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DATE: Friday 13th July 2007, 7pm BST
RESULT:
Hajduk Split 0 West Bromwich Albion 0
COMPETITION:
Balkans Tour
BAGGIES SHOW BATTLE IN TOUR OPENER
 Albion continued their pre-season schedule with a battling draw
against a very impressive Hajduk Split side.
Albion made a good start to the first half not letting a
fairly vociferous Split crowd from intimidating them,
and looking more than at home against their higher
ranked opponents.
Split centre half Igor Gal had to produce an aerobic
clearance to deny Kevin Phillips who was ready to pounce
on an excellent cross from new boy Beattie.
The early possession that the Baggies had meant
Split were reduced to playing counter attacking football
and striker Rukavina missed a couple of good chances
firing weakly into the side netting.
As these early exchanges started to die down it was the
hosts that settled and started stamping their authority
onto the game. Firstly Romanian International Florin
Cernat curled a free kicked straight into Dean Kiely’s
hands and then striker Kalinic was denied by a well
timed challenge by Albion’s Irish centre back Paul
McShane.
Kiely then denied Split a goal from their best move of
the match when Mladen Pelaic’s powerful 30 yard drive
was tipped round the post by alert keeper Dean Kiely,
but Albion seem to have found some battling quality
since their return to training and had a chance to go in
front themselves when a Beattie cross just landed the
wrong side of Zoltan Gera’s outstretched boot, and then
the Hungarian international cracked a 30 yard effort
just past Balic’s far post.
Just on the stoke of half time Kiely was at his best
again to deny right sided midfielder Palaic who had hit
a 15 yard volley following a neat interchange with his
team mate Kalinic.
In the dying moments of the first half a worrying moment
for Albion occurred when Kevin Phillips had to be
withdrawn through injury to be replaced by Nathan
Ellington.
Half Time: Hajduk Split 0 West Bromwich Albion 0
Albion Boss Tony Mowbray made four changes for the
second half, Darren Carter, Sherijl MacDonald, Paul
Robinson and Ronnie Wallwork replaced Chaplow, Koren,
Hodgkiss and Gera
Just like the first half Albion started the brighter of
the two sides and on 49 minutes Beattie and Ellington
combined to set young Albion loanee MacDonald through on
goal but he couldn't convert for what would have been
his first, first team goal for his side.
Three minutes later though Hadjuk were celebrating when
Kalinic found a way past the impressive Dean Kiely but
the celebrations were short lived when the goal was
ruled out due to an offside.
The hosts then started to get the bit between their
teeth and the influential Kalinic pulling the strings,
but Albion’s backline stood strong especially Sunderland
target McShane who showed his credentials with numerous
last ditch challenges.
The game then took a controversial twist when Albion’s
recently introduced substitute was sent off 6 minutes
after coming on, but the Baggies held on through a hair
raising last 10 minutes to come out the game with a very
impressive draw against a much more technically gifted
side.
Full Time: Hajduk Split 0 West Bromwich Albion 0
MATCH INFORMATION
Hajduk (4-4-2):
Balic, Buljat, Gal, Zivkovic, Hrgovic, Pelaic (Musa 82),
Andric (Damjanovic 67), Cernat, Gabric (Lisztes 72),
Kalinic, Rukavina. Subs not used: Tomic (gk), Cubrilo,
Ljubicic, Oremus, Rubil, Panza.
Albion (4-1-3-2):
Kiely, Hodgkiss (Robinson HT), Davies, McShane,
Albrechtsen, Koren (Carter HT), Gera (Wallwork HT),
Greening (Worrall 74), Chaplow (MacDonald HT), Phillips
(Ellington 45), Beattie (Hartson 60). Subs not used:
Daniels (gk), Martis, Nicholson.
Booked:
Albion - Koren
(foul 31), McShane (dissent 89).
Sent-Off:
Albion - Worall (foul 80).
Referee:
Edo Trivkovic (Split).
Attendance:
22,000 approx.
FANS MESSAGE BOARD COMMENTS
Member:
ranko75
Hi guys.
Here's a short match summary.
WBA opened a match with 5 mins possession but nothing
came of it. After that period there was only one team on
the pitch, Hajduk Split. After several missed chances by
our forwards, Kalinic and especially Rukavina it was
obvious that, playing together for the first time in the
open scene and 18000 fans was too much for these
youngsters. WBA didn't manage a single shot in the first
half, and only had two bright spots in the team,
Greening, Koren and a RB with number 3 on his shirt
(don't know his name, sorry). I hoped for the better 2nd
half from WBA, but after Mowbray made some changes it
was obvious that there was only a small chance for
something to happen, Phillips, Gera, Chaplow out,
Ellington, Wallwork, Macdonald, Worrall and Hartson in.
Some 10 mins in the 2nd half, WBA switched to 4-5-1 with
all behind the ball order, with Hartson all alone in the
open, and Carter who's only job was to follow Florin
Cernat (player of the game) all around a pitch. Hartson
didn't receive a single ball to his head or feet.
Hajduk played a relay good game with Cernat
orchestrating the play with exceptional vision and
killer passing, his through passing and long balls cut
open WBA's defence on several occasions, and what is the
most important, when he has the ball it's almost
impossible to take it from him without a foul.
If you take out single incident when Worrall hit Pelaic
with open boot and got red card and some hard tackles
from both sides (McShane is a true warrior) it was a
fair game, real friendly.
In conclusion, if Hajduk managed to score only 1/3 of
chances result could be 3:0 or more, WBA ended a game
with single shot away from goal by Macdonald only few
meters on the left from the penalty spot, alone in front
of our keeper Balic. You could see that WBA just started
with preparation for next season and that Hajduk is
ready for UEFA Cup 1st qual. leg against Buducnost
(Montenegro) July 19th.
Greetings to a small group of WBA fans who came to
Split, they were on the same stand with Hajduk
supporters. It's pity that I couldn't get to them and
change shirts, 'cause it would be great to have Baggies
shirt (1st kit, not black one in which they played
tonight).
I hope that the rumours about trouble after the game are
not true, and if they are I can only say that, in these
days, percentage of idiots is growing (sadly) every day.
Cheers lads
NEXT UP:
Balkans Tour:
Red Star Belgrade, away, (Murska Sobota), Wednesday 18th
July 2007, 5pm BST.
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