John Terry strikes form as Chelsea edge closer
By Rob Stewart
Sport.Telegraph, 16th March 2008
For Chelsea's captain John Terry it was just like the good old days when
he scored his first Chelsea goal under Avram Grant to secure a narrow
victory that used to be the club's trademark during the trophy-laden Jose
Mourinho era.
According to Terry it "had been a long time in coming", but if rediscovering
his goal-scoring touch sparks a flurry of goals from set-pieces it could
prove to be perfectly timed as the season's denouement looms.
"I didn't even know when my last league goal was," Terry admitted in the
players' tunnel at the Stadium of Light. "We were just trying to remember
it in the dressing room. I'm told it was August 2006, the first goal of
last season.
"I went through four years, scoring quite regularly. It was a big part of
my game but I hit a bit of a dry patch which is disappointing. I found
myself doubled up on and tightly marked whenever I went up for set-plays."
The England centre-half nodded in Frank Lampard's early corner to give
Chelsea the three points and maintain the pressure on the Premier League's
pacesetters, and now he is setting his sights on getting back to his old
ways.
"We have a lot of big games coming up and if I can get a couple more and
add to my tally that could prove crucial," Terry said. "Now we're in a
great position right in the mix. A few months ago we were 13 points behind.
We are quietly coming up the rails and playing very well."
Yet Chelsea did not play fluently enough to threaten Craig Gordon in
Sunderland's goal after Terry scored, or to nullify Sunderland's menace,
indeed Kenwyne Jones should have equalised late on. However, despite the
threat, Terry relished the scenario.
"We had to dig our heels in," he said. "We have been here before and it's
at times like that when experience comes through.
"There haven't been too many games recently where we've been hanging on
like today, but it was like that two seasons ago when we got a 1-0 victory
and that first season we won the league we had a lot of 1-0 victories."
Grant is quietly confident he can prove doubters wrong now that Arsenal
and Manchester United are fixed in the sights of third-placed Chelsea.
He said: "Do I think that people have underestimated us? I think yes in
many ways."
Chelsea's manager expects Sunderland to avoid relegation but his opposite
number Roy Keane does not believe the Premier League trophy is about to
return to Stamford Bridge. "For this season I think United have the edge,
simple as that, but there's a good chance Chelsea could win the European
Cup," said Keane.
"There's an element of satisfaction that we gave Chelsea a good game
and that's the level we want to get to. Chelsea know how to win a game.
They might say they had a bit more in their locker, but you don't know."
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