Beaten At The Last

And so it finished. Objectives for the game read: win to finish the season in style; at least draw to keep the unbeaten run intact through to the end; hold on to 16th place in the league; and have May confirmed as the division’s leading scorer. Perhaps it was fitting that we secured just two of the four, perhaps even also that we couldn’t remain unbeaten, just so that there are no illusions about the size of the task ahead. Nathan Jones came in and saw us avoid relegation, job done. But unbeaten in 14 actually only returned 22 points (now 22 from 15), which extended over a full season wouldn’t get you into the play-offs. We end up in 16th place thanks to a second goal from Blackpool after another performance which ended up falling just short.

The team and squad contained modest surprises. Coventry was given a rest, put among the subs, while Gillesphey, Edun and Wickham dropped out of the starting X1 and the squad. In came Ness, with Edmunds-Green kept on the bench, Ramsay, Bakinson and Kanu. Still 3-5-2/5-3-2 but with different personnel, it remaining to be seen how Anderson and Bakinson would combine. Among the subs a spot was found for Fiorni. I think you would have got long odds on that before the game.

We went behind early on, in the 6th minute, with just another case of inadequate defending. We made a mess of clearing our lines and of keeping shape and when the ball was put back into the danger area Thomas – who had already over-elaborated and given the ball away in a dangerous position – made an ill-considered lunge from the side which felled their guy. About as clear a penalty as you can get and one confidently tucked away.

Through the remainder of the first half Wycombe seemed content to play within themselves, sitting on a lead, and quite frankly very seldom looked capable of adding to it. By the same token we struggled to get anything going where it mattered, with May and Kanu well controlled and nothing much coordinated from midfield. We did get some joy down the flanks, with Small prominent, delivering some decent balls in which were well defended. We probably should have equalised from a corner, with Thomas adding to his sins by failing to even get his head to the ball when it came his way in space unchallenged in the box, it coming off his shoulder.

You can add in a slightly clumsy challenge on Kanu inside the box, which was a long shot for a penalty, and a decent break which ended with Anderson opting to play a pass wide rather than take the shot. But bottom line was we had no efforts on target in the first half (and just four efforts in total), their keeper not tested at all.

Jones rang the changes at half-time, taking off Ness, Anderson and May, replacing them with Fiorini, Campbell and LuaLua, switching it seemed to a sort of 4-5-1. But before they had time to break sweat we were almost two down, with Isted saving a shot from a free kick and then the effort from the rebound when it looked as though their guy would score. Then it was out turn for a half-chance as a Campbell cross from the right required their keeper getting a touch before it could run through for Dobson at the far post. Isted saved another shot, Aneke came on for Kanu, then just after the hour it took a terrific Ramsay intervention to prevent their guy converting.

On 73 minutes I thought we should have had a penalty this time. Ramsay went on a storming run down the right and kept going into the area. Their defender came across and tackled late, getting nowhere near the ball and sending Ramsay over, although he tried to stay on his feet to get to the ball. It wasn’t stone cold, but confident it would have been given by VAR. And just after that we came within a whisker of equalising. Campbell was fouled, the free kick in a decent position outside the box and fairly central. Fiorini’s moment had come and he curled a beauty over the wall only for it to come crashing down off the bar with their keeper beaten.

That proved to be pretty much it. Wycombe in the remainder of the game did a good job of messing things up, disrupting play, defending well, feigning an injury when it suited – all the things to see out a game which we have failed to be able to do through the season. It became rather fractious (we ended up with six yellow cards, including one for Jones for expressing his dissatisfaction, to their two). There was really just one more chance for us, in the five minutes of stoppage time, as Aneke headed down in the box for Campbell, only for his fierce and possibly goalbound shot to be blocked.

