If you’ve been daft enough to fall for the utter guff that Bent spouted during the week, then leave this page now. What you should have done was have a couple of pints, then decide it was a good idea to stick on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd. Ask yer da, or even yer granda. Even better, forget that the last thing you played was Don’t Need Your Money by Raven (look, I used to work with the lad), and listen to Floyd at twice the speed it should be. Brilliant – Syd Barratt would be chuffed to bits. Anyway, on side one are the lyrics “Black cat’s something I can’t explain.” Which proves that beer and old vinyl will produce random SAFC references.

Probably something that Tevez wouldn’t understand – people having a connection a football club for a reason other than money. Two really disappointing things that have come out of the whole sorry affair are Redknapp saying that he’d take Tevez, and the PFA backing the mercenary bugger when everybody in English football should be waving a great big banner with two rude words on it. The sooner we (England in particular and football in general) get rid of his sort the better. OK, so he’s probably one of the most talented players of all time, but like one of those defending him (Maradonna) he’s a disgrace to the game. How does a lad who suffers a broken leg playing for Pools feel when the PFA defends that bugger’s dented pride? And before you ask – no, I wouldn’t have him playing for us for free.

What I want is an excuse to celebrate like last Saturday – straight off the bus, change of shoes, off to Shildon Civic to see Wilko Johnson. Magic, it was.

So they forgot to book the bus, even though we’ve told them “every home game”, meaing that we didn’t leave the Station until half one. So no time in town, and only a quick one in the Colliery with Villa Dave (punch-bag for the trip home).

As we expected and hope, and unchanged team

Ming
O’Shea Brown Turner Rico
Larsson Vaughan Colback Sess
Bendtner Wickham

As far as abuse goes, Bend probably got it worse than any former player returning to SAFC has ever got it – and deservedly so. We won a couple of frees on the right, but there was no old-fashioned runner at the back post (remember them?) to take advantage of Larsson’s deliveries. Heskey was playing the deep-lying centre-forward role for Villa, and he held the ball up quite well, even if he was prone to tumbling too easily. We built a good move on twelve which ended with Wickham shooting over, then Colback was on the end of a nasty elbow which the ref missed. A couple of minutes later he was back on his feet (where’s the smelling salts?) to help us win a corner from Bendtner’s hard work. Despite us being slightly on top, it was Villa’s first shot of any kind on 19, from outside the box on the break, that put them a goal ahead. We kept calm, and had a header over the top and a shot from Colback deflected for a corner before O’Shea twanged a banjo string making a tackle. A few minutes later, and he was off for Bardsley. To be honest, it was a seamless switch – different player and captain, same attitude. Five minutes later, and we engineered a move through the middle before switching it to Wickham in the inside left channel, and he did exactly what Bendtner did last week at Bolton, tucking the ball neatly beneath Given for the equaliser. Well deserved. We piled into them in the rest of the half, including the two added minutes, but didn’t manage to create a decent scoring opportunity.

Level at the break, which was about fair.

We started the second half with a decent run down the left by Sess, but he led on to it a bit too long, and when the pass came, Rico missed it completely and Villa were away, winning a corner which we defended well. Their next one could have proved costly, as Ming took a bang in the face (bust nose?) and had to leave the field – soft as clarts, these modern footballers. Do you kick the ball with your nose? So on came Westwood, we went forward and won a corner, which Turner gave power rather than accuracy. Over the top it went, and we followed that, on the hour, with a period of good pressure. Bendtner got in a header at the back post which hit something – many of us thought it was a hand – but a goal kick was awarded. Baffling. Bardsley was booked for an innocuous challenge, then whoever brought down Nicklas got away with just the free-kick. Baffling again. Larssson took the free, from 20 yards out just in from the edge of the box – a position that normally has “goal” written on it – but Given produced a great save to keep it out. Villa went down our end and played Bent in, central, and we were expecting him to score (after checking his wallet, obviously). Thankfully, I waved a twenty in the air and that took his attention for a split second, allowing Westwood to pull off a great save. Vaughan, who’d begun to tire, was replaced by Meyler with nine to go, but it was Villa, thanks to the ref being easily conned again, who went ahead. Another soft free on their left was flighted in, and found Collins (I think) who headed home. Damn and blast, but it wasn’t over. We maintained the majority of the possession without creating that many real chances, but when Dunne gave away another foul on our right, Seb did what Seb does, and Sess managed to do what you’d expect a much bigger feller to do, and put it away for a deserved equaliser.

2-2, fair enough, but all that possession and precious few chances – and no offsides.

Man of the Match? Sess was as tricky as ever, and more use drifting in from the left, while Larsson’s dead balls were fantastic (oo-err missus). Colback was cool and effective, while Vaughan was a little off his best. Meyler, to be honest, had a stinker in the tem minutes he had. Bendter, for his general play. He didn’t get than many chances on goal, but his vision and passing was first rate.

Keep the Faith

Unchange my team, set me free.

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