Sunday 31 December 2017

BFC 1-1 Reading, Saturday 30th December 2017

‘They crucified Jesus.  And that turned out alright.’
Be Proud!

Voice of doom here.  I don’t know what everyone’s on about, all this ‘played well, shoulda won’ nonsense.  It was yet another game where we never looked like scoring – and didn’t, till the ball fell to a defender who headed home in injury time.  Yes, Thiam ran about a bit and looked lively.  Like one of his subs performances, but this time for 70 minutes.  But did he ever look like he would bag?  No.  So Hecky took him off in a three-pronged substitution and received boos for his decision-making. The same decision-making which took us from losing to drawing.  Proof indeed that some of the crowd are turning against Hecky?  I mean, I’ve not heard it from any of the LONDON Londontykes, but Wadd, Molly, and, to a lesser extent, Nozzer, have all been uttering anti-Hecky jibes while turning Little Lee into a managerial god.  Talk about a Stalinist re-writing of history.
424 away fans.  Did I hear right?

One thing we can all agree is that Ugbo isn’t the answer.  Though as has been pointed out, one of the three (I thought it was two!) touches he had in his 25 minutes involved nipping in front of Mannone and clipping a goalbound header over him which a defender cleared.  This was as close as ANY of our attacking players came to scoring and for that, I salute him.  He made the right run and got his head to the ball.  As for our other 6 shots on target (the stats tell me) I have no idea where they came from. If you’d said 3, I’d have said that was more like.  But when one of them surely includes Mannone tipping over a shot which was going over anyway…
The view from the Ponty...for a change.

Actually, I do remember one decent bit of link up play between Thiam and Bradshaw which ended up with a good shooting opportunity, Bradshaw testing the keeper.  But you know when the crowd have lost hope: even when we had 2 corners at 0-1, there was no chant from the Ponty of ‘Come on you Reds’. They were met with shrugs.  The team deserve better.  (Support did come, as we threw men forward late on.)
The old Main Stand at half time.

The problem was, we’d seen it all before. A side had come to Oakwell looking to secure a goalless draw and had somehow found themselves winning.  Howthehell does this happen? Well, today Matthew, a 40 yard cross from their left was headed in from 4 yards out by a disbelieving centre forward.  Where was Davies?  Still stood on his line, watching it.  Now, I like Davies, but his shot stopping hasn’t been great this season and his ability on crosses has never been there.  Surely time to bring in someone who will challenge him for his position, rather than a bloke who couldn’t get a game in the Conference.
The Ponty v Reading.

At least the crowd didn’t leave this time, or at least very few did.  But that was probably due to the new game show in town: see how long it takes before Ugbo touches the ball.  I know they were playing it around me in the Ponty, and it was the talk of the pub later. 25 minutes for maybe 3 touches.  No wonder everyone thought Thiam was amazing.  At least he could occasionally hold onto the ball.  Can Ugbo REALLY be the finest 18 year old centre forward in the land?  I’d weep for England’s chances, if only I could give a s***.  It’s like that Arsenal loanee we had in division 3, ‘the best 17 year old in the land’.  Last seen being sent packing from another loan spell with Oxford.  I forget his name, such was his amazingness.  Well, yeah, Uggboot’s like him.  Though Uggy did play well at Spurs, so perhaps, a la Odejayi, his real level is the Premiership!
The East Stand.

Fortunately, with time running out, Pinnock (and half the team) were pushed forward…and we scored.  Do you think there’s a correlation there somewhere?  Isgrove (on as sub; thank you Lord Hecky) whipped in a super ball and Pinnock crashed home a great header into the opposite corner.  Unstoppable.  Cue big hugs from Jonesy and jumping around like loons.  Well, you have to make the most of these things, 1
st home goal in 5 matches.
So, yeah, the game was slightly less s*** than usual…cos we scored…but it was still s***.  The pronounced opinion was that Reading are a poor team – a poor team we failed to beat (and wiped the floor with us at their place, where I can confirm they looked a poor team there as well).  We are in big BIG trouble and as things stand, I think we’re going down.  It was good to hear pre-match that no-one shares my opinion (do they ever?) but given the disconnect between our view of Hecky, I can only think that some people imagine the only way out of this is to find a new manager.  As Wadd told me in the pub ‘our new owners won’t let us go down’.  I’m not sure this is how promotion/relegation works, but I live in hope.  We are now one point above relegation and a mere 3 above bottom.  Permission to panic, Captain Mainwaring?

