The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 12

THE GUARDIAN Tuesday May 2 1989 Soccer First Division: Arsenal 5, Norwich City 0 Gunners fire five ttilDe reminders 12 SPORTS NEWS David Lacey yesterday's game: "There comes a time when you have to get back to work and I'm sure Liverpool will feel the same." Not so long ago yesterday's match at Highbury was being billed as a possible title decider. In the event it turned out to be nothing more than an eliminator and hardly a final eliminator at that. All that was decided was that Norwich, now without a win in eight matches, saw their last mathematical chance of the championship disappear under the weight of Arsenal's renewed ambition. "We were totally outplayed," declared Dave Stringer, the honest Norwich manager, "We were also-rans. On that form there must be a good chance that Arsenal will walk away with the title." Liverpool may have something to say about that, but there was no denying the aggression and confidence in Arsenal's performance.

The combination of Smith and Merson was crucial to Arsenal's momentum yesterday, as were Rocastle's athletic and incisive skills on the right. As a bonus Gunn, the Norwich goalkeeper, seemed forever at odds with the bounce of the ball on Highbury's uneven pitch. Arsenal's first and fourth goals could be put down to Gunn's failure to get his body behind the shots. Nevertheless the build-ups which led to most of the goals were impressive in their brisk, brash, bustling Arsenal way. In the 16th minute Richardson, Smith and Thomas combined to send Merson through the middle.

Butterworth intercepted smartly as Merson started to lose control of the ball but it bobbed out to the left for Winterburn to score with a shot that skidded past Gunn. Seven minutes before half-time a kick from Lukic bounced once before it dropped towards Smith, who allowed it to fall again before scoring with a superb first-time shot on the turn. Thomas scored Arsenal's third, nine minutes into the second half, after neat passes by Rocas-tle and Smith on the right had left him to find an empty net and two more goals in as many minutes completed their biggest win of the season. In the 82nd minute Merson's shot, struck from well outside the penalty area, flew up off a bump and hit poor Gunn on the shoulder, the ball rebounding to a grateful Smith. In the 83rd, as Arsenal attacked straight from the resumption, Butter-worth trod on the ball on the edge of the area and this time Rocastle strode through to score.

It was just what Arsenal, not to mention the championship, wanted. Arsenal: Lukic: Oixon, Winterburn. Thomas. O'Laary. Adams.

Rocastle. Richardson. Smith (Quinn, 84min). Bould, Merson (Hayes. 84) Norwich City: Gunn: Cutverhouse, Bowen, Butterworth.

Umghan. Townsend. Gordon. Fleck, Coney. Phelan, Putney.

Referee Courtney (Spennymoor). RSENAL picked up An the scent of the cham- 3t pionship yesterday MrAand invited Liverpool to rejoin the hunt. Playing then-first match since the Hillsborough disaster, the League leaders routed a disillusioned Norwich City side 5-0 at Highbury to open up a six-point gap at the top. After their biggest win of the season, George Graham's side have also regained their advantage on goal difference, 35 to Liverpool's 31, which could be important if they eventually find themselves having to go to Anfield needing to avoid defeat to win the title. For the moment all Arsenal can do is put as much space as they can between themselves and their only serious rivals.

This they started to do yesterday evening to resounding effect. The sight of Arsenal striding away with the League leadership once more will surely be the only cue Liverpool, with two games in hand, need to return to normal service on the field as soon as possible. And what better occasion to find the threads than at Goodison Park tomorrow evening. This is a sad time for English football but within the next 48 hours the season will surely have found its soul again. As the Arsenal manager said after Caged by Canaries Arsenal's Alan Smith and Paul Merson are uninvited guests in the Norwich wall facing Winterburn's free-kick photograph: frank baron Fourth Division: Scunthorpe 0, Rotherham 0 Second Division: Manchester City 1 Crystal The Wright stuff City still waiting Third Division: Bristol 1, Southend 1 Referee draws the fury of Francis Levelling out for promotion Daws bounced on the bar and Cynthia Bateman WELL, the Eagles did not land; in fact they nearly fell flat on their backsides, only a late goal against a substitute goalkeeper enabling Crystal Palace to prevent Manchester City from automatic promotion to the First Division with two games still to play.

