Wigan, not the most attractive of FA Cup ties, but you take what you get, and this is a chance to get a bit of revenge for the early season capitulation down at their place. They’ve spoilt things a bit of late by actually managing to get a few decent performances out of Bramble (and a couple of goals) of late, and, while Heskey might usually be the softest thing since someone added a softening agent to some marshmallow, he only has to start acting his age and size alongside Sibierski and they could be a threat. Having said that, there would be no Bramble because he’d invoked the clause in his contract which allowed him a nice long lie down after two consecutive decent performances.
The much-awaited transfer window opened, and the only moves that seemed to be taking place were in either the papers or people’s imaginations, until Friday, when a certain Jonny Evans came back for another half-season loan. Ferguson has probably decided that young Jonny deserves some sort of punishment for the Christmas party nonsense, whatever his alleged involvement, and there are no more Carling Cup games for him to play in anyway. Welcome back, son, and let’s hope the impression you made in the Championship is repeated in the Prem this time around. Others are in the pipeline, according to Roy, perhaps hinting at Danny Simpson, dependent on the arrival in Manchesterfordshire of another right back, I would think, and that may be unlikely after Ferguson’s comments that he wasn’t looking to buy anybody in January>
I know that a grown man like myself shouldn’t really be so interested in the misfortune of others, but they just keep firing them up in the air from Sid James Park. Poor Joey Barton, pictured in the papers alongside several convicts (who had the traditional black strip across their eyes so that they would be spared the shame of being seen alongside such a reprobate), was eventually released and picked up by Peter Kay. You couldn’t make it up. Neither could you make up the story of the Sunderland Flasher, who exposed himself to dog-walkers in the Ashbrook part of town, and rejoiced in the name of Mr Triggs. I don’t know if Roy would see the funny side, but perhaps his dog Triggs would.
With it being Kids for a Quid day, you could be forgiven for thinking there might be a decent amount of interest in attending an actual FA Cup tie. Was there bollocks. While our last two home games have needed two buses, today’s needed only the one, and that was half full. Sunderland pubs at one were half as full as normal, and crossing the bridge to approach the ground, there was an atmosphere of... well, there wasn’t an atmosphere. What’s wrong with the FA Cup? Too much of it on the TV? (apart from the obvious Chasetown v Cardiff tie, which wasn’t).
I’d expected a ground full of screaming kids, who’s one day turn into passionate adult supporters, but even they weren’t there. Presumably they had better things to do with their shiny pound coins.
We lined up with Gordon in goal (Keane having resisted the temptation to try him upfront in place of Jones), and the returning Noz at right back, with Collins on the left. McShane was partnered by here-again Jonny Evans, while there was a new look to midfield. O’Donovan on the right, Deano and Kavanagh in the centre, and Richardson on the left. Up front, it was Murphy and Waghorn.
While it wasn’t the prettiest of starts, O’Donovan and Whitehead broke down the left early on to win a corner, which was taken by Richardson and ended up being wellied over the bar for another. After this was cleared, Waghorn won a throw on the right, but it was cleared. None of this was as exciting as the fact that I’d remembered the Jelly Babies, and most of the North West Corner tucked in. Murphy won a few knock downs as he began to believe in his physical abilities and put himself about a bit, then the ref provided the best knock-through of the half as he got in the way of a pass and ended up on his arse. McShane had to clear in our box, and Gordon took the throw-in well. After only 14 minutes, they replaced Ryan Taylor for Cotterill (no, not that one), and this was followed by Murphy taking a ball down the left past three men and putting in a dangerous (but not dangerous enough) shot/cross. After McShane’s freekick was cleared, Richardson was alleged to have fouled their right winger, and in came the cross. Their first chance, and it was one of theirs (Scharner, I believe) who got the vital touch for 1-0, against the run of play.
