Another week, another defeat – 3 in 3 for me. But at least we scored this week – from a centre half. What I’d give to see a forward look like scoring, but Bradshaw on his own up top is not the answer; it wasn’t the answer last season and it’s not the answer now.
But to begin at the beginning…
Despite several offers, Mr Reed stuck to his guns: ‘I am NOT going to Wolverhampton.’ This was a shame, since it afforded a third off my train fare. As it was, late booking cost me forty quid. Ho hum. I was quite keen to go, since I’d not been to Molineux since c1994, when Adie Moses scored in a two-all draw and my Pops, girlfriend and I were verbally abused pre-match by home fans. (I know, pretty much the standard West Midlands experience). So, anyway, I found my day today slightly disconcerting, only meeting Wolves fans of a reasonable ilk.
I’d shared a table with Wolves on the train up, though homework and headphones did their best to keep me out of their conversation till leaving Birmingham, when a knowing glance to something one of them said led to a ‘oh no, don’t tell me you’re from Yorkshire.’ Turns out an FT reporter was shadowing them too, for a piece on their Chinese investor. His ambition (his word) he said, was to follow Billy Beane for a year in Barnsley. The press taking note of the Oakwell toings and froings; this hasn’t happened since the Premiership. Well, here’s hoping.
After meeting up with Pompey and #1 daughter (poor kid, stuck with dad for the weekend) we had a beer in the Lych Gate (’home fans only’) before leaving its cramped but cosy upstairs for the Goose and West Ham-Spurs on the big screen. Another average lager later and it was off to the match, and one thing you can say about Wolves – their stadium is even nearer the town centre than Oakwell.
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| Stan Cullis, of 'Stan Cullis Stand' fame. |
I was just about to enter the ticket office when a geezer asked if I needed a ticket. His wife couldn’t come and I could have her ticket for 20 quid. Bargain – or at least cheaper than the away end. I enjoyed a good natter with him in the 1st half, before he was called over at half time to his brother elsewhere in the stand. But he made me very welcome, despite my loyalties.
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| Elements of Wolves' history on the concourse walls. |
What can I say about the football? We were comfortable, they were comfortable, no-one looked like scoring. I was happy with the point. The home fans weren’t. Bradshaw had a penalty claim turned down (he may have been shoved, but it was certainly too far away for me to call it). Meantime a sweet move and cut back from them led to a volley just wide. Half time nil-nil and we rarely looked in danger. Wolves bloke said we’d played well and the Reds had certainly quietened an expectant home crowd (nearly 28,000 of them!)
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| Reds' keeper Davies...in reverse Wolves colours. |
The second half was more of the same. We looked pretty going forward, some nice touches from Hamill and Moncur, before it got to Bradshaw and was then lost. Then they would get the ball and it always seemed to end at our centre halves. Davies made 2 saves the entire match, neither of which you’d expect him to fail (unless you remember the Villa goal last week) and I can’t remember a catch he made either. Everything was so comfortable. And as time was starting to run out, the natives were getting restless too. Finally, some noise – though it was of thousands of people groaning in unison. My kind of sound.
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| The view from the Billy Wright Stand. |
Wolves threw a couple of subs on, but were still getting nowhere. Another attack dribbled out for a Barnsley goal kick and I made the fateful decision: time for me to dribble. I’d been considering it for some time, but as there was no danger…I pushed past my row, got down the steps, to hear the buzz of an expectant crowd. I looked up at the TV monitor on the concourse, just in time to see a cross volleyed in at the back post by one of their subs. Jesus Christ. I turn my back for one second and those bunch of incompetents have conceded. I wouldn’t mind, but we definitely had the ball when I got up.
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| The Barnsley fans (minus one). |
Time for Hecky to act; on comes Ugbo for Potts. Perhaps Bradshaw won’t be so lonely now. The match reverts to type though, neither side going anywhere. Then, in the 1st minute of injury time, a Reds free kick to the back post is kept alive by a Barnsley player who heads it across goal. The initial chance goes begging, but the ball rolls out to Jackson who hammers it in from 20 yards. Joy! I sit on my hands. Collective silence all round, apart from 900 Reds fans over there, in the far corner to my left. There’s suddenly a run on the home exits.