Onwards and upwards!

The away end.  Does it look any closer to 424?

*** Pinnock.  Twitter MOTM. I thought he had an excellent game at centre half and the goal was the cherry on the icing.
** Thiam.  Ran around for longer than usual looking keen.
Hammill.  Some fabulous delivery, particular in the 1st half – met by nobody.  (File under: why Thiam isn’t good enough.)

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Pinnock  2. Thiam  3. Hammill

Despatches:
In a change to the programme, my plans were completely thrown pre-match.. Slacki’s sister had tickets to the darts final on New Years Day and couldn’t make it, so, having banged on about the darts on the train up, here was my chance.  Cue tickets bought, one very happy partner, Sunderland away cancelled, no visit back home and quick deliberations on whether to get smashed with the Londontykes on the train back after the game….or get smashed ‘in tarn’ with the Slackmeister.  The latter it was.  I still can’t decide if I regret it (see later).  I know I gave away my ear muffs to the cute girl behind the counter in Greggs in the early hours…
Then it was back to the pub for too many pints before I was taken to top Barnsley gentleman’s emporium ‘Wildcats’ where entrance was free (cos no-one had any money to be out between Xmas and New Year?) and Carling was £3.50.  Slacki and I have decided this is our new drinking hole of choice.

Our players?  Barnes showed flashes of his earlier brilliance for us.  Fryers had a dodgy start, letting a player run past him for a cheap shot.  Yiadomlooked good, but was injured as Reading crossed from his side for their goal.  (I later learnt this was Hecky’s fault too, for not subbing him before the goal.  Then it turned into the physio’s fault for not getting him off sooner.  I’m exasperated.)  Williams had his usual game (and Jonesy can now concur he does lose the ball cheaply at times, cos there was more than one occasion where I said ‘who gave that away?’ before following the man to find out it was Williams.)  I have to say though, he did put some decent balls out wide.  Bradshaw was half decent, and linked up better with Thiam today.  Gardnerwas…I dunno.  Didn’t do much wrong, didn’t do much full stop.  Kept possession?  Lindsay kept it tight, while Davies didn’t.  And when Davies loses his confidence, the first thing that goes is his kicking.  So after conceding, one of his hoofs went straight out for a throw…which gets fans on his back, which makes him lose more confidence…etc

Where it all began...steps into the Ponty end.

Drink du jour: 
Arcade Ale House: Sierra Nevada 7.2%, Rhubarb cider, some bottled IPA or other
Old #7: Erdinger
Wildcats: Carling
Me and and my erstwhile buddy got in a terrible, terrible drink-induced mess.  We blame our Barnsley-based acquaintances for leaving us by 8pm.  At least Hicksy and his Mrs stayed out – and they don’t even live in Barnsley.

Away: 424.  Allegedly.  (There must have been a helluva lot under the stand, cos there were never 424 in it.)

The Damage:
£12 train from London
£12 train to Durham (which I obviously didn’t get)
£36 train from Durham to London (ditto)
= £60

The Tunes:
Days Are Gone (Haim)

Did I say I’m off to the darts final??? WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


1st half panorama v Reading.

Half time panorama from the back of the Ponty.







Tuesday 26 December 2017

Fulham 2-1 BFC, Saturday 23rd December 2017

We’re richer than you, we’re richer than you, we’re Barnsley FC, we’re richer than you.’

Welcome to ....

This is novel. We’re in Fulham, West London, and all I can hear are Barnsley fans chanting about being richer than them.  Must be the Billy Beane / Chinese / American consortium effect..  ‘We’ve got Billy Beane, Billy Beane…la la la la la la la la’.  Let the good times roll!
Optimism wasn’t high pre-match (unless you’re Andy ‘Bradshaw to get two’ Jones) but who cares?  We were in the White Horse, Parson’s Green, and they’ve Pilsner Urquell unpasteurised in the vat.  I’ll take 3.  I’d take more, but I have a match to attend.  The athletes (Reedy, Rock ‘n’ Roll Jim, me) elect to walk the 20 odd minutes, the rest get ubers.  What is it with the youth of today?  One of the glories of Fulham and Craven Cottage is the walk.  Where else in London do you get a park to walk through and glimpses of the Thames?  Have you ever been to Tottenham?

