2011-12 Match Report CCFC v READING

2.1.2012

CCFC 3 v 1 READING

And now the Good News....as we enter 2012 the general mood worldwide is downbeat, skies are grey and the outlook is for squally showers between longer periods of rain followed by extended wetstuff becoming cyclonic with a promise of Armageddon later. Global recession blah, global terrorism blah, blah, global financial meltdown blah, blah, blah...just getting through the next day will be a challenge let alone the following 354 before the Mayan Calendar runs out and we move inexorably towards oblivion.

Is all this doom and gloom justified? Do the facts back it up? Apparently not.

Despite the recession the average income of your average Brit doubled in real terms between 1970 and 2010.

Born in 1960? 3% of you didn’t make it to your 5^th birthday. The rest of you can expect to live to 71.

Born in 2011? Just 0.5% of you won’t make it to 2016. The rest of you can expect to live to 81.

Violent crime in 2010 and was down by 47% on its 1995 peak. In 1984 there were 24 wars worldwide, in 2008 it was down to 5. So for the average earthling there has never been a better time to be alive than today. And statistically the next day will be even better. And better still after that.

All well and good but the real clincher for City fans, proving that life gets incrementally better year on year is perhaps in recalling that as recently as 2001 our New Year’s Day treat was a home fixture against Exeter City in the old 3^rd Division (ie. 4^th tier). Not even a comedy own goal from the long forgotten Andy (son of Joe) Jordan in a thumping 6-1 victory in front of a few thousand dopey and deluded diehards at our decrepit Victorian tin shack could stop our relentless march up the table... where we finally settled in just ahead of Chesterfield and Hartlepool.

In the intervening years we’ve had promotions, a glorious play-off victory in our own backyard, the inglorious play-off defeat, an FA Cup Wembley semi-final victory and Final non-victory and we survived the Hammam Doomsday Clock stopping at 3 minutes to midnight.

Mad grinning D:Reamer Prof Brian Cox and his piano-house tunesmiths promised us that Things Can Only Get Better. How right he was.

Today, at home in our state-of-the-art 21^st Century stadium and before a bumper Bank Holiday crowd of 24,000 we face an in form Reading team as one of a number of real contenders making yet another challenge to take our rightful place amongst the elite of British football. A Happy New Year surely awaits us.

Reading began very brightly reflecting their position as one of the form teams, having won 6 of their previous 7 games. They looked organised, were full of running and were surely going to be difficult to break down, having not conceded more than one goal in any of their away games this season...

Nah. On 13 minutes young Joe Mason picked up the ball (almost literally according to Royal’s manager Brian McDimwit) on the edge of the box, ran wide of the defence and slotted an angled drive into the bottom corner. 1-0.

Reading were now rocking as we continued to push forward. Within 5 minutes we were two up. A swinging Whitts corner proved the undoing of Federici the Flap as he misjudged the flight of the ball, leaving Gunnarsson the simplest of headers.

Mason and Miller were playing at the head of a 4-4-2 formation (the midfield settled into a diamond formation with Whittingham and the increasingly impressive Ralls tucking in behind the front two in turn) and were proving a handful. Miller was as lively as ever and was benefitting from having a decoy freeing up more space than he has been used to. On 36 minutes he made a superbly timed run to latch onto a clinical defence-busting through ball from Whitts and, as Alan Partridge might say, dispatched with aplomb. 3-0.

A rare defensive aberration allowed former Ninian favourite Jobi McAnuff (‘tra-la-la-la-la’) to reduce the deficit by one as half time approached. If this had happened last year there would have been dark half-time mutterings about our failure to hold onto a commanding lead and an overriding sense of forboding as the second half approached.

But in2012 you can Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, let nothing you dismay; O, tidings of comfort and joy as we easily snuffed out any threat offered by an increasingly frustrated opposition and apart from a sloppy 15 minutes when we seemed incapable of stringing two passes together we had the best of an inevitably anti-climactic second 45. In fact we carved out a number of opportunities to extend the lead, but a combination of some fine goalkeeping and some weak finishing meant that we had to be satisfied with 3-1.

With the Saints not quite marching in with the same swagger and Boro being beaten by Blackpool we are set up quite nicely in 3^rd place, only 2 points off the top with a 7 points play-off cushion. Good news indeed. Happy New Year!!

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v MIDDLESBORO

17.12.2011

CCFC 2 v 3 MIDDLESBORO

In the build up to this one, as well as some reasonably well-founded hype surrounding the relative merits of two teams separated by a gnat’s nasal hair at the top of the division and within a bee’s sneeze of the top two, there was a fair bit of unhealthy and unhelpful reflecting on the last Boro home game at the back end of our last doomed campaign which you may recall didn’t quite go to plan (specifics not required).  

Amidst all the handwringing, finger-pointing and navel-gazing instigated by the local journos who remain steadfast in their commitment to never allow the facts to get in the way of a good story (particularly one that throws up the opportunity to condemn the daft behaviour of dim-witted, irresponsible, egotistical, borderline sociopathic, emotionally illiterate would-be folk heroes) it might be recalled that the unexpected Boro implosion although mystifying and upsetting did not deprive us of a automatic passage into the Premier League, it merely confirmed Norwich’s unassailable position and highlighted the fragility of a squad made up of contenders, journeymen and hired hands. Our play-offs campaign built on the quicksand of sinking expectations was always likely to end in tears.

This season, no longer weighed down by big stars, large egos and huge wage-packets we have a team created by the manager in his own image – reliable, dependant, grounded. It’s difficult to imagine this squad indulging in inappropriate extra-curricular activities and late night alcohol-fuelled shenanigans giving the hacks a reason to delve deep and dish the dirt.

Rifling through the Whittingham, Hudson or Cowie household bins you’re unlikely to find anything more incriminating than a Fools and Horses Box Set receipt, assorted M & S Tofu Salad containers and a subscription to The National Geographic. We’re short of options if we’re going to be serious about making a challenge and there’s still space for a maverick or loveable rogue to help us over the line but it’s a lot easier to get behind the class of 2012 than it was with their wayward predecessors.

Ali’s pre-match playlist was a strange one. Normally reliable in capturing the spirit of the day or finding an appropriate track with which to wind up the opposing fans he opted for ‘Anarchy In The UK’ with its less than seasonal opening line ‘I am an anti-Christ, I am an anarchist’! We were however treated to a ‘live’ appearance from pin-up choristers Only Men Aloud providing a real seasonal tonic for the watching housewives and the Canton End limp-wrists.

