Tue 29th December

So the old year ends with little more than a whimper.  I suppose the fact that we’re still a second Division outfit is something to be thankful for as is Mr Graydon’s appointment and the reduction in the irritating babble our ex-Chairman and current owner enjoys sharing with anyone willing to listen.  The Club seems to be moving in the right direction for the first time in two or three seasons and the playing staff is possibly as strong as is has been for ages.  The kids are emerging and the days of Porter and possibly even Adie Viveash look numbered.

One thought for the unlucky Johnny Kiester who could have learned so much from Uncle Ray.  He didn’t have as far to go as either Roper or Platty but now may have played his last game.  When you hear that Madrid are offering McManaman 110 grand a week and you compare it with JK’s current position then you realise that not all footballers are benefiting from Jean Marc Bosman and his legal eagles.

1998 was a mixed year.  The respectability earned at Old Trafford was blown by late March in a combination of players who should have known (and done) better, a board of directors happy to play the tune of the Chairman and a Manager who had lost the faith everyone except the supporters. The players simply didn’t give a shit for him, us, the Club or themselves and basically let everyone down.  

Conversely, the manager and fans cared like hell and yet the board provided us with Edyle,  Tholot and Gisbert Bos a Rotherham reserve whose Walsall career ludicrously never even began, let alone finished.  

Autumn and Winter were better.  Rammell and Pointon arrived without fanfare, as did Wrack.  Indeed the only fuss was over Brissett's arrival following what so far has been his best game for us at home to Sheffield Wednesday.  The subsequent arrivals of Green,  Pingu and Otta were also ignored by both the Gold & Black and Claret & Blue obsessed press but have all enjoyed success. 

The French quartet have thankfully gone, none of whom are worthy of a place in this current side. Granted Peron was comfortably good enough but work rate under the Graydon masterplan would always have been an issue.  The loss of Hodge hasn’t been noticed and if we could pick up a natural goalscorer to partner Rammell then the early season promise will surely be fulfilled.

The arrival of the halfway mark in the season also means we are no longer the early pacesetters and the boys deserve credit for keeping it going.

On a final note - the JWB labelled "best squad ever assembled at Bescot" has been ruthlessly demolished and rebuilt within 6 months by a man who has spent £30,000. This team would batter the previous one to within an inch of their lives, leave them breathlessly crawling along the gutter and still have not broken into sweat. There is simply no comparison.

Best squad at Bescot? Utter shite. This is the best squad we have seen at Bescot.

Mon 28th December - Wigan Athletic

When you’ve just dropped valuable points at home and need a win pretty badly the last place on earth a Walsall supporter would choose to go is Wigan.  Last season when we urgently needed points was the desperate performance in a desperate season and probably sealed the fate of Big Jan. 

Even when we have been the best side in the division we’ve always contrived to get bugger all from this dog hole and we got naff all here today either.

The story at Wigan is an old one and it’s been repeated more times than Faulty Towers.  We create bugger all,  they take their first chance and go on to win comfortably as our performance degenerates below the quality seen on Hackney Marshes.

Yes, all this played out in front of an uncovered relic of a terrace and a wooden stand that was either never finished or they started knocking it down within days of it being finished. 

Springfield Park is a combination of the worst parts of Halifax, Exeter and Rochdale. The Layer Road of the North.

Perhaps when those grounds were improved Wigan went tatting for the gubbins that were left over.  Indeed as they wait for their new ground to be constructed Wigan have devised a cunning plan to save money.  Simply let the old ground fall down.

There is little point in going over the old story of how we managed to lose here again and the only points of note were a chance for Wrack at 0 - 0 and the confirmation that Simpson is surely not good enough to fritter a substantial amount of money on him. In ninety minutes he never managed to beat his man once and without us having any serious pace up front he has to go past people to create time for the front two to get into  dangerous positions.  Hednesford material if ever I’ve seen it.

Stuart Barlow scored both Wigan goals and they spent the last ten minutes trying to create a third for him as we had the piss taken out of us.  An altogether forgetful afternoon that bore more resemblance to the pre June Walsall than the version that exists now.

Sun 27th December

That penalty is really irritating me today.  Page 325 on Ceefax could have looked so much better and in total desperation I checked ITV teletext on the off chance that they had mis-calculated and made us top.  It was never going to be though and we had to suffer the indignity of only being second.

Sat 26th December - Wycombe

The visit of Wycombe provided more ups and downs than the average James Bond film as the Saddlers managed to defy gravity with their form.  At times we were hot, red hot and at times we were desperate, properly desperate.  The back four minus Ian Roper looked very shaky and the midfield minus Keates looked shot in the last twenty minutes.  Simpson would surely be more at ease in a bath of sharks than trying to go past a full back and Wrack blows hot and cold more often than a dodgy hairdryer.

The front two look good when the ball is fed to them, Rammell seems willing to die for the cause every week.  As for Gary Porter I’ve given up on him.  He is a shell of the player he was and how he got a two year deal heaven knows.  In many ways he is symbolic of the disaster that was last season. For me his two year deal was about 101 weeks too long.

Every Boxing day brings out a sizeable crowd and with it the Mr Hyde in the Saddlers.  One nil up and if not coasting then we were at worst pretty comfortable. Quite how we managed to mess up the chance of three points and the much coveted top spot is anyone's guess.  Fulham had won 2 - 0 in a midday kick off and we only had to win and score three to take top spot.  In reality we simply had to win.  We managed neither.

The opening goal followed good work by Marsh down the right and a sweet finish by Rammell. This really should have been doubled in a flash as Otta crashed one against the bar before Wrack messed up when he should have done better. We were creating enough to have won at a canter but just couldn’t find that second game killer goal.

The second half came as soon as the first half went and unfortunately it took our form with it. By now we were having the game dictated to us by Wycombe and it was hardly a surprise when the visitors levelled matters.  The shock was a mistake by Richard Green that led to the goal with the unusually named Jerome McSporran notching.

We immediately picked up the tempo in search of another and almost without delay won a penalty with Rammell being adjudged to have been fouled in the far corner of the box.  Maybe a tad harsh on the defender but hey who cares?  Pingu stepped up and blasted over ala Chris Waddle and joined the 1998 Bescot twelve yard hall of shame.

Wycombe took heart from this and grabbed the lead when another example of 1997/98 defending reared it’s ugly head.    The self destruct button had been pressed and if we were going to take top spot we were going to have to spin this game on its head. We almost did.

Rammell levelled matters with a kind of solo scramble at the back stick and I thought he had won it with a header following a free kick and an Otta flick.  However a loathsome cretin of a linesman flagged for offside and the goal was ruled out before it had even been chalked on. 