The pre-match hullabaloo.

Numbers were unsurprisingly down on last season’s incredible 1800. Christmas doesn’t help, and neither does two points in seven games.  I cannot remember the last time we looked like scoring in open play and surely only a miracle will prevent me picking up mountains of moolah after Bradshaw’s latest failure.  Whothehell would bet he’d score a dozen before Xmas?

Putney End...neutrals and away fans alike.

The Fulham boys won’t let us put our flag up (no fire safety certificate) but at least we can stand up and generate an atmosphere. And it was very lively early doors, till we realised the Fulham fans weren’t offering anything and ditto the Barnsley attack.  The game was generally spent in and around our box, though Moncur spurned the best opportunity, ghosting in to sidefoot a volley over at the far end.  Their keeper also came out and messed up and if Barnes had a right foot, surely he’d have lifted it over him into an empty net.  He didn’t.

The teams come out.

Nil-nil at half time, but it takes less than 10 minutes of the 2nd half to concede one of our trademark goals: the cut inside and drill home from 20 odd yards.  Along with the backpost header, we must let in more of these goals than any other team in the world.  It’s a decent strike, too, bottom corner, but why don’t we score these goals?  Oh yes, we need a player who can hit a ball from this range.  At least it’s not Williams who’s being waltzed around this time, it’s defensive lynchpin Moncur.  Who will rid us of this turbulent believer in priests?

Must be Christmas..the 3 wise men are here.

By now, ‘Last Christmas’ is banging around the away end and the Fulham goal does nought for it to subside.  It must have gone on for 15-20 minutes without respite.  Then Hecky brings on Isgrove (welcome back!) and Hammill on either wing, the former looking especially dangerous merely by running about and being keen.  Both are a vast improvement on Thiam (another failure when on from start) and Moncur.  Who will rid us….etc

The view from the Exec boxes.

Still, it comes as some surprise when the Super Reds do equalise, Yiadom playing in a peach of a long cross for Bradshaw to sneak in and head home.  THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!  I did say I was hoping he’d bag one, if only to make the bet interesting.  In the next few minutes Bradders furthermore narrowly fails in a scramble, while he drags a 20 yarder wide with his left, with others in more promising positions.  The match is now truly on, or at least till Fulham put a cross in from the right…and it flies over Davies and into the net. Jammy f***ing ba5tards.  But why was Davies on the front post?  Another entirely avoidable goal and despite Isgrove’s best efforts, we never really threaten again.  Time to get to the pub, claim my £30 of winnings…then spend £40 on a round.  A victory of sorts, then….


*** Lindsay.  Won everything in the middle, broke up play. 
** Pinnock.  Good partnership with Lindsay and a couple of crucial blocks.
Yiadom.  Back to form – in time to engineer a move in the January transfer window.

Onwards and upwards!

Looking towards the Hammersmith End.

Despatches:

Isgrove was unlucky not to be top 3, outstanding.  Hopefully he’ll be in the starting XI soon.  Otherwise, we’re nothing if Barnes isn’t on it, and he hasn’t been for weeks.  McCarthy didn’t have a great game.  The more fans sing about how he never loses the ball….the more he loses the ball.  Can we just bin this s*** chant?  I’d be tempted to bin Thiam and Ugbo too.  Will Thiam EVER score a goal in open play?  The less said about the latter the better.  The future of England my front bottom.  And don’t point out to Loko how Williams loses the ball, or you might see how Loko loses his temper.  Thankfully Reedy did it for me.  ‘BUT HE’S ONLY LOST IT TWICE!!!!’ screamed Loko, proving he’s at least one short of fingers (and that was just the 1st half).
On the plus side, we’re now only two points above relegation and yours truly has £20 wagered on us going down.  Last week the pre-match vote in the pub was 10-1 in favour of us staying up. Let’s see what it is by New Year’s Day…

The cottage, bedecked in Xmas lights.