Boro under the guidance of Tony Mowbray have been one of the surprise packages this season, scoring freely and boasting the meanest defence in the league. They played with a confidence reflecting their current form and were clearly not going to be intimidated playing in front of a near-capacity crowd against THE form team.

Most visiting teams this season have come to defend deep and pack midfield in an attempt to kill the game. Boro’s approach made for an open and entertaining spectacle which held great promise from the off. Both teams built patiently from the back playing an expansive game with plenty of intricate inter-play. There was plenty of movement upfront with both attacks always looking for space.

The first incident of note and the one that was to inform the remainder of the game occurred on 15 minutes as McNaughton marauded into the box and rounded the keeper only to be floored by an ill-timed challenge. A clear penalty, an absolute certainty, as certain as an M&S returns desk queue on Boxing Day. The ref looked at his assistant and, to use the colloquial, they bottled it. As bottled as a pickled onion in December and with a lingering bitter aftertaste to match. Absolutely shameful. One minute later Boro went ahead. As the Canton End so eloquently sang, it was ‘1-0 to the referee, 1-0 to the referee...’

We took a few minutes to settle after such an unfair blow but within 10 minutes we were level and it was entirely appropriate that Big Ben Turner took the opportunity to score his first goal for the Bluebirds against the club that he left in the summer. 1-1. The game continued at the same frantic pace with City now pretty much in the ascendancy. Just before half time we took a deserved lead following an excellent wide run from Miller who had the vision to see Gunnarsson running into the space that he’d free up, laying an impudent back heel into the Icelander’s path from him to slot past the advancing keeper. 2-1.

I made the mistake of explaining to China Blue next to me that we always start the brighter in the second half under Mackay. Inevitably then it was Boro who came out all guns blazing and we struggled to get into the game. On the hour mark as we pushed up out of defence a ball was played through to ex-Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte whose superbly timed sprint  saw him run clear of our static defence, collect a pin-point pass and send the ball into the path of McDonald to make it 2-2.

Malky responded within minutes by making a double substitution bringing on Mason and Gestade for Conway and Cowie. The manager should be applauded for making such a bold move and it’s difficult to be too critical after the Jones years of cripplingly slow responses from the bench but for me this was one change too many. Bring Mason on certainly. We know what he brings to the team and we always look more of a threat when he’s on the pitch, but the presence of Gestade disrupted our play more than theirs. Instead of patiently playing to our strengths, building up slowly from the back and using Mason as a decoy to free up the ever dangerous and tireless Miller, we gave into the temptation to hoof the ball up to Rudy who proved no match for the solid Boro central defence.

On 75 minutes our defence was caught out again as the Belgian international Haroun, a constant threat in front of midfield, was played through by Arca running between two defenders to chest the ball and turn it past Marshall. 2-3.

The last 10 minutes was played mostly in and around their box as we went all out for the equaliser. Plenty of action but alas no end result. So the second defeat at home this season, tellingly against quality opposition and just like the Brighton defeat we have no grounds for complaint, notwithstanding the crazy penalty non-decision.

So as we end our 2011 home campaign where does that leave us? The table doesn’t lie. We may flirt with the top spots and there is a dearth of true contenders but unless Malkay can grab a few unlikely bargains in the January sales we are looking for a top six finish. Which means that the inevitable League Cup final, once we’ve brushed aside Palace next month, will be a nice little taster for May’s main event!

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v BIRMINGHAM

4.12.2011

CCFC 1 v 0 BIRMINGHAM

Against the backdrop of tragedy off the field and intrigue and possibilities on the field this Sunday lunchtime fixture was always more likely to be remembered more for peripheral events than the game itself. The still barely believable death of Gary Speed seven days ago silences the fans as they respectfully walk past the flowers, shirts and flags laid at the entrance to the stadium.

On the field the season is beginning to take shape after the impressive Carling Cup victory over Blackburn and the prospect of another trip to Wembley looms. Our form continues to confound the early season doom mongers and with the top two both suffering surprise defeats yesterday we have an opportunity today to close the gap.

There is a sharp intake of breath when the teams are announced as the much maligned forgotten fullback Naylor comes in for Taylor. This will pit him against ex-City favourite Chris Burke. Cripes! Gerrard deservedly keeps his place at the heart of the defence despite the fit again Hudson being available. McNaughton retains the captain’s armband.

And it’s a welcome return today for one globetrotting Bluebird who has flown in from the Orient, via Hertha Berlin to settle back on his perch in the Ninian Stand.

We start brightly and dominate possession with Whittingham again the playmaker at the heart of everything positive. The midfield pushes forward seeking an opening through a compact Birmingham defence. For all our possession however we rarely threaten and there is a lack of creativity and innovation particularly on the wings. Miller prowls along the front line looking for an opening but the opportunities are rare. Birmingham rely on the much-travelled and greatly despised Marlon King and the 6ft 13” pantomime donkey Zigic but our back four comfortably contain any threat. The referee riles the home crowd with an irritatingly inept performance complimented by an equally clumsy display by his assistants. They work well together – they are consistently awful. 0-0 at half time but only one team looks like winning.

The second half continues where we left off – plenty of possession but a dearth of chances and barely a shot on goal. Conway in particular is getting into good positions but his final ball lets him down much to Miller’s frustration. A couple of early injuries sees Hudson replace Gerrard and young Joe Rawls replace Gunnarsson. Later on Mason’s chance is sealed with a Kiss injury which provides more options upfront. (Note to Mr Mackay: Mason must start!)

  

Just after the hour Miller latches onto a through ball and tussles with Curtis Davies on the edge of the box. The linesman flags, indicating an infringement and as Miller is clean through on goal the Ref has no option but to show a red card. From where I was sitting  – directly in line with the incident – I’d say we were a trifle fortunate. The free kick is taken by Whittingham who rattles the woodwork with an absolute screamer; it deserved a goal.

Soon after we finally get the breakthrough when their central defender panics as Miller bears down on him, making a complete Horlicks of a clearing header. Sniffer Miller takes full advantage nipping in to slot it past the helpless Myhill. A real striker’s goal. 1-0.

Against 10 men we are comfortably in the ascendency for the remaining 20 minutes but are unable to increase our advantage. No worries - it’s a Glum Brum to add to some Sorry Saints and Un’appy ‘ammers as The Bluebird Of Happiness goes bob-bob-bobbing along. Man City must be getting the Sheiks...

