New Year, new home form? I shall jolly hope so. Before the Welsh dragon was slain, we’d won 2 home games all season...fewer than 3 of the bottom 4. What’s the odds we start losing away now? (Sorry, must stick to my New Year’s resolution to be more optimistic.)* It was certainly our finest hour as we went two up (two SUPERB finishes) and then dug into the Oakwell trenches 2nd half to keep the marauding hun out. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
*only joking. What’s the point of being optimistic? You’re only deluding yourself. Stay pessimistic and never be disappointed!
We were two up inside 20 odd minutes. Phillips sends over a superb crossfield ball to DKD who brings it down on his knee, cuts inside, dummies, it, cuts inside some more and curls it into the far corner from 20 yards. This guy is CLASS. Minutes later, Watters wins the ball on the halfway line, leaves the defender on his ar5e, and drives forward to the box. The angle is tight...has the chance been lost?...Max cuts back, buys himself time, looks up and finds Phillips on the edge of the box, charging in. Does he drill it first time over the bar? No he doesn’t. He chops back, leaving another defender on his ar5e (it might be the same one, actually) and PLACING the ball into the top corner from 20 yards with his LEFT foot. What a finish, and mentions in despatches for DKD’s run taking defenders away and leaving Phillips on his own. It remains two nil at half-time, and I’ll be honest, it was great stuff from both sides, only our finishing separated us.
Second half, different story. They were all over us, but the message was clear: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Or the referee. A running battle between pantomime villain James McClean and O’Keefe sees the latter chopped down and (allegedly) punched. Neither results in bookings. Something about McClean being allowed to do what he likes cos the crowd were picking on him (diddums).
What happened? We retreated further and further back. Wrexham dominated possession. We just couldn’t keep hold of the ball. The subs didn’t help. Humphreys and Pines came on for Watters and Earl. Why was Watters subbed? He appeared to be keeping the Wrexham defence busy. Humphreys meantime couldn’t keep hold of a ball and more than once was found to be the wrong side of a defender as a DKD, or a Phillips, played a groundball between the lines. Surely this is something practiced on the training ground (you’d think!) Earl had been awesome on his return, surely the best I’d seen him play all season. So he got hauled for the giant Pines…who, despite his height, is susceptible to the ball over the top (thankfully we had Cotter’s pace to rescue him).
Anyway, Hollywood had all the ball. It was like that Man City v 10 men Arsenal game earlier this season, as they time and again switched play while our cavalry circled the wagons and held the centre ground outside our box. We had nought to give but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We were hanging on. ‘Super’ John Mullins went clean through, Kilip blocked. A snapshot through a pile of players brought a snapsave with his foot from Kilip. Both these saves were every bit as good as our finishes. Nevermind the time or 2 he came out and punched clear.
There was nothing he could do about their goal, either, as a scramble in the box led to an open goal. With 10 mins plus injury time to go, could we hold on? Never in doubt. This was not a war of the unknown warriors, Kilip et al stood tall. A header was batted away. A free kick landed in Kilip’s midriff. The midfield ran around like blue ar5ed flies. Defenders won headers. Humphreys started holding a ball up and running at them. It was magnificent.
We remain captains of our souls. Our destiny is in our hands. We have surmounted all the perils and endured all the agonies of the past. Let’s not lose to Crawley on Satdy.
Onwards and upwards!
*** Kilip. Having had chance to mull it over, the quality of the saves, rather than quantity, wins it. And I’ll ignore his poor kicking.
** DKD. Looked a threat every time he had the ball and worked hard 2nd half.
* O’Keefe. Give him his dues, that was a right battle with that Irish pr*ck.
Official MOTM: Kilip
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Kilip 2. MdG 3. DKD
Despatches:
All these PA warnings to the Ponty. Since when has it been considered prejudicial for chanting against a proscribed terrorist organisation? (‘F*** the IRA’) If (when?) we get fined again for the Ponty’s views on the Oirish Republican Army, BFC should get a half decent lawyer and appeal the case. I am sick to death of the PA telling the crowd off, for fear of another EFL fine. We are not Jesus Bloody Christ and this is not church. We are not Christian children who should be ‘mild, obedient, good as He.’ Anyway, at least they weren’t singing that the owner’s a slag (ok, I heard it once). And as for ‘f***ing the Pope’...it’s only what the Catholic Church have done to numerous minors over the years. (Do we honestly think some 15 year old oik has any opinion whatsoever on Catholicism!? It’s just a catchy ditty that berates Dirty Leeds.) Though that’s problies not allowed either. (At what point do I actually morph into a Daily Mail editorial?)
Radio Sheffield, post match. I am becoming increasingly irked with Praise or Grumble. We have just beaten one of the big dogs in this division, and I have to endure yet another 10 minute+ interview with Danny Rohl. (Their questions are so banal, but Danny will rohl with it (sorry) and just witter on and on and ON. Even worse, one of their players has actually scored a goal so we have to listen to an interview with him AS WELL. That was nearly half the show and we’ve barely heard a caller or had an interview with anyone representing the other 5 sides the station purportedly covers. I can only presume Washday are challenging for a spot in Europe.
The players? MdG was AGAIN faultless…yet doesn’t make my top 3! Is that breaking the rules of maths or physics? Hey, I don’t make the rules (actually...). In fact, the defence deserve massive plaudits for hanging on, even if a 7ft Pines doesn’t head a ball near far enough, or Cotter blazes a couple of shots over the bar with others well positioned (but he did cover throughballs, as well as one block which prevented a certain goal.) Mention too for Pines cleaning out Mullins into the advertising hoardings. (For a while though, I envisioned a serious injury and the game being called off.) McCarthy read the game well. I’m liking him more and more. Earl was superb on his return, and it seemed an odd decision taking him off for Pines. (We’d not been under that much pressure at this point). Phillips scored and set one up, and showed some lovely touches. Connell was excellent, especially 1st half. Watters also carried on his great shift up front. He’s physical, puts pressure on the opposition defence, and referees don’t pull him up for fouls the way they do Cosgrove. (On that, if Cosgrove threw himself about like Ollie Palmer yesterday, they’d have had free kicks all day long.)
Drink du jour: Spiral closed, so into the Jolly Tap. A poor pint of Walk the Walk pale ale followed by a mediocre Supa Citra pale ale. Very disappointing. Real ale, shmeal ale.
Away: 2,904 (or ‘5,000’ according to Sky Sports) A good turnout, considering they barely used to get that for a home game pre-Hollywood. Anyway, good luck to ‘em. They’ve had to put up with dogsh*t for years and it’s not their fault they have the best owners in football (probably).
The Damage:
c.£8 petrol
£33 away shirt
= c.£41
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