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[Hutch]

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RESERVES RETURN

Chelsea's reserve team returns to match action for the first time in just under a month when they host Everton at Cobham on Monday afternoon.

The match is not open to spectators but it can be viewed live on Chelsea TV and CTV Online with repeat showings later in the day.

It was a good start to the season before the break in fixtures with two wins and a draw so far, and ahead of a busier spell of games, reserve team manager Dermot Drummy believes his players are raring to go.

'I have been looking forward to this game,' he says.

'In training the players have been looking really good and hopefully they can continue to play in a manner that I think is very attractive to watch. The passion and commitment is there but the technical ability and the movement is the most pleasing aspect for me from the three games we have played.

'We have done quite a bit of work on our play off the ball since our last game so hopefully we will see an improvement in that.

'I have had a settled nucleus of players to train on a daily basis - Jacob Mellis, Kaby Djalo, Nathaniel Chalobah, Conor Clifford, Billy Clifford, Sam Hutchinson, Carl Magnay , George Saville and Toddy Kane, so that has given us a bond and they get a bit feisty in the training sessions. Sometimes I have to hold them back but they are competitors and it is nice because they all want to play against Everton, so I am really looking forward to them coming out of the blocks fast.'

For a couple of sessions Dermot was able to add senior players not involved in last week's Carling Cup match.

'It was a fantastic experience for the young players as we trained with Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka, Ramires, Raul Meireles, Branislav Ivanovic, and in goal was a certain Mark Beeney, our goalkeeping coach, so it was El Nino and El Beeno!'

'Mark was needed due to a shortage of fit goalkeepers at the time and he always puts in his all. I was grateful for that and he produced some great saves.'

Nathaniel Chalobah will be available for today's game as an appeal has been lodged against his red card for the youth team recently. Striker Adam Phillip however won't be involved for a lengthy period.

'It is really sad for Adam,' Drummy says. 'He had really applied himself, had scored goals and we were getting him to play both the central role and the left wing role but he jumped and landed awkwardly in training and will be out for six to nine months with a knee injury.

'He is going to learn Spanish when he comes out of the leg cast and the club straight away offered him a one-year extension to his contract which I thought was fantastic to settle his mind. He now has a two-year period to get better and get back to playing again.'

Everton have one win and a draw from their four games so far, the victory a 2-1 home success over Aston Villa in their most recent outing.

'Everton have a great academy. They have high standards and have produced some great players over the years,' notes Drummy.

'They have some good young players coming through and they are the sort of team I look forward to playing against.'

Chelsea TV's exclusive coverage of the match begins at 2pm.

LINK

[Hutch]

Anyone following the above link will find that the page no longer exists. Anyone tuning into Chelsea TV will find a repeat showing of the 2000 FA Cup Final v Aston Villa.

f**k's sakes.

[Hutch]

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MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 3 EVERTON 3

SUMMARY
Chelsea's reserves left it late to secure a point against Everton at Cobham on Monday, coming from behind three times with goals from Billy Clifford and two late headers from Todd Kane to thank for preserving their unbeaten record.

It did not take long for Everton to go in front through an early header, but Clifford's deflected effort pegged them back before the break.

The visitors went in front once more early in the second half but Kane rose well in the closing stages to draw his side level, only to then see the ball ricochet off him at the other end to put Everton back in front.

Into injury time it looked as though Everton had won all three points, only for Clifford to clip the ball into the penalty area and Kane to run on and nod into the empty net after the Everton goalkeeper had committed himself.

BEST MOMENT
The exquisite chip from Clifford and Kane's determined run, jump and header for the third goal, typifying the spirit that runs throughout this young Chelsea side.

TEAM NEWS
Rhys Taylor returned in goal while Nathaniel Chalobah captained the side from central defence alongside Sam Hutchinson.

Philipp Prosenik led the attacking line with Aliu 'Kaby' Djalo and Billy Clifford either side, while Ben Gordon, who has returned early from a loan with Peterborough United, was on the bench.

FIRST HALF
The visitors had the better of the opening and were in front after eight minutes. Adam Forshaw lashed a wayward shot out towards the touchline, but when the loose ball came back into the Chelsea area it was Everton forward Apostolos Vellios that climbed highest to head high into the net past Taylor.

