After the last few home games at Roots Hall we all hoped for drama and excitement in this game and finally both were provided. I say finally as Mr Brown chose to set the team out a little differently today with Ranger leading the line as a lone forward and he also chose not to select Cox Thompson, Robinson, Demetriou Timlin or Fortune to start. Instead John White retained the right back slot and Inniss partnered Ferdinand at the back and Amos got his first start of the season. Maybe PB chose to change the formation to nullify Walsall’s diminutive play maker Oztumer. If that was the case the formation worked as a Lenny tackle ended his involvement after 15 minutes but heralded the arrival of Franck Moussa, back to the Roots Hall pitch. How does he repay us for all our love in the past? He scores twice within 10 minutes, the ungrateful git. Seriously, the formation change appeared to unsettle the team and we were nothing like the team we have been. Second to the ball more often than not, misplaced passes and our defending for both of the Walsall goals was woeful. Surely professional footballers should be able to handle a change of tactics? Not the team I saw in the first half couldn’t. So 0-2 down and there endeth the first half with much despondency all round in the West Stand, including the West Stand gents. Even a fresh coat of cream paint in there could not lift spirits.
So onto the second 45 minutes and no obvious changes had been made to the team or formation. And off we went again until the 50[SUP]th[/SUP] minute when Demetriou and Robinson were bought on for Amos and Inniss and immediately there was far more urgency and pace about our game. An honourable mention for Amos by the way. I thought he was one of the few players to come out of the first half with any credit. Then on the 63[SUP]rd[/SUP] minute the goal I have been banging on about for ages happened, a header from Ranger and we were sort of back in it. You would have thought that Ranger’s first goal at the Hall would have signalled mad hysteria but it was nowhere near the crowd explosion I was expecting. Anyway, next into the goal scoring action was Mr Ferdinand in the 76[SUP]th[/SUP] minute and after that it was game on. Everything changed, the players’ attitudes, the crowd’s backing, the lot, all for the better. In the 83[SUP]rd[/SUP] minute we were awarded a direct free kick and up stepped Cox who had come on for Atkinson. Nobody can say that a player will definitely score, but you just knew that Coxy would smack it in, maybe to prove a point to PB for leaving him out? Who knows. Anyway, up he steps and bosh, back of the net and 3-2 to us. Cue mad celebrations all round. There was five minutes added on which we saw out comfortably, so in the end well done Blues, me and her went home very happy people. Play-offs still a possibility, but please Phil, don’t keep dicking about with the formation, stay with what the players know best. Well done for the substitutions but maybe we would have won comfortably if you hadn’t tinkered?
ps - Wordsworth worked his nuts off this afternoon and I also thought the Ref was one of the best I have seen at the Hall this season.