A fine way to celebrate the club’s 75th anniversary of Football League membership

A fine way to celebrate the club’s 75th anniversary of Football League membership.. Middlesbrough 2

Hignett 39, Fjortoft 74
Chelsea 0Attendance: 28,286AFTER 93 years at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough moved into their pounds 16m Riverside Stadium with a well-deserved victory. But although the newly laid turf was graced by multi-million- pound men such as Ruud Gullit, Mark Hughes and Nick Barmby, a player who took a summer pay cut to stay at Middlesbrough stole the show.Craig Hignett, a pounds 500,000 signing from Crewe three years ago, scored a 39th-minute goal fit for any opening day. Second-placed Fulham have scored eight goals in two home games. Any more of this and Craven Cottage will interest others besides property developers.Finally, congratulations to free-scoring Roger Freestone, the Swansea City goalkeeper who scored his second penalty of the season in the 3- 1 win over Chesterfield. Swindon top the division with maximum points after winning 1-0 at Carlisle.In the Third Division, Gillingham went two points clear after their 3-1 home win over Cambridge United. Steve Brown kept up their one-a-game sending-off record in their three Second Division matches – their rate in the Coca-Cola Cup is at the same level – as they lost to Bournemouth, for whom Steve Jones, like Devon White at Notts County, has started the season with six goals.

The Blades, who have made their worst start since 1966, were reduced to 10 men after 26 minutes when Brian Gayle was sent off for violent conduct with the score 0-0.Wolves also had a player sent off and lost, but by the time Geoff Thomas walked in the 86th minute at Roker Park, Sunderland were 2-0 ahead.When it comes to seeing red, no one can touch Wycombe for sheer steadfastness of purpose. They overtook Millwall who were unable to unlock the Southend defence in a lacklustre match at the New Den.
Midfielder Jonathan Hunt, one of the collection of Southend old boys that Barry Fry has assembled at Birmingham,did the business for his manager, scoring a hat-trick at St Andrew’s to beat Norwich. It was Hunt’s third hat-trick in 11 months.Andy Rammell scored twice as Barnsley came from behind to win a frantic match at Watford 3-2 and go third and Oldham slipped into fourth by beating Sheffield United 2-1 with two goals in four minutes. A Tom Cowan header gave the Terriers the lead 10 minutes into the second half but Rovers surged back with three goals in the final 17 minutes including the inevitable John Aldridge strike, his fourth of the season.

At this time of year, Tranmere Rovers will always be top of the Endsleigh First Division. They assumed their customary late-summer pole position thanks to a last-gasp rally at Prenton Park against newly promoted Huddersfield Town. SHIRT designs alter, stadiums look sprucer, but some things never change. There were, however, still enough signs of a new dawn breaking at Highfield Road – one which will have cost a lot less than that now awaited at Highbury.. The winger’s lack of accuracy with his final ball didn’t help Coventry’s cause either. Paul Merson, who often assumed the role in the past, here flitted wide on the left and then the right to make way for Glenn Helder, who replaced Parlour in the second half.A rejuvenated John Salako plagued the Arsenal defence with crosses, but fortunately for Arsenal the likes of Adams and Steve Bould thrive on defending such balls. John Jensen replaced Dixon, with Martin Keown moving from midfield to full-back.Whatever fresh blueprint the manager Bruce Rioch is to impose on Arsenal, it was their traditional qualities of depth and dourness in defence that saved the point – and the splendid Seaman who ended the game with his head bandaged after a gash inflicted during some late heroics to thwart Dublin.The visitors’ big-money men were buffeted aside for most of the action, though Dennis Bergkamp showed moments of delightful skill, notably a first- half manoeuvre in which he baffled his marker and lofted a perfect ball on to Ian Wright’s forehead beyond two Coventry defenders.Whatever David Platt adds to Arsenal’s resources, their lack of a perceptive passer is still distressingly obvious.