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.