The draw for the first round of the UEFA cup took place on Friday, with staff and fans of the home nation clubs waiting with baited breath to find out who they have to overcome if they are to make it to the moneymaking group stage of the tournament.

UEFA CUP SEEDING

Tottenham Hotspur were seeded in the draw after their successful run in the competition last season. The holders Sevilla could face Salzburg should they fail to win their postponed fixture against AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League. The game was postponed due to the tragic death of defender Antonio Puerta.

British Team Fixtures

Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv

Sammy Lee takes his Bolton Wanderers side to Macedonia to play Rabotnicki for the first leg, Blackburn Rovers also have an away fixture for the first leg of the first round. Rovers play Greek side Larissa. Tottenham have a home game against Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus, the fans could catch a little winter sun on the away trip, which could be their last if their form doesn’t pick up. Everton and Aberdeen both play teams from Ukraine. The toffees play Metalist Kharkiv while the Scottish side play Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Those with the hardest preparation for these fixtures will be the match commentators who will have to learn the pronunciations of the players names to avoid sounding silly on the night.

Full Draw For The 2008 UEFA Cup First Round

Midtjylland v Lokomotiv Moscow
Groningen v Fiorentina
Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Sevilla/AEK Athens v Red Bull Salzburg
Nurnberg v Rapid Bucharest
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv
Zenit St Petersburg v Standard Liege
Bayer Leverkusen v Uniao Leiria
Villarreal v BATE Borisov
Sion v Galatasaray
Atletico Madrid v Kayseri Erciyesspor
Bordeaux v Tampere United
Panathinaikos v Artmedia Petrzalka
Sparta Prague v Odense
FC Zurich v Empoli
Sochaux v Panionios
Rapid Vienna v Anderlecht
Pacos de Ferreira v AZ Alkmaar
Sampdoria v Aalborg
Spartak Moscow v Hacken
Hammarby v Braga
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Mlada Boleslav v Palermo
Dinamo Zagreb v Ajax
Rennes v Lokomotiv Sofia
Brann v Club Brugge
Bayern Munich v Belenenses
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Heerenveen v Helsingborgs
Toulouse v CSKA Sofia
Hamburg v Litex Lovech
FK Sarajevo v FC Basel
Austria Vienna v Valerenga
AIK Solna v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Aris Thessaloniki v Real Zaragoza
Dinamo Bucharest v Elfsborg
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Lens v FC Copenhagen
Getafe v Twente
Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski v Crvena Zvezda

2008 UEFA First Round Fixture Dates

The first leg matches will be played on the 20th of September and the second leg fixtures will be two weeks later on the 4th October.

Looking for the UEFA Cup First Round Draw?

The UEFA Cup first round draw takes place later today and the English clubs involved will find out who they must over come if they are to make the group stage.

Having had a successful UEFA Cup campaign last season Spurs will hope they are seeded to help them avoid some of the bigger teams in the draw.

Blackburn Rovers made the draw after beating MyPa from Finland, Everton will hope that they have a more successful time in Europe this time round, having been dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle last time round.

Wigan fans will be devastated to see last season’s player of the year leave just five days before the beginning of the new season. Baines will make the short trip across Lancashire to Goodison Park in Merseyside.

Baines made sure not to burn any bridges on his departure from the JJB Stadium, he thanked the Wigan fans for all their support, when he told them just how difficult his decision was to leave behind all his friends. The England Under 21 international has spent more than quarter of his life at the club.

The £5 million deal will see the much fancied defender become a toffee in time for the start of the new Premier League season. Much will be expected of new signings Baines and Jagielka for the new season as Everton push for Europe.

The two early kick-offs that were both shown live on SkySports could have helped decide the fate of the Premiership trophy. Manchester United travelled to an emotional Goodison Park where Everton were mourning the loss of old boy Alan Ball.

