Grella So Close To Winner

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EUROROOS WRAP: Vince Grella came close to heaping more misery on Liverpool with a late effort as Blackburn Rovers held the Reds to a 0-0 draw.

Grella and Brett Emerton both played the full 90 minutes of the contest, with Grella almost proving an unlikely hero late when he volleyed just wide of the post.

Grella was industrious in his usual holding midfield role while Emerton was full of energy on the right side of midfield.

Elsewhere in the EPL, Richard Garcia had a difficult time as Hull City crashed to a 3-0 loss at Aston Villa.

Garcia put in a full shift for the Tigers but failed to really cause Villa any problems.

In Scotland's Premier League, Scott McDonald continues to press his case for a Socceroos recall after scoring the opener in Celtic's 3-0 win over Aberdeen.

The Aussie had a few opportunities in the first-half including an angled effort on 28 minutes which was wide, before netting on 39 minutes.

Celtic's German wing-back Andreas Hinkel advanced forward before setting up McDonald, with the Aussie sweeping the ball home from close-range to score his 12th goal this season.

McDonald was substituted on 68 minutes with Georgios Samaras grabbed a second-half double to seal the points which keeps the Bhoys top of the SPL table.

In Germany's Bundesliga, Dario Vidosic was rested while Matt Spiranovic was again absent as struggling FC Nurnberg crashed to an emphatic 4-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund.

In Turkey's Super Lig, Socceroos back-up keeper Michael Petkovic played a full game but was beaten twice as Sivasspor drew 2-2 at Kasimpasa.

In Croatia's Prva HNL, former Socceroo Josip Skoko put in a full shift helping Hajduk Split claim their third win in a row with a 2-1 triumph at NK Zadar.

Elsewhere in Europe's lower tier leagues, Socceroo Carl Valeri was back in the Grosseto side after his contract row with the club, appearing as a 55th minute sub in their 2-0 win over Ancona in Italy's Serie B.

Earlier this week, Grosseto sporting director Andrea Iaconi confirmed Valeri would not play for the club until he signed a new contract with them and while nothing official can be revealed, it seems the parties may have agreed terms.

In Greece's Beta Ethniki, promising Aussie Nathan Burns wasn't part of AO Kerkyra's 2-1 loss at Rhodos AS after missing training due to injury during the week. The loss was league leading Kerkyra's first for the season.

In England's Championship, Rhys Williams was back in the Middlesbrough side after suspension, as Gordon Strachan enjoyed his first victory in charge with a 5-1 win at QPR.

Aussie stopper Brad Jones played a full game for Boro along with Williams, who reverted back to his right-back position.

Elsewhere in England's second tier, Nick Carle was an 84th minute sub in Crystal Palace's 3-0 home loss to Doncaster, Adam Federici kept a clean sheet in Reading's 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday and Shane Lowry put in a full shift as Plymouth lost 1-0 to Sheffield United.

In England's League One, Socceroos defender Patrick Kisnorbo remains out of the Leeds side with injury, but Neil Kilkenny continues to get game-time playing 63 minutes in their 2-2 derby draw with Huddersfield.

Kilkenny almost produced a moment of inspiration just before the hour mark when the threaded a lovely ball in for Jermaine Beckford, but his effort was smothered. Leeds remain top of the division.

Elsewhere, Gareth Edds played a full game as Tranmere continued their revival with a 1-0 win over Brentford, while Michael Theoklitos was overlooked for Norwich's 2-0 win over Oldham and Jamie Young was an unused sub as Wycombe won 2-1 against Stockport.

In England's League Two, young Aussie goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis played another full game for Accrington Stanley, helping them defeat Torquay 4-2.

Elsewhere, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff put in a full shift in Shrewsbury's 1-0 loss at Scott Guyett's Bournemouth while, Lincoln's Chris Herd (on loan from Aston Villa) played a full game in a 0-0 draw at Crewe and Aldershot's Oliver Bozanic (on loan from Reading) was a 60th minute sub in their 1-0 win over Chesterfield.

In England's Blue Square Premier League, James Meredith played another full game helping York City win their eighth consecutive match, 2-1 over Wrexham to solidify their grip on third spot.

In Germany's 3rd Liga, former Adelaide United man Milan Susak played a full 90 for SpVgg Unterhaching as they lost 2-1 at Wehen Wiesbaden.

In Scotland's Cup, Erik Paartalu helped Morton through playing a full game in their 1-0 win at Dumbarton, while in Division One, Ryan McGowan played 90 minutes as Ayr United beat Dunfermline 1-0.

In Japan's J.League, Joshua Kennedy's Nagoya Grampus drew a blank on the final day of the season drawing 0-0 at Shimizu S-Pulse to finish the season 9th.

Elsewhere in Japan, Eddy Bosnar was an unused sub as relegated JEF United lost 2-0 at Gamba Osaka, confirming their last place finish.
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