Two Daft Decisions Lead To Share Of The Spoils

With all of us still buzzing after Wednesday night, the three unexpected points only slightly changed the dynamics for this one. Oxford’s three consecutive wins have changed the picture at the bottom, now its any two from a bunch, and for that they deserve credit, having made it seems astute additions in the January window. A defeat and we would still be looking over our shoulders, in the circumstances a draw would be acceptable, while a win and we would be all but safe (up to 13th – theoretically even 12th – before the others played). The abiding question was just how much was left in the tank after Middlesbrough, with Coventry, Docherty and Coady in particular having run themselves into the ground.

What we ended up with was a poor game in terms of football, with the two teams combined conjuring up three attempts on target between them, two of those being the penalties converted by each. The outcome was determined by two stupid decisions: the first by the ref, to decide that a routine challenge by Ramsay as the ball was sailing through to Mannion merited a penalty for them; the second by their defender, who crazily decided to grab hold of Jones’ shirt as their keeper came out for a ball into the box, leaving the ref with no option other than to equal things up on the penalty front. Given that ours was an equaliser in stoppage time, and that we didn’t remotely look like scoring, we are for sure much the happier of the two sides. And for the third successive game we were very relieved to hear the final whistle.

The team showed five changes from Middlesbrough – but in reality it was just a reverse of those made for that game. Kaminski was back on the bench but Mannion kept the jersey, as he deserved to. Ramsay, Jones and Bell came in for Gough, Coady and Gillesphey, with those three among the subs. The wing-backs were unchanged, as was the midfield trio again, with Jones clearly assuming that they were able to go again, while up front Dykes and Campbell came back in for Leaburn and Kelman. Or at least he was supposed to, but five changes became four as it seems Dykes was unwell and had to drop out, with Leaburn starting (and Mitchell added to the subs).

The first half was a non-event. We controlled the first 20 minutes or so, dominating possession without converting that into a goal attempt, let alone one on target. They came more into it after that, while looking equally blunt in attack. They had a free-kick from outside the box, after Chambers had been caught out and pulled back their guy, getting a yellow. It flashed comfortably over the bar. And that was the only strike on goal from either side. There were corners, throw-ins, free-kicks, a moment or two of confusion (when Mannion was coming for a ball but Bell brought it down, with both a little fortunate that Mannion was able to clear), and that was it.

Nothing changed in the second half either (aside from Clarke picking up a yellow, a header from Coventry marking our first attempt on goal, and one of theirs chipping over the bar from inside the box), until they were given a penalty on 55 minutes. It was a nothing ball into our box which was sailing through for Mannion to claim. In front of him their forward made a token effort to get there and Ramsay tracked him, with a little nudge for good measure. The forward went down, Oxford players and fans howled for a penalty, and the referee buckled and decided in their favour. Just a poor decision. The penalty was duly dispatched, Mannion guessing right but unable to keep it out.

That obviously changed the game, gave them something to hold onto. Jones the Boss opted for a quick reaction, with Kelman introduced for Ramsay, who was injured in the clash for the penalty. That meant a back four with Campbell moving to the right side. But we took a while to settle into that and looked rattled with Oxford obviously lifted. They might have increased their lead as a ball was played through and their guy lifted it over an advancing Mannion. Mannion did, however, get a touch which took much of the pace off the attempt and Jones tracking back was able to hook the ball clear before it crossed the line.

On 67 minutes we made another substitution, Fevrier coming on for Coventry, Campbell switching back to the left side. But with Oxford now content to get everyone behind the ball when out of possession this didn’t result in any actual chances, despite balls being sent into their box. On 81 minutes we were entering Hail Mary time and Fullah and Rankin-Costello were brought on, for Docherty and Chambers. We were now putting them under more consistent pressure, them like us on Wednesday with no effective out-ball, but still not threatening their goal. And as we entered six minutes of stoppage time it really did seem as though it would be one of those disappointing afternoons, one in which the opposition scoring once would be enough to take the points.

Then their defender had his moment of madness. Another routine ball into the box was going to be dealt with by their keeper, like many others, but Jones was sent sprawling and it was obvious his shirt was being pulled. Having given a soft one at the other end the ref would have to give this one too. Kelman stepped up and, while his penalty wasn’t that firmly struck, it was well placed, just inside the post, their keeper like Mannion guessing which way but unable to get to it.

