Oh.
My one big hope after witnessing Underhill 2 Undercooked 0 is that, like Charlton last week one team treated it like a PSF while the other took it seriously.
If not…
After we basked in the post-Addicks win this time last week, SW19 wrote about knowing more where we’d be after we played this game.
I was absent against Maidenhead, and after that game and yesterday so were the players.
This fixture remains unexplanable, and at time I’ve struggled to put it into words. It started off lousy, petered out in the middle and the less said about the end the better.
They got a penalty, scored it. They got another spot kick, which Goodman guessed right and you would have expected us to finally kick on.
But we didn’t, and that kind of worries me.
It was nearly 0-2 when we headed off the line, before it actually became that scoreline when they delivered a deep free kick and it was directed home.
The main – hell, the only – chance for us fell to Piggy, who came on with Kelly (where we looked a bit more solid up front).
He got the ball about five yards out, and just had to put his shot either side of their keeper. So he hit it straight at him.
I’m not applying for membership of the Doom Cult, but we’ve had a pretty piss poor week since Charlton.
Having dug up JJ’s post match comments, it’s interesting he’s still after reinforcements.
That might explain why there’s a feeling we’re lacking right now, although I did note our new LB was, ahem, left back on the bench.
Boom fucking tisch.
But on the OS before the game, it was all about getting a reaction, so if yesterday was us being fired up I’d hate to see us chilling out.
If there’s a caveat or two about even this game, it’s that with PSFs there’s always the sense they’re not going at full pelt.
There were some (very) loose balls and some unwillingness to get stuck in that you just don’t see when it’s a competitive fixture.
Plus, if you’re going to put in stinkers it’s best to do it against Barnet and Maidenhead in pre-season games that everyone forgets about after a day.
Colchester beat Cambridge United 6-0 yesterday, by the way, although it was a young Cambridge side.
If we’re to avoid a gubbing against the team that has Lyle Taylor and now Alfie Bendle, we will have to have a reaction and not just talk about it…
Plus points: Goodman saved a penalty.
Minus points: Just about everything else from 3pm to 4.50pm.
The referee’s a…: Gave them a lot, it has to be said.
Them: They seemed to treat it more like a competitive fixture than a pre-season piss up, and it showed.
About half a yard quicker, a couple more yards sharper, and to quote the bloke behind me, they were taking the piss out of us.
It’s easy to forget that Barnet finished second in the National League last season, and it’s an indication of the horrors that are that division’s playoff system that Bromley went up instead.
I’m sure we’d trade the “joys” of Hayes Lane for the pleasant suburban setting of the Hive, even if their main stand looks like a B&Q.
Have to say, if we get them in the FA Cup and it’s an evening game, that stand we were in would likely be full and may well be rocking.
At least until 10 minutes into the game when we’re 2-0 down and playing like horseshit.
They’re looking to return to their home borough, to which they need a helluva lot of luck with that (especially as their owner didn’t help their cause).
It’s reading up on that which makes me grateful that the dog track was ready to be used. For us, the stars might have aligned at exactly the right time.
Speaking of extreme luck, it’s worth remembering that when we stayed up via the Great Escape (version 1), the team we relegated were Barnet.
They’ve returned to the EFL just once since then, and that’s something else we should be thankful for.
But whenever we play them, I always think of THAT Easter Monday game at KM against them…
Point to ponder: Does JJ have to take a bit of responsibility himself for our last couple of results?
By that, I mean his preference for three defenders, which was ruthlessly exposed by a National League side yesterday.
I can’t remember if I’ve touched on this in other SW19 writeups recently, but he did likewise in his first season with us and that had to be binned pretty quickly.
Whether the additional reinforcements are going to come in to solidify our back line I don’t know. I did notice the trialist who came in for a couple of games is now gone.
But you can see already it doesn’t work.
I’m not going to go so far as to say it could cost him his job – though that would please a percentage of our fans – but when you’re publicly stating you’re aiming for the playoffs it’s a massive gamble.
It dismayed many of that aforementioned section of supporters that he signed an extension last season, though that was the right thing to do.
But his position isn’t safe as houses. His target has to be improving on last time out (even if the club is once again reaching to shut the purse strings if we remotely look like doing something).
If we put in a performance like yesterday against Colchester and/or Bromley, the knives might be out for him quite quickly.
That might be unfair, but nobody should be surprised if that happens.
In truth, we can’t really judge how we’re going to do until about ten games in. If we do get a poor start though, will patience hold out until then…?
Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) The tea hut in the bar for away fans didn’t serve tea. 2) An Indian wedding at the ground. Going to that instead would have been the better option. 3) A couple of Barnet fans had a drum at a pre-season friendly.
Anything else? It’s a shame the optimism for the new season has been dented even before a competitive fixture has been played.
As mentioned above, it might be make-or-break for JJ, especially if he can’t get his preferred defensive formation working.
I guess the question right now is, are we ready for 2024/25?
To be honest, I’m not sure. We have strength off the bench for once, which was partly the reason we didn’t push higher last time out.
We’ve lost AAH and Ronan Curtis up front, but in truth having somebody like the former is a rarity at this level.
The way Bugiel and Stevens were anonymous yesterday isn’t good, although at least Piggy and Kelly coming off the bench will likely rescue us a few times this upcoming season.
The midfield yesterday was awful, though again we have options in reserve.
Goalie wise, Goodman’s penalty save will give him confidence, and at the risk of this backfiring – I think he is getting better.
I just think we’re missing something. What that “something” is I don’t know, although that might just be needing to click into place.
There’s a Meet The Manager this upcoming week, and it will be interesting to find out the plans of JJ and company.
I’m honestly not going to predict where we’ll finish, but I do know where we’ll be aiming for.
Though after yesterday, getting out of League Two may not be the outcome we want…
So, was it worth it? No.
In a nutshell: The next game matters.