Barnsley 2-0 Blackpool, Saturday 18th January 2014

‘Walking in a Wilson Wonderland’

I'm sure every single one of these was in the Old Number 7 pre-match...

And they’re off!  The comeback starts here, as the Super Reds whack the Tangy Tangerines by two goals to nil.  And god, were we good….Actually, no.  We were alright (in parts) but they looked like a team who’d drawn one and lost eight of their last nine games.  Which, funnily enough, they had.  So we might have to put off the optimism till we beat someone else.  Someone better.  Despite being on 32 points (12 more than us) a Tangerine I spoke to after the game was convinced they were going down.  Us, Blackpool and someone else, then.  (Mind, he’d been savvy enough to put a couple of quid on us beating them 2-0…not a bet any of us would’ve put on, I’m sure.)

First 20 minutes, there was a fair amount of chances at either end, then for 20 mins not much happened (aside from a Jim O’Brien flick which luckily went straight at the keeper), then, with 10 seconds left to play, Dawson uses his pace (!) to break clear.  Offside or godawful offside trap?  My gut instinct was he beat the offside trap, though I was so surprised to see it, my initial reaction was ‘EH?  How’s THAT happened?’  Rumour has it O’Brien made the pass.  (These little bits are crucial in deciding the MOTM).

Anyway, not since Andy Rammell have I seen a bloke so obviously brick it as he ran clear, almost pleading with the linesman to put him out of his misery and wave an offside flag.  Dawson never looked confident and, whether he was dribbling up to the keeper, or chasing down his miscontrol, he never looked like he was gonna bag.  So it was quite a relief when he turned away from the keeper and let the keeper’s momentum take him out.  Cue O’Grady into the top corner (I wish he’d done that against Donny!) and the ref was off down the tunnel before Blackpool’s fans and players could get hold of him.

O'G slots the pen away

2^nd half, we did what teams do to us – we scored early.  It looked like Jim (him again) had missed his chance to cross but while defenders ran back, he dinked a ball in.  O’Grady, failing to understand that Barnsley forwards are meant to stand idly behind a defender, forgot for a moment, ran in front of the defender and stooped to head home.  Superb. 

After that, Blackpool threw men forward, but they never really looked like scoring, despite bringing Chopra and Nathan Tyson on.  In fact, I coulda done with Blackpool scoring, cos it was getting a bit boring watching us ease through!  We had plenty of breaks too, 3 on 3, but we never looked that interested in improving our goal difference.  We’ll save those goals for another day, presumably.

*** O’Brien.  Seemed like all the good things we did came through him.  Sponsors MOTM.

** Steele.  Commanded his area, catching or punching everything.  Made a couple of great saves too and ran out to deny strikers a couple more times.  Even his kicking was up to scratch.  (Hopefully last week’s postponement has helped his injury situation).  Daddy Marshall’s MOTM.

* O’Grady.  I didn’t think he was as involved as usual, but you can’t argue with a couple of goals.

The Reds clear their lines.

Despatches:
Crainie and Ramage again looked solid.  Perhaps we have the makings of a partnership there.  Kennedy had as good a game as I’ve seen him at left back and McLaughlin looked excellent in the first half on his debut at right back.  Certainly an improvement on Wiseman (who I’m pleased to hear ‘didn’t enjoy his time at Barnsley’.  Funny that – I didn’t enjoy his time at Barnsley either.)  For 15 minutes of the second half, Dawson absolutely ran the game (I told you they were bad) while Noble-Lazarus came back from the dead (see what I did there?) and was bl**dy awful at right midfield, giving the ball away twice in his own half.  Shea meantime added to the number of shots he’s failed to score from at Birmingham with another 3 in the first half here.  I’m not convinced about him, either.

Then there’s the enigma that is Dale Jennings.  I heard someone say he ‘had a cracking game’ and most of the Londontykes were very positive about him.  I’m not so sure.  He ruined O’Grady’s chance of a hattrick by taking the ball off him whilst being offside (idiot) and a couple of times when he did beat players he overran the ball into touch.  With O’Grady knackered and subbed, and no other forwards in the squad, we then had the bizarre sight of Jennings running around up front in a 4-5-1.  So I’ll summise by saying ‘not as s*** as he has been’.   Ran about a lot though.  Runs about a lot?  Bit of a temper?  S***?  The new Chris Shuker. 

Mellis did his usual stroll too and I tried not to be too apoplectic about the twice he had the chance to play O’Grady clean through and overhit the ball by miles.  If he can’t pick a pass, what’s the point?  Later narrowly missed with a free kick.  ‘At least he got it over the wall and down again’ said my dad.  ‘You’re describing gravity, dad’ was my reply. 

Oh, and BFC being BFC, it wouldn’t be quite right if they didn’t f*** something up: apparently Cywka shoulda been on the bench but someone (Wilson?) forgot to put his name on.  Amateurs, Barnsley, amateurs.

Onwards and upwards!!!!!!!!!

A

I bet these wish they'd never come

ps, well done Mr Selwood of Highgate, a grand richer courtesy of the Centenary Draw.  I’m looking forward to seeing him at Washday even more now.

