Very Good Feeling Tonight

Looked like another game against fired-up opposition, with Blackburn’s manager at least still smarting over the EFL’s decision to have their game against Ipswich replayed from the start. For us it seemed like the first game of the next spell of the season, the opening having gone well enough (2,2,2) even though we felt the performances deserved more points. A game that you felt could go any which way, but short odds on another close one.

Proved to be far from that. Blackburn had the better of the opening 10 minutes but once we’d got into gear and especially after we went ahead we increasingly took control, progressively winning all the key battles across the pitch. The only surprise in the second half was that it took so long for us to put the game to bed, having spurned several good opportunities and restricting them to almost nothing. We did eventually get the second and the third at the death was just the proverbial icing on the cake.

Jones the Boss had a few selection issues to ponder before the game. Should Ramsay return after his suspension, with Byrne having slotted in very well? Should Apter start as the more attacking option at home and replace Bree, who had also done very well at Sheffield, including laying on the only goal of the game? And who would get the nod to start up front, out of Kelman, Leaburn and perhaps Olaofe? Good to have all the options. And in the event Jones went for an unchanged starting XI, with Ramsay replacing Fullah on the bench.

Again, at the start Blackburn looked the more threatening, with small forwards involving balls into feet and good movement. Bell was beaten down their right and may have made contact from behind with their guy in the box. If he’d gone to ground the ref – who had a stinker from start to finish – would have had a decision to make. We were struggling to make anything happen in their half, with Kelman as usual up against two centre-backs and Campbell not in the game early on. But while not functioning well, crucially we once again ensured we didn’t concede.

The gameplan changed a little on 17 minutes as Edwards went down under a challenge and stayed down, no foul being given. After extensive treatment he continued, but a few minutes later after taking a long throw he went down again holding his ankle and had to go off, replaced by Gillesphey, who moved into the back three and Bell moved to the wing-back spot. And whether or not as a result of that adjustment we started to create more. A Coventry long ball bounced only just beyond Kelman, then an interception was moved onto Campbell, whose low cross from the left couldn’t find a red shirt. Then a cross from the right was taken down by Docherty, whose decent shot was blocked, then Carey’s shot from the rebound was saved.

So it wasn’t entirely out of the blue that we took the lead. Coventry was fouled on our right side and Bree sent the free-kick to the far post, where Gillesphey easily outjumped his marker and headed back across goal and into the net. Whether their keeper got his positioning wrong, whether Blackburn made a mess with their marking, who knows, or cares? For Gillesphey it meant goals in consecutive games, the previous one being at Wembley. He also became the first player to score for us this season who wasn’t a new signing.

The rest of the first half saw half-chances at both ends. Coventry turned well on the byline to get in a low cross, then Campbell worked the ball to Kelman, who played it back to him to run in on goal. There was some hesitation as the keeper came out to narrow the angle and TC ended up going over him but with no real suggestion of a penalty. Jones managed to pick up a yellow for next to nothing, which was followed shortly by a rash Blackburn challenge on Docherty which produced no card. Blackburn did have moments, with Carey having to put in some great defensive work to keep them out, then Jones fouling their guy on the edge of the area. The free-kick was clearly in a dangerous position, but fortunately their guy blasted it well over the bar.

At the break the stats showed even possession and seven shots from us, three on target, against five and one for them. But I think everyone watching would have acknowledged that we had got on top as the half progressed and that Blackburn would have to raise their game to get back into it.

In that they failed as the second half became a tale of Charlton missed chances. Shortly after the restart Campbell cut inside. His shot was poor but it rebounded to Docherty, whose shot was saved. Blackburn did have a shout for a penalty when a cross seemed to hit Jones’ arm. It would have been a very harsh one but you have seen them given (and if it had been perhaps it would have been a second yellow and a red). But that was the exception to the rule.

On 56 minutes after another interception Bell fed Campbell, but his poor shot went over the bar. And a minute later Campbell was involved again, cutting across the box and curling a shot only inches wide of the far post. That was to be his last involvement as on 58 minutes Leaburn and Olaofe came on for him and Kelman. On 60 minutes Leaburn fed Olaofe and he almost managed to squeeze it through to Docherty in a good position. Then after picking up a yellow for a late challenge (following Bree also in the book) Carey got free inside the box on the right side but his low ball into the mix found nobody.