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| Match action. |
But fear not! Hamill is possibly fouled in their half. Wolves throw, but it’s still halfway in their half, no danger. 3 or 4 passes later…and I see it before the centre half (Lindsay?) but N’Diaye runs past him and latches onto a sliderule pass to sidefoot in the winner. We have snatched defeat from the jaws of equilibrium. If I wasn’t spotted as a Barnsley fan when we scored, I must be now. I am the only one still in my seat in the home end. I take solace in those Wolves fans who missed the winner cos they needed to be back in time for whatever Ant and Dec are probably presenting. Still, a kick in the teeth for us. This had nailed on draw written all over it. On the train back with Anton, more Wolves fans comment to us how well the Reds played. If there’s anything I can’t stand more than a pr*ck of a Wolves fan, it’s a reasonable one. Oh well, good luck to them – they never gave up, and I remember all the late goals we scored in our promotion season to the Prem (ironically, beating Wolves to it, of course). Let’s hope we learn from this, rather than it become the pattern I worry it’s becoming.
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| Those towering Molineux stands. |
*** Jackson. Won everything and scored. Composed and good distribution.
** Moncur. I’ll be controversial, I thought he had a decent game. Passed and moved, found his own players – what more do you want?
* Hamill. ‘I don’t know why we let him go. I thought he was alright, actually.’ That was from a Wolves fan I overheard. Like the Villa game, played well, without especially pulling up any trees.
Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Jackson 2. Hamill 3. Moncur
What to do about Bradshaw? Seems simple to me: either play him in a front two, or don’t play him at all. Cannot hold a ball up, and that’s possibly the one thing he needs to do when on his own, if he isn’t the speed merchant latching onto throughballs, a la Michael Owen. And he’s certainly not that. Barnes lost the ball a lot too. I can’t say I noticed Potts or Williams, apart from when they were being Potts (losing possession, strolling) or Williams (terrible foul, yellow card). Pearson is also not a left back, but you knew that already. Lindsay and McCarthy were generally solid, though it’s important we don’t lose the ball when the latter has joined in the attack. It was also good to see McGeehan on the pitch. He didn’t do owt, but from what I’ve seen, we need something, and fast. My gut instinct says we’re going down. I’d say we are carrying at least 4 players, and if I need any more proof that we’re facing relegation, it’s 442 magazine; every year they tip us to go down, we stay up, and the one time they tipped us to stay up (after the Flitcroft honeymoon) we went down. Well, they’ve tipped us to stay up this season. We will battle, we will do our best, we have a fantastic coach, but I’m not optimistic. We look far too weak. (And as a ps, wasn’t it good to see Hourihane and Winnall score yesterday?) But we only need 3 teams to be even worse, and Sunderland, Brum and Bolton are doing the biz so far. Keep it up lads.
Onwards and upwards!
Drink du jour: I think it was a San Miguel and a Kronenburg, something average anyway, before a couple of cans of something Polish on the way home. Not Tyskie, that other one, begins with Z…
Away: 926. Not Wolves’ lowest of the season. That was Bristol City (big club).
The Damage:
£20 ent
£40.50 train
£3 prog
= £63.50
***note on the prog. Have you ever seen a record of head-to-head RESERVE meetings? Statto overload! Brilliant!
The Tunes:
Drone Logic (Daniel Avery)
Dummy (Portishead)
Four Calendar Café (Cocteau Twins)
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| Wolves v Barnsley panorama. |
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| Pre-match line-up |
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| Billy Wright's uniquely shaped stand. |
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| Half time spray of the pitch. |
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| Pre-match milling outside the Stan Cullis. |
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| Courthouse Reds fly the flag... |
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| The oldest part of a very modern old stadium. |
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