LFL: B'MOUTH

This was a good result against a very much in-form side. We did well in the first-half but couldn’t maintain our rhythm in the second and were pressed back for much of the later stages. We’re up to eleventh, for a few hours at least.

BEFORE

I think we all knew that sooner or later we'd hit a bad patch and we're in it now with four defeats out of the last five. As if the Fulham game hadn't been bad enough a number of injuries have been announced with those of Mukiele and Brobbey being particularly bad news. But these things don't last forever and I'm confident we'll get the points we need to guarantee that we stay in this league. On the positive side, it's likely that Xhaka will start this afternoon and personally I'm pleased that Traore will also be available as he was looking increasingly effective at getting down the flank and putting crosses in.

Bournemouth are on a good run, with three wins and three draws in their last six but I've a feeling that we'll get something from the game. Once again I'll be watching the match with other members of the London Branch and am looking forward to it. Match prediction: 1-1.

I got the team-news on the train over to the venue and there were four changes from last Sunday’s starting line-up with Xhaka, Geertruida, Talbi and Mayenda starting in place of Mukiele, Jocelin, Angulo and Brobbey. The bench was looking on the threadbare side and I was surprised to see Aleksic on there as I thought he’d left us. Anyway, I got to the bar around 12.15 and there were very few in with no members of the Faithful in evidence. We were playing in our blue away strip. 

THE GAME

We started off well and in the third minute an on-target Sadiki shot was palmed away by Petrovic in goal. Next thing a challenge in their box by Jimenez brought Le Fee down but referee Jarred Gillett wasn’t having any. In the seventh we were awarded a free-kick near the left angle of their box and this was headed over for a corner, which came to nothing. We soon conceded a corner up the other end but Bournemouth took it short and it ended up as a throw-in to us. Kroupi shot wide when he should have done better but it looked like there’d been a foul on one of our players, Xhaka I think, in the build-up. There was no audible commentary in the bar and reggae music was playing loudly. We were getting forward well and in the eighteenth we took the lead when a low Diarra shot from our right was only parried by Petrovic and Mayenda was in the right place to tap it home from close range. Nobody else in the bar reacted so that conformed I was the sole member of the tribe in attendance. Geertruida soon did very well to scoop the ball off Brooks’ toe for a corner, which Roefs duly punched to safety.

We were living dangerously at times and conceded another corner in the twenty-eighth but an ensuing powerful shot from Jiminez was successfully blocked. Bournemouth were piling on the pressure and Sadiki was yellow-carded for a foul near the right angle of our box. Roefs made a great diving save from the ensuing Tavernier free-kick. We won another corner in the forty-first but it was easily cleared.

Bournemouth won another corner themselves in the final minute and it went for a goal-kick. The two added minutes, which turned out to be three, were uneventful till Kroupi blasted well high in the final seconds. I hope he maintained his level of finishing in the second period. It had been a good half for us and we’d looked a lot more cohesive than we had in recent games. 

Bournemouth had made one change, bringing on Evanilson for Brooks, as we kicked off again. In the forty-seventh Diarra was put through on goal and his under-pressure shot was turned away by Petrovic but it was a promising start for us. Not much of note happened for a good while and both sides were hitting hopeful high passes instead of keeping it on the ground. Adams was booked for a bad foul on Xhaka and it went to VAR but no red was forthcoming. More importantly Xhaka recovered and played on. The hour-mark passed with no sign of any subs for us. Bournemouth were level in the sixty-fourth when a cross from their left was headed in from what looked like a combination of an Alderete and an Evanilson header. It went to VAR for possible handball but was allowed to stand.  

With a quarter of the game left it looked like any result was still possible. We made our first change in the sixty-ninth, bringing on Traore for Talbi. Le Fee was down injured but was able to carry on. Roefs received a yellow-card and next thing we replaced Xhaka with Angulo in the seventy-sixth. We soon won our first corner in a good while and Ballard got his head on it but it was well wide of the right post. We were starting to attack more after being on the receiving end. We had the ball in their net in the eighty-second but the assistant ref had his flag up for offside and that was that. Bournemouth had just made a double switch, taking off Kroupi and Tavernier and bringing on Adli and Unal. In the eighty-fourth we survived another corner when Roefs confidently grabbed the ball. He’d looked a bit of a spectator during their equaliser but I’m loath to criticise him.

Five minutes left and could we hold out? Or even nick a winner? Toth was booked as we won a free-kick in a great spot just outside their box and I was hoping for poetic justice as Le Fee’s kick blasted into the net for the winner but instead he opted to make a low pass and it came off a defender. There was then a bit of a mad scramble in our box but we finally got the ball clear. Le fee was on the receiving end of a lot of rough treatment and Christie was also booked for fouling him. 

Eight minutes of added-time were announced and that made my heart sink a little. Bournemouth won a corner in the ninety-third and after some debate and confusion following an injury it appeared to end in a drop-ball over by our right touchline. Isidor replaced Mayenda in the ninety-sixth and then it was all hands to the pumps to keep Bournemouth at bay. We survived a retaken corner in the hundred and third minute and finally that final whistle went and we’d earned a battling away draw.