Sunday, 11 December 2011
Pinch me. I'm dreaming
Like many other Cheltenham fans, I suspect, I have been walking around with a stupid grin on my face since about 4.50pm yesterday afternoon.
I mean, let's face it, this sort of thing isn't supposed to happen, is it?
Cheltenham Town teams don't welcome the 17-games unbeaten League leaders to their territory, play them off the park, restrict them to one shot in the 91st minute and send them packing with their tails between their legs, do they?
Hmm. Apparently they do.
I would hope that, after seeing that display yesterday, even the most hard-hearted and pessimistic Cheltenham fans out there (you know who you are) are even starting to believe that this team could be the real deal.
As I stood outside watching the fans leave and speaking to a few for the BBC Gloucestershire breakfast show tomorrow, I got emotions from disbelief to excitement with everything in between.
Paul Collicutt, our former skipper, walked past me and said it was the best football he has ever seen at Whaddon Road, a thought echoed by a couple of other fans on the mic I waved under their noses.
But maybe the most pertinent comments of all came from the manager at the final whistle, shown on that excellent Mark Clemmit piece on the Football League Show.
The cautious Yatesy we have seen all season was replaced by a more bullish Yatesy, a manager who looks like even he is being fully convinced by what he has in front of him.
Of course he has been convinced by it since July, one would suspect, but it seems to be dawning on everyone finally that this may not just be a good start, it might be something special in the making.
Also on that piece, Yatesy said this team is better than the side which he was a part of nine years ago, which took us out of League Two on that never to be forgotten day in Cardiff.
High praise indeed. The team that day was Book; Griffin, Duff, Walker, Victory; Williams, Finnigan, Yates, Devaney (Grayson, 76); Alsop, Naylor... some big CTFC names there.
But there are similarities.
Sido Jombati could be the new Jamie Victory - the same athleticism, claw-like tackling ability and forward forages; Russ Penn is the Mark Yates - all action, work-rate, heart on the sleeve and the odd crucial goal.
Kaid Mohamed could be Martin Devaney - an enigma; brilliant one minute, frustrating the next, and is Darryl Duffy the nearest thing we have had to a Tony Naylor, for finishing ability?
It is always difficult to compare past and present, but I have to say Alan Bennett and Steve Elliott have to be on their way to matching Chris Banks and Mark Freeman; Marlon Pack could be the man to lay the ghost of Grant McCann and Luke Summerfield is probably the closest thing we have had to Lee Howells since that broken leg at Bristol Rovers effectively ended his career.
Am I getting carried away? Maybe. Do I care? No.
I'd also like to put to bed the idea being floated in some quarters that this success has been 'solely' down the loan signings.
Yes, Jack Butland has done well. But who has kept the strikers quiet so he has hardly anything to do in the majority of games he has played? Elliott and Bennett, our players.
What has been the major tactical switch from Yatesy which has sparked the run of success in the past two months? Three in midfield, Penn, Summerfield and Pack, our players.
Our top scorer has 10 goals. Our player, Darryl Duffy.
So there we go. It is not just down to the loans, and not bound to implode (as some doom-mongers continue to maintain) when (or if) Luke Garbutt and Jimmy Spencer join Jack Butland in returning to his parent club.
Butland's final game was probably his quietest, and was the easiest clean sheet he will have in his career.
The only save he had to make was from his own player, Garbutt, and Southend did not have a shot on target, such was the dominance of our display.
We started well, and Russ Penn did fantastically well to set up Spencer for the opener.
Steve Elliott could have headed a second, but we went in at the break and waited for the Southend response in the second half.
It never came. Russ Penn and Luke Summerfield continued their combined attempt to cover every blade of grass, Marlon Pack ran the game and waged his own personal battle with the Whaddon Road goalposts while Jack Butland got the pipe and slippers out.
Penn and Pack rounded the game off and we were left to wonder where the real Southend United we had seen every week on the FLS sweeping teams aside had vanished to.
As a statement of intent, it was pretty major.
Player by player
Jack Butland - Finished with a clean sheet, and let's face it, that was never in doubt from the early minutes of the game. Leaves with our thanks, and probably won't be back, although he would like to be. Everyone wants it to happen, Yatesy, Jack, his coach Dave Watson. Go on Mr Hughton, you know it makes sense...
Sido Jombati - Continues to confound and astound in equal measure. Had some tricky customers in Hall and Mohsni to deal with, but just takes it all in that languid, loping stride.
