After a good point away in midweek, which may have ended the 100% record but kept us unbeaten, today was going to be a hard one to call, for several reasons. How would the team be shuffled with tired legs to consider (with two games next week as well)? Would Stoke’s defence be weak, considering nine conceded in four games but a clean sheet (and their first win) last time out? And of course who would get the breaks on the day? The answer to the last question was Stoke, aided and abetted by a truly dreadful performance from the match officials.
The referee’s inadequacies began with the softest of penalties given in the 15th minute, after a very bright start to the game from us, progressed through various errors in decisions, ridiculous yellow cards (given in our case and not given in theirs, the ref falling for Stoke’s histrionics and ignoring their cynicism), and culminated in a second yellow and a red for McNamara when the first was the result of a situation which should not have arisen (everyone saw it was a Charlton corner) and the second a misinterpretation/overreaction to a gesture towards a Stoke player not even being spoken to for yet another scything down of Leaburn. Along the way we conceded three more goals, the result of a lack of understanding and coordination and dreadful bad luck (their second came as a clearance hit Grant and rebounded to their guy to shoot home, their fourth as a shot going wide was deflected in by a guy who knew little about it).
We contributed to our defeat with changes that left too many untested combinations in key areas and a poor reaction to going behind from the penalty. It made it one of those games – like Southampton at home last season – when you have to take it on the chin, metaphorically kick the cat, drink lots of red wine, go to sleep and wake up looking ahead to Wednesday night.
Putting together a team after Wednesday’s exertions was always going to be challenging – and several changes were made. In defence McNamara was moved to the bench and Mesik came in at right-back, with Jones and Bindon the central pairing and Bell at left-back. The defensive midfield two were both changed, with Coventry and Mwamba on the bench, replaced by newcomers Skipp and Ouma. Obviously a gamble but perhaps a necessary one. The more forward three were also adjusted, with Rankin-Costello’s sub cameos earning him a start, with Campbell and Grant either side of him, while Leaburn would continue as the lone striker. With no sign of any on the injured list, the bench had a lopsided feel to it, with McNamara the only defensive cover, Coventry and Mwamba available for defensive midfield, then Carey, Knibbs, Ali and Apter all possibles for the three, Mbick being Leaburn’s back-up/late replacement. It all came across as an element of needs must, but we just had to trust Jones’ assessment of who was most in need of a rest.
We did start brightly. TC skinned their guy on the left but stumbling into the box couldn’t deliver a telling final ball, then several half-chances came and went from a set-piece on seven minutes, with shots blocked and the ball just not quite dropping well for us. On 12 minutes Stoke did have a dangerous shot deflected over for a corner. And from that corner the game changed. Ouma was wrestling with his guy, both of them pulling and pushing. Ball in, their guy goes to ground, and the ref is conned. If that was a penalty there would have to be 20 given every game. Their guy scored.
That was when we needed to calm things down, get control of the game again. Instead we looked all at sea as Stoke not surprisingly were galvanised and the crowd got behind them – and the ref continued to lend them a helping hand. On 17 minutes Leaburn was cynically fouled to prevent him advancing, no yellow given. Then a clear Stoke handball was ignored, their guy moving forward after that and getting a free-kick. On 21 minutes Stoke extended their lead as a ball into our box was kicked clear by Ouma only for it to rebound off an unsuspecting Grant. It could have gone anywhere but dropped nicely for their guy to have the time to pick his spot, shooting low into the net on Okonkwu’s right side.
Bad went to much worse on 24 minutes. And this goal has to go down to our poor defending. A guy down their left put in a decent cross. Jones had moved to the near post to cover something and behind him Bindon was slow to sense the danger, allowing a free header. The two looked at each other after the ball was headed into the net. They can’t be expected to get everything right as a pairing after just one game together and this one cost us badly.
Jones the Boss reacted with a change after that goal, with McNamara coming on, surprisingly for Campbell. Perhaps he was felt to be in need of a rest, but didn’t look injured. Perhaps it was just tactical as we switched to a back three/five and pushed Grant up alongside Leaburn.
As half-time drew near you felt that if we could just get a goal from somewhere the whole momentum of the game could shift and we could go in at the break with something to play for. Instead another goal came but for them. We didn’t deal well with a Stoke attack down the right side and although a low cross was kicked away it went to a guy in space inside our box. His low shot was going wide before it took a deflection off another Stoke player. It really summed up the first half and slammed the door shut to any second-half rally. There was still time for the ref to ignore a blatant bad foul on Jones, the Stoke forward not looking at the ball but just intent on delivering a cheap shot on a guy getting booed by the home fans for some unfathomable reason. It was more than a yellow, nothing was given. Instead the ref booked Leaburn before calling an end to the half.
At the break Coventry was brought on for Ouma. Pairing him and Skipp just hadn’t worked out. And pretty soon what was already a hopeless cause became a complete exercise in damage limitation as the ref intervened once more. On 46 minutes a Stoke defender played the ball back and it went well over the goalline before their keeper kicked it clear. Unbelievably a goalkick was given. From that Stoke launched an attack and McNamara found himself exposed and pulled a guy back, getting a yellow. No complaints about the eventual booking but it arose from a situation that simply shouldn’t have happened but for the officials’ incompetence. And just a few minutes later as Leaburn advanced down our left he was hacked down yet again. Ref makes no attempt to even talk to the Stoke player and as others arrived around the incident McNamara waved his arm in the direction of the Stoke player. This was interpreted as demanding a card and instead the yellow was brought out for McNamara and then the red. Simply appalling refereeing.
The rest of the game was a meaningless exercise. We were intent on picking up no more injuries and just seeing it out without more cards – which almost didn’t happen as Leaburn got into a tussle with a defender and Stoke again displayed their cynicism and gamesmanship by calling for a second yellow. At least the ref didn’t respond to that. Leaburn would be replaced by Mbick, Rankin-Costello by Ali, then Apter for Grant.
Some games nothing goes your way. Perhaps we went into it with a poor mindset, feeling sorry for ourselves having to play two away games up north in the space of a few days, compounded by the early kick-off. More fundamentally, the Jones-Bindon partnership is still being built and their misunderstanding cost us one goal today, while having Skipp and Ouma as the defensive midfield pairing was a step too far, a tough ask for both of them. We simply have to shrug off the afternoon and prepare for Wednesday night, because we need a rousing performance to put this one firmly to bed.
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