I forgot just how much I miss going to away games! Even though I was drinking in Manchester , in pubs I have been in before. Train from Oxford Road to Horwich Parkway was full of Leeds and was a good atmosphere, a few songs and that sense of anticipation that only away games have. Like most the team selection had us thinking , and we decided that we had probably come for a draw, something that may well have been the case, but after a few minutes the win was on. In our first attack Byram was through on the keeper and was almost bound to score when the keeper brought him down. From our seats (stood up) towards the back of the top tier it was a 100% penalty,and a red card surely ? I am not quite sure what the ref thought happened but he pointed to the spot but did not get his cards out. Did he really think it was an accidental foul ? Nothing else would be correct, if it was a foul then a penalty was correct, but given that Byram was clear on goal and the keeper was this new fangled 'last man' thing then how could it not be a red ? Anyway in the event Rudy stepped up and hammered it home with aplomb. So 1 up after 5 minutes. The rest of the half was pretty much rubbish, two poor teams playing badly in poor conditions. We had one good chance when a great cross into the box found Morison unmarked but he decided to fall on his knees and headed into the keepers arms - he should have done miles better. At the other end we defended with a mixture of skill, luck and detetmination, which coupled with their poor play meant that we went into half time still one up. Could I have picked a great game to come 'out of retirement' for and see an away win. No chance, 5 minutes into the second half and we hit the self destruct button yet again. A cross into the box, Silvestre decided to punch rather than catch it and the ball ended up on the edge of our box, next thing the ref had blown and from nothing, they got a penalty. Not sure who had done what, I have since heard it was Murphy who gave it away, but whatever the case it was a penalty from a non threatening situation (bit the same as the Warnock one v Ipswich?) and bang went the lead. The rest of the half was 2 rubbish teams trying not to lose. We had slightly the better of things but never really looked like getting the second goal we needed. On a few occasions we did things right until the final ball or shot which went badly astray. Our lack of belief showed itself to me when on 90 mins we had a free kick on the edge of their box. Normally the crowd would have been up for it, thinking that this was it this was our chance to win. Instead there was a bit of half hearted chanting and a bit of false optimism. Those thinking 'nothing to see here' were proved correct as it all fizzled out. We did have a couple of decent chances in the second half, Byram putting it into the side netting the best of them.So how did this new team and formation go ? Well the one point was the least we deserved. A point would have been Ok pre kick off but getting a goal in the first minute , meant that really we should have won.We set ourselves out for the one point and we did keep their chances to a minimum and did have a few half chances at the other end. Bolton were awful and if this is their normal standard they will go down - this is for certain.As for us, Morison is not the answer - he had a few good flick ons but never really linked up with anyone and most came to nothing, We could have played another 90 minutes and he still would not have looked like having a proper shot !Taylor - I forgot he was playing - did Ok and was never a liability but offered nothing going forward either. Does not deserve dropping but did not do enough to warrant keeping his place eitherBerardi - same as Taylor - should not be dropped per se but only keep him if it suits usAustin - typical Rudy, did bits which makes me think 'don't send him to Millwall' then next minute 'I will pay his train fare myself' - he does have something to offer but cannot be relied onMurphy - played well for the most part , tried to do things, tried the 'killer ball' and did well, on the other hand he gave it away too often and his killer ball was not in the right place (weather was not condusive to long passingByram - like many I have thought he would be better in midfield than at right back and it is worth another go. He provided cover for Beradi and did create things going forward BUT he is not really a right winger either and his crossing and final ball was poor at times.Overall this was 2 points thrown away against awful opposition but I would go with this team (maybe Sharp for Morison) and formation for the next away game - set up for one point with a chance of all threeOverall , despite the poor game I loved the day out and can't wait to travel away again (Wigan here I come)The drink and drugs have blurred both my judgement and my memory so treat all the above with some scepticism 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
