20:48.professional football. Everybody is very respectful, very good to me. I
:20:48. > :20:53.haven't personally experienced a high level of prejudice. Of course,
:20:53. > :20:59.when you walk into an unknown boardroom, somebody thinks you are
:20:59. > :21:06.somebody's wife or girlfriend, but I'd put them right. On May 12th,
:21:06. > :21:09.they play Newport County for the FA Trophy. They will be back there at
:21:09. > :21:19.Wembley for the Blue Square Premier final if they can win their semi-
:21:19. > :21:25.
:21:25. > :21:30.A lifelong fan, so the was part of the supporters' trust that took
:21:30. > :21:40.over the club shortly before 75 years of League football came to an
:21:40. > :21:48.
:21:48. > :21:58.end in 2004. -- Sophie Hicks was It years later, will those tears
:21:58. > :22:03.
:22:03. > :22:11.We're delighted with the season. It's been tremendous. To be in an
:22:11. > :22:15.FA Trophy final at Wembley, to also be in the play-offs, just amazing.
:22:15. > :22:23.We need to put the success down to the manager. He has been the
:22:23. > :22:30.outstanding. He has instilled a new level of optimism, confidence, and
:22:30. > :22:34.we have a team of players that are really play for each other. Some of
:22:34. > :22:40.the players made an early visit to Wembley last week to meet the media
:22:40. > :22:46.ahead of the FA Trophy final. His Wembley becoming a distraction from
:22:46. > :22:54.the main business or promotion? People keep saying that in May. I
:22:54. > :23:01.have gone the other way. I think it is motivational. We keep talking
:23:01. > :23:10.about why we have got to Wembley. We got there by being a good side.
:23:10. > :23:14.We keep talking about Wembley. It inspires us to get there again.
:23:14. > :23:22.we get there in the play-off final, we will applied there a week before.
:23:22. > :23:26.That will take any nurse and remove them. -- make us less nervous.
:23:26. > :23:31.footballer, you want to play in the biggest games. The more we can get
:23:31. > :23:39.there the better. The month of May will be huge for York City. The
:23:39. > :23:45.council will meet and decide whether to give them a new stadium.
:23:45. > :23:53.It's a difficult time, a delicate time, but all fans realise to give
:23:53. > :24:03.this club the future we need, to progress, unfortunately, we need to
:24:03. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:12.It has been an amazing time, I'm really proud of the efforts of
:24:12. > :24:22.everyone here. Everyone has worked so hard the season. I hope for
:24:22. > :24:24.
:24:24. > :24:34.everyone here we get some success, I think it's worth watching the
:24:34. > :24:38.programme back again on the iPlayer just to see the chairman's West. --
:24:38. > :24:43.the chairman's hairstyle. The banner said they would be back, but
:24:43. > :24:48.it is a long road. Dropping out of the Premier League? What about
:24:48. > :24:57.dropping out of the Football League? It is a graveyard. We have
:24:57. > :24:59.seen what happened to Darlington. York City deserve great credit.
:25:00. > :25:08.They are in one final, there is every chance they will get there
:25:08. > :25:11.again. The first leg against Mansfield is on Wednesday.
:25:11. > :25:21.Congratulate Sue to Sunderland's women's team, they clinched the
:25:21. > :25:24.
:25:24. > :25:29.The Football League, they are introducing Financial Fair Play
:25:29. > :25:39.regulations based on the way a model. They are coming in from next
:25:39. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:51.They will carry transfer embargo was from then on. Clubs will only
:25:51. > :25:57.be able to lose �6 million. That includes new Warner Investment.
:25:57. > :26:02.This will have a profound effect on Middlesbrough. Steve Gibson is
:26:02. > :26:09.believed to be bankrolling the club took the tune of �1 million per
:26:09. > :26:13.month. I'm sure there will be loopholes, but I think in general
:26:14. > :26:17.it is a good thing for football. They cannot keep losing the type of
:26:17. > :26:24.money they are losing. Everyone needs to get their house in order.
:26:24. > :26:28.It will benefit the bigger clubs because they can spend more money,
:26:28. > :26:34.but why shouldn't an order be allowed to put whatever he wants
:26:34. > :26:38.into the club? Because you will have something like Notts County.
:26:38. > :26:43.They had all the bank references, then it never showed up. They had
:26:43. > :26:48.spent all the money on wages, and in effect, bought their way to the
:26:48. > :26:53.title. You look what happens at Manchester City, Financial Fair
:26:53. > :27:01.Play rules are slightly different there, but the owners have renamed
:27:01. > :27:05.the stadium and paid �300 million for the right to do so.
:27:06. > :27:13.everybody is so reliable. Of course not. The last thing we want is
:27:13. > :27:18.another Portsmouth. Everyone needs to be on a level. If you buy a
:27:18. > :27:22.football club and put your money in and lose it, why should you be
:27:22. > :27:28.allowed to do that? As long as the owners are reliable and have deep
:27:29. > :27:36.enough pockets. That's what happened at Darlington. Again, they
:27:36. > :27:43.need to put the money upfront. Sure that they have the money. If
:27:43. > :27:49.anything happens, you have the money. I think it's a good thing,
:27:49. > :27:57.but it will catch a lot of clubs out. The clubs coming down from the
:27:57. > :28:00.Premier League have at year of grace. A very quick word on the new
:28:00. > :28:06.England manager. We thought it would be Harry Redknapp but it
:28:06. > :28:13.looks like Roy Hodgson. It's not definite but there are only
:28:13. > :28:22.interviewing one candidate. He could say no. Why have they done
:28:22. > :28:28.this? I do not know. Harry was the plan's choice. He was the media
:28:28. > :28:31.choice. But he is not the choice of the FA. It's a strange one. There