After Boro proving once again that they are not to be trusted by losing in spectacular style against Spurs in midweek, you could be forgiven for thinking there would be a lot of goals in today’s game. I did, so in anticipation, we had a night at the Barley Mow to warm up. If I thought that bus journey was a bit on the tortuous side, today’s was so spectacularly late and slow that Dave’s corporate scran was seriously in doubt.

Fulop
Bardsley Collins Ben McCartney
Steed Deano Richo Reid
Jones Cisse

Back to the home formation, and a mixed reception for Chimbo quickly turned to all-out abuse, which is fair enough, but we had to kick North in the first half, which just goes against the grain. By the time Bardsley fed Cisse on the right, a lot of people were still looking for their seats. By the time Richo took the pass and ran into the box, two more were sitting down, and when the ball rolled into the side of the goal it was only three minutes in. Lovely, just the sort of start we needed, and it produced good commitment all over the field from the Lads. Cisse looked to break again down the right, but was adjudged to have dived, which raises two questions. Why would he dive when he was clean away, and why wasn’t he booked? If only I’d had the benefit of having seen the forthcoming 85 minutes, I’d have understood. Time and again, I think I’ve seen the worst referee in history, but time and again the powers that be contrive to send one worse than the last. Mr Dowd, take a bow. You were awful.

We managed, despite the ref’s best efforts, to pass the ball neatly at times, and McCartney had his hands full with Lennon (insert Beatles joke of your choice here), choosing to stand off him perhaps a little too much at times. Reid put in a cross too close to the keeper, then Cisse headed a foot over with 19 minutes gone. Cisse was dumped by Corluka on halfway, and the ref eventually remembered to book the Spurs man, the first of about a dozen on the day. Our defending was calm, as they had little threat in the air, and Collins knocked away everything they could lob in. When Bent tried the running through option, he was caught offside, and twice showed why we were lucky not to have invested a fortune in him with some awful finishing. Allowing Spurs lots of possession in their half frustrated sections of the crowd, but the visitors had Keane playing too deep to be dangerous in the first half. Having said that, he’s become a member of the Premier League royalty, those players (Gerrard, Drogba, Van Persie, etc.) who only have to be looked at a bit funny for them to fall to the ground and win a free kick. Collins was booked when Robbie (once a player I liked, but not now) fell over again, then a great tackle produced a free to Spurs 25 yards out. I despair for the games with decisions like that one. Thankfully, the shot was comfy for Fulop, but Collins had to put in a great block when the ball broke loose in the box shortly afterwards.

We looked to be in with a chance, but Reid fell over in the box when trying to use his right foot and the chance was gone. Richardson was next into the book on 35, but the free kick was so bad that we broke down the right and Steed was hauled down just over the halfway line. We should have done better when Gomez dropped the ball (i.e. swing a foot near his head to frighten the life out of him), then Reid took a pass from Bardsley but again it was his right foot, and the effort was saved. Just to make things right in his head, the ref then booked Bardsley put in what looked like a good tackle, coming out of it with the ball before the Spurs man fell over him.

Ahead at the break and most of us happy with that. Within a minute of the restart, we gave the ball away through Reid, and Richo had to save the day on the edge of the box and Bardsley found Cisse, who burst down the right and got into the box but hit the side netting. Jones looked to be pulled back ten minutes in, then Cisse got away down the right to fire in a cross that Gomez collected. An awful pass by Deano let in Bent, but he shot way over before we played in Jones, who tried to lob the keeper but couldn’t get a good connection. A cross from the left flashed across the face of goal with no-one being able to get the vital touch. Reid’s cross found Cisse’s head, and the effort was touched away for a corner. We then tried to walk the ball in rather than shoot, and Spurs cleared before the substitutions started. Off went Palacios for Bentley, Cisse for Murphy, Reid for Edwards, Leadbitter for Richards, Jenas for Huddlestone, etc. etc. Murphy did well to turn and shoot, but it was wide. McCartney had a shot blocked, Ben Haim did well at the other end, and Carlos put in a cross that beat everybody. As the clock ticked into the last minute, they cleared a corner, broke down the right, and Keane buried the cross. In the four added minutes, we pressed forward, but the goal wouldn’t come.

So a draw that isn’t much use to either team, but the point is better than no points. It just makes a win against Wigan a bit more important.

Man of the Match? Collins did well, and Deano did well again, despite that awful pass early in the second half, but I’ll give it to Richardson.

Keep the faith

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