BFC 1-3 Brentford, Sunday 29th September 2019

‘It’s that very wet rain’

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I should have left after 59 seconds.  We were one-nil up (a corker from Cauley).  Things wouldn’t get better than this, would they?  No.  (Puts the same old record on.)  We play well, we create chances, we miss chances….the opposition go on to rip us to pieces.  In fact, it was very similar to the Dirty Leeds home game, as we elect to play without fullbacks (!) and look surprised as the opposition play it down the wings and whip any ball in they like.  What is the point of a Cavare or a Jordan Williams if they can’t do the basics?

The teams line up.  In the rain.

The basics.  Mark your man, put a tackle in, track back.  The goals speak for themselves.  All 3 come from crosses down our left (albeit the second was central midfielder Sibbick failing to cut out the cross) but the 2^nd and 3^rd…you have to see the laziness of Cavare to believe it.  He barely breaks into a trot as the crosses come in and Ollie Watkins notches at the back post.  Late in the game, Williams too couldn’t be ars5ed to track back (having lost the ball) and only the clearance of the game from right back Brown (on for Calamity Cavare) prevented 1-4.  Once is a mistake.  Twice is a pattern.  Three times is a habit.  Dirty Leeds and Brentford is two.  We can’t afford a third.  Cavare simply cannot defend at this level, while Jordan Williams is a right back playing left back.  These positions are not as interchangeable as the ‘experts’ (I’ll include Stendel here) think.

Well done those coming up from Brentford.

But is the problem higher up the field?  The last 60 minutes (60!) we’d get caught up field, they’d break, often 4 on 4, 3 on 3…a ball through or over our defence for the winger to run on to…direct, pacey.  It looked so simple.  Where was our midfield?  Somewhere in the opposition half, that’s where.  Mind, when we attack, far too often, we cut inside, take the extra touch, allow the other team back… we’re more the team of Keith Hill than of our last relegation side.  Maybe with a touch of the Viv Anderson (remember those days?), promising for 20 minutes before the opposition get the hang of our game then tear us a new one.

The Ponty v Brentford.

59 seconds.  That was when Cauley (with his second shooting chance of the game – we were ON FIRE!) curled the ball into the far corner from 25 yards.  He doesn’t do tap-ins.  Problies cos he doesn’t get any supply.  Twice he’d have been clean through if whichever clueless midfielder played the ball in first time, instead of taking the extra touch and letting Cauley run offside.  This must be how Brooce Dire used to feel.  Or Nardiello.

Our scorer.

It coulda…shoulda…been two nil just past the half hour, Thomas causing mayhem down the left as their keeper goers AWOL.  The ball is played across to Conor ‘Charlie’ Chaplin, who, with a defender in front of him and an empty net, manages to hit said defender.  He could have done ANYTHING else and he’d have scored.  Let the ball roll across him and stroke it in?  Put his foot in the ball and let the defender run past and fall over?  Absolutely zero composure.  Brentford go up the other end and score.

Match action.  In the rain.

Even then, Williams had held up the break and they’d pulled it back.  We now had about 6 men behind the ball….but Williams tracks the wrong man, and one cross into space and our centre halves are nowhere to be found as Watkins has a free header.  I’ll give it to these centre halves: they win everything, as long as it doesn’t involve moving.  (As an aside, I noticed throughout the first half how far they were away from each other; not a tactic I’ve ever heard any of Arsenal’s legendary back 4 ever espouse.)

Reds faves past and present enjoy a chat.

Worse was to come as Watkins was put clean through.  How he hit the post and then the bar, I’ll never know.  We’ll ignore his mate missing an open goal from the second rebound.  From being in at the break 2-0, we could have gone in behind.  And it was p***ing it down.  I was miserable.  In fact so miserable, bumping into Oakwell historian Dave Wood cheered me up. (Hi Dave!  Just checking you’re reading this!)

The Brentford hordes.

Still, all to play for second half.  Well, all to play for for 47 seconds.  Least I think it was 47.  Our defence is dissected by a diagonal ball to our left.  Sibbick is on the cover but fails to make an ATTEMPT to cut the ball out.  The cross is incredible.  From virtually the byeline, their lad hits it over the keeper for Watkins to notch.  Cavare had a great view.  I’m trying to defend him…oh, go on then…maybe he expected the cross to swing outwards, and he’d come away with the ball?  No, I’m giving this pr*ck too many dues.  First job of a defender: defend. 

Then for 5 minutes…no, 45 minutes…Brentford sweep past us time and time again and if they didn’t create a chance, they put themselves in an incredible position to do so.  It was only a matter of time, and sure enough, in the 68^th minute, they seal the game.  ANOTHER diagonal ball down our left, ANOTHER cross into the box, ANOTHER stroll by Cavare, ANOTHER steal by Watkins, who strides in to score unchallenged.

