This could have been called off at any time before 2pm this afternoon. Snow and rain combined to turn our already bare pitch into a muddy field. it was kind of like time travelling back to the Baseball Ground in the mid 70’s.
For Frannie Lee and Charlie George cue Dean Keates and Andy Rammell. Darren Wrack could have been wearing a pair of white boots but it was so muddy we couldn’t tell.
To both sides credit both teams attempted to play the ball on the floor and neither side reverted to just hoofing it upfield and bypassing the mud.
A point that Ray Graydon made after the game when he said that “today, the way we tried to play football, made all I have done here worthwhile”. High praise and to be fair the referee made it possible by accounting for the conditions and allowing fouls to be punished by free kick alone. Had he started with an early booking we could have finished with two or three red cards. Sensible refereeing, FIFA should put a stop to it.
The game itself was hardly a classic, conditions saw to that, but we won. The winning goal coming from the outside of Darren Wrack’s right foot following a through ball from an improved Colin Cramb and a short mazy run by Dazzer. He feigned to shoot two or three times and confused the hell out of the goalkeeper who was frozen on the spot when the ball crossed the line.
It was again one of those days when we had three or four chances and needed to take one of them. Rarely will we create 15 or 20 chances in a game so it is critical that when they come we take them. Rammell and Cramb appear to be linking up well and today offered signs of an understanding between them. Let’s hope so.
Luton plodded along but we were relatively safe after we had weathered an early storm and we were well worth the win. The only negative thing to come out of the game was a worrying injury to Pingu who limped out of the action at half time. With the possibility of a long lay off for Bjarne, the ongoing problems of Kiester and the transfer of Gary Porter we’re suddenly very short in midfield -neither Thomas or Keates is over 5’ 6”. Seriously though we haven’t got another recognised central midfielder and this could be a problem.