Finally. After many false starts, faltering hearts and formation charts we have the win we should have secured weeks, if not months, ago. Much of the relieved post-match comment will revolve around removing monkeys from backs, weights from minds and albatrosses from necks, and ‘rightly so’ (copyright: N. Worthington).
The relief in the players’ faces and demeanours yesterday was evident for all to see; it would indeed have been a travesty had we not secured all three points, especially given a myopic and barely credible performance from referee Mike Riley, who must surely be looking for a property in the New Forest, so keen was he to endear himself to his putative new neighbours. An obvious handball escaped him, whereas a series of pirouettes and dives from the Southampton midfield had his rapt and retributive attention.
Saints arrived at the match with some key personnel close to our hearts: Peter Crouch (who looks to still be growing – maybe it’s the stripes) was given a warm and sincere round of applause before the game when he was presented with his Championship winners’ medal, and then gave the home crowd what they really wanted, staying on the bench until the closing quarter before coming on to little effect.
Darren Kenton, one of our best defenders of recent times, was not greeted quite so courteously, possibly because the crowd knew he would acquit himself every bit as assiduously as he did when playing in yellow and green: stifling chances, marshalling trouble and generally lolloping around to great effect.
Our own selection and formation reflected recent vociferous calls for significant changes to be made to a team that had relied heavily on work-rate and commitment, but hitherto demonstrated precious little ability to retain the ball and create chances. The previous week’s non-peformance gave the manager the ammunition he needed to drop the floundering Gary Holt and reintroduce Phil Mulryne to the midfield, partnering the burgeoning skills of Damian Francis. The pairing worked effectively, with most of our chances flowing through either or both these attack-minded players, whether spraying out wide to the industrious Huckerby, or to the increasingly dangerous front men, McKenzie and Svensson.
In the end, it was Francis, invigorated by his player of the month award before the match who nicked both goals. Earlier in the season he had been getting in the right positions and had been desperately close, but is now emerging as a reliable midfield goalscorer, and is in need of a new adulatory song from the terraces.
The two goals came in response to a well-taken but fortunate opener from James Beattie, and set up a thrilling last thirty minutes, with neither team nor supporters sure as to whether we should shut up shop (which worked so well against Blackburn) or push on and look for the third goal. In the end we all held our breath and wriggled a bit and everything was fine. The only gripe would be the continuing lack of penetration or creativity offered by David Bentley, and it won’t be long before Worthington drops him again in favour of Jonson.
We are well-placed within the ‘relegation candidates’ and our confidence will be high once again as we look towards Saturday and Birmingham. As long as Francis is fit, we’ll be laughing.