There was no Jones post-match interview on CharltonTV but I’d imagine he was yet again disappointed by the result, felt we deserved something from the game. Like so many of late we might well have got more than we did, in a pretty even game of no clear-cut chances. The stats show we had nine efforts on goal to their 11, just one on target (I think there were two, if you include Campbell’s blocked shot) to their four. Isted was the keeper called on to make saves, they had a stonewall penalty, we had two shouts and none given. Fine margins as usual.

There will be time now to reflect. I don’t much care that our final position is our lowest for over 90 years. Every season in this division is a mark of failure and another failure if we don’t get promoted. We’re well aware both of what Jones has done since his arrival - for which he deserves all the plaudits (along with May, the only question being whether he has secured the Player of the Season award, to go with his League One Golden Boot trophy, with 100% of the votes) – and the size of the restructuring task ahead if we are to mount a serious promotion challenge next season.

To end on a positive note, it was confirmed on CharltonTV that live streaming of games will continue next season, “in some format”, for international subscribers, including myself. That is very welcome news, hopefully the format will be much as before.

CharltonTV, Long May It Continue

Thoughts of whether we end the season in 16th or 17th spot, of who stays and who goes, even whether Lyon Duchere will gain promotion (their chances took a tumble at the weekend with a 3-2 defeat against OL’s second string) will have to wait a little longer. There’s someone (some people?) I would like to meet.

Now understandably the club is promoting on the official site the streaming option for Saturday’s final game of the season. But the actual offers presented raised a chuckle from me. You have the annual subscription, more on that in a moment. Alternatively fans can watch the game live with “a live stream match pass, which is priced at £10”, or, I kid you not, “a monthly CharltonTV subscription, which is priced at £35 per month recurring and will allow fans to watch every regular 2023/24 league match live”. Err, so I can pay £35 for a month, to watch one remaining game, or £10 for … that game.

So I really want the club to name anyone who takes up the monthly option. Those people would deserve some sort of prize, although how it would be worded could be a sensitive matter. I would like to meet them, I could do with a laugh.

In the piece the club continues to make the offer of “an annual CharltonTV subscription”. OK, what’s the problem? I have one which auto renewed in late December. Trouble is I don’t think it is guaranteed that CharltonTV will be continuing next season.

Under the new EFL/Sky agreement, which comes into force for next season and runs until 2028/29, Sky says it will show live a minimum of 248 League One matches, with 10 EFL games to be shown each matchday weekend, five of which will be from the Championship (ie 5 from League One and League Two). On this basis Sky says supporters of League One and League Two teams will “now benefit from greater coverage than ever before”. Well, if you’re talking overall live coverage of the two divisions that may be correct; if you are talking access to the games of the club you support its BS – and the games shown live on Sky will be played outside the 14.45-17.15 period, ie not the normal start time.

Sky goes on to say that its new coverage will “effectively replace … the EFL’s domestic streaming option provided via iFollow and club streaming services”, adding that “domestic (ie UK) streaming audio services will remain alongside existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services”.

So, if I understand things correctly, if you are based in the UK (and aren’t circumventing rights issues with the use of VPN), your CharltonTV service comes to an end after tomorrow (if anyone’s based in the UK and just taken out an annual sub you qualify for an award as above). If, like me, you are based outside the UK, it would seem that Charlton, like other EFL clubs, has the option to continue to provide the streaming of games live – in our case along with the excellent pre- and post-match show.

However, I’ve not seen any confirmation of this from the club. I sent an email back in January to inquire as to whether CharltonTV would be continuing next season – and if not how the club would deal with unexpired subscription periods. It took a resend to elicit a rather bland, corporatist, non-committal reply that at that point in time the club was “awaiting confirmation on streaming rules for next season”. OK, those rules were I assume confirmed in early April, so it would be good to know what the club is planning. I would suggest that if CharltonTV were to come to a stop it is invidious of the club to now be publicising the option of an annual subscription to the service.