On 69 minutes we really should have extended our lead. Leaburn set up Carey, whose good shot was parried into the path of Burke, with something of an open goal in front of him. He failed to control the effort and put it over the bar. By now the doubts were rising, would we end up getting punished for not getting a second? But such concerns were buried on 77 minutes as Docherty played the ball forward to Olaofe, who held it up superbly then laid it off inside to Carey. He was still a fair way out but wasn’t closed down and had the time to line up his shot. He hit it powerfully inside the near post, the Blackburn keeper perhaps here too a little at fault for not getting to it.

That wasn’t entirely game over, but it felt like finally just rewards for our display. Blackburn did have a couple of shots, one deflected wide for a corner and the other sent only just over the bar after a good attack, but they were not to get back into it. Jones the Boss was even able to withdraw Jones the Player on 82 minutes, along with Carey, Ramsay and Knibbs coming on. By now Blackburn’s frustration was threatening to boil over, especially with the ref giving all sorts of odd decisions. On 90 minutes Bell got involved in a bit of handbags and got a yellow, along with the Blackburn guy and on 93 we added some gloss to the scoreline as good initial work by Docherty was followed by more from Olaofe, who played in back to Docherty. He pulled it back across goal to find Bree, who side-footed it home as the defender seemed to leave it for the keeper, who was in turn confused.

It was a performance with absolutely nothing to complain about. We defended once again superbly, despite losing Edwards, with Gillesphey and then Ramsay fitting in very well, while Burke and Bell both had good games. In central midfield Docherty and Coventry were outstanding (I’d give MoM to the latter). I think many felt this was an area of the pitch we would struggle in, but both are playing out of their skins at the moment. And although none of the forwards found the net, Carey showed he can make the kind of goals contribution that Berry managed last year, with Knibbs a very capable replacement. And there’s still Apter, player of the month but now having to wait for his chance.

The only concern Jones must be having at the moment is whether some of the players will be able to continue with this commitment and intensity for three games in seven days. We will find out, but from what we’ve seen if some fresh legs are needed we have the replacements to hand. It’s a very good feeling tonight.  

 

Fair Reward This Time Around

There are some games ahead of which it might be said that league positions mean nothing. This was for sure going to be one of them. When you take on the side bottom of the league with no points and five straight defeats, just one scored and 12 conceded, you would normally be licking your lips. But when that team happens to have been within 15 or so minutes of the Premiership last season and has just brought back their iconic manager, playing in front of their own fans, it really is a different ball game. And with the season at this early stage one or two results can truly alter the picture: win and we’ve started with 2,2&2, perfectly acceptable; don’t win and all the focus is on not having won since the first game of the season.

Like others I’m sure before the game I felt this would be one it would be easy to lose in the first 20 minutes – and that therefore we needed to be on it from the first whistle. Was hoping that a more defensive line-up wouldn’t mean we retreated into a shell early on and invite them onto us, fears echoed by Steve Brown in the commentary box. But it really didn’t pan out that way. Sheffield United looked a pale shadow of the team last season, inventive in midfield but quite blunt up top and wobbly at the back. They didn’t show the intensity and determination we expected. Instead in another game of very few chances it all boiled down to whether one side or the other might nick one and take the points. And it proved to be us.

The team saw two changes from the Millwall game, one enforced of course by Ramsay’s suspension. Burke came in for him, while Bree was preferred to start instead of Apter as the right-side wing-back. Presumably that was just to tighten up in the early stages with a view to bringing on Apter later in the game against tiring defenders. On the bench Anderson was back after having served his suspension.

Rather than being on the back foot we had the better of the first period, containing them well enough in our final third and looking dangerous on the break. An interception poked on for Kelman to run on goal in the first minute set the tone, but he had a long way to go and no support, ended with a shot wide. He was almost in again on 10 minutes but couldn’t control a difficult ball, then it was Campbell’s turn to run on goal on the right side on a break, but he too shot wide. They were openings but not really good chances, the next one coming on 29 minutes when Campbell cut into the area and saw his shot blocked.

However, Sheffield did begin to dominate possession and had their best spell, finally giving their crowd something to get behind. The closest they came was a set-piece move with a corner played short and then squared for their midfielder to run onto it and hit a curling shot with his right. It went just over the bar after a slight deflection; just under and there was nothing Kaminski could have done about it.

Fortunately we saw out that period and before the end of the first half had by far the best chance to open the scoring. A corner was knocked out but then played back in and Jones rose unchallenged to head back to inside the near post. It looked a certain goal until their keeper stuck out a left hand and kept it out.