The game petered out as both sides looked too tired to push for a third goal and to be frank the only winner from this one were Fulham.

Tue 22nd December

Deano picked up a suspension on Saturday and is unavailable for the trip to Burnley on the day after the day after the eve before if you follow.

Mon 21st December

The Express & Star goes over the top in giving Walsall the same treatment as they usually save for the local teams.  Player profiles, colour pictures and the over the top hype that can only ever be written by a wolf loving journo.  

Uncle Ray gets similarly excited and offers a refund to anyone who didn’t enjoy the match.  Well for forty nine minutes I had zero enjoyment and the last ten were absolute hell.  Perhaps I could claim five pounds fifty back?

Sun 20th December

Four minutes away from top spot.  PNE/Fulham was goalless until the 86th minute where Fulham mercilessly snatched the points and top spot from right under our noses.

Sat 19th December - Stoke City

Questions, questions. And they all needed answering.

Today was our stiffest examination of our credentials and to be honest we graduated with flying colours.  The GCSE rejects of last term have flowered into the brightest of sparks that they are today.  The team that looked odds on during a painful summer to be relegated have come through, blossomed and look a more than useful side.  The P word is on the tip of my tongue and should we mess this season up, missing the automatic places and the play offs then the rest of this poxy division had better watch out next time round. Graydon has us on the march and after today I suspect that everyone knows it.

Ok, we only won by the odd goal but the manner in which we did it was superb.  The openly, if not overly respectful Saddlers of the opening minutes quickly overcame their stage fright and scared the living daylights out of the league leaders to the point that for much of the first hour Stoke resembled rabbits frozen by the glare of the headlights from an oncoming articulated lorry.

Only a combination of poor finishing and bad luck kept the scoreline down as Walsall simply overran an organised and functional visiting side.  The Clayheads have done much better than many people expected this term and have basically led the division from the start of the season but they surely haven’t run into a better footballing side than us.  Our speed of thought, our movement and our passing was a thrill as the hard miles of training ground work blossomed into the performance so far this season.

The back four nullified the Potters attack, the midfield eventually got the better of their compatriots and Rammell and Otta ran the legs off a pretty lead footed Stoke back four.

Following a nervy start the boys got into full flow and created a fair amount of chances.  Wrack looped a header over the bar,  Otta and Keates mis-hit chances before Rammell connected with a long ball and smashed his shot onto the top of the bar with the keeper well beaten.  If that had gone in the place would have exploded.

Chances were coming regularly though and in reality the only problems Stoke were causing us were down our right as Brian Small used his pace to good effect.  He really is pretty pacy and each time Wrack attacked him he always had that extra yard of pace to fall back on.

Unlike the defender on the other side.

As half time approached Pingu fed Pointon a diagonal ball which teased the right back into a lunge, Pointon saw it, cut inside and slipped his opponent.  He then crossed a perfectly measured centre for Rammell to dive full length and do what he does best.  From the second that the ball left NP’s foot it was a goal, Rambo, with a free header to meet, was never going to miss that one.

Bescot went absolutely fucking potty. The foundations tested to the max as the place literally shook in celebration, indeed I honestly can’t remember another moment like it at our new(ish) place.  Marshy’s goal against Leeds came close but was at the other end, Rammell did it in front of his people.  A class finish from a class act.

Half time came and went and the second half followed much the same pattern.  Stoke seemed unable to get into the game and the hideously one footed Kevin Keen looked badly, if not embarrassingly, out of his depth.

We picked up two bookings for timewasting and Stoke received the same punishment for a two footed tackle and an elbow.  Good to see that the punishments are measured with the same punishment. Both Stoke players can count themselves lucky boys as either could have seen red instead of yellow.

As the game wore on the Saddlers fell further and further back and ended up defending our eighteen yard line. Those last ten minutes seemed longer than a night on the streets of Baghdad as Stoke produced an ariel raid into our penalty box that even Clinton and Blair would have envied. We held firm though, Stoke were never going to score, and took the points in a utterly faultless display.

I can't remember Walker having a shot to save in the whole ninety minutes although we did have to hack one chance off the line.

Elsewhere a clearly unfit Richard Green was inspired as he led a magnificent back four to another clean sheet.  In many ways Green had today typified the season so far.  So much bottle, determination and fight backed up with more than a hint of quality and pride in his job.

Gillingham must have a cracking backline if they could afford to let this fellow go.  He couldn’t run in the second half but still made it to the ball whenever he needed to and basically ran the show.   The sponsors gave Rammell the man of the match but no-one deserved it more than Ritchie Green.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Fri 18th December

There isn’t much more to say about tomorrow that hasn’t already been said.  

On the other hand there will be either a lot of questions answered or equally as many put forward depending on both the result and the manner in which it comes.  It looks as if Kyle will play and we’ll need to keep a close eye on the big man because although he’s coming back with nothing to prove he will still be desperate to fill the back of our net.

So, are we for real?

Thu 17th December

Only two days to go before the big day.  No not Christmas day,  two days to the Stoke game.  

I’ve glued the last six doors on my advent calendar shut and coloured them in because in all honesty the 25th is pretty meaningless compared to the 19th.

Presents will be opened on the morning of the 19th and the Queen’s speech is being brought forward to five to three so it doesn’t interfere with the big kick off.

With Fulham hopefully not winning at Preston North End we’ll go top f we can collect all three points. The last time we headed all twenty three other teams was in 1987 I’m told. I can’t remember it to be honest but I don’t think it will have felt as good as this might.

The pessimist in me worries that I'm getting too optimistic, that we will probably lose on Saturday and it will all be a massive anti climax but hey who cares.  We’re on the ride now and all those in the queue behind will have imagine what it’s like and wait until we’ve finished.

Wed 16th December

Ada is back in training and hoping to be available foe the weekend.  Richie Green is doubtful with the same back strain that kept him out of the Oldham exhibition and Uncle Ray appears reluctant to pitch the two rookies together again in an environment that will be far more testing than the one at Boundary Park.

Lancaster Gate-gate rumbles on as our 2006 World Cup bid appears to be in jeopardy as a consequence of yesterday’s news.  The newspapers seem to be going a bit soft as they give Kelly a fairly easy ride of it.  They do however put themselves in a possible libellous situation by reporting that he is a Blackpool fan.  I’d sue for that, I can tell you.  

Maybe he is a Blackpool fan after all.  That’d explain where he got his charmless personality from.   David Mellor chair of the Football Task Farce demands the resignation of Mr Wiseman on national TV.  He cites respect for the post as a reason to quit. 