Strangely enough, with them suddenly having to go in chase of a winner we looked the more likely to score again at the death. That would have been amusing, but not to be. We were content with the outcome, just what the Oxford manager says to his defender doesn’t bear thinking about.

We do now have a week to rest up and get ready for the visit of Norwich, without having to worry too much about today’s other results. Nobody will remember the game, we won’t care about how we avoided defeat, just feel satisfaction that a very tired bunch just about managed that.

Never Be More Happy To Eat Some Cheese

To say that we went into last night’s game as underdogs was something of an understatement. The bookies had Middlesbrough around 2/5 on for the win, a draw at 4/1, and win for us at 8/1. Some of us even had a pre-match discussion about whether we should send the B team and let them have the points, to keep them clear of the Spanners at the top and to rest key players for the more important game at Oxford on Saturday. Boro had conceded fewest number of goals in the league, only Sheff Wed have scored less than us. But this is football, we’ve ground out some pretty plucky draws of late. All we would have to do is keep a clean sheet.

Thoughts of such an outcome seemed even more remote when we learnt the team, which seemed to have been picked with Saturday in mind. Ramsay, Jones and Bell would all be on the bench, with Gough, Coady and Gillesphey set to form a new central three. Clarke and Chambers were kept as the wing-backs, and the midfield trio of Coventry, Docherty and Carey would be unchanged, while up front Dykes and Campbell swapped places with Leaburn and Kelman.

We knew that, as at Southampton, we would be not just parking the bus but anchoring it in position. From first to last we allowed Boro to have the ball, bring it forward as slowly or quickly as they liked, but confront them with all we had when they reached our box – and when they made it inside the box. We all know the stats by now – and on paper they are amazing. They had 78% possession, 34 attempts on goal (seven apparently on target), pretty much one every three minutes. We had two attempts on target – and everyone knows what they were: Kelman’s first-half chance and the winner from Coady. What we are left with is the quote from the great Bill Shankly: ‘the best team always wins, the rest is just gossip’.

The stats can’t tell the full story. They can’t capture the level of commitment and determination we showed to defend our goal, the numerous blocks, the endless chasing and tackling (I’d love to know how many miles Docherty and Coventry ran last night). All the heroes of last night were from our ranks. The apparently makeshift central three were excellent, with Coady marshalling those around him, Gough rising to the challenge, and Gillesphey meriting nothing but praise, while Ramsay, Jones and Bell were introduced when the time was right. Docherty and Coventry were immense. Mannion stood up to everything that did get through. Even the front two played their part, holding things up when possible, winning free-kicks to relieve the pressure. It’s daft to say that we ‘deserved’ the win, nobody can question that it was just reward for an outstanding effort.

It is fair to say that if the game was played 10 times we would win perhaps once. If Boro had converted one of their early chances they could well have gone on to win by a few. Even in stoppage time at the end I was reminding myself that if they equalised we’d come away with a point, which would have been an excellent result. On another night a ref might have viewed Chambers’ poor first-half challenge as meriting a red rather than yellow. It would have been harsh – how many times do players make a mistake and lose control of the ball and try to make amends and end up putting in rash challenges? - but not a ‘wrong’ decision. And on another night Boro would not be so profligate when it came to actually converting the chances that came their way. It's not our fault they failed miserably in front of goal. They also have to look at their decision not to have numbers back in their box from our long throw.

As for the actual chances, no question that in the first half we had the best one. On 26 minutes Carey fed Clarke down the right. He saw Kelman making strides to get into the box and laid it on for him, only for their keeper to make himself big and block the effort from close range. It wasn’t a gimmee but you felt Kelman will be disappointed not to have given him no chance.

Set that against a ball drilled low from their left across our goal-line, a one-two which led to another ball in which their guy for once unmarked put wastefully wide at the far post, and when they pulled us apart and a low ball in from their left was struck well by their guy only for it to crash back off the bar, with Mannion perhaps just getting a touch on it. Add in other interceptions, blocks, last-ditch tackles, and just getting numbers in their way and from our perspective the first half had been a success, while they probably went off still convinced that they would win the game.

The second half was no different, other than that we scored from pretty much our only chance. After a spate of substitutions by both sides on 56 minutes – we brought on Ramsay for Gough and replaced the front two with Dykes and Campbell - there seemed no danger as we won a throw on our right. We all assumed Carey would try to launch it into the box. Instead Clarke took it and rather than a lofted delivery sent in something more powerful with a lower trajectory. It beat Dykes and his marker at the near post but was met by Coady, just ahead of their defender, who only needed to divert the ball goalward, which he did to good effect. Perhaps it was arrogance/complacency that they had so few back defending their box. Whatever, it cost them dear.