At the break the stats showed they had enjoyed 62% possession but with six shots and just one on target, against eight and one for us. It was clearly still anyone’s game, but you expected Sheffield to come at us with greater urgency in the second half. That too didn’t really happen.

Sheffield did have what proved to be their best chance of the game early in the second half as we made a sloppy start. A low cross from their left was intercepted but the ball only made it to the edge of the box where their guy got to it first. He had clear sight of goal but his shot was superbly blocked by Edwards and another guy hit the rebound well over the bar. We breathed again.

We were struggling to get anything going when in possession and it wasn’t surprising that Jones the Boss made an early change, bringing on Leaburn for Kelman on 61 minutes. Kelman hadn’t played badly but we were tending to go long and he had a thankless task again competing against two centre-backs, with Campbell less influential after the break.

We had another scare on 50 minutes as Bell, already on a yellow (after a foul on him was not given he’d stopped a quick throw being taken), slid in and their guy nicked it past him and took the contact. Unlike last Saturday the ref took a lenient approach and let it all go with a word and a free kick. But you had the impression that if their guy had gone to ground and rolled over a few times a second yellow would have been given. It was a close call and Bell was now on a knife-edge, with Jones the Boss surely contemplating taking him off for Gillesphey. He didn’t and Bell did manage to see out the game without further alarm.

Going into the final 20 minutes or so the game had become very scrappy. We worked manfully out of possession and kept them closed down, but you couldn’t see where a goal for us might come from. On 78 minutes Knibbs and Olaofe were introduced for Carey and Campbell, with Jones not yet at least opting to bring on Apter for Bree to increase our attacking threat.

And as the clock ran down we did have some half-chances. A Bree cross from the right found Docherty making a run into the box and his decent header went over the bar. Coventry pressed well and won the ball back for Leaburn to run on goal, his shot was fierce but close to the keeper and saved. Then, on 89 minutes, we finally made one stick. Kaminski sent it forward and Leaburn did well to turn it on, then Knibbs directed a header well to Bree on the right side. His first touch was excellent and wrongfooted their defender, moving the ball inside. He then played the ball across goal to find Olaofe. He struck it well and it was in the net.

We saw out the four minutes of stoppage time with no alarms. Would you say we deserved to win? If either of the two sides was going to win we deserved it, although through the second half the odds on a 0-0 were shortening rapidly. The final stats showed 63% possession for them, 13 shots, just that one on target (their two real chances were the one curled over and the shot blocked), against 13 for us too but four on target - including the one that mattered. We had again defended heroically, everyone worked their socks off.

Anyway, who cares? The win and three points does ease any pressure that might have been building. And if we were a shade fortunate we’ve been on the wrong side of fortune in other games. The table looks a good deal better now and we are back above Millwall, so something in this world is back to normal.

So Close, But No Cognac (This Time)

Can’t really say we’d been waiting for this one for years as it would have been far preferable for us to get back to the Championship and find that Millwall had gone down to replace us. But that aside, this was obviously a big one, for us especially. In prosaic terms a win and we would be left with two wins, a draw and two defeats from the first five games, an entirely acceptable return given the tough fixtures; obviously lose or draw and the picture would be different. Most of all, however, we simply craved a win, in whatever fashion, to end a very unwanted series and to start to reverse a truly dire record against them.

And we came close, so very close. We led from the 40th minute to the 86th and until Ramsay’s sending off on 74 minutes had looked likely to be able to see out the game, perhaps nick a second. That said we were already tiring and Millwall would have thrown everything at us in any event and always carried a threat with their height advantage. So nobody should be laying the blame on Ramsay, but no doubt his dismissal changed the nature of the contest. Although we were deservedly ahead and, despite having less possession than them had clearly the better of things in a game of very few actual chances, you have to admit that if the game had gone on another 10 minutes we would probably have lost it. So we can claim the moral high ground (never difficult against them) but not all the points.

The team showed one change from QPR, with Kelman starting up front ahead of Leaburn, who moved to the bench. Presumably Jones the Boss was impressed with what he saw on the training ground and had a plan in mind, which was fair enough. The assumption was always that Leaburn would be introduced sooner or later (with obvious thoughts before the game of him coming on to score the winner, as his father had scored in our previous league win against them). On the bench he was joined by loan signing Bree, with Mwamba missing out (and with Anderson still serving his suspension).