Drink du jour: Pilsner Urquell unpasteurised, Big Wave IPA, Pilsner Urquell unpasteurised.  I reckon me and Reedy made double figures, Satdy.  And about two-thirds the way through that number I had Alison hectoring me for daring to be part of the home-homing fraternity.  Seems I’m not allowed to hold left wing views if I own a house!  Too right! 

Away: c600.  Best atmosphere of the season, incredible.

The Damage:
£20 ent
£3.50 programme
= £23.50

The Tunes:
A Deeper Understanding (The War on Drugs)
Let Them Eat Chaos (Kate Tempest)
It’s Album Time (Todd Terje)
The Far Field (Future Islands)


Fulham v Barnsley panorama.

The Riverside Stand.

Pilsner Urquell unpasteurised.  The amber nectar.

Darkness descends on Barnsley's chances.

Alison's fabulous (free) Xmas jumper, courtesy of #1 son.






Sunday 17 December 2017

Brentford 0-0 BFC, Saturday 16th December 2017

One good thing.  When we’re 3 down at half time, there’s no shortage of pubs we can go to.’

Nice touch....Xmas at Waterloo Station ticket office.

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!  The rot has stopped.  After 5 defeats in a row the Super Reds finally scrape a point!  And scrape we did, an outstanding performance from the centre halves and keeper restricting Brentford’s first half dominance from burying us alive.  Then, with our tails up 2
nd half, we had Moncur pulling the strings for 20 minutes and we very nearly pinched it when Barnes sent in a low cross and Bradshaw cleared the bar.  A difficult chance, but a chance nonetheless.  I don’t think the sheeting rain helped, but it was nice to see what we COULD do. What we USED to do, before Barnes lost all his form (Bradshaw has remained consistent).

Welcome to ...

After a couple of errands in the morning, I rocked up to Waterloo to narrowly miss one train and have the next one cancelled.  Great. Meant I had to hang out with the Slacks and Nice Guy Chris.  It was lovely really.  I’ve never seen Ian moan at young Jake before,but like every other teenager in the land, Jake is perennially hungry (greedy)…though giving him a tenner to go and get something seemed extraordinarily generous.  Needless to say the tykester came back with A Burger King meal.  


The Royal Oak...re-open for business (back to a pub on all 4 corners).

We encamped to the Griffin.  Why change a winning habit after last year’s 2-0?  I think the highlight was when Reedy came back from the bar with about 8 beers and upon dishing them out I heard ‘oh, Allan didn’t want one.’  Did I not? Woulda been nice to have been asked.  Ian got one, and I was at exactly the same stage of pint he was.  Duly noted, I got up, waded through the crowd, bought my own beer and then chatted on to a couple of Brentford at the bar who were discussing who they wanted to see relegated from the Prem.  ‘I tell ya who I’d like to see go down’, I said.  ‘It’s be great to see West Ham get relegated and the Olympic Stadium in the Championship.’  Cue a very (very) dirty look from one, and a quick ‘oh, he’s West Ham’ from the other.  Well, I was only saying…


Merry Xmas...(I missed the teams coming out).

Of course, everyone loves Griffin Park, with the pub about 50 yards from the turnstiles.  So make the most of it, they plan to be out within 2 years.  In disseminating their plans in the programme, Brentford also admitted they had a problem on where to house the club offices, since there wouldn’t be room at the new stadium.  WTF?  They can build a 20,000 ground, and quite a few houses to boot, but yet not find room for a couple of offices?  I am confused.  I think they need a better architect.


They don't build overhangs like this anymore.  Cosy.

We cosied up behind the goal, ready for the expected onslaught.  And it came.  It’s great when all the action’s at your end.  Davies smothered one when clean through, while a shot which was going in was blocked by Lindsay.  The midfield, containing Gardner (‘he’s not even a good gardner!’) and Moncur lived up to its pre-match billing: woeful.  Nevermind the front 2, Thiam and Bradshaw.  Have they actually played well in a game in which they’re STARTED together?  Cos if they have, I can’t remember it.  I don’t know what’s worse: Bradshaw on his own up top or the pair of them together.  No need to worry, we’ve got Ugbo on the bench.  ‘I’d pack him off an’ all’ said one Reds fan I overheard.  I concur.


