Another Two Points Down The Drain

Before we took to the pitch this one felt a lot like Cambridge: just win, collect the points, hopefully close the gap a little, keep the dream alive. Perhaps the thought of four crucial points having not been accrued in the last couple of games due not least to referring error would spur us on, also the starting of some clearing out with Kirk’s contract terminated and Udinese seemingly cutting short Abankwah’s increasingly pointless loan. We may have won only one in our last five (despite being six games unbeaten), but that was one more than our opponents, who arrived on the back of five straight defeats. Nobody was anticipating a classic, we were expecting the points.

And perhaps that attitude was the problem. This was a game of football, the focus should be on going out and playing well, winning the key battles, defeating the opposition. Not trying to take points and go home. We didn’t do enough today to deserve to win but were ahead for 70 minutes and perhaps the team, like me, expected we would win right up until their late equaliser. Burton came with a plan: men behind the ball, deny space, stay in the game, see where things stood towards the end and make changes if necessary. They stayed in the game and that meant we were always vulnerable. The game stats showed we had two efforts on target all game. By a distance not good enough.

The team showed a couple of changes from last time out against Barnsley. In central defence Thomas made way for a fit again Jones and up front Kanu was given the start over Tedic, both of those replaced moving to the bench. Otherwise it was as you were, with Campbell(C) having gone quickly from out of the squad to starting in the No.10 role, Dobson and Fraser also in midfield. Mbick was the one to miss out on a subs spot. It meant May once more starting on the right side, but whether he would stay there was anyone’s guess.

The first half, as the second would prove, was really all about two moments in a game of few real chances. That we controlled possession (60%) meant nothing. We had started brightly, creating three or four moments which might have had a better end-result, with Campbell and Blackett-Taylor to the fore. But that enthusiasm seemed to peter out as we failed to make the breakthrough, then Burton astonishingly failed to go ahead. Some scrappy play led to a corner and from that their guy found himself with what looked like an open goal from close range. He made a mess of his shot and Maynard-Brewer was able to push it away. Just as astonishing, a few minutes later we were ahead, with a goal from a defender from a set piece, something we have been waiting for all season. The original ball in from Fraser from the left beat everyone but Hector chased it down, turned, and delivered an excellent cross. Jones decided it was his and he climbed above his man to head powerfully down into the net, taking a knock on the way down for his effort.

That goal settled us but it also failed to rattle Burton. We started to seem more comfortable to just knock it sideways or back, they posed little threat but were doing enough to keep May peripheral on the right side and CBT most of the time cramped for space on the left. Kanu was doing OK in isolation, but it all added up to pretty dull fare.

At the break it was reasonable to assume that a second goal would be enough, perhaps open the floodgates by obliging them to change shape. But it was also one that would be criminal not to win.

Through the second period there were again moments when we threatened, without their keeper ending up being called on. Whether that was down to good defending or our lack of precision was unclear, probably both. Changes were made to try to freshen things up, with Watson(L) on for Campbell(C) after the hour, Campbell(T) for Fraser, then late on Tedic for a tiring Kanu. Nothing seemed to change the pattern of play, except that Burton had made changes of their own, with more attacking intent.

Not surprisingly we looked the more tired as we just wanted the game to be over. But with a couple of minutes left on the clock the chance came to seal the points. They lost possession down the left and for once CBT was in, with space ahead of him. He also had Tedic to his right. He opted to go it alone and did get the shot off, but from a narrow angle and it was turned aside from a corner. After that we were just pleasantly surprised that there would be just three minutes added.

There seemed little danger as around the halfway line Watson(L) was robbed and he pulled back their guy to give away the free-kick. There seemed little danger as a long, high one was sent to the edge of our box. But nobody was well positioned to get in a header clear, allowing their guy to head inside, then nobody stopped another touch. Suddenly all our defenders bar one were converging on the ball, only for it to be nicked away from them back to another of theirs, with Edun slow to move out and probably ensuring he was onside as well as in the clear with just Maynard-Brewer to beat. He didn’t miss. Aside from their other chances we had defended pretty well to that point, but we lost our heads when it mattered. 

So another immensely disappointing result, the consequences of which are all too apparent from the league table. But what is more dispiriting than the two points was the fact that we really were not robbed, we had failed to seen off another poor team down on its luck. To be fair to them they did a good job on our two most potent threats and they will say that aside from a defender’s header from a set piece they had protected their goal well, plus that they really should have taken the lead. That is true, but just another reflection of the fact that we were not good enough to see them off. All the talk of the January window and what we might do/need to do has perhaps diverted attention away from the job in hand and it’s hard not to be downbeat about the chances of us improving in a fashion that brings the play-offs into view.

Merry Xmas everyone.