Wigan Athletic 0-0 BFC, Saturday 31st August 2019

‘Dad.  Monkey Man’s got my horn.’

Welcome to ...

I’m back and the rot has stopped!  My debut manages to coincide with the Reds’ failure to lose a Championship away game for the 1^st time in 9.  Yee hah!  A goalless draw at fellow relegation favourites Wigan, but you take what you can get.  For a start, injuries and transfers mean it’s a very different team to my last game, at the end of last season.  Those left are who we WON’T sell (Mowatt, McGeehan, Woodrow, all injured today) and those we CAN’T (Ben Williams, Thiam, Bahre…Cavare).  It’s a truism that we’re facing opposition in a division higher with a weaker side than last year; Davies, Lindsay, Pinnock and Kiefer Moore taking the money and running.  No doubt they’ll all claim it’s to ‘further their career’, but Davies finds himself 3^rd choice keeper at Stoke (about right, he’s found his level quickly).  Lindsay is playing regularly in a side bottom of the table and Pinnock’s just been dropped at Brentford.  But most concerning to me is Kiefer Moore and his alleged idea that he’s ‘outgrown’ us….to move to Wigan Athletic.  Now, there aren’t many sides in the Championship we can legitimately say are ‘smaller’ than ourselves, but Wigan are one.  I guess tripling your wages to £16k a week helps.  He never got a kick today and barely lasted an hour before being dragged off.

Kiefer subbed off.  Thanks for coming!

In other controversy, without Mowatt and McGeehan, Stendel goes left field (way leftfield) and sets up with a central midfield of Bahre and Sibick, two players who’ve never played there in their BFC life.  This is a pity for me, as I’d been looking forward to settling the debate between Jonesy and Loko on how hapless Sibick the right back was.  Mind, on arriving into the stadium 10 minutes late (I’ve waited a month, what’s another 10 minutes?) the first thing I saw was one of our players needlessly giving the ball away.  ‘Who’s he?  He’s s***.’  ‘Sibick.’

A passionate home end (!)

Course, centre half Sibick’s move from right back allows Oakwell pariah Dmitri Cavare to return for (I think) his second game of the season, after Fulham home.  Notice owt about the Fulham and Wigan games?  Yes, clean sheets.  I know not what is happening behind the scenes, but if we’re to stay up (and we weren’t just talking about staying up till we sold that bundle of players) we need Cavare playing, and playing to his potential.  He was outstanding today, and was noticeably the only player whose name was being chanted by the fans.

Spotted some! 

We spurned an early chance (well, early for us, see previous notes).  One of them new little lads (Chaplin?  Thomas?) appeared to delay his close range shot, allowing it to be blocked, while our new reserve keeper palmed a free kick wide.  Dunno his name, but he looked solid.  One year contract from Chelsea reserves was he?  Anyway, from reports, he looks a better keeper than this Radlinger bloke who’s timely injury (another one!) allowed him his chance.  Half time, 0-0.
The second half was more of the same nothingness.  I pity the neutral.  Two weak teams with little going forward, then, out of nowhere, Bahre hits a low 25 yarder into the bottom corner, superbly saved.  Then the corner comes in, and one of our little white blokes (Chaplin?  Thomas?) is free at the back post.  The volley’s on target, but the keeper has got across and makes another superb save.  We are in danger of winning this…

Here's an idea...block off the 1st few rows with ads.  Make it look busier!

But that was it (for us).  The ex-Chelsea keeper makes an amazing save from a close range header before, in injury time, Ben Williams kicks one of their players into the stand and is sent off, which was a great shame, as, aside from Cavare, he’d been our best player, getting forward down the left and being solid in defence.  Thankfully, it was injury time and despite the ref finding 5 or 6 minutes from nowhere, we were never in danger.

