Aint football great? You think you can manage all summer without it, and you can – just – but then when the first match comes along, you go back and realise just how much you’ve missed it. Back in the old routine.

Warming up nicely for the coming season, I think. Another signing, Malbranque, of undoubted quality, in the bag, but, without wanting to sound negative, the arrival of a quality forward would be a real achievement. Our midfield options are probably the best I can remember at the club, with Tainio being compared in some quarters (well, Sixer thought so) with Stefan Schwarz, and lots of variety in that area.

I assumed the bus would be going at the usual time, so I warmed up for the match in what has become time-honoured fashion. Thanks to the Prem and the wonderful folks at Sky, Sunday matches are not the rarity they once were, so it was off to the Grand for the band. They didn’t turn up, so it was off to the Tut for the band. They didn’t turn up, so we had to talk to each other, then off to ‘Spoons and a big fallout with the barman over his priorities. He’d rather clean the windows, I’d rather he served customers. He knows which is the more important task now, and it’s not window-cleaning. Still, there was football to plan for….

..and the bus did leave at the usual (ish) time, so it was off to the jolly old SoL again for the first time since….yesterday. Well, I needed a new shirt, and felt the need to invest in the club, like Quinny asked us to. Eleven years since the first game there, Status Quo and all that first-day nonsense, when Ajax had been the visitors, the Dutchmen were back again. A good, clean game ( Ajax – clean - geddit?) was expected, what with it being a friendly and that. A couple of beers in the town, and I decided to head over to the ground early. Wrong choice. The black cloud that had been hovering over Southwick moved a bit east and hoyed down a ridiculous amount of water, sending those on their way to the match scurrying under the Metro station for shelter. My new shirt’s Climate Control obviously had no control over the climate, but it did keep most of the water out. Once in the ground (South Stand, just for a change) I noticed that there was a decent turnout from Ajax, that the ground looked about a third full, and that we had some of those fancy electronic advertising board along the east side touchline.

Sunderland turned out in the away strips, probably because we’ll only need to use it the once in the coming season, and lined up ….

Gordon
Chimbonda Noz Collins Higgi
Diooooooooof Tainio Reid Whitehead Stokes
And Murphy in the Lonesome Jones role up front.

We started in fairly lively fashion, kicking south, with Diouf seeing plenty of the ball and getting in a hefty clatter after only a few minutes, after which the weather came back. The Ajax fans, positioned at the front, tried to move to the shelter of the empty seats at the back, but the powers that be were having none of it, and they got wet. The visitors almost got a goal on seven minutes, when Gordon managed to claw the ball away and it was hoofed clear. Some nice football on the left from Stokes and Higgi saw the latter’s pass find Murphy, but his shot was blocked. Diouf showed great strength to hold up the ball then lay it off to Deano, who sidefooted just wide. Higgi and Tainio combined to break down the left, and Higgi’s ball found Deano again, but this time he fired high from outside the box.

After 20 minutes, Gordon was forced to produce a good punch, eventually finding Diouf, who in turn found Reid and the ball moved forward with Stokes. Noz produced some of his traditional trickery to move down the right, then on 25 minutes Stokes nicked the ball in the last third and shot just past the far post. He was in the thick of it again soon after, when he was fouled about 25 yards out, but Reid’s curling free-kick floated harmlessly over the bar. Diouf again showed his strength and guile, allowing Stokes to go on a run and get in a cross which was cleared. Reid flashed a corner across the face of goal with five minutes to the break, the Diouf produced some great close control to find Murphy on the right – which meant that it was on his wrong foot, but after cutting it back, Daryl’s curled effort was just wide.

No score at half time, so we swapped ends (because we could) and took up seats just behind the splash zone in the North Stand. Murphy was replaced by Malbranque, with Diuof moving into the centre forward position. Steed’s good work was undone by Deano’s unwillingness to shoot, and the eventual result was a corner. On 53 we fell behind following a corner, when, despite Gordon making a couple of fine saves, the ball fell loose at the far post and was walloped into the net. Five minutes later, Deano broke through in the inside right slot, but his effort was saved, and that was the end of his afternoon, as he was replaced by Leadbitter. It didn’t take Grant long to make an impression, finding Stokes, but the shot was wide. Diouf then put in a great cross, and again it was Stokes, but the header went over the top. Reid then fed Chimbo, who broke down the right in to the box, and knocked the ball past the keeper only to see it hacked away. On 65, Reid and Higgi made way for Carlos and Luscombe, with Malbranque moving to a more central position.

Soon after this, the rain came back, and folks in front of us scampered to the dry seats behind us, and the sound was reminiscent of a caravan holiday as the roof took a watery pounding. On 75 Tainio broke through the middle and won a free for handball near the D. We put three of our own in the wall, and up stepped Diouf to produce the moment of the match as far as the home side were concerned as he curled a beaut into the top corner, only to see the keeper’s hand get in the way. Great effort, great save. Noz then found Stokes, who played in Tainio, but the Finn couldn’t get his shot away quikly enough and it was blocked. Off he went, replaced by Jordan Henderson at the same time as Stokes made way for Chops and the rhythm of the game broke up. Diouf made way for O’Donovan, taking a generous round of applause as he left the field, and then Henderson tried a looping volley from distance which was taken under the bar.

So we lost, but there were a number of positives to take from the game. Chimbonda looked the part at right back – completely different type of player to Bardsley – and Tainio likewise in the deep midfield role with Reid and Whitehead in front of him. Stokes drifted between wide left and inside left, and Malbranque looked class from the moment he appeared. It looks like we’ll be employing this formation quite often this season (barring the arrival of a top goalscorer) and the midfield looks much better equipped for it than last season. For me the Man of the Match was Diouf, who showed an effective combination of guile, trickery, and strength, with no small amount of vision. He seemed to feed of the fact that the crowd took to him from the off, and it can only be imagined how he’ll respond to a full house roaring him on. DEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFF.

And a special mention to whoever selected the music at the Sol today. The Clash, XTC, and Prefab Sprout. My kind of football match music.

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