Now correct me if I'm wrong but didn’t he wriggle & fight tooth and nail trying hang on to his cabinet post when he got caught out dabbling in a bit of extra curricular by the tabloids?  Didn’t he refuse to resign?

The European draws took place and pitted Man United against Inter Milan.  The other survivors in the Champions league are Real Madrid,  Bayern Munich, Kaiserslautern,  Juventus,  Dynamo Kiev and  Olympiakos.  The elite are, as Doug Ellis told Dwight Yorke,  in the UEFA Cup and they line up as Celta Vigo,  AS Roma,  Lyon,  Parma,  Marseille,  Bordeaux,  Athletico Madrid and Bologne.  Proof,  if it were ever required,  that Douggie is full of shite. 

Tue 15th December

A fairly quiet day explodes as dusk arrives with the resignation of  the ‘Bonnie’ Graham Kelly and the vote of no confidence in Clyde or Keith Wiseman as he prefers to be known.  Apparently they’ve been caught loaning out loadsamoney to the Welsh FA in exchange for World Cup voting favours. 

The scandal, will inevitably be referred to as Lancaster Gate-gate.  OK it’s a pretty stupid idea but surely non more so than the thought of restructuring the FA into a modern forward thinking organisation.

David Davies,  one of Kelly’s cronies steps into the breach on a temporary basis with Paulo Di Canio the bookies favourite not to replace sluggy in the long term.  

Inevitably Keith Wiseman takes the usual FA officer stance and buries his head in the sand hoping that his no confidence vote goes away.  No resignation, no dignified exit,  no respect for our game and no more than we have come to expect from a representative of our Association.  

Mon 14th December

The build up to the Stoke game begins as the sell out boards appear poised to go up.  Uncle Ray still finds fault with the boys performance at Oldham as he criticises the players for losing possession too easily.  He also demands the passing improves over the next few weeks and I’m pretty impressed by this.  He appears to ease off the players after disappointing results and pushes them harder following a good win.  

He’s also probably trying to keep their feet firmly on the floor but to be honest I’m floating about three feet in the air these days. Heady stuff.

Sun 13th December

It seems to me that if you’re going to win at places Oldham it is very important to get your foot in the door first.  We’ve now opened the scoring at Gillingham,  Wycombe,  Chesterfield,  Luton,  Wrexham,  Macclesfield and here and have gone on to win five, draw one and lose one. 

Our only away defeats so far have been the annual one at Wrexham,  Manchester City and Fulham.  The only sides expected to do well that we haven’t visited are Stoke and Reading and we’re the only side to take anything from Saltergate. 

In addition to this the current seventh placed side (Luton) are twelve points behind us.  It may be very premature to talk about the P word but the garden is looking very rosy.  Time for a lie down.

Sat 12th December - Oldham Athletic

In many ways this was as good as it can get.  We arrived at Boundary Park knowing that if we performed we would win and we did precisely that. 

Inside the first five minutes Pingu had a chance that he snatched at and a brilliant move featuring Marsh,  Rammell and Wrack culminated in Tarka heading home a brilliant opening goal.  The cross from Wrack was inch perfect and the header that followed was equally as accurate. 

We controlled the half with some superb movement and passing,  never really letting Oldham get foothold in the game.  Green had missed the game with a back strain and in the absence of the also injured Viveash our centre back partnership was Ian Roper and Matthew Gadsby(combined age 40).  They also happened to play very well.  

A bit of luck arrived on the half hour as Walker came for a ball he was never going to get and the subsequent header looped over our crossbar.  A rare mistake in a pretty good sequence of games for Jimmy.  Oldham were quickly punished for missing the chance as another cracking move saw Bjarne carry the ball 40 yards, a quick one two with Rammell and a wide ball to Simpson who crossed for the immaculate Rambo to head home.  A fantastic goal and the away crowd went potty. 

Thirty five minutes gone and all we needed to do was not be silly.  We weren’t.  In fact we missed a hatful of chances the final score would have embarrassed the Latics if we had only converted half of them.  Otta (twice),  Wrack,  Rammell and Keates had chances well saves by the impressive Oldham keeper.  He really was the difference between respectability and a hammering.  In particular his save from Rammell was unbelievable.

We eased off,  understandably so following the previous Tuesday night’s exploits,  and introduced Porter to sit in front of the inexperienced centre defensive pairing.  He did a pretty food job of it.  Watson replaced the Otta and Evans returned for the again faultless Marsh.  Otta was the outstanding player today and fully deserved the ovation he received on leaving the pitch. 

The game ended without and real problems for us to cope with and the points were ours.  This was without doubt the performance of a team that believes it is going to win.  The confidence around the team is higher than for a long time and the only blip on an otherwise perfect day was Fulham snatching second spot on goal difference after the buried Burnley  4 - 0. 

Bring on Stoke. 

Fri 11th December

The visit to Boundary Park tomorrow means that (a) we are closer to the moon than at almost any other English football ground (b) it’ll be freezing cold and (c) we need a result. 

With a tough schedule of games coming up we need to get something from a game that on-form we are probably expected to harvest something from.  I’ve never seen us score there let alone win so it’s coats at the ready and fingers crossed. 

Thu 10th December

Uncle Ray make another move for Paul Simpson as he takes him on loan for another month.  I wasn’t over impressed last time but it appears he may have been carrying an injury.  We haven’t got a natural left sided player so I guess he has to be worth another look.

Wed 9th December

Last night’s win came at a price.  Pointon and Green are doubtful for Oldham on Saturday and a suspension is looming for the again impressive Roper.  Uncle Ray was just pleased to make it through to the next round.

The reserves spank Pathetic Athletic or Wigan reserves as they prefer to be called 5 - 0.  They must be really crap.

Tue 8th December - Bristol Rovers

The road to Wembley, so effectively closed by PNE on Saturday,  is open again thanks to the contraflow that is the Auto Windscreen Shield and Bristol Rovers are the cones that represent tonight's challenge.  Our last sojourn in this compo left a devastated Saddlers contingent to make their way home from Hampshire on a Heroic Tuesday night and now having paid our dues and had our card stamped and we've simply got to win this poxy competition.  Wembley is the lifetime ambition I have no control over and I’m not certainly going to die until we get there.

At five past nine we were out,  2 - 0 down and having created umpteen chances and converted none things were looking pretty dire.  Seventy five minutes later we were through,  I’m not really sure how but in a cup tie the result dictates. Details about how good or bad we were are exactly that. Details, in cup ties simply don’t matter. 