Luke Garbutt - Solid on his return after a week off. An asset going forward but can defend as well, and some decent set-pieces.
Alan Bennett - Nothing against Keith Lowe at all, but Benno just looks happier with Steve Elliott alongside him. Dickinson never had a sniff.
Steve Elliott - Back in harness with his mate Benno, and was like he had never been away with another consistent show, winning just about every header available.
Marlon Pack - Ran the game. If those two efforts which hit the post had gone in (especially the first one) we would have been talking about it for years. Fully deserved his goal.
Russ Penn - Attitude, commitment, work rate and no little skill rolled into one. Incredible signing. Deserved his goal as well. Will be interesting to see how we cope without him at Barnet on Friday,after his fifth booking, and can also rest his dodgy hamstring.
Luke Summerfield - The unsung hero. Had a great game, but overshadowed again by Pack and Penn. Quickly become a very important cog in the machine. Fantastic pass to Pack for the third goal.
Josh Low - Moved from left back to right wing and had some good flashes but also had to deal with his full-back getting forward which he did well. Played vital part in the second goal.
Kaid Mohamed - Sometimes brilliant, sometimes frustrating, more often the latter. One great run nearly set up a goal but didn't chance his arm enough against their back four.
Jimmy Spencer - Took his goal well and would have had two more but for a great block before Penn's goal and his being inches from Kaid's cross. Seven goals now - hope we can keep him for the season, indications are promising I understand.
Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Russ Penn, 82) - 20 out of 20 now from the bench for Junior, and helped us close the game out. Will he get that elusive league start on Friday?
Jeff Goulding (for Jimmy Spencer, 84) - Like Junior, has been relegated to a cameo role this season, and came on to provide a late outlet.
Bobby Reid (for Kaid Mohamed, 89) - A few decent touches and looked a tenacious little player in the few minutes he was on. Also a contender for Penn's role at Underhill.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
It's time to bin Bashley
For the past 13 years or so, a small village on the edge of the New Forest seems to have represented the benchmark for being a 'true' Cheltenham Town fan.
In the Paddock, whenever we had a 'big' game and a slightly larger than average crowd, a chant would go up... 'If you all went to Bashley, clap your hands' and those amongst us who termed themselves the long-standing fans would all applaud.
It was meant to show the newer element of the support, the 'bandwagon jumpers' if you like, that they were ... well, I'm not really sure what it was meant to do.
Was it meant to show they were intruders? That they were inferior to us 'hardcore' fans, just because we had been to a small ground in Hampshire and they haven't?
I suspect that if you counted up the number of people who claim they went to Bashley, it would number about the same as who claimed they didn't make it through the queues at Rushden, or those who were at the last Sex Pistols gig.
I went there once. It's a pretty non-descript place, hardly deserving to be held up as a pantheon of greatness.
When I went, I took my ex-wife, so she can claim to have been to Bashley as well.
It was one of about three CTFC games she has watched, our win at St Alban's City in the FA Cup was another. She hates football, but she can applaud the song, as she did go to Bashley...
And therein lies the message. So what if you went to Bashley? Or so what if you were one of the 'Exmouth 18' (I was the 19th...). Does that make you more of a fan than someone who has caught the bug since then?
Of course it doesn't.
There has been a bit of 'us and them' down the years, especially when the C&G End was built, and the major singing gravitated there from the Paddock.
I admit I used to complain vociferously (still do sometimes) that they sang the wrong words, and sang the songs too fast - I still think the Wymans do now on occasions, and get a bit grumpy when they sing about Hereford, but I applaud them for doing what I was doing 30-odd years ago - getting behind the team.
The cup draw with Spurs was greeted with universal delight by CTFC fans, but it didn't take long for the moans and groans to start.
It was the usual one. The one we had before the Trophy final at Wembley, the Millennium Stadium play-offs, the Cup game with Newcastle, even League games with Nottingham Forest and Leeds in League One.
Here come the part-timers. The bandwagon-jumpers. The once-a-season brigade. They will get the tickets and the regulars will miss out... etc etc etc
The club have today announced the priority scheme for White Hart Lane, and I think it is very fair and should make sure the regular 2500-3000 who watch home games, and, most importantly, the core 200 or so who regularly go away, will get first dibs.
Season ticket holders, VPs, Travel Club members, shareholders, Junior Robins, Trust members and club membership scheme subscribers - the people who regularly invest their money in the club - are first in the queue, and that should catch most of the regulars.
