 |
| It's official. Grogger's Rest, R.I.P. |
For the first time in years we are facing meaningless end of season matches with 3 games left. I s'pose we should be grateful, after stressful years of relegation battles. Time to put our feet up, play a few youngsters and hope we get away with it.
So it was, Johnson had a starting 11 containing ZERO loan players. FINALLY! It's also a home debut for centre half Jack Cowgill, whose only previous experience was 10 promising minutes at Walsall while the away fans chanted 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' at the rest of 'em. Some bloke called 'Digby' also got a runout. I'd forgotten all about him.
 |
| 'Toby, Toby!' |
Cowgill has a 'mare. He loses his footing on a throughball and Washington nips in to blast home. (The same bloke scored the goal of the season against us at their place). Then Cowgill steps out to intercept another throughball, doesn't reach and Davies saves the resultant one-on-one. Even headers were meekly nodded away. He looked a bag of nerves. He was also turned rather too easily and slow to react. He looked faster than this at Walsall. Maybe their forwards are slower than Posh's? After half an hour I told my dad he'd only played 10 minutes before today. 'He's still only played 10 minutes' came the response. Although he improved second half, he was dragged off after 65.
Then there's Digby, in for Pearson. Now, I like Digby, though he's hardly pulled up any trees this season. But what he does give is one-touch simple passing. Even Pearson has a tendency to take a touch to control the ball before playing the pass. Still, someone has to provide all those square balls.
 |
| Spread yerselves out, lads. |
The equaliser comes when Alnwick (he makes me panic) came running out of his box and the ball bounced clean over his head, for Hourihane to run onto and slips it home. 'Cept he doesn't. He drags it wide with an open goal. Good job it was on his left foot. He could even have taken an extra touch, but no. Someone put him out of his misery. Second half, he misses another sitter. Lalkovic (another one back from the dead) takes it to the byline, looks up, cuts it back and puts it ON A PLATE for Hourihane to sidefoot it narrowly high and wide from 10 yards. Christ. Someone put him out of his misery.
The midfield is completed by another return...Luke 'does nothing everywhere' Berry. I don't know about you, but it was a welcome return of the hairflicking. He can control a ball, stride forward, and still find time to flick his hair before he makes a pass. Well done that lad.
 |
| Bit sparse today. |
As you can tell, we are going nowhere fast. The only other shot (on target) I can think of was when...Lalkovic? Winnall?...broke from midfield, beat 3 players, got chopped down and Scowen ran onto the loose ball to hit a soft effort to the keeper from 25 yards. Then one of theirs gets a 2nd yellow for taking out Scowen and we've a chance. Posh still look more likely on the break though but deep into injury time we get a corner. Once again I take the acclaim for the goal, cos I was shouting at the keeper to come up (cos I was bored, not cos I was excited) and in the ensuing commotion, Luke 'does nothing everywhere' Berry scores a diving header from 4 yards. Whatthehell? A welcome reward for those of us who stayed. (For some reason, the Ponty looked like the Stadium of Light, most had left with 5 mins left).
 |
| Even sparser, most left BEFORE we scored. Ha! |
Oh, and btw, we did send the loanees on in the end. Declan John came on for an injured Smith and actually looked like he was trying to make things happen. I s'pose these things are relative. But he made runs, ran at people. Usually lost it. And Pearson came on to show Digby exactly what a square ball looks like.
MOTM is a bit difficult. No-one stood out for the 90.
*** Lalkovic. Looked like he meant business in the 1st half. Maybe the manager's criticism of the 'wingers not doing their jobs' gave him a bit of impetus?
** Scowen. Does something everywhere.
* Berry. Twitter MOTM (BEFORE his goal!). Go on then, just for a laugh.
Extra despatches:
Good to see the return of Bree (on as sub). Smith played well, but injured after 55 (hamstring?) Holgate got a run at centre half when Bree came on for Cowgill. Some of Hourihane's deadballs were excellent, the rest of it wasn't. Though I felt for him when he made a great tackle - and the ref gave a free kick and booked him! How's THIS gonna encourage him to put a foot in? (A minute later, a professional ankle tap from Digby, preventing a break, went unpunished 'cept for a free kick). Winnall was...I can't remember. Did he do owt? Nyatanga looked calm. Needed to be. Possibly could be more vocal though with the young lads. Then again, when they improve, he's lost his place. And Davies saved that one-on-one but had little else to do.
 |
| Full-time. 'Well done'. 'Well done'. 'Good effort'. |
Overall, today, I was pleased to see a few of our homegrown get a runout, but I was a bit gutted we didn't put Alnwick under more pressure, especially given we know how USELESS he is. We just dinked crosses into his arms all day long.
I think today gave major clues for Johnson's plans for next season. Crainie on the bench (out of contract), Nyatanga not. Might we offer the latter a new deal? I s'pose Crainie's too expensive.
Drink du jour: Southern Comfort and coke. I had a right nightmare pre-match, Got served an IPA the barmaid claimed was a wheat beer...which then ruined the taste of my next 2 beers. I don't think I've ever had this happen before. Beers #2 and 3 (Brooklyn lager and a Corsican wheat beer) tasted EXACTLY the same.
Away: 380. Or 318. One of the two. Looked more like 2 dozen.
No comments:
Post a Comment