The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 12

12 SPORTS NEWS THE GUARDIAN Monday May 9 1988 Soccer Swindon Town 0, Aston Villa 0 Taylor-made Villa soar up and away Russell Thomas PICTURE: FRANK BARON Shouting the odds Joe McLaughlin vents his feelings at Charlton's John Humphrey as the referee Darryl Reeves intervenes style since he uprooted after a decade at Watford. Doug Ellis, the chairman who hired him last summer to revive a team in deep decline, said of his manager: "I wouldn't say he rules by fear, but in management it is a thin line between fear and respect. It comes down to that ability to man-manage. Graham has got that; he's a good psychologist." Taylor's main achievement on Saturday was to ensure his team resisted Swindon's airborne attacks and kept their nerve while the other teams lost theirs. At the start, a point seemed totally inadequate, but at the end it was enough, if only by virtue of Villa's superior goal power.

They finished with five goals more than Middlesbrough, points and goal difference being the same. It was fitting that the best travellers in the section should clinch promotion away. But for the woodwork denying Thompson's header and Piatt's shot, Villa would have claimed a Second Division record of away victories and gone up without resort to the slide rule. Swindon Town: Digby: Hockaday. King, O'Regan, Parkin, Calderwood, Bamber, Git-tens.

Quinn. Foley, While. Aelon Villa: Spink; Gage. Gallagher, A Gray, Evans. Sims, Birch, Aspinall.

Thompson. Gray. Piatt. Referee: Midgley (Bolton) The future of Wembley as the venue for the Littlewoods Cup final is in doubt. The Football League, whose agreement to use Wembley for the final has expired, are unhappy with, among other things, ticket problems at the Luton-Arsenal game and Wembley's share of the cup cake.

AC Milan extended their Italian League lead over Napoli to two points with one match to go after drawing 0-0 with Ju-ventus. The champions, without the injured Maradona, lost. EVEN before the last drop of bubbly was downed in the visitors' dressing room, Graham Taylor was making a sober assessment of the challenge facing Aston Villa in the First Division. The champagne promotion has not gone to the manager's head. The longest nine minutes of Taylor's managerial life, spent waiting for Middlesbrough's result, had not drained the zestful track-suited figure of all energy.

Finding the only quiet corner of Swindon's County Ground, he spoke at length with typical passion and fluency about his vision of Villa's future. Taylor's target for next season is a place in the top half of the First Division. After that? "I've got to be looking for a team in the top four or five," he said. "You've got to forget about London and the North you've got to think, 'this is the city, let's do it in Birmingham'." The ambition of resurrecting the Midlands' most famous club as a championship force is tinged with realism. "We'll have to find some money.

Then it depends on whether I spend wisely. I've got no kids coming through." Taylor has already spent 1 million in his extensive dealing to return Villa immediately to the First Division. He probably needs more than that to chart in the top 10 next May. The manager knows exactly what sort of newcomers he wants. "They have to be big-city players.

They don't have to be arrogant, but they have to have a hard streak." You sense that there is a harder streak to Taylor's Odwosdogd Hooks Ibeyomxd nor IKeim wandered the serene figure of Since Mr Bates habitually breathes more fire than his team, it would be as well not to remove the asbestos just yet at least not until the play-offs have been settled and the elections to the League management committee completed. The Chelsea chairman's place on the committee is under threat both on the field and in the ballot box. The hustings should be fun. On the whole it has not been a good season for tycoons. Halfway through it the biggest of them, Robert Maxwell, drifted across English football much as the Graf Zeppelin flew slowly above the 1930 FA Cup final, inspiring awe, apprehension and a few nervous giggles from those below.

Having proved that the power of mammon could achieve First Division status for the likes of Oxford United and Derby County, the involvement of the Maxwell family in both clubs plus his desire to buy Watford and his lingering interest in Reading have not exactly defied the force of gravity. Oxford, Watford and Reading have been relegated and Derby have narrowly avoided the play-offs. Players, rather than chairmen, remain the arbiters of a club's future, not to mention the future of the game itself. This season the behaviour of footballers has been scrutinised as never before and some of the side-effects have been alarming. The legal authorities, particularly those in Scotland, appear to have confused their hooligans.