A busy looking Bill Axbey Stand.

So, we scraped to half time despite not having had a kick of the ball.  I lost count of how many times I heard ‘we’re not gonna hold out’ but the quota increased when I stood next to Nozzer 2
nd half.  At least I was stillin range of Loko going apoplectic at Moncur every time he went near the ball.  All good fun!  At least you could see Moncur (it must be that stupid top knot – would God approve?).  Gardner shuffles about aimlessly.  Actually, while I think on – is this the 1st point for a Barnsley midfield containing Gardner?  Hecky: you’ve won your bet.  You don’t have to play him anymore.

A rare 1st half foray into Brentford's half.

The rain then seriously started coming down.  A time for big strong northerners to show their mettle.  Step forward Super Georgie Moncur, running things from wide midfield.  (Hammill is officially now 3
rd at best in the wing pecking order behind Potts and Moncur.)  Flashes of skill, laying balls off, keeping possession.  What a shame that when he actually could have done some damage, he completely miscontrolled a long ball which could have sent him clean through.  Oh well.  At least we’d recovered some sense of pride amongst the team and support.  But hang on, there’s still time for Brentford to cut inside from the left and unleash a shot which arrowed towards the far bottom corner – only for Davies to tip it around the post.  A fitting end to a super performance from Davies.  Let’s hope it continues.
Is that us nearly nicking it?

*** 
Davies.  Saved everything, caught everything (in the rain!) and kicked everything onto the pitch.  A job well done. 
** Lindsay.  A key reason why, for all Brentford’s possession, they had few decent efforts on target
Pearson.  As above.  Only last 50 minutes, but it was the toughest 50 minutes.
Londontykes MOTM:  1. Lindsay  2. Davies  3. Pearson
Despatches:
Having a lowish view, I can’t say I was an expert on every performance, but I could see McCarthy was showing the winger too much on his outside, though at least Yiadom’s defending was an improvement on lately.  I can’t say we ever looked like scoring and, barring a miracle (Bradshaw scoring 2 next week at Fulham) I am in the money.  Still, it is the time the little baby Jesus was conceived by the Virgin Mary and Gabriel’s mate, the Big G, so’s all not lost yet.

Onwards and upwards!

Drink du jour: Pioneer lager.  Average.  Then Weihenstephaner at the Waterloo Tap.  Above average.  Home in time for the Strictly result.  Joy.

Away: c900.  Good atmosphere, before another terrace bites the dust.  Let’s hope we play here next year.  (Hang on though, I’ve only gone and bet 20 quid we’ll go down.  Oh dear.)

The Damage:
£20 ent
£3.50 prog
= £23.50

The Tunes:
Ghetto Style (Gil Scott Heron)
Cypress Hill III Temples of Boom (Cypress Hill)

Griffin Park panorama
Davies about to launch it.

Danish Bees.

Half time ents, Xmas-style.

Back of the away end.

'Maximum price £20.00'






Tuesday 12 December 2017

BFC 0-3 Derby County, Saturday 9th December 2017

‘Bradshaw won’t get 12 by Xmas 2018, nevermind 2017’
Work do, Fri nite.  (Not me.)  An omen?

I’m fast running out of ways to describe the latest ineptitude at Oakwell.  Is that 5 defeats in a row or 6?  Who cares?  Little Lee made it 8 (and knocked us out of the cup by non-leaguers) so by my reckoning, Hecky can lose us 20 on the spin and still be safe.  Some people say it’s difficult to wonder what’s happened, but it looks pretty simple to me: the defence can’t defend, the attack can’t attack and the midfield can’t midfield.  The goalkeeper doesn’t do much keeping of goal either.  Did they really score with every shot on target?  Thank god they only had 3 shots on target, in that case.
The Derby whores hordes.

Like Dirty Leeds, we’d lost this game by half time.  In a nothing game of football with nothing happening, Derby open the scoring when one of our centre halves clears the ball to his own area, and while McCarthy stares at it, they nip in and score.  Simples.  The second I thought was a well worked move.  Well, it must have been, cos none of our defenders got near any of the 3 attackers involved in the build up.  Vydra sidefoots home.  (Later, in the 2
nd half, we miss the same chance, before Derby run up the field to bag a 3rd.)  About the closest we came to scoring in that opening period was an overhit backpass the keeper scrambled away.  (BTW, did that count as one of our ‘shots on target’, cos I’m struggling to remember anymore.)
Match action in front of the old Main Stand.

