BFC 2-1 Coventry City, Saturday 14th August 2021

‘Your support is f***ing sh*t’

I was awake at 4am on Satdy. Nerves? Excitement? Insomnia? Probably the latter, as the cat wakes me up at least twice every night wanting food, and it was a little warm in the house. So I was up at 6 and spent a considerable part of the day wondering at what point I’d fall asleep behind the wheel of the car. It’s a very different experience from getting bladdered on the train with the other Londontykes. Back to normality then. Coronavirus is over, yes? How did we do? ‘Get here early’ they said. So the gates weren’t open till 2. Season ticket (‘season passes’) bar codes didn’t work…hence long queues. Luckily, the turnstile operators could manually type in our numbers - an improvement on going back to the ticket office, then re-scanning the card…going back to the turnstile, it still not working and repeating the whole process…as was my lot one game a few years back. One couldn’t get a home shirt…but not cos they’d ran out, just that BFC had (wisely) limited numbers in the club shop and I wasn’t going to wait. Not with that queue. Inside Oakwell, and apart from an opening and closing 10 mins, the atmosphere was flat…while the defenders (1st half) appeared never to have met each other before. So, all in all, it was good to be back on familiar territory again.

It was an entertaining, open game. I’d be tempted to wonder how we won, but I know the answer – we scored and they didn’t. They passed up 3 golden opportunities 1st half, none of which hit the target. The only one Quest showed was the one where the bloke was free on the back post to hit the ball into the ground and off the bar. What a cross that was, but the forward just dropped off the centre halves and was in acres of space. Early on, we had a chance too, with Leon Brittain (wasn’t he a Tory Home Secretary or summink? Either way, my continuous brain fog means I have no idea what Brittain’s 1st name is. Is he one of them Calums?) clean through. Unfortunately, the ball got caught up in his feet, and he scuffed a tame effort wide. As I said, about as back to normal as it comes. Oh, and Reds fans moaning at the ref for making perfectly legitimate decisions.

Then, just as we’d weathered the Cov storm, we score! Palmer, who’d looked lively throughout (and had the fouls on him to prove it) slipped one through for Freezer. The keeper stood rooted…he couldn’t possibly miss…could he? No. Calmly tucked in the bottom far corner. 1-0, game over – so it proved. It was certainly the end of our attacking threat. It was our only shot on target. When will these new Belgians be fit (cos I’ve no faith in Devante Cole being the answer to our prayers)?

If the opening period was all about Romal Palmer, the second belonged to Liam Kitching, our 2nd recent purchase from Forest Green Rovers’ back line (and the first didn’t turn out so bad). What a performance he put up – last ditch covering tackles, clearances, interceptions. Save for a last minute misunderstanding with Ben Williams, it was the complete performance. Such a shame that in the 4th minute of injury time, from OUR throw in, Williams and Kitching contrived to let their winger in. Williams may have got a touch, but he upended the attacker who could still have got to the ball. A pen for me and there wasn’t much dissent in the area of the East upper by me. However, step forward…more brain fog…not Adam Davies (even if he looks like him a bit)…christ, what’s he called…Collins! That’s it, COLLINS! Low to his right, not a bad penalty, but Brad gets across and does what Walton failed to do with 5 3rd division penalties earlier in the week. Superb. Cov had battered us, but we survived and the luck was with us.

One oddity of the match was the number of bookings we took (8). We’ll be on a FA charge, I’m sure. It was strange, as it didn’t look a dirty match. Mind, I’m told 5 of the cards were for fouls on the same player, but if one was Cauley’s, he was unlucky – he’d been fouled (not given) then turned around and swung at a loose ball and kicked their player up in the air. Was it Palmer booked for timewasting? Standing over the ball and preventing a quick free kick. No qualms, there, refs need to show the yellow more often. As for the rest, they all blurred into one, but suffice to say I agreed with every single one. A Cov fan I spoke to after the game had a novel take on it though – he blamed the ref for losing control, as the cards appeared to make no difference.

As for the fans, as I say, I found it flat for the most part. Indeed, Cov would remind us every now and again ‘Your support is f***ing s***’ and the Ponty would respond with ‘We forgot that you were hear’. Welcome back everyone.

Onwards and upwards!

*** Kitching. Magnificent, ably supported by Helik.
** Palmer. It’s back to normality again, normality being dragging your best player off after an hour. With the team winning the ball back successfully, Palmer was one of the few who could then find his own teammate with the ball.
* Helik. Right up the strikers’ bottoms throughout the second half.

