BFC 2-0 Bristol City, Tuesday 15th March 2022

‘WE ARE STAYING UP, WE ARE STAYING UP!’

WHAT IS HAPPENING? From being dead and buried a month ago, we’ve now given ourselves a CHANCE. Correction, from being dead and buried a month ago, loanees Quina and Bassi have given us a CHANCE! Tonite, both have starring roles in the capitulation of a disinterested City side with nought to play for, with the goals coming from Bassi corners and the attacks coming from Quina’s boots. Can a Watford reserve player be my favourite Red?

I wasn’t with my usual matchday companion today, so fancied a change. With the current ownership, who knows when the historic Main (West) Stand will be closed or pulled down, so I got to Oakwell early enough to swap my East Stand ticket for a pew opposite. I love the West Stand. The darkness, the low roof, the aging wood, the pillars. The latter, perfect in seasons where we’re not doing so well, turn out to be a right pain in the derriere when you DO actually want to see the game. Where did that defender appear from? How did that player beat that opponent? Surely that bloke’s offside? Hang on, who’s that over there? Yes, I enjoyed the novelty, but I wouldn’t want to do it over a season. Nevermind that in the first half, as I sat on the back row, you can’t see the ball if it’s far enough in the air. God knows what a season under Big Val would have looked like from here.

Any pre-match nerves were quickly dispelled. 10 minutes in and Shirley whips in a corner at the away end, panic ensues and Morris prods it home from 3 yards. Having seen it on replay, you see Helik running in at the front post causing the defender(s) to miss it, the ball bounces, Wolfe heads goalwards and Morris is there. A little over 10 minutes later and it’s two. This time the corner works ‘properly’ as Helik gets across his man to flick it home. Reward for the City fans who had the referee insist on Shirley taking it from the correct place, forcing him to move it 2 inches back. (They were right, by the way.) Incredibly, it’s Helik’s first goal of the season, having notched half a dozen last year. There’s a raft of reasons for this, but I’d say the main 2 have been the lack of a quality ball in, and deserting last’s season’s successful tactic of crowding the keeper. Only BFC would give up a successful strategy.

And there it was, 2-0, game over. I’m not sure we really came close again, though Quina skinned the fullback enough times for someone (anyone) to show for him, but I mustn’t grumble. Even Asbaghi’s usual ‘sending on the subs to protect what we’ve got’ failed to rouse City; not that we weren’t worried…Cole on for Morris and Kitching for Styles, with 20 left to play. Indeed, we had Kitching to thank for keeping them goalless, as he headed one off the line in injury time. Whisper it, but we may not come bottom. (I’m not going to get carried away with thoughts of staying up…yet.)

Onwards and upwards!

*** Quina. Took the game to City. He gets the ball, they retreat…and retreat…he beats one man and we’re in their box.
** Morris. The effort, the strength, the tenacity…the fact he can actually keep hold of a ball under pressure. And scored.
* Wolfe. I’m liking him more and more. As well as setting up the opener, my favourite bit was 1st half, when he picked the ball up on the edge of our box, and carried it (at pace!) to the halfway line.

Official MOTM: Quina

Londontykes’ MOTM: TBA

Despatches:
Another good game from Gomes. The Gomes-Wolfe defensive axis in the 4-2-3-1 is what allows Quina and Bassi to play. Styles had a funny game. Constantly outmuscled, but did drive at the opposition. Often sent tumbling at speed but never gets the free kicks in the way that, say, Garther Bale used to for less. Brittain looked back on his game while Helik and Mads were barely troubled, Collins in goal even less so. Vita was also back to being a left wing back after his stint on the right wing. How’s he ever gonna develop if we mess him about like that?

In City’s ranks were former Reds Matty James and Joe Williams. Remember Joe Williams? Midfielder, on loan from Everton. I maintain he is one of the nest players I have EVER seen for the Reds out of possession. He couldn’t half win a ball, but would then give it straight back to the opposition, often on the edge of our own box. Anyway, he came on as sub with 5 mins of the 1st half left and looked like Glenn Hoddle, spraying passes all over the pitch and now losing it. I never noticed him 2nd half, but maybe that’s cos he went off after 55 minutes!