*** Cavare.  I’d heard the new (black) right back was a bit hopeless.  Looked alright to me – strong, good on the ball, never beaten.  Oh, it’s Cavare.  Speaking to a Wigan fan afterwards, he was saying their best player thus far had been their left winger.  True story.
** Ben Williams.  Comfortable in possession and helped support the attack down the left.  So he’s now out for 3 matches for that lump.  Careless.
* The ex-Chelsea keeper.  I hope he’s ex-Chelsea.  Loko said he was, anyway.  Safe hands, a couple of good saves and took no risks with his kicking (which landed on the pitch, by the way, a not-so-thinly-veiled dig at the last keeper we had)

Londontykes' MOTM:  1. Cavare  2. Ben Williams  3= Collins/Sibick

Onwards and upwards!

The players come to give thanks.

Despatches (1): 
Starting with the defence, I never noticed the centre halves.  Was one of them making his debut?  Either way, it felt like they didn’t have a lot to do.  They dealt with Kiefer (or rather Wigan did, by not playing him right) but, like us, Wigan had no presence in attack.  Bahre and Sibick deserve credit for filling in at centre-mid, the latter especially looked comfortable after his early aberration.  Then there’s Wilks, a player at least one national publication (I forget which) said could be one of the signings of the summer in this division.  Christ, he was poor.  When not diving or losing possession, I’m not sure what he was doing.  Has he been like this all season?  Booked for kicking the ball away after being given offside too.  Stupid.  As for Chaplin and Thomas, well, they were a long way away 1^st half (we kicked to the other end) and they were anonymous 2^nd.  I believe one of them ran around up front as the head of our ‘attack’.  Let’s just say Woodrow needn’t worry about getting his place back.  Schmidt tho came on with 10 mins left and nearly scored with his 1^st touch, putting it wide on the back post when he should have done better.  Oh, and I’ve missed Thiam.  Of course I’ve missed Thiam!  Flattered to deceive with an early thunderbolt from a short free kick, I never saw him again.  So he hasn’t changed any.

The away end.

Despatches (2):
As Loko has noticed, we seem down on Londontyke numbers thus far for these Championship away games.  Do Washday, Brum and Wigan not have the cache of Fleetwood, AFC Wimbledon and Gillingham at el?  Obviously not, and speaking for myself, I miss those 3^rd division away days (and not just cos we win them).  We shared the return with Nice Guy Chris, but he had no time for us pre-match, as he was hobnobbing it in the exec!  However, it was nice to see Loko’s excited little face as the beer officianado paid his 1^st visit to CAMRA temple Wigan Central, the best bit about visiting the JJB Stadium.  (If a stadium’s name ever sums up it’s dullness, this is it.) 
The second best thing about Wigan is the nice walk along the canal to the ground.  So Loko decides we must take a taxi.  It’s in 6 minutes, so I rush my pint.  I don’t like rushing my pint.  The taxi is not here in 15, so we start walking and meet the taxi part-way.  We drive towards the JJB, even seeing it at one point, before he drives further on into Wigan and eventually the countryside.  I have no idea which stadium he was taking us to (till we said something; we thought he knew a ‘secret’ back way!) but ‘I’m sorry, I’m from Bolton’.  So that’s alright then.

Beautiful! (The walk after the match)

Something else I noticed about Satdy.  There were far more 3^rd strip shirts in attendance than home shirts (and why not, we were playing in our 3^rd kit, red obviously clashing with blue).  But that home kit, close up, is abysmal.  Why do we have what looks like a pattern of bricks on it?  ‘Cos we have bricks at Oakwell’ said Loko.  Well, I look forward to next year’s design showing urinals.  At one point I was caught staring at the home strip.  When the woman wearing it asked what was up and I told her I was just telling my mate what an awful design the shirt was….well, she looked like a bulldog licking p*** off a nettle.  Why do people get upset when you answer their questions?

Can we go home now?

Drink du jour: Franziskaner, red wine

Away: 1600+.  Which means c8400 home fans.  There were NEVER 8,400 home fans.  Never.

The Damage:
£49 train (welcome back!)
£23 ent
= £72

Didn’t see any programmes on sale at 3:10pm.

The Tunes:
Debut (Bjork)
Fabriclive 100 (KODE9 & Burial)

JJB panorama 

I pity the man who has to whip the Wigan fans into a frenzy.