A win at Maine Road might have given Palace that place. Now they face the leap into the unknown: a place in the playoffs is about as welcome as a left winger in goal, which is where Nigel Gleghorn found himself at half-time after Andy Dibble retired with a recurrence of a groin injury. He will miss the rest of the season, with Paul Cooper coming in. Gleghorn had taken over when Dibble was first injured, six matches ago, and ironically Dibble had hardly had a touch in this match before he doubled up in pain. Watford 0, Sunderland disagree with him.

"It really was a disgusting decision. The sooner we have professional referees the better for heaven's sake, players' livelihoods are at stake, not to mention play-off places." The referee, John Lloyd, went home with 6,000 voices of complaint still ringing in his ears. Rovers, the club with empty pockets and mighty hearts, can still make it to the Second Division. They were nervous yesterday and nothing like creative enough. But it is their boyish enthusiasm and simplicity of style that have taken them close to the leaders.

They are motivated by Francis's coaching skills and a contagious team spirit, certainly not the size of the pay packets. They had more of the play than Southend and equalised seven minutes into the second half. Dave Martin inexplicably tried a backward header which rebounded off his own bar. David Mehew, who seemed to be on the point of being substituted, perhaps sensed his vulnerability and calmly nodded the ball in. Two goals both into an empty net.

It was relief for the fans, who were almost as nervous as the team: they all know that if Rovers go up it will be an economic miracle and a stunning triumph for collective zeal. Bristol Rovera: Martyn: Alexander. Twenty-man, Yates. Jones, Mehew (Purnell, 75min), Holloway. Bailey, White, Pennce.

Reece. Southendt Sansome: Roberts. Johnson. Butler. Prior.

Brush. Martin, Hall, Crown. McDonough. Robinson (Tilson, 84). Raferca: Lloyd (Wrexham).

David Foot THERE WAS more steam in the manager's sparse office at Twerton Park than in the dressing-rooms after this match. Gerry Francis poured himself a cup of tea, counted to ten, and measured his words. It was not quite the stereotypical team boss sounding off therapeutically about lost points at the expense of an allegedly wayward referee. In this case most of the astonished Southend players, as well as the whole of the tight-packed crowd in this essentially homely non-League ground, must have agreed with Francis. After 25 minutes Nigel Mar-tyn, the young Cornish goalkeeper with already an impressive England Under-21 pedigree, jumped for a relatively innocuous cross from Peter Butler.

From nowhere, it seemed, Roy McDonough arrived for a mid-air challenge. The ball spun away from Mar-tyn's fingers and Martin Robinson headed over the line. "He caught me from behind. I've been left with bruised shoulders. I just couldn't believe it," said the mild-mannered keeper.

Francis sipped his strong tea: "I mustn't say anything about referees, must But that was what he did, reasonably enough, as he offered to show anyone a video of what had happened and defied them to Hopelessly missing Our Correspondent SCUNTHORPE are quite a draw at home in more ways than one. Their new ground's biggest crowd 8,775 watched the team notch up their ninth draw in 22 home games yesterday. If Scunthorpe had won only two of those matches they would be top of the Division. As it is, Rotherham continue there after surviving heavy home pressure, then nearly sneaking a late winner. When the two teams met last November the result was 3-3.

There was never going to be a repeat of that scoreline at Glan-ford Park, with two organised defences always in command. Rotherham struggled to make an impression up front, seemingly more content to take the sting out of Scunthorpe. Notwithstanding the best defensive record in the division they had a number of anxious moments as the Iron pressed strongly, O'Hanlon doing well to tip over a header from Hamilton before half-time. In the second half Scunthorpe kept up the pressure and on the hour were denied what they thought was a goal as Flounders crashed the ball home following a corner. But his effort was disallowed for a challenge on O'Hanlon.