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v IPSWICH

15.10.2011

CCFC 2 v 2 IPSWICH TOWN

The dream of a Rugby World Cup Final having been cruelly taken from us by a French-Irish conspiracy earlier in the day, we trudged to our own field of dreams with a heavy heart and a step distinctly lacking in spring.

I’ve never been able to fully grasp why a number of City fans seem unable to take any pleasure in the success of the national Rugby team, dismissing followers as ‘egg-chasers’ and getting more than a bit uppity if any of our games are put back to avoid a clash during the Six Nations. 

Apparently the message boards (the contributors to which are not known for their insightful and balanced opinions and who probably think Talk Sport is a tad high brow) have been full of whingeing Bluebirds complaining that too much attention is being given to our World Cup campaign. Eh?! Where can this antipathy come from? Why is it either/or? 

A bit of a clue comes from the wonderful Jonathan Owen video produced for the 2008 Cup Final (wallow in a bit of recent nostalgia again at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBK_hvC9Mf8 ) I’ve spoken with colleagues who grew up in the Valleys and confirm that it was definitely rugby first with football the poor relation, particularly if you attended a Grammar School where the masters mistakenly felt that if you had aspirations it was important to understand the culture of the ruling classes and to play by their rules. 

This was the era of deference when to be Welsh and working class was something if not to be ashamed of, then clearly to be made to feel socially awkward and apologetic about. At the same time progressive class warriors were using rugby as a method of beating their masters at their own game, thereby restoring some pride amongst the dispossessed and the exploited. Football was marginalised and this seems to have left a legacy of resentment amongst valley-dwelling footie fans.

Growing up in the relatively prosperous capital we didn’t suffer from the need to use rugby to assert ourselves and it’s more difficult to make excuses for any antipathy. Football was always the number one pastime. If there’s any resentment it’s based on a resignation that welsh football will probably never assert itself on the world stage in the way that rugby has.

Today’s game against Ipswich saw the welcome return of a former Ninian Park favourite whose formative years were given to the City but having reached a stage where they felt obliged to move on to take advantage of opportunities offered elsewhere, who will surely always remain a Bluebird at heart. Yes, Bob Bank Betty has bounced back from Bath! 

And Michael Chopra returned to the stadium after a summer transfer.

Malky made five changes from the narrow defeat against Hull, Taylor was fit and resumed at right back while in the centre of defence Ben Turner made his first start in place of the discarded Gerrard who didn’t even make the bench. Miller and Blake failed to recover from knocks sustained on international duty last week. Up front Gestede partnered Earnshaw. The formation was a new one for Malky, playing a diamond shaped midfield headed by Whittingham in a much more advanced role than in recent seasons. This suggests that either the manager feels he has enough flexibility in the squad to adapt to the specific threat posed by the opposition or he just hasn’t made his mind up about his preferred starting eleven. Either way, it didn’t really come off.

In the first half, the narrow and compact midfield allowed the Ipswich full backs, particularly Carlos Edwards, to get forward and run freely down the flanks. Meanwhile McNaughton was held back from making his trademark sorties down the right side. Our main threat was in the shape of the impressive Gestade who did enough to justify a regular start. He won the bulk of the aerial challenges and linked up well with Earnshaw who failed to take advantage of some decent service. Rudy was rewarded for his early endeavours with a goal on 20 minutes after deftly flicking a Whittingham corner into the top corner of the net. 1-0.

Ipswich were always a threat around the box with our midfield guilty of standing off and letting them play. Only 10 minutes after we went ahead, Ipswich were level after Jason Scotland collected the ball unchallenged on the edge of the box, turned and dispatched the ball past the helpless Marshall. 1-1 with half time looming.

Ipswich began the second half the stronger and went into a deserved lead after, inevitably, the returning former fans favourite Chopra bundled the ball in from close range. Some confusion after the linesman appeared to flag for an offside but the goal stood as a sombre Chops walked back to the centre circle, limiting his celebrations to a manly handshake. It was a response to scoring straight out of a Pathe newsreel; an era when men were men and upper lips were stiff. 1-2.

Malky responded by replacing Conway with Kiss and we began to exercise a bit more control in the centre of the park. McNaughton was now getting forward a bit more as City fought to get back on level terms. On 70 minutes a goalmouth scramble saw a fairly muted appeal for a handball and after much deliberation and not a little indecision from the officials the Ref pointed to the spot. If you believe that Sam Warburton was guilty of a violent and malicious spear tackle earlier in the day then this was a cast iron nailed on penalty. Up stepped Whitts to dispatch with aplomb. 2-2.

Young Joe Mason replaced a disappointing Earnshaw and showed a few nice touches. Gestade should have secured the three points when sent clear with just the keeper to beat but he’d run himself into the ground by this point and his tame effort was easily saved.

On balance then a fortuitous point against a useful Ipswich team leaving us in the heart of a congested upper mid-table, settling in behind the early pace-setters. Which seems just about right.

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v SOUTHAMPTON

28.9.2011

CCFC 2 v 1 SOUTHAMPTON

An evening full of drama began with a sartorial dilemma – warm enough for T shirt and shorts, the notsensibles had the edge over the pessimists as the balmy evening defied the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (John Keats, Romantic Poet and creative wing half for Winchester Muse FC.)

With resources stretched, Malky gave the left back berth to Mr Utility, Mr Dependable,  Darcy ‘Play Me Anywhere I Don’t Care’ Blake, and brought in Joe Mason to play just behind Miller who was given sole responsibility upfront. Considering the number of injuries, this patched up starting eleven looked decent enough on paper, but could they compete against the table-topping Saints?

The omens were not good as from the start Southampton exercised complete control. For 5-10 minutes City struggled to get near the ball. We kept a good shape across midfield however and snuffed out the very real threat provided by the prolific Lambert and his Brazilian strike partner Guly do Prado who was looking a real handful and getting good service from an inventive midfield that looked full of confidence. Despite their dominance, the Saints rarely troubled Marshall and as the half wore on we managed to take a hold on the game. In fact, with three edge of the box free-kicks, on another night if Whitts had had his shooting boots on we might even have gone in ahead.

As with the Leicester game, we started well in the second half, although the best chance fell to Lambert whose header from no more than 5 yards out skewed past the near post. A few minutes later Southampton pressed again and as they stood around claiming a penalty for an innocuous challenge, Marshall punted the ball up field to the alert Miller who got between two defenders and headed the ball on the bounce over the advancing keeper. 1-0. Within a minute of the restart Marshall was again the hero saving smartly as the Saints looked for an immediate response.

