A kind of match report/random thoughts

Seeing as no one else has done one yet, I thought I'd rattle through a few lines based on what I saw today. I hadn't seen the Reds play since that Wycombe debacle, apart from some iFollow games of course, so I was very keen to travel down to Oakwell today. I was expecting a tough game against decent opposition but travelled full of confidence after the way we had despatched Wednesday and Cambridge in recent weeks. My optimism was not mis-placed. I saw a team growing by the week into a proper unit, with back up players for every position itching to get in. Maybe we are still a bit light up front but those in the chair are doing the business at the moment, so nothing to complain about.

I was really hoping for an early goal and after ten minutes it arrived. What a screamer that was from Josh Benson! Who is this new player because I'm certain he wasn't around last season. Oh, there may have been a player with the same name, but it's a different man, I'm certain. It takes a special amount of skill and confidence to pick up a ball that far out and just arrow it into the top corner like that. The keeper may have moved for it but he had absolutely no chance. The roar around the ground was electric and almost everyone must have been on their feet applauding it. A special goal, and it won't be the last this season. It wasn't even the last today.

After that though we didn't so much sit back as were forced back by a skillful Charlton side who, had they brought their shooting boots with them, might have been two or three goals to the good by half time. Good as we are playing this season this has already happened more than once and we might consider ourselves a bit lucky to have been 1-0 up as they all went for a break. I had an uneasy feeling that their manager would fire them up to do better but, thank goodness, it was OUR manager who did that. Let's assume he made some subtle changes to the tactics and mindsets of some of our players over the half time team talk. Whatever he did it worked and almost the same time elapsed as in the first half when we scored again. Now all of us who remember the Super Johnnie Hendrie times will surely have been taken back to those heady days when a great ball came in to James Norwood at the near post. Like the instinctive striker that he is he simply flicked an impudent back heel at it and it went across the keeper to the far corner and Oakwell erupted yet again. It was a superb goal that deserved long and loud applause, and that's what it got. I just couldn't stop smiling for a good couple of minutes after. Special mention is due to Devante Cole for his brilliant work setting this up as well. His skill on the ball was lovely to watch and his pass was perfect.

Some neutral commentators would have been saying at this point that this was game over, but we know different. Even when the third goal came it STILL wasn't over with plenty of time left for a strong opposition to get one back, then another, then..... but no - not this time. Oh, rewind a bit. What another fabulous goal! I wasn't sure who had burst through their back line to get a ball that he had no right to so was surprised to find later that it was Jordan Williams who had done precisely that. At the time I was expecting an early cross shot but JW did the intelligent thing instead. Cole, who had another great game by the way, was lurking unmarked near the penalty spot and a backwards angled pass found him with the simple task of stroking it into the net. He could have fluffed it - last season he might well have done - but this is a different player this season. Cue more delirium from the home fans. Special mention to Herbie Kane as well for his contribution. A long, perfectly weighted pass split their defence and invited Williams to attack it. I'm a bit critical of Kane sometimes but he did some wonderful things today.

Surely THIS was game over now, wasn't it? But I couldn't help thinking that with 14 minutes still on the clock plus a load of added time that the away team would finally find the net, and then they might get another, but fortunately our defence held out. Theirs was a scrappy goal and I was actually annoyed that we had lost the deserved clean sheet, but we were never in any real danger of conceding again. That, mostly, was down to resolute defending. All across the back line were standout performances and even losing Nicky Cadden didn't affect us, with Ziyad Larkeche following up his midweek cameo with another impressive performance at left back. Every last man in the team put in a shift today. Oh, ok, there were some things to complain about (maybe). I did notice Kane chicken out of a couple of tackles but let's forgive him that for that Johan Cruyff turn that he did in the second half to get away from at least two men. That was one of the many sublime moments of the game.

We're looking like a proper team again, with players in the wings more than capable of stepping up when needed. It's not ALL wine and roses of course, and there is always room for improvement come the next transfer window, but I'm just enjoying watching my team again. We all are, surely? Wherever we finish next May I think we will have seen something really good after last season's dreadful performances. If we go up then great - if not, ok. We'll do it next season, unless of course the whole thing is dismantled again as has happened too often. Keep the bulk of this playing and non-playing group together for a year or two and who knows where they might take us?

 

Nearly as wordy as @Bossman.

 

Short for me. I used to do longer

 

I think I’ll wait for the Chron.

 

I thought he was concise!

 

Really well done POR!

 

Thank you!

 

I enjoyed reading that, and agree with most of it.

I’m beginning to feel hopeful.

Stendel’s team were obviously better quality than the rest of the league, and ripped teams apart.

I think what we have now are some very good footballers (for this level) and a manager who understands how to set up to beat the opposition.

There were a couple of times in the first half where their no17 made us look like idiots; the fact that it was only a couple of times says lots about how we organised to neutralise that threat.

 

You mention their number 17 & you are spot on he was a right handful , he is on loan from Palace & looks a real talent & certainly looks to have premier league quality but in the second half Duff tweaked things & he got somewhat isolated & less effective .

 

A right riveting read that.

 

Good read and reflects the game well

 

Good read. Thanks PoR.

I noticed, and Duff's post match interview confirmed it, that our press wasn't working very well first half - if anything it seemed to encourage and aid their left back to hit number 17 with a long ball. Second half, they changed the press slightly and tweaked the formation a little which limited Charlton's options when trying to play out.

I enjoyed the game a lot and was surprised that the atmosphere wasn't as good as it has been recently. The 17 for Charlton definitely has Premier League potential, just needs to work on his end product. That said, I thought we had a few players who showed that they could potentially play at a higher level - Benson being the obvious candidate.

Huge credit to Duff and the other backroom staff for energising and motivating players who must have been at a low ebb after last season and identifying and signing players who could complement the group.

Before a ball was kicked I was looking at the season as being one of consolidation and building. Mid-table finish, blood some youngsters etc etc. But I'm confident of better now. We've had a tough set of fixtures to start the season and we've come through it well. We may not make the play offs but I think we'll be in the mix for most of the season.

 

I wish I had mentioned specific defensive heroics but I think I was focussing more on the attacking brilliance yesterday but, there's no doubt at all, that the defenders put just as much into winning that match as the forwards and midfield. Some of the tackling and covering was outstanding, particularly the block tackle from Tom Edwards in the first half which saved a certain goal. I was really impressed with him and our manager has found a real gem there. Amazing considering he has been out of the English game for so long but he has just picked up the pace immediately. Very, very good player.

 

Thank you. Some might say I go on a bit, but sometimes a few words isn't enough to describe things

 

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. It's a shame that the crowd were quiet for long periods but there were individual bits of excitement to get us off our feet so I'm not complaining too much. I hope one day we get back to the 20,000 plus crowds that we have seen in the past but we're not there yet. It's coming though. I hope

 

Exactly how I saw it at the game, thought I’d written it! Agree 100% on the analysis

 

Thanks for that

 

Cheers for that, good read and sarnds like were coming t;gether as a team, that's nice, onwards an upwards, C,O,Y,R,