Back to the Main Stand, and I can see why Farnham likes it here. I’m half a dozen seats from Cauley Woodrow, who may or may not be doing something for local radio. I’m even fewer from a couple of other blokes, who say thanks on their way out as I make room for them. Why, it’s Blunts manager (and Reds legend) Paul Heckingbottom, plus one. What will he have made of events, given we play them Satdy? ‘Deal with Quina and everything else will drop into place’? (Does he realise Quina is a different – less effective - player away?) It must have been a night for spotting minor celebs; I also passed former Reds legend 3rd division midfield player Alex Neil (now Sunderland manager) coming out of the toilets at Wetherby services.

Irregulars will be pleased to note the West Stand bogs still retains pride of place, a lick of red paint and a roof notwithstanding, though whothehell places a hand dryer above a wall people urinate on? It was good to hear another fine recent tradition continued too, as there were a couple of boos for the players taking a knee, before crowd applause drowned it out. This Black Lives Matter stuff is all a Marxist conspiracy, you know that, right? Still, it was a surprise to me. I didn’t realise the players still took the knee, given I’m rarely in the ground at this point.

Thinking of my dad, and how we always used to drive home through Leeds, I did same in his memory. I miss passing Tetley’s, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, crossing the River Aire and driving past those lines of terraces north of the city centre. R.I.P. dad.

I smiled all the way home.

Drink du jour: Another expensive flat white in Wetherby service station.

Away: 279. Let’s just say well done to those who came, rather than poke fun at a big city club bringing less than 300 for a second tier fixture.

Minutes on the pitch for Palmer or Benson: 0.

The Damage:
c. £35 petrol
£3 programme= c. £38

The Tunes:
Whirlpool (Chapterhouse)
The Back Room (Editors)
BBC5live – 25 minutes of whining on about Man Utd losing to Athletico Madrid in the Chumps League, followed by 4 minutes round-up of everything else. Bliss!
Blissed Out (Beloved)

Bristol City 1-0 BFC, Saturday 18th January 2020

‘He had his very own Tampax moment.  Time stood still.’

Welcome to ....the view from our taxi.

Of all the defeats this season, this one sticks in the craw more than most.  Yes, yes, we were up against that ‘orrible little ‘c’ word Little Lee, but it wasn’t that.  I can handle that we outplayed them and still lost.  I’m used to that this season.  No, it was the lack of professionalism that led to the only goal.  After a sound defensive performance, all we had to do to see out the game and take a point was to take out their man on the halfway line.  Instead, Thomas bottled it, their winger rounded Williams with ease and pulled the ball back for a deflected shot to wrong-foot Collins in goal.  Goddammit.  Would any of these top Prem sides have stepped aside to allow their star winger a free run on goal?

The sides come out.

‘twas a pity.  We’d overcome left back Odour’s injury in the warm up, and the absences to Radlinger and Diaby (salacious gossip abounding; has Diaby failed a drug test?  Do I hope he has?  Do I think he’s even capable of snorting coke, such is his haplessness?  Time will tell…)  Without said three, we…looked a hell of a lot more solid.  Halme dropped back into defence, where he should be playing.  Dougal played defensive mid, where he should be playing, while Ben Williams came back in at left back, where….he’s been outstanding all season (even if, deep down, I don’t rate him).  And since I rate Collins higher than Radlinger, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that we were an improvement in defence.

Outside the away end.

We survived an early scare, when a ball hit our bar.  Later TV footage showed it was actually Jacob Brown.  WTF?  They had another header hit the bar too, while they missed a sitter with a header, Ben Williams’ presence perhaps putting their player off.  But we had our moments too, notably when the new Austrian bloke (Ritzmaier?  Summat like that.) delayed his shot and chipped it towards the top corner.  Off the bar.  Balls.  Chaplin had a spectacular effort hit a defender’s head rather than the net.  Coupled with a Thomas effort which came too quick to him to divert it on target, as well as at least 3 Mowatt efforts, and it was a game we coulda…shoulda…et bloody cetera. 

We came, we saw…we lost.  He’s a jammy little sod.

Onwards and upwards!

*** Dougal.  Nailed it right there in the 1^st half when he cleared 3 consecutive corners.  Even our centre halves can’t do that.  ESPECIALLY our centre halves. 

** Brown.  Supreme movement and spacial awareness.  Doesn’t simply run for running’s sake.

* Halme.  I don’t remember him making a mistake.  Probably cos he didn’t.

