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| Oakwell...the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow |
What a weird game. I could say it was just like the old days, as an enterprising opposition coming to play football were rewarded for their open play by being caned by the Super Reds. Swindon should’ve done what Shrewsbury did last week and just sit in their own half waiting for us to get impatient, then pick us off. But I fast forward…
We arrive to find that we think we’re Spain, Lee Johnson electing to go without a centre forward. This actually pays dividends later, as Shrewsbury refuse to play any centre halves and let Marley Watkins run through unchallenged for our equaliser. Hilariously, he was so alone he even had time to look behind him for a defender and/or an offside flag. None came, cool finish. Then Williams (crazy start, lost the ball loads but ran around like madman trying to make up for it) gets injured and Winnall gets to take his rightful place offside. (Sorry, cheap dig, I don’t think he was offside on Satdy).
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| Defence and attack await a corner |
But that is to ignore one of the single most entertaining debuts I have ever seen in a Reds shirt – step forward (not TOO far!) the keeper, Townsend. I’ll be honest, I know nowt about him. A free transfer from Brum or somewhere? He is CALAMITOUS. A poor man’s Manuel Neuer, he races out of goal so often he needs to be put on a lead. Early doors he sprints out twice, they round him, yet fail to score. He couldn’t even get a connection on their player(s), which would have been a straight red. He makes it a hattrick by coming out for a ball he’d no right to get…Nyatanga nods it gently (presumably hoping the keeper has stayed back, cos Lewin himself is under pressure) and the ball TRICKLES into the net. Comical. In the second half, Townsend finds himself in the LEFT BACK spot and the forward is so confused he elects to square it (to a Reds player) rather than simply kick it into an empty onion bag. So there’s at least 3 more goals the Robins should’ve scored. I say GET HIM IN EVERY GAME.
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| The Red Red Robins (not bob-bob-bobbin) |
Still, we go into half time 2-1 up when Swindon show no intention of closing Wabara down from right back and he unleashes an absolutely BEAST of a shot from 25+ yards. It was a cruise missile of an effort, rather than the scuds we’re used to (I remember one Winnall effort barely making the goal).
Second half, we crush them. High on the press, their defenders make the same mistake we used to (still do?) of trying to pass it around beyond their ability. In particular, our attacking midfield make monkeys of them and Hourihane sets up a Nyatanga header from a lovely inswinging cross which wasn’t even a deadball. Go Conor! Go Lewin! Then, just as I thought Scowen got his just desserts for a strong run into the box, taking it past the last defender to score with his left, it hits the keeper, loops onto the bar and Hourihane is there to tap home. (I believe the bloke behind him was wearing a red shirt too. Men in the box! Imagine!)
Someone (Winnall?) misses a late tap in for 5-1 and you have to wonder what happened today. It was one of those days when it all came right in the end.
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| I think it says 4-1 to Barnsley. |
*** Hourihane. Twitter MOTM. In an attacking performance from the team, here comes our lynchpin. Back to form? Whatever, 1st goal from open play this season and a constant threat.
** Scowen. Maybe I’m biased, but he looks a different player when he’s allowed to run at the opposition.
* Watkins. 3rd is a difficult choice, but given we won it from attacking midfield, I’ll give it to the 3rd of our maestros.
Londontykes' Top 3:
1. Hourihane
2. Scowen
3. Harris
Despatches:Whatthehell has Davies done to get dropped? Produce a worldy last week? Was he injured (but he was on the bench)? Unbelievable, Jeff. Surely you need a keeper with confidence and dropping him after last week isn’t the way to do it. Good to see Smith back at left back, though he was helping the centre halves out so often he MUST have been under instruction. Too often, Swindon had a spare man wide right, but an inability to give the ball to him. I see Roberts was dropped too, despite 4 of you Londontykes making him 2nd last week! Listen, blond hair and long throw doth not a footballer make. I still have no opinion on Mawson other than he does the simple things well, cos he had nowt to do. And as I say, when they attacked, Smith seemed to join him as much as Nyatanga who deserves a mention purely for being the goal threat he is. 2 today! Pearson was more prominent than last week, but still hasn’t reached his early heights. If ANYONE is the new Lumsden, it’s him. Wabara, like Mawson, nowt to do. Harris threatened spontaneously, while Winnall…didn’t.
Drink du jour: wheat beer in the pubs and a choice of vodka and orange or spiced rum and coke on the train, where we were joined by that rarest of breeds, a reasonable Blunts fan. I had no idea Chris Morgan was held in such high esteem!
Away: 381.
Oh, and at least I made it to the couch before falling asleep this week. I knew I was drunk though, cos I could swear I saw Chris O'Grady taking someone apart on that sh*tar5e channel 5 highlights prog, before sleep befell me. Woke up about 6am and was ordered to feed the cat his breakfast before I could go to bed.
You Reds!!!!!!!!
The Damage:
25 train
3 prog
42 shirt
20 shorts
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| Less than 8000 home fans today...and it showed |
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