Not the greatest game or the greatest performance ever BUT what a day, what a great result etc. We went with plenty of trepidation post Millwall and given all the plaudits Boro have had the first two weeks of the season, and we all pretty much agreed that 0 0 would be good and all we really wanted was some improvement and something to give us hope for the future. I am guessing most listers will have seen the game so I will keep it brief, We had an almost unbelievable start when Sharp was put through in the first minute and should have scored but the keeper got down well and the follow up shot by Ajose was cleared off the line. This coupled with the 'ultras' packing out the South Stand really cranked up the atmosphere and it never really subsided. After the early scare Boro took a bit of command and deservedly 'scored' midway through the half, however the ref gave pretty much the only decision all game our way and chalked it off (no real idea why) , they then came close with a free header, but that apart, despite them looking the better team and having more control of the game they did very little to trouble us with Cooper especially on his debut really looking the part. 2 brilliant goal saving tackles by Warnock having perhaps his best game in a white shirt kept it at 0 0. Then Sharp got his second good chance of the game but missed with a free header - Oh no , had he become barndoor Billy mark II - no , no need to worry, with the clock counting down Poleon won the ball and laid it off to Tonge who had a decent shot and the keeper spilled it to the feet of our new goal poacher Billy Sharp who fired it home (and got booked for over exuberant celebration) then came a nervy 5 extra minutes but we hung on for a great victory that was well celebrated by fans and players alike. Did we deserve all 3 points, maybe not but we did not deserve to lose either. We were by no means the finished article and there were times when our inexperience and lack of cohesion showed, but overall there were a lot more positives than negatives. Cooper looked like he was born for the role - will he turn into O'Brien, Tate and Zalilukas who all had great debuts before turning to sh!t, only time will tell, but he certainly impressed today. Bianchi on the ball looks good but went missing on occasion, Doukara needs to stay on his feet and punch his weight but showed some good stuff, Ajose buzzed around and also showed promise. Silvestri took more balls out of the air than Kenny ever did. Of the 'old guard' Byram looked a bit out of sorts but Warnock showed what he should be capable of. Overall a brilliant day out - Hockadays substitution of Doukara (who took a knock) for Tonge rather than the expected Smith worked a treat, so fair play to him.
Too early to get excited but the players would have loved it today and it would have been an experience all the new players will want to see again, and it does take the pressure off a bit and give them all some breathing space. Those in the pub who sang we are going up as fing champions are probably jumping the gun but if we cannot enjoy today when can we ? At the back of my mind is the first game last season when Murphy, the £1million man, scored with the last kick of the game to send 30k fans home delirious and looking to the new GFH future under McDermott and we know how that turned out ...But enjoy it while we can, a long way to go but as I said at the start a lot more positives than negatives. It maybe, just maybe, the start of something good Dave ________________________________ _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org John 'Grampa' Sykes Rest In Peace old lad 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 MARCHING ON TOGETHER