We didn’t let this stoop us going forward, and Murphy went down the right and passed inside to Kavanagh who found Collins, and his cross was headed saved. Despite winning corners and Murphy continuing to get stuck in, we failed to produce any shots on target, and had to watch as a series of chances came to nothing, culminating in Evans heading wide. McShane hoofed a long one forward and Waghorn showed a nice touch to control with his chest and flick it over the defender, only to be crowded out, only for Richardson to pick it up and not win a penalty. It looked a good shout from a hundred yards away, but it came to nothing. On around 37 minutes, Sibierski left the field on a stretcher after spending a few minutes on the ground. While it’s never nice to see a player go off in that fashion, there was a sense of justice about this one, as he’d clattered Kavanagh a couple of time with a raised arm, those who live by the elbow, etc.
The resulting five added minutes were much the same as the preceding 45 – all Sunderland possession and no clear chances, and 0-1 was a tad unfair. I daren’t say unlucky, ‘cos Roy apparently doesn’t like it.
No changes for the second half, but perhaps SAFC should invest, cricket-style, in a substitute shouter for Gordon, who can sit behind the goal and scream away in a language only our defence can understand. McShane got away a clearance which Murphy knocked on to O’Donovan, who burst down the right wing and won a free-kick. After Kavanagh tackled a Wigan player (who was lying down, to be fair) in front of the benches, what appeared to be a disagreement between Keane and Bruce was probably a discussion on what wine to have with the evening meal, but drew a chant of “Steve Bruce has got a big fat head” from behind me.
At only one goal down, you’re always in with a chance, especially when you have enjoyed the amount of possession that we had, but not if you’re SAFC. Evans, after a solid first half, had lost his touch, and when he got in a bit of a tangle (with himself) in the box, McShane’s eagerness to sort it out resulted in the ball pinging off his toe and into the side of the net.
Bugger. Soon after, on about 57 minutes, Whitehead made way for Leadbitter and Waghorn for Cole. Maybe we’d get a shot on target now. Muprhy’s might have been that shot, but a Wigan toe meant it was only a corner on 61 minutes. This was cleared, and fed out to Murphy on the left who put in another cross and won another corner which was cleared. O’Donovan was blocked near the centre circle as he broke, and the free-kick eventually found McShane wide on the right. He fed Leadbitter, and his shot only got as far as the edge of the area before it was blocked. Yet another free in the centre ended in a corner, then we looked to have got a right wing break going but the ref brought play back for a foul on Kavanagh. Murphy had another shot deflected for a corner, they looked to have split us wide open but an offside flag put paid to that, then O’Donovan burst into the box but fell onto the ball on the edge of the goal area. Richardson, probably tired out, was replaced by forgotten man Connolly, and Murphy moved to the left. Two minutes later, on 75 minutes, their number 22 picked up the ball, ran at the defence, and fired in a swerver that curled past Gordon’s hands and just inside the post. 0-3, and this was the cue for a good portion of the crowd to give up and bugger off home.
Murphy continued to fire in the crosses, the others failed to get on the end of them, Andy Cole looked unsure of what to do with the ball when it came near him, and O’Donovan couldn’t quite get on the end of things, despite and overhead kick that bounced off the top off the bar. In the two minutes that were added, Gordon managed to tip a shot onto the post, then it was all over.
Surprisingly, in a game of pretty low quality, they managed 12 shots to our 8, and there were a fair few corners. 3-0 might have flattered Wigan somewhat, but the fact is that we made them look a lot better than they were. Having said that, they were better than us because we had boatloads of the ball and failed to carve out a single clear-cut chance while they took whatever came their way.
Man of the Match? Mike Riley, for falling over twice to provide the match’s most entertaining moments, and finding in his heart not to book anybody.
What would have been nice was a letter from Roy Keane stating that, this season, SAFC weren’t going to be bothered about the FA Cup, and that the turnstiles would be open with no admission fee, we could turn up if we felt so inclined, but would be better off staying at home, but could turn up if we felt so inclined. If only the team could have been organised enough to be so inclined. On the positive side, we get a Saturday off later in the month.
Just the League, then. Bollocks...
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