But the thing I am most pleased about is the next stipulation that people must have a stub from the Southend game on Saturday.
This will increase the crowd for arguably our biggest game of the season so far, and bring in extra revenue as it is a premium game.
As adult tickets for Spurs are £20, it means a 'floater' will, in effect, have to pay around £38-£40 to get their day out in London, and I applaud the club for doing that - making them 'work' for their ticket.
There was criticism in the past for previous priority schemes which almost made it too easy for the band-wagon jumpers. Not this time. They have to jump through a little hoop first.
We have 5000 tickets for White Hart Lane, and I hope we sell them all, and I hope those people who come along for the first time ever, or the first time in a while, have a great day, even if they don't know their Marlon Packs from their Russell Penns.
Add to that the money they will spend on coach tickets, scarves, shirts, flags, and the more people come, the more money we get from the tie, and the more money Mark Yates could get for squad strengthening and Paul Baker will get for the continuing stability of the club. Surely that's what we all want?
I hope that some of those who come on Saturday and then in early January catch the bug the rest of us have had for years and stick with us on our big adventure.
It's time to bin Bashley, and welcome a new wave of fans with open arms.
In the Paddock, whenever we had a 'big' game and a slightly larger than average crowd, a chant would go up... 'If you all went to Bashley, clap your hands' and those amongst us who termed themselves the long-standing fans would all applaud.
It was meant to show the newer element of the support, the 'bandwagon jumpers' if you like, that they were ... well, I'm not really sure what it was meant to do.
Was it meant to show they were intruders? That they were inferior to us 'hardcore' fans, just because we had been to a small ground in Hampshire and they haven't?
I suspect that if you counted up the number of people who claim they went to Bashley, it would number about the same as who claimed they didn't make it through the queues at Rushden, or those who were at the last Sex Pistols gig.
I went there once. It's a pretty non-descript place, hardly deserving to be held up as a pantheon of greatness.
When I went, I took my ex-wife, so she can claim to have been to Bashley as well.
It was one of about three CTFC games she has watched, our win at St Alban's City in the FA Cup was another. She hates football, but she can applaud the song, as she did go to Bashley...
And therein lies the message. So what if you went to Bashley? Or so what if you were one of the 'Exmouth 18' (I was the 19th...). Does that make you more of a fan than someone who has caught the bug since then?
Of course it doesn't.
There has been a bit of 'us and them' down the years, especially when the C&G End was built, and the major singing gravitated there from the Paddock.
I admit I used to complain vociferously (still do sometimes) that they sang the wrong words, and sang the songs too fast - I still think the Wymans do now on occasions, and get a bit grumpy when they sing about Hereford, but I applaud them for doing what I was doing 30-odd years ago - getting behind the team.
The cup draw with Spurs was greeted with universal delight by CTFC fans, but it didn't take long for the moans and groans to start.
It was the usual one. The one we had before the Trophy final at Wembley, the Millennium Stadium play-offs, the Cup game with Newcastle, even League games with Nottingham Forest and Leeds in League One.
Here come the part-timers. The bandwagon-jumpers. The once-a-season brigade. They will get the tickets and the regulars will miss out... etc etc etc
The club have today announced the priority scheme for White Hart Lane, and I think it is very fair and should make sure the regular 2500-3000 who watch home games, and, most importantly, the core 200 or so who regularly go away, will get first dibs.
Season ticket holders, VPs, Travel Club members, shareholders, Junior Robins, Trust members and club membership scheme subscribers - the people who regularly invest their money in the club - are first in the queue, and that should catch most of the regulars.
But the thing I am most pleased about is the next stipulation that people must have a stub from the Southend game on Saturday.
This will increase the crowd for arguably our biggest game of the season so far, and bring in extra revenue as it is a premium game.
As adult tickets for Spurs are £20, it means a 'floater' will, in effect, have to pay around £38-£40 to get their day out in London, and I applaud the club for doing that - making them 'work' for their ticket.
There was criticism in the past for previous priority schemes which almost made it too easy for the band-wagon jumpers. Not this time. They have to jump through a little hoop first.
We have 5000 tickets for White Hart Lane, and I hope we sell them all, and I hope those people who come along for the first time ever, or the first time in a while, have a great day, even if they don't know their Marlon Packs from their Russell Penns.
Add to that the money they will spend on coach tickets, scarves, shirts, flags, and the more people come, the more money we get from the tie, and the more money Mark Yates could get for squad strengthening and Paul Baker will get for the continuing stability of the club. Surely that's what we all want?