While the English clubs press for an early return to Europe the Sports Minister, speaking for the Government in general but the Prime Minister in particular, continues to warn that in spite of increased police surveillance and dawn raids on sleepy conspirators all is still far from well, a point brought home by the pitch invasion at Bristol City after the home team had taken the lead. You can hardly prosecute footballers for scoring goals. However, the charging of players for conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace which followed one of the more physical confrontations between Rangers and Celtic has revived the canard that bad behaviour on the pitch provoked even worse behaviour among spectators. It is one thing for a footballer to be charged with assault on an opponent but quite another Middlesbrough 1, Leicester City 2 Rioch horror show David Lacey ABIDING image of the Football League season's last A VJtfull day will be of the Chelsea chairman on his feet at the front of the main stand at Stamford Bridge looking down as his players trudged off into the twilight zone of the playoffs. Immediately below Ken Bates was an advertisement for removers of asbestos.

held until the 64th-minute when Miller's shot took a deflection off Wicks and looped in over Hitchcock's head. Lawrence believes that Chelsea deserve to stay up "because they are seven points ahead of the rest." At all events they now meet Blackburn in the play-offs and will hope that their performances against Second Division opposition have improved after earlier cup defeats by Reading and Swindon. Relegation would cost them dearly. With Millwall promoted the Second Division is going to be a lonely place for a London club next season, but at least Crystal Palace would have some company. In the centenary season attendances are up by 500,000 and the revivals in such traditional places as Villa Park, Roker, Ayresome Park, Molineux and Ninian Park are welcome.

Brighton are up too things must be getting better. SCORERS. Chelsea: Durie pen (16 min). Chariton Athletic: Miller (64). Chelsea: Hitchcock: Clarke.

Oorigo. Wicks. McLaughlin, Pates. Nevin. Bumstead, Dixon.

Durie. Wilson (K Wilson, 73 mm). Charlton Athletic: Bolder: Humphrey, Reid. Mackenzie, Shirtlill. Miller.

Stuart (Mortimer. 63). Leaburn. Bennett (Jones, 45). Lee, Crooks.

Referee: Reeves (Uxbridge). the Third, but would then face tough opposition in the winners of the Torquay-Scunthorpe tie a repeat of Saturday's match which Scunthorpe won, only for both to miss out on automatic promotion to Bolton. The semi-finals will be settled by penalties if the teams are level after two legs, extra-time and the doubling of away goals. The finals can go to replays, with shoot-outs deciding the venues. By then the managers should be grey-haired to a man.

PLAY-OFF DATES. Semi-finals, first leg: Next Sunday: Blackburn Chelsea: Bradford Middlesbrough; Bristol City Sheffield United: Notts County Walsall: Swansea Rotherham; Torquay Scunthorpe. Second legs on Wednesday, May 18. First leg of linals on Wednesday, May 35 and second leg on Saturday May 28. Possible third match: Monday, May 30.

(Higher-finishing (earns get advantage of second leg-at home). Referees to be chosen 'carefully' Millwall 1, Blackburn Rovers 4 Rovers in top gear to assume that he can be held legally responsible for a theoretical riot. The English football authorities, including the Professional Footballers' Association, have become even more determined to root out the game's habitual troublemakers and on the whole football is not so violent as it was 20 years ago and maybe this is why the worst offenders stand out. One suggestion, backed by the PFA, to find favour is the deduction of League points for clubs with bad disciplinary records. But this demands a better and more consistent standard of refereeing and brings us back to Saturday's game at Chelsea which, had it taken place in Scotland, would have given the Procurator Fiscal's office a hectic Monday morning.

