The Lads welcomed Reading (the Royals, apparently) to the SoL, along with their manky manager (Euro 96, penalties, guvnor my arse, just saying) hoping to replicate that wonderful, forwardless, performance at their place.
We didn't quite do that, but we got the three points thanks to a Roberts goal that was a beautiful mixture of superb skill, patience, and sheer bloody persistence. It really should have been more than just that one goal, but I'm not moaning. The win, and another lively, battling performance will do me just fine.
The absence of Lihadji from recent matchday squads was at last explained when it was revealed that he didn't have a work permit. Bloody Brexit, eh? At least the BBC are still gushing about our two performances against Fulham, as were a few neutrals I spoke to in Durham last night. It's just nice to be on the receiving end of comments that are positive after so many years of derision.
Patto
Hume Batth (c) Ballard Alese
Neil Michut
Roberts Amad Clarke
Gelhardt
..and a bench of Bass, Ba, O'Nien, Bennette, Pritchard, Ekwah, and Lihadji.
After a minute's silence in which we thought of the earthquake, we faced South and they kicked off with Andy Carroll aimed at on the left.. and they fired wide after only ten seconds.
Alese's reasonably long throws were almost a threat for us, and helped to win a free on our left cleared which was cleared.
Ballard contrived to remove Carroll's scrunchie on 10, which brought an ironic cheer as young Dan showed that he cared not a not for the mag"a fearsome reputation. They began timewasting, but after 14 minutes it got a bit irritating. There was a spell of pressure that we dealt with before it got into our box - and it ended with the most embarrassing of moments - a shot that screwed for a throw in. Oh dear.
The game's first corner went to them on 22 minutes on our right, there was a spot of head tennis, and we eventually got it away. A Roberts free from the left was headed over by Ballard on 24 as we continued to win things in the air, then we needed an Alese block 29 to concede a corner on our left - which we dealt with accordingly.
On 32 there was a booking for their Yiadom when Clarke was hauled down. 30 yards out in the inside left spot - in it went, with Alese heading over this time, but at least we were winning headers in the box. It was the opposite of Wednesday, as the visitors sat deep and denied us space in their half, but seemed reluctant to try the easy option of hoofing it to Carroll. To be fair, they'd probably seen that both Ballard and Batth were perfectly happy to join in the physical battle with the ponytailed dollop.
As we entered the last five minutes of the half, an Aji cross produced a Joffa header ..but no problems for the keeper other than how long to take in clearing it.
Two added minutes were announced, when it should probably have been ten if they'd properly counted the time they wasted taking throws. We won a corner on the right, it bobbled about and Aji's shot was blocked but Clarke was caught offside as it bounced to the right and, as ever, they took an age to take the free.
Pop did the halftime draw and made some folks as happy as when he was knocking the goals in at Roker. Happy days.
No changes to personnel for the second half, but a change in tactics - as on Wednesday, Alese and Clarke swapped places as our big defender gave his opposing right back something to think about.
Roberts then cut in from right to find Clarke, and he clipped it over to Gelhardt who was well offside as he tried, and made a bit of a mess of, an overhead kick.
We defended a corner well on 47 and eventually set Joff away, but his shot went wide of the keeper's left hand post.
It seemed a more open game than the first half as Reading tried playing in our half and we tried playing in theirs. Two Reading corners in quick succession brought some very scary pinball on 51 minutes, but they were all blood and thunder and, thankfully, no finesse.
Alese was pushing forward more as the game wore iyn, and got on the end of a Roberts pass on 53 to poke it away from a defender in the middle but could only toe-end a shot at full stretch over the top.
A miss-hit Reading shot on the hour led to another corner which Patterson took well and set us away, but we contrived to allow a block on the shot and it was a corner and not a goal.
Another Reading corner came on 63 after Clarke was robbed on halfway trying to take a cross field ball. A minute later Amad, who'd been less than his usual productive self, made way for Pritch on 64.
Roberts had a shot from the edge saved and somehow Aji's follow-up was cleared off the line. How did we not score? A late one on Michut by Carroll in the centre circle on 71 looked worthy of a booking, but no card appeared.
A cross from our right saw their keeper cleaned out by a team mate as he punched it away, but Michut fired the loose ball over when he should have scored. Ha'way man Lads, we really should be ahead by now, so Mowbray shook things up. On 74 Gelhardt and Neil were replaced by Lihadji and O'Nien.
Luke was straight into the action, firing it out to Clarke who came inside and teed up a shot that again went off target. On 80 Clarke and Michut were replaced by Ba and Bennette for ten minutes of warp speed football. Luke had settled into his role of 'one of three' at the back as we kept a positive attitude and Reading wondered if they'd have been better off trying to keep the game alive early on rather than taking an age over everything.
There were six minutes of normal time in the click when Roberts danced into the box from the right after some lovely passing, and what followed really needs watching again. And again. And again. Luke u said at the top of the page, it was wonderful. Defenders were left on their backsides, and the ball was allowed to sit up nicely for Pat to clip I er the keeper for the winner. Just beautiful.
All of a sudden, the visitors decided to get in with things, but that's what you get for time-wasting from the off, Reading. A foul on Pritch came in the perfect place for him to deliver...but he played it short to Luke and we tried the right wing again. In the four added minutes there really should have been a red card when Ballard was clearly elbowed, but it didn't come.
Man of the Match? For the second half performance alone, it has to be Roberts, but a special mention had to go to Ballard and Batth for dealing with the Northern League pairing of Shane Long and Andy Carroll - and to the gaffer for using the subs really well. Happy days.