The Rotherham rearguard, well marshalled by Johnson and Barnsley, gave little away, although a sharp header from Third Division Blackpool ID 4 Walwyn Matthews O'Shea Garner (pen) Bolton (I) 3 Chandler Morgan Thomas Bristol Rvra (0) 1 Mehew 6.250 Cardiff (0) 3.244 Chester (1) 2 Barrow Lightfoot Notts Co (2) 3 Lund Bates (og) Yates Port Vale 10) 1 Futcher 6,604 Reading (0) 5.152 Sheffield Utd (0) 1 Oeane Wigan 10) 1 Beesley 5.671 Qlillnglum 11)1 Peacock 2.152 Hudderatleld (0) 1 Maskell 5,51 Chesterfield 11)1 Waller Brentford 10) 4.989 Northampton (t) 2 Culpin Thomas Afdershot (0) 0 11.737 Preston (1) 1 Jemson Bristol 10) 17.351 Round-up Stones rock into League Russell Thomas T'HERE were celebrations and commiserations in Kent last night as the county welcomed a second Football League club while seeing the other relegated to the Fourth Division. The newcomers are Maidstone United, who became GM Vauxhall Conference champions on the day they also won the Kent Senior Cup. The Stones started celebrating following a goal, fittingly enough, scored at Rockingham Road. After Enfield's Paul Furlong measured a shot in the 65th minute, the leaders' closest pursuers Kettering fell to a surprising 0-1 home defeat. Thus the men of Kent entered new territory.

Maidstone, denied League election in 1983 and 1984, meet Gillingham next season after the other Kent club's fate was assured by a 4-1 beating at Blackpool. Gillingham travel 15 miles for the League's newest derby. But all visitors must remember the destination: home for Maidstone, at least next season, will remain Watling Street, Dartford. League officials on Friday check out the ground shared with the town's Beazer Homes club. In the League, Wolves were promoted to the Second Division their second successive rise while Shrewsbury returned to the Third.

Wolves' ascent was confirmed by Port Vale's surprising 2-1 home defeat by Northampton, just a few hours after Graham Turner's team had been given three more points by Steve Bull. His two goals against Bristol City made him the first League player to reach 100 in two seasons since the war. He now has 48 this season after 52 in the last. City's Galliers was sent off after his second bookable foul on the striker. Blackburn need only one point to assure a play-off place after goals in either half by Atkins and Garner overcame Bournemouth.

CAtt0898 .68 below for mtofittMion mroufliwtit i season TESTMATCHESil-DAYINT' TOURISTS DERBYSHIRE ESSEX GLOUCESTERSHIRE HAMPSHIRE KENT LANCASHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE MIDDLESEX NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SOMERSET SURREY SUSSEX WARWICKSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE YORKSHIRE OXFDUNlV yiNOACOUN CAMS UNIV SCOTLAND CRICKETINFO CRiCKETWEATHER THIS SERVICE UPDATES WHILST YOU USTEN The official TCCB service: LEEDS LSI QL8 I Ca jtfiijeadirspwr-icrtjcitys. 3cQptrtni atalpinji Iras x. VAT Palace 1 leaves City suddenly seemed conscious of the need to defend. They fell back and so exposed themselves to more danger. Bright was first to seize the opportunity and hit the left-hand post.

Wright failed to connect with the rebound, which ran through to Barber, whose shot was wide. Palace, with the bit between their teeth, again came close through Pardew but White was there to head off the line. Gleghorn blocked another Pardew shot but the goal had to come. Wright chested down a Pardew cross and hit a powerful volley from 18 yards. Sitting in the stand was City's goalkeeping hero of the 1956 Cup final, Bert Trautmann.

But even in his finest hour he would have been hard pressed to keep it out. Mancheater City: Dibble'Gleghorn. h-t; Lake. Hinchclitfe. Megson.

Brightwell. Redmond. White. Moulden (Biggins. 69).

Morley. McNab. Gleghorn (Oldlield. h-t). Cryatal Palaea: Suckling: Pemberton, Burke.

Madden (Harris. 85). Hopkins. Shaw. McGoldnck.

Pardew. Bright, Wright. Barber. Refaraa: Bailey (Cambridge). the point Only Gates and Pascoe gave glimpses of quality and it was from the latter's right-wing cross after 20 minutes that Gab-biadini who though lacking pace was always a problem to McClelland headed the winning goal, his 23rd of the season.

