Manchester City at home. No Rammell, no
Green, no Porter though this could be a blessing, and no more Otta or Simpson.
Basically we were down to the bare bones and
if you were fit today and didn’t make the squad then perhaps it may be an idea
to have a quiet word with your agent and fix up another club now.
I had great worries about this one. We froze
at Maine Road and without our talismanic spearhead and leader Andy Rammell and still deprived of Richard Green I
was worried that the same might happen again.
However, if we got it right, City would be thirteen points behind us and really struggling to make it past us come tea-time on May 8th. We obviously needed to take
something from this but, for all the pressure on us, this was a game City simply
dare not lose.
A tight first half generated plenty of
excitement with very few talking points as both defences controlled their
respective areas of the pitch. Midfield was equally tight with both sides
guilty of giving the ball away too often. Indeed the most notable point in the
first 45 was the continual whinging of the Man City players and fans. Every
decision that went against them was followed by a almost obligatory moan and an
argument with the officials. Indeed the
only decision they didn’t appear to contest was the half time whistle although
Jamie Pollock did raise his arm and appeal for whatever the ref was giving.
The second half was much more open with a pacy City side causing us plenty of problems, however I suspect that we
were probably causing them even more. If only Rammell had been available for this
one because he would have loved it. this was his kind of game. It must have been murder for him to sit in
the stands and watch.
And then it arrived.
The seconds hand had completed sixty eight laps of
the clockface by the time Bescot erupted. I honestly can’t remember how the
goal came about but trust me when I say that Andy Watson simply couldn’t miss
from no more than a yard out following three or four attempts on goal by the
Saddlers. With utter pandemonium going on all around them heaven only knows how
Graydon and his players felt.
My immediate reaction was that if the score
finished like this we would be top of the pile and that the following twenty
two minutes were going to be a very long time to defend a lead.
This was our chance. And frankly I was
shitting myself at both thoughts.
Almost immediately reverting to our tried and trusted methods we
looked to soak up everything City wanted to hit us with and defend our
advantage but, for once, only managed it for only six minutes. City hit the bar and the very irritating Jamie
Pollock scored his first goal of the season.
I was worried that having lost the initiative
we may fold and lose the game but our now famous character and immense resilience
again came to the fore and we not only held on for a point but could and maybe
should have won it. Pingu, in particular, forcing a couple of magnificent saves
from the City keeper.
In the end it finished all even at 1 - 1 in
front of the biggest League attendance at Bescot. Over 9500 seeing a fine game
between two very well matched sides and a final score that will probably suit
us a lot more than it will our visitors.
Elsewhere the mighty Villa lost at home to
Fulham of the Second Division. Yes
Fulham of the Second Division. So much
for the English only policy, eh John.