Despatches:
Collins did no wrong, and saved a pen, but had little to do with Cov’s strikers being so profligate. Brittain won ball after ball…then gave away ball after ball. Styles was disappointing at centre mid, though it’s early days, while I was very impressed with new boy Benson, who was calm under pressure and made passing to a player in red look easy. I suspect he’ll be a starter very soon. Up top, Freezer ran about and looked keen while about the only time I noticed Cauley (aside from the booking) was when he chased back 50 yards to win the ball.

Drink du jour: Pre-match orange juice in the Old #7, as Nice Guy Chris and I bemoaned that the one time we’d have gone to the fanzone, we couldn’t. A real pity, when it’s the opening day of the season and the weather was set fair

Away: 1719 (Att: 14,961)

The Damage:
£3 prog
= £3

plus petrol…£20?

The Tunes:
TMS (5Live extra)

Coventry City 4-3 BFC, Tuesday 3rd November 2015

‘SeanMcClareSeanMcClareSeanMcClareSeanMcClare’

Yeah, I know it's blurred, but it's the best my camera can do.

In a surprise late move, I went to last night’s game.  After all I said about a visit to the Ricoh being about as miserable an away trip as one could get, Stu gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse: get to Milton Keynes and I’ll give you a lift (I’d have to catch the Oxford Tube back).  So, given he never turns out, and I once got a rather spiffy hip flask for being his best man, I was honour-bound.  Well, that’s my excuse.

And by god, at half time was I not regretting a bit of it?  We were AS AWFUL as anything I have seen this season (which means as bad as anything I’ve seen in 10 years…and the rest).  We were 4-5-1, Winnall again shunted out to wide midfield to accommodate a tall useless bloke in attack (this week: Smith).  And despite having piles of players in midfield, we were overrun.  Yet it started so well…

The Ricoh Arena, Coventry, home of the London Wasps

After 2 minutes, a small cheer went up. We were finishing our beers underneath the stand.  F***.  I’ve only gone and missed us scoring.  Anyway, imagine my relief when I found that, no, we hadn’t scored – THEY had.  Christ on a bike. I haven’t even got to my seat and we’re losing. Ho hum.
Then a pattern was set: every time we got the ball, we’d trundle it sideways, sideways, back…while every time they got the ball they ran forward quickly, playing balls into space for players to run onto.  If we even made it to their half, the midfield was 20 yards behind the centre forward. (The one time I remember Smith touching the ball, he was forced to try and head it back to a teammate…who was so far behind him, a Cov player just picked it off).

Awww, that's nice.

Soon it was 2-0.  I can vaguely remember they switched play quickly (that word again) from left to right and a simple lay off put their bloke clean through to bag.  (As an aside, Davies had already saved a one-on-one).  I’d boldly stated before the game that Little Lee wouldn’t get the sack tonite unless we lost by an absolutely hatful.  It looked like we’d achieve this.  Cov continued to have the better chances, but somehow managed not to score and 2-0 at HT almost felt like a decent result.
Then..then…I’m not sure what happened.  We came out like a team possessed. We had 2 shots in the first 45 seconds of the second half.  We pressed them.  We moved the ball forward.  Players who’d previously not be moving, for fear they’d get caught out of position, were now legging it up the field to support attacks.  We were, to be blunt, FABULOUS.  We pull one back when Mawson heads in a corner.  (You can stick your Conor Hourihane up your ar5e!)

A sparse home end

Being Barnsley, within minutes, Cov go and score.  A break down their left, a cut back.  Easy.  (If it was us, we’d be saying a well worked goal, so give Cov their dues).  Down and out? Not a bit of it. We bite straight back at them, Scowen finding himself free inside the box and drilling low to the far corner.  Game on!
Again, within minutes, Cov notch again, but you cannot argue with world class.  Joe Cole steps up to lift the ball over the wall at pace into the top corner (despite Davies getting a hand to it, the ball whipped off his wet gloves).  Honestly, I’ve never rated Cole as a player, but this free kick was beyond anything this division can produce.  (As another aside, 2 of their goals were scored by Newcastle’s Armstrong, so SOME teams choose their loanees well!)  In fact, I've since learnt their other goal was by a loanee too.  Is this some kind of record?

I hate this stadium.  Just saying.

