The football? My God, it was worse than Satdy. Square, square, backwards, keeper…hoof. Is Keith Hill back? Coach Duff, hailed as the next big thing not a month ago, later told us we’d played well in that 1st half, passed it around, etc. Eh? In terms of numbers, probably. But what’s the point when it’s 10 yards square and you’re in your own half, under no pressure? Anything along the floor and forward, invariably by Kane or Benson, was either intercepted with ease, or taken off whichever forward didn’t know what to do with it. We created NOTHING.
We’d had a scare before their goal. The only goal. I looked up from staring into the abyss to see an Imp beat 2 of our players on their left, cut inside….and clip it off the outside of the post with Collins stranded. Which idiot defenders failed miserably this time? Turned out it was Benson and Cadden. All from a throw from their keeper from OUR corner. Appalling. Cadden has a hand in the goal too, as a crossfield ball finds him losing his player, Mandroiu. The latter chests it down, drives forward and hits a crisp shot across the keeper from 20 yards. A superb finish the like of which is utterly beyond any of our (fit) players. I can imagine Luke Thomas being capable and the longer he’s out, the better he looks.
Second half….it was TURGID. I had to provide my own entertainment by flicking Opal Fruit wrappers at the steward. Unfortunately, the kid next to me had seen me do it and wanted a go. It was his first ever game, bless, and mum was saying how it was great to be at Oakwell, with the atmosphere (!). The atmosphere? 15 mins in, the call went out over the tannoy for fans not to make any racist chants. If they’d have said ‘any chants’ they got their wish. I never heard anything from our support, though Lincoln came in numbers and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
It was the longest 45 minutes I’ve seen since Swansea came last season and wouldn’t let us have the ball. Lincoln did the opposite….letting us have all the ball we wanted, knowing we couldn’t do owt with it. Our only hope was corners and we had a couple of weak headers saved. Then, as injury time loomed, the parents put themselves out of their misery, dragging junior out for the sake of ‘beating the traffic’. Not seeing the equaliser would hopefully be a valuable lesson to this little Tyke. The cross came in. We had not one, but TWO players on their own, 6 yards out. HERE IT COMES. Yes, Norwood and Cole crash into each other. I can’t remember if I laughed or screamed. We are s***.
Onwards and upwards!
*** No-one.
** No-one.
* Kitching. Provided brief hope from corners.
Londontykes’ MOTM: TBA
Despatches:
3 weeks ago I’d not seen us ever lose to Exeter, Morecambe or Lincoln. Now I’ve seen us lose to all 3. If only we weren’t playing Forest Green for the first time this Satdy. Oh. I didn’t even know when we’d last played Lincoln in a league game – turns out to be 75/76. But maybe their win wasn’t as surprising as I thought – they’ve 5 wins and a draw in the last half dozen league games against us. I have the twitter feed of ‘Barnsley FC Stats’ to thank for this one tho….we’ve now failed to score in 4 consecutive league games at this level for the 1st time since 1979 (a bizarre 4 game sequence which started in April 1972!) We didn’t even manage that under Little Lee.
Michael Duff. Hero to zero in weeks. I’m no master tactician, but I’d have thought the entire point of playing 3 centre backs is so you can have wingbacks who get up the field and deliver balls for forwards to score. We have Tom Edwards and Nicky Cadden. The former, finding himself in plenty of space due to smart passing moves (as opposed to pace) put 2 first half crosses into the stands. At least Tom Williams used to be running at pace as he launched his infamous efforts into Row Z. But at least he can defend. Fullback, yes. Wingback? No chance. Cadden, what can I say? I had high hopes. My mate Loko (who knows everything about everything) said he played a key role in getting Forest Green up. Great attacking wingback, etc. I presumed he was some 21 year old up and comer. He’s 26. We’ve signed a plodding journeyman without the pace to beat a player and without the nouse to defend. Early days, but he can’t hide behind the ‘he’s only young’ excuse.
Benson and Kane swapped positions this match, Kane playing higher up. More tactical genius. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, some of their balls were played into space and our front two simply didn’t read them. But what’s the point of passing to Cole and Norwood? No point at all. But I’ll leave analysis of their inabilities for another time. I’m depressed enough.
Martin (the Norwich loanee) was given another start. Must be charity week. He was awful (again) and I suspect whoever chose the man of the match was having a laugh. The other loanee bloke (or have we bought him? My interest is waning), the Burnley one whose name I can’t be ar5ed to learn came on later. I like him – he gives the ball away and then blames everyone else. Who was that midfielder who used to do that for us in the Golden Age of division 3, when we were in admin and he refused to give up his squad place even tho he was injured? ‘The new Redfearn?’ (I can’t remember, my memory has given up.) Anyway, a player whose name I don’t know reminded me of a player whose name I forget. If a sentence sums up watching the Super Reds right now, that’s it.
In more positive news, without the Londontykes coming en masse, I spent pre-match in Barnsley’s premier centre du biere….‘Heaven and Ale’, in the back streets behind Morrisons. Cracking pub, great company (not Nozza and Darrell, but a couple of pooches who insisted on a stroke). Plus some Black Country contractors marvelling at how great the pub 2 doors down from their Air BnB was. Recommended.
Drink du jour: CLWB Tropica (Tiny Rebel) in Heaven and Ale.
Away: 1,231. Superb turnout, great backing…but they had to give up baiting us (‘Is this a library?’) cos they got nowt back.
Today’s take home: Things could be worse. That burnt out car on the A1 could have been mine.
The Damage:
c.£31 travel
= c.£31
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