Did We Really Just See That? (Crawley: Home)

There are two tickets left in my first-ever season ticket book as I set out for the home game against Crawley Town. But, because I am expecting to travel down to London to meet with a friend from Romania on the day of our final home game (if we can confirm arrangements) this is likely to be my final home game of the season. Saturday’s game lifted the spirits; we actually a) scored a goal and b) won a game. So I drive to the ground with a mixture of confidence and sadness. It’s been a long and trying season but, just at the end things look to be coming out all right. I thank the always-cheerful lady who checks tickets at the Savoy Lounge entrance: she always has a welcome word and a good-night as I leave. Worth a lot is that.

I get a lager shandy in, there is plenty of room, it will be one of the poorest crowds of the season. And, my word they will miss a game and a half!

Cully and Andy turn up and we talk about comedians and raconteurs that have entertained us: Peter Sellers, Peter Ustinov, Tommy Cooper, Eric Sykes and contemporary TV programmes (I watched a quite brilliant Inside Number 9 programme earlier this week) and books (the one I am currently reading about the building of the trans-continental railroad across what became the U.S.A).

Then outside to watch the teams come out; the strains of the Who bringing, as usual a shiver down my spine.

Crawley, I mistakenly think is London, but actually is away south of the capital (the nearest town to Gatwick airport (and my own travel experiences tell me how far beyond London that is!).  Managed by Dean Saunders they are having a tough time of it: lower than Walsall in League One and struggling to field a team of players in their natural positions.

If we can win this game we will have a cushion between us and relegation and we set off on the attack, attack, attack. Crawley are unsettled, their veteran goalkeeper, Brian Jensen soon into action. Sawyers (playing his hundredth game for saddlers), Kieron Morris (who has been brilliant since his recall from loan duty at Wrexham) and Cain raining shots on the Crawley goal.

Morris running forward with determination linked up with Hiwula and Jordy slips the ball deftly into the net. One nil. It didn’t end there, we kept pouring forwards and, looking once or twice at dean Saunders I could sense his desperation. With luck on their side however they managed to get to half time only one nil down.

Inside we make plans for going to Crewe on Saturday; I am away until Friday – a brief sojourn in Suffolk – but will be back in time.

Any changes Crawley may have tried out didn’t work although they were a little feisty at the kick off. On sixty five minutes sawyers took the ball on his chest, then lobbed it into the path of Hiwula, who took a deft touch and nabbed his second goal. Two minutes later Kieron Morris began a run out of defence, space opening up in front of him. He kept running and his shot was slightly deflected past the goalkeeper. This got a rousing cheer from the Walsall crowd:  Morris is a local lad. Next up, taking a well-placed cross field ball was And Taylor. His shot got an even greater deflection; the ball looping over the goalkeeper to nestle in the net.

I pause to imagine that we could have been playing like this all season, but quickly dismiss the thought.

Jordan Cooke is brought on as substitute. He takes a ball from Forde and strokes it goalwards. He has done this a couple of times but the ball has come back off the post or gone just wide: not tonight!

Five nil!

It’s still quite warm as I drive home. I have got to arrange for someone to water the seedlings in the greenhouse before we set off tomorrow to east Anglia and I am hoping the weather stays like this … but am asleep well before those few dedicated Crawley Town fan are half way home.  Five nil! Unbelievable, but wonderful!

Colchester Utd (home)

I’m at the allotment, loaded up with runner beans, pears and sweet corn and heading towards the car, when a thought strikes me.

“Hey!” I say to Mike (he’s a Wolves supporter), our allotment neighbour, “the world’ll be a different place when we get back, we may passports to visit Scotland!”

“Yes,” he agrees, “And Walsall might have scored.”

We’re off to New York, joining a tour that eventually returns from Washington D.C. I am certainly looking forward to it; not least after hard-working-no-win-in-sight day at Bescot yesterday.

Playing Colchester, who just sacked their manager, Joe Dunn and his assistant Mark Kinsella (father of our latest prodigy full back Liam Kinsella), for poor performances were not happy to play the role of weak and feeble victims to our “fierce comeback after Tongue lashings following the defeat at Scunthorpe last week” (as per the local media).

There’s an “international break” with no Premier league or Championship games and a number of players are in the stand: Febian Brandy, Brian Flynn, Mark Kinsella and Ben Purkiss to name but a few.

We start quite well, but Colchester match our passion and pace. Some fine challenges and Walsall lose the ability to create space and pass. Our one strength and feature so far this season.

I understand that it is too, too easy to be an armchair manager, but, despite this I cannot understand why Manset, with his frame, strength and ability to hold the ball under pressure is playing somewhere behind a workaholic Tom Bradshaw. Surely the point of having “Big Man” Manset is to use him as a mobile target man? I don’t doubt he has the versatility to play other roles but see the target man role as key to us having a plan B strategy.

 

Some of the challenges are early-exchange assertive; some are blatantly criminal, including one that has Manset crashing onto the track/wall down below us. He is, at least dazed, while being treated (if the holding hands and shaking them our physio was doing can be labelled as treatment) for some moments. But brave or stupid, he’s back on and getting involved again – in mid field. No action from the referee, who, I don’t believe actually saw the challenge.

It is, of course wrong that I am left criticising refereeing decisions: I would love to be concentrating on the play and players, but little was happening.

There were good, solid games from Reece Flanagan (some fine, subtle and determined touches), Liam Kinsella and Kieron Morris. I love the idea that we’re investing successfully in bringing young players through, that I was watching three of them today … but not quite as much as I like seeing my team winning convincingly and that hasn’t happened for a long time. Tom Bradshaw still has that energetic, keen edge, running everywhere, chasing what seem to be lost causes and making something of them. But again getting poor service and needing to drift back too often to get any touches at all.

I am convinced we have the players but something needs to be altered. I like the fact that we have a management team that inspire loyalty and team spirit, but am disappointed that we seem to have just the one strategy. And that one has been sussed already.

Meanwhile Sainsbury’s School Games begin this weekend; meant to inspire they are based on opening-ceremony to closing-ceremony events like the Olympics and include Paralympic athletes. Credit to Sainsbury’s for sponsoring this event, best wishes to all taking part in Manchester.

The Tour of Britain Cycle Race also begins on Sunday. The first stage begins in Liverpool. The race finishes in London. Glad that we have a premier cycling event in Britain, but cannot help but smile at the inevitable comparisons I draw with the Tour de France, The Guiro (Italy) and la Vuelta (Spain). One day maybe, winning the British race will have similar cache, but not for some years and much promotion I fear

In political world news what the media is calling “pro-Russian separatists” are still ensconced and seem determined in the Ukraine. Russia itself seems to be supporting the so-called rebels more and more directly. A N.A.T.O. conference in Newport, wales has some agreement on what action to take and David Cameron is talking tough “ruling nothing out at this stage” … but winter and colder weather is creeping towards us and we get a lot of gas from Russia (along with most of Europe). Watch this space, I guess, to see whether the current ceasefire lasts … and even leads to peace.

Indeed, watch this space, because if all goes to plan we won’t be back until after the referendum in Scotland over independence. It seems ridiculous to me that only residents of Scotland will be voting when the result will affect all of the United Kingdom countries, but hey, what do I know.

I am already aggrieved that Scots and Welsh M.Ps. get to vote in the Houses of Parliament on English laws and decisions, while M.Ps. with English constituencies have no role to play in the Scots or Welsh Assemblies.

Can somebody explain to me how that is fair?

Meanwhile, of course Mike deserved some come-back to his cheeky (if witty) remark about the possibility that Walsall might have scored …

Best I could manage was to ask how long he thought we were going away for …