I had to put a night’s sleep between me and the game, because as I get older, I’m becoming more reactive.
I don’t mean I walk out after the opposition hits a third or that I criticise players or tactics without any real justification. I don’t find scapegoats and I don’t stick rose-tinted spectacles on and aim the barrel of my metaphorical gun at a referee. No, what I do is become insular and moody. If you recall, I did it against Birmingham City – a game in which really good opposition came to the Bank, and we could have taken a draw.
I felt that yesterday. Wycombe are a good side, clinical in one box, resolute in the other, and yet for long periods, we matched them. I know people can’t get their head around this, but I find it easier to take the 3-0 thumping against Crawley, a bad result and a bad performance than I do games like yesterday which only serve to underline how good I think we are. We’re not ‘top two’ good, but I really believe we are ‘top six’ good. The trouble is, two points from nine and a trip to Wrexham this weekend does not sound ‘top six’ good.
There’s no doubt that yesterday’s game was a thriller, a game where the result was never certain, right up to the final whistle. It was a game we could have lost 5-2, or one where we could have been 3-2 up on the hour mark. It had chances at both ends, some terrific football from both teams and, in the end, the best team won. I know that should be something I can be content with, especially as we’ve come up against the top two at home and looked to compete on both occasions, but in those games, we’ve conceded six goals.
In fact, yesterday’s game reminded me of another from 2006, some 18 years ago. MK Dons, one of the best sides in the division, came to the Bank and inflicted a 3-2 defeat on us, despite us looking really good. The difference in that game was clinical finishing – Izale McLeod, Clive Platt and Aaron Wilbraham scored their goals, players hugely capable at the top end of the field. Yesterday, that was the difference. It’s not a criticism of us; we scored two against a robust defence and a side top of the table, but they took their chances.
Anyway, let’s talk about the game. City welcomed back Paudie O’Connor, but there’s still no Adam Jackson (expected this week, I believe), no Reeco Hackett, no Tom Bayliss, no Freddie Draper, no Tyler Walker, and no Tom Hamer. We’re looking a little depleted, but that’s no excuse – we’ve got a decent squad and injuries are part and parcel of the game. There was little in the way of surprises in the line-up: Jack Moylan got the start he’s craved, with Ethan Hamilton dropping to the bench, and Jovon also came into the side after Bailey Cadamarteri’s start against Exeter City.
Both teams started well. Wycombe are good, there’s no doubt about that, and they’re not the brutish side that Gareth Ainsworth had. They’re more refined, still big and strong, but decent on the ball. That said, we’re not bad either, perhaps just edging the midfield battle in the early stages. With the wind against us, it was an uphill struggle, but we cracked them first. A lovely passage of play saw Erhahon (back to his indomitable best) slip a ball to Ben House, whose cross was swept home expertly by Tendayi Darikwa, our 24/25 Player of the Season (calling it now, may as well).
Elation, jubilation and a sense of direction settled around the ground. Pre-game, much of the talk had been about taking a draw, and yet we’d come out and matched the side at the top of the division. This was the first game of the season where I’d got to have a few beers beforehand, and mixed in with an early goal, they fought off the chilly wind, swirling rain and generally miserable weather a mid-November game always seems to bring.
After that, the visitors began to edge back into the game, but I felt we were managing okay. We restricted their efforts and managed proceedings nicely, until a moment of quality got them level. It felt like it came from nowhere, Darikwa just got caught under a lofted cross, and their leading scorer made no mistake at the back post. The reality of life in this division is if you make a single slip, you’ll get punished, especially by those teams at the top.
I think 1-1 at half time would have been fair, but right before the break we got smashed by a sucker punch. I think it’s worth pointing out that Fred Onyedinma played eight times for Luton in the Premier League last season, which reflects Wycombe’s spending ability. There’s a story doing the rounds about one of their players who we were close to agreeing a deal with in the summer, only for the Chairboys to double his salary and steal him away. They’re a side with means to spend, and I think that showed. However, just a word on that – Kone came from non-league, and some of their other players, Dan Harvie, for example, have been around the lower leagues for a while, so we’re not talking jealousy here – they’ve just been able to flex a little in the transfer market, even more than us, and we haven’t done badly.
Anyway, Onyedinma. He’s just scored a good goal, one that you expect to see a confident team on top of their game score. No blame, no anger, just a well-worked move that pulled all the life out of us right at a time when we felt quite good. This Wycombe team, as I keep saying, are bloody good, and yet, in the first half, I really felt a draw would have been fair. However, one move, slick passing, quick movement, and it’s 2-1. I did notice our support begin to sing immediately after both goals, and I think that underlines how we’d performed – there was no anger, just belief we could still get something from the game.
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