The Toffees players all wore Alan Ball t-shirts before the game as a tribute to the World Cup winner. Everton went two goals up through Stubbs and Manuel Fernandes and they looked on course to give Ball a fitting tribute. However of late United have been unstoppable, scoring goals at will and this game was no different. John O’Shea opened the United account, then former United player and Everton captain Phil Neville scored an own goal to bring the sides level.

Then it was the turn of Manchester United striker and former Everton player Wayne Rooney to put his team ahead for the first time. Then in injury time 17 year old Chris Eagles scored to put the game beyond doubt.

Meanwhile in South West London Chelsea were playing host to Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge. The trotters went a goal up through Michaik inside twenty minutes, only to allow Salomon Kalou equalise for Chelsea three minutes later. Wanderers found themselves a goal behind when Jaaskelainen scored and own goal.

After the break Bolton hitman Kevin Davies drew the visitors level and they managed to hold on until the bitter end and possibly end the Champions defence of their title.

English football will mourn the passing of one of its less glamorous sons, as while the media glorifies the World Cup final goals of Peters and Hurst, there is little mention of the tireless running of Alan Ball that helped England to win the Jules Rimet trophy on home soil.

Hampshire police have reported that Alan Ball died of a heart attack as he tried to dampen the blaze of a bonfire in his garden.

Ball’s playing career began with Blackpool, and during the twenty-one years of playing he had nine different clubs, playing for the tangerines twice. He is best remembered for his spells at Everton, Arsenal and Southampton who he eventually went on to manage. Ball like many of the big names of his era found himself playing in the original Major League Soccer or as it was known then the North American Soccer League in the United States.

After trying to pit his wits in the managerial arena for a number of years, Ball found his niche working as a pundit for SkySports and was involved in the coverage of the first fixture that took place in the new Wembley.

In Steve McClaren’s first squad of 2007 there are a number of surprise inclusions in comparison to his last gathering. He has named twenty-eight players in the squad for the midweek friendly against Spain, expecting that some players will drop out with knocks from games over the weekend.

There are a number of players that will be doing their best to ensure that they are not injured Barton, Barry, Dyer and a Woodgate; Barton because it is his first call up to the full squad, Barry, Dyer and Woodgate will hope to shine in their first call up under McClaren having endured a while in international exile.

Johnson, Terry and Owen Hargreaves are all just back from injuries and straight in to international duty.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers:
Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Kirkland (Wigan Athletic), Ben Foster (Manchester United).

Defenders:
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Gary Neville (Manchester United), Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Neville (Everton), Jonathan Woodgate (Real Madrid).

Midfielders:
Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Scott Parker (Newcastle United), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle United), Joey Barton (Manchester City).

Forwards:
Andy Johnson (Everton), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur).

Welsh wing wizard Simon Davies has decided that he has had enough of living in the Valleys and travelling to Merseyside to play for Everton.

The 27 year old has secured a move to work under fellow Welshman Chris Coleman At Fulham. Coleman has been busy during the Transfer window, bringing Montella, Dempsey and now Davies, while selling Luis Boa Morte and trying to find Collins John a new club after his agent indicated that he no longer wanted to be at the club.

Davies could feature in this weekends FA Cup fixture against Stoke City as he had not played in the competition for Everton.

The champions had to comeback from behind twice against a battling Everton at Goodison Park. Andy Johnson looked sharp as he broke through a Chelsea defence that was missing captain John Terry. Boulahrouz demosnstrated a lack of match practice challenging Johnson late focing him to hurdle the advancing Hilario, which insensed Jose Mourinho on the touchline as he thought that Johnson had dived in an attempt to get a penalty out of the referee. Minutes later Boulahrouz appeared to tackle Johnson from behind but the player remained on his feet under the force of the challenge. The third time he was holding and pulling the shirt of Anichebe, this time there was no doubt and the referee pointed to the spot.

Mikel Arteta took tim to compose himself and coolly struck the ball past the Chelsea keeper putting the home side in front going into half time.

