BFC 3-2 Luton Town, Saturday 13th October 2018

‘The Beatles are just idiots’

Sky are in town.

It’s international weekend and the nation demands our game at home to Luton Town is on Sky.  Furthermore, it’s a midday kick-off.  F*** the fans, though no doubt some (Barnsley-based) Reds fans think the game should be called off, since keeper Davies has been called up to Wales’ bench and this-season’s-big-thing Dougall is having another training sesh with Oz.  Personally, I’d rather play the game.  Davies is no great miss and Dougall gets booked enough to be missing future games anyway.  We have to learn to cope somehow.

One way.  My way...or the highway.

And for 4 minutes we aren’t coping much at all.  It’s all Luton, we’re penned in our half…and we break away and score with our first foray into their half.  The Magnificent Potts (ours, not theirs, though I did enjoy right wing Potts being marked by left back Potts) drives forward, digs the ball out from under his feet, beats 2 or 3 players and drills it into the bottom corner from 20 yards.  The new Redfearn.  (Well, he certainly looks more Neil Redfearn than the 2 last hopefuls, Stephen Dawson and Gary Jones.)  Our midfield now take the game by the scruff of the neck and are SUBLIME (by 3^rd division standards).

The teams come out.

That new bloke Moncur is simply dazzling.  The Hatters can’t get near him, even at walking pace, as he rolls the ball back and forward under his studs.  The new Hammill stepover?  Indeed, George sets up #2 as he breaks clear on the left, holds it up, cuts inside, and lays it on a plate for an on-rushing (on-jogging?) McGeehan to stroke into the bottom corner 1^st time.  Beautiful.  But credit where it’s due, the dummy from Behre to send Moncur clear was a cut above.  How can we NOT get promotion?

Pre-match meet 'n' greet.

Further credit to McGeehan.  He’s been in and out of the team, and today he’s been told to play further back in the Dougall roll.  How ironic then that he bags.  But 3 times I saw him chase back, including one last-man tackle.  Superb.  Even better that it's against the club we signed him from.  Maybe BECAUSE it's the club...etc

Not quite so superb were our young uns.  Ben Williams at left back was having a mare, and topped it by giving away an injury-time penalty to give Luton a sniff.  I thnk he got caught blind-sided, but it was still careless.  Later, as a fan berated the ref for not giving one of theirs a yellow for persistent misconduct, I pondered how Williams had avoided a card till that point.  Nothing went right for him.  Missing tackles, giving balls away and losing it when up in attack.  Good management by Stendal though, taking him off after 70 or so minutes; not so early it kills his confidence, not so late it cost us.

A rather excellent 807 from Luton, midday KO and all.

So, 2-1 at half time, and for all our midfield intertwinations (!?) Luton were good value for their goal. 3 or 4 times they’d broken in numbers and 3 or 4 tims they’d been let down by a stray offside.  Davies’ replacement Walton fumbled a shot straight to their centre forward who tapped in but was denied for offside.  The Luton manager went mad, and between Colin Murray and Ian ‘Ollie’ Holloway on EFL Quest, they decided Luton were hard done to as ‘it was only his shoulder offside and you can’t score with your shoulder.’  Well, Ollie, that’s as maybe, but the last time I looked, the rule book didn’t take account of that.  Correct decision.

I've been to Luton.  It's too late.  (Only kidding!)

The second half was a bit of a non-event.  Neither side did much, so we sent Thiam on.  The goal scoring machine (4 in a year) suitably lashed it into the far top corner from 25 yards.  Where’s he been?  This year’s bet with Nice Guy Chris was made on the train back; he bet Mamadou will get 15+ this season.  Presuming you can’t take candy off babies (or old men) I offered him 13.  Generous to a fault, I am.

The view towards the Ponty.

Still time for us to make it uncomfortable for ourselves though, allowing Luton to nick one late on.  Oh yeah, pure Davies in goal, as Walton shows he’s learnt from his master by watching a 40 yard cross sail over him, hit the far post and be knocked in on the rebound.  No wonder Davies still gets a game if this is the level of subordinate.  At least Walton kicks well though.  I’ll throw him that bone.

*** Moncur.  As someone Whats-apped at half time ‘he’s OWNING this pitch’.  Tailed off later, like the match itself.  Twitter MOTM.

** McGeehan.  As noted earlier, it wasn’t just his goal.  The effort matched it.

* Potts.  What a difference a year makes.  Last season he looked cumbersome and slow, this year he’s faster, fitter and bigger than anything he’s up against.  One 50 yard run where he shrugged off 3 players deserved better.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Potts 2. Moncur 3. Mowatt

The Super Reds celebrate Thiam's screamer.

Despatches:

Walton and nowt to do…and conceded two.  Pinny and Linny…chances were skinny (actually, they both nearly gifted Luton a goal each).  Williams, Ben…4 out of 10.  Behre, the German…my kind of Merman.  Lacks a fishy bottom half, but has an engine like a swordfish, always pressing from the front.  Brown…he was down…couldn’t hold a ball up for toffee.  While Mamadou…he’s new….can’t remember ever seeing him get summat right before.  So I enjoyed his next touch after his goal, as we broke 3 on 3 and Thiam kicked the pass out for a throw.  Hapless.  ‘Message to feet.  Kick ball out wide for Reds player to run onto.  Doh.’  Oh, and I nearly forgot Mowatt.  Excellent inter-passing with the rest of midfield.  We rock!

The sun is out, the floodlights are on.

Drink du jour: Midday kick off, so no beer there then.  Had a couple afterwards in Wakey, including one in MILF-heaven (I don’t think that’s what it’s called, but this IS a town with a ‘Fanny and Bacardi’).  Decided to take it easy on train, a 4-pack of Leffe, as I was off into Camden to see Kruder and Dorfmeister.  The long and the short was after some bleepy s*** I got so drunk I don't remember much until waking up in a panic on the tube and jumping off…to find I’d left my bag…containing some work, a Reds tracksuit top and Satdy’s Guardian.  Oh, and a couple of tickets for Charlton next Satdy.  ‘I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often’ said an unsurprised better half.  Balls.

Onwards and upwards!

Away: 807.  Decent turnout, given KO time and on Sky.

The Damage:
£29 train
£3 prog
£2 zine (x3)
= £38

The Tunes:
Slowdive (Slowdive)
DJ Kicks (Kruder and Dorfmeister)

Luton pano from the East Stand upper.

Luton pano from the Ponty (cheers Jonesy).

Heading towards t'well.

The Ponty v Luton.

Home time!