Great little competition from the BBC inviting football fans to submit a ‘Ceefax-style’ match report to tie in with what would’ve been the service’s 40th birthday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29341997

Limitations included a guide of 80 words, 4 paragraphs – and a headline of exactly 33 characters. ‘Widows’ were also punished as page space was so tight.

Other than being inundated with entries, there was no reason given for the shock exclusion of my outstanding match report, which read:

 

L’pool eventually edge brave Boro (exactly 33 characters, cheers)

Middlesborough took top flight Liverpool all the way in this third round Capital One Cup tie before losing dramatically 14-13 on penalties.

Championship form side Boro fell behind to an early debut goal for 17 year-old Rossiter.

Reach’s headed equaliser took the game into extra-time, where Liverpool seemed to settle it with Suso’s drive.

But substitute Bamford won and converted a last-minute penalty to force a spot-kick contest. Adomah’s deciding miss was only the third in a record-breaking shoot-out.