Early leavers.  In the rain.

Cavare lasts another 5 minutes before being the 3^rd Reds player to be dragged off (Laurel and Hardy…sorry, (Charlie) Chaplin and  (Mark) Thomas…both comedians masquerading as footballers…were already off at 1-2.  Jordan Williams cannot believe he’s still on the pitch, but of course Stendel stuck on attacking subs (of sorts – Schmidt and Thiam)…we were LOSING.  The shape stayed the same though, as Cauley appeared to drop into midfield and Thiam ‘stole’ Brown’s place at right-mid, as Brown dropped to right back and showed Cavare how it’s done. 

Will we get another point this season?  Probably.  A..nother point.  Cavare out.  Switch Jordan wings?  Or stick Brown in there?  And Ben Williams or Penniless at left back.  It’s painful watching both fullbacks struggle.  Thomas out.  McGeehan in?  Who knows?

*** Cauley.  Led the line superbly before disappearing into midfield.  Needs to trust his teammates tho and not simply look for a shot when his teammates are better placed, as he did late on.  Still, only player who looks capable of a goal. 

** Mowatt.  Good on the ball and made several forward runs.  No pace to get back tho.

* Brown.  You can’t knock a trier, and that run back to clear the ball late on really highlights Cavare’s ‘effort’.

Official MOTM?  I didn't hear one.  Too embarrassed?

Onwards and…downwards!

An increasingly empty Ponty late on.  Where's our 'loyal' fans?

Despatches:
Was that Adam Davies in goal?  Collins never looked likely to get the cross off that 2^nd goal, and had trouble keeping his kicks on the pitch.  Halme and Mads at centre half….too far apart and positionally poor.  Seemingly incapable of defending if the opposition move.  Thomas, when he’s not underhitting a shot or a pass, couldn’t stand on his feet.  Chaplin looked promising 1^st half.  Give him a run instead of Thomas?  Sibbick dared to put his foot on the ball, but was given it in some suicidal positions.  Wilks and Schmidt were given half an hour, and the former looked like he could do something, the latter did not.  What a waste of money this Austrian looks.  And then there’s Thiam, who, true to form (and class) lost the ball the first time he had it.  And probably the second, third and fourth.

It was also nice to see Pinnock get a run out for the last few minutes.  At one point Schmidt might have been clean through, but Pinnock stretched a leg and the danger was over.

I hate Sunday football.  

Drink du jour: Punk IPA in the fanzone, Erdinger on t’train.

Away: 366 

The Damage:
£23 train
£2 fanzine
£3.80 beer (Punk IPA)
£2 pork pie (Sunday dinner!)
= £30.80

The Tunes:
Two Suns (Bat for Lashes)
Keychains and Snowstorms – The Singles (Soft Cell)

Panorama v Brentford.

Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 0-3 Skegness Town, Saturday 28th September 2019

Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 0-3 Skegness Town, Northern Counties East League Division 1 (att. 62)

Welcome to ....

A distinct disadvantage of gaining promotion to the upper echelons of the EFL is that your team is suddenly forced to play home matches on a Sunday – either for TV (Brentford) or for the police (Dirty Leeds).  Thus, for a second home match in a row, Barnsley’s game was switched to a Sunday lunchtime.  Not handy if you live in London and there’s limited/expensive trains up.  So Reedy and I went up Satdy (cheaper trains) giving me an opportunity to see another local non-league team, in this case Worsbrough Bridge, AKA The Briggers.

The view from Sheffield Road.

I must have passed their stadium dozens of times, as it’s on the main road as you come into Barnsley from the direction of Sheffield or the motorway south of Barnsley.  Deep at the bottom of the valley and bordered by the River Dove on one side, the ground normally only gets mentioned for its intermittent flooding.  Mind, the last home game was re-arranged to allow for cricket.  I had high hopes for a decent pitch.  It most certainly wasn’t a decent pitch, lumps all over it, not to mention the massive slope from one end to the other.  Not good for tracking back.

Action in front of the Main Stand.

I was dropped off in Worsbrough (thanks Mrs Reed!) to meet up with former Londontyke Nozzer, retired to the area.  And after watching the end of Liverpool’s narrow beating of the Blunts (Sheffield United) we made our way to the ground, a 10 minute walk.  And whilst one could watch the game from the road for free, why be churlish?  £5 in (for adults) and programme purchased  (£1, not even a league table in there).  As well as a wee, I’d recommend the burgers.  Not bad for something pulled out of hot water – or was I exceptionally hungry?  Otherwise, the clubhouse was a poor affair, small and no beers on tap (but they had cans).  Most of the building was given over to the changing rooms.

