Reality Check Or Just Bad Day At The Office?

We all knew that this would be a big one (same for Bolton away on Tuesday night), away against a team which has surprisingly underperformed for much of the season but which had seemingly founds its feet, having won two and drawn two of its last four to sit just three points behind us. I didn’t agree with the Trust’s comment that a draw for us would not be enough, too early in the season for that, but I’d have said it was a game we could not afford to lose and would be massively encouraging to win, to help close the gap on those above us – and to provide evidence that we can sustain the improvement in form. We were looking for a performance comparable to that at Preston in the cup but with a different outcome.

In the event we got spanked. Turned over from start to finish (well, to be technical we did win the last minute) in all departments, not just in our final third. Rotherham were fluid, passed well, got numbers forward in support, had a front two which we failed to contain whatever our formation, causing individual and collective confusion in our defence, and for good measure had the better of our attack despite conceding a couple. We started sluggishly, chasing shadows, were two down within the first 15 minutes, then, having been given a get out of jail card just before the break, contrived to restore their two-goal advantage almost immediately. Once the fourth went in inside the first 10 minutes of the second half we were more than beaten, summed up with Mitchell’s bizarre hoof from the touchline to their forward. Maynard-Brewer helped keep it to four and the only relevance of our late second was that it reminded us that Godden is the best goalscorer we have and to push us back above them in the table, having dropped below curtesy of what was a six-goal shift in goal difference.

For the record, the team/squad contained no surprises, with Jones reverting to the line-up that had started – and taken 10 points from – the last four league games. Maynard-Brewer back between the sticks, Mitchell, Jones and Gillesphey in central defence, Small and Edwards the wing-backs, Coventry, Docherty and Berry in midfield, Leaburn and Campbell(T) up front. On the bench Edmonds-Green was the only defensive option, Anderson and Campbell(A) for midfield, plus Aneke, Godden and Kanu for the forwards, which meant that Ahadme went from a starting spot against Preston to not making the squad, effectively third-choice ‘big guy’.

Rotherham’s first goal did have an element of fortune, but even after eight minutes had been coming. A cross from the left was allowed to drop and rather hit their guy, rebounding fortuitously to a possibly offside Green, with Jones and others ball-watching, rooted to the spot. He mishit his effort, but it dribbled in off the post. Their second saw from a throw-in Jones completely miss his attempted clearance, leaving their guy to take it on. He squared it to another in space who shot across Maynard-Brewer with just enough on it to prevent Gillesphey from a decisive block.

That seemed to spark a change in formation, to more of a 4-4-2 (call it a diamond midfield if you want), with Small switching back to the left and Mitchell covering at right-back. Didn’t make much difference, with Rotherham almost getting a third as their guy was able to round Maynard-Brewer in the box but this time from a tight angle Gillesphey was able to prevent the ball going in. We might have had a penalty with a rare foray forward as Campbell moved the ball into the box and was shoved over from the side, their guy not getting anything on the ball. Soft perhaps, but VAR would have given it.

As it was, out of the blue we were thrown a lifeline just before the break. Mitchell made a good interception on our right and Docherty took the ball on, played an excellent low ball in, and Leaburn dispatched it well into the far corner. Outplayed and outfought we now had the chance to get into the dressing-room only one down, sort out a few things and come out all guns blazing. Instead, criminally we let in another, a horrible one at that.

Coventry delayed a ball forward and ended up getting robbed, pulling back their guy to take a yellow. The free-kick into our box found defenders poorly positioned to be able to clear, the ball headed down weakly. Their guy’s first-time shot was blocked but the rebound sat up for the same guy to head it back, it looping over Maynard-Brewer off his line and into the net. It was a throwback to the defending of last season and completely altered the mood as the ref blew for half-time.

Jones made one change at the break with Aneke introduced early, for Small, cementing the shift in formation (he had failed to have an impact on either flank but quite frankly nobody could have complained about being taken off). It pointed to us going (very) long and keeping things simple, but before we had a chance to see if we might get back into the game we conceded again. Simple enough stuff but effective. A ball played forward to their forward with his back to goal. He played it on and the other guy read the intention well and time the run to avoid being offside. In on goal, Maynard-Brewer coming off his line, he duplicated Leaburn’s effort against Wycombe and chipped the keeper, the ball bouncing in just under the bar.

That was effectively game-over, if it had not been before. We had Mitchell’s moment of madness just before the hour, then Godden and Anderson introduced for Leaburn and Berry. Godden almost scored at the near post with just about his first touch. We were given a free-kick around the edge of the box for a foul on Aneke that never was. All went forward only for Coventry to send in a horrible attempt. Then it was Campbell(A) and Kanu for Docherty and Coventry, presumably with Bolton in mind, and the confusion was such that as the clock ran down Maynard-Brewer was needed to pull off some good saves to prevent a fifth.

Three minutes of stoppage time seemed three too many, but Campbell(A) got in the way of Rotherham breaking out of defence and the ball ran through to Godden, just inside the box. He steadied himself and from a difficult position hit a super shot into the far top corner, with Phillips only able to watch.

So, is there any way to make sense of what happened or do we write it off as just a very bad day at the office, one which we began very badly and failed to recover from? Let’s be fair to start, Rotherham were good, in form and confident, seldom gave us a look-in and could have scored many more than four. Perhaps it was just the style of their forwards which we couldn’t cope with. Jones (the player) has been excellent this season, but was partially culpable for their first two goals (in neither case were they real howlers but the errors cost us). He’s been so influential that perhaps with him shaky the others around him went to pieces. Their third goal was just rank bad defending collectively. At the other end Leaburn and Campbell(T) both struggled to have any impact in the first half, nothing came down the flanks from the wing-backs, and our central midfield was overrun.

I think we’ll only find out the answer to the question on Tuesday night. Another performance like this one and another defeat and it would be one point out of nine against three teams with play-off ambitions and with most ready to write the season off. A positive performance and result and the world will look different again. We began the season with three wins but couldn’t sustain that, albeit with injuries playing a large part. Three consecutive wins and a decent draw can’t be allowed this time to be followed by the same kind of drift.

I’ve no idea if Jones (the boss) will make changes for Bolton. But you do have to ask yourself one thing. We have scored 29 goals in 24 league games, fewer than any of the teams in the top 10. Our leading scorer is joint 18th in the division’s top scorers on six. But his goals per 90 minutes and minutes per goal stats are 0.53 and 170 respectively, effectively a goal every other full game. Only six players in this league have better minutes per goal readings than Godden. Why is it that a team which doesn’t score enough goals chooses to leave by far its most effective goalscorer on the bench? Of course there are other factors involved, including the attributes others offer. But the impression is still that we let May leave because Jones wasn’t that keen on him and it would appear that Jones isn’t that keen on selecting his erstwhile replacement (even though the other front man brought in, Ahadme, has so far been a disappointment).