Thank Satan there’s only two games left…
This report for Narragansetts 1 Pilgrims 3 is going to be a little bit of a different one than normal.
It might be a little bit “dryer” than what it usually is, because as you can see by the picture above – I was on press duties yesterday.
And it does give a different perspective. Literally, too.
You don’t realise just how much of the usual match-day shenanigans you miss when you have to focus on their players showing our lot how to strike on goal.
Nor does it help when you realise everyone else can go home early and you have to stay to watch the whole match…
So, where to begin? Well, we found the net for the first time since QE2 died, and it gave us a fleeting bit of hope.
But even from the off, Plymouth were all over us, got an early goal and one could be forgiven for thinking it would be a long afternoon.
To be fair, we weathered that early storm and even came close ourselves, but you always had that sense we could be picked apart at any moment.
Which is why I was glad and then relieved half time came with us only 1-0 down.
When you haven’t scored since the 21st March, you can see why we’ve suddenly become embroiled in a relegation scrap.
Our goal was quite a good one, especially from Smith. And don’t pretend you didn’t feel the absolute release of relief from it.
The players certainly did.
The thing is, when you have actual strikers as opposed to bits-and-pieces ones, you tend to win games.
Unfortunately in our case, that’s not us. When it went 2-1 to them, it stung but their third goal just knocked our stuffing out.
Suddenly, we looked tired, a bit forlorn, and a bit like somebody who’s been told their wife has been cheating on him with five sailors who have just docked at Devonport.
And then we found out that Exeter equalised in the very last minute…
So, what? Well, we need something good to happen in the final two games, that have now become cup finals.
Your editor was a proper journo for once and asked JJ about the injured players, and it wasn’t expressively “they’ll be back next week”.
That said, he does keep his injury cards to his chest, and he’s done that ever since he got here, so there may be good news on the horizon after all.
My guess is that whoever can last any period of time will feature at either Wigan or at very worst Huddersfield.
I don’t doubt we bought back Browne far too early, ditto Hutchinson, and it’s bitten us in the arse again.
Yesterday, Ryan Johnson came on and we were better for it. We need more of the cavalry back.
We also saw Layton Stewart start, and feature for about an hour, and he does seem to have something about him. Mind you, so did Josh Kelly.
But as we all know, we’re not even limping to the finish line with a lot of the current starters now.
Which is why I’m glad our next game is next weekend. It just gives everyone a chance to lick their wounds, wrap themselves in cotton wool, and just step away from things.
There’s a lot we can’t do at this very crucial stage, but there are still some things we can. And a reset is as good as anything…
Plus points: We scored.
Minus points: Just about everything else from 3pm to 5pm, including down at Exeter.
The referee’s a…: It doesn’t help when you’re not getting much from him, put it that way.
Hell, I’m surprised he allowed our goal, because somebody’s toenail was offside against Plymouth. From a game in 1979.
Them: Better than Stockport were, though I suspect they have too much ground to make up for the playoffs.
From the first whistle they looked stronger, faster, sharper, and quite possibly could have rogered us senseless before half time.
Plymouth demonstrate why we need to urgently sort out our financial modus operandi, if you judge by who they could put on.
Yes, there’s a gap anyway, but now it’s become too big a gap.
Decent turnout from them as always (big SE contingent, I believe), and it was quite amusing when Exeter were losing that they were singing about their demise.
Shame they stopped singing about it right at the end.
Point to ponder: Whither JJ?
When your editor was in the interview with him, I don’t know whether he seemed resigned to whatever fate will deal us, or whether he knows that he really can’t do much beyond keep us in survival contention.
It all seemed a bit matter-of-fact, that he didn’t appear under as much pressure as you would expect he was.
Perhaps it’s because of next season? As in, regardless of status I wonder if he’s going to be here.
It wouldn’t be AFCW sacking him, but more a case of him serving his time here and going as far as he can.
There were rumours earlier this year that he was looking for an out. How true that is I don’t know, but you wouldn’t blame him if he was.
He’s at a club whose natural instinct is to cut the budget whenever it can, regardless of circumstances.
He (and Craig Cope and the others) have done well to get us this far, and he must be thinking what he can achieve with some actual backing at another club.
Don’t forget he didn’t get much of a fair crack of the whip at Charlton, and he’s proven he can get a club promoted to the third tier.
He’s been here for three years now, which is almost a lifetime in modern management, and it might be a good time to move on anyway.
This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about keeping us up or not. I fully, 100% expect this current situation is pissing him off as much as anyone.
You can quibble with some of his current decisions, like starting Reeves or putting Sasu anywhere near the first team.
But if we go down, there’ll be a relegation on his CV which won’t really be his fault…
Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) Biggest crowd ever at PL v2.0. Officially, anyway, there were still enough empty seats. 2) Realising this morning that the Exeter keeper has more L1 goals this season than Sasu.
Anything else? OK, everyone. It’s a nice day outside, so take a break, and a breather, and just chill out for this week.
We need to start again, because it’s now a two-game season. But there’s also some things we need to consider.
Firstly, Exeter’s last minute equaliser sucks, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not quite such the big deal it first appears.
They got a point and not a win, and they’re still two behind us.
Our goal difference is so shit that it doesn’t make much difference whether it’s two or three points.
Exeter may have the momentum at the moment, but those of a certain vintage will remember John Hartson’s equaliser against Aston Villa at Selhurst.
We’re down the bottom for a reason. But so are the Grecians.
Secondly, I think we’ve suffered from a lack of focus alongside other things in this past month.
Because we’ve never believed we had to chase the points, we shrugged our shoulders too much and failed to bounce back, until it started become a freefall.
Now, we know we have to get results. Suddenly, we have a focal point again, and I do think with our lot we’re better when we have to aim for something.
This week in training, our mindset must be on winning at Wigan, and damn the consequences.
The players know that, and deep down JJ knows that too.
And who knows, maybe some of the injured players will ensure they will feature in the final two fixtures? If they’re under contract, they certainly don’t want to be L2 players again if they can help it.
Thirdly, our final two games are against teams that don’t have too much to play for.
Somebody yesterday pointed out that the biggest result for us may have been Wigan’s, because next week doesn’t matter for them.
It doesn’t always work in the way you hope, of course, and there’s a danger they play without pressure and exploit us painfully.
But in the last month/six weeks, we’ve had to go to the league leaders, play teams with big budgets who are good enough to push for the playoffs, and all that with our starting XIs that could be in the ex-JPT.
It was a hard run of fixtures with a fully fit squad as it was.
So, we’ve basically got a two-game season ahead of us now, and it’s very easy to forget that it’s still very much in our hands.
Though of course, that’s not always the best thing in our case…
So, was it worth it? *snorts derisively*
In a nutshell: Only two games left…