Miller was now playing a much more central role, in contrast to the first half when all his running seemed to be down the flanks leaving few options in front of goal with the midfield struggling to get forward to fill the space. Within 10 minutes of the opener and after a timely interception and superb through ball from the impressive Gunnarsson, Miller struck a perfectly angled shot which found the corner of the net. 2-0.

The impressive Saints continued to dominate possession and had chances to get back into the game but in Marshall they found a keeper at the top of his game as for the second time in four days he dealt with a late onslaught. For all their finesse, the opposition were unable to break down a committed and well organised City defence. The game was probably won in midfield however. In Kiss, Gunnarsson and Cowie we have players who show a commitment and energy lacking in recent years. It’s clear that Malky will not allow passengers and there is a spirit about this team that was not always evident in the Jones years. For all his qualities as a man, many of us suspected that Jones’ touchline demeanour almost encouraged the luxury players to disappear for long spells. This will not be acceptable under the new regime.

The one player who embodies these values more than anyone is of course Kevin McNaughton. Super Kev again put his body on the line time after time and was substituted after a real bone-cruncher, to be replaced by unlucky Quinn who despite being almost ever-present last season, finds himself on the margins this. Another example of the depth of quality options on the bench.

We are still lacking a real creative force just behind, or in partnership with, Miller. Mason is an excellent prospect but he’s still learning his trade and is a couple of full seasons away from achieving his potential. The ability to fill this gap with real quality will be the difference between a season of consolidation and one where we can make a real challenge.

So nine games in, 3 points off the leaders and so far so good. Amongst the early season pace-setters Brighton and Southampton are perhaps beginning to be found out but have enough quality to continue to mount a serious challenge; West Ham and Leicester of course have the edge in terms of resources; the surprise packages Derby and Boro may last the pace and fringe teams like Hull, Blackpool and Leeds can’t be discounted but there’s every reason to think that we’ll be part of the shakedown when ‘the red-breast whistles from a garden croft and gathering swallows twitter in the skies’.

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v LEICESTER

25.9.2011

CARDIFF 0 v 0 LEICESTER

After the drama of the midweek 7-6 Carling Cup penalty shoot-out victory against the Foxes, expectations were high for another good return on our money. I checked the odds on a repeat result. About 3000-1. The same as taking a direct hit from a satellite fragment on Saturday. With an average attendance in excess of 21,000 there would have been a 1 in 7 chance of being hit by space junk yesterday. Clearly a chance worth taking but a SKY Live game meant that phew! it was the scheming, manipulative, phone-hacking, left-bashing megalomaniacal delusional octogenarian Aussie psychopath wot saved us!

And so to the game. I won’t dwell too much on the action as dear reader you probably witnessed it from the comfort of your armchair, balancing your TV Sunday roast on your lap, chasing peas and trying to avoid a major gravy spill, and in any case there wasn’t much to report. In fact there was more action and intrigue on the City bench than on the pitch in the first half.

To recap, Conway took an early tumble out wide, twisted an ankle and had to be replaced by Earnshaw. This meant that he had the opportunity to resume his fruitless partnership upfront with the equally ineffective Miller. Earnie’s major contribution in a first half that Leicester controlled without forcing home the advantage was to clear off the line from a powerful Foxes header with Marshall well beaten. He pulled up shortly afterwards and was replaced by Gestede.

This was not a problem for the majority of us as we have been calling for the French colossus to be given a start in preference to his vertically-challenged celtic cousins for some time. He made an immediate impact against the mighty Ivorian Sol Bamba and his captain Matt Mills who both check in at 6’3” and unsurprisingly were having a stroll in the park up to this point. Half time arrived with City fortunate to go in on level terms but there were grounds for optimism for a better second 45.

The half time entertainment was provided by a Malaysian dance troupe who performed for us in recognition of Malaysia Day. I’m not sure where this is going. Yes we’re very grateful for the Malaysian money and I’m all for the new spirit of internationalism and cooperation resulting in an enduring bond of friendship between our two nations which means that an outbreak of hostilities is no longer feasible.....(?)  You can’t force an artificial bond and invent a whole new common cultural identity between two peoples who have no shared history just because it’s commercially convenient.

The simple fact is that an extremely rich, well connected Malaysian burger and casino magnate has been persuaded to take a punt and indulge in some serious ego-massaging by buying into a football club. His interest will continue for as long as there’s a reasonable prospect of a decent return on his investment. As for anything more meaningful, well as Lennon & McCartney made quite clear in I Am The Walrus, ‘Kuala Lumpur, stick it up your Jumper...’

The second half saw the introduction of Darcy Blake in place of Hudson. It’s assumed that this was forced on Malky but, another happy accident. Blake injected some welcome pace and guile at the heart of the defence. With the tireless McNaughton marauding up the right, the surprisingly effective Naylor making a guest appearance and creating movement on the left and Gestade proving a handful up front we started the second half well and took the game to the Foxes, producing a number of decent chances.

Our dominance was effectively ended however when the rampaging Rudy became the third serious casualty of the game, tweaking a hamstring with about 20 minutes to go. With all 3 substitutions made, Rudy was given the tightest pair of emergency pants to support his wrecked thigh and told to just get back out and do his best. Which he did, hobbling around tirelessly on his one remaining leg. 

Leicester forced the pace for the remainder of the game but the back four kept a tight line and repelled all that crisp-munchers could offer. One very late scare well beyond the allotted injury time rattled the bar but an eventful but frustrating game concluded with a well-deserved point.

Next up, table-toppers Southampton. Malky will need to do some serious business in the loan market to secure the services of an emergency striker. Premier league training grounds currently echo to the sound of toys being thrown out of well upholstered prams by the great disaffected looking for a chance to prove a point. Carlos Tevez, anyone? More chance of being laid out by space junk...