With Chelsea having to win to avoid the play-offs and Charlton needing merely a point to put themselves above it all the contest was always going to be close-fought. However, the number of outright assaults by members of both teams that took place off the ball brought the match, but not the crowd, to the brink of anarchy. In the midst of the mayhem who are in form at the moment." Keith Hackett will head the League's list, and Goggins is hoping that the play-offs will follow last season's pattern hard, tough but not over-physical." For most managers and more than a few footballers the playoffs will simply be a matter of suffering the thumbscrew as a relief from the rack. Last season Charlton preserved their First Division status by seeing off Ipswich and, after a replay, Leeds United. But Chelsea have won only once in 26 League games hardly the stuff of survival.

Bradford City, though, have already beaten Middlesbrough twice. The Third Division aspirants of the services of both Gary Pallister and Tony Dorigo for England's Rous Cup matches against Scotland and Colombia and the final warm-up in Switzerland. They will only become available if their teams are knocked out straight away. Robson, who tomorrow announces his squad for the three internationals as well as Alan Hansen's testimonial game at Liverpool a week today, had planned to retain Pallister at centre-back for the Scotland match and possibly give Dorigo a run at left-back. The Chelsea defender looks likely to cover for Kenny Sansom now that Stuart Pearce has been forced out of the squad through injury.

Robson watched Dorigo at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and has seen enough of the Aidan Semmens Di WAS billed as a revival meeting. Middlesborough had only to beat Leicester to ensure promotion for the second time in two extraordinary seasons. Just 21 months after starting a Third Division campaign with a "home" match at Hartlepool, they were on the First Division threshold. The gospel choir had rallied to the word, too, with Ayresome Park full for the first time since the Official Receiver emptied it. But someone forgot to explain to Leicester the meaning of that little word They dominated the first halt with slick football and went 2-0 up early in the second, leaving the congregation to pray for favourable results elsewhere.

England's new nternational Gary Pallister was at fault for both City goals. He had ample opportunity to clear before Weir struck the first in 12 minutes. And as Boro responded with some fervour to Bruce Rioch's half-time team talk, the adventuring defender was robbed inside the Leicester half Second Division: Bradford 2. Ipswich Crystal Palace 2, Manchester City 0: Hud-derstield 0. Sheflield Ufd 2: Middlesbrouoh 1.

Leicester 2: Millwall 1. Blackburn 4: Oldham 2, Bournemouth 0: Reading 0, Hull 0: Shrews bury z. piymoutn swinoon Aston Villa West Brom 2. Barnsley 2. A PtS Millwall 44 25 7 12 72 52 82 Aston Villa 44 22 12 10 68 41 78 David Lacey HE Football League will appoint "in-form referees" to take charge of the play-offs.

Yesterday's announcement follows Darryl Reeves's much-criticised handling of the ill-tempered draw at Stamford Bridge which kept Charlton in the First Division and sent Chelsea into the deciders. "The appointments will be made very carefully," said John Goggins, the League spokesman on referees. "Geography has to come into it, but otherwise the decisions will be taken on merit. We will be looking at performances over the season, experience, and those Darryl Reeves ot Uxbndge, a Candide among referees whose reaction to the afternoon's more critical moments was to summon the linesmen to his side like men-at-arms. Late in the game Leaburn, the lanky Charlton striker, was laid out cold in the Chelsea penalty area and on coming round started to behave like Muhammad Ali at one of his early weigh-ins, spoiling for an impromptu fight and having to be restrained by half-a-dozen aides.

The difference was that Leaburn meant it. The arguments were still going on as the teams left the pitch and the sense of dignity retained by Bobby Campbell, the Chelsea manager, was one of the afternoon's few saving graces. "You cannot expect players to play real football in that sort of situation," he said, "there's so much involved, so much at stake. Tempers get frayed and decisions are 'iffy." Television would have enjoyed itself with the referee. In the sixteenth minute Mr Reeves awarded Chelsea a penalty after Humphrey had fouled Durie on the arc rather than the 18-yard line.