Early 2
nd half, Derby survive the early Reds onslaught (well, a Potts 20 yarder which cannons off the bar) before the game descends into more nothingness.  Then, a rare chance, as Moncur’s trickery sets up Barnes, to set up Ugbo…who hits the keeper from 8 yards.  That’s ok though, it’s not like Derby will run up the other end and…oh.  A bit of head tennis on the edge of our box and Derby show how it’s done again, a crisp half volley from 20 yards.  Shoot early, shoot on target, and you get your results.  I leg it to the loo and miss what I presume is the highlight of the match: booing Sammy the Snake coming on for the Rams.  Oh well, at least Super Sam shows our defenders how it’s done, clearing a ball from virtually under our bar.  Tw*t.
0-3, the Ponty empties.

*** No-one.  They were all varying levels of s***. 
** No-one.  But I’d be hard pushed to think of anyone who impressed me even slightly, ‘cept for
Moncur.  The more we play Potts and Gardner, the more Moncur looks like a footballer.  We are going down.

Londontykes' MOTM:  1. Williams  2. Moncur  3. Thiam
Twitter MOTM: I have no f***ing idea.  There was one, right?  (It was Harvey Barnes)

Despatches:
Those Derby fans, they must be really confused.  One minute they’re singing they wanna go home, Barnsley’s not all that salubrious, next minute it’s ‘Don’t take me home, please don’t take me home’.  I won’t miss ‘em.  Plenty of crowing on the train platform too.  Well done lads – your team has beaten Barnsley.

Our players?  I have no more words to say on the matter.  Davies, Yiadom, Lindsay, Bradshaw, Thiam, Potts, Gardner.  S***.  S***. S***.  S***.  S***.  S***.  S***.  Honestly, Moncur is the least of our problems.  But why can’t McGeehan get a game?  Why was Fryers dropped?  Why do we WANT to get relegated?  As for Thiam, one backheel doth not a footballer make.  Learn to pass it with the side of your foot before you try the fancy stuff. Or try scoring a goal, that'd be good.

A seasoned regular tries to stay warm.

Drink du jour: Arcade Ale House this week and they’ve only gone and got themselves some bottled Weihenstephaner.  All the way up till I drank them out of it.  Then a 7.2% Sierra Nevada Torpedo ipa, which I recommend heartily.  Those and the fish and chips (Gary’s Fisheries) almost made the day worthwhile.  Vodka and orange on the way back, but we took it easy, not even finishing a bottle between 3 of us.  Sad days.

Oh, and after sending a Whatsapp message proclaiming still being awake as I crossed the Thames…I fell asleep.  Still, 1st one of the season, I think.

Onwards and upwards!

Away: 3,166

The Damage:
£23.80 train
= £23.80

The Tunes:
Let Them Eat Chaos (Kate Tempest)
Best of ….. (The Specials)

ps, my money’s safe.  Perhaps we should make it ‘can Bradshaw even have 2 shots by Xmas?’


Panorama v Derby County.
Still awake....

Christmas in Peckham.





Monday 4 December 2017

Reading 3-0 BFC, Tuesday 28th November 2017

We take one step back to go two steps further back.’

Reading, a Tuesday night.

A week is a long time in football, probably too long to be writing match report after the event, but here goes; maybe it’ll be even less accurate than usual…

Well, it all started at K Town.  Of course Andy and I would be there on time, and of course, our chauffeur (Dave) wouldn’t.  Still, 20 minutes…enough time for a pint.  Yes please.  Sadly, Dave arrived and we had to down the remnants.  There went our excuse, we had to go now…

All went as expected.  Plenty of queues and an hour and a half to drive 30 odd miles.  Then, just as the traffic actually flowed, the dam was about to burst.  Either we made kick off and I wet myself, or….  Luckily, the team had been announced.  An uninspiring line-up (no Hedges, after the Leeds cameo..and Potts out wide.  No Bradshaw or Thiam, but Ugbo given a run out.  Moncur still there.  WTF?)  Yeah, no rush.

