Prematch thoughts
The weather conditions may make this one unpredictable. A strong wind can play havoc with passing and shooting accuracy, so I hope that if this is the case, it will not be to our detriment. No matter how well you play, a little bit of luck never goes amiss.
Our opponents today are Bournemouth AFC, aka The Cherries. They are allegedly called this not just because of their shirt colour but also because their ground was built next to a cherry orchard.
They are not one of the big clubs (their stadium capacity is 11,307), but respect is needed as they are currently sitting at 10th in the table. It would be great if we could mirror their recent history in the Premier League.
In their first season, 2015-2016, the Cherries suffered a number of debilitating injuries. So far, they have been similar, with Axel and George in mind. Their team struggled in the early part of the season, but an upturn in form going forward in the second half saw them do well enough to avoid relegation. Hopefully, our trajectory will be the same or better, with perhaps some strengthening in the January window.
Let’s hope they leave their ‘Vitality’ back at their stadium!
It was great meeting Matt of YouTube ‘Talking Town #ITFC’ podcast fame and his friend Mike on the train. I, for one, will be listening in tomorrow.
First half
I was pleased when they announced the team. Given the injuries, it felt like the best pairings and positions were covered, although the subs bench suffered as a consequence.
Town played so well in the first half and were definitely the better team because of their possession, passing game, and threats on goal. The pressure paid off in the 21st minute with Conor Chaplin's first premiership goal, a strong shot low to the left of the keeper.
A scary moment occurred when Kerkez slammed the ball across the goal face, but fortunately, no one in the box managed to connect with it. Also, Kluivert went down in the box, which was rightly ignored, but the ball was picked up by another forward, only to rebound off the post.
At the end of the half, a second goal by Town was VAR-checked for a foul and disallowed, I think for a DeLap push on the keeper.
Half time
Everyone was pleased with the play so far but would have been happier with two in the bag. I tried to queue for a drink with no success.
Second Half
This was more of a game on from Bournemouth, who came out strongly after the break, but the team were still holding their own while the fans were all holding their breath.
Then disaster struck.
No one could understand why Muric came out for the pass from Ouattara that Erdi Onal tucked away in the 87th minute despite a heroic attempt by Cam Burgess to stop it.
Mutterings of one point are better than no points from the guy sitting in front of me. Sadly, even that was not to be.
6 mins added on.
In the 95th minute, Dango Ouattara scrambled the visitors' second goal in, which withstood a VAR test for off-side.
Seconds left and spirits broken.
Men of the match
Who to choose today?
Conor Chaplin, who played well throughout this game and whose goal means he has now, like Sam Morsy, scored in each of England’s top four tiers.
Leif Davis is arguably the team's most consistent player, bar none. Every week.
Cam Burgess and Dara O’Shea also deserve a mention for their solid defending.
Liam Delap looked shattered. I’m surprised he wasn’t substituted earlier.
Ali Al-Hamadi proved to be a lively replacement in the short time he played. I would love for him to score—he would make the record books as the first Iraqi to score in the Premier League.
Man of the match: Leif Davis
Round up
It's hard to process the feeling of being so near the much wished-for home win and three points today, only to be plunged into despair in the last 8 minutes of the game. I felt slightly stunned. It was a definite ‘how did that happen moment?!’ I know all about the fat lady singing, but I really hoped she had gone to watch Tottenham v Chelsea today.
Gary, my seat neighbour, summed it up with a laconic “Oh well, see you next time”.
It is even harder to imagine how that result is processed by the players, who, it can only be said, gave it their all today—our mainly Championship/League One team make-up, who played their socks off. To have all that expended energy replaced by negative energy instead of euphoria must be a truly shattering experience. It must really hurt.
It’s not helpful to apportion blame or point fingers, so we must cross them instead – and keep on running and roaring in this adverse climate. Let’s keep that fat lady at bay.
(Last season, this happened to teams we played, but rarely to us. Incidentally, I now know how my pal Martyn feels, who supports the Saints).
View from the train
Unsurprisingly, much of the conversation centred on goalkeepers.
One group cheerfully thought accruing vital points might all come down to the last game of the season against West Ham. Given the ‘down to the wire’ experiences of the last two years, I guess that seems possible for us, but I do hope not.
I’m not sure I could bear to watch that game.
Or to not watch it.