I hope that some of those who come on Saturday and then in early January catch the bug the rest of us have had for years and stick with us on our big adventure.
It's time to bin Bashley, and welcome a new wave of fans with open arms.
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Going to get our Spurs
Wow.
At around 2.45 this afternoon, Li Tie wrote himself into Cheltenham Town folklore for ever.
All he did was stick his hand into a large bowl, and pull out ball number 52 at just the right time.
Before we got pulled out, Middlesbrough, Doncaster and Crawley came out and I was yelling at the (now) greatest man ever to come out of China not to pull out ball 52.
Only when Manchester City came out did I ask for number 52, before that great moment when we came out alongside Tottenham Hotspur.
I was watching the draw with my eight year old daughter, and we leapt around the lounge (before I had to expalin to her just how big a team Tottenham are)...
Given our luck in draws, I expected Oldham or Southend away, or an uninspiring Championship side like Doncaster or a delightful trip to Hull.
But no, for once the balls were with us and we are going to White Hart Lane on the weekend of January 7.
Yes, White Hart Lane. Unbelievable.
I am delighted for the chairman, manager and players, who have all been superb this season and deserve to showcase the club on this stage.
It is fitting that it will be the second game of our 125th anniversary year.
I am delighted for the fans who have followed the side around the country - especially the hardcore, the 80 who were at the JPT game at Wycombe for instance, those who went to Accrington on a Friday night, those who have put up with all manner of crap in recent seasons.
Among them are some Spurs fans - James Young, my sometimes partner in crime on the Robins Player commentaries, Jon Mundy, Simon and Tom Read.
My best man Steve Slatter and my old colleague at the Echo and Bristol Evening Post, Gary Walker were regulars in the past, and will also be in a no-lose situation.
White Hart Lane holds (according to Wikipedia) 36,230. For the FA Cup, clubs have to give 15 per cent of the capacity to visiting fans, so by my reckoning that comes to 5,434 tickets for us. Surely that will be plenty - and it could be the biggest crowd ever to watch a Cheltenham Town match.
Disappointingly, I have already heard moans that the 'part-timers' will get tickets and the loyal hardcore will miss out.
I cannot see why this would be the case, and it is down to the club to make sure this is not the case - and anyway, if these non-regulars do go, they might enjoy it and come regularly - and it is all money for the club.
Season ticket holders must have priority along with Trust members (of which I am one...), VPs and club membership scheme subscribers.
I would also include Travel Club members in here as that should catch the majority of the regular fans although the moans have already started, which is disappointing but sadly predictable.
It winds me up when we get a draw like this and all people do is complain that 'regular' fans won't get a ticket. If you are a regular, surely you will fall into one of the above categories, so why should you not get a ticket?
I do hope however that the club then puts in some sort of ticket stub priority - maybe 5 home games, or the last 3 aways - or sells tickets for Spurs with the proviso also of buying for the Boxing Day game with Shrewsbury and Dec 30's meeting with Rotherham to help fill the ground for these two vital League games.
I would hope the club would be pro-active in this way to get the ground rocking for the next three home games and cash in on that feel-good factor we have going at the moment.
I don't suspect Mr Redknapp will play all of his stars, but it would be great to see Sido v Gareth Bale, and the Pack, Penn, Summerfield trio against Modric, Parker and van der Vaart, wouldn't it...
Anyway, now I suppose I had better talk about how we got into that glass bowl earlier today.
As we look forward to visiting one of England's finest stadiums, we booked that trip at one of the worst, and in doing so made it a record 8 away wins in a row.
Grudgingly, I have to admit that Luton played quite well, but our resilience shone through in the end and I didn't think we were in much danger once we went 3-2 up.
Darryl Duffy got us off to a great start with a one-touch finish after Scott Brown's long goal-kick.
The equaliser we conceded was poor with Robbie Willmott getting past Sido Jombati and Alan Bennett too easily, but a bit of luck with Marlon Pack's deflected effort off Dan Gleeson putting us back in front.
To be honest, we were a bit fortunate to be in front as Luton (he says through very gritted teeth...) gave us a harder test than many of the sides have recently on the road.
They got level again, and I must admit I was worried for a while. The side we had last season would have caved in, and from 2-2 we would have lost that game.
But this team is made of sterner stuff and Duffy and Russ Penn fashioned a great goal for Luke Summerfield and bar Alex Lawless hitting the post for Luton, that was that.
