It's business as usual. After 15 minutes we score the customary goal from the set piece and you think, well, the ref may as well blow for time now, because that's it. Unless the defence make a massive defensive blunder, Walsall are never going to score, but without a good delivery from another set piece, neither are we (which we almost managed a couple of times in the second half). Billy Hills are going to take a right hammering as there are 2,000 Barnsley fans with a betting slip in their pocket saying Barnsley 1-0 Walsall goalscorer Waring. Second half Walsall have more possession in the opening excahnges, but they barely got in the final third and I can't remember an effort on target. Quarter of an hour in to the second half and they looked done, no confidence and no idea how to break us down. Johnson could see it and made a positive substitution by bringing on Winnall. It's a hell of a long time since we've had a player who can have such a positive effect on both the crowd and the team. From being content, but quiet, the Winnall songs began to echo around the ground. You could see the confidence in the players grow. The midfield started spraying the ball around, while Holgate spent the last half hour doing a very good impression of Franz Beckenbauer. We were playing the same kind of football we had been doing before Winnall was injured. Waring produced a fantastic bit of skill for such a big man to score, proving he's more than just a target man, Ibehre got quarter of an hour and didn't put a foot wrong, looking strong and quick, then, in the last minute of normal time, the winger we've been trying to sign all season crossed for the forward who has been injured for over 3 months to curl it in to the back of the net. A special moment and one that probably produced a wry smile on a holiday maker in Dubai. You could argue a case for just about anyone to win the motm, other than Davies I suppose, not because he did anything wrong, it's just his team mates made sure he had very little to do. I'd go for Holgate because in that last half hour he looked like a £10 million defender and he's only 18. 5 wins on the trot keeping 5 clean sheets is special. I can't remember it happening before in my lifetime. Wilson's promotion team won the first 5 league games in 96-97, but conceded 3 goals in that time and they actually lost away to Rochdale in the cup during the run. Hunter's promotion team won 6 league games in a row conceding just 2 goals, although after the first of those we then lost to West Ham away in the cup. So it was 5 victories in all competitions conceding just one. A combination of Burton, Heckingbottom and Johnson have achieved what Clarke, Hunter, Wilson and Bassett couldn't. Who knew? It's actually even better than that. We've played 9 home league games since November, winning 7, drawing 1 and losing 1, conceding just 4 goals and keeping 6 clean sheets. All the goals against count for the same, but the two we conceded again Fletwood were set up by us - a 'clearing' header to the edge of the area and flick on at the near post. The last time we saw a visiting team at Oakwell create a goal for themselves was Port Vale's consolation at the end of January, before that, Doncaster's equaliser at the beginning of December. We've as good a chance of making the playoffs as anyone. A couple of teams below us have games in hand, but they've got to win them to make them count. Everyone has a similar goal difference other than Rochdale who are streets ahead of everyone but the top four. I'm not ready to watch another season of us battling against relegation. I'd also like a cathartic promotion season where we batter all before us like 80-81 and 96-97 or the play-off year of 99-00. I need that year of excitement and celebration before having to watch us battle for everything in what will undoubtedly be a tough season in the division above. Watching us win promotion when a good portion of the crowd have been complaining since the off and we've sacked a manager will be odd. But you take your chances when they present themselves.
Nicely put, but didn't we win six in a row 96-97? (I refuse to look it up and cheat, but that's how I recall it).
We won the first 5 league games, but lost to Rochdale in the cup in the second game of the season. We then did win 5 in a row, 4 in the league and the return leg against Rochdale. We never won 6.
Fair enough, for close to 20 years I recalled us winning our first 6 league games and I was wrong. Gutted
Interesting that the last time we won 5 in a row was also with a team that Danny assembled. I think if he'd had more time with the players he signed in January/O'Sullivan arriving when he first enquired/Winnall being back from injury plus the easier run of teams we've just had, we'd be in the same position and singing 'Oh Danny Boy' again but of course none of that can be proved.
Lest we forget, the mighty David Flitcroft won 6 consecutive games between 26th Jan 2013 and 19th Feb 2013. This run was preceded by a win and a draw. Given our circumstances at the bottom of the championship, I would find that run very hard to beat in my living memory.