Porter beavered away with his incisive left foot, attempting to get the muscular Thompson and Wilkinson into the game, but he got little response. On Fan Appreciation Day at Vicarage Road, there will be little of it from the supporters for their team. Watford: Colon: Gibbs. Jackett, Falconer. Miller (David Holdsworth.

69min). McClelland. Thomas. Wilkinson. Thompson.

Porter. Holden (Sherwood. 69). Sundarland! Norman. Bennett.

Agboota. Cornlorth (Lemon. 70). McPhail, Ord. Pascoe.

Armstrong. Gabbladini. Gates (Hawke. 80). Owers Referees Oeakin (Llantwit Major) a runner past.

Beenhakker also coached the Holland squad for a time in 1985-86. Milan's imperious stride to the European Cup final has been followed more tentatively in the Italian League. They drew 0-0 with Interna-zionale, their co-tenants at the San Siro, after Ancelotti had hit the bar. Gullit, recovering from a knee operation, was missing and Rijkaard suffered a temporary loss of memory after a clash of heads. Napoli beat Verona 1-0 but are still six points behind and ready to settle for winning the Uefa Cup, in which they meet VfB Stuttgart at home on Wednesday in the first leg of the final.

Napoli supporters have plastered streets with black-edged posters purporting to mourn the fate of the West German team. For fans of a club facing its first European final such optimism seems a trifle rash, even if Maradona is on their side. For the inns of Naples, however, it is par for the course. Yesterday's results Apart from an early effort, Palace never had a shot in the first half and spent all their time containing a City side that played with the slickness of mercury on glass. It took only eight minutes for City to force the Palace defenders to back-pedal frantically in the face of an attack mounted by Moulden.

White slipped the ball across the face of goal and Gleghorn, sliding in, stuck it past Suckling, who for the rest of the half made the sort of flying dives no one should attempt without a trapeze. White's curling shot from the right spun fast and evil, and seemed certain to find the space between Suckling and his left-hand post, but the goalkeeper leapt to stop the gap. City, sweeping forward, seemed to have no need to look to defence, Redmond and Lake closing down early the threat from the Palace strikers. But after the interval, with Gleghorn in the green shirt and Old-field replacing him on the wing, 1 hands. His frustration, like that of the crowd, was understandable.

When Thomas ballooned a shot from a few yards over the bar, then Thompson headed wide from a similar position and Porter blasted over from eight yards late in the game, Watford's day was summed up. They can at least take comfort in the fact that their last two games are against Shrewsbury and Oxford. The point still needed after the results from The Hawthorns and Oak: well should come from those. The tone for yesterday's messiness was set after only 30 seconds when Sunderland's Armstrong was booked for a challenge with the elbow on Miller. Ten minutes later Watford's Wilkinson was cautioned for a similar offence on McPhail.

season. Beenhakker's reign at Real Madrid ended with their recent 5-0 defeat by AC Milan in the European Cup, a result that ensured he would leave the Bernabeu when his contract expired this summer. John Toshack, the former Wales and Liverpool striker managing Real Socie-dad, is among the candidates to succeed him. Although the championship is nearly theirs, the Real fans are finding the Milan defeat hard to forgive. The team were jeered and whistled at the weekend as they struggled to beat lowly Lo-grones 1-0 even though the win kept them three points ahead of Barcelona, for whom Salinas scored a hat-trick in the 7-1 rout of Oviedo.

The next Real manager will have to rebuild a side of which several members are over 30. Beenhakker, on the other hand, may be arriving home just in time for a revival. Ajax are among four Dutch clubs with whom he has been involved in the Ian Ridley IT WAS the sort of unexpected result to be expected at this stage of the season. Watford's unbeaten run of eight games bringing 18 points came to a stumbling end when they needed only a point to be certain of the Second Division play-offs. They were also harbouring ambitions of automatic promotion, but on this evidence it did not seem merited.

When Watford look bad, they look very bad. Yesterday, they looked even worse than mediocre Sunderland, mostly beefy legs and footballing brains to match. Watford's manager, Steve Harrison, spent the afternoon either screaming at his players or burying his head in his 0 Hanlon rescued Rotherham again with a fine full-length save trom Hodkinson. However, in the closing minutes the visitors finished with a flourish and it took a brilliant save from Musselwhite to keep out a shot by Dempsey rifled trom 25 yards. To avoid having to rely on other teams slipping up, Scun- tnorpe must now Beat tne Dot-torn club Darlington on Saturday, then win at Leyton Orient the following week to make sure of automatic promotion.