Pingu, from the spot, reduced the defecit then Walter Otta levelled matters for the Saddlers and following a tense half hour of golden goal extra time,  or golden no-goals as it can now be known,  we entered a penalty shoot out.  They scored, we scored,  they missed, we missed  and so it went until Rammell stepped up.  

Clearly not wanting to take it the walk forward was a long one, as was Bob Willis style run up.  The scars of Lincoln still hadn’t appeared to have healed and despite hammering to ball into the centre of the goal you got the feeling that they still hadn’t.  The net bulged however and we were through. Rambo was again the hero in an already heroic season and if we continue in this vein we may just make those Magical Mystical Towers. 

To again comeback from two down shows the level of commitment and character these players have and perhaps one or two people are beginning to take us seriously.  Maybe even I am.

Manchester City plummet to even greater depths as they are beaten at home by Mansfield Town 2 - 0 in front of 3007 paying customers.  Patience may be wearing a little thin in Moss Side.

Mon 7th December

It's reported that young Robbie is back in training following his near fatal brush with the TV remote. Be brave young man.

Sun 6th December

Nob End draw the FA Cup holders at Deepdale in round three as Arsenal follow ball 42 out of the pot.  I’m a tad disappointed but not overly so.  The twin towers are possible on two fronts if we apply ourselves correctly over the next twenty odd games.  We have few distractions and I reckon we should go it big time. 

For the record we will also cheering for Bolton on third round day.  The devil’s children followed the Trotters out of the ridiculous transparent TV friendly plastic box and hopefully the great cup run will end there.  Also Albion visit Bournemouth and Villa have a testing tie at home to Hull City.  It can’t be any easier than that Norwegian Ladies Pub side they almost tripped over against last September.  Come on Hull.

Sat 5th December - Preston North End

That’s all folks. We came, we saw, we lost, we're out.

Preston are one of the better Second Division sides and I’ll be surprised if come the spring they’re not around the shake up. A very well organised and tight unit with more than a touch of ability running throughout the side. They've spent well.

The game itself was very tight and a single goal always looked very likely to win the game. Ray surprised me by changing a winning side, turning a blind eye to one of those golden rules he appears to be loath to break. Rammell and Evans returned to the line up with Marsh switching to left wing. Platt and Watson were the unlucky ones.

The two sides basically stood toe to toe and slugged out a high quality first half, neither team taking a step backwards or concede anything in the quest for an advantage. Chances however, were few and far between with PNE probably feeling the most disappointed at the break. Especially when we escaped a nailed on penalty claim on the stroke of half time when Green tripped Nogan inside the box.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first as both sides went for the knockout blow. It eventually came on the hour as Wayne Evans found himself outpaced down our right and when Green and Nogan simultaneously challenged for the ball it looped over Jimmy Walker and almost apologetically crossed the line.

We were in trouble now, probably having to chase a goal in order to force a replay, however the match, as a contest, ended before we'd even reshaped as moments after the first Paul McKenna fired home an unstoppable shot from 35 yards. A bit of a career goal I fancy and more significantly no need for Saddlers fans to check what time tomorrow's 3rd round draw is.

We huffed, puffed but couldn’t break down a resolute PNE backline and made a rather quiet exit from the finest cup competition in the world. Sounds like a good name for a compilation album to me. No one really stood out but Marshy probably shaded the Man of the Match honours.

Fri 4th December

The greatest cup competition in the world organised by the biggest bunch of tossers in the world. For such an wonderful competition (which it truly is) to be left in the hands of such incompetents is amazing. You sometimes feel that the people who run Lancaster Gate couldn’t organise themselves a visit to the toilet so heaven only knows how they managed to make the FA Cup so special.

Wed 2nd December

We've only gone and signed Cyrille Regis on trial. Has the world gone mad? No, not exactly. However it appears that we've signed two Frenchmen whose first names happen to be Cyril and Regis. Frenchmen & Bournemouth in the same week remind me of the utter turmoil that was last season. I think I need a lie down.

Tue 1st December

Wigan spank Fulham 2-0 and Hayward fails from the spot into the bargain. Damn shame that.

Mon 30th November

Fulham lost on Saturday and therefore we’re second in the table.  It’s FA Cup time next weekend and if the Cottagers slip up at Tomorrow night we’ll be in the automatic places for a fortnight.  Perhaps even Ceefax will have updated the tables by then.  Then again maybe not.

RG was delighted with Saturday's result and performance but was again reluctant to use the two dreaded P words.  Good man. 

We’ve still need those elusive last thirteen points to avoid the drop and you can’t start thinking of doing anything else until you get to 52 points.  Negative ?  I am a Walsall supporter after all.

Sun 29th November

West Brom win “the Black Country Derby” (on Birmingham soil) and therefore assume the mantle of second best team in the Black Country.  No matter how hard these pair try there is and shall ever be only one team in the Black Country.  Funny how you can’t find a wolves fan when you want one isn’t it.  Just like in the mid to late 1980’s with the only difference being that there weren’t any wolves supporters then.

Sat 28th November - Bournemouth

No Rammell, no Brissett, the continued absence of Viveash and we still managed to win. 

Disappointment filled the air as Monsier Boli was absent injured (yeah right!) and delight replaced it as Darren Wrack righted all last seasons wrongs. Strangely the words 'disappointment', ''Boli' & 'Roger' have an eerily familiar ring to them. Which is quite a feat for such a talented marksman.

In the end this was very tight game of pretty high quality, punctuated by some wasteful finishing by the visitors and decided by a cracking Saddlers goal. 

Platt and Watson came in for the suspended front two and Roper continued in the place of Ada.  Platt had his best all-round game for the Saddlers and Roper continues to defy his critics with another performance that leaves the number six shirt up for grabs when Ada gets fit.  He was superb and virtually eliminated a very tricky and irritating customer in Mark Stein.

Defence generally ruled and one goal was always looked likely win this and it duly did on 68 minutes.  A great interchange between Marsh and Platt following a neat dummy by Wrack left Dazzer with a clear shooting chance. In a virtual carbon copy finish as the Blackpool winner he spotted the gap, chose his spot and drilled the ball in at the near post.  His seventh of the season and he’d probably be in double figures had it not been for those earlier penalty abbohrations. 

Strangely the Cherries fans were somewhat subdued on their return to their cars.  Perhaps they’re only mouthy when there’s 9000 of them.  I do hope they had a nice trip home.