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v DONCASTER

10.9.2011

CCFC 2 v 0 DONCASTER

It’s been a fractured, disjointed start-stop-start to the season, almost a month since the Brizzle dream start / Brighton reality check, with the (welcome as it turned out) distraction of a Wales resurgence / new false dawn as our boys gave Fabio’s re-follicled fools a lesson in how to lose with style, Earnie’s ‘Ronnie Rosenthal’ moment merely reflecting 2-3 generations of near misses (53 years and counting). It’s 10 years since I walked away from active support of the national team after the 2-1 home victory against Italy – the full house at the Millenium, the ticker-tape and flares, the pre-match ‘live’ set from the Manics, the emergence of Craig Bellamy as a contender, the boundless enthusiasm inside the stadium, the buzzing unbridled post-match optimism of the walk back from the ground. The hope, oh, the hope. It was all too much. A difficult time; just turned 40 and time to put childish fantasies behind me...

And so, back to the main event. Here we are home again at last with a fixture to please the grumpy majority – a good old-fashioned 3 o’clock Saturday kick-off against pre-season favourites for the drop.

Malky has now assembled a Ford Mondeo of a squad – solid, reliable, unspectacular, corporate, one that will not turn many heads, and is likely to hog the middle lane and attract Clarkson-esque contempt for its lack of ambition. The starting line up for Bob Bank Betty’s final game before she takes up her position behind the counter at the Bath Spar (did I get that right..?) was much as expected with Darcy Blake, fresh from his mid-week mashing of Mr Potato Head playing the holding midfielder, freeing up Whitts to be the creative force. It didn’t really come off, and as his brother Nathan pointed out in the radio, someone needs to tell Blake what’s required of him. There were too many over-elaborate misdirected passes to no-one in particular. Mr Darcy has to be given a definitive role that suits his undoubted talents – tough tackling full back / central defender / midfield general / aloof romantic hero.....

We started well and had two near misses in the first couple of minutes, Earnie swivelling inside the 6 yard box and hitting the post and a panic-struck Donny defender sliding in to turn a skiddy Conway cross just past the post. At this point you couldn’t see the ponderous Doncaster defence holding out for long. But as the game developed it became increasingly apparent that the mix just isn’t right yet. There is little understanding between the players and a disappointing failure to exploit our strengths. Marshall’s distribution out of hands was woeful – too many wayward punts up field to our, let’s face it, less than statuesque strikers. The young Earnie would frighten defences by his turn of speed and, ok, 9 times out of 10 he would mistime the run and be caught offside and he may no longer have the pace that gave rise to the teasing ‘Earnie’s gonna get ya’ chant, but he is never going to win anything in the air. Ditto Miller. The two wee fellas show little sign of forging a meaningful partnership. Time to unveil Plan B Mr Mackay.

Doncaster continued to cut off all supply routes with relative ease and were quite useful going forward, with John Oster and the interestingly named Mustapha Dumbuya dominating midfield. Dumbuya had probably the best chance of the first half and I for one was thinking ‘he Mustapha chance here’ as he rode a challenge in the box and bore down on goal. But he skewed the ball high and wide. O Lord, Dumbuya!

0-0   Half Time.

Astonishingly the second half began the same as the first with two excellent chances for City to break the stalemate within two minutes. Earnie had another guilt-edged chance and Hudson headed straight at the ‘keeper with the goal at his mercy. On 52 minutes Whitts whipped in a perfectly angled free kick for Gerrard to head in. 1-0. Sighs of relief all round.

Worryingly, City failed to use this as a springboard to wrap up a comfortable victory against a weak team. They didn’t appear to have the tactical nous to change things. They were never in any danger of not getting a result but this eleven will struggle against better resourced opposition. Earnie did wrap up the points with 15 minutes to go after some fortuitous penalty box ping-pong and Malky took the opportunity to bring on fresh legs, introducing Filip Kiss (should have some fun with him as the season progresses..) and Rudy Gestede. By this time Gunnarsson had replaced Blake and the shape of the team looked better. Kiss in particular provided a real fillip to the midfield (I did warn you) looking lively and creative.

Early days I know and The Gaffer should be given time to get the combinations right. And 6^th in the league at this stage represents a creditable start. It’s just that there is no real spark to the team, just degrees of competency. We’ll have a fairly comfortable ride this season but nothing that suggests that we’ll be moving out into the fast lane anytime soon.

2011-12 Match Reports CCFC v BRISTOL CITY

14.8.2011

CCFC 3 v 1 BRISTOL CITY

Welcome back! Was it really less than 12 months ago that a certain Jay Bothroyd was falling over himself (on and off the pitch) to declare his allegiance to the Bluebirds – ‘I may be from London but I’m a Cardiff boy now’? To put this into context, by the time he came to us at the age of 26 he was at his 8^th club. Presumably he was a Perugian for a couple of years from 2003 and a Stokie for a couple of months before we took him on as a last minute panic buy after Marcus Bent got the call from his agent , did a swift U-turn at Leigh Delamere  and drove off to Brum never to be heard of again.

Well maybe it’s because Jay’s a Londoner that Jay loves London Town and he’s gone home. Along with Chris Burke who was desperate to go back home to Scotland for ‘family reasons’ and so inevitably wound up in, erm, Birmingham. The assorted loanees went back to the bosom of their mother clubs before being abandoned again, all except Bellamy who it appears really is desperate to come home and stay but is keeping Mum for now. And clearly he’s the only one we’d want back.

Some of us grew up supporting the team that included the likes of Brian Clarke, Gary Bell, Don Murray, Peter King and others who came to the club, played out their careers here and stayed. They didn’t need to kiss the badge, wack themselves on the head and claim that they were weaned on Brains Dark to bond with the fans. We knew they were on our side because we delivered papers to their houses (Don Murray), they walked the short distance to the ground from their homes (Peter King), they played bowls with your Dad (Gary Bell) and they lived round the corner from your mate and patted his dog (Brian Clarke). Those links have been broken and there’s no going back. Today’s players are no less driven to achieve, to make their mark and to do the best for the whichever club their agent has found them but the distraction of big money payday informs any loyalty and commitment. So thanks for coming boys, we’ll make you very welcome but no kissing-the-badge-I-love-this-club nonsense please.

Today’s squad included 10 new faces (if you include the welcome return of Gerrard and Earnie) and a new manager charged with crafting a promotion-challenging team from a rump of deflated play-off veterans, a rag-bag of unproven talent, and perhaps one or two genuine contenders.

After the crushing disappointment of the anti-climactic conclusions to the last three campaigns under Dave Jones, I sensed expectations were low. Plenty of low key pre-match banter suggesting a consensus that an outside chance of a stab at the play-offs is as good as we can hope for. Even on the back of a morale-boosting win against the ‘ammers.

