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Gills Old Boys: Part 1

Last updated : 09 August 2005 By Dave Hayes

Hills: Conceded a pen, but got away with it
John Hills had an interesting debut for his new club Sheffield Wednesday, with their official site delivering their verdict on his first game for the Owls as "impressive". Drawing 0-0 with Stoke and with just 15 minutes left on the clock, Hills brought down Carl Hoefkens in the box, with Kevin Harper missing the resulting penalty.


"They had the penalty which was my fault,” said Hills after the game. β€œIt was a bit of a silly mistake. Their boy did me, dribbled into the box and I was trying to get back and panicked. I did make contact and it was a penalty. We got out of jail with that and it was a big relief for me."


It's interesting to note that Hills was playing in a left-back role. Hills played on the left wing for Blackpool, and was surprised when Andy Hessenthaler played him as full-back for the Gills. Giving away a penalty on his debut suggests he still isn't fully accustomed to playing in defence.


Hendo: Scored on his debut
Darius Henderson had an immediate impact on his Watford debut, putting the Hornets a goal up after just eight minutes against Preston North End, only for them to lose 2-1 on the day. Hendo met an Ashley Young cross with a powerful header, and various reports give the impression that the two players linked well together throughout Saturday afternoon, with Darius providing a consistent aerial threat.


Also worthy of note is that Marlon King, starting alongside Hendo on his debut, was made captain for the day. It will be interesting to see how he takes on that role during the season. Patrick Agyemang also played in the match, coming on in the second half for the Lilywhites with 20 minutes to go, and almost scored a third for Preston but his volley was intercepted just before he connected with the ball.


Mama: Still a handful, but no goals yet
Finally, Nicky Southall had a quiet debut for Nottingham Forest and was replaced after 74 minutes by match-winner David Johnson, while former striker Mama Sidibe made the Championship "Team of the week".

According to Stoke's official site, Big Mama was highly impressive on his debut and caused Sheffield Wednesday plenty of problems with his aerial prowess throughout the match. However, unlike Darius Henderson's debut for his new club, he failed to score. Ring any bells?