Londontykes' MOTM:  1. Dougal 2. Brown 3. Chaplin

I don't think I've ever seen fans in that upper tier.  Must be a special offer on.

Despatches:I don’t know how I managed to get so sozzled this week, I think I only had 3 pints all day.  I guess it was all those 2/3 of a pint I had at that craft pub in King St.  Good to see Reedy jnr. in there too.  Even better that he couldn’t drink cos he had revision for exams.  Good luck!

The players?  Collins made one save all day, a weak effort in the second half.  Jordan Williams…got skinned for their goal.  Anderson did well this week.  Is Halme the ‘experience’ (ie, half decent) centre half partner he needs to play with?  Thomas was excellent throughout, running at them.  Shame about the goal.  Chaplin had that one decent hit, but didn’t feature too much, while Mowatt should definitely have done better with all the shots he had.  Quantity not quality.  And I liked the look of Ritzmaier…even if that’s not his name.  Is it?  Isn’t it?  Who knows?

Busy on this side too.

Drink du jour: Leffe, Citrus IPA, wheat beer…and whatever we had on the train.  Crap lager?

Away: Dunno.  600?  It was a decent sized home crowd too – and no wonder, there was a special offer on (not extended to the away fans).  I hate Bristol City.

The Damage:

£38 train

£27 ent

= £65

The Tunes:
Summer Special (Euros Childs)
Summer 08 (Metronomy)
Spirit of Eden (Talk Talk)

Fall asleep on bus on way home?  Of course.  Ended up in New Cross.  Could’ve been worse.

Ashton Gate panorama.

I really liked the tap in the pub...

Arriving at Ashton Gate.

A statue of...actually, I've no idea.  John Atyeo?

Back of the Main Stand.

New meets new.

Collins prepares to launch it.

Greta Thunberg knows she's made it when...

BFC 2-2 Bristol City, Friday 1st November 2019

‘Sack the board, sack the board’

Friday night under the lights.

Who’s idea is Friday nite footie?  What a pile of the proverbial.  Days off work (not everyone lives in Grove Street) for a Sky audience of…what?  350?  Tho maybe it was more, given the crowd at Oakwell can’t have been more than ten thousand, whatever the claims of 12k+ were.  It’s like at Arsenal, where they claim 60,000, despite the fact you can clearly see the pattern of the cannon in the seats.  So maybe plenty were watching it at home.  Or else in ‘tarn’ drinking.  Why let Sky ruin a perfectly good Friday night?  (Mind, it could be worse…Dutch second division games are always played on a Friday!)

Welcome to ...

We were very down on Friday night.  Losing 0-2, it p***ing down with rain, little to no hope of a comeback…chants calling for the owners’ heads (are they going to sack themselves???)…everyone wishing they were somewhere else.  In fact, thank goodness for said rain.  It’s problies wot stopped more folk from leaving early.  That they came in the first place was testament to some delusion…or faith…that this team would pull something off.  And for 71 minutes, it looked bleak.

Talking of bleak...thirty quid to see THIS?  Good luck.

Don’t get me wrong, we’d played well (again) but we were losing (again).  Having had the advantage of seeing a repeat of the match the next day on Sky, I concur with whichever commentator said ‘the keeper’s saves were better than the finishes’ in describing a couple of incredible saves by Daniel Bentley, saves that somewhere gained him the MOTM (announced, with perfect timing, before we equalised).  Firstly, Malik Wilks cut inside and curled an effort to the far corner, which the keeper tipped around the post.  The second was even better, as the keeper got a touch on Chaplin’s close-ranger and it cannoned back off the post.  Either would have put us in the lead.

The teams line up.

City went ahead just before half-time.  Like a child disappointing a parent, former favourite Marley Watkins was given a tug and went down like a sack of s***.  Free kick, and a chance for Cavare to stand still as Ashley Williams (the biggest bloke on the pitch) had a free header.  Cue boos ringing round Oakwell for Watkins’ ‘professionalism’.  Having seen it again, the question I’d ask is ‘was his shirt pulled’ (yes) and ‘is this a foul?’ (yes).  So what’s everyone complaining about?  Watching it again on telly, I was able to see several decisions in OUR favour, but no-one mentions them; a corner gained when our guy blatantly headed over, and a Diaby bodycheck which went unpunished.  This alleged bias against us is complete rubbish.  (Tho a free given against Cauley, when their bloke climbed all over him and landed badly was a poor decision.)