There were signs however at Upton Park that this squad is prepared to commit to the cause in a way that those of us tired and frustrated at the prima donna antics of some of our higher profile stars of recent years and the ex-Gaffer’s endearing lack of charisma had thought unlikely.

We took the game to a very ordinary Bristol side from the off. We were always first to the ball, completely dominating midfield with a gutsy performance of commitment, passion and no little skill. The midfield powerhouse was led by the indefatigable Cowie a revitalised Whittingham and young Joe Mason who came on for the injured Gunnarsson  after only 10 minutes and was a revelation, deservedly taking the sponsor’s Man of the Match. I thought we’d bought him as a replacement striker(?) but he ran the Robin’s ragged with a virtuoso performance. His no-nonsense, understated role as an attacking, creative midfielder showed maturity beyond his years and really took the eye.

On 18 minutes the impressive Craig Conway created the opening goal for Hudson who stole in unmarked to deflect a header past the hapless Calamity James in the Brizzle goal. 1-0.

A rampant City doubled the lead 5 minutes later as Mason set up Conway to blast one from outside the box past England’s finest. 2-0.

The Bristol defence was a shambles, incapable of passing the ball out of defence and every panicky clearance landing at the feet of the rampant home side. No surprise then when we extended the lead on 35 minutes as the ball landed at the feet of Earnie the Returnee who poked the ball in from no distance to record his first City goal for 7 years, celebrating in the time-honoured fashion with a perfectly executed triple salko with double pike in front of his adoring public. 3-0.

The second half was predictably a relatively tame affair as City consolidated, controlling the game, creating a few more chances which might have added to the general revelry and good humour but it wasn’t to be. As we tired towards the end of the game Bristol pulled one back from Maynard. But no-one really noticed.

All in all then, a very positive start. A long season beckons with no doubt many twists and turns, intrigues, plots, sub-plots, heroes and villains but if they can keep this up one or two of them may just earn the right to kiss the badge.

2010-11 Match Report CCFC v READING

17.5.2011

Play Off Semi Final

CCFC 0 v 3 READING

‘So long Dave and thanks for all the fish’ – Douglas Adams (adapted)

As a thousand amateur footie forensic pathologists again pore over the rotting putrid remains of our season in a pointless post mortem to determine who ultimately is to blame for this serial slaughter of our dreams, attention falls on a small (very small) notebook left at the scene of the crime last night. Scribbled on the cover in bold block capitals is the legend ‘David’s Big Book of Footie Tactics. Alternative Strategies, Blue Sky Thinking & My Thoughts On the Beautiful Game’. The pages are empty apart from a few paragraphs at the back containing a list of names under the heading ‘Dave’s  Contacts: Loanees, Duffers & Rejects’. It shows the following Player Profiles.....

Stephen Bywater. Early in his career during a pre-season tour of Colombia, Stephen was holed up in the same hotel as drugs warlord Pablo Escobar when US Special Forces attacked using sensory deprivation and disorientation techniques which included the continuous playing of The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ at maximum volume. This is said to account for his pathological indecision and tendancy to panic under pressure.

JLloyd Samuel. The great-grandson of former Liberal PM JLloyd-George. Since a catastrophic and terminal loss of form he has been employed by Bolton Wanderers preparing the half-time oranges and assisting local legend Nat Lofthouse walking his dog and tying his boot laces. Following the passing of the great man earlier this year JLloyd was released after being officially declared ‘unfit to tie the bootlaces of any footballer living or dead’.

‘Jason Brown’. The name given to any emergency 4^th choice goalie. A tactic used to placate concerned fans should your squad goalies suffer injuries or lack of form at a vital time of the season. Even more effective if you prefix Brown with ‘Welsh Internantional’. It’s OK no-one will check.

Seyi Olifinjana. Available under the PFA Erasmus scheme.  Seyi (a Nigerian nickname meaning ‘unfulfilled early season promise’) is a graduate in Chemical Engineering. Suggest an exchange with Steven Gerrard so that the scouser can continue his Doctorate at Hull University deconstructing the lyrics of seminal 80’s band The Housemartins.

Jason Koumas. Big money move to Wigan Athletic culminated in fans voting him ‘Wigan’s Worst Ever Player’ (quite an accolade when you consider the quality of a field including Larry Lloyd, Steve Bruce and George Orwell  - information sourced from Wikipedia). Quit the game to tour with noughties nostalgia band Hammam Fire Sale before taking a position in the family Kebab shop where he was placed in charge of the mutton counter.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. Available under the London Underground Ticket Office Works Experience Scheme. Renowned for his ticket-punching techniques and his clear and precise enunciation of the phrase ‘Nah mate you want the Elephant ‘n’ Castle on the Bakerloo Line innit’. Deceptively useless with a frightening turn of indifference.

After three seasons of clattering the last hurdle in the home straight and stumbling across the line out of the medal positions, for those not generous enough to pat us on the back and whisper ‘never mind’ we have become a comedy act. But not even a decent one. We are the Mike & Bernie Winters of Championship football, the Larry Grayson of prime-time family entertainment, Ted Rogers to the Premier League’s Bruce Forsyth.

So farewell all of the above aberrations, cheerio Jay Bothroyd, Chris Burke, Gavin Rae, Gabor Gypes, Adam Matthews, Craig Bellamy, Terry Burton and.....So long Dave Jones and thanks for all the fish:  the minnows, the starfish, the slippery eels, the beached whales, the small fry and the occasional great white.

Now we can finally concentrate on the summer game, the sound of leather on willow, cucumber sandwiches, ‘more tea Vicar?’ and the groans of despair from the home fans as Glumorgan continue their frustrated quest for silverware and a new golden age.....

2010-11 Match Report CCFC 3 v 0 PORTSMOUTH

16.4.2011

CCFC 3 v 0 PORTSMOUTH

Due to the still barely credible events of 2008, the Pompey fixture will always bring with it emotions of pride tinged with disappointment. And enough anecdotes to fill in a lifetime’s awkward first pint of the evening scene-setting through to final-pint-of-the-session reminiscences.

So, fast forward three years and the potential for yet another anti-climactic end to a season of great promise and not a little frustration remains. A few games back some people off the pitch were thinking it was all over. On the back of three straight wins and some welcome wobbles from our rivals we may well have to wait another month before declaring a Wolstenholmian ‘it is now!’

