And the Capital One Cup is over at the first hurdle yet again…
Like Saturday, we found ourselves on the losing side. Unlike Saturday, Vincent Tan 1 Sam Hammam 0 had enough to ensure our fans didn’t detour to Bridgend afterwards.
When you play a team two divisions higher, the only thing you want to avoid is a stuffing. We didn’t get that last night, indeed we didn’t come anywhere close to receiving one.
It took a very good free kick (even if Shea possibly could have done better with it) and we hit the bar right at the end. That’s just down to luck on the night, when it comes to that, and we’re not getting much of it at the moment.
Why the improvement? Well, we do seem to raise our game for these type of fixtures, the Plymouth game is still nibbling away at us, and you’ll be pleased to know we played four at the back.
A formation that the players look far more comfortable in yielding a far better performance. Who’d thunk it, eh?
It is still a loss, however, and once again we’re cursing not being able to do much up front. The sooner we sort that out the better, especially as we have four strikers who seem unable to find the net.
Mind you, Lyle Taylor is showing signs of being a poacher, and was inching closer to getting a goal. Which probably explains why he was substituted…
I jest. I think.
NA seemed to take plenty of positives from the result, as well he should. He does seem to be using the phrase “stick with us” a bit more, however, which suggests he may not feel everyone’s onside.
With such a widespread distrust of his beloved 3-4-3 (no, there will not be any further tactical discussion here) it would be nobody’s fault but his own.
And it is widespread. Even those who normally support our boss seem uneasy, and that’s just supporters. Who knows what the players really think, although if we continue to play it and lose we’ll get our answer sooner rather than later…
Plus points: Only a good free kick done us. Will Nightingale. Looking far more adept when playing 4-4-2.
Minus points: We lost. Still can’t find the net.
The referee’s a…: Didn’t do too much wrong, even managed to give us some decisions in our favour.
Them: A “weakened” team, apparently, although still pretty strong. Occasionally could have put us to the sword, but didn’t. One of our fans doesn’t like Kenwyne Jones.
Cardiff City Stadium looks nice, even if their second tier needs blue seats rather than red. Accoustics seemed decent as well, even though neither stand behind the goal was open, and I bet when it’s intimidating when it’s full and they’re up for it.
Rubbish scoreboards though. The teams read like the small print in dodgy terms-and-conditions sections.
£8 wasn’t bad either, £6 if you had an ST and bought it in advance. Obviously a popular move as they didn’t seem to expect 550 of us turning up…
Point to ponder: Is it me or are we starting to see why Akinfenwa never stays at a club for a couple of seasons?
I’m fully aware he needs a goal, etc etc, but he didn’t impress last night and apparently he’s been like it even before last season ended. So much so, that when he and Taylor were subbed last night, we missed the latter far more.
And you have to wonder whether this whole self-publicity stuff is affecting his performances. NA seemed to pick up on it during that Sky 92 thing the other week and we don’t need the marketing that badly.
I don’t blame him for feathering his nest – he’s 33, not much more than a L2 striker, and it’s very rare that somebody at his level has the marketability he has.
But those with long memories may liken it to the latter days when Fash was with us – once he got involved with his TV work, he never seemed quite as effective, and a similar conclusion may be coming in 2015.
Come to think of it, our entire forward line needs a goal. Taylor looks the most likely to break his duck, while Elliott is going to be one of those players who many will think is a donkey – but gets that last minute header at somewhere like Hartlepool.
Oh, and Azeez ended up offside again last night. It’s nice to know that in changing times, some things reassuredly stay the same.
Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) Listening to BBC Cymru, where two of the presenters were talking over pig noises. Good to know that local radio is equally as shit in Welsh as it is in English. 2) During the pre-game music, the scoreboards had a music video to match the song. For this very reason, I hope they play Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” at some point.
Anything else? Will we ever do anything in the Capital One Cup?
A potential second round draw against Franchise a Premier League club is once again dashed at the first hurdle. At least we put on a decent showing last night, because some of our games in this competition have been woeful.
Stevenage away, anyone?
It does get a bit annoying when you consider other L2 clubs manage to get through. Oxford beating Brentford 4-0 is the sort of performance you just can’t see us ever doing. Come to think of it, even taking a higher placed side to penalties seems beyond us.
OK, the C1C isn’t nearly as prestigious as the FAC – most of the upsets in it are pretty quickly forgotten about. But we have such a mental block when it comes to this competition, and it’s surely not a co-incidence.
Perhaps it’s because we continue to have so much upheaval during the close season(s) that these games come too soon for us? Even last night, there’s still enough to work on, especially up front, and it always seems to cost us.
Last season showed how much of a buzz cup runs can give you, and on paper at least, there’s no reason why this particular squad can’t do similar in 2015/16.
But like on-field matters generally right now, walking the walk is harder than talking it…
So, was it worth it? We lost.
In a nutshell: Roll on Crawley.