SOBS: BRISTOL

The Lads headed southwest, safe in the knowledge that every team in our division could be either relegated or promoted, and lost out 2-1. It's not like me to moan about the ref (he lied, unconvincingly) but Hume's very early red was absolutely incorrect and turned the game in favour of the in-form home side. For 83 minutes. Is it worth appealing? At the risk of adding another game to Trai's ban, given the FA's usual anti-Wearside stance in such situations, probably not.

0711 train out of Darlo with Russ, uneventful journey, then a snifter or two near Temple Meads before Ubering to the Bristol Brewery Tap and into the sign-free away end. The light rain had made way for a bit of mizzle, which was a bit of a bugger for us in the front few rows. 

Patterson 

Hume O'Nien Mepham Hjelde 

Neil (c) Le Fee

Roberts Rigg Watson 

Mayenda 

...and a bench of Moore, Anderson, Isidor, Browne, Samed, Aleksic, Bellingham, Jones, and Middlemas.

In our blue kit, we defended the end in front of our 3,386 fans and kicked off. For the opening period we saw Le Fee in his "natural" position and he was light years ahead of others. Things looked good as he fed Neil, but the low cross from the left was cleared. Hjelde somehow won a corner from forty yards out, and things were looking decidedly canny. Then came Mr Langford's unfinest hour. City broke down their inside left channel, their man stepped across the chasing Hume and went down 25 yards out. Foul? Possibly. Yellow? No. Red? Oh, give over - but that's what was given.

Talk about spoiling things. Naturally enough, we closed ranks in front of Patto, and City did all the things we moaned about us doing in previous games - passing instead of shooting, and when they did shoot it was either easy for Patto or a threat to the mag in the home seats.

The rest of the half was more of the same - lots of home possession, lots of good defensive work by us, and the odd break by Mayenda - the best of which began just outside our box at half three. He picked up the ball, ran the necessary seventy yards past half the home side, into their box, chopped it onto his left leg and whacked it low to the keeper's left. What a goal.

That bouyed our spirits and we tried to repeat the trick while remaining resolute at the back with some timely, and brave, interventions by Luke and Mepham. All of which meant that the home side's domination of possession counted for nowt. There were two added minutes, after which they watered the pitch - pretty incredible, considering their man had slipped on the wet turf in our box not long before. Madness, I tell yer!

In came the messages from the TV watchers across the globe - "he couldn't wait to send him off" and "never even a foul" were some of the calmer ones.

I suggested more accurate descriptions.

As ever, no changes for the second half, a bit of pressure by the Robins, then we got it out of defence and set Mayenda charging over halfway - where he was cynically chopped down. Dangerous, intentional, and preventing a scoring opportunity despite the distance from goal. Just the yellow. Booo!

Eight minutes of more home dominance but a reluctance to shoot (on target, at least) passed before their lad decided to hit a curling beaut that gave Patto no chance, flying high into the net to his left. Damn and blast.

We gave it another five minutes before replacing Le Fee, Rigg, and Roberts, with Isidor, Samed, and Bellingham. I know Enzo is possibly the best midfielder in the division, and that Reg would rather Watson got hurt than him, but I don't think young Tommy merited staying on. I've nothing against him, but in a reduced numbers, backs to the wall situation, I'd rather see Aleksic getting stuck in.

But I don't make the decisions. Patto was booked for wasting time on 65, but he helped get it to Samed, then Isidor got it to Mayenda and he got into the box but was held off and Bristol booted it clear. The two home subs soon after brought fresh opposing legs we could had done without, but we kept on keeping them away from our goal. For five minutes, when the ball broke a few yards out in our area and it was whacked below Patto's right hand from a narrow angle. 

Bugger. 

On came Browne for Mayenda, who'd taken a couple of hefty whacks, and then Joe Anderson replaced Hjelde with ten to go. Their keeper wasted time, the ref waved his hand rather than the fully-merited yellow, and we groaned again at the injustices of the football world. 

At this stage I think it was more about saving players from potential damage than tactics, but we still had a go. Samed charged and barged over halfway to feed our right wing, but Issy headed the cross over. We groaned even more when Anderson was booked, but by then we'd given up wondering what sort of dreams the ref was having. Three added minutes passed, the whistle went, and the home fans celebrated as if they'd won promotion rather than just a game. A game that maintains their positive trajectory, but as we told them afterwards, we'd rather meet them again than Coventry - eleven on both sides, either over two legs or just the one game, and we'd have them. Le Fee's early stuff had shown what he's capable of, and it'd be too much for them. Providing Mr Langford keeps well away from us, that is.

Man of the Match? Great stuff from O'Nien and Mepham (who was tempted to bite the ref's head off after a ludicrous decision) but it has to be Mayenda for the goal of the month. Or season...