Durie duly gave Chelsea a lead which they Walsall, Notts County and Bristol City will all fancy their chances of dragging Sheffield United down from the Second. The Nelson touch sent Brighton straight up with Sunderland, and a drop of Gordon's enabled Bristol City to leapfrog above Northampton into the last play-off place. The third-placed team in the Third Division, Swindon, won promotion last season. This time it could be Notts County, who came fourth. Swansea, having squeezed past Leyton Orient into sixth place in the Fourth Division, will hope to follow the precedent set by Aldershot last season in winning promotion from a similar position.

They ought to haul Rotherham down from peace of mind player at under-21 level to know his potential although he was not at West Ham a week ago when the Chelsea defender was given the runaround by Mark Ward. The England manager's main problem now is to find a satisfactory partnership at centre-back. At the moment Mark Wright and Dave Watson are set to fill the positions in June but they have yet to play regularly as a pair for England and Robson may feel that they need plenty of practice together in the short time available. Tony Adams has missed only one of England's six matches this season and should make the squad ahead of but to put himself back in contention he needs to show that he can operate effectively with out Butcher alongside mm. Celtic as they received their championship trophy before a rather dreamy 1-0 victory over Dunfermline.

Jan Bartram, Rangers Danish defender who only joined the club in January, has delivered a stinging attack on the game in Scotland. Two weeks after asking for a transfer, he said: "When the whistle is blown for the first time, the play is just about life and death. When I get the ball and a roar reaches to the sky, I know that in two-tenths of a second I'll have at least 12 stud-marks on my ankles." Speaking in Denmark, he added: "I dare not remain in Scotland. I wanted to make sure I was out of town before the supporters knew I was leaving because I know how they have treated players who criticised the club." The weekend's soccer results and tables Butcher sick note ruins English Ian Ridley THE LIONS were feted and sated. Into The Den trotted a pack of hungrier Rovers, who recorded a remarkable result which earns them a play-off against Chelsea, beginning at Ewood Park on Sunday.

At first one felt for Blackburn. Millwall, led by their manager of the month, John Docherty, received their Second Division championship trophy and medals before the kick-off, with more than 15,000 supporters, from tearful pensioners to bright-eyed toddlers, wallowing in the present success and projecting themselves into a vision of First Division football for the first time. For folk who have had to live in the past for so long, there was also nostalgia in the sight of former Saturday heroes, such as Eamon Dunphy, Harry Cripps and Barry Kitchener. In their dressing room under the Cold Blow Lane kop, Blackburn could not turn down the volume. "Bleak and intimidating," said Dunphy of the visitors' quarters.

But Rovers' manager, Don Mackay, had his psychology right. When Millwall's players reappeared for a game almost irrelevant to them, he took off his own men. They returned and stood in the centre circle to salute the home fans, who applauded them warmly. men they proceeded to dls- by McAllister, who then ran unchallenged through the gap Pallister had left to score from the outside the penalty area. Boro were raised from their knees shortly afterwards when the off-side flag surprisingly stayed down, allowing Hamilton to set up Slaven for a close-range finish.

But though they then beseiged Cooper's goal for the last 25 minutes their efforts were more frenzied than fluent, and neither seriously threatened nor deserved an equaliser. As it transpired, another goal would have taken them up. They missed automatic promotion because they have scored five fewer goals over the season than Villa, whose points tally and goal difference they share. Rioch, ever stoical, talks now of a second bite at the cherry. But having lost twice to Bradford in the League, the play-off after-taste may be bitter.

SCORERS. Leicester: Weir (12 min), McAllister (56). MMdleibrough: Slaven (65). Middlesbrough: Pears: Parkinson. Laws, Mowbray, Hamilton.

Pallister. Slaven. Ripley (Glover, 79), Kernaghan (Senior, 58). Kerr, Burke. Leicester City: Cooper: Mauchlen, Morgan.

Osman. Walsh, Ramsey, McAllister, Cross. Newell, Turner, Weir Referee: Mills (Barnsley). Third Division: Brentford 1. York Brighton 2.

