SOBS V TOFFEES

The Lads went to Everton and came from behind to claim all three points - Regis deserves the manager of the season award for that second half alone. Even the first, the statistically irrelevant first half, we actually controlled things, but the second was a tactical masterpiece. A brilliant performance all round.

One nil down

Three one up

Isidor wrapped it up

Enzo Le Fee, Brian Brobbey,

Playing football for our Reggie

Judging by the 1035 from Darlo yesterday, most of our support was making a weekend of things, which is what last awaydays of the season are about. Having checked into our salubrious accommodation (reserved under Rosie rather than Ronnie) we hit Southport and discussed our squad being strengthed by the availability of Traore and Angulo, the latter having a good cameo against Man U in which he managed to do what most football fans (and probably players and officials) would love to do by whacking Portuguese Whingebag of the Year 2018-2026. Ever so gently, mind. Oh to have that chance.

Match day in Liverpool, and the usual pub tour courtesy of Burnsy (mag, but he lives there and is otherwise a canny lad) with the barmaid in the Vernon Arms commenting positively on my Lambton's shirt and asked what year it was from.

Before you were born, pet.

In stripes we attacked the far end, lining up:

Roefs

Hume Alderete Mukiele Geertruida Reinildo

Le Fee Xhaka(c) Sadiki Angulo

Brobbey

... and a bench of Ellborg, O'Nien, Mayenda, Isidor, Diarra, Talbi, Bi, Cirkin, and Rigg.

We had lots of the ball but struggled to bring Pickford into the game as we passed it about nicely with Angulo seeing a fair amount of it on the left. Getting it into the middle seemed to be a bit of a problem, but at least Roefs wasn't being troubled at the other end.

There was, as you'd expect, a great ovation for Bradley Lowery on 15 minutes to mark what would have been his 15th birthday. It's only a game, which fact was rammed home not long after with another round of applause for an Everton lad who'd died tragically young.

Alderete got in a few crucial challenges but took a knock and was replaced by Luke after only 23 minutes, which has us wondering. Which Luke would we get?

The right one, thankfully, as he watched the ball carefully, didn't get carried away, and put in a couple of really important challenges when the tiniest miscalculation would have been potentially disastrous. Try as we might, though, we couldn't turn our possession into something dangerous.

Just as we were thinking "half time, regroup and do something different in the second half" an Everton shot took a wild deflection and left Roefs on his backside as the ball flew the other way.

Bugger. There were three added minutes during which we mostly shook our heads in disbelief, wondering how the ref had missed so many pushes on BB, but we ended the half with 61% possession but no shots in target and two corners to their three, although I'd dispute that their goal was a shot on target.

No changes for the second half, in which we conceded possession a bit but kept them out of our box. However, we stayed true to the statistics that we're more effective when the opposition has more of the ball. When Everton gave the ball away just before the hour 40 yards out, Enzo picked it up and fed BB in the inside right channel and he bulldozed his way goalwards, resisted the temptation to shoot at least twice as Pickers stood his ground, then blasted it in.

Mayhem.

There was an immediate substitution as Talbi replaced Hume, with Angulo moving to the right. Everton looked up have lost a lot of spirit with that leveller, and we started to control things with Xhaka simply bossing things in the middle and Sadiki's presence seemingly everywhere rattling the home midfield.

With thirteen minutes to go, Regis made the crucial changes - Sadiki, Angulo, and Brobbey making way for Rigg, Diarra, and Isidor. After the battering BB had given their big lads, Isidor's more athletic contributions were the last thing they needed. With ten to go, Riggy hit one low into the box from the right, Everton didn't get to it, but Enzo did to clip it home.

More mayhem as he slid into the the corner to celebrate by donning a Spidey mask hoyed from the crowd in the vague vicinity of where Nyron was sitting.

Our fans then took over the noise as a lot of Blues headed for home, and it was pretty much a party in the away end as the clock ticked down. Roefs produced the save of the match by getting his shoulder in the way of a point blank effort - one which Pickers would have been proud of.

Game over? Not yet. Six added minutes were announced, and in the first of them Diarra, after having tried a few long throws from the right while Luke did the same from the left, hit another low cross from the right that found Issy at the far side. Look, I know he's got Inspector Gadget legs, but no other player in the Prem can score goals like he does. Wrong side of the box against England's number one, he leant back, opened up, and simply stroked it across and in.

Can I say mayhem again? Why aye, because that's what it was.

Everton heads dropped further than Anthony Gordon's morals, we played it out, won free kicks, and waited for the whistle.

Which came and the Lads gave it the Whoop Whoops, with Luke leading the appreciation. We'd restricted them to one effort on target in the second half while we'd managed three. Guess where they all ended up?

No prizes.

Off back into town and some great craic with Kev the Toffee in Rigby's, even more at the station with the Blues we'd talked to in the Vernon Arms before the game - and that was after a Blue had shaken my hand and said "we don't mind losing to you."

Man of the Match? Luke was superb, with a series of last ditch tackles and timely hoofs up the field, Xhaka timed everything just right, Rigg was nigh on perfect out on the right as we looked to get a result, but Enzo takes my vote. Cheeky, effective, clinical, and smiley... and Spidey. On we go.