The Main Stand with clubhouse (left).

On the same side of the pitch is a small seated stand, holding 175 fans (I read).  Pretty cute too, with a decorative fascia.  Opposite was a small covered bit of terracing, with crush barriers (or ‘leaning barriers’ for the lack of crowds Worsbrough get).  To the left of this was the rest of the cricket pitch while to the right was Sheffield Road.  Spectators were in three clumps, sitting down, leaning on the barrier of the clubhouse, or on the terrace.  With the rain intermittently lashing down, cover was the order of the day, and we took our place on the terrace along with 10 or so others.

Covered standing.

Today’s visitors were the league leaders Skegness Town, and while not looking particularly good, it took them only 10 minutes to take the lead and their victory was never in doubt.  The ref gave a dubious free kick to Skegness and from 25 yards out they found the bottom corner.  The home keeper couldn’t quite get across, but he seemed the pick of the Briggers herd from then on, despite being new (there’s nothing like shouting at your left back ‘Oi, left back!’ cos you don’t know his name).

The Main Stand

Thereafter, there was only one winner and it was only a matter of how many.  The Briggers held out till just after the hour (was it a header on the backpost?) before sealing it when a forward ran clean through.  Given this was the 10^th level of English football, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at the lack of ability on show.  Both sides seemed full of big lad cloggers to me, with little pace or skill on show.  Still, who doesn’t love a game of football and the chance to shout randomly at officials and opposition players?

The Damage: £5 ent
£2.50 burger
£1 prog
£2.20 bus
= £10.70

The Tunes:
Two Suns (Bat for Lashes)

It's a sign!  Of what?  Sun and rain.

Skegness team minibus.

Players and officials come out.

The view from behind the goal.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 BFC, Saturday 21st September 2019

‘We’re off t’Hooters for t’chicken wings’

Public Enemy #1.  Do not, under any circumstance, try to reason with this guy.

It was like the bad old days on Satdy.  No, not the chants making reference to the Miners’ Strike (there were plenty of those), but the utterly appalling attitude of matchday stewards.  I’ve not seen an attitude like it for years.  Lord S refused entry, another fan removed for a hand gesture and other stewards refusing to actually steward.  The City Ground, Nottingham, really is a place to avoid.

The calm before the storm.

Obviously our headline is Lord S not even being allowed in – for ‘having a poor attitude’.  Christ, I’d never get in anywhere with that proviso.  His crime?  He’d bent down to pat a sniffer dog…thereby causing the dog to act in a way that made the stewards think he could be carrying pyros.  ‘Could you stand over there while you have a police search?’  So he does, and a steward pounces on him, grabbing at his top pocket.  Lord S steps back, and asks for ID.  ‘Right, you’re not coming in.’  ‘Eh?’  ‘You’re refusing to be searched.’  ‘No I’m not.  I was told by the steward over there that I would be searched by the police.’  Anyway, aside from not refusing to be searched, if you’re looking for pyros, you hardly dive into the smallest pocket on someone’s jacket.

R.I.P. the best manager England never had.

So, the conversation carries on like this for a minute or two….Lord S asking for the head steward to try and sort this out…when another steward / thug basically manhandles him, pushing him 6 yards so he’s now outside the temporary railings set up outside the away end.  Lord S does the sensible thing, not fighting back (fearing that is exactly what this steward wants, so the police can get involved).  We find the head steward (who’s manner was impeccable, I might add).  Apparently, all of this has been filmed.  He goes and speaks to the cameraman and comes back.  ‘Yes, he refused to be searched.’ 

You've only come to see the Barnsley...

Well, I’d tried to hold my counsel, mainly wanting to be there to act as a witness to events, but this beggars belief.  I (politely) suggest to the head steward that he simply views the footage for himself.  ‘Oh, I can’t do that.  Too busy.  There’s things going on inside the ground too.’  I’m perplexed.  He has the time to speak to us, but not to actually do anything.  Seems his main job is to back up what his minions tell him (a good boss, some might say).  So Lord S suggests I get myself in the stadium, while he goes and speaks to a copper…who tells him they’ve no control over events and are only there in case something gets out of control (ie, there’s trouble).  Hopeless.

Those were the days.

Inside the stadium, being late, I stood at the back of a gangway.  A father with kids moved down the steps to try and get a decent view (everyone standing, they couldn’t see).  They never came back, so hopefully they found some.  Nice Guy Chris said there were similar problems where he was, as he asked stewards to tell fans to sit down, as children couldn’t see, but they simply stood there.  (To be fair, the stewards in my section would intermittently come up our gangway, telling us to clear it.)

The Brian Clough Stand.

