cityexile

No evidence it is an injury that is going to keep him out for a while. Seemed to be saying last game his hamstring was feeling tight and got taken off. Given a long break for injury, three games in a week is most likely seen as an an unnecessary risk and this is ‘an abundance of caution’ rather than anything more serious. Hope so anyway. edit: umm…then it emerges ‘out for a few weeks…’

Was just about to post similar. Nothing in the team is a surprise, but seeing it like that in black and white…blimey. Tough one for them today.

Maybe a bit unlucky, but certainly will be facing them both when they are in pretty good form. Hull now on a good run and Derby just taken 4 points off the top two. No easy games…

Not really a great set of results, although if Peterborough v Barnsley finishes 0-0 it’s ok (ten minutes delayed because of flood light failure).

Forest Green penalty…scores!

Cardiff back to level. Bit salty over Reading. EFL ‘here is a point penalty, now learn your lesson and take it careful’. Reading ‘Gotcha, anyway let’s sign Carroll and Drinkwater’, who of course both score today.

Swansea back level. edit…and now behind again!

Reading now leading (up and coming player called Carroll with the latest), as well as Hull and Cardiff. Not entirely ideal.

As an oddity, we have beaten every team below us we have played, 12 points from the 4 matches, and two currently in the play offs, 7pts from the six of them. A whole pile of teams within reach 7-17th and we are yet to beat any of them. A good number of them only ahead of us because of late results against us. Against this ‘midtable’ we have 4 points from 9 matches, all draws. Not sure if it means anything, other than we are pretty much midtable point wise, but crap against midtable teams.

We all to some extent tend to put a lot on the result (you are in fairness one of the exceptions). If Stoke had finished a late chance no doubt the posts would have been full of ‘bottlers’. Luton or Forest etc etc flash late chances wide and we would have been talking about character and battling. Objectively we are still very much work in progress, but the last two games we have looked better. No one is saying great. Played three PO contenders in a row now and have finished 4-4 with four points. In the round that’s been about right. Difficult not to have started looking down the table, tonight’s result takes a fair bit of immediate pressure off. Buys time, which one feels more than anything is what we need.

Has not had a lot of love from us over the years, often with reason, so worth a shout out I thought for his efforts the last two games. Not his natural position, but cannot fault his attitude and commitment these last two matches. Has played a full part in both results and does not look out of place at all in that role. Must know he has not performed as he has wanted over the past few seasons, but has shown some real character recently. Long may it continue.

Take the point entirely if you look at the chances…equally, this was not the Alamo of most games over the last dozen when we have been up and hanging on. Sure, they might have scored, but our game management gave us a chance.

7 points last three home games. AG a fortress! Aged several years in the IT there, but fought right to the end. Maybe on balance a draw would have been fair enough, but looked so much better last two matches. In the context of our season, and my nerves, a huge result. Get in!! Absolutely delighted with that. And a clean sheet!

Not done bad tonight, but momentum now shifted since Williams went off.

Shocking first 15 but grew in to it. Making a habit of being 1-0 at half time. Be nice to win one of them.

Only a matter of time…

Its a bit of a tangent, but on the topic of debuts this made me smile from the weekend. Has all the signs of a lower league club going 'o no...quick, see what we have to hand in the fridge...' https://thejjreport.com/sport/crewe-man-of-the-match-zac-williams-16-awarded-jaffa-cakes-and-ready-salted-crisps-as-hes-too-young-for-champagne/

Would have taken that before the match. We have played worse this year and come away with a win. Much better than some efforts recently, long way from ‘good’ but in isolation, encouraging.

Might all fall apart, but looking so much more solid today. Nice to see a team not just playing through us.

Cough...

Reading Cardiff and Peterboro all losing already...19 points might just be enough...

Getting dicked by WBA, not great, but it is what it is. Getting dicked by a very average B’ham…most disappointing result of the season. Thought we were well in it at half time. Time and time again however the other team finds it far to easy to create chances against us. If we cannot defend well we are dead in the water. Difficult to know what to say really.

Not a lot in it, if anything I think we edged it. Maybe the luck from Saturday evening out. Lucky goal, but should never have had that much space.

Lucky of course, but how much space did he find to line it up.

Don’t disagree at all. Other than the three at the top and a few at the bottom, it is fractions between the rest of us.