The remainder of the game, save for one moment when TC was played in behind but couldn’t make it count, was a litany of Boro half-chances not converted. Several headers from inside the box went wide or over the bar, one shot from a very good position was weak and Mannion saved (their effort contrasted with the way Kelman had taken his chance on Saturday), many other attempts were blocked or diverted wide for corners. There was a scramble or two, sometimes chaos inside the box due to sheer numbers. Then after five minutes of stoppage time we had the sheer joy of the final whistle.

So, where does it all leave us? For me, there will be penance. In pre-match exchanges some other Addicks were talking of the possibility of nicking a win. I said if we did that I’d eat some cheese, which would for me be a worse punishment than eating my hat (any which way you want it the stuff is disgusting, I have normal taste buds). My partner Suzanne will select the stuff – and never will I eat some cheese more happily. The last time I did this was in return for us winning at Leicester curtesy of Kermorgant goals (his revenge for ‘Totally Sh*t From The Start’). I should have learnt my lesson then.

For us, I think the morning after we’re still trying to assess what it all means, three totally unexpected points. For sure we’re not safe yet, those below us are now bunched up, as Oxford’s three consecutive wins have ensured they are far from being written off. Given that Leicester and West Brom have more quality than you’d expect from relegation-threatened teams, at this stage you can’t predict with any confidence which two will join Sheff Wed. And that points to the risk of a relatively high number of points being required to stay up. But after consecutive wins we clearly do have a good cushion.

Somehow Jones the Boss and his team will have to get everyone physically and mentally ready for the trip to Oxford, with an early kick-off. Their January additions have clearly worked wonders for them and they appear a different side to the one we beat at The Valley. Also, while we know what to do when away at Southampton or Middlesbrough, when it has come to away at Blackburn, Portsmouth, Norwich etc we seem to get caught between focusing on a clean sheet and trying to put away on paper weaker teams. I’d suggest going up against Oxford now is tantamount to taking on a top-six team. Just how we approach and manage Saturday’s game is a real test for Jones. Well, he is paid to do the job.

Major Stride Towards The Goal

Getting nothing out of the Wrexham game had upped the pressure on this one, as did Oxford’s win at Preston (with their next two games being both at home, against Blackburn and then us), while the Blackburn v Portsmouth draw wasn’t the worst possible outcome. You couldn’t say it was a ‘must-win’ game for us, but it wasn’t far off, as failure to win would leave us looking at the fixture list and wondering where the points we need to stay up would come from (aside from Oxford next weekend, after the trip to Middlesbrough). And not winning becomes a habit; it would stretch the run of games without a win to five.

We managed to avoid that and secure the points, thanks to another excellent defensive display, one assisted by Birmingham’s strange decision to start with -and persist with – a centre-forward who couldn’t handle being given a lesson by Jones in particular, supported by the excellent Ramsay and Bell. We restricted them to one effort on target, a tame free-kick down Mannion’s throat, and really just a few moments of danger after Stansfield came on for the final half an hour or so. At the other end Dykes, clearly up for the challenge, gave us hope that we might nick one, which with the introduction of Kelman we finally did. To our massive relief, it proved to be enough.

For the team, the main question pre-match was which defenders would not be available. We assumed Burke would be out, after his early injury against Wrexham, and Jones the Boss had indicated that Sichenje and perhaps Bell too might not make it. At least we would have Coady back available. In the event Bell made it, but Sichenje did not. With Kaminski still injured, in front of Mannion would be a back three of Ramsay, Jones and Bell, with Clarke and Chambers the wing-backs. Coady only managed a place on the bench, with a midfield of Coventry, Docherty and Carey reminiscent of earlier in the season, while up front it would be Dykes and Campbell, with Leaburn and Kelman in reserve. Also on the bench would be Gough and Fullah, with Berry not in the squad.

The first half was a pretty even affair, but one that on actual chances we more than shaded. Both teams were quick to get men back behind the ball and for spells were pressed back. They started the better, perhaps finished the better, but in between we had a spell of dominance that could have resulted in us being ahead at the break.