Bristol Rovers Bristol City 1, Doncaster Bury 0. Chester 1: Chesterfield 1. Fulham Grimsby 1. Aldershot 1: Port Vale 1. Mansfield Preston 1.

Nolls County 2: Rotherham 1. Sunderland 4: Walsall 0. Gillingham 0 Southend 4. Blackpool 0. 'Sunderlnd 46 27 Brighton 46 23 A Pts 7 92 48 93 8 69 47 84 IWalsall 46 23 13 10 63 50 82 tNottsCnly 46 23 12 11 82 49 81 tBristolC 46 21 12 13 77 62 75 Northmptn 19 9 70 51 73 12 14 70 61 72 12 16 68 56 66 9 18 69 60 66 wigan 15 71 62 65 17 58 56 65 16 53 59 62 15 77 61 59 17 5B 57 59 16 51 62 58 13 IB 48 59 58 13 19 65 83 55 10 21 41 70 55 12 20 48 59 54 Southend Chestorfld Mansfield Aldershot 46 15 8 23 64 74 53 tRotherham 46 12 16 18 50 66 52 'Grimsby- 12 14 20 48 58 SO 9 29 48 91 33 9 29 40 84 33 York- Doncaster Fourth Division: Burnley 1, Cardilf Cambridge Utd 1, Carlisle 2: Exeter 1, Halifax 2-Hartlepool 1, Hereford 2: Leyton Orient 0 Wolverhampton Newport 0, Rochdale 1-Scarborough 1.

Stockport Swansea 3, Darlington 0: Torquay 1. Scunthorpe Wrexham 0, Bolton Crewe 0, Peterborough 1 APIs 'Wolves 46 27 9 10 82 43 90 'Cardiff 46 24 13 9 66 41 85 Bolton 46 22 12 12 66 42 7B TScunthrpe 46 20 17 9 76 51 77 TTorqusy 46 21 14 11 66 41 77 (Swansea 46 20 10 16 62 56 70 Peterboro 46 20 10 Leyton 46 19 12 Colchester 46 19 10 16 52 53 70 15 85 63 69 17 47 -51 67 19 57 62 67 20 69 58 66 15 56 48 65 '7 71 69 65 18 61 53 64 17 50 52 61 17 50 57 69 '4 57 53 58 18 54 59 SB Bumley 46 20 Wrexham 46 20 7 6 Scarboro 46 17 14 Darilnoton 46 18 11 9 Tranmere 46 19 Cambridge 46 16 13 14 19 14 12 20 41 59 12 15 19 44 58 81 11 15 20 47 76 4B 46 11 13 22 53 68 46 8 26 57 86 44 Carlisle, 46 12 46 6 7 33 35 105 a In the play-offs. promoted or relegated. DUTCH LEAGUE DS'79 0 Willem II 1, VvV Venlo 1: PEC Zwolle 0 lendam Haarlem 0, Forluna Gronlnoen 2, Ajax AZ 67 3, Don Haag RodSJC Kerkrade 3. Utrecht 0: Snnnn 1 e.

Feyenoord 1, Den Bosch 4. Final atandinasi JiZfy, PM' 59)1 2' Aax 3-). 32 (34-41). 48 18 ar on Bristol 4b It) Fulham 46 19 Blackpool 46 17 14 Port Vale 46 18 11 Brentford 46 16 14 Gillingham 46 14 17 Bury 46 15 14 Chester 46 14 16 Preston 46 15 46 14 46 15 46 14 Hartlepool 46 15 Crewe 46 13 Halifax 46 14 Hereford 46 14 Stockport 46 Rochdale 46 Exeter mantle a side which needs something at stake in order to thrive. Before half-time, Sellars's sweet left foot had set up Price's headed goal and sent Garner clear to shoot low and accurately past Home.

