Nerves. That’s what the last four days have been all about. Once Citeh were out of the way, it was countdown to the Big One. No trips away, no silly jokes, no political comment, no grumpy old man stuff this week. Even the last-minute trip to the game was to see Carlos and Cole in action, to assess their potential contribution the match of the day. I really should be used to any sort of match that the fixture list throws up, having been doing it for longer than I care to remember, but games against them up the road always reduce me to a quivering wreck with a temporarily nervous bowel.

It’s the same every time we play them, but I must admit to being worse than ever this time around. Having retracted everything bad I’ve said about Harry Redknapp recently following his side’s thumping of Sammy’s Pastie Army last weekend, I should also heap praise on the latest defensive shambles assembled at Castle Greyskull and prey that Kenwyne and company take full advantage.

The aforementioned nerves having kept me sensibly in the house (well, a 9 o’clock start might have had something to do with it), it was out of the house at 8 for a great big breakfast. The lack of pre-match time in Sunderland’s fair city, due to having to be at the ground by eleven to collect a ticket, was good enough reason to whack a few down before the bus left. Some had been up all night, while others had breakfasted on cornflakes and White Lightning, then we had the world’s fastest minibus to Sunderland.. Said ticket safely transferred to its rightful owner, it was time to relax. Well, relax as much as is possible in such a tense situation so close to the scene of the action. Well, that would have been the plan, but for reasons beyond our control he was still in Bish. Tickets did find a home, so I tried for a pint in the Clipper, now known as the Avenue, but the Derby day crowds were too much for the staff, so I gave up and made do with Jacksons.

Gordon
Noz, Higginbotham, McShane, Harte
Edwards, Leadbitter, Etuhu, Wallace
Jones, Chopra

Many Bungvelopes were waved at the visiting manager as we started off kicking South, and quickly conceded a soft free-kick when Jones was adjudged to have raised his foot near Harper. A series of wild challenges from Emre resulted in nothing more than a free-kick, when a pair of yellow cards would not have been unreasonable. On four minutes we won a free 25 yards out, but it ended as a corner, and then we managed to hit Viduka with a shot (pretty hard to miss, really) and the ball was bundled clear. The tackling calmed down in terms of illegality, but warmed up in terms of blood and thunder. They won a free and then put an overhead way over the top. Taylor then decided to try and get booked, but the ref was having none of it, but Emre was quickly back in with his studs flying to chop down Wallace – well done ref, let’s not get your notebook dirty with Mag names, eh?

Dicka then found Carlos, who fed Wallace but the eventual effort went way over the top. Jones moved down the right and found Carlos, but his cross ended with another overhead kick just over the top. Gordon collected a free kick from the spot from which Fulham scored last time out, and then Jones scuffed his shot to Noz, who won a corner. This came to nothing, and when Noz ran to keep the ball in play, something went ping – hamstring, Achilles, your guess is as good as mine. Chopra’s first tackle won the ball, but earned a scandalous booking, the Collins, unlucky not to star, was on for Noz on 25 minutes.

Soon after this, Chops twisted and turned to get in a shot, but that effort was over. Harte switched to right back, with Collins on the left, and we still had the better of the possession. Gordon looked to have kept the ball on the line, but the ref gave a corner, and they followed this with another corner straight after. Chopra got the ball away to McShane on 32 minutes, and he fed Edwards on the left. This attack produced four or five shots, all of which were charged down, and ended with a header over the top.

On 35, Jones looked to be through on the corner of the box only to be hauled down. Red card? You must be joking, just a yellow. The free on the corner of the box was taken by Carlos, but it was bundled away. They won another corner, which we cleared to Carlos, and he found Leadbitter, who won a corner. Higginbotham then shot well wide, Chopra got in a shot which was saved, and the half ended with Joey Barton shoving Dicka, and our man squaring up to the Scouse thug.

0-0 was perhaps a bit flattering to the visitors, but we need to start hitting our shots on target to get any benefit from superior possession.

No changes at half time, and we won a free for handball 25 yards out fairly quickly. This ended with Ross getting in a cross which Jones headed to Harper. A couple of minutes later, and we won another corner on our left side, which was quickly taken. Before we could shout “Jones, you’re supposed to be in the middle” that’s where the ball was, and that’s where Danny H’s head was, and the ball was in the net. What a lovely feeling.

At this point, we decided to press them a bit, and their defence showed just what a circus it is – headers and hoofed clearances straight up into the air, waiting for each other to claim the ball, and falling over a lot. A cue to us to take advantage and score at least another? Yeas, but we chose not to heed it. Their number 25 rolled over and died, to be replaced by some other Sunday morning nugget, then Emre committed his twelfth or so foul, but still got away with no card. Edwards shot left-footed but wide, then they broke down their left and Milner stopped, wrote “look out, I’m a football and I’m going to roll across the box” on the ball, and it duly trundled through the box and into the side of the net for a completely undeserved equaliser on 65 minutes.

What a crappy feeling.

Jones did well to turn, and while his shot had power, it lacked accuracy, then he was subjected to a great big push, which was a clear enough penalty, but the shot from Chopra was saved with both hands by a defender – two nailed on penalties in two seconds, but the ref was having none of it. Well, at least we got a corner, which they cleared. Our next attack saw their defender punch both the ball and Chopra with an outrageously out-stretched arm, but there was only a yellow when all the rule books say “red.”

On 72, Stokes, known on our bus as Doris, replaced Wallace, and we seemed to lose the middle of the park for a while. Harte shot in a free-kick which was headed wide, then the ref, bottom by far of my Christmas card list, penalised Jones for tackling Harper after he’d let Taylor get away with another rugby-style dive in.

Carlos won the ball on the right, and fed Dicka, who couldn’t decide what to do fast enough and shot weak and wide. Etuhu then found Edwards who got it to Stokes, and we won a corner. Stokes tried to get in a shot, Chopra did, but it came back off the woodwork and it was away. They brought on Martins for Owen, who’s looked worth every penny of his £120,000 a decade. Sorry is that a year? You’re being conned. Viduka, not for the first time, used his wobbling bulk to knock over a defender, and it looked bad for Higgy for a while, but he was OK, For some reason, the game restarted with us hoofing the ball “sportingly” back to Harper. I’m baffled, Lads.

Stokes almost got to Edwards’s crossfield ball, there were four minutes added, and we piled forward. Leadbitter fired just wide, Harte volleyed way over, and Dicka chose not to shoot when he had the chance, instead playing it to Stokes, who fell over.

Peep Peep Peep, that’s it another game we’ve let away. Another two points dropped, and another chapter in the myth that is NUFC the big club.

I’m quite a bit more that angry at that result, They were there for the taking, I lost a bit of money, and the get to think they’re a half-decent team. The ref, you might have gathered, had an absolute stinker in my opinion, so that makes a moral victory to us. Which counts for bugger all, as we can’t keep blaming the officials, no matter how bad they are, for our inability to win games. Other teams manage to survive the, so we should as well. We have to start turning possession into goals, otherwise wore and more poor teams like the Mags - who surely have the most comical defence in the league - will nick a point.

Man of the Match? Carlos. Nice to have you back, son.

Keep The Faith

Sobs' Book click here...