The first real chance came on 18 minutes as Docherty intercepted a ball forward on the left side and slid a pass forward along the line for Dykes to run on to, in the clear but some way out. A burst of blistering pace to be in on goal is not exactly his forte, so seeing their keeper off his line he tried his luck with an attempt to curl one over his head into an empty net. Now Dykes had an excellent game, but he got this one wrong and the ball barely got off the ground before going harmlessly wide.

A much better opportunity came a couple of minutes later. Campbell was fed by Dykes and did well to get to the byline and send in a low, hard cross. It was deflected away but only to Clarke in space just inside their area. But his first touch was heavy and although he got his goalbound shot away their defenders had closed the space and the effort was turned away for a corner. And from that corner Coventry came in at the far post and looked likely to score before their keeper got a touch to the ball to divert its path and result in it being put wide. The final effort of note was after the half-hour as Carey whipped a ball into the box which only just evaded Dykes, then Campbell couldn’t get it under control, finally the ball looping up for Docherty, but he was unable to get any power on his header which was easily saved.

Birmingham had their share of possession but, despite the trickery of Gray on their left, were unable to convert that into attempts on goal (they had just one, none on target). Their centre-forward’s only contribution to the game was a nasty, late challenge on Jones. He was shown a yellow for it; on replays it might have been interpreted as a red.

Early in the second half that guy should surely have received another yellow and been off the pitch. A lofted ball forward was watched and headed clear by Jones, but the centre-forward, running towards Jones, had no real interest in the ball. He clattered into Jones, deliberately. The ref, who had a decent enough game aside from this and another key moment, bottled it and just gave the free-kick. We’ve benefited in the games against Sheff Utd and Leicester from referees making the right calls and showing red cards, but that was not the case today. Remarkably Birmingham didn’t substitute the guy immediately.

We did have a decent opening on 53 minutes as Dykes went low to deflect on a ball forward and Campbell ran in behind. But their defender did very well to get back and make a key challenge to divert his effort behind for another corner. But the game then took a turn in Birmingham’s favour as the made two changes just before the hour, the sad centre-forward and Gray withdrawn and Stansfield sent on. Immediately he was dropping deep and not offering Jones a predictable challenge. For a while it seemed as though the changes might result in them taking the lead.

An unlucky (for us) break down their left saw their winger get clear, only for his cross to be put behind, and from the resulting corner a half-clearance fell to a guy on the edge of the box in space, but his shot was blocked. Stansfield skipped past two challenges down their right, only for his cross to be cleared. And then the ref gave them a free-kick on the edge of the area. The effort was easily saved by Mannion (and was to be their only one on target all game).

It was time for us to make changes, but also evident that Jones the Boss might have a dilemma. Should he switch formation to the 4-3-3 that we’ve tried before, with Campbell and Fevrier operating either side of Dykes? Or should he keep the shape and change the personnel? He opted for the latter and on 69 minutes Rankin-Costello and Kelman came on for Docherty and Chambers, with Campbell switching to left-side wing-back.

Just four minutes later we were in front. A Carey long throw from our right side was helped on by Dykes (or a defender) and Kelman took control of the resulting scramble, taking a touch then managing to get his body shape right to shoot well, beyond their keeper’s dive into the net. Instinct and coolness when the chance arose, qualities which have of late been in short supply.

Still a long way to go. The game might have been settled on 78 minutes as from a poor Birmingham clearance Clarke received the ball and went into the box, only to be flattened by the challenge. Have to see it a few more times before being able to say for sure it was a penalty, but certainly a case for one. Instead, just after Birmingham came as close to equalising as they were to, with Stansfield playing in their other sub on the left. He cut inside but his curling effort was just overdone and went over.

If anything in the closing stages we might have scored again. Leaburn replaced Dykes, who had put in a real shift, Carey had a shot blocked, Kelman fired wide but from an offside position. Just before the start of five minutes of stoppage time Gillesphey and Coady replaced Cambell and Coventry, to shore up the defence, and the only moment of note before the end was Leaburn shooting wide from inside their box. It mattered not, at the final whistle we celebrated.

The sense is one of massive relief. With Oxford having won two on the spin and with two home games coming up, the simple equation of them and Sheff Wed taking two of the three relegation spots is now far less clear-cut, while the sight of Leicester and West Brom vying for that third place still seems odd. The win gives us vital breathing space ahead of the trip to Middlesbrough – one for which we will presumably park the bus and view anything as a bonus – and then Oxford away next Saturday, a game we’d hope to win but might now be content simply not to lose. Nine points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games to play. Not safe of course, not comfortable yet either, but a major stride towards staying up.