Through the first half we looked the brighter of the sides with the greater threat, especially with Campbell lively and clearly having the beating of his marker for pace and with Apter promising on the other flank. Millwall understandably looked to exploit him defensively but only managed to get their bigger guy on that side past him once or twice.

What chances there were fell to us, especially in the build-up to the goal. On 35 minutes a Kelman cross was knocked out to Apter but his shot was blocked, then Apter worked a good position but put in a poor shot when there seemed to be other options. On 38 minutes Apter opted to cut inside, got a little lucky with the ball and avoided a challenge, and put in a shot. This one took a wicked deflection and looped up and over their keeper, not quite dipping in time to go into the next but hitting the crossbar.

No matter. From the resulting corner Coventry sent the ball in and their keeper punched it away but only to the edge of the area where Carey was positioned. He controlled it well with a first touch, then sent in a hard low shot. I’d guess more often than not it would have been blocked, but with a Charlton player in the mix letting it go it went through everyone and into the net. Cue pandemonium, at The Valley and various other places. As usual Steve Brown in the CATV commentary box (thanks to VPN - and no thanks to Sky - I actually got to watch this game) had called it right. He pointed out that high balls into their area we were always going to be second-favourite to win and that we needed to be alert to benefit from the second ball. Carey was.

We saw out the rest of the half with no alarms and although the stats at the break showed they had enjoyed 54% possession, the telling one was that they have no efforts on target (just before the break their centre-half might have done better with a header from a corner). All we had to do was repeat that in the second.

The second half continued in the same vein, the only difference was that the ref did start taking his card out of his pocket. On 53 minutes a Millwall player was given a yellow for taking out Campbell, then on 54 a Millwall guy on their left was brought down by a combination of Coventry and Ramsay. The ref decided the latter had got there first and he was given the yellow. Might have gone the other way, which would have been significant as it turned out. And on 63 minutes Jones went into the book for a late tackle.

In between, Jones the Boss made a couple of quite early changes with Leaburn replacing Kelman, who had a decent game and was instrumental in stretching them, and Bree on for Apter, presumably to tighten up defensively on our right side. And for a spell we threatened to get the second which surely would have been decisive. On 66 minutes Carey was played in on the left side in the penalty area and his shot-come-cross was palmed out by their keeper, but not into Leaburn’s path, then just after Leaburn had the ball inside their area with his back to goal but his shot on the turn was smothered.

After that Millwall did have a couple of shots blocked and our defending was starting to look a little desperate. And on 73 minutes the game turned. A ball forward down their left side and Ramsay put in an excellent challenge to dispossess their guy. Unfortunately the ball didn’t go out of play and that guy was the first to get up to collect it. He moved inside and Ramsay, perhaps still a little disorientated, put in a sliding tackle from the side. He didn’t get the ball and everyone watching, and Ramsay himself, knew what was coming next. Second yellow and off, with no cause for complaint (other than that the ref might have booked Coventry instead of Ramsay first time around).

Millwall’s play had been patient (but largely predictable) before and now with the extra man they were able to pin us back. We had around 20 minutes to hold out and we did for 14 of them. We even had a breakaway chance as Leaburn did well to hold the ball around the halfway line and poked it forward for Campbell to run through in the clear. On his own with defenders converging he had little option but to take on the shot from outside the box and sent it over the bar.

Millwall thought they had their equaliser on 81 minutes as their substitute hammered a loose ball into the net, but he had clearly used his hand to control it. But they did get it on 87 minutes, after Burke had replaced Campbell. They advanced again down their left and a ball inside picked out a guy with a well-timed run forward. His shot was saved by Kaminski but crucially this parry dropped to that same sub, who sent it back into the net.

With five minutes of stoppage time it added up to eight minutes to see out and we managed to do that to get at least something out of the game. Not the historic victory we hoped for and which had for so long been on the cards, but at least a point. We take it and move on.

I’d only add that I thought Jones the Boss might have used more substitutes to bring on fresh legs in the closing stages, most obviously Olaofe or Rankin-Costello. There were some very tired players out there in the final 20 minutes as once again each had given his all. And a rare one, to say that I thought the ref had a very good game. He made no obviously bad calls, was consistent in what he allowed (and he did let some go, including some challenges on Jones which should have been penalised) and did not allow, and seemed in control throughout. Just wish he’d booked Coventry instead of Ramsay.