BFC 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday, Saturday 10th February 2018

‘Pull your jeans up!’

Welcome to...a new sign!

The king is dead.  Long live the king.  Yes, it’s the first game following Paul ‘he’s one of our own (no he isn’t)'s controversial departure to local cuddly fluffballs Dirty Leeds.  Tell you what we need – let’s have a home game v Sheffield Superclub, who we cannot beat no matter what.  The more things change….

The players certainly seemed up for it, none more so than new captain Yiadom early doors, who races 15 yards to win a 30-70 header.  I almost had to turn away, fearing a sickening clash of heads.  And on a captains note, have we given the captaincy to Yids just so he can be the 4^th captain we lose in consecutive transfer windows?

The cap'n.

We attacked constantly in that 1^st half.I s’pose it helped having proper wingers (Hammill and a returning Isgrove; Moncur dropping to the bench to no-one’s disappointment).  But wingers can’t play without a solid midfield base, and Williams and Gardner had their best match yet together.  Chuck in decent performances from the fullbacks and defence, and against a side as poor as Washday, how did we not win?  

Lest there be any doubt.

I haven’t even mentioned my new favourite (non) Reds player…Olly ‘Caspar’ McBurnie, on loan from Swansea.  He is AWESOME.  He is EVERYWHERE.  The ball STICKS to him.  He can run at players.  He can head a ball.  He puts in challenges. He is mobile.  He is more on his own than the rest of our (fairly expensively signed) forward line COMBINED. Even better, he looks about as far from a footballer as you’re likely to get.  Socks around his ankles, a skinny frame, even his posture is dishevelled.  He is Billy Caspar incarnate.  And he capped a superb performance with, for me, the goal of the season so far.  He picks the ball up to the right of the box.  He drives in, plays a one-two (WTF?), rounds a defender, then still has the composure to stroke the ball home with his left into the far right corner.  Like Obi Wan Kenobi, ‘you’re my only hope.’

The Ponty v Washday.

Course, we still didn’t eke out that win and if I’m pinpointing one single excuse, apart from Bradshaw again being unable to hit the old onion bag (has he made it 10 matches without a goal yet?), it’s the referee.  Whyohwhyohwhy do we keep getting Premiership referees to officiate our ‘big’ local derbies – they only ever seem to favour the ‘big’ sides.  Today was Lee Probert’s turn.  Washday play a throughball.  I’m level with it, East lower, towards the away end.  It’s Townsend’s all day long, but he hesitates, then goes backwards.  Washday run onto it, then there’s a tangle with Yiadom, he goes down.  Pen.  I couldn’t tell, but having the benefit of TV, it’s certainly less of a pen than the one he later turns down for Hammill, who is impeded as he rounds their defender.  Of course we know Hamill goes down easily (at least his missus is happy) but, when he’s on a booking already, I don’t see Hammill diving.  And it would have been very soft, but in the last minute, substitute Moore, running away from goal, has his shirt blatantly pulled.  The ‘referee’s assistant’, enjoying exactly the same view as me, sees nothing.  Grrrrrrrr.  And we’ll ignore all the times Washday took quick free kicks from a complete different place from where the incidents took place.  

Townsend dives out of the way of the pen.

Still, we can’t rely on the ref.  Bradshaw hit a sweet volley which was well saved, while scuffing a close range bobbler into the keeper 2^nd half.  Unfortunately, the Hammill penalty incident notwithstanding, our efforts petered out 2^nd half and when McBurnie was taken off with 20 mins left, the game was up.  Isgrove had already been dragged off for an ineffectual Bournemouth winger.  (He looked very poor; like a left footed Kevin Donovan).  Kept possession, but only cos he was kicking it backwards to someone else.  

Onwards and upwards!

Washday celebrate taking the lead.

*** McBurnie.  I can understand why Hecky (who?) kept up the pursuit.  Let’s hope he lives up to the hyperbole.  Twitter MOTM.  Obvs.

** Hammill.  Beckhamesque.  Doesn’t need to beat a player to whip in a cross.  And worked hard, as usual.  And got booked for diving into a tackle.  As usual.

* Isgrove.  We looked a lot more balanced today, with Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Busy.  If he could cross a ball, we’d be dangerous.  Perhaps he couldn’t remember the size of the pitch…?

Despatches:  Townsend did pretty well, outside of the goal.  Commanded his box, anyway (but didn’t really have a save to make).  Yiadom was back to making runs at their defence, Penniless looked solid.  Mills was magnificent 1^st half, ably supported by Lindsay.  Their team were GIANTS, none more so than the centre forward.  Williams and Gardner paired up well, the only time I remember Williams losing it being some stupid back heeled flick volley from the keeper’s punt.  Much improved, Joe.  Bradshaw will never score another goal in a Reds shirt.  Moore might never get one in the 1^st place.  Thiam can’t even get off the bench.  Mahoney is a winger who can’t beat a player or cross a ball.

Players await a corner.

The early start saw off The Captain, another missed bus meaning he didn’t get out of Hampshire.  Big thanks to Hicksy and Loko, who looked after my 4 Dutch groundhoppers, letting them keep their bags in Redfearns.  Even better, while in Redfearns, they wanted 6 volunteers for the half time entertainment.  I quickly jumped in and thus we had 3 Dutchmen running around a cone 10 times then trying to put a shot past Toby Tyke.  It’s a fine balancing act, trying to hit a ball with some power while not trying to slip over on the wet turf, and one of them never managed it.  ‘You shouldn’t laugh at other people’s misfortune, but that WAS funny’ said the announcer.  (He still scored tho.)  Hopefully it made their day, since their taxi to Bradford never showed up and they missed their double header (2 matches in one day). 

One Dutchman struggles with the concept...

Also, is it just me who can’t believe Reds fans CHEERING Sheffield United winning?  I mean, I know it’s against Hecky’s bunch, but still…(and while we’re on past Reds managers, wasn’t it a shame to see future Premiership coach Little Lee see his side lose a 3 goal lead to Sunderland?  What do you mean it was?  I know, I know, Sunderland are in the mix with us.  But I’ve now got bets with FIVE people that we’re going down.  Loko, Jonesy, Slacki, Beckenham Chris…and whoever I made the bet with in the pub in Brentford, which Alison filmed.)  We are in deep, deep s*** and if we don’t pull out some points in the next 2 matches (Burton, Brum) I don’t see how we’re getting points anywhere else.  Ollie McBurnie….you are our only hope.

...while another prepares to drill it home.

Drink du jour: 
Being on a train in the middle of the afternoon, we decided to take it easy and have beer.  Until we got to Sainsbury and saw there was an offer on the JD.  The coke was incidental.  Then several pints of Sierra Nevada at the Parcel Yard with Reedy and a discussion on where’s best to discover new music: 6 Music or Spotify.

Away: 4,500.  Due to police concerns, a stand what holds 5,900 can now only safely hold 4,500 blue and white stripey ****s.  Still, at least they’re paying £36 for the privilege, as we return the favour.  Ba5tards.

The Damage:
£23.80 train
£5 prog (yes, you read that right.  Another ‘special’.  Though I need to ask the pretty girlfriend of James Cryne what she sees in the heir to a multi-million fortune)
= £28.80

The Tunes:
Every Country’s Sun (Mogwai).
Blind (The Sundays)

Panorama v Washday.

Not very busy at 11:15am (for a 12:15 KO).

The teams line up.

Full time.