Rotherham visit Stockport, then entertain Cambridge. But with five clubs still capable of winning the title, there will be a lot of ifs and buts before this Division's season is finished. Scunthorpe: Musselwhite. Smaltey. Longden.

Taylor. Nicol. Cork (Richardson, 81min). Hodkinson, Stevenson. Oaws.

Flounders. Hamilton Rotherham: O'Hanlon: Russeil. Scott. Grealish. Johnson.

Barnsley. Oempsey. ijooawin. Williamson, naycock ttvans. 4).

Hazell. Referee: Hart (Darlington). Four goalkeepers were carried off yesterday, Halifax's 38-year-old Roche leaving with a suspected broken ankle in the defeat at Colchester, who revived from 0-2 to beat the stand-in, Braidbent, three times. The comeback makes Darlington firmer favourites to swap places with Maidstone. The other casualties were Gos-ney (Portsmouth), hurt in the fifth minute, Dibble (Manchester City) and Malcolm of Don-caster, who also had Brockie sent off.

Fourth Division Carlisle 12) 2 Sendall Helhennglon Colchester (0) 3 Wilkins Warner Allinson (pen) Crewe (0) 1 Fishenden 3.693 Doncaster (1) 2 Turnbull Robinson (pen) 2.183 Hartlepool 10) 2 Grayson Dalton Hereford (1) 2 Stant Narbett Lincoln (0) 2 Davis Gamble 3.594 Rochdale ID 2 Taylor Frain (pen) Scarborough (2) 2 Short Graham Scunthorpe (0) 8.775 Stockport (0) 2 Matthews Angell 2.118 Leyton Orient (1) 1 Castle 2.410 Halifax (1)2 Hill (og) McPhtllips 5.065 York (1) 2 Reid Helliwell Grimsby (2) 3 Banton Tillson O'Kelly Peterborough (0) 1 Gunn (pen) 1,643 Tranmere (1) 1 Muir (pen) 2.844 Burnley 12) 3 White 2 OConnell Torquay (01 1 Loram 1.239 Exeter (1)1 Benjamin 2.513 Rotherham (0) 0 Wrexham (I) 2 Russell Wright 21 15 20 15 20 14 A Pta 73 34 78 8 58 40 75 10 71 52 74 Rotherham 44 Tranmere 43 Scunthorpe 44 10 64 49 74 10 60 45 73 13 81 49 13 72 61 62 Cambridge 42 Lincoln 44 16 13 17 10 15 15 18 6 15 13 14 15 14 15 16 8 14 12 13 13 10 21 14 9 13 11 13 9 13 65 58 61 17 63 59 61 13 57 54 60 20 65 63 60 15 57 130 58 14 49 47 57 15 63 68 57 18 43 53 56 17 50 54 54 18 55 80 52 13 53 47 51 21 48 73 51 20 50 74 SO 22 65 71 48 49 76 48 20 53 77 44 arimsby Exeter 44 43 York- Carlisle 43 Hereford 44 Torquay 42 Burnley 43 Rochdale 44 Stockport 44 Hartlepool- 44 Peterboro 44 Halifax 44 Doncaster 44 Colchester 44 Darlington 43 7 18 18 47 67 39 Campbell Money, the SI Mirron goalkeeper, has been suspended until the end of the season and fined two weeks' wages for "breach of club discipline" Money, who has three years ol his contract felt, upset the manager Tony Fitzpatnck at the weekend by submitting his second transfer request this season. He was reported as saying he was "disenchanted" with St Mtr-ren end that It wbb "time to leave" Beenhakker does BARCLAYS LEAGUE Flrat Division Araenal (2) 5 Winterburn Smith 2 Thomas Rocastle Norwich (0) 28.449 AM 67 32 SO AreenaL- 34 20 Liverpool 32 IB 9 5 55 24 83 Norwlc! 35 16 33 15 45 42 SS Nottm For. 12 6 12 10 53 37 57 60 45 57 44 39 S3 36 32 52 44 46 51 47 40 SO 39 33 47 38 28 4 5 44 42 44 42 51 30 44 59 30 47 63 38 31 47 38 38 49 36 Tottenham 3 15 Coventry 36 14 Derby Cnty 34 15 7 12 Millwalf 35 14 9 12 Wimbledon 34 14 8 12 11 12 12 10 11 11 12 14 12 15 14 13 11 15 12 14 OPR. 35 12 33 11 33 11 ManUtcL. Everton Aston Villi Mlddleibro 36 Southmptn 35 Shetf Wed 35 Charlton 34 Luton 35 8 11 16 36 49 35 Newcastle 35 7 9 19 30 58 30 Weal Ham 32 6 8 18 28 52 2S OH VAUXHALL CONFERENCE.

