ACCRINGTON STANLEY

I arrived an hour and a bit before kick-off as I had not yet bought my Luton ticket. In days gone by if there was only just over a 1,000 spaces for us travellers I would have panicked and snapped one up immediately they went on sale to season ticket holders. That I didn’t is down to my lack of enthusiasm for travelling to a place as unwelcoming as Luton, particularly when we’re on such a wretched run, and my belief that others didn’t believe hence I was confident that there would be leftovers to go on general sale.

We parked with ease on Grenoble Road and there was hardly anyone around and no queues at the ticket office. This told me what I already knew – it was going to be a small gate. I was convinced it would be sub 4,000. On the face of it a crowd of 4,111 (almost all home fans) is nothing to shout about. But at the very least we should not be embarrassed by this. That night the only two League Two clubs who got more through their turnstiles were the two P-mouths. Chris Wilder’s free scoring Cobblers played in front of just 3,653. And we even had more watching us than did Colchester, Notts County, Rochdale, Scunthorpe and Yeovil. That lot all play in League One.

After my conviction we would beat Exeter I thought it best to keep my mouth shut but if I had been given a free bet on the score it would have been 3-1 to us. (Honest, I have witnesses).

I thought I would have liked to see Danny Rose and Alex Jakubiak starting but soon in the case of the former and later in the case of the latter I came to understand why others were picked ahead of them.

On 35 minutes the score stood at 1-1 and let’s be honest, it had not been great. There had been lots of passing with a very high percentage going sideways and backwards with it ending up at keeper George Long’s feet much too often for my liking. Wasn’t this the sort of stuff that Wilder gave us? Why weren’t we really getting at them, especially after we went one up instead of once again demonstrating our defensive frailty by conceding almost immediately? I think the crowd had a right to express their disapproval in mild fashion.

But within all this a bright light shone. It’s a pity we didn’t get Howard on the books for the start of the season. I rate Rose and, until now, thought he was the most creative midfielder we had. (Although I’m not sure what actually constitutes a midfielder any more. There are now so many sub groups of this species.) But now I can see it: Howard has the creativity we need and a class that should stand out at this level.

It was Howard’s perfectly flighted cross that eluded the defenders head and came to the ever impressive Danny Hylton. The marking was poor but the job needed doing. First touch and the ball was perfectly positioned for the second touch which was a smack into the back of the net. I love this guy. For me he was just as good playing on the right of the three behind the one instead of in the middle.

But a couple of minutes later more defensive sloppiness resulted in us being pegged back. It was nowhere near being offside. Long reacted late to a ball into the box that possibly should have been cut out but couldn’t do anything meaningful to get it away and Stanley had enough men unmarked to get the ball over the line.

There wasn’t much in it and it wasn’t particularly riveting stuff but the game turned back our way a bit in the 36th minute and then a significant amount more in the 38th minute. We would have had to be pretty appalling to have lost it from there.

Our lack of closing down is one of my bugbears so I took heart when Callum O’Dowda forced a defender to pass back to his keeper, Joe Lumley, who was not absolutely fabulous with his clearance. Michael Collins still had a lot to do from distance. He controlled and lofted in from 35 plus yards whilst Lumley turned, looked on and did that little skip thing that keepers do in such situations. He might as well have been wearing high heels with fag in one hand and bottle of Bolly in the other. He’s only 19. He’ll learn.

The visitors in my opinion were the worst opponents we’ve faced this season but having given it away once I, and loads of others, assumed that we were well capable of doing so again. Then, for no discernible reason, James Gray kicked Johnny Mullins and had to go. I thought “red” immediately. He’s only 22. He may learn.

From then on the game was ours. I felt relatively comfortable with that ever present niggling one goal lead doubt not being quite as loud as it usually is. Naturally it remained though, until our third went in. It was another defensive cock up, this time of massive proportions. Thanks. How Luke Joyce failed to spot a presence as big as Barnett takes some understanding.

I very much liked most of what I saw in the second half. O’Dowda had his best game in a yellow shirt by a country mile. He grew and grew into the game and had the beating of the full back. Sometimes the most effective way is to knock it and go but he did much more than that. And I loved the way he played the ball with precision to the overlapping Tom Newey time and again. The boy done good. It gives me great pleasure to say that. Not begrudgingly like in the fashion I heard a bloke turn to his mate at a recent away game and comment, “it pains me to say so but Newey is playing really well.” A strange attitude but at least the blinkers are coming off. The mantle of scapegoat now seems to have been passed Long’s way. Again, totally unfairly in my view.

As for our left back, I shouldn’t think he has ever seen so much of the ball or covered so much ground in one game. He too was very good.

I must also mention Josh Ruffels who got through the work, played some decent passes which may have been overlooked with all the other stuff going on and in the second half got back to do some covering when it was, on rare occasions, needed. This is what we want.

I was also impressed that we continued to look good once Hylton and Howard had departed with about 25 minutes to go. It’s important that these two stay fit and although Hylton was holding his hamstring didn’t look to be in too much discomfort.