Aware that they were allowing their party to be pooped, Millwall returned with added vigour. Sheringh-am's shot, deflected in off Mail, brought them back into the game and Cascarino's header was cleared from the line by Ainscow. It was the turning point. Immediately, Garner was racing clear to score his second goal; then, the appropriately-named Barker sniffed a chance and volleyed in, albeit weakly, off the bar to end Millwall's run of seven successive victories and break Rovers' miserable streak of one win in eight games. Millwall have earned their plaudits, but their will be no pats on the back from then-south London neighbours, Crystal Palace.

If the Second Division champions had either beaten or drawn with Blackburn on Saturday, Palace who beat Manchester City 2-0 would now be preparing for next week's play-offs instead of Rovers. SCORERS. Millwall: Sheringham (SOmin). Blackburn: Price (32). Garner (40 and S3), Barker (65) Millwall: Home: Stevens.

Coleman, Hurlock, Wood. McLeary. Carter, Briley. Sheringham, Cascarino. O'Callaghan.

Blackburn Rovers: Gennoe: Price, Millar, Barker, Hendry, Mail, Reid, Ainscow. Gayle, Garner, Sellars. Referee: Reed (Birmingham). own nerve-ends were twitching. Inside a minute they could have been one up, then one down, and by three minutes theywere reducedlo 10 men.

Abbott came on to replace the injured full-back Mitchell and two minutes later he scored to send City's biggest crowd of the season, 16,017, delirious. The Ipswich danger man was Dalian Atkinson, scorer of five goals in his last three games, and when he raced to the byline D'Avray had only to reach his cross to equalise. The silence was even more resounding as Jason Dozzell put the Suffolk side ahead with his first goal since January last season. It was not until Stuart McCall ran through the Ipswich defence to crack home the tMiddlabro 44 22 12 10 63 36 78 tBradford 44 22 11 11 74 54 77 tBlackburn 44 21 J4 9 68 52.77 Crystal Pal 44 22 9 13 66 59 75 Leeds Utd 44 19 12 13 61 51 69 Ipswich 44 19 9 16 61 52 66 Man City 44 19 8 17 80 60 65 Oldham 44 18 11 15 72 64 65 Stoke 44 17 11 16 50 57 62 Swindon 44 16 11 17 73 60 59 Leicester 44 16 11 17 62 61 59 Barnsley 44 15 12 17 61 62 57 Hull 44 14 15 15 54 60 57 Plymouth 44 16 8 20 65 67 56 Bournemth 44 13 10 21 56 68 49 Shrowsbry 44 11 16 17 42 54 49 Birminghm 44 11 15 18 41 66 48 44 12 1 1 21 50 69 47 tSheHUtd 44 13 7 24 45 74 46 Reading 44 10 12 22 44 70 42 Huddrsfld 44 6 10 28 41 100 28 FINE FARE SCOTTISH LEAGUE. Premier Division: Aberdeen 0, Motherwell Celtic 1, Dunfermline Dundee Utd 0.

Hearts 0: Falkirk 0. Rangers Hibernian 3, Morton 1: St Mirren 1, Dundee 0. A Pts Celtic 44 31 10 3 79 23 72 Hearts 44 23 16 5 74 32 62 Rangers 44 26 8 10 85 34 60 44 21 17 6 56 25 59 Dundee 44 16 15 13 54 47 47 Hibernian 44 12 19 13 41 42 43 Dundee 44 17 7 20 70 64 41 Motherwell 44 13 10 21 37 56 36 St Mirren 44 10 15 19 41 64 35 Falkirk 44 10 11 23 41 75 31 Dunfrmline 44 8 10 26 41 84 26 Morton 44 3 10 31 27 100 1 6 Scotland lose four players BARCLAYS LEAGUE. First Division: cneisea Charlton Coventry 0, QPR Everton 1, Arsenal 2: Manchester United 4, Portsmouth Newcastle 2. West Ham 1: Norwich 0, Wimbledon 1: Nottingham Forest 5, Oxford Uld Sheffield Wednesday 1, Liverpool Southampton 1.