I’m not privy to the club’s thinking on CharltonTV, or the finances of the service, ie the extent to which current subscriptions cover costs, or projections if the services were to continue and be available only for non-UK subscribers. Again, I think it’s reasonable to expect confirmation from the club whether or not the service will continue next season for International Addicks as currently provided, whether there will be a pared back service, and how much it is planned to charge for the service with no UK-based users.

To that I’d add that CharltonTV provides a massively important link to the club for us living abroad. Sky’s infrequent and probably impersonal service will provide no substitute. And beyond my personal interest there is the whole issue of the extent to which the club wishes to embrace and interact with its international supporters, for mutual benefit. It is appreciated that the club’s key focus has to be getting more fans back into The Valley, but ignoring the international fan base would, I believe, be short-sighted. These Addicks – I am a member of the International Addicks fan group – are a committed bunch (in every sense of the word, as all who have encountered the German Addicks in particular will testify) ready and willing to do what they can to help promote the club all over the world. The CATV streaming service is an irreplaceable lifeline for them, essential if they are to help increase an international fan base in the years ahead.

Also, let’s not forget, CharltonTV is bloody good. Steve Brown and Curbs, plus Scott Minto and others, come close to making bloggers redundant with the quality of their analysis. No doubt the number of EFL clubs providing a streaming service for its overseas fans will be reduced by the EFL/Sky deal. Retaining the service will only enhance the reputation of Charlton within the game.

Perhaps with the coverage tomorrow the CharltonTV team will indicate if it’s ‘see you again next season’ or ‘adieu’.

Campaign All But Done But Duchere Still In The Hunt

So, when they come to write the next volume in the history of Charlton Athletic, what will Saturday’s game be remembered for? Wickham’s first goal for the club (first of many or one and only?), the one that marked formal confirmation that we have avoided relegation, the unbeaten run being extended to 13 (only two more to have it last until the end of the season), for yet another bloody draw, or for the extension of another sequence which seems to have been going on a while, namely games after which Jones expressed his frustration at not having won? Probably all and none of the above.

Sure, we might have won it, another game in which we outdid the opposition on attempts on goal and an inch the other way and May’s one off the post would probably have been the winner. Having taken the lead we were dominant in the first half, even if the pitch and conditions worked against anyone playing football. However, I really couldn’t begrudge Cambridge their point. They dug deep in the second half to get something out of the game and probably had the better of things in that period, without carrying much of a threat, aside from the confusion caused by long throws into the box. Their goal was disappointing from our perspective, but then the reverse also applied – Wickham did exceptionally well but their centre-backs left him to do what he did unchallenged. Ultimately we didn’t do enough well enough in either box to win the game, a familiar story.

The game ultimately left me feeling that it really is time to draw a veil over this season. The record books will show us ending in the lower half of the third flight and another season of disappointment. I suspect that the stats freaks among us will question how many clubs have a season which includes a winless run of 18 games followed by 13 (perhaps up to 15) unbeaten? The rest of us will remember it as a campaign which saw us never truly threaten to secure a top-six finish and which included a disastrous period which saw us come closer to relegation to the fourth division than ever before in our lifetimes. Of course, we all fervently hope it will also be remembered as the watershed which prompted the arrival of Jones at the club and the start of the period of glorious revival and unparalleled success.

Rather than going over the details of another mid-table game I thought it was appropriate to give a quick update on French football matters, ie the contest for promotion from National 3 involving my adopted team, Lyon Duchere. The last update was after the 17th round of the 26-round campaign, with Duchere then in second place, two points behind near neighbours Saint-Priest, following a 2-2 draw between the two. Since then Duchere have beaten comfortably St Etienne’s second string 3-1, but then came unstuck, losing 2-3 away at Chassieu Decines. They were back on track with a 3-0 home win over US Feurs, a 2-1 victory away at FC Espaly, and a 3-0 win over Limonest Dardilly. Over the same period Saint-Priest were held to a 2-2 away at lowly Ain Sud, beat Chambery Savoie 1-0 at home, but then surprisingly lost 1-2 to Clermont Foot reserves. They followed this with a 2-0 win at Olympique de Valence and a 2-1 victory over Vaulx en Velin.

