Wednesday Morning
I can’t say I’m very excited about tonight’s game but I still want us to win as we should be able to beat Coventry in the next round and so progress to the quarter finals. It’s already clear that both sides won’t be fielding full-strength sides with Cisse and Kenwyne being saved for Stoke and Healy and Murphy replacing them as well as Gordon making his return. I wouldn’t be too concerned if Gordon never played for us again because I think both Ward and Fulop are better than him. Well, I must hitch up the huskies and head out into the arctic wastes of the metropolis.

The Game
Our starting line-up was pretty much as expected and was by no means weak. I couldn’t see Healy getting any more change out of the big Blackburn defence than he did in the first game but maybe Murphy with his battling ability could do better than Chopra. I got Radio Newcastle on the laptop and stretched out on the sofa, hoping it wouldn’t go to penalties.

Well, a few ears must have been burning because in the first two minutes Gordon made a couple of fine saves and then on our first serious foray Healy put us into the lead with a great strike. On the quarter hour mark Edwards and Malbranque combined well and the latter should have done better with his shot but then Rovers took over the midfield and it sounded like Gordon was keeping us in the game. On the half hour Santa Cruz let us off the hook when he somehow managed to head an easy chance wide but five minutes later Mokoena scored his first goal in five years when he lashed in a swerving, long-distance shot to put them level. It was all square at the break and it had sounded more entertaining than I’d expected. I wondered if Diouf was waiting in the dressing-room to welcome his old colleagues.

There were no changes for the start of the second half but Kay was replaced by Bardsley not long afterwards when it sounded like he was starting to lose his head. Gordon continued to play a blinder and that suited me as the better any of our team plays, the happier I am. In the mid period of the half it sounded a more even match and we were having our fair share of attacks with Malbranque and Edwards switching wings while Reid was doing some good stuff, as usual. With twenty minutes left Santa Cruz was replaced by McCarthy and a little later Yorke replaced Malbranque. We changed to a 4-3-3 formation with Edwards joining the two front men but ten minutes later as extra-time loomed we reverted to 4-4-2. As the minutes ticked away Kizanishvili and Reid both had great chances to win the game but at the end of normal time it was still level.

So, inevitably somehow, it went to extra-time but at least we still had one unused sub. Our band of a thousand or so fans were coming across the airwaves loudly if not clearly. We dominated the first period and Leadbitter seemed to be everywhere. Gary Bennett suggested that Blackburn had already settled for penalties. Well, if so, the way Gordon was playing it sounded like he could win it for us. It was still 1-1 at the break but I fancied we could snatch it before the end. McCartney was replaced by Luscombe, who made his debut for us. Players on both side sounded well knacked and mistakes were getting more frequent as penalties loomed. With five minutes to go Villanueva duffed a great chance but two minutes later from his free-kick McCarthy headed the winner and we fell at the last hurdle. So, disappointment of course but not much to be honest. Bring on Stoke and let’s get back to the real stuff.

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