Altrinc-ham 2. Yeovil 2: Fisher 1. Boston Kettering O.Enlield 1: Sutton Utd 1. Tellord Wycombe 0. Weymouth 0 Top three A Pta Holdttone 38 24 9 5 90 44 81 Kettering 39 23 7 9 55 37 76 Beaton 39 21 8 10 60 5 71 Promoted AC DELCO CUP.

Final: Bishop's Storttord 1, Farnborough 0 HFS Premier Division: Bangor 1. Hyde 2: Buxton 0. Rhyl 2: Caernarfon 0. Barrow 1 Matlock 2. Floetwood 3: Mossley 2, Goole 0: Shepshed 3, Liverpool 0: Witlon 1, Frickley 1 BEAZER HOMES LEAOUt Premier Dhr-lalon: Alvechurch 1.

VS Rugby Ashtord 1. Dorchester 1: Crawley 2, Corby Dartford 0. Wealdstone Oover 1, Cambridge 3: Fare-ham 0, Bath 2: Merthyr 3, Sromsgrove 1: Redditch 1, Moor Green 2: Waterlooville 2, Gosport 0. Midland Dhriclon: Banbury Utd 2, Forest Green Rov 2: Dudley Tn 1, Tamworth Gloucester 2. Grantham Tn 0: Spalding Uld 3.

Mile Oak Rov 0. Southern Division: Baldock Tn 4, Tonbridge AFC 2: Buckingham Tn1.Andover2:BuryTn1. Erlth Si Belvedere 0: Chelmstord 0. Hastings Tn Dunstable 0, Corinthian Gravesend Northfloel 0. Folkestone Poole Tn 3, Hounslow 2: Salisbury 2, Burnham 3: Sheppey Uld 5, Thanet Utd Witney Tn 0, Trowbridoe Tn 3.

OVENDEN PAPERS COMBINATION. Crystal Palace 2. Oxford Utd 1. REMAINING GAMES Flrat Division Areenah Derby(h). Wimblodon (h); Liverpool Middlesbrough (a).

Liverpool: Arsenal (M. OPR (h), Wesi Ham (h). Noltm Forest (h): Everton (a). Wimbledon (a). Second Divlsloni Chef tea: Bradlord thy Portsmouth (a).

Man Cttyi Bournemouth (h); Bradford (a). Watford: Shrewsbury (hi-Oxford (a). Cryatal Palaea: Stoke (It), Birmingham (b). Leicester (a). Mecfcbuim Walsall (h).

