I’ve started to wish we had another goaless draw today after all…
On the way back home from David Coleman 2 Jeff Stelling 2, I was reminded of earlier this season against Doncaster at home.
That too was a double-goal lead that was let slip right at the end, following some pretty shocking defending.
I did also think about losing the lead in the 96th (?) minute at Bradford as well, but on that occasion we equipped ourselves well.
Let us not pretend otherwise – we were 100% responsible for this only being a draw today.
Our inability to kill the game off at 2-0, or even 2-1, has bitten us so hard on the arse that we won’t be able to sit down until Wednesday.
If we had done so, this evening would have been a lot nicer. And safer for any nearby pets.
There are many questions arising from this game, like why did we not at the very least try and run into the corner into injury time?
Hell, I’ll go a step further – why did those behind the goal think it wasn’t going to backfire when they were playing keepball?
Of course, one could argue that even with those two factors, we should be victorious with a 2-0 lead against the side who are at the wrong end of the table.
The turning point will no doubt be Pearce going off, and seeing our back line suddenly look as messy as your editor’s desk right now.
Aaron Pierre came on and we looked more vulnerable than we have done since, well, Sutton on NYD.
JJ’s post-match comments are as what you would expect, but I do hope he laid into them in the privacy of the dressing room.
They deserve it.
What makes it worse was that we should be talking about Ali Al-Hamadi and Jayesimi netting their first goals for us.
The Iraqi Scouser’s header was a decent one, and credit to DJ for being in the right place at the right time following Chislett’s run.
But there was always something in the back of my mind today which made me uncomfortable about the lead.
It wasn’t that we weren’t trying for the third, but I’ve been watching football for four decades now and it never really changes.
And that hunch was proved very right, unfortunately.
So, what? Well, it’s a serious pisser of an end to a run of games where we came away with just one loss in six.
We proved to ourselves that we can score goals after all, though we’ve now suddenly forgotten how to keep them out too.
We don’t have a midweek game to get it out of our system, and we have to be sour and moody about it until we go to Priestfield next weekend.
No, we’re not going down. But one feels we should be doing better…
Plus points: We didn’t lose. Scored two goals. Al-Hamadi and DJ off the mark. Pearson looks pacey.
Minus points: We didn’t win. Pearce going off. Absolute clusterfuck at back. No killer instinct or game management when needed.
The referee’s a…: Didn’t do much wrong, and was right to award the amount of stoppage time he did.
It’s not his fault if we can’t see out six minutes.
Them: I can see why they’re down the bottom, but equally I can see why they stand a good chance of getting out.
We should know ourselves from recent seasons that when you’re at the wrong end of the table, you battle for everything until the last second.
And that’s what they did. Which we couldn’t deal with.
I don’t blame their keeper for giving it the big one when they equalised, we pretty much gifted that.
We were better on paper than them, and if we really needed the points we would have won, but football isn’t played on paper.
Decent turnout from them, about 400 or so, and they must be feeling they won the game on that long journey back up north.
Their manager was one Judas “Keith” Curle. I wonder what he thought when he first stepped back into Plough Lane, presumably for the first time since the early 1990s…?
Point to ponder: So, does that kill off our playoff hopes now?
Many are writing the rest of the season off this evening, and we certainly didn’t do ourselves any favours.
Teams that go up don’t throw these sort of games away.
Yet even though the five point gap is now seven, I still have that nagging feeling too many are being premature in the obituary for 2022/23.
Why? It’s because this division is so crap, and there’s so many points still up for grabs, that it really would take just a decent run at the right time.
Even down to Tranmere in fifteenth are still in with a shout of getting to Wombley. It might not be a big shout, but it’s one none the less.
Today was unprofessional and self-inflicted, but we’ve proved this season we can tighten up enough.
We’re still in February, have a few games against sides not massively better than Hartlepool (including some who are currently above us), and things can change quickly.
That of course assumes we avoid more fuckups like today. If we don’t, the season really is over by Doncaster…
Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) After eighteen months, a stall selling hot drinks outside the south stand. £2-50 for a cup of tea, and queue not helped by metrosexual types wanting lattes with soya milk. Give them a cup of Nescafe instant. 2) “Sounds of the Suburbs” by the Members on PA. Last played before Sutton IIRC, and should be an anthem.
Anything else? Is it me or are our floodlights crap?
A number of people have mentioned how bright the moving adverts around the sides are, but I think that’s compounded by playing under lights that are Toc H rated.
I’m sure there’s reasons why the floodlights look dull, and I expect it passes any EFL requirements.
But it doesn’t add to the viewing experience, and I can see why a couple of people are struggling to watch games with moving images for Rygas and Culina distracting them.
It’s a relatively little thing, but it can be offputting if it’s not right.
It’s not just the lights. There’s a fair few complaints about the PA system being quiet in some areas and deafening in others.
That’s something the club needs to be careful about, especially if it gets mentioned to Merton council by a supporter under health and safety.
The biggest complaint about PL seems to be the pricing of some things, which to be blunt are a rip-off.
Granted, football grounds are notoriously pricey at the best of times. But if what I was told about the cost of a Coke bottle in the bar is true, I’d go thirsty.
The club will argue it needs the money, and I accept that. But they need to remember that these days, people have much more of a choice away from the ground.
And while I don’t like Starbucks, having a new store opposite the ground may be tempting for many…
So, was it worth it? It was up to 95 minutes.
In a nutshell: I hate football.