The upshot of all this is that the pair are still locked together at the top, both on 46 points from 22 games, with four to play. I confess I’m not sure why, but the sites of both Duchere and Saint-Priest show Duchere in the top spot, despite a goal difference of 15 against one of 23 for Saint-Priest. With only one to go up, it is the time that Alex Ferguson used to refer to. Indeed, the next round of games is going to centre on Lyon, with Duchere to take on Olympique Lyonnais’ second string while Saint-Priest will host Haut-Lyonnais.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on developments on that front, although this weekend I will be at The Valley! Planned a trip to take in the final home game of the season, more I confess for the ambience and company than in anticipation of a footballing classic. Hopefully we will enjoy a decent game and emerge unbeaten again, a few goals wouldn’t come amiss. But I suspect like most others the main theme of the debate will be who should stay and who should go – and what players we need to bring in. I am sure that during the glasses of wine before and after the game, then the obligatory curry, deep and meaningful conclusions will be drawn.

Run Continues As Spoils Are Shared

Wrong of course to suggest that nothing was riding on tonight’s game, but there wasn’t much. Another victory and if followed by Port Vale losing we would be mathematically safe, keep the unbeaten run going, finish as high as possible, help May stay top of the goalscoring chart. All worthy objectives but in the greater scheme of things the pressure was off. And in that context coming away with a point was not unacceptable, especially given that we were ahead curtesy of a joke goal, one that quite obviously should not have been awarded, and after conceding two rather sloppy goals had to come from behind to share the spoils. On chances we finished well ahead, Wigan scoring twice from three attempts on target, but you don’t get points for that.

With Jones (the player) and Wickham apparently available for selection, there was interest in whether Jones (the manager) would indulge in a little tinkering or try to keep the pressure on to secure as high a finish in the league as possible. In the event there was only one change to the starting line-up, with Watson returning and Ramsay moving to the bench. Wickham joined him there, with Edmunds-Green and Ladapo left out of the squad. As on Saturday, this left us looking light on defensive cover (we finished the Barnsley game with Anderson filling in at wing-back), with two replacement forwards (Wickham and Aneke) and two wingers (Campbell and LuaLua) for a team employing wing-backs. I can’t pretend to understand it but presumably there was a plan.

The easing of pressure seemed to be reflected in a drab first half, one in which neither side registered an attempt on target (we did score of course). Jones after the match seemed to be pleased with the effort put in, but beyond the hustle and bustle nothing much was created at either end. Early on May was unable to collect a Watson header back across goal and Kanu saw his effort blocked, although straight from that Wigan had their most dangerous moment as their tricky wide guy Godo, on loan from Fulham, surprised the much bigger Small by getting around him and almost coverting.

Our ‘goal’ came on 18 minutes, A bit of ping-pong saw Gillsephey send it back long. Their defender seemed to have it covered but was backpeddling. May was never going to get there and as their guy shaped to hook clear pulled him over. Off balance his slice sent the ball looping over the keeper’s head and into the net on the bounce. The club website talked of May putting their guy ‘under pressure’. OK, we are pleased, we take the break, reminded me of Washington, who often used to challenge on the edge for balls he had no chance of winning, leaving it up to the ref to decide. But quite frankly it was ridiculous how the officials did not award Wigan a free-kick.

After that May played in Dobson, who shot into the side-netting from the left side, Hector picked up a yellow for protesting too much, Watson pulled up injured and was replaced by Ramsay, Dobson late on found Anderson but he couldn’t get his shot away, and right at the end Wigan gave the ball away only for May’s shot to be diverted and Small not able to convert.

