This was a dull match…a really dull match…for 70 minutes next to nothing of any note happened - Ipswich had an early goal disallowed, we had a decent penalty shout denied mid-way through the first half. Other than that zip, nada…Christ it was boring. The most fun I had was when my mate turned up at half time having missed the train he should have caught up from London. How we laughed.
Hardly surprising that we did’t set the world on fire, with our 4 CHalfs playing across the back - Cooper moved to LBack to allow the return of Bellucci - replacing the injured Austin - so Taylor moved to LMidfield - meaning we now had both full backs in midfield. Wootton and Cooper do not look comfortable at full back - both frequently out of position, caught tucking in too close to their CHalf…not doing enough going forward, and to be fair, not being good enough or comfortable enough on the ball going forward, so staying back is probably the best option for them, but it limits the team’s attacking options severely. On 70, we got a free kick on our right-side of the box, 25 yards out. Mowatt stepped up and thumped a beauty right in by the post…it looks like their keeper flapped and missed as he feared a collision with the post. Many keepers would have kept it out. Joyous celebrations around the ground and that feel-good factor lasted precisely 1 and half minutes until Silvestri began his one-man campaign to entertain…somehow he let a something and nothing 20 yard grubber run under his body…1-1. Back down the other end, minutes later…the sub, Antenucci, controls a high ball well, turns his man, holds onto it for a second or two…Cook flashes by him down the right wing, Antenucci releases the ball into his path…a touch or two and lovely cross pulled back to just just beyond the penalty spot, where a swivelling Billy Sharp shins the thing into the bottom corner…2-1. Minutes later again and Ipswich are pressing and some unknown reason the previously steady Bamba, handles the ball. There’s a bit of delay…eventually the left footed penalty taker, hits the spot kick low and hard to Silvestri’s bottom right hand corner, which as good luck would have it, is exactly where the Italian had dived and he does well to palm the ball onto the post and out. 5 minutes left and its all a bit of huff and puff without any clear cut chances…and the 3 points are ours. Less than 20,000 there to see it in all its glory. MOTM - hero/villan - Silvestri - for sheer entertainment factor. Back 4 often at sea - Bellucci makes some dreadful challenges…Bamba was mainly steady…Cooper/Wootton not often where they should be Byram and Taylor - are athletic, have decent control and good instincts to press forward with pace and thus are worth playing in the midfield…the problem is that we don’t have better full backs than them to cover… Cook, Murphy & Mowatt - were all much of a muchness in the middle - some good stuff…still trying to play football the right way coupled with some decent defensive tracking (not so much Mowatt)…but they all go missing for spells and they all are guaranteed one or two howlers a game Sharp - don’t rate him, doesn’t hold the ball up, can’t beat defenders in the air or on the ground…one decent shinner, but he was in the right place to get it. _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org John 'Grampa' Sykes Rest In Peace old lad 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 MARCHING ON TOGETHER