A rare forage into the box.

The big screen.

Match action, #WAFC.

Full-time.

Guess who!?  Oooooh Jeremy Corbyn, exiting our train at Euston.

Wigan Athletic 1-4 BFC, Sunday 8th May 2016

‘Brazil, it’s just like watching Brazil.’

Wigan Pier.  Well, you have to...

I cannot have been the only one to wake up beaming today.  From bottom of the table after the Blunts home game (manager: Little Lee) we have risen like the proverbial to snatch a play-off place on the final league game of the season.  And what a glorious way to do it!  We go away to the league champions and DESTROY them, even being good enough to give them a goal start before the simple task of popping  4 goals past them.  And yet it didn’t start so brightly…

The DW

Scowen was skinned 5 times in the first quarter of an hour by Wildschut and from one attack they finally do go ahead.  Of course, Winnall claims the assist, passing them the ball when we were 3 on 3 (a rare foray into their half at this point) and one pass later and Wildschut is clear down the left.  His low cross is then calamitously not dealt with by Mawson, and while the home fans appeal for a pen, their forward knocks it home.  We look truly against it at this point, as the away end went quiet.  ‘Get Winnall off’, ‘stick a right back on’ (do we have any? – could bring White on at left back and switch George.)  

The teams come out.

No, we don’t change a thing.  Heckingbottom is either a tactical genius or has some cajones.  He certainly had more faith than anyone around me.  Even the granddad next to me who I’d never met before said ‘I’ve had enough of Winnall.’  Who hasn’t?  He’s the sh*ttest popular striker we’ve had since Dire and by half time he was on 22 for the season.

#21 was a beauty, as we show once again that we’re at our best when Winnall isn’t even playing; he’s lying prostrate after colliding with the keeper, having not been fast enough to get better purchase when one-on-one.  We pick up the loose ball and Fletcher rounds a defender who brings him down. Penalty all day long.  Funnily enough, I don’t remember any Reds fans complimenting the ref for not stopping play, with Winnall clutching his head.  SSW makes a miraculous recovery to stroke the ball low to the keeper’s right.  I think it made the net.  Just.

Get ready to party!

With half time approaching, I said I’d be glad if we could get in at one-all.  But Little Lloyd Isgrove has other ideas, skipping past 2 (or 3?) players before getting his close range shot off.  The keeper saves, but who’s there…on the sniff..why it’s Super Sammy Winnall, who wellies the ball in scuffs it home from 3 yards.  (It later turns out he's somehow knocked it against his left shin with his right foot.  He is the luckiest player I know.)  He reminds me of this kid who plays 5 aside with us sometimes.  Can’t control a ball, can’t dribble, can’t tackle, but will pop up with the odd toe poke.  Everyone except his best mate hates him, natch.  WE ARE WINNING!!!!!!!!  F*** Scunthorpe or whatever they’re doing (beating the Blunts as it goes; you can’t trust the Blunts to do ANYTHING, can you?)  All we have to do is see this game out and we’re there.

Pre-match panorama

Half time and Wigan take off their star player, that winger.  Injured?  Or does the manager just fancy a look at somebody else, for next season?  Who cares?  Cheers Wigan manager!  He’s even brought Reece Wabara on!  Christ, he’s giving us this game.  Wabara proceeds to show why I have no idea how he’s made the divisional team of the year.  BFC’s 3^rd best right back.  I really don’t get it, at all.
But the 2^nd half is all us.  We look a threat every time we have the ball and get just desserts as Fletcher chases down a weak punch from the keeper and pulls it back to Captain Conor.  ‘He needs to shoot more’ said Selwood, pre-match.  He delivers, via a wicked deflection.  (‘Curled in superbly’ I think The Sun said, arf arf).  We were right behind it and watching the keeper scramble (and fail) to get across is only 2^nd in my list of favourite goals this season to that crazy Fleetwood OG t’other week. He was never going to get there.  The away end goes berserk.  It’s barely 10 mins into the 2^nd half and WE HAVE WON THIS GAME.  We are in the play-offs.  Actually, we all think that, but then spend a few minutes worrying…this lot are top of the table…if they get one back, they can get 2.