Luton 1. 39 26 A PtS 2 86 23 89 UverpooL Man Utd Nottm For Everton Q.P.R. Arsenal 39 22 12 5 69 37 78 38 20 11 7 65 37 71 40 19 13 8 53 27 70 40 19 10 11 48 38 B7 40 18 12 10 58 39 66 39 14 15 10 57 45 57 40 14 14 12 55 53 56 Wimbledon Newcastle-Coventry Sheff Wed- 40 13 14 13 46 53 53 40 15 8 17 52 66 53 37 14 8 15 54 55 50 Luton- SoUthmDtn 40 12 14 14 49 53 50 Tottenham 40 12 11 17 38 48 47 Norwich 40 12 9 19 40 52 45 Derby Cnty 40 10 13 17 35 45 43 West Ham 40 9 15 16 40 52 42 Chariton 40 9 15 16 38 52 42 IChelsea 40 9 15 16 50 68 42 'Portsmth. 40. 40 40 7 14 19 36 66 35 7 11 22 27 51 32 6 13 21 44 80 31 FA TROPHY.

Final: Enfield 0, Telford Utd 0 (aet; replay on Thursday at West Brom-wich). WEST GERMAN LEAGUE Schalke 0, Ein-tracht Karlsruhe 2, Nuremberg Hamburg 3. Bayer Leverkusen Bayer Uerdingen 0, Bayern Munich Hanover 2, Moenchenglad-bach Cologne 2, Werder Bremen 0: Stuttgart 2, Borussia Dortmund Kaiserslautern 1, FC Homburg Bochum 1, Waldhof Mannheim 0. Loading standings: 1, Werder Bremen (P32, 50); 2, Bayern Munich (32-44); 3. Cologne (32-44).

ITALIAN LEAGUE. Avelllno 1, Empoli 0: Cesena 2, Internazionale Fiorentina 3, Napoli Milan 0, Juventus Pescara 0, Ascoli Sampdoria 0, Pisa TorlnD 2, Roma Verona Como 1. Leading standings: 1. AC Milan (P29. Pls44); 2.

Napoli (29-42). 3, Roma (29-36). LEADING SCORERS (League; FA Cup; Littlewoods Cup; Other). First Division: McClair (Manchester Utd) 22. 2, 5.

0 (29); Aldridge (Liverpool) 25. 2, 1. 0 (28); Rimmer (Watford 27 Chester) 25, 0, 1, 2 (28); Ro-senoir (West Ham 22 Fulham) 25, 1. 1, 0 (27): Chapman (Sheffield Wednesday) 21, 2, 1, 0 (24): Clough (Nottingham Forest) 19, 1, 2, 0 (22). Second Division: Quinn (Swindon) 21, 0.

8, 2 (31); Currie (Barnsley 23 Darlington) 28, 0, 0, 2 (30); Stewart (Manchester C) 24. 1, 2, 1 Bright (Crystal Palace) 25, 0, 1, 0 (26); Piatt (Aston Villa 21 Crewe) 24, 0, 2, 0 (26); Sheringham (Millwall) 22, 0, 0, 2 (24). Third Division: Nelson (Brighton) 22, 5, 0, 5 (32); Crown (Southend 12 Cambridge) 26, 0, 3. 0 (29): Lovell (Qillingham) 25. 0, 1, 1 (27); McParland (Notts Co) 21, 1.

0, 4 (26); Gabbladini (Sunderland 2 for York) 22, 1, 0, 1 (24); Waller (Chesterfield) 21, 1, 1, 1 (24). Fourth Division: Bull (Wolves) 34, 3, 3, 12 (52); Mulr (Tranmere) 26, 2, 0, 0 (28); Thomas (Bolton) 22, 3, 1. 2 (28); Flounders (Scunthorpe) 24. 0. 1.

1 (26); Baker (Hartlepool) 20, 3. 1. 1 (25); Gooding (Peterborough) 17, 3, 2, 2 (24). BOBBY ROBSON'S attempts to sandbag the England defence in time for the European Championship, now only five weeks away, suffered a triple blow at the weekend, writes David Lacey. On Saturday morning Terry Butcher declared himself unfit for West Germany.