Duffy got sent off for two yellow cards in as many minutes, and having seen the highlights I can't have any complaints about either caution.
The gloss was applied by Penn's first goal for us, brilliantly taken, and it was a very satisfying victory for the club, and it has now got its just rewards. We will be ball number 8 in the fourth round draw.
I am sure this won't happen within the squad, but we must not take our eye off the ball in the League, as we have Southend, Barnet, Shrewsbury, Rotherham and Port Vale to play, all tough games, before we head for Spurs. Cliche yes, boring maybe, but the league still has to come first.
Player by player
Scott Brown - No chance with the goals and set up the first goal for Darryl Duffy. Only had one real save to make, and it was a good one from Adam Watkins.
Sido Jombati - Another good game apart from the Luton first goal when he let Willmott past him far too easily.
Josh Low - Was worried when I saw him on the teamsheet at left back. Had a few shaky moments at times when he tried to over play in our box, but thought he did okay overall.
Alan Bennett - Even bigger role than usual without Steve Elliott alongside him, but won most of his headers although along with Sido he let Willmott go for their first goal.
Keith Lowe - Drafted in at centre half and didn't think he let us down at all despite having only played there in the JPT this season.
Russ Penn - Great performance capped with a well-taken goal. Also set up Luke's goal with a good run and could have scored another.
Luke Summerfield - Thumping finish for his goal and another industrious performance which included a booking.
Marlon Pack - Deflected shot for his goal but overall a patchy performance I felt. Some great touches and passes, but got caught in possession a few times.
Kaid Mohamed - Thought he had a poor game, losing possession a few times through casual passes and poor decision making, and was lacking defensively.
Jimmy Spencer - Usual hard-working performance down the right and seems to work well with Sido on that flank.
Darryl Duffy - Took his goal superbly and set up Luke's well. Two yellow cards in two minutes, and don;t see he can argue with either. Will miss Southend next weekend.
Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Mohamed, 85) - Thought he did well when he came on, giving us a good outlet and setting up Penn's goal.
Jeff Goulding (for Spencer 90) - Came on right at the end.
At around 2.45 this afternoon, Li Tie wrote himself into Cheltenham Town folklore for ever.
All he did was stick his hand into a large bowl, and pull out ball number 52 at just the right time.
Before we got pulled out, Middlesbrough, Doncaster and Crawley came out and I was yelling at the (now) greatest man ever to come out of China not to pull out ball 52.
Only when Manchester City came out did I ask for number 52, before that great moment when we came out alongside Tottenham Hotspur.
I was watching the draw with my eight year old daughter, and we leapt around the lounge (before I had to expalin to her just how big a team Tottenham are)...
Given our luck in draws, I expected Oldham or Southend away, or an uninspiring Championship side like Doncaster or a delightful trip to Hull.
But no, for once the balls were with us and we are going to White Hart Lane on the weekend of January 7.
Yes, White Hart Lane. Unbelievable.
I am delighted for the chairman, manager and players, who have all been superb this season and deserve to showcase the club on this stage.
It is fitting that it will be the second game of our 125th anniversary year.
I am delighted for the fans who have followed the side around the country - especially the hardcore, the 80 who were at the JPT game at Wycombe for instance, those who went to Accrington on a Friday night, those who have put up with all manner of crap in recent seasons.
Among them are some Spurs fans - James Young, my sometimes partner in crime on the Robins Player commentaries, Jon Mundy, Simon and Tom Read.
My best man Steve Slatter and my old colleague at the Echo and Bristol Evening Post, Gary Walker were regulars in the past, and will also be in a no-lose situation.
White Hart Lane holds (according to Wikipedia) 36,230. For the FA Cup, clubs have to give 15 per cent of the capacity to visiting fans, so by my reckoning that comes to 5,434 tickets for us. Surely that will be plenty - and it could be the biggest crowd ever to watch a Cheltenham Town match.
Disappointingly, I have already heard moans that the 'part-timers' will get tickets and the loyal hardcore will miss out.
I cannot see why this would be the case, and it is down to the club to make sure this is not the case - and anyway, if these non-regulars do go, they might enjoy it and come regularly - and it is all money for the club.
Season ticket holders must have priority along with Trust members (of which I am one...), VPs and club membership scheme subscribers.
I would also include Travel Club members in here as that should catch the majority of the regular fans although the moans have already started, which is disappointing but sadly predictable.