Sam Hutchinson's foray into the Everton area after exchanging passes with George Saville saw the central defender cross low but a defender was on hand to clear, and then Billy Clifford cut inside from the right flank and shot, only to be denied by the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Adam Davis, who tipped his effort around the post.

On 25 minutes a free-flowing Chelsea move ended with Jacob Mellis's low cross towards the far post but Prosenik was just beaten to the ball by defender Aristote Nsiala who was able to clear behind.

At the other end Conor McAleny shot hard into the side netting after finding space just inside the area, while for the Blues Savillle's deflected effort was held by Davis.

Another Hutchinson burst, after winning the ball in his own half, allowed Mellis time and space to shoot from distance, but the midfielder ballooned his effort when an incisive pass towards a forward may have been a better option.

Taylor was called into action on the half-hour when Everton's highly-rated midfielder Ross Barkley half-volleyed powerfully towards goal after Chelsea had failed to clear, the goalkeeper producing a stunning, instinctive save. McAleny then scooped over the bar and Nsiala headed wide as the visitors passed up some inviting opportunities.

They were made to pay seven minutes before the break as Chelsea drew level. Cutting inside as he had done earlier, Clifford this time had the benefit of shooting on his favoured right foot and he connected well, but it took a deflection, possibly off Saville, and the inside of the post to beat Davis and creep into the net.

SECOND HALF
Chelsea coach Dermot Drummy made two substitutions at half-time, handing a second string debut to schoolboy forward Alex Kiwomya, who replaced Prosenik, and bringing in the altogether more experienced at this level Carl Magnay, in place of Kaby.

That meant a reshuffle as the Geordie defender dropped in at centre-back, Hutchinson moving to right-back with the consistently energetic Todd Kane moving up to the right wing and Billy Clifford switching to the left.

Two minutes later there was a further change, as Gordon replaced Aziz Deen-Conteh.

Shortly afterwards Taylor had to palm away a dangerous swirling cross from Everton's Tyias Browning, starting an attack that ended with Kiwomya breaking into the opposite area and seeing his shot blocked by a sliding challenge after Mellis had released him with a measured pass.

Ten minutes into the second period Everton went back in front, an inswinging Luke Garbutt free-kick flicked into the far bottom corner by French Under 21 international Magaye Gueye.

Barkley sent a similar chance over shortly afterwards, as the Chelsea reserve side's marking replicated that of the first team at the weekend.

The Blues responded well though as Mellis and Billy Clifford both brought low saves from Davis, while Conor Clifford unleashed a trademark low drive against the inside of the post.

Into the final 10 minutes Saville was blocked out once more after some clever footwork, Everton's muscular defence proving hard to break down a second time, but Chelsea persisted and succeeded,Kane converting the equaliser when he was first to meet Gordon's inviting cross.

Parity did not last long though as once more Everton took the lead in the final few minutes. Barkley moved the ball across the edge of the Chelsea area, it eventually falling kindly into the path of left-back Garbutt, whose hard low shot was deflected past Taylor by the unfortunate Kane, a hero just moments earlier.

There was a sting in the tail though, and two minutes into injury time Kane headed the sixth goal of the game, latching onto Billy Clifford's through ball and arriving just before Davis to flick the ball into an empty net after an impressive jump.

It was the last action of a manic final few minutes, and brought Chelsea a deserved point from an entertaining, if sometimes scrappy and physical encounter. It means Drummy's side remain unbeaten in 2011/12.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Rhys Taylor; Todd Kane, Sam Hutchinson, Nathaniel Chalobah, Aziz Deen-Conteh (sub Ben Gordon 47); Jacob Mellis, Conor Clifford, George Saville; Billy Clifford, Philipp Prosenik (sub Alex Kiwomya h-t), Aliu Djalo (sub Carl Magnay h-t).
Unused subs Jamal Blackman, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Everton: Adam Davis, Tyias Browning, Luke Garbutt, John Lundstram, Aristote Nsiala, Shkodran Mustafi ©, Adam Forshaw, Ross Barkley, Apostolos Vellios (sub Anton Forrester 87), Conor McAleny (sub Jake Bidwell 82), Magaye Gueye.
Unused subs Connor Roberts, Hallam Hope, Femi Orenuga.

LINK

[dkw]

Bugger, I thought this was on tonight. Cheers Hutch for the report.

[undertow]

the goals are in the evening headlines video from chelseatv:

[midlandblue]

thanks for the updates folks