Sailing along nicely on the back of three wins in three colours – the last of which saw our young guns described poetically by Nick Barnes as the Flourescent Adolescents – we welcomed Cardiff to Wearside on a warm and a bit mizzly afternoon and basically allowed all three points to head back to Wales by dint of simply not getting shots on target. Not quite a smash and grab, but not far off.
With eleven for and only two against in the last three games, there had been plenty to smile about before our Ukrainian got his papers in order, and time to take in the England Ladies’ game against Scotland. I’d guess that a good 50% were attending their first football match, and some were still seeking their seats five minutes before half time. Pyrotechnics, screaming kids, and the band was just behind me – and I’ve a real soft spot for the band. It’s about a mile east of Seaham Harbour. By way of a novelty, ours was the only bus on Dundas Street rather than the usual dozen and we were back in Bish in plenty of time to wind the night down. Saturday – look, I know I managed a game on Friday night, and we’re playing today, but Saturday without a match is not right. Even Bishop’s game was in the Vase at Yorkshire Amateurs, which they won 5-0, was a bit far away, so Sunday at 3pm it is.
We managed to catch the Stoke defeat to Hull in the Museum Vaults, where the TV watchers seemed to outnumber those actually at the game. Oh dear, what a pity, never mind.
The same starting eleven...
Patterson
Hume O'Nien (c) Ballard Huggins
Neil Bellingham
Ba Pritchard Clarke
Burstow
..and a bench of Bishuuurrrp, Roberts, Taylor, Semedo, Adil, Seelt, Triantis, Rusyn, and Rigg.
Cardiff kicked off towards their travelling fans, and not much attacking stuff had taken place before Ba was booked after carrying it infield and list control. It took 13 minutes for the first shot to arrange be, and it was a Cardiff effort that was way off target. A couple of minutes later we floated one into the box ,but Burstow's loopy header was easy for their keeper. A corner in our left but it was easily cleared, and we had to block a Cardiff shot when they broke, but Patto did well to drop on the loose ball to prevent the corner.
Twenty minutes in, Ba was the beneficiary of a nice one-two that saw an effort cleared off the line - or not far from it - and we fad another corner.
Ba did some good tracking back, then at the other end produced a raking cross that was a yard ahead of Burstow. O9 tried to find our centre forward with another long one, but it was again a yard off target.
There was a chance when Pritch was fouled 25 out, but he hit the wall with his free kick and we put the loose ball wide.
We got to halftime without either keeper being really troubled, which didn't bode well for our chances of scoring after the break. We made no changes for the second half, they made one, and we still struggled to get shots in. Six minutes into the half the stadium peregrine made its first appearance of the season but it still didn't inspire us to hit the target despite some nice passing down the left between Huggins and Clarke.
There were several fouls on Clarke and Pritch, but we couldn't work anything from the frees, and Bellingham was booked for an "I got there as soon as I could" challenge twelve minutes in.
With thirty to go, in came Hemir, Roberts, and Adil for Burstow, Ba, and Bellingham. A bobbly "shot" off a Sunderland shin was pounced on by their keeper as Hemir tried to get a toe to it, then Patto saved well low to his right after their man clattered through our defence.
A rugby tackle in their box was ignored by the ref and they went down the other end, where Hume looked to have mopped things up but put out it behind for a silly corner - which they knocked to the back post, from where they put it away with five to go. To be honest, the longer the game went on the more it had been on the cards. They had a couple of chances to double their advantage but Patto saved the first and they hoofed the second way over. We had chances, but never really looked like putting them away as blue shirts blocked our progress.
A five minute cameo by Rusyn provided some nice movement and hints of in-the-box sharpness, but it was never enough.
Disappointing? Yes.
End of the world? No.
Man of the Match? Dan Neil, always in control, always probing, always looking the get Clarke involved. Shame it came to nothing.