Four minutes into the second half Chelsea were awarded a free kick within shooting distance and up stepped Michael Ballack who bent the ball round the wall Tim Howard could have been forgiven for a fit of tourettes as he could only push the ball on to the post and watch helpless as it rebounded and bounced off him across the line to even the scores.

Everton took the lead again though a headed goal from defender Joseph Yobo. It looked like the toffees would hold on for the win until two wonder goals put the champions back into the championship race. The first was a super strike from Frank Lampard which helped him break the record for the number of goals scored by a Chelsea midfielder.

The winner was scored by Didier Drogba when he received a knock down from Shevchenko turned and thumped the ball past a stranded Tim Howard who’s performance did not help the cause of his employers Manchester United who loaned him to Everton for the season. If he had performed better he could have helped his club increase their lead on the champions going into the busy Christmas season.

After the game Jose Mourinho berated Andy Johnson and said that the player was ‘embarassed’ after his unsuccessful dive. It was very much a case of pot kettle and black as he never seems to mention his own players various bouts of diving. Unlike Stuart Pearce who publicly chastised Bernardo Corradi when he was sent off for a second yellow card awarded for diving. Mourinho need look no further than his own constellation of stars if he wants to be outspoken about diving and help eradicate it from the English game.

The draw for the Football Association Challenge Cup sponored by EON Third round proper has not disappointed on any front. The romance of the cup is alive and well, with many of the smaller, lower league clubs facing opposition from the Premiership. Chelsea play hosts to bottom of League 2 Macclesfield Town in a tie that is very much in the vain of the princes versus the paupers.

Cup holders Liverpool will entertain Arsenal in a repeat of their upcoming Carling Cup quarter final, while last years finalists West Ham United have a home tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Tottenham who have not managed an away victory on home soil in the league will be hoping that they can overcome a Cardiff City side who have made Ninian Park a fortress as they fight for automatic promotion to the Premiership.

FA Cup third round draw:
Blackpool v Aldershot Town or Basingstoke Town?Barnet v Colchester United?Sheffield United v Swansea City
Reading v Burnley
Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic
Mansfield Town or Doncaster Rovers v Bolton Wanderers
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City v Fulham
Derby County v Wrexham
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Oldham Athletic
Bury or Chester City v Ipswich Town
Manchester United v Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Tamworth v Norwich City
Salisbury City or Nottingham Forest v Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City v Tottenham Hotspur
Preston North End v Sunderland
Liverpool v Arsenal
Bristol Rovers or Bournemouth v Hereford United
Watford v Stockport County
Crystal Palace v Swindon Town
Bristol City v Coventry City
Peterborough United v Plymouth Argyle
Queens Park Rangers v Luton Town
Southend United v Barnsley
West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United
Hull City v Middlesbrough
Birmingham City v Newcastle United
Torquay United or Leyton Orient v Southampton
Everton v Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea v Macclesfield Town
Stoke City v Bradford City or Millwall

On Tuesday Watford register their first point of the Premiership campaign in a 1-1 draw against West Ham. On the same night Dimitar Berbatov opened his account for Tottenham in a 2-0 win over Neil Warnock’s Blades.

Shock result of Wednesday night was Chelsea suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of Middlesbrough. Having taken the lead at the riverside through Shevchenko’s first league goal, they then conceded two goals in ten minutes from Pogatetz and Viduka. Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa beat the Royals of Reading 2-1, Blackburn and Fulham held Everton and Bolton in two 1-1 draws. Manchester United were convincing in their victory over Charlton Athletic, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer returning to the team with a goal scoring appearance. In the goalless clash between Manchester City and Portsmouth was relatively uneventful until Ben Thatcher had a flash back to his old Wimbledon days, when he challenged Pedro Mendes on the touchline. Thatcher appeared to lead with his elbow rather than his legs, the challenge caused Mendes to be admitted to hospital for tests. The last has not been heard of this incident and no doubt there will be a ban from the FA.