I wouldn’t mind, but it’s not like it even benefited the town’s economy, being that Slazenger closed their tennis ball making factory 20 odd years ago. Pathetic. As was the ‘protest’. Depending on who I listened to at half-time, these owners of ours have put in £15-20m over three years or so. They might make some poor decisions, but I’m not sure I’d call them ‘greedy’.
Worse, the tennis balls came flying on as we were crushing Exeter, two-nil up and looking for more. The balls killed momentum, but hey! The last thing you want when you’re protesting is the team doing well. (See also: us scoring a late winner at Oldham to end Little Lee’s 8 losses in a row.) It does nought for the cause. McGoldrick had put us one up after Cleary put him through, time standing still as he advanced forward before dinking it over the diving keeper. Then, just past the hour mark, McG puts in a cross for Yoganathan to head home. Yes, our Welsh Sri Lankan was picked ahead of the Welsh GOAT.
It wasn’t the only unusual selection by Coach Conor. Having seen the team pre-match, speculation was rife that we’d be going back 3. No chance. The Ruben Amorim of League 1 sticks to what he knows. By putting the kitchen fitter at left back in a back 4. Inspired? Insane? Well, the only thing he did wrong was chopping down a Grecian for a booking, but injury saved him a 2nd one (lasting 5 minutes of the second half), Coach Conor deciding not to haul him at half-time. I was quite looking forward to Conor leaving a youngster on for the 3rd time this season to get a 2nd yellow (and then hanging him out to dry in the post-match interview).
I don’t remember much happening after this, till the subs. Exeter were quite the most awful side I’ve seen this season, absolutely no threat whatsoever. So Coach Conor drags Cleary and Bradshaw for Banks and The GOAT. The un-dynamic duo (Connell and Bland) back to showcase their central midfield dominance. They score 3 minutes later. So much for seeing out the game. Still, it’s difficult to blame anybody but MdG (outjumped) and O’Connell (slipped). Can you imagine US scoring from a 50 yard hoof into their box? Still, it’s entertaining, eh Conor? BTTS, etc.
We survived a scramble soon after (MdG clearing) and that was about it. I think the goal woke us up a bit, in that we were more wary about the chances of conceding. It certainly didn’t make us more attacking. Or was that the manpower changes? Banks had a long ranger tipped round the post, but the ref gave a goalkick. Have they changed the rules? Maybe shots have to be on target in the first place.
Then, with 3 or 4 minutes left, the depression of watching us try to timewaste a corner. Absolutely zero players put in their box, we’ll attempt to eat up a few ‘valuable seconds’. This narks me beyond picking the kitchen fitter. THERE ARE SEVERAL MINUTES TO GO and this piece of crapmanship only serves to tell the opposition we have NO INTENTION of scoring a goal…which means they can commit as many men forward as they wish. I’ll tell you what WOULD ensure victory. Extending the lead by heading in a corner. But I’m not sure we’ve done that all season. (How many HAVE Shepherd, Roberts, MdG or O’Connell scored? I’m pretty sure Earl got one, but he might have been left back that day for all I know.)
2-1 Super Reds. Woop woop.
Onwards and upwards!
*** Yoganathan. It’s him or McG. Yoga won balls, strode forward, passed to Reds players. Like a slow motion Kelly. Oh, and he scored. You don’t get that from Bland.
** McGoldrick. What a player. Mr Consistent in an inconsistent team.
* O’Keeffe. This is getting annoying. The opposition refuse to attack O’Keeffe, thereby making him look like a good player…and at least he tries to get up the park and create summat.
Official MOTM: McGoldrick
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Yoganathan 2. McGoldrick 3. O’Keeffe
Despatches:
As the second half meandered into nothingness (again) I was daydreaming (again). I was daydreaming about what other people daydream about. What’s for tea? The latest situation in the Middle East (doubtful). Is it me or is it getting cold? This is obviously as well as ‘what is Conor doing?’ ‘Why are we trying to protect a two goal lead against possibly the worst side to come to Oakwell this season?’
That said, individual performances weren’t great. Phillips was anonymous, and had I not seen Bradshaw’s part in the opening goal (clicking the ball onto Cleary) I’d have said he didn’t touch the ball all day. Ogbeta looks more hapless by the week. Is that what you get when you take a player out of the team for playing well? He loses all confidence, in and out of the team? MdG and O’Connell again looked our best central defensive partnership, yet still manage to prove it’s incapable of doing a job for 90 minutes. Connell wasn’t bad. Another sign of how poor some others looked? Cleary looked alright, but wasn’t given the ball enough. Crapman, meantime, had nothing to do. If I’d been in the nets this week, we’d have still only conceded one.
I was amused to hear Coach Conor’s latest spin. ‘3 wins in 5’. Blimey. That’s promotion form. I presume it’s also ‘3 wins in 6’ and WLWLWLWLWLWL does not for a place in the play-offs make. Still, if we win our 3 games in hand (laughing emoji).
Drink du jour: Beartown Inception at Spiral.
Away: 347 (9,706). Most remarkable for ‘Barnsley’s a sh*thole, I wanna go home’ chant before we’d even kicked off. They were as quiet as us after that, as befitted our lowest crowd of the season (lge only).
The Damage:
£7 petrol
= £7
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