Strangely muted for lack of excitement this game despite the fact that there was lots of endeavour on both sides. More or less the first thing that happened was that play stopped when Prutton and a defender needed prolonged treatment after a nasty clash of heads in the first meaningful challenge. This ended up with Prutton going of for 5 minutes and coming back on with a huge Mcenroe of bandages around his head. Not long after this a Bristol forward sprinted through a non-existant centre of our defence onto a through ball, took it into the box and was well stopped in a one-on-one by Caspar's outstretched boot. He should have scored. Down the other end and Thompson flights a ball onto the penalty spot where Beckford meets it with a looping header that beats the keeper only to see it bounce off the bar. Beckford then had the only two other presentable chances of the half; the first he took a good ball into feet - a cute ball inside the full back when everyone expected it to go out wide, from Thompson - and Beckford moved to his right across the box and the centre half before letting fly with a rocket that shot across goal just going wide of the far post; the second we he got a toe to low cross from Prutton, beating his man to the ball at the front post but just putting it wide of the goal. Defensively everyone was in debt to Marques (we will have a huge hole to fill in January) his speed across the back four covered for mistakes by Heath, Hughes and Richardson. The full-backs were both getting seriously roasted (not in the ManU party sense) by fast tricky wingers. These wingers both got down the line and swung in half decent crosses, several times. The midfield was an odd mix - Prutton never really seemed to shake off the head injury; Thompson played some great passes - about 1 every ten minutes and was otherwise totally anonymous; Howson got stuck in and played a few cute flicks around the box, but you couldn't escape the feeling that he was there to be "Thompson's legs"; Westlake was oddly ineffective until the last thing he did before being subbed which was to burst into the Bristol penalty area, reading one of Howson's flicks and firing the ball across the goal, which non-one finished. The second half was more of the same - if anything we were more territorially dominant than in the first - more efforts which should have been on goal were sent just wide of the goal - headers from Beckford and Kandol especially should have been finished after good approach work. Beckford hit a thunderous drive early in the second half which smacked a defender in the face and flattened him. 20 minutes left and Flo and Carole were brought on for Westlake and Prutton. Carole made all the difference. Getting the ball on the ground, facing the opposing defenders, running at them, backing them up into their box - he's made a very good claim to be in the starting XI on Wednesday. We pushed more and more and Bristol's defending became increasingly "last ditch". Eventually when you'd reached that kind of "its going to be one of those days" feelings a really soft goal just dribbled in, with everyone wrong footed by a huge deflection off a Bristol defender. All around us seemed to think that Carole was our last man to touch it - that is take the shot that got deflected - but all the press are giving it to Howson...who knows. They're not two individuals that you would normally think it possible to get mixed up. Basically a cross found its way to the back post (our right hand side), there was a definite hand ball, a mis hit shot came in, hit a defender and rolled across the line very slowly with no-one able to get to it. 5 minutes left. We indulged in a little keep-ball. That was about it. The ref played 4 minutes injury time during which he gave them 2 free kicks but they didn't amount to much. ANGKERGREN - couple of really good saves - one to keep us level early on - dubious distribution RICHARDSON/HUGHES - run ragged by wingers - made some decent efforts to get forward and supply crosses etc MARQUES - MOTM by a country mile - brave in the challenge, read the game better than anyone on the pitch, always able to anticipate the next threat, pace to burn - even gave one of their fast front men a yard before reeling him in over 30 when chasing a ball over the top. HEATH - OK in the air but exposed once or twice on the ground PRUTTON - subdued WESTLAKE - similarly without the excuse of a head injury THOMPSON - was quality with the vision and passing when he had the ball - but may well go 10 minutes without the ball because of lack of mobility - never got a challenge in or tracked back HOWSON - did the running and the tackling normally done by Douglas - some good use of the ball around the Bristol box - is being credited with the goal KANDOL - didn't see him until 10 minutes from the end BECKFORD - our greatest threat - and yet he is his own greatest liability - nasty attitude at times, lots of petulance and frequently "exchanges views" with the ref - may well be that he is getting a lot of attention from opposing defenders ------------ subs Flo - didn't do much Carole - changed the way we attacked - this substitution probably won the 3 points Kishishev - came on for a few minutes to hold onto the ball ------------ 27000+ crowd boosted by a good showing from the Bristol lot - good on 'em - should take 'em to the midlands to swallow that choker...
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