There was no doubt that the 24,000+ crowd were up for this one. The sun was out, the fish were jumpin’ and the cotton was high. And within 6 minutes, against the early run of play we were ahead. Bellamy collected in an advanced position, delivered a looping cross over the heads of the Pompey defence and Olifinjana rose to power a header into the net. 1-0 and the livin’ is easy. And about to get a whole lot easier.

On 20 minutes after Bothroyd had won a free kick 20 yards out, Portsmouth defender Rocha squared up to JB, inexplicably nutted him and was sent on his way. The travelling Pompey fans made their displeasure known and one or two availed themselves of the opportunity afforded them by our fair-minded stewards and took up the invitation to leave early by the back door, serenaded on their way by a fond ‘Cheerio’ and a friendly wave from the home fans.

The rest of the first half was a strangely disjointed affair and although we were comfortably in the ascendancy we were failing to exploit the one man advantage. On the stroke of half-time, Bothroyd who had earlier been guilty of a glaring miss at the far post redeemed himself when following a misdirected header from Kitson a melee in the box ensued and the ball broke free to JB who rifled the ball into the back of the net. 2-0. (Just reviewed that last paragraph. Sorry, beginning to sound like a real Journo. It won’t happen again.)

Although the second half was a much more convincing affair, particularly as Pompey tired and struggled to adapt to a succession of changes of personnel, there was still sufficient evidence for the doubters to question whether we can sustain the challenge. As well as we are playing, and as good as the results have been lately, we have still not reached the heights attained in the October run. There are however encouraging signs that we might just see it through this time. 

Without doubt we are blessed with a captain who is a winner, who despite his obvious failings in the area of socio-emotional intelligence (ie. he’s a bit of a prat) does not suffer fools, will not accept slackers and is ensuring that we get the best out of luxury players like McPhail and Whittingham. Bellamy’s all round performance today was exemplary – never allowing the opposition to settle, always chasing a ‘lost’ cause and running defenders ragged (and endearing himself to the officials by accepting every decision with petulance and bad grace...) On 75 minutes he crowned a magnificent performance by storming down the right wing and delivering a perfectly placed pass into the path of the rampaging Whittingham. 3-0. Game over.

So how will this all end? Who knows? If we learnt one lesson from the Great FA Cup Adventure it was how to enjoy the journey. OK, history records that ultimately we were losing finalists. But it’s the highlights along the way – the Jimmy-Floyd and Whitts wonder goals, the euphoria of the semi-final victory and the anticipation of a cup final appearance that mattered. We didn’t expect to win the FA Cup. 12 months ago we never really thought that we’d beat Blackpool, even as we took a 2-1 lead. The years have told us to enjoy the journey in the belief that we may never arrive.

But now, on the back of 4 straight wins and the knowledge that 4 more will get us over the line, our 50 year postponed date with destiny is upon us. Cardiff City may just be about to arrive.

Adrian Chiles 2.0, the version post-‘Working Lunch’ but pre-breakfast telly disintegration, wrote in his book about the burden of being a Baggy that ‘It’s the hope that kills you’. He’s right – when all hope has gone and there’s nothing left to care about you can revert to being a spectator. But for now the anguish of expectation is real, visceral and deadly.

2010-11 Match Report CCFC v DERBY

2.4.2011

CCFC 4 v 1 DERBY

The pre-match walk-up chit-chat was unsurprisingly pretty low-key on the back of a string of disappointing performances. The fear was that by 16.50 our automatic promotion hopes would have finally disappeared and we would be looking over our shoulders at the chasing play-offs pack. After all, if Norwich were to win and we continued our recent run we would be 7 points off the pace. In the event, our victory and another shock defeat for our chums down the road means that we can still believe. Just.

In truth this was the sort of result that we might have reasonably expected in recent weeks against the likes of Ipswich, Barnsley & Palace. Derby were as poor an outfit as we have seen all season. Disinterested, uninspired and at times comically inept, this was the most routine of victories.

We began with last-minute-smacking-of-desperation loan signing JLloyd Samuel filling in at left back allowing McNaughton to take Hudson’s place alongside Keinan. It’s far from ideal to be playing with a makeshift back four at this vital stage of the season and they will face stiffer tests before we can judge if the combination will work. Samuel, who hasn’t played first team football this season looked competent but was clearly not match fit. Jones has options (Darcy Blake anyone? Celtic-bound misfit wunderkind Adam Matthews...?) Very odd.

With Chopra’s season already behind him, Bellers moved inside to link up with JB, with Burke on the right and Whitts playing in his preferred role getting forward down the left side of midfield, creating rather than chasing back. With McPhail directing proceedings from midfield we had plenty of attacking options and hit the static Derby defence from the off. Within 6 minutes Bellamy’s pace induced a mistimed tackle in the box and his theatricals persuaded the Ref to point to the spot. Not convinced, but, hey-ho.....Up stepped Bothroyd to plant the ball nonchalantly in the corner and we were off to the best possible start.

We had other chances in the first half, notably when following a superb through ball from Bothroyd, Bellamy sped clear, rounded the ‘keeper but his touch took him wide enough for the shot to be cleared off the line. So only 1-0 at half time and it all seemed very comfortable without being convincing and plenty of scope for events to turn the shape of pears...

Within minutes of the restart any jitters were but a passing torment as first Keinan popped up to grab a free header from a Burke corner for only his second goal for the Bluebirds and then minutes later the ball broke loose in the box for Quinn to grab his first goal of the season. In between we witnessed the comedy miss of this and possibly any other season from Derby – from all of about 3 inches. Heaton stranded, the goal at his mercy the Derby forward (who? dunno, don’t care...) ballooned the ball over the bar. Oh how we laughed!

We were now surging forward at will and it was no surprise that Whitts should grab another after one of the best moves of the game. So 4-0 with about half an hour to go.

Plenty of time then for the home fans to indulge in some good-humoured (ok, bad-natured) Savage-baiting and for the away fans to bizzarely mark their team’s pitiful performance by starting a conga which became so long that our jobsworth stewards felt the need to step in and break up the ‘party’.

Due to a couple of nasty injuries for Derby players we had 6 minutes of injury time, just enough time for City to take the gloss off a comfortable goal-difference bonanza by conceding a needless and dubious penalty. Up stepped Savage to say his final farewell.

In front of 22,500 fans including a large Malaysian contingent headed by their Crown Prince Abdullah apparently (I jest not) this was just the boost we needed. Whether we can push on from here is another matter of course...