Fri 27th November

A bit of a grudge game tomorrow as Bournemouth,  our conquerors in last year's Auto Windshield Southern Final,  come to town.  The return visit from Dean Court following last March's glorious failure will live with me for a long time.  Three hours of tarmac,  150 odd miles of trees, country lanes and the three lads in the car who never spoke a word during the drive home.  Even a European exit for Villa failed to raise a whimper of delight. 

We didn’t deserve to go out like that.  The problem was the 2-0 reverse in the home leg and for a poor away side we were always going to struggle to overcome that.

 

However the Bournemouth fans' on pitch celebrations following our Dean Court defeat were so over the top it was untrue.  Celebrating a debut trip to Wembley is understandably obligatory but celebrating by delighting in our misery was a step too far.

No doubt that many of the revellers were probably making their first visit to Dean Court that night. Glory boys with chips on their shoulders.  Perhaps they should be renamed Born mouthy.  Oh and Roger Boli plays for them.

Thu 26th November

It appears to be keep your heads down time at Chateau Bescot as they’re all training hard and keeping quiet.  No mouthing off about how good we are and no mention of either of the the two P words. 

Want another good sign? There's only 16 points still required to realistically avoid relegation. You can't beat a bit of positivity!

Mon 23rd November

The players were apparently pig sick after Saturday’s result.  The E&S quotes Wracky and Marshy who are both mightily peeved, which bodes well for both the short and mid-term future.  We really are going the right way and it has been quite a while since I have felt so positive about the future.

Sat 21st November - Macclesfield

At half time I honestly thought this one was in the bag. Walter Otta had fired home in first half stoppage time and although we were facing a stiffish wind in the second period I just couldn’t see a lacklustre Macclesfield breaking us down.  Our first half display was stunning.  Passing and movement that took me back the best part of fifteen years to Buckley’s Babes.

We fully deserved our mid way lead but again patience was the key as we kept plugging away at a hard working but limited home side.  Wrack intercepting a pass from a Macc corner, carrying the ball from our box to theirs before squaring to Tarka to slide the ball under the keeper.

The second half assault began very early and was sustained for the whole of the very long 45 minutes. We held out for 28 of those minutes until Tomlinson seized on a shot that Walker could only parry and, despite looking iffishly offside, equalised. 

The last fifteen minutes were tense as the Saddlers tried to both hold on to a point and if possible sneak a winner.  Neither side could be parted however and we had to settle for a point.  The disappointment both on the field and in the away terraces serves to show how far this side has come since August. 

There wasn’t any booing but most people saw this as two points lost rather than one gained - so it appeared did the players. 

Following a retched season of away performances last term this disappointment is a good sign.  Man of the match was probably Richard Green but Roper and Walker (one magnificent save) pushed him all the way.

Fri 20th November

The night before we re-visit Moss Rose. We’re probably already onto a loser here because many of the fans will remember last year and expect much the same. Rammell plays his last game before his one game suspension and Brissett before his Di Canio-esque ban. 7-0, it can’t possibly happen again, can it ?

Wed 18th November

Uncle Ray looks across the Channel as he imports a Frenchman (bound to end in tears) and ex-Ipswich frontman Andy Kiwomya on short term trials.  The Saddlers reserves win 2 0 at Bury with timely strikes by Andy Watson and Clive Platt.

Sun 15th November

The local press is full of a story linking Atkinson and Little to the managers post at wolves.  Apparently the directors feel that this is the dream partnership that can lead them into the Premiership. A deal appears to be on the verge of collapse though as both Rowan and Syd are holding out for more money.

Last nights second round draw paired us away to Preston in what looks to be the tie of the round. Sky see it differently and go for Darlington vs Man City and Leyton Orient vs Kingstonian.  Surprised ?  Nor me.

Sat 14th November - Gresley Rovers

A win is a win and in the F.A. Cup that means you make it into the next round. It's irrelevant if you struggle to beat Gresley 1 - 0 or thump them by six or seven goals, the prize for winning is still the same.

Yes, we eventually overcame a very spirited and organised Gresley but we did make hard work of it. Indeed they came, they saw and whilst they didn’t conquer Gresley didn't climb back abourd their coach wondering what if... Thay gave it a right go. 

One nothing and an Ian Roper header was about the size of it but unfortunately the natives were a little bit unhappy. The term “useless bastards” may have been justifiable at Wigan last April or at Wycombe and Bristol Rovers last winter but was more than a little harsh this afternoon.  Indeed the restless amongst the locals may have seen a bigger winning margin if one of the two good chances inside the first ten minutes had been converted.  Keates beat the keeper but the ball was cleared off the line and Tarka headed onto the crossbar before Rovers had got started.

They did get their act together however and although they didn’t really create much they saw a fair amount of the ball. We in turn treated Gresley with the respect they deserved and this in turn led to a fairly cautious attacking display - non of last seasons gun ho approach . This served to stretch the home fans patience and even though we looked in control of the game the half time whistle was greeted with more than one or two boos.

The second half was a more even affair as the boys kicked towards the home end and this served to increase the tension as the Saddlers failed to put an end to Gresley’s fight. Brissett picked up plenty of hammer and his game suffered as the boo boys dug their nails deeper into a seemingly fragile skin.

He seems to be a confidence player and in all honesty the Alsop End has already destroyed the confidence of more than a couple of players. It is, at times, disappointing that the Club’s greatest strength can so often be an individuals destroyer. 

Unfortunately, they will never learn. Roper is one of the players who has taken more than his fair share of stick off the knobheads and it was kind of fitting that he should have the final say in events. Another Wrack corner, this time aimed into the middle of the six yard box, saw George beat the keeper to the ball and nod into an unguarded net. His first goal for the Club and with eleven minutes to go, a pretty good time to score it.

The boys suffered a couple of scares late on but were relatively comfortable and with no injuries and bookings came through unscathed. Again, the only things really important in the F.A. Cup is to (a) not lose and (b) get through and we did both in a good days work.

Elsewhere Tamworth are denied by Exeter in stoppage time,  Kidderminster get a draw away at Plymouth and Hednesford beat Barnet. Result of the day goes to Bridlington Terriers as they trounce Colchester 4 - 1. If we hadn’t given Gresley the respect they deserved and lost I wonder what our knobheads would have made of it. Food for thought boys.

Fri 13th November

It’s F.A. Cup first round proper day tomorrow and the nerves are beginning to fray. Gresley Rovers are a better side than people think and I suspect they will cause us some problems tomorrow. We should win but must be very wary of having an off day and slipping to an embarrassing defeat.

It's a fact that somewhere tomorrow morning a goalkeeper will get out of bed not realising that he is going to have the day and performance of his life. You just have to hope that he isn’t going to walk out next to your keeper at five to three tomorrow afternoon. If he is, then you have big problems.

