As we get over Millwall and look forward to the long jaunt up Norf on Saturday, SW19 contributor Jampot adds his $0.02 from Monday…
In one of those strange twists of fate, I happened to be in Coventry the day after the Millwall game, visiting the university with my daughter.
City-centred based, I half expected to run into Chris Hussey whilst walking around, and I had my conversation with him formed in my mind:
“How’s it going? Settled in? Any tips for my daughter moving up here? Yea, shame about last night. You would have loved it. Awesome night as a fan.
Didn’t deserve to lose 4-1. Team played well but we still miss you.. Particularly the rampaging runs, free kicks and corner delivery..”
It wasn’t that the team played poorly. We didn’t. We certainly didn’t deserve to have a 4-1 loss written into FA Cup history. And perhaps its churlish to criticise on such a night, but if we are looking at this as a Learning Curveâ„¢ experience we have to grasp that – yet again – we are still doing the same things wrong now we were at the beginning of the season: our defensive errors rather than the opposition skill providing them with red-hot chances to score (clash of two AFCW players); not a decent low, hard cross into the box all night (from corner or free kick); no shots from outside the box , instead trying to walk it in; midfield, when losing the ball getting isolated up front and not able to get back; and not taking the chances when presented.
For as has been mentioned elsewhere, taking chances is what it is all about. Staines had one and took it. Shrewsbury didn’t and that is why Millwall will be playing them in the next round.
I came into the game without expectation, hoping we’d put in the good performance which we did. No individual deserves blame and I genuinely feel sorry for the players it ended unjustly 4-1. (That’s better than the Wycombe result inasmuch we were away and Millwall are a higher placed side)
The support was awesome and the provision of free coaches an lovely gesture by the club (and meant I had a relaxing evening the night before my drive to Coventry). We’re going the right direction in the right way and when we do finally win against league opposition I think it will be emphatic. And then we’ll all look back to Millwall, Wycombe, Hampton & Staines as just signposts on our journey.