So at the break we were ahead on points and ahead in reality thanks to the officials. Early in the second half we had the chances to make the game probably safe but Small’s shot was saved and Dobson’s was deflected onto the post. Instead we went on to concede two goals in four minutes to find ourselves behind. Their guy’s shot was saved by Isted, the follow-up blocked, but the ball then running for another to slot home; and not long after one of theirs was played through the middle and Gillesphey arriving late was only able to deflect his shot past Isted.

That prompted a triple substitution, with Aneke, Campbell and LuaLua introduced for Gillesphey, May and Kanu, thereby making a nonsense of my pre-match thought that there was no point having both Campbell and LuaLua on the bench as there was no way both would be used. Seems we reverted to a kind of 4-3-3. And the remainder of the game was largely about whether we could equalise and even go on and win. We did manage the first, with Aneke heading home from close range, and had chances after that, after another switch as Wickham came on for Anderson. But seven minutes of stoppage time failed to deliver a decider and both teams left the pitch if not over the moon then at least not in despair.

It means mathematically we need another five points to be certain of staying up, although that would drop to three or two if Port Vale fail to win at Peterborough tonight. And in reality we are safe. Three more unbeaten, taking that run to 15 games, would be a nice way to finish the season. The season itself will go down as a poor failure overall, but one which fell into three stages: the first, through to end-November, when we were in sight of the play-off places but with injuries taking a heavy toll needed more bodies if we were to challenge; the second saw us slump through December and January and into February, with the extensive changes in the transfer window intensifying the chaos as we slid towards the relegation spots, culminating in the defeat at Reading; and the third as Jones took charge and imposed a new style of play, one which has kept us up. For him the season is mission accomplished; but next season’s mission will be very different.

Fat Lady Can Surely Start Singing Now

Looked like another tough one for sure, given Barnsley’s qualities, reflected in their league position, and in particular their away record. Win and surely the trap door would be closed, cue fat lady to clear larynx and get the summer hols brochures out; draw and at least the unbeaten run continues, with another four draws to end the campaign likely to be enough; lose and we could conceivably have fallen three places, to 19th, even end up just five points above the drop zone with one or two still with games in hand on us. That would have been a rude awakening and emphasised the need for more points before we could truly relax. So the emphasis was still on points rather than performance and thoughts about next season.

In the event, perhaps in anticipation of the opposition – and certainly as a result of their approach to the game - we put in a performance in marked contrast to the previous three, sterile contests (in which let’s not forget we had scored twice, a soft penalty and an own goal off a defender’s head). And we took the points with a win which was ultimately deserved, even though Barnsley will have been scratching their heads at half-time to have been behind. In truth both teams created enough good chances to have scored a hatful so, aside from some important decisions from the officials (which did go in our favour), the outcome was down quite simply to which team took more. And that proved to be us.

The team was something of a revert to type after the changes for Stevenage. With Watson injured/rested there was a very welcome reappearance for Ramsay. Gillesphey was also brought into the central defensive trio, with Edmunds-Green dropping to the bench. Further forward Anderson returned to the starting line-up, with Ladapo back among the subs, Jones reverting to May and Kanu up front rather than having May in the hole. With Ramsay and Anderson back, Ness and Edun dropped out of the squad, with Edmunds-Green the only available defensive replacement, set against two forwards (Aneke and Ladapo) and two wingers (Campbell and LuaLua) plus a central midfielder (Bakinson). It did leave the bench looking unbalanced, arguably unnecessarily so.

Barnsley caused us problems from the off and defensively we struggled to cope. On three minutes they played in a guy far too easily and we were fortunate that the lob over Isted which he chose went just over the bar. On 10 minutes we were more fortunate still as their forward got goalside of Hector in the box. Hector seemed to either trip him or wrestle him to the ground, with no chance of getting the ball. The ref did have a clear view and may have decided that the guy went down too easily, but there was for sure contact and we could have had no complaints if a penalty had been given.