Doctors have advised him that one bad tackle on the leg he broke playing for Rangers last November could end his career. Although the news had been expected, Kooson ten was disastrous because of Butcher's ability, his influence in the team and his international experience. The results on Saturday afternoon hardly helped the England manager's peace of mind. With Middlesbrough and Chelsea now involved in the play-offs he could be deprived equaliser that one realised the supporters were still there. In the second half shin-pads were discarded and socks rolled down as Bradford got down to business, but it was Ipswich, who profited, Milton exploiting a faulty back-pass.

Bradford flailed like a drowning man, but their desperate ef-, forts failed to ruffle the visitors' composure. Significantly much of the talk afterwards was not, of Bradford's chances this season but Ipswich's in the next. SCORERS. Bradford: Abbott (10 min), McCall (36). Itpwlehi D'Avray (20), Dozzell (25), Milton (72).

Bradford City: Tomllnson; Mitchell (Abbott. B). Goddard, McCall. Oliver. Evans, Leonard.

Sinnott, Ormondroyd, Kennedy, Futcher. Ipewlch Town: Fearon; Yallop, Humes, Milton, Oeehan, Lowe. Zondervan. D'Avray (Wark. 48), Atkinson.

Stockwell. Referee: Tyldesley (Slockport). Bradford City 2, Ipswich Town 3 Milton means paradise lost, maybe regainable Patrick Glenn THE English play-offs have left the Scottish coach, Andy Roxburgh, without Chelsea's Gordon Durie, Steve Clarke and Pat Nevin and Bradford City's Stuart McCall for the Rous Cup matches against Colombia at Hampden Park on May 17 and England at Wembley four days later. Meanwhile, on Saturday the Rangers manager, Graeme Sou-ness, faced hostility from supporters angry at the impending departure from the club of Graham Roberts, the former Tottenham and England defender. Roberts was blamed by Souness for Rangers's 1-0 defeat last week by Aberdeen.

There was little gaiety despite a 5-0 victory for Rangers, but there was a carnival spirit at Cynthia Bateman AN OCTAGENARIAN Bradford supporter summed up the afternoon for his grandsons as they left Valley Parade. "I had a poor seat and me cup of tea was cold at half-time. I haven't had a reet good day." Neither had his team. Three points would have meant automatic promotion and a return to the First Division after 66 years, but it was not to be. Now they must go into the play-offs, against Middlesbrough.

Bradford were unlucky to face a strong, sure Ipswich, hungry in attack and collected in defence. Just the wrong opponents on a day when their First Division: Dumbarton 3. Raith 0: East Fife 1. Clydebank 1: Forfar 3, Airdrie 0: Hamilton 1, Meadowbank PartickO, Kilmarnock Queon of South 2. Clyde 1.

Promoted: Hamilton. Relegated: East Fife and Dumbarton. Second Division: Alloa 0, East Stirling Berwick 4, Arbroath 0: Brechin 2. Avr 1: Cow denbeath 2, Montrose Queen's Park 2, Stenhousemulr 1: St Johnstone 2, Albion Stirling 2, Stranraer 0. Promoted: Ayr and St Johnstone.

Bottom place: Stranraer. OMAC CUP Fmafe Horwich 2, Weymouth 0. SUNDAY MIRROR COMBINATION Ipswich 4, Bristol Rovers West Ham 3. Swindon t. FRENCH LEAGUE Nantes 1, Monaco Saint-Etienne 1, Bordeaux 1, Mafra Racing 0, Cannes 0: Auxerre 0.

Toulouse 2: Nice 2, Monlpellier 0: Metz 1. Paris 0: Laval 0. Lille 1: Brest 1, Toulon Lens 0, Le Havre 0. Final standings: 1. Monaco (P34.

Pts47); 2, Bordeaux (34-42): 3, Marseille (3439)..