The F.A. Cup is unique to second division clubs. We are both the hunted and the hunters. On first round day you are the big boys, hunted by the unknowns.  Should you manage avoid capture then sooner or later you become the hunter as the third round introduces the bigger boys.  The only thing for certain in the F.A. Cup is that if you are still in it in May then you’ve had a decent season.

Right now I’d settle for still being in it on Sunday morning.

Wed 11th November

Ray reads the riot act to Brissett and threatens him with the ultimate sanction of leaving the club if his discipline doesn’t improve. I reckon that could well have been the mother of all bollockings. The four players also booked on Tuesday also catch the wrath of Ray as he also warns them about their conduct.

Tue 10th November - Lincoln City

There was never going to be a better chance than tonight to end out weeknight jinx.  No Tuesday or Wednesday wins this term has been a a bit of a pain in the backside but the visit of bottom club Lincoln City gave us the opportunity to end the sequence.  We did 2 - 1, and in turn took our points total to 35.

To say we did it comfortably would be wrong however because no matter how bad we were, our matchday official stole any awards for shite performance of the evening. Comfortably. The nob also has a bit of Saddlers previous and appears to have a penchant for sending off one particular type of player given that both Charlie Ntmark and Roger Boli had previously suffered red cards for incidents of laughable importance.

Charlie was dismissed as the ball rebounded off a post and onto his arm - the ball was therefore going in the away from the goal and the incident was adjudged to be a professional foul.  Boli, last season, was kicked from pillar to post for seventy minutes without protection, eventually (inevitably) lost his rag and was dismissed for dissent. 

Tonight saw Jason Brissett and Lincoln’s full back tOOK an early bath.  In the red corner, Brissett was dismissed for reacting to an awful tackle with a right hook and his opponent in the blue corner walked for what was a ludicrously dangerous tackle. The nob also managed to find a reason to dismiss Lincoln boss Shane Westley in the second funniest incident of the night. Oh how I do enjoy seeing old wolves players struggle at Bescot.

The boys made this one very difficult for themselves by handing Lincoln a daft goal that gave the Imps something to fight for.  And fight is essentially what they did given that bone crunching tackle followed bone crunching tackle followed bone crunching tackle as the visitors tried desperately to unsettle us.

It worked.

We fell more and more into the trap of hoisting high balls at Andy Rammell and that played straight into the hands of our visitors. The game seemed to have disappeared from us when Brissett was dismissed and we then lost Viveash with what appeared to be a knee injury. Physically ravaged and mentally rattled, we looked out on our feet in a game we really should have won and there seemed no way back.

However this side is better than that. On seventy minutes Walter Otta crossed beautifully for Wrack to head his sixth goal of the season at the far post and at despite having 20 minutes to bombard our opponents I think that almost everyone would have taken a point there and then.

We then started to boss the game however and Roper’s introduction for Ada remarkably seemed to steady the back four. We created and missed two or three half chances to take the game after the equaliser but as we entered injury time the game took one final dramatic twist.

Tarka was fouled in the box (a clear dive), the ref gave a penalty and Andy Rammell, big bad Andy Rammell was presented with the opportunity to win it from 12 yards. Yeah! Well, no actually, as the visiting keeper guessed right (left actually) and turned Rammell’s spot kick around the post. Our third penalty miss of the season (four if you include GP at Leek) and this time it was a very costly one.

All wasn't lost however and as the resulting corner caused mayhem in the Lincoln box Otta stuck a leg out, poked the ball over the line and Bescot exploded into celebration as the goal lifted us up to third in the table.

The five minutes of stoppage time that followed our goal were as funny as fuck. Following Lincoln’s attempt to waste almost the entire ninety minutes we returned the favour quite magnificently, severly pissing them off with huge portions of time wasting. As the ball disappeared over the far side of the ground it took an age for a new ball to appear and when it did it was rolled onto the near side of the pitch it moved in virtual slow motion.

Make no mistake the return tie will be spicy as there are still scores to settle from this one. Pointon in particular took some major physical stick and will remember this one though, possibly, for the right reasons as he probably put in comfortably his strongest performance of the season. Now that, considering he hasn’t had a bad game, is some performance. Man of the Match by a mile.   

Mon 9th November

It turns out the weekend’s highlight wasn’t the Saddlers 3-0 win but the beating Wolfie got at Ashton Gate.  The children’s story tells the tale of a wolf victimising those tasty little piglets with his bad breath.  The 1990’s adult version however is better, much better. 

Big bad and arrogant Wolfie tries to ruffle the piglets on the halfway line and suddenly the one piglet decides he isn’t having any of it and stands up to our bad-breathed gold & black-miester. 

Wolfie then decides to push the piglet once more and the cute pink furry pig responds by smashing a left trotter onto Wolfie’s chin. A scuffle ensues and all parties are thrown out. On marching the furries through the tunnel City Cat escapes his escorting clutches and also sets about twatting the Wolf. 

Fair play to the mascots who took no wolves crap and subsequently joined Baggie Bird on an ever growing list of fur covered Wolf asailants!

On a more football note, we play Shane Westley’s Lincoln City tomorrow night. I wonder if they will be similar to Bury, Colchester Northampton etc.  Does a bear shit in the woods? 

Sat 7th November - Millwall

I seriously can’t remember the last time we began the month of November with 29 points.  At a guess I’d say it was the 87/88 promotion season but I can’t be sure.  Respect goes to UR and the players because no one would have believed we could maintain form like this for so long.  With two home games coming up and six points to be won who knows where in the table we will be next Saturday tea time.

Millwall were the visitors at Bescot today and in truth they were awful.  They appeared to have little pattern, organisation or idea where the net was, so much so that a 3-0 home win really didn’t flatter us.  I imagine that at various destinations last season we looked as lost as the Lions did today as we ambled our way through a series of clueless away defeats. 

Those days appear to have gone however and as last Saturday showed the boys don’t have an appetite for defeats and, if necessary, park up the pretty stuff and mix it a bit. Today was one of those matches.  Millwall are not a big, physical side in the Northampton mould but they do know how to break a game up and disrupt the oppositions flow.  Hence, Walsall showed little in the way of flair and creativity and plenty of graft and determination. 

Suspensions for Ada and Pingu meant starting places for Roper and Porter and both stepped into the breach well.  Roper in particular had a fine game and if the sponsors had any heart they would have given him man of the match.  His gangly frame regularly makes him look frighteningly uncomfortable and his passing generally lets him down too often for the supporters to take to him but he will make it as a pro.  It might not be at Walsall but, as with Dean Smith, he will make it somewhere. 