It winds me up when we get a draw like this and all people do is complain that 'regular' fans won't get a ticket. If you are a regular, surely you will fall into one of the above categories, so why should you not get a ticket?
I do hope however that the club then puts in some sort of ticket stub priority - maybe 5 home games, or the last 3 aways - or sells tickets for Spurs with the proviso also of buying for the Boxing Day game with Shrewsbury and Dec 30's meeting with Rotherham to help fill the ground for these two vital League games.
I would hope the club would be pro-active in this way to get the ground rocking for the next three home games and cash in on that feel-good factor we have going at the moment.
I don't suspect Mr Redknapp will play all of his stars, but it would be great to see Sido v Gareth Bale, and the Pack, Penn, Summerfield trio against Modric, Parker and van der Vaart, wouldn't it...
Anyway, now I suppose I had better talk about how we got into that glass bowl earlier today.
As we look forward to visiting one of England's finest stadiums, we booked that trip at one of the worst, and in doing so made it a record 8 away wins in a row.
Grudgingly, I have to admit that Luton played quite well, but our resilience shone through in the end and I didn't think we were in much danger once we went 3-2 up.
Darryl Duffy got us off to a great start with a one-touch finish after Scott Brown's long goal-kick.
The equaliser we conceded was poor with Robbie Willmott getting past Sido Jombati and Alan Bennett too easily, but a bit of luck with Marlon Pack's deflected effort off Dan Gleeson putting us back in front.
To be honest, we were a bit fortunate to be in front as Luton (he says through very gritted teeth...) gave us a harder test than many of the sides have recently on the road.
They got level again, and I must admit I was worried for a while. The side we had last season would have caved in, and from 2-2 we would have lost that game.
But this team is made of sterner stuff and Duffy and Russ Penn fashioned a great goal for Luke Summerfield and bar Alex Lawless hitting the post for Luton, that was that.
Duffy got sent off for two yellow cards in as many minutes, and having seen the highlights I can't have any complaints about either caution.
The gloss was applied by Penn's first goal for us, brilliantly taken, and it was a very satisfying victory for the club, and it has now got its just rewards. We will be ball number 8 in the fourth round draw.
I am sure this won't happen within the squad, but we must not take our eye off the ball in the League, as we have Southend, Barnet, Shrewsbury, Rotherham and Port Vale to play, all tough games, before we head for Spurs. Cliche yes, boring maybe, but the league still has to come first.
Player by player
Scott Brown - No chance with the goals and set up the first goal for Darryl Duffy. Only had one real save to make, and it was a good one from Adam Watkins.
Sido Jombati - Another good game apart from the Luton first goal when he let Willmott past him far too easily.
Josh Low - Was worried when I saw him on the teamsheet at left back. Had a few shaky moments at times when he tried to over play in our box, but thought he did okay overall.
Alan Bennett - Even bigger role than usual without Steve Elliott alongside him, but won most of his headers although along with Sido he let Willmott go for their first goal.
Keith Lowe - Drafted in at centre half and didn't think he let us down at all despite having only played there in the JPT this season.
Russ Penn - Great performance capped with a well-taken goal. Also set up Luke's goal with a good run and could have scored another.
Luke Summerfield - Thumping finish for his goal and another industrious performance which included a booking.
Marlon Pack - Deflected shot for his goal but overall a patchy performance I felt. Some great touches and passes, but got caught in possession a few times.
Kaid Mohamed - Thought he had a poor game, losing possession a few times through casual passes and poor decision making, and was lacking defensively.
Jimmy Spencer - Usual hard-working performance down the right and seems to work well with Sido on that flank.
Darryl Duffy - Took his goal superbly and set up Luke's well. Two yellow cards in two minutes, and don;t see he can argue with either. Will miss Southend next weekend.
Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Mohamed, 85) - Thought he did well when he came on, giving us a good outlet and setting up Penn's goal.
Jeff Goulding (for Spencer 90) - Came on right at the end.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Serving up a hammering
One of the many enjoyable things about doing radio commentary at away games is listening to how the opposition commentators and - more importantly - the opposition fans react after a game.
BBC Oxford have an after-match phone-in and the presenter was a busy man fielding moans about Chris Wilder, his team selection, their performance and the referee (was he from Swindon, asked one caller).
That should sum up in a nutshell just how dominant our performance was on Saturday.
We have, over the past few weeks, turned up at various places, seen the team go out and win, left happily but always had this nagging thought in the back of our minds.