We had been getting some joy down the flanks with two genuine wing-backs in operation, but it was something of a surprise when we took the lead just before 20 minutes were up. Anderson cut across the area and drew a clumsy challenge, resulting in a free kick just outside the box and fairly central. I thought at the time it would be hard to get it over and under and hadn’t considered another option: May hit the ball sweetly with his right foot and it flew across the wall and into the far corner of the net. It was the area you expected the keeper to be, but he’d moved to his left, seemingly in anticipation of a more routine effort, and was completely wrongfooted. After the game May was asked about it and said he changed his mind at the last moment, seeing the keeper move. If that’s the case it was a truly outstanding effort, to assess a situation in an instant and take advantage of it.

We almost added a second shortly after but after Thomas’ long ball and May’s move back inside Dobson missed his kick and Kanu’s effort was blocked, then at the other end Thomas was caught out and had to take down their guy, picking up a yellow (with Barnsley arguing for more than that). The free kick was blocked by the wall but the reprieve proved short-lived as a ball sent across from their left was met by the outstretched arm of Ramsay. Given the position of his arm the ref really had no option but to give this one. Isted guessed correctly, diving to his right, but the effort was well struck and well placed.

In the following period Barnsley came close to taking the lead at least a couple of times. I don’t know how their guy failed to convert from close range a cross sent in from the right, but he did, then a free kick was headed on and dropped for one of theirs who hit the bar. That said, the game was open enough for either side to feel confident about scoring again. A long ball found Kanu and he was barged over advancing towards goal. At first it looked a clear penalty for us, but the replays showed the first contact was outside the box. That free kick came to nothing but a few minutes later we retook the lead with another gem from May. The ball forward on our left side was dummied by Dobson and ran on to find May, who turned deftly, moved to his right, then hit a lovely curler beyond the keeper. Superb finishing.

Barnsley will have gone to the dressing room at the break feeling hard done-by to be behind and nobody at that stage will have been putting money on a goalless second half. Certainly not me. And it really should not have been goalless.

Just to list some of the major chances, Kanu headed over a Dobson cross when he might have done better; Barnsley danger from a long throw ended with a shot over the bar; on 70 minutes Dobson found May, who checked onto his left foot this time only for his curler to come back off the post and Aneke (who had come on for Kanu, after Edmunds-Green had replaced an understandably tiring Ramsay) headed the rebound over; Barnsley went straight up the other end and a cross from the right found a guy on his own in the box, but he muffed the chance; then on 75 minutes Barnsley were appealing for another penalty (which resulted in a minor altercation involving Hector and a couple of yellows); on 77 minutes a May chip went just over; and a minute later Coventry was played in and rounded their keeper only to find the side-netting from a tight angle (and be given offside).

It didn’t end there as eight minutes of stoppage time (which ended up as over 10) began with a Barnsley ball over the top finding a guy running in on goal, who shot home from a tight angle but was flagged offside (Barnsley it seems say the replay showed him clearly onside), then we had the opportunity to remove any doubts. A difficult ball to control was played back to their keeper and Campbell (who had come on with Bakinson in the final minutes of normal time, for Thomas and May) chased it down. He managed to get there just in time to be caught by the keeper and the ref gave the spot kick. Aneke took the responsibility but his effort wasn’t entirely convincing and was well saved by their keeper’s outstretched arm. He did partially make up for the miss by being instrumental in running down the clock before the ref finally brought proceedings to a close.

Overall a good performance, a highly entertaining game, and a glorious victory. We may still sit in 16th place in the league but with other results going our way we are, with 50 points, all but certain of staying up. Indeed, if we win on Tuesday night and Port Vale lose on Wednesday, we will be mathematically safe. When we lost tamely at Reading in mid-February that seemed an awfully long way off. All that’s left to play for now is really whether we can avoid our lowest final league position for eighty-odd years and whether May can hold onto his spot as the division’s leading goalscorer (he may have accepted losing out on the chance of a hat-trick yesterday but I’ve no doubt he will want to spend every minute left on the pitch in pursuit of that objective). I suspect we are past the point where players are trying to press their credentials for a new contract and to persuade Jones that they should be retained, but we can now let the speculation run rife as regards who will stay and who will go.