2010-11 Match Report CCFC v BARNSLEY

13.3.2011

CCFC 2 v 2 BARNSLEY

How best to break it to you? I could sugar the bitter pill with talk of Whitt’s wonder goal; I might wax lyrical with righteous indignation about how Bellamy was cruelly denied a cast-iron penalty; I could recount the many near misses; how we had to regroup after Chopra pulled a hamstring and to reflect that this will allow Jones to shuffle the pack like he did when Chops was out for a long spell earlier in the season prior to our October surge; I could chivvy you up with platitudes about still being ‘in the hunt’ how ‘it’s still up for grabs’ if we can make ‘one final push’. But that would be masking a stark truth best summed up with a regretful, resigned and rueful request to just ‘forget it!’

It’s over. The Fat Lady has sung, she’s left the building and is even now relaxing in an easy chair soothing her strained vocal chords with a warm mug of Horlicks, basking in the comforting glow of the dying embers of our Premier League ambition, casually flicking the remote in search of something comfortingly nostalgic on Dave.

This was surely our last opportunity to take advantage of yet more slip-ups from those clustered around us. To lack of consistency you can now add injury, worrying lack of form, a general malaise and a debilitating lack of self-belief. You could sense the negativity on the pitch and in the crowd.

The minutes before Whittingham’s bolt from the blue provided surely the dullest spectacle witnessed in the new stadium. To misquote Del Amitri ‘Nothing ever happened. Nothing happened at all. The Martians could have landed in the dug-out and no-one would have cared'. The goal would have sparked a confident set of players at the top of their game into action and provided the platform for a comfortable win. Instead, within minutes Barnsley drew level. And then it was back to the tumbleweed...

With 15 minutes to go and following the sad spectacle of a loud ironic cheer at the departure of the England centre forward formerly recognisable as Jay Bothroyd and the introduction of comedy centre forward Jon ‘The Beast’ Parkin we at last developed a sense of urgency , stepped up the pace and took the game to the opposition. The sustained pressure culminated in a deserved first goal for Dekel Keinan who popped up at the far post to thunder a header past Luke Steele. 2-1 with a few minutes left on the clock. Game over? Nah.

A Barnsley substitution seemed to distract the City defence as Butterfield stripped off, strode over to the ball and planted a perfect cross behind a static back four for Gray to score his second of the afternoon. 2-2. No less than The Tykes deserved.

In his post-match interview Jones has spoken of the ‘fear factor’ of ‘switching off at vital times’ but how we all ‘must stick together’. After all, we’re still in the hunt and it’s still up for grabs if we can make one final push. Nah. Forget it.

2010-11 Match Report CCFC v LEICESTER

22.2.2011

CCFC 2 v 0 LEICESTER CITY

Tonight the Cardiff City Stadium played host to a Championship showdown between Malaysian  Vincent Tan Chee Yioun’s Berjaya Corporation AFC (known locally as ‘The Bluebirds’) and Thailand’s Asian Financial Investments Consortium XI (aka Leicester City) managed by the man voted Britain’s Third Most Annoying Swedish Import after ABBA and IKEA, former Notts County Supremo Mr Sven Goran Eriksson . The Leicester squad must be the most cosmopolitan in the Championship, boasting 14 separate nationalities. The entire Cardiff squad on the other hand of course came through the local schools and Academy structures and all were born within earshot of the peel of the Llandaff Cathedral bells. Apart from the Hungarians, Israelis, Nigerians, English, Scots & Irish.

It’s all a long way from ‘Small boys in the park, jumpers, skull caps and pashminas for goal-posts.’

Leicester were another of the division’s form teams, not having lost at all in 2011 and having won their last 5 games. We needed to bounce back after the Forest defeat. Another defeat on an evening when Forest & Norwich had home games against relegation-threatened opposition would leave us perilously close to dropping out of the play-off zone. Ali did his best to reassure us with his pre-match singalongs ‘Three Little Birds’(Don’t worry ‘bout a ting, every little ting gonna be alright) and ‘Mr Jones & Me’.

The Foxes started very brightly and for the first 15 minutes we were like beagles tracking their scent. Yakubu, on loan from Everton, was a powerful presence up front and true to the chant ‘Feed the Yak and he will score’ was being fed some tasty morsels from an efficient, mobile midfield.

It was very much against the run of play and a huge relief when we took the lead. Following some good work from Quinn on the right flank, Olofinjana found Chopra in space in the box who swept the precision pass first time past Portugal’s Ricardo. 1-0!

The rest of the half was fairly even with few chances at either end. Leicester continued to stroke the ball around and picked up a number of loose balls in midfield (why can we not keep hold of the ruddy ball?!) but were becoming less effective up front as the central defensive partnership of Hudson and Keinan took charge.

Ali fired up the crowd for the second half by quoting Aristotle – something about greatness becoming habit forming. (Interestingly, The Bloke Behind is a keen advocate of the famous Socratic Paradox ‘I only know that I know nothing’.) I was reminded of the Monty Python Philosophy International sketch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiZt79UKUFQ&feature=player_embedded

Anyway, back to the game...five minutes into the second half Chopra, who apparently has a hairline fracture in his ankle but will continue to play on, was beginning to struggle and was substituted by McPhail. JE-T, starting in Bellamy’s position out left, moved in to partner Bothroyd. The turbo-charged JE-T was playing his best game for the City and his use as a utility player once again came to the fore when the injured Olofinjana left the game and he moved temporarily into central midfield. Then when Parkin came on after 75 minutes JE-T deployed his propelling nozzle and headed back out for another sortie on the wing. It’s always handy to have someone with such a good internal combustion reaction engine in your team.

Ramsey’s goal on 51 minutes was the culmination of some neat build up work and a fine run and cross from McNaughton. Another cool side footed placement into the corner. 2-0!

Sven decided to ring the changes bringing on Darius Vassel to partner Yakubu. If that sounds intimidating, it didn’t seem to bother Hudson or Keinan who completely neutralised any threat with an imperious display. They are looking like the best pairing since Johnson & Loovens and another clean sheet is testimony to their effectiveness.

The Swede made two more quick tactical substitutions to freshen things up, but despite the disruption caused by our forced substitutions we soaked up everything Leicester had to offer and as the game wore on The Foxes went to ground. In fact they were never in the hunt.

The pre-match pessimism has dissipated as a mixed set of results from our nearest challengers has left us not only once again securely in the play-offs but still realistically challenging for an automatic spot. 13 games left and all to play for! Next up the trip to Hull and back.