Remember last season.... remember last season.... remember last season.
Tell you what, it might just be time to forget about last season after a display and victory like that.
'An automatic promotion performance' was how one friend of mine described it.
A tweet I read from an Oxford fan said they hadn't been outplayed like that at home for two years.
From the moment Russ Penn charged up the wing in the first 30 seconds and won a corner, you could tell which team fancied it, and which one didn't.
Their midfield didn't want to know in the face of the intensity of our Three Musketeers, while their two centre halves were dominated by Darryl Duffy's movement.
Kaid Mohamed had the beating of his full back but let himself down with poor decision making - the only minus of the afternoon - while James Constable can come out of Steve Elliott's pocket now.
Our first half performance was as good a 45 minutes as we have played away from home in the past four or five seasons, let alone just the last six games.
We should have been at least three goals ahead, but led thanks to Sido Jombati's goal in the eighth minute.
Did he mean it? I am not sure.
Mark Yates said afterwards that Steve Book had noticed Ryan Clarke tended to come off his line a bit, and suggested that Sido had spotted that and lobbed him, but both Russ Penn and Sido suggested there was maybe a bit of fortune about it.
Who cares though. The celebration was special, and the large smile he always plays with was even bigger than usual for a player who has quickly become both a cult hero and an integral part of the side.
Remember that he has ousted last season's player of the year, the Bilston Cafu himself, Keith Lowe, and Mark Yates compared him to a Brazilian full-back after the game.
He said it was Jairzinho, but maybe the boss's knowledge of 1970 was a bit hazy - sure he meant Carlos Alberto - but Sido's reaction at being called Brazilian was a bit muted... 'Pah, I am Portuguese' he said, rather like an Englishman being told he plays cricket like an Australian, one would suggest.
Kaid Mohamed had a shot saved when he should have passed to Darryl Duffy, Russ Penn had two decent chances and Duffy nearly got a second right on half-time.
After such a dominant display there was a slight worry that we would not maintain that intensity, and a rollicking from Chris Wilder would see Oxford storm back after the break.
But we are the best 1-0 team in the division - the only games we have not won this season after we have scored the first goal is the 2-2 draw at Torquay. Not a bad record...
Oxford sent on a striker, Deane Smalley, for Paul McLaren, who had been smashed throughout the first half by Russ Penn and Luke Summerfield.
Then Liam Davis got two yellow cards in six minutes - and should have gone earlier for fouling Penn, who was somehow booked for diving after the linesman had signalled for our free-kick.
Another substitution saw a defender, Harry Worley, come on for Lewis Guy, and then Jimmy Spencer got the second with a clever finish after Luke Summerfield volleyed a corner across the face of goal.
Mark Yates then took Russ Penn off and replaced him with Junior Smikle - good management as Penn was booked, had treatment for an injury and the game was becoming increasingly fractious.
We lost Penn's work rate and it allowed Oxford to have their best spell of the game and Jack Butland made good saves from Robert Hall, a Peter Leven free-kick and even the invisible James Constable had a shot.
But we were still comfortable, and maybe the only worry came when Leven curled in a fantastic free-kick for the first league goal we have conceded away from home since Lee Brown's goal on October 1 at Bristol Rovers - 387 minutes ago.
After a sublime free-kick, our goal came from a ridiculous one, Kaid Mohamed's 'shot' hitting Leven and dribbling past Clarke.
That was that, and there followed a mass emptying of the home stands as more than half of the Oxford contingent of the 8,037 crowd vanished almost immediately, or quickly donned fancy dress costumes as blue seats.
But the 766 members of the Ruby Army kept singing as they had from an hour before kick off, and the team celebrated with them after what I thought was our best away display in the recent run we have had.
So that is the Magnificient Seven away from home, matching what we did under Steve Cotterill in 2002, and our 12th win of the league season - remember, we only won 13 games in the whole of last season...
So on to Luton, then Southend at home, followed by Shrewsbury over Christmas.
Tough games yes, but after a performance like this, we should be fearing no one. If anything, they should be worrying about us.
Player by player
Jack Butland - Made some fabulous saves in the second half as Oxford had a decent spell, and was commanding throughout. Probably only one more game left of his loan spell but would love him back in January.
Sido Jombati - Great goal, whether he meant it or not, which has cemented his cult status. Another good performance overall.
Luke Garbutt - Kept Lewis Guy and Robert Hall quiet on the flanks and some decent set-piece delivery. Has been a big asset and glad he is here until January at least.
