Barnsley loves you more than you will know
A whoa whoa whoa....'
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| Welcome to .... |
Yesterday was a was a strange day. Having read endless missives on the Winnall saga, I was half expecting some kind of mutinous away end. Not a bit of it. Even as I walked through Bishops Park to the stadium, you could hear the Barnsley noise inside. The general jist was summed up by Dave, pre-match: Winnall is dead to us. We move on.
Of course, it wasn’t the most auspicious of starts, without everyone’s favourite crap goalscoring centre forward. We lost 0-2 to a side who, on second half showing (and the lesson they gave us at Oakwell) are simply a better side than us. So it sticks in the craw that the only way for them to break us down was a decidedly iffy penalty in 1st half injury time. Also, how reasonable of Chris Martin to go on strike against everyone else but come back to bury us. Equally galling was the late penalty he DIDN’T give to the Super Reds, as Armstrong ran at the defender, outpaced him, and was barged over. The other week, Roberts was sent off for similar. This week: nothing. And there I was, thinking refs always tried to even things up in the same match.
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| Martin: On strike one week, on strike the next. |
Without He Must Not Be Named, there were a few changes. Ryan Williams was in. Hamill was in, Kent was out. And with Yiadom on African Nations’ duty, there was a timely return from injury for Aidey White (who was promptly skinned early doors, twice). Looked like a 4-4-1-1 to me, with Bradshaw leading the line. And it was the latter who nearly bagged a second half equaliser, with a header which went wide. ‘Winnall woulda bagged that’ I joked, as an angry bloke turned around ready for a row. (It was diffused very quickly, when it was pointed out I had never rated Winnall..and neither had this bloke).
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| Fulham, you're just too nice. |
Otherwise, the closest we came to a goal was when Hamill cracked a long ranger off the bar at 0-0. He ran at their defence, and was looking for the inside ball to Bree…who instead went wide, leaving Adam with no choice but to have a go himself. (A later break by Hamill ended with a misplaced pass as Bree made the wrong run; the Hamill/Bree relationship needs working on). But it was a promising game from the former Messiah.
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| The Riverside Stand. |
It was a pretty open 1st half, with both sides having a number of half chances. They probably shaded it, but 0-0 seemed about right at half time…till THAT decision. Second half, they ran the match, until Armstrong and
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| ...and the historically listed Stevenage Road Stand. |
Let’s be honest, it was pretty one-way traffic 2nd half and Davies kept us in it. He gets plenty of practice these days, like a coconut shy at Penistone Fair. (Do they have a fair? Probably. It strikes me as the kind of place.) We were well beaten and I stand by Fulham being one of the two best sides I’ve seen this season, along with Reading. All that was left was another ovation for Captain Supreme, Conor Hourihane, who, by the cursory clap and then gaze at his shoelaces looks like he's played his last game for us. (Possibly) goodbye - and good luck.
Still, what I like about Fulham – you can get beaten and still enjoy your day.
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| Obligatory shot of the cottage... |
*** Davies. Kept us in it 2nd half with some excellent saves.
** Hamill. Looked keen. A pity he doesn’t have telepathic understanding with Bree (yet).
* Armstrong. Came on and created (relative) havoc.
Londontykes' Top 3:
1. Davies
2. Williams
3. Hamill
Despatches:Some top drinking at the Sloany Pony in Parsons Green. Unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell on tap and a pile of Londontykes to converse with. And Alison Loko telling me about Little Loko’s latest betting faux pas: stick a oner (?) on the Reds to win at Blackpool while at the game…think it’s not gone through cos of dodgy internet reception, so stick another 100 on….lose £200. I’m telling you, you don’t get GIVEN a nickname like ‘Loko’ (Loco), you EARN it. Ben – you were missed last Satdy! (In other Loko news, he’s missing his favourite team Leeds play us next week. I can’t remember if I've seen the photo of him in his first Leeds kit…but it’s somewhere). Oh, and I had my 1st ever s*** in a football ground that I can remember. It was near the end of half time, the urge just engulfed me. Thankfully, the seat was still warm from the last chap!
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| Relief doesn't cover it. |
Onwards and upwards!
Drink du jour: Unfiltered Pilsner Urquell pre-match, Asahi in Mabels after, as we revelled in Harrow and Salisbury’s company all the way to Kings Cross. A great day for drinking and (for us Londontykes) not travelling.
Away: 1800. Where did they all come from? Great atmosphere, especially 1st half.
The Damage:20 ent
I'd have considered a programme, but why should I pay £3.50 when everyone else charges 3 quid?
The Tunes:Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (Camera Obscura)
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| Craven Cottage panorama |
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| Where else but the walk to Fulham? |
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| Looking towards the Hammersmith End. |
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| Look at the size of their gantry. |
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| 'Here's to you, Conor Hourihane...' |
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| Craven Cottage at dusk. |
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| Oh well. |
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