After that, we still ran the game…so much so that Cov fans were getting on their players’ backs.  Imagine!  4-2 up and complaining.  (Come to think, I remember fans moaning when we were 5-0 up one game...but Portsmouth were down to 9 men at the time).  Pearson had a stonewall penalty turned

down (so ‘stonewall’ Loko and Stu disagreed with me).  Now, Andy will tell you, I’m the 1^st to defend the ref, but what appeared to happen was Pearson was clean through and saw the keeper sliding towards him, so he took it away from the keeper and let the keeper hit him (the wet pitch meaning he couldn’t stop his slide).  Unfortunately, his ‘dive’ wasn’t to the class expected of a Man U player.  Or perhaps it was cos he wasn’t wearing a ManUre shirt…either way.

Half time and a bunch of over 50s have a game.  Makes a change from kids.

Wilkinson came on.  Someone cheered (me!)  As far as I was concerned, this was his debut.  He showed what everyone else has been on about by lifting the ball over the bar when clean through.  Then, while the Cov keeper went wandering, Mawson hooked one back towards goal. Cleared off the line.  Finally, with the game wrapped up, the ref gives us a penalty (handball) for Scowen to score a consolation.  Cheers, ref – bit late now.  Cov kick off and the ref blows for full time.  
Honestly, we could have scored SIX that half.  And we scored a goal from open play for the 1st time since 2011!

*** Josh Scowen.  Here’s here, he’s there, he’s….brilliant.  At his best when allowed to run box to box.  Made tackles, drove at the opposition.  All of this was the second half, obvs.

** Ben Pearson.  Not in his usual defensive role, he often found himself our most promising attacker.  Also, he normally has the brains to pick the right pass.  Pity it’s to one of our players.* George Smith.  I’ve turned into Bob.  I think I’m just picking my favourite players now, but I’m sure Smith got up and down that left wing second half…and where we conceded the 2^ndgoal with Smith out of position (tucked in with the centre halves) I blame on Little Lee, cos IT KEEPS HAPPENING.  There’s no doubt to me that Smith is TOLD to do this, cos there’s no way he’d leave the winger free.  (Look out for this the next time the opposition switch it quickly from left to right.)

Londontykes' Top 3:
1= Scowen / Pearson

3. G. Smith

More Wasps' branding.  I hate rugby an' all.

Despatches:

Ere, have a guess how much parking costs at the Ricoh?  That’s right, a tenner.  I think Stu is still dazed from the shock.  So we turned round, pulled into an adjacent industrial estate and parked for free.  A tenner.  That’s ten whole pounds.  F***.  Loko parked about 2 miles away for a fiver.  So, it’s a sh*thole if you go by public transport…and a sh*thole if you don’t.  I hate this stadium with a passion.  It still makes me laugh that they left Highfield Road for somewhere BIGGER.

Wilkinson made his ‘debut’ (for me).  Like Super Georgie Waring, he’s 6 foot-odd…till he jumps, when he’s 5 foot 3.  However, the difference in that second half was that the midfielders ran FORWARD and picked up the loose ball…Wilkinson’s challenges at least ensuring the defenders couldn’t head the ball far.  Mawson played defensive mid, in front of Nyatanga and Roberts.  There’s no doubting his intelligence on the ball, but he lacks the pace.  Youse also missed some middle aged woman turning around and berating Stuart about something - it was Mawson's mum!  


So, we lost – yet everyone felt good about themselves, as if the 1^st half NEVER HAPPENED.  The players came over, were applauded off to shouts of ‘You Reds!’ from the 250 or so faithful.  They should have come over at half time!  As for Little Lee…what did he say at half time?  ‘Listen lads, whatever I told you pre-match, do the EXACT OPPOSITE’.

And talking of a beautiful 2^nd half, Loko was staying at his mum’s, so I got a lift to east east London (Essex) where I was able to catch the last Central Line tube into town.  Home before one!  And Loko turning off the motorway, past some roundabout in Theydon Bois shouting  ‘LOOK!  2 deer!’  There really were 2 deer, stood there, grazing on a roundabout.  They were beauties.

Awaiting the last tube at Theydon Bois.

Drink du jour: A couple of cheeky bottles of Leffe on the train, then a bottle of Singha at the ground.  

Crowd: 10,954 (c.250 Reds).  Cov fans can actually generate a decent amount of noise in that bowl.  And they’ve got around the problem of too many seats for too few fans by closing one end and only having a few dozen away fans at the other.  Genius!

The Damage: 
20 ent
14 train
14.5 2 pies, one Guinness and a Singha.

= £48.50