A bit busier in this stand.

Sadly, we didn’t miss much.  Got there in plenty of time to see which team could give it away the most.  What a terrible pair of teams.  Noticeably, the game was played in our half, making us the lesser of two appalling sides, but it still came as a shock to concede.  Reading have a corner, and their bloke saunters towards the front post, 6 yards out.  I can’t say he lost his marker, cos I don’t think he had one in the 1st place.  The resultant flick-on is fumbled into the net by Davies.  The highlight for me was seeing one terrace regular going potty at Davies.  (You’ll know him by sight; a moustachioed mate of a hairy mate who knows Molly.  Does that narrow it down?  Wears glasses, straightish, slightly thinning, greying hair?  60+.  Come on , you know who I mean.  Anyway, him.)  Well, he was going berserk at Davies, and he still hadn’t calmed down by half time as…

Reading celebrate #1.

We concede a 2nd.  From a Reading point of view, it must look a blinder, 20 odd yarder into the top corner.  Sadly, from behind it, it was all a bit slow-mo for me as the player gets a lucky hit which goes over Davies, who’s off his line.  I’m rather more p***ed off with Williams getting the wrong side of said player and neither centre half closing him down, allowing a free hit.  Didn’t we concede this goal 3 days earlier at home to Leeds?  Heckingbottom can share some of my ire there too.  Once is a mistake, twice is stupidity, etc.

So I said to the bloke next to me...'Oi!'

Still, Hecky realises we are beyond woeful and attempts to do something radical, hauling off 3 (it could have been 10) of our penny dreadfuls: MacDonald, Gardner and Ugbo.  The improvement is noticeable.  We now have 2 up front and we’re pressing them, instead of vice versa.  Unfortunately, chances are still at a premium and Reading go up the other end and cannon a long shot off the post.  Then, with 5 mins left, comes our chance.  Thiam backheels a delightful ball into the path of Starman Barnes, who’s on fire of late.  However, like all left-footers, he only has one foot and strikes the ball off the post from 15 yards with his right.  Should have bagged, and that’s our lot.  But to cap an atrocious night, Davies makes a great save from a shot, tipping it onto the bar, and while the rest of our defence stand still, there’s a tap-in of a header for them.  God we are s***.

*** Fryers.  Did alright.  In a game where ‘alright’ makes you our best player over 90 minutes.  
** Thiam.  Audacious backheel.
* No-one.  


Londontykes' MOTM: 
1. Thiam  2. Williams  3. Fryers

Onwards and upwards!

Away: c200.  Peas rattling around a tunnel.  The home end was the same.  

Full time.  Can we go home now?

Despatches:
I’m not going to go through the entire team, but what is the point of a Gardner?  (Actually…I need my lawn mown.  Do you think he’d be up to it?)  And as for everyone’s favourite least favourite player (Moncur) I read a piece in the Sun at the weekend, with our resident godbotherer thanking the Good Lord for his ‘footballing talent’.  Well, after nearly choking on my own vomit, I did start wishing he’d at least be a bit more Calvinist.  Perhaps if he did some f***ing work, he might yet make a footballer.  As for the moaning (before and after) about Hedges not being in the team, I can understand that.  Hedges did damage against Leeds on the LEFT wing…and our best player is our left winger (Barnes).  So to put Hedges on the left, you then have to mess around with Barnes.  And Leicester City’s Barnes is way more valuable to us than Barnsley’s Hedges, which is a real shame.  Oh well.  Oh, and if one moment summed up our performance, it was one of our classic corners.  We play it short, it goes back, goes back again, then again, and before you know it, Davies is in possession.  Compare with their 1st goal.

The one plus I can think of was the reciprocal arrangement we had with Reading, whereby season ticket holders got a fiver off.  This kind of thing should happen more often.  We’re the ones footing Moncur’s wages, etc.

Drink du jour: Leffe, Camden Pale Ale

The Damage:
£20 ent
£15 travel/parking

The Tunes:
Sunburst and Snowblind (Cocteau Twins)
Hippopotamus (Sparks)
If You’re Feeling Sinister (Belle and Sebastian)


'Thanks for your effort.'  'Whatever.'









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