My thoughts on yesterday's game

Like everyone else who stayed to the end, I left with a sour taste in the mouth. It was just like a defeat but I couldn't help thinking that their goal was coming. Not that they deserved a draw - far from it. As many times this season, especially at Oakwell, we had chances to put the game to bed long before they stole their point. I suppose the obvious one was the Hammill miss when played through by Ryan Williams. The angle wasn't tight, it was on his favourite right foot, he was only yards from the goal. What could go wrong? I thought about all those wonderfully crafted goals that he has given us over the years (especially last season) where he puts just the right amount of bend on the ball and it flies into the top corner. If he had done that yesterday the result would probably have been settled. 2-0 would have been enough. As it was, as it ALWAYS IS, 1-0 was simply not enough. We've got away with it a few times but how often have we thrown away the points to a late equaliser, or even a late winner from the opposition?

But this is not a critical report. You might have thought by the quiet atmosphere for most of the game that it wasn't up to much. It was though. We played some terrific stuff. There was plenty of quick inter-passing, all over the field. Plenty of chances created and plenty of classy defending to get us out of tight situations. The keeper played well, as usual, but I suppose I could add a minor criticism about backing off players and letting them run at us, but there is nothing new in that is there? Barnsley full backs with a biting tackle are such a rarity as to be almost non-existent. It's not just us though - it seems to be the modern mode of defending. Let the runner go as far as he likes until he makes a mistake or until you finally get a tackle in. It's not easy to watch though is it? Same goes for our defending of corners and free kicks. It's nearly always heart-in-mouth time.

I can't say that I was too pleased to see the Armstrong-Bradshaw partnership up front again. I think we've seen it enough times now to know that it doesn't work. Either one of them needs a big centre forward to feed off, and run alongside. Perhaps Marley Watkins is making a bid for that role - who knows. Willing workhorse though he is, he will never be a Trevor Aylott-type player though, will he? He took his goal superbly but you have to question their defending. The two lads seemed to escort him to the edge of the area and then when the obvious thing to do was chop him down they let him get a shot away. It wasn't convincing and the Polish keeper made a hash of it, but it went in anyway, and that's the main thing. It should be noted though that it was yet another of our breakaway-type goals. We seem to be making a habit of breaking up an attack and sweeping it downfield quickly. Bradshaw and James played very well to get it from our 18 yard line to theirs in no time at all, and Marley did the rest. Good bulldozing centre forward play? Hmm, possibly.

On the subject of chopping down, Ipswich did their share of it, especially in the first half. Every time we had a runner they were body checked on scythed down and, YET AGAIN, we had a spineless referee who let them get away with it. A couple of yellow cards in the first half hour would have stopped it, but he didn't deem it necessary. I suppose you could say that Ipswich were not as bad as some this season, and the ref was no worse than most, but it does annoy me when deliberate spoiling tactics are allowed to prosper. We never seem to do that. Are we too honest. Or maybe we are not strong enough to bully teams the way we get bullied sometimes?

As that second half wore on I was getting more and more concerned as Mick brought his goalscorers on. First Grant Ward ( hat trick against us first game of the season); then Freddy Sears, and then Brett Pitman who came on with only six minutes left on the clock. All three were capable of pinching an undeserved goal and then they had their on-loan goal machine Tom Lawrence. He had been quiet all match until.......the 92nd minute. I don't blame Hammill for losing him at the far post. I don't blame Watkins for slipping and letting Pitman get an easy cross in. It just sailed over everybody and there was Lawrence with a relatively simple chance. It felt like Colchester last season. Absolutely sickening kick in the teeth right at the end.

Anyway, plenty on here have already said that it is now time to start playing our own players every match. Leave the likes of Kent and Armstrong out. Keep James in, obviously. He's a diamond. But let's have a look at people like Hedges and maybe some Academy prospects like Brown and Patrick who have scored a few this season. Maybe they are not ready yet. On the other hand, maybe one of them will be another David Hirst. Then we can let Wednesday have him as well! Overall it was a decent game to watch and all that was wrong was the result. Mick had the decency to say they didn't deserve a point and that must surely be the only time an opposition manager has come to Oakwell and said that. But then again, he's a bit special isn't he? One day, some day, he'll be back with us. I'm sure of it.

Finally, thanks to our media man (Mr White) who got me a whole page in yesterday's programme. He asked me to jot down a few things about anything I fancied, and page 29 was the result. For the first time in many years I had to buy a programme! I have such a big collection that I stopped buying them some time ago. Pleasantly surprised by the whole production, I must say. How things have moved on since the last time I bought one.

 

Agree with every word. Could have written it myself!

 

Thank you!