This was a great battling win and we’re back within two points of second-placed Burnley. What a way to start the year.
BEFORE
It's been hard to shake off the gloom that descended when Stoke's winner went in on Sunday but a victory this evening would go a long way to improve things. In the away game not long back I thought we were the better team and I think we can get a result today. Rigg and Ballard are still injured and there may be a bit of a reshuffle as we rotate players to get through this busy run of games so perhaps Connolly will get a start. Top scorer Tyrese Campbell will be missing for them again and that can only be good for us. No doubt our players will have had lots of shooting practice as we failed badly in that department against Stoke despite having plenty of scoring chances. Of course we also need to learn how to manage games in the late stages. I'll be at the game in my usual seat in the East Stand and my match prediction is 1-0 to us.
In the afternoon games Leeds and Burnley both drew at home which was great for us and Danny Batth equalised for Blackburn in the 90th minute. I was in my seat at 7.30 and my friends’ match predictions were 1-0 and 2-0. There were two changes in our line-up from Sunday’s game with Alese and Roberts starting in place of Cirkin and Aleksic. There was a minute’s applause for all those associated with both clubs who had died in the last year during which it started snowing. Both sets of fans were in good voice as we kicked off.
THE MATCH
United had the better of the opening stages without creating any chances and then Isidor had a powerful shot that Cooper in goal saved. Just after that Mayenda had a decent effort that went narrowly wide. United were awarded a penalty in the thirteenth minute for a foul by O’Nien but when Moore did a bit of running on the spot and then struck it low, Patto dived to his right and blocked it to send the crowd wild. We soon had what was to me a weak penalty-shout but it clearly narked plenty of other fans. We won our first corner in the twenty-third and it immediately led to another, not that it led to anything in terms of attempts on goal.
As we entered the second quarter of the game we’d been putting plenty of pressure on and after escaping what looked like a certain United goal we took the lead in the twenty-seventh. Mayenda received the ball as he ran into their half down the middle of the pitch and with defenders on his tail he kept his cool and shot strongly past Cooper. A few minutes later we had another chance as we broke in depth into their half but when the ball came out to Aouchiche on the left his cross/shot went tamely past the right post. United won a corner on the right in the thirty-second and when the ball came back into the box O’Nien headed powerfully into his own net and it was 1-1. So much for my 1-0 prediction as it felt like more goals were on their way. As soon as I typed that we went 2-1 ahead and it was a great effort from Isidor. The ball came to him in the left of their box from Mayenda and he seemed to have been forced out by a defender but he suddenly put a spurt on, escaped his challenger and slipped a low shot to Cooper’s right. Soon afterwards I thought Luke was going for his second o.g. as he hit a back pass to Patto a little too strongly for my liking. We were breaking forward with speed and causing the United defence plenty of problems. In the forty-first Mayenda went very close with a low shot that went just past the post. Two minutes later Patto went down low to collect a cross from the right after we’d been pinned back into our area for a while. There were two minutes of added-time and it remained 2-1 as the whistle went to much applause. ‘New Year’s Day’ by U2 boomed over the p.a. and the world seemed fine. It was going to be a right battle in the second-half, though.
A minute or so into the second period Isidor hurt his back as he stretched to reach a good cross from Aouchiche but he was able to continue after a short while. In the fifty-third Isidor raced onto a long looping ball and Cooper had to come out of his box to head it away for a throw. A few minutes later following a United corner we broke and Isidor again threatened. He’s a very exciting player as with his pace anything can happen. Referee Donohue was getting a lot of stick from our fans after a couple of dodgy decisions against us. Right on the hour United made a couple of changes and Brooks quickly showed he could be a menace. There were no signs of us making any changes. Two minutes later Brewster missed a good chance when he shot low past the left post when he should have done better. In the sixty-sixth Mayenda, who was being a great menace for us, was strongly tackled in the box and Cooper raced out to stop the ball going out for a corner. Shortly afterwards referee Donohue received loud ironic applause when he awarded us a free-kick and for a while most of his decisions went our way.
A strong Jobe shot went not far over the bar and a loud chant of, “Sundland till I die” rang around the stadium. In the seventy-third the ball was in our net after a free-kick but it was ruled out for a foul on Patto. Mayenda had a good shot on target a few minutes later and Cooper did well to block it. O’Nien was yellow-carded for a foul so he’d had quite a day of it all in all. Next thing United made another two substitutions and we still hadn’t made any. The time was running away pleasingly quickly and in the eighty-second we had a good chance to get our third but Aouchiche’s final pass went astray when we had players ready to strike. Shortly after that he was subbed by Hjelde. United were looking dangerous when they came forward but we were defending stoutly. With what’s happened near the end of several recent games I was just hoping that we’d keep our cool and not concede a daft goal. As the final minutes ticked way both Alese and Robinson for them were booked for fouls. Right near the end of normal time efforts from Ahmedhodzic, Moore and Davies were blocked and we held firm. Four minutes of added-time were announced and deep into that period Rusyn replaced Isidor and Patto was down injured, which dragged things out even more. Finally the whistle went to much rejoicing all around me.
