What’s this thing called a “point”? Is it witchcraft…?
I could have gone yesterday as it turned out, although other things are taking priority right now.
Had I done, I would have driven back down south wondering what the hell I’d just witnessed. In a good and a bad way.
It’s not a bad result one bit. A point is a point. Especially away from Plough Lane, and especially against opponents that make you remember you’re in League One.
And to take the lead three times? OK, we lost every single one of those advantages, but at least we didn’t get the sucker punch I think we were all expecting.
I can forgive any nervousness the team showed, because we’ve lost our last four matches (I don’t count the ex-JPT). And they’ve not been unlucky defeats either.
Had we come away from the Kirklees McAlpine Galpharm John Smith’s Accu Stadium with zero points, it might have been the kick in the teeth too far.
To put in lots of effort, work for each other (as apparently we were doing), take the lead at least three times and still get nothing would suck if you’re on good recent form.
If you do that when you haven’t got even a single point since Plymouth away, well…
But the rot is stopped, we’re even managing to score goals too, although our mean defence from last season is now anything but.
If there’s a big disappointment from this season, it’s that. And you are entitled to ask why.
Better players in this division? Almost certainly. Lewis and Johnson not being as good at the back as they were? Probably true.
Something else? Whatever that “something else” is, of course.
If we can score enough goals the other end, then it doesn’t really matter for this season. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of our defenders move on in the summer.
We were all very happy when Lewis left Stockport to come to us, but they had just gone into L1 and were maybe trying to tell us something.
At least Orsi finally found the net, and to be fair that was a little bit of a poacher’s instinct.
He’s not brilliant by any means, I don’t doubt he was all we could get with the £0.79 we had left in the budget, but I don’t blame him for his ear-cupping.
None of the goals were bad ones, although I haven’t seen the ones we conceded. Perhaps I don’t want to, either.
But all things considered, it was a good point. And I’m with JJ here when he says that he could sense a reaction was coming as far back as last Monday.
The last four games have been painful to watch, and it’s been tough for the players too.
Losing 5-0 at Peterborough sucks the big one, but letting it slip late on to Wigan must gnaw at them.
It’s professional pride from a bunch of players who aren’t the greatest but have a good work ethic – probably the best one seen in a Wimbledon side for a good while.
So they more than anyone must have come back on the rattler last night feeling they got some reward for their efforts.
Can yesterday kick start us again? One would hope so. Although I hope our squad are aware we’re not playing next weekend, because some of our fans do.
I’m not upset that our next proper game is Exeter at their place on Tuesday week (I can take or leave Cardiff in the ex-JPT, though I’d prefer to win than lose), as we can focus on that with a couple of extra days rest.
One suspects we expect to win that, although we all know what happens when we go into a game as favourites.
Back to yesterday, and I couldn’t help noticing that Owen Goodman was in goal for them . And I also couldn’t help noticing the Huddersfield fans really think he’s shit.
I’m sure you can go on social media or even look at their forum to see how they describe him.
That’s the problem with loan keepers, regardless of what team you are. If they’re keeping out your “proper” shotstoppers and they’re toilet, it manages to be ten times worse.
Presumably it’s a different Owen Goodman? One who didn’t keep 25 clean sheets, win promotion and won a Golden Gloves award last season?
Oh, it’s the same one. Mind you, they hate their current manager even more by the looks of it.
OG eventually came into his own with us when our defence became meaner than a, er, gigantic mean thing.
But lest we forget he could put in a few clangers for us too. If you look back at some games this time last season we occasionally had to deal with that.
At Huddersfield though, he won’t get protected so much, and his mistakes are amplified a helluva lot more.
I don’t blame him for wanting to test himself in a different environment to us, even if ironically we ended up in the same division after all.
But would you swap him for Bishop now? I wouldn’t, even if both players conceded the same amount of goals yesterday…