Birmingham City 1-1 Barnsley, Wednesday 1st January 2014

Ahhh, holidays.  Got up about 10:30 and am currently keeping half an eye out on Redfearn, who’s got a pair of eyes on the fence, waiting for this other cat to hop over again….

Old skool!  Waiting for a train to Small Heath.

Well, I had a different match experience.  Been a while since I’ve been to a game on my lonesome.  So I took a couple of beers for the train and realised I’d brought the wrong keys, so no bottle opener for me.  Once in Brum, I decided not to make the mistake of last year and walk to the ground via Edgbaston, so looked up St. Andrews on a map and caught a train to Small Heath.  It was STILL a bloody long walk!  Oh, and I saw a young lady’s short skirt blow up in the wind, revealing everything.  (Just thought I’d pop that in.)

I really was on my lonesome.  No home fans, either.

Nice touch.  But no, I didn't go in.

I'm not sure what to make of the BCFC 'superstore'.  Let's just say 'unique'.

It was an odd game, in so much as it was a typical 2^nd division game and we don’t have many of them anymore.  It was two evenly matched teams, both generally looking not very good.  For whole swathes of the match we looked like BFC under Hill – absolutely bags of possession, generally sideways.  Perhaps we should take up rugby?  Yet we still fashioned chances.  Newboy Shea showed he didn’t have a right foot when clean through, cut back onto his left and proved that wasn’t very good either, the keeper making an easy save.  A Perkins shot was spilled and (I thought) O’Grady dribbled the rebound pathetically wide.  Everyone else blamed Mellis, so maybe my eyes aren’t what they were.  (In fact, they aren’t – it WAS Mellis.  Pr*ck.)

Found some home fans.  Where?  Over there!

In amongst all our possession, they scored.  It took 9 minutes this time – the opposition obviously aren’t Derby!  O’Brien and Crainie stand off their 2 men and a low cross is banged in.  This should be easy for Steele, but a mixture of injured and the wet grass means it zips along the 6 yard box where M’Voto has a decision to make: go for it and risk scoring an own goal, or simply let the forward tap it into an empty net.  He chooses b).  9 minutes and I’m already questioning Wilson’s defensive selection.  Fair enough, he’s dropped Wiseman, but he’s shunted star defender Crainie to right back (where he spends most of the 1^st half wanting to play centre) and he brings in M’Voto, presumably to negate the gigantic Zigic.  (To be fair, this worked for the last 81 mins, though if Zigic could direct his headers he’d be a great player).  True, they missed a one-one and had a header hit the bar, but regards the latter, I was as amazed as anyone it hit the bar cos it looked like it was going miles over.  No danger.

The old main stand

2^nd half and we still look the better team.  Or should I say the more interested?  (Not a phrase we’ve said much recently.)  The midfield ran about (I even saw Mellis run 20 yards to make a great tackle…before losing possession himself, of course) and O’Grady held up EVERYTHING.  Shame then that no-one fancied joining him.  Ramage had a header from a corner cleared off the line but just past the hour, we equalise.  Woo hoo!  And while the keeper readies himself for Kennedy curling it one side of the wall, up steps Mellis to curl it the other way.  Well done Jacob!  (I’ve always liked him.)  Later, a beautiful dummy by Mellis (I’ve always liked him) allows Perkins to have a free shot from the edge of the box.  All he has to do is sidefoot it on target with defenders obstructing the keeper.  He clears the bar.

We have the bit between our teeth now and with Shea tiring Wilson sends on Cywka to win the game for us.  Sadly, he doesn’t, and while we do muster the odd counter attack, the last 10 mins are mainly spent defending corners or sitting deep.  All in all, a well won point – but another winnable game has disappeared over the horizon.

*** Steele.  Saved, caught or punched everything bar the goal.  Crucial one-on-one save at 1-0 when Crainie (him again) allowed the winger to outpace him.

** Mellis.  When he wasn’t giving the ball away or missing easy chances, I thought he had a good game.  No, really.  Then that free kick.  I’ve always liked him.

* O’Grady.  Do I need to describe his game?

Fickle?  Blues fans??

Despatches:
If we’re to ever score another goal in open play (save for Cywka’s ‘worldies’) then O’Grady desperately needs more support up front.  This involves players from midfield pushing forward, not simply giving it to O’Grady then standing and watching.  (Fair enough Waddington’s favourite O’Brien occasionally does this)

Shea had an odd game.  He’s a 6’3” left winger who also thinks he can play on the right.  Created mayhem in the 1^st half on 3 or 4 occasions, simply by pushing up with O’Grady.  Perhaps, it being his 1^st game, the opposition had no idea who he was or how to deal with him.  However, my gut instinct is we’ve dragged in another pointless loanee.  And why can left footers never kick with their other foot?

For once I bought a match programme.  And a jolly good read too.  I learnt that part time Reds fan Paul Gallagher’s fave player is Paddy McCourt and your team should be decided by your birth certificate.  That’s it – I’m off to support Durham City!

But in case you didn’t know footballers were on another planet, the Q&A with Jesse Lingaard offered this gem: 
Q: ‘When was the last time you caught public transport?’ 
A: ‘I got a taxi last week’

Ho ho ho.  Happy New Year Everyone!

A

ps, Redfearn is now sat on the picnic table in the back garden.  He likes holidays too!!!!!