Come on you felt, just one more, please. Yes, we knew we’d be back asking for the same thing next time around, and the one after that, but yesterday’s game would round off the very challenging five-game spell, including four against promotion rivals. If nine points out of 12 could become 12 out of 15 we’d be up to fourth and able to sit back and watch the other results come in later. We also knew that a draw, away at a decent side, one which has (unfortunately) coped better than might have been expected from the loss in January of their main goalscorer, wouldn’t be a poor result. We’d shared the spoils with them at The Valley back in October (but very nearly won, against 10 men in the closing stages). But we’re on a roll and another victory would truly warm the heart.
Nobody said it would be easy, or pretty. By accident or design, and assisted by the referee’s leniency (he began the game by not giving them a penalty and after that no challenge on our players merited a free kick), the game turned into a slug fest in blustery conditions on a difficult surface, battles for physical supremacy all over the pitch, mostly won by the defenders of both sides. Stockport caused us problems with their set-up, with big guys up front able to hold up play and willing runners in support. We were pushed back into defending our box, which all those involved did manfully. Despite them having 59% possession, we restricted Stockport to one attempt on target, which drew an excellent save from Mannion, although they also hit the bar and had some fizz just wide or not converted. Trouble was they also nullified our attacking threat, with Campbell and Small barely in the game, neither able to get the space to run at their opposite numbers. For that you have to give them credit.
The outcome was a desperately tight game that you felt all the way through might be decided by one lapse of concentration. A draw was probably about right as neither side did enough in the final third to claim victory. But for me there was no doubt, it was a better result for us than for them. We went toe-to-toe in a physical encounter that in previous seasons we would have lost badly. All that was missing was the late winner as Gillesphey put the header wide, albeit from a tight angle. The point meant that we took 10 from the tough five games, suffering defeat only at Birmingham.
The team showed one change made by Jones, with Leaburn starting in place of Godden. Whether that was down to resting tired legs or with the opposition in mind, needing extra height in both boxes, wasn’t clear. That we ended up needing that height can’t be doubted, but we also missed Godden’s intelligent work up front with and without the ball, especially as Leaburn was consistently roughed up with no protection from the ref.
Both sides started the game looking likely to score. For us Leaburn couldn’t get control of a long ball down the channel and ended up shooting wide, while Docherty overhit a pass to Campbell in the clear. They had dangerous moments and after just five minutes a ball threaded behind Small saw him and their guy go down together in the box. Have to look at it several more times to see if there was material contact, but fortunately or not the ref gave nothing. Shortly after first Campbell and then Leaburn were clearly bundled off the ball and nothing was given. Is that consistency? Perhaps, but it encouraged their defenders to believe they could get away with anything.
There were more chances at both ends before the break. After an Edwards long throw was headed out he returned it. The cross was flicked on by a defender and Berry was just unable to make meaningful contact at the far post. Jones was onto a ball that had cleared Leaburn but his first touch was heavy and the opportunity was gone. Stockport had their openings too, winning free kicks and getting bodies into the box – but at the break, despite 63% possession, they had managed no efforts on target (against our one).
If we’d edged the first half on decent chances the picture changed early in the second as in the first 10 minutes they had three close calls. First, a ball in from the left was knocked back and their guy poked it goalwards only for Mannion to claw it away, with another not able to convert the rebound. A dangerous shot was deflected over our bar and from the corner another header back into the mix saw their guy flick at it and with Mannion a spectator it came back off the bar.
We were unable to get anything going in possession and it wasn’t surprising that changes came early. On 55 minutes Aneke and Anderson were brought on for Small and Berry. We weren’t getting the ball forward for Berry to get on the end of anything and Small had it seemed just one of those days when he couldn’t get involved. With now two big guys up front we were going long and the rest of the game was just about whether one side might nick what would probably be the winner. Aneke had a taste of what Leaburn had been going through as he suffered an early head injury and continued to get manhandled, the ref showing complete indifference.
A foul for us not given led to Edwards pulling a guy back and getting a yellow, then another on Leaburn, who was simply wrestled to the floor, saw them break and a low ball across goal from the left only just beat two of theirs. Our best moment came when on 88 minutes Anderson played a second ball back in and Gillesphey had a free header. But it was a tough one to convert, requiring a deft flick and he put it wide. And that, despite seven minutes of added time, was it.
There will have been some very tired bodies last night, not least Jones who played on despite being in discomfort. It was the very essence of a hard-won point. And a very welcome one at that. Being very hard you might say not winning reduces the chances of us being able to get to Wycombe and Wrexham and take second; we could end up having to beat both of them on their grounds to have a chance of that. At the same time, with Huddersfield, Leyton Orient and Barnsley all losing and Reading only taking a point, we’ve consolidated a play-off place, just a pity that Bolton are still hot on our heels.
There are for sure going to be plenty of twists and turns before the end of the season, resuming on Tuesday night when we travel to Crawley (to surely not suffer the indignity of them doing the double over us), Bolton go to Bristol Rovers, and Reading take on Wrexham (and on Saturday Bolton will be up against Stockport and Wycombe play Wrexham). But we’ve put ourselves in a position where, with 11 games to go, it will be a disappointment if we don’t make the play-offs, they are no longer just an aspiration.
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