APOLOGIES: Due to your editor being even more brain dead than usual, I was reliably informed that I hadn’t put up half the report. This is hopefully now fixed. My excuse is that I’ve been writing and editing since 8am…
Not a lot needs to be said about this, really. I’ll let Jampot take over…
“Are you Histon in disguise?â€
Well that had a déjà vu feel all about it. Perhaps we never hit the superlative passing game of Tuesday night, nor had the raw drama of the goals in the last couple of minutes but this had all the hallmarks of a banana skin-type match were we could easily have slipped up.
Talking of which, it looked for a moment that never would we see Bacon Slicers 3 Tamworth Pigs 0 for literally within 15 seconds Seb Brown was doing an excellent impersonation of a new Celebrity on Ice by slipping over whilst receiving Blackman’s innocuous back pass. Cue mass panic and pandemonium and closing in attacker and goalkeeper clashed over the ball. Result? Indirect free kick for picking up the ball from a back pass. Not the first decision the ref would get wrong in the afternoon but cue, rolling eyes in Main Stand. Here we go, over-confident like a teak of bloody England Cricketers.
But we weathered that storm, and a few other wind-assisted once that came from the pumped high balls Tamworth threw forward at their tall, bulky forward line. Walton C, Southport and Histon experiences meant that little actually came about from this bombardment and credit for that must go to the defence. Slowly, we started to get the ball down out of the wind and play on the ground. It was just a matter of time before we got our rewards and a sweet strike by Sammy Moore was a fitting finale for the first half.
And in truth that was that. Having scored we never looked at all like we were going to relinquish the lead with Yaks (now to be known as Ish) and Brett sending everything sent in their direction back with interest!
Our second goal probably epitomised the benefit of full time training. Blackman won the ball and fed Wellard. He tried to be a bit too clever with the ball and got involved, almost instantly in having to ride three pretty hard tackles. But the increase in his bulk and confidence saw him ride these and sprint away up field, running into the space created. Then a lovely weighted ball inside the full back for Main to run onto to strike. Sadly for Main the keeper did really well to get down to the ball but Keds was on hand to finish the job. Team play: with pace, with vision, with execution. Nice!
So, 2-0 up, no threat from their forwards all half: take a break and take it easy. No this lot. It was pleasing to see that they were still going for the next goal. And what a beauty it was.
Hatton had fired a rocket just before that had just cleared the cross bar from outside the box and this looked another candidate. But instead a delightful exquisite chip over the wall sat the ball up nicely for Kedwell who seemed to scissor-kick it with his left foot into the bottom corner of the net. Game over! Eat your heart out Wayne Rooney! People would have been creaming themselves with excitement if that had been scored in the Premiership.
Instead we just have to accept its half-fat skinned cream we are meant to be seeing….Oh well one day…..
You must watch when it gets on www.AFCWimbledon.TV
Anyway …
Plus points: All of the team. Another clean sheet! 3 wins. No fear. Ish (see below) & Brett looking awesome… A new level of professionalism on show in how we perform – focused.
Minus Points: JM needs that goal. Ditto Luke Moore. Maybe getting a bit too excited, what with a difficult September to come. Perhaps the crowd size (see below)?
The Referee is a …. dead ringer for Dermot Gallagher. Pity he hadn’t retired like him. Main grouse was he – and the Main Stand lino – just couldn’t work out who last touched the ball as it went into touch. Many also reported the Tamworth striker touched the ball before Seb picked it up in the first minute incident. So he was consistent then!
Them: Was a bit surprised by their physical size – looked more like ugly Northern teams but they had a bit of mobility, played competitively within the rules (apart from one elbow, suitably booked) and tried at times to get it down and play. But they were never going to beat us at that. A slightly more threatening form of Histon, but they too never really created a clear-cut chance in the game. Another awkward mid-table side for all clubs to negotiate.
Points to ponder: a few topics of conversation going on.
– The Carvery was operating only in half the back bar this week. Heard 55 covers out of a potential 75 taken. Again reports of excellence in food quality, atmosphere and experience.
– Elsewhere, other food options seem to still being treated cautiously. From my own experience, daughter has enjoyed the 2 pasties she’s had; but didn’t pay full price (volunteer). What struck me though has been the lack of any significant queuing – at the KRE end for us… maybe one in front of you?
– Health and Safety raised its head when a light in the TE end, damaged on Tuesday night, was still hanging before the beginning of the game. Hence the sterile area behind the goal. Rumour has it our 2 tame electricians were not told in time. Hmn, comms outside the club not great either then!
– Wither Main and Moore? Calls for them to be replaced in the starting line-ups by some. Why? We’ve gone 3 games with this starting line-up and use of subs. It’s working. You don’t fix what ain’t broke. The super-subs show we have depth and options and they will get their go when injuries come along. Meanwhile it gives the like of Main more recovery time for the next game having played only 60 mins. Also, remember his role this season – out left – is new for him and it will take time to learn.
– Barnet FC. A previously mentioned target for us to emulate and surpass? Well, maybe quicker than we thought. Lost 7-0 at Crewe. When Yaks (who at his MotM presentation chose Ish to be addressed by) was asked for his opinion on that and his AFCW form, he politely kept his counsel. But their loss, our gain!
Three’s a crowd…. disappointment with 3144, but given how slow it was selling Golden Goals I wasn’t sure we would make 3K. Everywhere seemed quite. Also remember that last season we started with Luton, Oxford and Cambridge in quick succession which, in due respect to Tamworth, are a bigger draw.
Truth is stranger than fiction:
– 1-0, 2-0, 3-0… as easy as A B C? Cannot seriously see us get a 0-4 at R&D on Tuesday but if “… CONFIDENCE is HIGH…†who knows?
– Watering the pitch all the way up to kick off. Apparently in the goal mouths too. You know where, don’t you? Yep. Right where Seb Brown did a great impression of a novice celebrity in Dancing on Ice. Wonder if they thought we’d be playing towards the KRE end first half as normal? Dangerous gamble if so. Oh, and thanks for the simulated rain it produced – the sprays – caught on the wind – catching out both programme and GG sellers. Where did I put my coat?
– Not quite truth but it sounds almost right… rumour that both Wayne Rooney and Jon Main have both gone 13 games without scoring. If true perhaps Jon shouldn’t worry too much 😉
Anything else? Steve Evans. Don’t know if I should mention him really. REPD reckons he needs to be starved of the oxygen of publicity. God he’s talking so much the world will be starved of oxygen at this rate! Claimed his team’s goal (free kick) was worthy of ‘winning the Champions’ League Final’. So wonder where that puts Ked’s goal today in the quality stakes? It certainly will stick in SE’s throat, which could be nice if it stopped him whinging. Pressure and all that? Did not stop him then having a pop at us twice, claiming we don’t let out players improve themselves. Must be good stuff he’s smoking (rumour has it was probably excess transfer fund money) because going to CTFC will never be an improvement. Oh, and after the debacle that was Grays, can you really see Keds getting into that sort of set up again?
Was top of the table for about 5 mins until Luton scored their 3rd against 10 man Fleetwood. But do we really care yet? Give us this position on the last Saturday of the season and then we will be ‘bothered!’ And wouldn’t it be nice to have CTFC destiny in some form in our hands?
So was it worth it: To paraphrase Churchill: “never in the field of human enjoyment was so much owed by so many to so few”
In a nutshell: Bringing home the bacon