This was disappointing of course but try as we might we couldn’t create many serious scoring chances against West Brom’s resolute defending and our finishing has lost its cutting edge. Friday night’s game should be a very different affair as Sheffield won’t be there for a draw.
BEFORE
It's getting very tight at the top and we really must get a win tonight to maintain our drive for automatic promotion. West Brom have been drawing even more games than us recently but with Jobe, Roberts and Hume back in the squad I think we should be able to beat them. Josh Maja is their top scorer and he's really hitting some good form so he's going to be a major threat. Despite the great disappointment of conceding a very late equalizer on Saturday, it wasn't such a bad result all things considered. I was impressed by Mayenda and Watson so hopefully they'll be able to get lots of crosses in and I was also pleased to see Connolly scoring such a great goal. I'll be at the game and it's likely to be on the chilly side. My match prediction is a 3-1 win for us.
I was in my seat in the East Stand around 7.30 and as for the team-news, Jobe, Roberts and Hume were all starting with Alese, Mayenda and Connolly moving to the bench. My friends’ match predictions were:- 1-1, 2-1 and 1-0. Maja was booed when his name was read out.
THE GAME
There was a great atmosphere as the match kicked off and the Baggies fans were making a decent racket too. We won the first corner in the sixth when a great ball from Jobe was taken off Watson’s toe. We wasted it but very soon we created our first real chance when after a quick throw on the right Isidor’s shot was grabbed by Palmer in goal at the second attempt. In the tenth we were awarded a free-kick for handball just outside their box but Robert’s kick came off their wall. West Brom made a rare foray forwards in the fourteenth and it resulted in a weak Maja shot going wide of our right post. The stadium went very quiet for a while, though. We were awarded another free-kick not far outside their box in the eighteenth and I hoped we’d do something better with that one but it only resulted in a free-kick to them. Anyway, a few minutes later we won another corner on the left and that one was nicely placed but was headed clear and led to a dangerous break from West Brom down their right.
Jobe was making some excellent deft passes and I reckoned that before too long one would lead to our first goal. West Brom were getting a lot more into the game after we’d pressed them back earlier on. We won two corners in quick succession as the half-hour mark approached which got our fans singing again. This led to a response of, “We forgot that you were here” from the away fans. Nothing came from the corners. A poor clearance from Patto almost got us into trouble but next thing Isidor was racing into their half with the ball at his feet. Even he couldn’t get past four defenders and the move petered out. It warmed the cockles, though, and we needed that. There were whistles for Palmer as he took his time over goal-kicks. Our fifth corner came in the thirty-fifth and this time we took it short and had better luck, well another corner at any rate. As half-time approached we were doing most of the attacking once more but West Brom were defending in depth and not giving us much space at all. There was one minute of added-time but it remained goalless as the whistle went, to polite applause.
It was freezing and Sheffield United were 2-0 up but this was countered by Kieran Richardson getting a great ovation as he came on to make the draw and also by ‘Tinseltown in the Rain’ by The Blue Nile being played over the p.a.
W.B.A. had made two changes as we kicked off again and I hoped to see Mayenda on before too long as I could see him unlocking their defence. We started off brightly winning another corner and then a decent chance. The next corner came in the fifty-first and again we gave away a free-kick and that was that. Watson had a chance to head in from close range but he slipped a bit and the chance went begging. He hadn’t been effective so far and I could see him being subbed soon. We had the ball in the net in the fifty-eighth after a great move but it was ruled out for some reason. It really got the crowd going, anyway. Another corner in the sixty-first and this time we took it short and it resulted in a Rigg shot that was well over. Palmer was again booed for time-wasting and he was asking for a yellow card. Next thing Jobe struck a shot that wasn’t too far over. I could see a couple of our subs ready to come on in the sixty-sixth and very soon Alese and Mayenda replaced O’Nien and Watson.
It had been looking like a goalless draw at full time but with this new blood I dared to dream. Almost at once we had a great chance but Rigg’s shot was blocked. West Brom won a corner, maybe their first, in the seventy-second and it led immediately to another. We then had a great chance but Robert’s low shot went just wide of the left post. The Baggies fans were still in good voice and an away draw would no doubt please them. We had another good opportunity from a corner on our right and I thought we could eventually make one count. Maja was subbed, to much booing, in the seventy-ninth and he’d barely had a sniff really. With five minutes on the clock we won yet another corner, on the left, but again nowt. We were certainly battling like hell and our fans were still behind us as the final minutes ticked away. Three minutes of added-time were announced and I was afraid that we would concede as West Brom summoned a rare attack but it ended 0-0. There was a bit of applause from those around me and I couldn’t hear any booing.
