‘Brazil, it’s just like watching Brazil.’
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| Wigan Pier. Well, you have to... |
I cannot have been the only one to wake up beaming today. From bottom of the table after the Blunts home game (manager: Little Lee) we have risen like the proverbial to snatch a play-off place on the final league game of the season. And what a glorious way to do it! We go away to the league champions and DESTROY them, even being good enough to give them a goal start before the simple task of popping 4 goals past them. And yet it didn’t start so brightly…
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| The DW |
Scowen was skinned 5 times in the first quarter of an hour by Wildschut and from one attack they finally do go ahead. Of course, Winnall claims the assist, passing them the ball when we were 3 on 3 (a rare foray into their half at this point) and one pass later and Wildschut is clear down the left. His low cross is then calamitously not dealt with by Mawson, and while the home fans appeal for a pen, their forward knocks it home. We look truly against it at this point, as the away end went quiet. ‘Get Winnall off’, ‘stick a right back on’ (do we have any? – could bring White on at left back and switch George.)
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| The teams come out. |
No, we don’t change a thing. Heckingbottom is either a tactical genius or has some cajones. He certainly had more faith than anyone around me. Even the granddad next to me who I’d never met before said ‘I’ve had enough of Winnall.’ Who hasn’t? He’s the sh*ttest popular striker we’ve had since Dire and by half time he was on 22 for the season.
#21 was a beauty, as we show once again that we’re at our best when Winnall isn’t even playing; he’s lying prostrate after colliding with the keeper, having not been fast enough to get better purchase when one-on-one. We pick up the loose ball and Fletcher rounds a defender who brings him down. Penalty all day long. Funnily enough, I don’t remember any Reds fans complimenting the ref for not stopping play, with Winnall clutching his head. SSW makes a miraculous recovery to stroke the ball low to the keeper’s right. I think it made the net. Just.
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| Get ready to party! |
With half time approaching, I said I’d be glad if we could get in at one-all. But Little Lloyd Isgrove has other ideas, skipping past 2 (or 3?) players before getting his close range shot off. The keeper saves, but who’s there…on the sniff..why it’s Super Sammy Winnall, who
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| Pre-match panorama |
Half time and Wigan take off their star player, that winger. Injured? Or does the manager just fancy a look at somebody else, for next season? Who cares? Cheers Wigan manager! He’s even brought Reece Wabara on! Christ, he’s giving us this game. Wabara proceeds to show why I have no idea how he’s made the divisional team of the year. BFC’s 3rd best right back. I really don’t get it, at all.
But the 2nd half is all us. We look a threat every time we have the ball and get just desserts as Fletcher chases down a weak punch from the keeper and pulls it back to Captain Conor. ‘He needs to shoot more’ said Selwood, pre-match. He delivers, via a wicked deflection. (‘Curled in superbly’ I think The Sun said, arf arf). We were right behind it and watching the keeper scramble (and fail) to get across is only 2nd in my list of favourite goals this season to that crazy Fleetwood OG t’other week. He was never going to get there. The away end goes berserk. It’s barely 10 mins into the 2nd half and WE HAVE WON THIS GAME. We are in the play-offs. Actually, we all think that, but then spend a few minutes worrying…this lot are top of the table…if they get one back, they can get 2.
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| Yes, I KNOW it's the second half! |
But upsteps Brownhill with the free kick of the season. It was just to the left of the goal as we looked, perfect for Hourihane’s left foot. Conor walks away from it. What’s happening here? Oh, THAT’S what’s happening here, as Brownhill whammies it over the wall and down, a la Ronaldo. (Mawson hit one of these earlier this season; is that what BFC training is? Free kicks and crossbar challenges?) It is a BEAUT! Now we know we’re
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| ...and then it was 4-1! Or 1-4. Whatever. |
There’s still time for Roberts to throw himself into a block, preventing a certain goal, and we see out the game watching Hammill showboat Wigan to death. I don’t know what was more predictable, the frustrated hack, or Hammill reacting badly. Good job Hammill had any amount of players jumping in to prevent him getting sent off alongside McCann. (As an aside, how stupid do you have to be to get sent off in the last minute when you’ve won the league? There’s him missing the 1st 3 matches next season…)
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| That magnificent away support (from Twitter) |
*** Roberts. The rock by which all things BFC are built. What a player, determined to the end. Won everything. A rock. (As another random aside, I was channel hopping the other day and I came across some godawful film. I couldn’t understand how someone could act quite so badly. ‘Who’s this?’ I asked. ‘The Rock’. Has anyone seen his film with ‘Scorpion’ in the title? Garbage. So I watched 5 minutes in awe before kicking the telly to death.)
** Isgrove. I know he made Andy laugh, beig unable to control his feet a couple of times in the 1st half, but he ran at them, set up a goal (finally, though inadvertently) and got a couple of theirs carded in the 2nd half for lunges. He’s faster than you think!
* Fletcher. I hope he gets us up before he leaves. Looks better and better every week and led the line superbly. Set up 2 goals.
Londontykes' Top 3:*** Roberts ** Isgrove * Fletcher
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| The players give thanks. |
At one point I looked at their scoreboard. ‘2:00’ it said. Christ, I’m not stupid. I KNOW it’s the second half. I looked again a quarter of an hour later. ‘2:15’. Oh.
Davies had very little to do but looked comfortable enough picking up through balls. Scowen recovered and was fabulous second half. It’s called speed AND fitness, as he was constantly on the overlap. I can’t say I noticed Williams though Mawson played well, outside of the early aberration. Brownhill and Hourihane sat, allowing the wingers to do the damage, while SSW was SSW; appalling and scores 2. Though I do remember him flicking a ball to Hourihane once which was quite good. Hecky even managed to bring on McCourt (not that one), Chapman and Toney for the last 10 mins or so. There was only one team going to score and it wasn’t them.
Drink du jour: Found a fabulous bar right next to the station, so that would be Paulaner pls. Bought a ‘growler’ for the journey back though it took so long I had Andy barking at me to get a move on; we had a train to catch.
Away: 4770. What a game, what an atmosphere. Today was up there with the greats.
Well done Latics. Well done BFC. Onwards and upwards, the journey continues.
Yooooooouuuuuuuu Redssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A
The Damage:
31 travel
20 ent
2 zine
0 prog. Sold out.
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| Outside the ground. Anywheresville. |
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| Some of the Reds' massive massive. |
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| The Wigan vocal 200 to our left. |
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| The teams come out. |
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| The walk to the ground. Very pleasant. |
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| Flags out for the lads. |
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| A celebratory growler of Paulaner on the train. |
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| Two very happy Beckenhamtykes. |
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| Great view, great day, great result. Great. |
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