Sunderland took on Man U’s U21’s in the Pizza Cup, with LJ’s feelings about the Mancunians’ insistence on the game being played when tonight being publicised. After a 2-1 win in a thoroughly entertaining encounter, I don’t see how we can be punished for putting out an “under strength” side when we won, in the process proving that our U21’s are better than Man U’s, just like our second string is better than Wigan’s as we proved a fortnight ago.
To be honest, I listened to the team being announced on the radio as I drove to the game, and was more than a tad surprised. I fully support LJ’s stance on the availability of players, and would happily contribute to a Crowdfunder to cover the £5k fine, should the FA be stupid enough to actually impose it – but we needn’t have worried. After passing several folks of a certain age cursing their phones and muttering “what’s wrong with paper tickets?” I was in and picked a seat behind Mr Winks –someone was in my seat and a I couldn’t be chowed to move them on anyway.
Carney
Richardson Younger Almond Hume ©
Scott Sohna Taylor Dyce
Wearne Harris
There you go, giving the kids a chance to make a name for themselves, and with Hume as skipper and senior professional. Man U, whose short numbers reached four figures in total, countered our ex-Man U players (Carney) with Joe Hugill and Paul McShane – yes, that Paul McShane, age 35 and counting. Things were set away with us kicking south, and we immediately put the visitors under pressure before a loose backpass by Hume should really have given them the lead only a couple of minutes in. Hugill sprinted past our keeper, but when he cut it back from the left, his effort hit the foot of the post and rebounded to McNeil, who, with the goal at his mercy, promptly fell over and we hoofed it clear. Cue howls of derision from the home fans, as the self-styled second-best fans in the world (nobody dares claim to be better than them up the road), all sixty of them, wondered why they hadn’t been awarded the trophy anyway. As folks who’d presumably expected a later kick of still wandered about in search of their seats in an unfamiliar part of the ground, we peered through them to see what was going on. Dyce, who looks to have put on a stone of muscle since last I saw him at York, was having a good evening on the left side of midfield, and he shot over the top soon after Wearne saw his effort comfortably saved. On the quarter hour, we came really close to a deserved lead when a foul on Wearne allowed us to put the ball in, and the clearance was hooked goalwards by Richardson, only to come back off the keeper’s left-hand post. The game was shaping up quite nicely as a contest, but with us having the bulk of possession and forward play, and Harris headed Dyce’s cross a foot wide before Hume sprinted into the box after a loose throw out. Unfortunately, his eventual shot lacked any real power and was comfortably taken by the kneeling keeper.
Denver then was in action at the other end, blocking a shot at the expense of a corner, from which former Man U keeper Carney produced a good save, tipping a header over the bar for another corner – which we dealt with. The game was a really good contest, but we had by far the better of the attacking play – just lacking the final killer ball, but with good play from Dyce on the left of midfield and Wearne pestering the visiting defence. Our general play should really have brought us a goal but Utd came closest to opening the scoring when Iqbal (lowest shirt number at 24?) picked up Younger’s block to hit the post again. That would have been really against the run of play, as, despite Utd having little spells of cleverness, our shape and general adherence to the LJ way meant that we’d been by far the most threatening side. A single added minute produced no goals, so Winks and I had no scoring to discuss, just when and where to meet up on Saturday. The train, apparently.
No changes for the second half, and it continued in the same vein as the first, as Utd tried to raise their game by giving it to Iqbal at every opportunity, but we kept nicking it off his mates’ toes when he released it and building attacks of our own. Wearne was supporting Harris well, constantly snapping at heels and allowing the opposition no time to pick a pass out of defence. Sahna, so impressive at Lincoln last week was repeating good things, and got our first shot of the half on target – but it was comfortable for their keeper. It wasn’t going all our way, though, as Utd built an attack that allowed a shot from Hugill that Carney saved low down. Well done, keeper, and we took advantage of that save by scoring shortly afterwards. Breaking down our right, we got the ball to Harris, who smacked goalwards only to see it saved, but Dyce was there on the edge of the box to smack a left-footer high into the net. No more than we deserved with just under an hour on the clock.
Unfortunately, the lead only lasted five of six minutes as we stood off dangerman Iqbal, and he picked up a deep corner kick on our left and cut it back onto his right foot to curl in a very good goal from the inside left position. Nice goal, but the celebratory dance towards the corner flag while slapping the club badge – get over yersel, son, and he deserved the ridicule of the home fans. We didn’t deserve that leveller at all. It could have got even worse soon after, as Hugill was played through with only the keeper to beat, but I think there was more than a hint of Chopra about his effort against his former employers, as he shot tamely into the arms of Carney.
Another five minutes were played before we got down our right again, after Younger had dived in to block an effort on the line, with Almond (modelled on Bailey Wright, surely?) carried the ball away from our goal and finding a gap in the visiting defence with his pass to Talyor on the right. Young Ellis galloped down the wing, and put in a lovely cross which Wearne rose to on the penalty spot, nodding the ball carefully just inside the far post. A lovely goal, it really was worth the whatever you paid for your ticket.
A few minutes later, Hume, who’d had a fine game, was replaced by Kachosa, with Dyce dropping to left back. This brought moans from the lads behind me, but Denver is only just back from a serious injury and was probably being protected by LJ for use at the weekend. Dyce used his strength to win the ball and get it up the left touchline, and from there Wearne danced past a couple of defenders and found Harris – but the shot was wide of the mark. Despite all of our possession, Man U were starting to look more dangerous, particularly when they got the ball to Iqbal – which was at every opportunity. Carney produced a couple of very good saves as well as a couple of routine ones and spent an inordinate amount of time retrieving the ball from the Roker End, as the ballboy steadfastly refused to do anything other than move very slowly towards his target. A bit like Danny Graham, really. Sort him out, Quinny!
The visitors’ number 65 got cramp – brought on by falling over in comedy fashion a couple of times, no doubt, then they made a couple of changes, and the ref decided that it wasn’t just the Red Devils’ first team who should be his favourite, with a booking for Dyce and some really lop-sided decisions going against us. The timekeeper found four minutes of Fergie time from somewhere, so we decided to elongate this by bringing on Caden Kelly for Ellis Taylor then Zac Johnson for Wearne. With about three of those minutes gone, the ref saw that his bus was due and blew to signal the end of a really entertaining game of football which means that we’re virtually ensured of passage to whatever the next round of this competition is.
Man of the Match? Hume had a good evening, as he employed his standard tactic of knocking it inside his opponent then zooming away, all left foot, to link with Dyce. Dyce himself had a cracking evening, all muscle and awareness, while Sahna repeated his Lincoln show by letting the ball do the work before finding a team-mate. Wearne was a real pest as he supported the more physical approach of (not so) Wee Willie Harris and Younger was again alert and determined at the back. My vote goes to Dyce.
A really entertaining evening’s football. Watch, learn, and enjoy. As LJ said after the whistle, we could have worn any shirts and you’d have known it was Sunderland, which is testament to what he and his backroom team are trying, and apparently succeeding, to establish. Those youngsters look to have really bought into what we’re trying to be about, so I reckon we can rely on them to do a job when needed.
