Thankfully we won, in the most imperious, boring manner possible, batting Crawley out of sight in the first half before resting on our laurels and admiring our fine work. All on 27% possession, I’m told. Really? Time and again, first half, we cut through them. It could have been 6 or 7. That it wasn’t was due to the usual profligacy. Watters ran clean through and missed. Marsh came on and missed. Phillips hit the post.
We went ahead fairly early, as O’Keefe swung over a corner to the backpost for Pines to head in before pulling up his shirt to reveal ‘Jesus is King’ underneath. That’s brainless on at least two levels, as he received a yellow card for his troubles. (He looked less than impressed when he was subbed later, but what would we have said about the manager if Pines had got himself a second yellow?) Anyway, it gave us a chance to have one-eleventh of ‘a team of Marc Roberts’ which a few in our corner were chanting for.
Two-nil came courtesy of Adam Phillips, coolly slotting the same chance Watters had earlier missed. It was beautiful, making the keeper think he was going to shoot across him and just passing the ball into the keeper’s nearside. Phillips also scored the third, assisted by himself, as he slalomed through their defence before being cleaned out. It was the worst penalty I’ve seen since the one he missed at Forest Green a year or 2 back. Straight down the middle, it went through the diving keeper’s legs. Still, at 3 goals this season, he’s outscoring our centre forwards.
Watters went off early. 9th minute early. Bit harsh, I thought, hauling him that early for that miss, but it seemed he had an injury. Wistfully, I definitely never mused that if it was career ending, we’d at least get some insurance money back on him. On came Marsh to run around for 81 minutes. He’s keen, but I’m with whichever Oakwell historian reckoned he’d end up in Conference North.
Second half, Lofthouse ran clear (saved) and Connell had a 20 odd yard half volley acrobatically tipped round the post, but otherwise it was a non-event. Crawley Town nil, Barnsley three and the demons of yesteryear (2015, 5-1, one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen) were partially exorcised. But one of these teams is clearly in the wrong division.
Onwards and upwards!
*** Phillips. A cut above.
** O’Keefe. I think he was meant to be LWB, but got up in support and had a good understanding with Phillips.
* Pines. Scored, had another header over, under no threat at back. Marked down for the t-shirt.
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Phillips 2. Craig 3= Cotter/Pines
Despatches:
Slonina had nothing to do. De Givigny had nothing to do. Earl had nothing to do. Cotter had another good game. The midfield worked hard (cos the defence had nothing to do, and chances were created), but I still don’t notice Craig. I’m told he played well, but he’s invisible to me. I’m not saying I don’t rate him, but that I never see him. Don’t ask me what he does, cos I don’t know. Connell was ok, Lofthouse was quiet. And Marsh...Marsh...he tries, bless.
It also never dawned on me till I was in the toilet in the pub after the match (where all my best thoughts appear), but it was my dad’s birthday on Satdy. He’d have been 80. Back in the day when I was gallivanting all round Europe during summer, this last game in August was my first Reds’ game of the season. I can take solace that there’s no way he’d have come down to Crawley. He wasn’t an idiot.
Drink du jour: Juice Junkie IPA (Kent Brewery), Bird House in Your Soul hazy pale ale (Nightjar), DDH Jaipur IPA (Thornbridge) at the Brewery Shades. I wasn’t keen on any of ‘em, so had a couple of celebratory Neck Oils later. Only £7.50 (each).
Away: 847
The Damage:
£18 ent
£21 London-Crawley
£53 The north-London
= £92
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