Ipswich (a). nvraallHUSloto (h), Oldham (a). Second Division Barnsley (0) 1 Evans Oxford (0) 5.940 Bradford 10) 0 4,735 Blackburn (1)2 Atkins Garner Brighton (0) 1 Codner 6.750 Chelsea ID 2 Dixon Roberts (pen) Leeda (0) 1 Aiztewood Leicester (1) 1 Newell 7.223 Manchester ID 1 Gleghorn 33.456 Plymouth (0) 6.484 Swindon ID 1 King Watford (0) 13.499 West Bromwkh (1) Anderson (pen) West 2 Bournemouth (0) 9.345 Stoke 11)1 Higgins 14.946 Walsall 10) 13.260 Oldham (1) 2 Wright Kelly Cryatal Palace (0) 1 Wright Shrewsbury (0) 8.699 Sunderland (1)1 Gabbiadini 3 Portsmouth (0) 9.588 Watford 44 21 Crystal Pal 43 21 Blackburn 44 21 11 12 11 11 11 12 15 10 70 48 74 64 46 74 71 57 74 63 51 72 44 19 W.B.A- 44 17 44 18 44 20 44 17 44 16 44 18 43 15 44 13 44 14 44 13 44 11 44 13 44 14 44 13 44 11 17 10 14 12 7 17 14 13 13 15 6 20 13 15 16 15 12 16 14 17 19 14 12 19 8 22 11 20 14 19 64 41 68 62 57 68 68 61 67 56 47 63 58 58 61 50 59 60 55 66 58 50 55 55 61 63 54 52 59 63 73 70 52 51 58 51 55 63 SO 52 65 50 52 66 47 Bamsley Ipswich Leeds Utd Sundertnd Bournomth Stoke Oxford-. Leicester Oldham Portsmttl Brighton Plymouth Hull 'Shrewebry 44 8 16 20 44 7 11 26 37 64 40 29 72 32 40 74 31 'Walsall 44 5 Promoted or relegated LEADINO LEAGUE SCORERS. Flrat Division: 21 Smith (Arsenal).

17 Aldndge (Liverpool) 15 Slaven (Midd'sbro). 14 Mclnally (Villa). Speedie (Coventry). Second: 25 Edwards (Hull) 24 Tynan (Plymouth). 23 Dixon (Chelsea).

21 Wright (Palace). 20 Bright (Palace). Third: 35 Bull (Wolves). 20 Maskell (Hudderslield). 24 Crown (Soulhend).

22 Deans (Sheltield Utd). Fourth: 27 Williamson (Rotherham). 20 Slant (Hereford), ai Oaws (Scunthorpe), McPhtrffps (Halifax). Rowbofharn (Exeter). A Pis 'Wolves 42 25 11 6 87 41 86 Shaft Utd 43 24 8 11 86 49 80 Port Vale 43 21 12 10 73 47 7 5 Fulham 44 22 8 14 68 65 74 Bristol 42 19 15 8 67 47 72 Preaton 44 19 13 12 76 57 70 BrenM oriLH" 43 is" "iz" 13 "62" 55 "66 Cheater 43 16 11 14 62 58 65 Notts Cnty 44 17 13 14 59 51 64 Bury 44 16 12 16 55 66 60 Swansea 42 15 14 13 48 45 59 Hudderafld 44 17 8 19 61 70 59 Bolton 43 14 15 14 50 49 57 Bristol CHy 44 16 9 19 49 54 57 ManeNeld 43 13 15 15 45 51 54 Northmptn 44 16 6 22 62 70 54 Reading 44 14 11 19 63 67 53 Cardiff 42 13 12 17 41 55 51 Southend 43 12 15 16 53 70 51 ChoalerfM 44 14 7 23 48 79 49 Wigan 41 12 11 18 48 50 47 Blackpool 42 11 12 19 49 55 45 'Ollllngham 44 II 4 29 45 78 37 Aldershot 44 8 12 24 47 74 36 David Lacey LEO BEENHAKKER, the Dutch coach who has brought Real Madrid to the threshold of their third successive Spanish title as well as taking them to three European Cup semi-finals, is returning to Holland to manage Ajax.

The Amsterdam club announced yesterday that he would sign a two-year contract later this month. The 46-year-old Beenhakker will be taking over from Spitz Kohn, who replaced Kurt Linder earlier in the season. Kohn will stay on as Been-hakker's assistant. Ajax have narrowed PSV Eindhoven's lead at the top of the Dutch League to one point, and with four games to play they still have a chance of a European Cup place next 'Promoted or relegated Stephen Pears, Middlesbrough goalkeeper, entered hospital yesterday lor a hernia operation. Pears has missed the last live matches.

Chatlton's Welsh international striker Andy Jones, who has been on loan at Port Vale, has been recalled and is included in a 15-man squBd for tonight's relegation match at Luton. The home side have Wilson, Foster and Beaumont shoit of full fitnoss but all threa are etpetfBrt to play..