A sparse Ponty v Bristol City.

Second half came around and we were going nowhere, absolutely nowhere, when they bagged a 2^nd, again from a deadball.  Interim head coach Murray has introduced 3 at the back, and still we can’t defend a corner, Weimann dropping off from his marker and looping a header to the back post.  Of course we don’t have a man on the post – why would we?  No-one ever scores there (!)  What is it with this fad for zonal marking?  Abysmal.  Those preferring a walk in the downpour to watching this rubbish start to trickle out.

Barnsley, on a Friday night.  Well done Robins!

More fool them, of course, as Halme powers in a header from a corner of our own.  Looks like City are just as good as us at marking.  We proceed to miss chances, each one looking like the last…Diaby heading over from close range…Cauley bobbling one with Diaby in close attendance (putting him off in way he doesn’t put off opposition strikers?)…a misunderstanding on the backpost (Sibbick and Simoes?) while a couple of other Cauley strikes are wayward.  Then, with time virtually up…was it sub Simoes playing a one-two with Sibbick?...the ball is rolled across, Schmidt knocks it goalwards and Cauley pokes it home.  Oakwell has not seen celebrations like this since the last time we equalised in the last minute, about 3 weeks ago.  Carnage.  How long left?  Just enough time to worry about City breaking up field to nick it, yet not enough time for them to do so.  Phew.  We got out of jail here.  We have reached the heady heights of second off bottom.
Onwards and…upwards!

The teams take advantage of a break in play.

*** Halme.  Sponsors’ MOTM.  Good interceptions and cracking header to put us back in it. 

** Thomas.  We were going nowhere till he came on, running at players, popping balls off down each wing.  Best player on the pitch once he was on.

* Cauley.  Can’t argue with bagging a last minute equaliser when playing in a team as poor as this.  Shame he thinks the same, often going for goal from improbable positions, such is his lack of belief in the rest of the numpties.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Mowatt  2. Halme  3. Dougal
Despatches:Big thanks to Mrs Reed, who picked junior and I up from Donny pre-match.  Not sure her cat was so grateful tho, as we returned from Oakwell to see the soggiest puss I’ve ever seen.  Double thanks, as Mrs R let Andy and I watch a re-run of the match on Sat morn while she’d planned to watch the rugger buggers.  As it was Andy’s birthday (Happy Birthday Andy!!!!) we’d rocked up to the pub at 11…but it was shut, so tail between legs, I was forced to watch the 1^st half of the rugby anyway.  We left again at half time.  I hope England lost.  I hate rugby.  Where’s the fun in watching big blokes push each other, repeating the same routine time and time and time again?  Without any paint to watch dry, I stood up and stared out of Cynthia’s front window, gazing at the raindrops splashing into the pond/lake (this is Hoyland; it’s posh like that).

The players?  I know everyone else thought little Alex Mowatt head and shoulders above the rest.  While he was tidy, most of his corners were the usual dink into the middle, and I wasn’t impressed to see him lose the ball late on, then fail to track back.  Dougal had another good game, breaking down the opposition.  Wilks had a very promising first half, before disappearing.  Brown showed potential going forward, but I’m at a loss as to why some folk say we look more solid under this new manager; between Brown and Sibbick were great swathes of pitch asking to be attacked.  Diaby looks like what he is…too big and slow to turn.  And he’s not even that commanding.  I guess none of them (the centre halves) are, which is why we need 3 of them.  Cavare again showed he’s better going forward than defending…which is great, when he’s a defender.  Noticeably, the comeback started after Chaplin went off.  What does he do, apart from make Woodrow look even better than he is?  Later on Simoes came on, as did Schmidt, who (we think) touched the ball once in 20 minutes.  It was a very good once though (we scored).  

Drink du jour: Leffe, on the train.

Away: 512.  A fabulous turnout from a team with a tradition of fickle support at Oakwell.  Still, they were due to go 2^nd if they won.  Which they didn’t.  Unlucky, Little Lee.

The Damage:£21 train= £21

The Tunes:
Crush (Floating Points)
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy)
Blindfold EP (Curve)
Cherry EP (Curve)
Frozen EP (Curve)

A soggy moggy gets dried.