Let's Be Grateful For Another Point

I don’t think any purists of the game were holding their breath in advance of this one. Stevenage’s many admirable qualities do not include playing the ‘beautiful game’; and to be fair, right now, and for good reasons, neither do ours. It was always going to be a scrap, between a team still aiming for a play-off spot, despite having fallen away of late (no wins in five), and one not quite having banished relegation fears. Both could really have used a win, while a 0-0 or a win for either by a single goal would surely have been the shortest odds with the bookies.

So the stalemate that followed in itself was no surprise. But that doesn’t excuse both sides’ inability to do the basics well enough, to pick and play balls, long or short, with a decent level of accuracy, or to show the pace or movement to unlock defences, or to make the most of the few chances which were created. Both teams defended well, not least because defences were seldom stretched. You might question how Stevenage can perform at this level and be contending for a play-off spot, but the answer is obvious enough. Only the top two and one other have conceded fewer goals than them. And yesterday, after a dire and dull but even first half they progressively got on top through the second half, wearing us down. To our credit we didn’t concede and stuck to the task, but by the end we were grateful to take another point, keep the unbeaten run going, and keep the gap to the relegation zone intact with another round ticked off.

After two consecutive disappointing performances (Fleetwood and Exeter) there was a case for changes to the team/squad, some reshuffling of the pack. In the event, Jones went for two changes to the starting X1, with Edmunds-Green back in for Gillesphey (like Edmunds-Green before him, not included in the squad) and Ladapo starting in place of Anderson (also rested from the squad). It pointed to May playing in the hole behind Ladapo and Kanu, this being the option chosen to afford Anderson a break rather than Bakinson getting a start. On the bench LuaLua took the spot made vacant (with still no sign of the other Watson or Wickham, or Fiorini for that matter, remember him?).

Let’s get the game out of the way. In the first half we had a couple of balls across the face of their goal without being converted and a reasonable chance for May, who pulled down a ball through from Dobson well enough but couldn’t set himself properly for the strike on goal, being off-balance and missing the ball. The stats at the break showed that they had two efforts on goal, one on target, but that was a strike from outside the box which was routine for Isted. For the record we had one attempt on goal, off target.

Given their position we expected more from Stevenage in the second half and to be fair, helped it seemed by three substitutions at the break, they did pose more of a threat. Just before the hour mark they could have gone ahead as a ball in from the right was headed back to another guy who really should have done better than head over the bar. Another cross chested down resulted in a shot wide, then May and Hector combined to block a dangerous effort. We did have moments – Ladapo had a header saved, May almost caught their keeper out as his clearance was returned first time, and Kanu played in Dobson whose cross ended up seeing Bakinson (by then on as a sub) prod wide – but they were few and far between.

Through the game May looked ill at ease in the hole against this particular opposition (and was replaced by Bakinson with 20 minutes left), Kanu worked manfully with his back to goal but didn’t get a sniff of a chance in the box, Ladapo was generally well marshalled, and the introduction of Aneke for him on the hour failed to lead to a greater forward threat. The only other change we made was Ness coming on for an injured Watson, with Edmunds-Green switching to wing-back. You’d probably give man of the match to Hector – no question it had to be a defender.

So, five more to go, five more draws likely to see us safe. Whether it was the effort put in during that spell against top teams, which ended up making the difference between our position now and an outright relegation scrap, and an easing of the immediate pressure, or thoughts about who stays and who goes come the end of the season, we’re really no longer expecting this team/squad to develop in any real sense. It has, arguably, done its job. As for what’s going on in Jones’ head as regards requirements for next season, perhaps only one entity has any idea – and he/she is not saying anything.