The first and probably most important goal came from a well worked corner (again) as Dean Keates crossed for Richard Green to head home at the near post.  Greeny’s first goal for the Saddlers.  The second came direct from a corner as Darren Wrack curled the ball on the wind over everyone and inside the far post.  Both goals raised a lot of questions of the Millwall keeper but I’m not complaining. 

The third in the second half followed a cracking and decisive save by Walker with debutante Walter Otta, or Tarka to his mates, crossing for Rammell to amend for two previous glaring misses with a neat finish. 

We cruised home from there and in doing so avoided any bookings or injuries and climbed to fourth in the table. 

A fine days work however was frustratingly sullied somewhat by the mess that is currently referring to itself as Bristol City FC.  No manager, and seemingly no idea on how to cope with life in the first division the Robins were embarrassed 6 - 1 by you know who. Even David Connelly notched so they must be crap.  Shame on you.

Wed 6th November

The evening brings sporadic reports that Mark McGhee’s reign at Clowns’r’us is about to end. 

Teletext and local radio offer unsubstantiated reports and suggest more news will follow soon. 
Thursday 7th November. The morning brings the confirmation that the fun is temporarily over as Muggy departs Dingle Central.  Mutual consent apparently i.e. Do one and we’ll pay you to keep quiet.

When Robbie and Stevie turn up (together) they are shocked to be told the news from the local news crew.  I suspect that the teletext is much too complicated for a simpleton like Stevie and we know that Robbie is only allowed to use the remote when under the supervision of a grown up.

Colin Lee is installed as caretaker while the search begins and he insists the Muggys good work will not be wasted.  Good man.  The Express and Star editorial states that it is wolves birthright to be in the Premier League and that they are not a sacking club.  Point 1 -  There isn’t an English Premier League, it is the Premiership.  Point 2 - Who was their last manager who voluntarily resigned?

Tue 5th November

Another cracking night for wolves & Vile as they both slump again to poor defeats. Vile exit the UEFA cup at the hands of world famous Celta Vigo and have conceded five goal in their two home UEFA Cup games,  which in truth that says a lot about their overall quality.  

Doug Ellis says the cream of Europe competes in this competition and he is partially correct.  However the competition between the cream begins when shite like Villa have been eliminated. 

On a domestic note Ipswich Town overcome the newly described bare-to-the-bone wanderers 2-0 and the Muggy baiting season is in full swing.  Mark states that man for man Ipswich were better than wolves but if wolves had had Kieron Dyer they would have won.  Work that one out.

Wed 4th November

The reserves beat Hull City stiffs 3-0.  An Argentinean notches all three and gets a short term deal to boot.  That’ll please my mate Mr Dodsworth.

Sun 1st November

Yesterday’s FA Cup draw paired us at home to either Gresley Rovers or Frickley Athletic. Gresley are third in the Doctor Martins Premier and Frickley mid table in the Northern Premier. I don’t have the slightest idea where Frickley is though. I do know that Gresley aren’t a bad side and believe the standard of their ground has held them back before now. We should however overcome this one safely. Indeed we'll all know about it if we don’t.

The clowns up the road failed to beat ten men Barnsley yesterday and Muggy revealed that he felt he needs more players. Well old boy you had more players, many more players. However, given that you’ve already chosen to offload Roberts, Freedman, Claridge, Wright and Froggatt amongst others this year how can you seriously say you are short of attacking options?

His critics reckon that he has absolutley no idea what he's doing. Personally I think he’s doing a cracking job.

Sat 31st October - Bristol Rovers

Halloween, and it looks pretty nightmarish as we arrive late. A bit too late really. 

Although it’s only five past three the walk along the side of the Memorial Ground was a painful one. One nil down inside three minutes was pain enough but two nil inside the first four minutes is probably like having to pick up a remote control box up. 

Two goals down, almost certain defeat, the rain in full effect and I hand over a tenner for admission. A tenner (or in modern currency four Kebab vouchers) to get soaked watching us lose again. Now to be honest the blokes in white coats should be having a quiet word by this time but it never once crossed my mind to save the money and return to the pub. This surely means I am either mentally unstable, pissed or blindly loyal. All three are a probability.

Rammell and Green return from injury with Roper and the unlucky Platt stepping aside. Rovers had the chance to make it three inside the first ten minutes but the impressive Hayles took too long when he should really have scored. The boys seemed to take heart from this and inched their way back into the game.  Wrack and Brissett had chances before Pingu smashed one home from the edge of the area. We were back in a game that was out of reach twenty minutes ago. 

We created more chances with some top quality movement and Rammell causing the Bristol defence problems with both his strength and his desire for the ball. On the stroke of half time some great movement and interplay left Pointon with the chance to cross low and hard into the danger area and OG popped up again to steer the ball beyond the helpless keeper and into the net. The 500 or so Saddlers fans went barmy. 2 - 2 at half time was more than we could have asked for. 

Five minutes into the second half Hayles scored for Rovers and our number looked up. Coming back again was going to be very hard. Rovers seemed content to smother the game by using the offside trap and this, with the aid of a poor linesman, helped to break our game up. Rovers then tried to break the game up even more by making three substitutions while we were pushing hard but they just couldn’t stop the Red baron that is Andy Rammell. 

Ten minutes to go and the ball broke to Brissett on the left side and a perfect cross was met on the six yard box by the big fella and the rest is obvious. To have to type he scored is probably insulting to Rambo because he was never going to miss from there. 3 each and a salvaged point from the ruins of the first five minutes was a more than creditable return. We tried throw it away but Walker saved brilliantly from the ever annoying Jamie Cureton and a point was ours. 

Not on your life. In the last minute of normal time, instead of doing the sensible thing and holding the ball in the corner of the pitch and keeping possession Lambert crossed deep into the home penalty area and Pingu snatched the points. I can’t really remember what happened because I went apeshit but after all that went before who cares?

The referee, a certain Paul Dirkin, played nine and a half minutes overtime following a lengthy pause in the second half and it felt like nine and a half weeks. We kept the ball brilliantly in this time and killed the game off as well as we did against Blackpool. Pingu probably took man of the match but to say we have missed Rammell would be one hell of an understatement. 

In many ways the match itself typified the spirit of Andy Rammell as we simply never gave up and in the end we got everything that we worked for. Perhaps we could start a new religion - ‘The Church of Rammell’ or preferably a footballing  philosophy - ‘Rammelism’. What a man.

