Didn't expect that after 45 minutes!!!

Just got back after a very long day.

Can not believe what happened after what was probably our most dominant 45 minutes of the season. We started full of confidence lots of movement and possession which we were using well. Both full backs were actually venturing into opposition territory. Plenty of chances being created, especially for Lita, but he could not find the required control and finish. We then had two excellently executed dead ball situations which resulted in there keeper making a fantastic save from Holgates header, turning it on to the bar,and Hourihanes free kick which everybody thought had gone in, but had ended in the side netting.

Then we got to the 46th minute!!! Hourihane again finds Lita on the edge of the area who has poor control again and loses out to the centre half who rolls the ball to his left back who then just launches the ball forward, straight down between Cranie And Nyatanga, and is flicked on and our nemesis Izale Mclode simply lobs Turnbull to put Crawley ahead with their first real chance. Typical how many times does this happen to us? seconds later the whistle goes for half time. There is lots of discussion at half time about how we are losing!!

Everybody expects us still to get something from the game after that first half performance, so much better than we have played in the last few weeks. However all the expectation is extinguished within two minutes of the restart!!! A lovely freekick is played into the box and causes mayhem and eventually falls to the centre half who puts it into the net. After this heads visibly dropped and we go back in previous games mode, misplaced passes, no movement, game up!!

An identical freekick leads to Crawleys third but this time headed directly into the net by Marvin Elliott, wish we had him everything you want in a midfieder and always plays well against us!!! (whether for Millwall or Bristol City).

Mark Burton then makes a triple change, bringing on Hemmings, Oates and Mvoto, as a last throw of the dice. It works for a short period and Hemmings pulls a goal back with a header from inside the six yard box, however thats as good as it gets. Two suicidal mistakes from Nyatanga and Scowen lead to further goals for Mclode. This leads to a savage reaction from the Barnsley fans and chants of 'Your not fit to wear the shirt'.
ring out.

At the end of the game there was more of the same and the only other game where I have seen a comparable reaction was at Huddersfield last season. It was not a very nice atmosphere!! That game was also similar in that we also played well for the opening half hour there!!

Walking out of the ground I could not actually understand how we had managed to lose the game by that margin and I actually felt less angry than I had after the Swindon and Fleetwood games. Football is certainly a funny old game! We just have to put the result down to experience and move on to the next one. I am convinced if we had scored in our dominant period we would have had a similar result to what Doncaster had there earlier in the week. If we carry on playing with the same commitment as in the first half will will be OK, if not we will get dragged into another relegation battle.

 

Dragged in? We're 19th and well and truly in it...

 

18th and still 7 points off play offs. Be silly to give up. You unambicious Reds

 

Thanks for that. Horrible match obviously, but a good report.

 

Thanks for that, I enjoy reading the views of fans who've been at away games when I can't make it. You've been a lot lighter on the players than our commentators were yesterday.

 

Burton mentioned 3 or 4 players giving up too - which ones were particularly guilty of this?

 

An excellent viewpoint, very similar to how I saw it and reported yesterday. There's such a fine margin between a win and a loss, and as you say, in the first half we were looking very good with lots of movement, and could have been 2-0 up were it not for the woodwork and Lita's wasted opportunities. We were the better side by far first half.

Awful errors, and a lack of leadership cost us in the end. Someone on the pitch HAS to rally the players if we suffer a reverse, and I don't think Martin Cranie is that person.