So pleased with this win but I’m not going to get carried away because of the opposition. We definitely have some better players at the football club now but I need to see that we can deliver as a team and individuals against better opposition than this. When I say deliver, I mean beat and to do that we’ve got to stop giving silly goals away. It’s 12 league games since we’ve kept a clean sheet. And I hope this has given CoD the confidence to do the same against much stronger opponents than this, opponents that have got a full compliment and have not been all but broken.

STEVENAGE

This lot are a loathsome outfit. We knew that. A Westley never changes its spots. Those spots are welcome at some football clubs but thankfully not others. Why Preston gave him a chance to see if those spots would fit at a football club with as proud a history as theirs I don’t understand.
They pull shirts way more than your average football team. They block players off the ball as if it is second nature. That’s because it has been coached into them. They’ve been brain washed by the God of Anti-Football. They foul time and again. Never before have I seen a team stick five men on the white line of the six yard box when they concede a free kick anywhere in their own half. They schedule drinks breaks with feigned injuries. So, it’s just tough if they get a genuine one. That’ll teach you for crying wolf. Bloody hell, Stevenage fans have to watch this ***t every week. And 263 of them travelled on Saturday. But a football team is for life, so good luck suckers. Our lot wanted Wilder out. Stevenage fans should want Westley crucified on that basis.

My brother and Tim from the seat in front thought the referee, Chris Kavanagh, had a good game. Well yes in that he did his best to allow the game to flow. But no & thrice no in that he allowed Stevenage to be what Stevenage are. To be fair most referees are just as guilty. Every time they shirt pull, book them. Every time they deliberately foul, book them. If they take the piss by coming out late for the second half and then push the piss taking further by doing that stupid prancing about in the cones like we do, then blow your bloody whistle very loudly to stop them, followed by a yell of, “you’ve got ten seconds to line up because we’re starting whether or not you are ready, (you twats)”

But it doesn’t happen, so they get away with it.

Part of me is angry that another two home points have gone missing but I’ve come away with enough positivity to sustain me through the coming week. It was, though, far from being a brilliant performance.

At long last we have kept a clean sheet, albeit against a team that had very little ambition attacking wise. Generally we marked better than of late and the gaping spaces in midfield only occasionally appeared late on. Jake Wright and Johnny Mullins looked like the very good centre halves we know they are.

That we didn’t score at the other end wasn’t for want of chances. Our passing football ensured we had the vast majority of possession but the Boro were always going to be a tougher nut to crack than Accrington had been the previous week. (Football is a funny old game though – how come they beat Northampton and how come a Chris Wilder team conceded five? That shouldn’t happen).

In the first half Hylton was the only United player who genuinely looked like scoring and it took one very good stop from Chris Day to prevent him from adding to his tally. In the second period he missed what looked like a nailed on goal when he lashed wide from a few yards out after a scramble following a set piece. That wasn’t very good and he knew it as he buried his head in his shirt. I liked the confidence he displayed when he tried to round the keeper not once but twice to set up the perfect goal. Without further viewing and analysis I wouldn’t like to say if he should have fed a colleague but I would like to say it was another very good bit of goalkeeping. Just a very temporary blip in his efforts to be L2 top scorer I think.

If I had to be disappointed in anyone it would be Barnett but to arrive at a fair judgement I’ll have to leave it until a few more games down the line. I am expecting a lot more though. For a guy who has moved for over a million quid I am expecting to see a better touch and for his size more success in the air.

There were again glimpses from Howard but this wasn’t as easy an assignment as that of four days earlier. No one had a bad game but no one quite had that tiny extra bit of whatever it takes to pilfer those extra two points.

If it was going to be anyone it was probably O’Dowda. He was rightfully awarded man of the match. He again performed even though this time the challenge of hitting the same levels were far greater. He just about got there.

What do I know? He’s been highly rated inside the club for some time now. On the evidence of the last two games they were right to persist and promote. The problem he used to have of not getting his head up and seeing what’s going on around him when he’s got the ball has now been successfully coached out of him.

Where I thought we were lacking at times was that we did not have someone in addition to CoD to run directly at the Stevenage defence and wondered if Junior Brown should have had a bit longer or whether we should have seen Jakubiak. That’s easier said than done though because the team looked well balanced and any change in personnel and formation can see that balance disappear just like that.

We had over 300 more home fans witnessing this one than did the previous game and whilst it was goalless, they should not be put off returning bearing in mind that we’ll rarely see such spoilers up against us. (Six home sides had larger attendances than we did. Perhaps it is time to become embarrassed after all).

The crowd stuck with the team and on this occasion the passing that wasn’t forward was more understandable given what we were up against. We’re trying to play football and are a better watch than under CW even if at times we witness cross field 30 yard passes that sail into touch.
Five games unbeaten indicates a solid base from which to push on but if we don’t start getting a greater return of points available (that’s just 7 from the last 15), automatic promotion will be written off sooner rather than later and the play-offs will become a very big ask too.