Yes, I KNOW it's the second half!

But upsteps Brownhill with the free kick of the season.  It was just to the left of the goal as we looked, perfect for Hourihane’s left foot.  Conor walks away from it.  What’s happening here?  Oh, THAT’S what’s happening here, as Brownhill whammies it over the wall and down, a la Ronaldo.  (Mawson hit one of these earlier this season; is that what BFC training is? Free kicks and crossbar challenges?)  It is a BEAUT!  Now we know we’re up in the play-offs.  ‘It’s just like watching Brazil’ is sung with even more gusto and belief than at 3-1.  Hell, many of us are even generous enough to stand up when the Wigan 200 chant ‘Stand up for the champions’, though this soon changes into ‘Stand up if you’re going up’ and everyone stands up.

...and then it was 4-1!  Or 1-4.  Whatever.

There’s still time for Roberts to throw himself into a block, preventing a certain goal, and we see out the game watching Hammill showboat Wigan to death. I don’t know what was more predictable, the frustrated hack, or Hammill reacting badly.  Good job Hammill had any amount of players jumping in to prevent him getting sent off alongside McCann.  (As an aside, how stupid do you have to be to get sent off in the last minute when you’ve won the league?  There’s him missing the 1^st 3 matches next season…)

That magnificent away support (from Twitter)

*** Roberts.  The rock by which all things BFC are built.  What a player, determined to the end.  Won everything.  A rock.  (As another random aside, I was channel hopping the other day and I came across some godawful film.  I couldn’t understand how someone could act quite so badly.  ‘Who’s this?’ I asked.  ‘The Rock’.  Has anyone seen his film with ‘Scorpion’ in the title?  Garbage.  So I watched 5 minutes in awe before kicking the telly to death.)
** Isgrove.  I know he made Andy laugh, beig unable to control his feet a couple of times in the 1^st half, but he ran at them, set up a goal (finally, though inadvertently) and got a couple of theirs carded in the 2^nd half for lunges.  He’s faster than you think!
* Fletcher.   I hope he gets us up before he leaves.  Looks better and better every week and led the line superbly.  Set up 2 goals.
Londontykes' Top 3:*** Roberts  ** Isgrove  * Fletcher

The players give thanks.

Despatches:
At one point I looked at their scoreboard.  ‘2:00’ it said.  Christ, I’m not stupid.  I KNOW it’s the second half.  I looked again a quarter of an hour later.  ‘2:15’.  Oh.
Davies had very little to do but looked comfortable enough picking up through balls.  Scowen recovered and was fabulous second half.  It’s called speed AND fitness, as he was constantly on the overlap.  I can’t say I noticed Williams though Mawson played well, outside of the early aberration.  Brownhill and Hourihane sat, allowing the wingers to do the damage, while SSW was SSW; appalling and scores 2.  Though I do remember him flicking a ball to Hourihane once which was quite good.  Hecky even managed to bring on McCourt (not that one), Chapman and Toney for the last 10 mins or so.  There was only one team going to score and it wasn’t them.
Drink du jour: Found a fabulous bar right next to the station, so that would be Paulaner pls.  Bought a ‘growler’ for the journey back though it took so long I had Andy barking at me to get a move on; we had a train to catch.

Away: 4770.  What a game, what an atmosphere.  Today was up there with the greats.

Well done Latics.  Well done BFC.  Onwards and upwards, the journey continues.
Yooooooouuuuuuuu Redssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A

The Damage:
31 travel
20 ent
2 zine
0 prog.  Sold out.

Outside the ground.  Anywheresville.

Some of the Reds' massive massive.

The Wigan vocal 200 to our left.

The teams come out.

The walk to the ground.  Very pleasant.

Flags out for the lads.

A celebratory growler of Paulaner on the train.

Two very happy Beckenhamtykes.

Great view, great day, great result.  Great.