Fri 30th October

It’s somewhat of a big game for us tomorrow. We really need to take something from the Memorial Ground tomorrow. One point from nine would be a worry and serve notice that the moaning season can begin.  So far the moaners have been in a extreme minority as the Bescot garden is rosy and the sky is blue. Another defeat tomorrow would probably see clouds building and temperatures falling however. I have to be honest here because I can’t see us getting anything from this one.

Wed 28th October

Let’s all collectively give a sigh of relief. Big, bad Andy Rammell is back and although it’s only a reserve game it’s good news.

Perhaps he’s been listening to Richard Green because I read that he’s had the help of Mrs Drury. Yes indeed Glenda’s fave healing babe has worked her magic on our Richie. Bet she couldn’t do anything about the chip on John Gregory’s shoulder.

Tue 27th October

Big Deano, you know the one who was out for eighteen months following major surgery to his drivers side wing mirror, states that he will quit wolves on a Bosman if they fail to win promotion this term.

One win in ten means he might as well jump ship now.

Mon 26th October

Muggy gets charged with misconduct by the FA following his whinging after a dodgy Portsmouth penalty. Funny that he didn’t complain about the penalty that followed Dean Richard’s dive on Saturday. He probably didn’t see it. Bet he sees his P45 shortly however.

Sat 24th October - Fulham

Fulham away and a pretty comprehensive 4 - 1 defeat. This was always going to be a tough one but I honestly thought our trusted away system might overcome an attack minded Fulham.  

This wasn't to be however as Fulham had more structure than I expected and we simply didn’t get going until it was far too late. We hit the post when one nil down and Marsh scored when two nil down but it was a case of not really being at the races. 

Ex-Baggie Paul Peschisolido scored his first goal of the season and it was all downhill from there. For Pesch that is as Greg Luganis has nothing on this bloke. Fair enough the pitch was waterlogged but even at the Gala Baths diving in the shallow end is banned. Small blokes are said to have better balance but when you continually go over like Naseem Hamed has chinned you it quickly becomes a bit of a pain in the arse.  I even thought that the assistant referee had given him a perfect ten at one stage however it transpired he was raising the substitution cards as Keegan replaced him. 

On an ever sourer note the Pelsall penis scored with from a needlessly conceded free kick. This was a pretty bitter pill to swallow as how ever much I can't stand wolves there will always be room for Steve Hayward. His tackle on Stuart Ryder three years ago was a disgrace and should never ever be forgotten. The chanting of “scum” from the away terrace as he left the field at the end of the game was a true reflection of the feelings of Walsall fans to one of their own people. Right now, I guess he'd struggle to find a Saddler willing to piss on him if he was on fire.

Talking of piss I see the giant portaloo that was the men’s toilet at Craven Cottage has been replaced.  Mr Al Fayed’s money hasn’t just been spent on buying overrated players at inflated prices because Fulham have also invested in ten individual plastic portable toilets. Now correct me if I'm wrong but portaloo is shortened version of the words 'portable' & 'toilet'. Portable Mohammed, portable. How about treating us fans properly and building a proper one?

In saying that, as Craven Cottage has been a permanent shithole for more than twenty years why worry about the state of the away dunny. No roof, no permanent toilet block and a mobile burger van. All for a tenner.  At Fulham it appears that Mr Fayed charges top rate admission and provides third rate facilities. I wonder if this the same for all of his business interests or just football?   

   

Oh, just to top everything off it absolutely pissed down and we get soaked. The only redemption on an all round crap day was the six pints quaffed beforehand. We still missed the kick off I’m pleased to report.

Fri 23rd October

So they didn’t throw the book at Di Canio after all. A ten grand fine and an eleven match ban is all he gets.  If they wanted to hurt him they should have thrown the TV remote control box at him. Deadly equipment that. Perhaps they threw the latest copy of Viz, or more realistically the Mark McGhee tactical handbook at him. Can I be forgiven for comparing your work to a comic Viz editors ?

Thu 22nd October

I can proudly report that I have successfully managed to turn the TV channel over without getting a serious injury. I’m probably going to be a brave boy tomorrow and try to use the teletext. Alternatively, maybe I should hire a stunt double for such a dangerous task. 

Wed 21st October

Surprisingly, Uncle Ray wasn't overly disappointed with last night and he made a point of praising the players overall commitment since his arrival.

We have to visit Fulham on Saturday and Bristol Rovers next weekend. This following Wrexham and last night means we could be looking at one win in five if we're not careful. This is a bit of a worry. Still we’re on 26 points and that’s halfway to avoiding relegation so were on the right track. 

On the other hand wouldn’t it be typical Walsall to win both of these away fixtures. In all honesty I’d settle for three points out of six so lets get those fingers crossed and prayer mats out.

The clouds gather over Muggy as another defeat last night leaves the Dingle’s below Port Vale and Bury in the table.  Haven’t they spent the Hayward money well. To be honest I don’t think I could have wasted it quite as badly as Muggy, Turnip and Turner. With names like these they should open a solicitors practice or a Psychiatric clinic and forget the manager pretence. In forking out a fortune on Daley, Thomas, De Wolf and Claridge they’ve probably deserve an appointment at the aforementioned clinic by now.

Tuesday 20th October - Colchester Utd

A bit like Northampton this one.  Colchester United were the visitors at Bescot on a very windy Tuesday night. We haven’t won a night game this season and we didn’t tonight. 

Colchester are the indentikit third division promotion side - tall, strong, well organised and even more direct. They are a replica of Chesterfield, Northampton and Bury, all of who have gained promotion and settled into second division life comfortably. 

It was probably ignorance that let me assume we would sweep them aside tonight because I should have known better. This was probably the first game all season that I expected us to win and we failed. To be fair we made sure we didn’t lose and that in itself is a reflection on the good work of Uncle Ray. If we can’t get all three than make sure we get one seems the right attitude to me. 

A lot of the fans got impatient as the expected win never materialised but most accepted that tonight was not to be. Perhaps the fact that we took the lead and tried to hold on got to people but they need to be patient. Platt opened his account for the season with a crisp half volley following good work by Wrack and a cross from Marsh. The anticipated Alamo never came and Colchester equalised nine minutes from time following a break down our left, a slip from Richard Green and a rebound off the woodwork.

The players simply couldn’t overcome a robust Colchester system that strangled midfield and this was in many ways similar to both the Northampton and Reading games. Porter was about as ineffective as I have ever seen him and that, given his previous form, is truly saying something. We also missed Rammell like hell.

A special note for the referee. Not only did he manage to make a bad game worse with his inconsistency but he also managed to take more bookings in ninety minutes that The Bonser Suite has taken since Christmas. A rank poor performance from a rank poor referee.