Yay, a win. At home. And a team that’s crap. Start up the giddyometer again…
OK, us winning in the very last minute, against the second worst team in the whole of the FL, is a bit of a “yeah, but…” moment, but this has been a lousy March so far. And we’ll take anything we can get.
I wasn’t there, though STTA was…:
93 minutes on the clock the ball bounced around the York box, a half clerance fell to Jake Reeves 30 yards out, one touch on his chest and he unleashed a right foot volley as sweet as you’ll see.
The top left corner of the net bulged and Kingsmeadow erupted in a sea of noise and celebration that told you the play-off dream was still alive, just.
It hadn’t started so well. If you won games for fancy flicks and disguised backheels we’d have been 17-0 up at half time. Unfortunately it’s goals that count.
We showed plenty of decent approach play, clearly Lyle and Rhys have worked hard together in training and I could see why Neal had started them. We walked through the York defence on 4 or 5 occcasions but our finishing was as bad as last week on the Lancashire coast.
Then on 38 minutes came the all too predictable York goal from their only forray into our half. A luky defelection diverted the ball into the path of Russel Penn and he slotted the ball into the bottom corner for 1-0.
Second half we continued to batter the York goal. On 68 minutes Dannie Bulman broke into the box and fired over a cross that Rhys Murphy bundled over the line. 1-1 and game on.
The final 20 minutes was all Wimbledon as we introduced Tom Elliot, went three up top and threw the kitchen sink at lowly York in a desperate attempt to avoid a season-ending 1-1. Ade Azeez was brought on to add further threat with ten minutes left.
Azeez, Elliot and Bulman all had chances to equalize but as the doom descended over Kingsmeadow you knew this wasn’t going to be our day.
The early leavers started heading for the exits and those of us planning a trip to Hartlepool were mentally making other plans. Then in one brief moment football became wonderful again.
Thank you Jake Reeves.
Plus points: winning in the 93rd minute, Dannie Bulman, keeping the season alive, having another experienced centre half, Jake’s goal.
Minus points: our finishing, the continuing struggle against the worst clubs in the division, the pitch.
The referee’s a…: little podgy bloke. Could have given us a couple of pens but didn’t.
Them: that’s what happens when you’re down the bottom. Thought they put up a spirited display but clearly lacking in talent and will soon be gracing the finest corners of the Vanarama along with Daggers. It’s a decent away day but other than that they won’t be missed.
Where now for us? A long trip to Hartlepool on Good Friday where we need another 3 points if we’re to keep the play-off dream alive. The mokey hangers have found a bit of form since parting company with Ronnie Moore and are unbeaten in 4 after a 0-0 draw with Crawley yesterday.
If we did get in the playoffs come May 7th, it’s possible that Reeves’ wonderstrike may have become the catalyst for that final push.
Let’s face it – it sounded like the usual shit-sandwich against bottom feeders, albeit with a happy finish for once. We were good enough to win it anyway, but the word “uninspiring” cropped up a lot.
There isn’t too much getting carried away this morning, primarily because we know we’ve got to play a lot better than this. Against harder teams as well.
However, the run of five games sans victoires is now over, and if nothing else – it looks better on the results section of the OS. A little burst of form again, and who knows?
As it stands, it’s pretty much as-you-were, table wise. We’re still three points behind seventh, it’s still anyone’s down to Exeter, and whoever has that run of form will get that (likely) last remaining playoff place.
In other words – we’re still on course to make a definitive call post-Dagenham. Though even that might be too early.
A quick word about where I was yesterday – it was Stevenage v Northampton. And I noticed that the home side – like Morecambe – don’t look totally hopeless.
Granted, Northampton have that bit between their teeth, and it’s a matter of when, not if, they go up. But a comment this week elsewhere grabbed me – this season has been one of the worst standard-wise in League Two for some while.
So that’s why we’re doing better this time around? 😉
What it does suggest is that the much-of-a-muchness attitude may extend to the bulk of teams in this division. There are very few poor ones, and the two that fit that bill are pretty much down already.
What that means for the run-in is unclear, though it doesn’t half make it unpredictable. It will certainly ensure a few surprising results before the season is out, anyway.
After all, if even AFCW can beat a team down the foot of the table…