On this day in 2023, Dennis Cirkin bagged a second half brace in a memorable game which kept our season alive. Here's Sobs' report from the Hawthorns.
Despite a letter from Cirkin's mam complaining about the state of her lad's face after games, he was in the starting eleven.
Patterson
Gooch (c) Hume O'Nien Cirkin
Ekwah Neil
Amad Gelhardt Ba Clarke
...and a bench of Bass, Lihadji, Roberts, Anderson, Pritchard, Taylor, and Michut. The home fans we chatted to before the game loved Mowbray, but wouldn't share their curry.
Tickets handed over to Tall Paul and their Will, the latter visiting from the USA, a quick catch-up, and we were into the packed away section. There was a late-season feel to the pre-match nonsense with beachballs flying around and someone dressed as St George. Appropriate, given the date. In the stripes and on a muggy dinner time, we set up defending the end in front of our fans and WBA kicked off.
Clarke, then Gelhardt, were hacked down numerous times, several of which offences were waved play on - correctly - but no retrospective card, or even chat, was forthcoming. Unlike Joff, who got a bit of revenge with a cracking barge Vic Halom would have been proud of that earned a talking to. The home side won the first corner which Patto took, and our defence were protecting him well.
We had a shot from Joff deflected for a corner and Amad curled one just wide of the near post. An attempted crossfield ball from Clarke hit Ekwah in the face from a few yards and the ref stopped the game for the vinegar and brown paper to be applied. Clarke's curler brought a good save from the home keeper.
What looked like a clumsy but harmless challenge in our box bang on 45 was deemed a penalty, which was whacked low straight down the middle - had Patto stood still it would have hit his shins. A single added minute was announced, we restarted and it was half time. One shot on target and one way off was all we'd allowed them, and as the texts flooded in, all stating "never a pen" we were justified in feeling a bit miffed.
No changes for the second half for either side, apart from Clarke"s boots, so we set things away and set about getting back into the game. Which we did, with real spirit, but it was the home side who came closest to the game's second goal a couple of minutes in, when we blocked what seemed like a dozen shots before we got it away (it was five). On 51 an overdue yellow went to a home player, we took the free near halfway and Gooch burrowed into the box in typical style, getting to the byline and whipping in a wonderful cross. If the cross was wonderful, the header from Cirkin was even wonderfuller, being thumped back across with real power and into to the top corner from a fair distance. Simply beautiful, and something we thoroughly deserved despite the home side being a lot more positive than the first half.
From there one we defended like demons and broke forward at every opportunity. Some of the quick interchanges were lovely to watch, and Clarke fired a follow-up shot across but just wide of the far post after Neil's powerful effort was pushed away by the keeper. Gelhardt looked to have been fouled in the box but the ref waved play on, and the Baggies did get the ball in past Patto - but the flag had been raised so that we could point and laugh at their celebrating fans. Amad tried an ambitious one from distance but it was miss-hit and flew way off the mark.
On 71 Ekwah and Ba were replaced by Michut and Roberts, and those two were straight into the action with some typically near play. On 76 Gelhardt, who's been kicked, pulled, and pushed from here to next Wednesday, was replaced by Pritchard. I expect Joff's calves will be black and blue from the knees down by now, but he'd certainly put himself about against the usual huge opposition.
Five minutes after that change, we put together the best move of the afternoon, bursting down the left, interchanging passes, and Cirkin took a return in the box and dinked in the winner. Oh man, what a cracking goal. There were tremendous saves from Patto, one low to his right and the other up to his left, but we were dominating possession where it mattered.
Four added minutes were announced, Roberts took the ball into the corner and won us a throw, we put together a couple of decent moves as we pushed for a third while managing the game well.
Then it was all over - home players thumped the turf in frustration, our players either collapsed exhausted or leapt in the air in celebration. A fantastic win, reminiscent of the 3-2 in April '77 that was part of the Nearly Great Escape. If ever a game reinforced what it means to follow the Lads, this was it.
Man of the Match? Goooooch played a real captain's role and put in the best cross of his life, Neil was calm as you like in the middle, and Clarke was booed by the home fans, which is always a good sign. However, you can't score twice from left back, without getting your face rearranged either, and not get my vote. I fully expect Luke's child to be named Dennis or Denise. Ha'way the Lads!
