Barnsley 3-1 Bradford City, Sunday 12th October 2014

'Statistically, I'm always right'

The newly renamed Pukka Pies East Stand

So, this is what it’s like to be a Premiership team, is it?  A mid-afternoon kick off on a Sunday.  I can’t say I’m a fan – so lucky we’re not returning to the Premiership any time soon.  I’ve been looking at a cost-benefit analysis of this 'ere Sunday football:

Benefit	Cost
£20k off Sky (if that!)	Early morning start on a SUNDAY
Satdy shopping in Oxford Street	Fewer Londontykes travelling
Missing the England game	Missing church
	Train journey longer
	Constant jibber of small child on train
	‘drink inhibitor’ (A. Reed) of work next day
	Expensive train tickets (£29.40 WITH 1/3 off!)
	Tesco and café in Kings X shut
	Satdy shopping in Oxford Street
	‘Mermaids’ and the chippy by The Mount shut

There it is – fairly conclusive I’d have thought.  Obviously, I’m not including the ‘benefit’ of actually winning a home game, cos I doubt moving our games to the Sabbath will GUARANTEE victory.  (Though perhaps Mansford is considering it).  And so it was that I found myself having a lager in a plastic glass pre-match (Redfearns).  Sigh.  Could things GET any worse?  Well, try giving it 46 seconds at Oakwell, time enough for the Bantams to take the lead, a slick passing move between 3 or 4 players including only one effort at a tackle (failed).  I wouldn’t even mind, but they’d already made it to our box once.  Good effort Reds!

Thereafter, I thought City controlled the half, with us resorting to hoofs upfield to forwards who couldn’t hold a ball up (Cole, Winnall) while we were generally restricted to long shots.  Fair enough, there were some decent efforts, though Winnall hit one he could’ve passed and driven into the box, while he also spurned our best (only?) chance, hitting the bar having taken the ball wide.  Half-time, 0-1, and Moll musing on impending relegation.  Me too.

Lots of happy Bantams (half time).

But who was that team in red, second half?  With Williams (?) running at ‘em from midfield and Cole running at ‘em up front, Bradford were s***ing themselves.  Yet before any inroads could be made in open play, a beautiful in-swinging free kick was headed home by Nyatanga.  Or them.  Who cares???  And before you knew it, Nyatanga, in a perfect position to shoot, lays it across goal for Winnall to tap home – yet he didn’t, he blasted it low into the net.  Fabulous play from Nyatanga, I can’t think of many players at Oakwell who would have gone for the pass.  And great run from Winnall.  Linekeresque.  Let’s hope this gives him the confidence to go on.

Towards the end, as they camped in our half without ever looking like they had a clue, we were breaking 3 on 3 time and again and Hemmings (on as sub) nailed it, sidefooting home from the edge of the box after Hourihane’s cross deflected into his path.  Cool finish.

Overall – even if it was only one half – it was by far the best I’ve seen us this season.  Though I find it slightly disconcerting that the team includes 3 loan players.  Every year ‘tis the same: we’re gonna develop our own players, we lose a couple of games, panic, ship in the loanees.  But where would we be without ‘em?

Happy Tykes (full time).

*** Winnall.  Sponsors MOTM.  Go on then.  He DID score, had another super effort saved (sidestepping a defender and hitting it early) and willingly tracked back.  And he only did his pathetic swallow dive once, towards the end. 

** Manchester City’s Devante Cole.  Pace and strength, if not actual skill, but he scares the bejeezus out of defenders when he runs at them and with 3 (count ‘em!) players up in support – Winnall, Hourihane, Williams – the ball was always likely to drop for us at some point.

* Fulham’s Ryan Williams.  Slow start , as he took players on and lost it, but once he got his eye in, was leaving players for dead.  Like a good Paddy McCourt, but instead of dribbling in a pointless figure of eight, would actually head towards goal and pass the ball.

Match action

Despatches:

I don’t have much else to add.  Individually, I thought everyone had a decent game.  And for once, Turnbull had little to do, they only had one shot on target (scored).

Oh yes, actually I DO have something to add.  Why is our vocal element also the RACIST element?  Fingers crossed the Sky microphones didn’t pick up the chants of ‘Town full of Pakis’ and ‘You’re just a small town in Asia’ cos you could hear it in the Pukka Pies East Stand (!?).  Yes, it’s tiresome, having away fans chant ‘Barnsley’s a sh*thole’ while not actioning their civil right to actually go home, though at least a better response came later with ‘I’m glad we’re at home….Bradford’s a sh*thole…I’m glad we’re at home’.  This one could run and run.  Apart from when we play Yeovil, obvs.

Drink du jour:  As I said, we were taking it easy, Monday being a school day and all.  After one in the Tap we had a few bottles of Becks on the way home.  Sainsburys Local didn’t have the greatest choice.

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

Away: 2000.  Good turnout, considering it was on Sky.

Oh yes!