Late in the match, 3 stewards steamed up said gangway and grabbed the guy behind me.  What had he done?  I’d not heard him shout anything abusive.  I asked a steward what he’d done.  ‘I’ll come back to you.  Just gotta get this guy out first.’  He never came back.  I saw the main steward protagonist outside the ground later, the one who’d shoved fans aside to get at his man.  ‘Excuse me, could I ask, what had that fan done?’.  His attitude was instantly provocative, the smug stance, the folded arms, the disparaging way he spoke.  Apparently the fan had ‘given a wanker sign to someone who’s disabled.’  ‘I s’pose you think that’s acceptable do you?’  Well, aside from whether it’s acceptable, I’m not sure the recipient being disabled makes a difference.  My own view is that this happens all the time at football.  Surely a ‘quiet word’ and a threat of eviction for a second offence would temper tempers?  (Equally, does this mean the disabled fans of Nottingham Forest – in a box behind the away end – have the power to have fans evicted on a say-so?)

Looking towards the Trent End.

In the midst of all this was a match.  It was ‘Brian Clough Day’, commemorating the anniversary of the great man’s death, and as such it was an excuse for fans to drag themselves out: it was a sellout.  Well, it might have been sold out, but I know at least 2 folk weren’t there; The Captain had also not taken up his ticket, losing the will these days.  I can understand that.  Mind, Cloughie would be turning in his grave watching this Forest team.  Reds fans showed their dues by chanting ‘There’s only one Brian Clough’ a couple of times (even after they scored).

The old Main Stand.

For a third consecutive game, I’ve seen us be the better side – and be unable to score, let alone win.  An even first half saw both sides miss a golden chance; Forest, early on (well, earlyish, given I’d missed the start) were clean through and the shot was dragged wide.  Was it Grabban?  I’d bet my house on him scoring.  Meantime, at the other end, a superb run by Thomas from left to right took out 2 Forest players before he shot too close to the keeper with the far side of the goal open.  An even half ended all-square.

Reds fans take a break from mentioning the Miners' Strike.

The second half was all us.  So obvs we lost.  2 minutes after we should have scored, Forest broke down the right and the pullback was finished decisively into the near corner with Collins wrongfooted.  Accurate passing and good movement, whatever we might say about the goalscorer losing his marker with ease.  Just before, Penniless had found himself clean through, having ran at their defence and played a one-two.  Shame the extra touch gave the keeper time and from an acute angle the keeper saved.  How sweet would it have been for the former Forest left back to open the scoring?

The thin yellow line.

The atmosphere ramped up – from our end.  Now it was non-stop chants revolving around that old ‘scabs’ chestnut.  I love it.  ‘SCABS UNTIL YOU DIE!’ et cetera.  We can be really charming when we want to be.  Unfortunately, for all our pressure, we never looked like scoring.  Unless we can get the ball to Woodrow, I dunno how it’s going be done.  Tho why a Reds fan should start berating Stendel for dragging Woodrow off with 20 mins, I don’t know.  I never enjoy Reds fans turning on each other, but this guy got a rightful mouthful from a fan behind me.  Hasn’t Cauley just come back from (yet another) injury?

*** Thomas.  There’s 2 camps on this one.  Either he had plenty of the ball and created FA, or he was the only one likely to do owt.  I’m in the latter group.  Good running at the opposition and had more shots on target than their entire team.  Be nice if his crosses beat the first man, but small steps, eh?

** No-one.  Not being harsh, but we were kicking towards the other end 1^st half, and had the sun in our eyes 2^nd.  I just couldn’t see anyone else stand out.

* No-one.  As above.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Thomas  2. No-one  3. Sibbick

3 matches I’ve seen.  Played well, no goals, one point.  We’re going down.

Onwards and…downwards!

I wish my Lyons Cakes shirt (c.1989) still fitted!

Despatches:
An optimist (or Daniel Stendel) can make a case for us still being able to have a successful season.  Playing well, it just needs SOMETHING to click at the business end of the pitch.  So I stuck a tenner on with Nice Guy Chris that we’ll go down (he’s given up on one of his other bets of Thiam scoring 7 this season – arf).  I’d love to see us stay up, but if we can’t create or finish when we’re playing well, what hope is there?  Having sold Kiefer, we appear to have no options. 

Drink du jour: Brewdog all the way.  Punk IPA in the pub, Dead Pony on the way back.

Away: 2000 (minus 2). 

The Damage:
£23 train
£20 ent
= £43
Didn’t see any programmes on sale.  This is becoming a regular occurrence away.  No wonder teams are considering ditching them – you can’t buy what you don’t come across.

The Tunes:
Gotan Project Live (Gotan Project)
The Libertines  (The Libertines)
Ill Communication (Beastie Boys)

City Ground panorama.

I'll give it to Forest, they have a classy badge.