Alan Bennett - Usual commanding performance at the back. Never seems to panic, just goes about his job calmly and effectively. A great leader.
Steve Elliott - Brilliant display to keep Constable very quiet. He and Bennett have been imperious in the last two months.
Russ Penn - Work-rate and intensity set the tone for the whole display. He is the heartbeat of the team, and I lost count of how many 50-50 tackles he won, especially in the first half. Would love him to get a goal!
Marlon Pack - Superb passing and tackling as usual. One brilliant turn to outfox two Oxford midfielders and set us on an attack in the first half. Now on eight bookings for the season.
Luke Summerfield - Becoming a vital player now he has his real match sharpness. Under-rated by many and the 'quiet partner' of the midfield three.
Kaid Mohamed - Had the beating of Damian Batt from the off but too often made a poor decision when the play opened up for him. Could see the Oxford defenders didn't want to know when he ran at them.
Jimmy Spencer - Took his goal superbly and work rate was excellent down the right hand side, while he also linked up well with Darryl.
Darryl Duffy - Movement was superb and was a constant pain to Andy Whing and Jake Wright. Performance deserved a goal.
Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Russ Penn 65 mins) - Good decision to take Russ off, but Junior failed to acclimatise to the pace and intensity of the game and looked a bit lost.
Josh Low (for Darryl Duffy 71 mins) - Useful outlet for us on the right in the closing stages, even won a 50-50 tackle.
Marlon Jackson (for Kaid Mohamed, 90 mins) - Cameo for the new loan signing. Touched the ball once.
BBC Oxford have an after-match phone-in and the presenter was a busy man fielding moans about Chris Wilder, his team selection, their performance and the referee (was he from Swindon, asked one caller).
That should sum up in a nutshell just how dominant our performance was on Saturday.
We have, over the past few weeks, turned up at various places, seen the team go out and win, left happily but always had this nagging thought in the back of our minds.
Remember last season.... remember last season.... remember last season.
Tell you what, it might just be time to forget about last season after a display and victory like that.
'An automatic promotion performance' was how one friend of mine described it.
A tweet I read from an Oxford fan said they hadn't been outplayed like that at home for two years.
From the moment Russ Penn charged up the wing in the first 30 seconds and won a corner, you could tell which team fancied it, and which one didn't.
Their midfield didn't want to know in the face of the intensity of our Three Musketeers, while their two centre halves were dominated by Darryl Duffy's movement.
Kaid Mohamed had the beating of his full back but let himself down with poor decision making - the only minus of the afternoon - while James Constable can come out of Steve Elliott's pocket now.
Our first half performance was as good a 45 minutes as we have played away from home in the past four or five seasons, let alone just the last six games.
We should have been at least three goals ahead, but led thanks to Sido Jombati's goal in the eighth minute.
Did he mean it? I am not sure.
Mark Yates said afterwards that Steve Book had noticed Ryan Clarke tended to come off his line a bit, and suggested that Sido had spotted that and lobbed him, but both Russ Penn and Sido suggested there was maybe a bit of fortune about it.
Who cares though. The celebration was special, and the large smile he always plays with was even bigger than usual for a player who has quickly become both a cult hero and an integral part of the side.
Remember that he has ousted last season's player of the year, the Bilston Cafu himself, Keith Lowe, and Mark Yates compared him to a Brazilian full-back after the game.
He said it was Jairzinho, but maybe the boss's knowledge of 1970 was a bit hazy - sure he meant Carlos Alberto - but Sido's reaction at being called Brazilian was a bit muted... 'Pah, I am Portuguese' he said, rather like an Englishman being told he plays cricket like an Australian, one would suggest.
Kaid Mohamed had a shot saved when he should have passed to Darryl Duffy, Russ Penn had two decent chances and Duffy nearly got a second right on half-time.
After such a dominant display there was a slight worry that we would not maintain that intensity, and a rollicking from Chris Wilder would see Oxford storm back after the break.
But we are the best 1-0 team in the division - the only games we have not won this season after we have scored the first goal is the 2-2 draw at Torquay. Not a bad record...
Oxford sent on a striker, Deane Smalley, for Paul McLaren, who had been smashed throughout the first half by Russ Penn and Luke Summerfield.
Then Liam Davis got two yellow cards in six minutes - and should have gone earlier for fouling Penn, who was somehow booked for diving after the linesman had signalled for our free-kick.
Another substitution saw a defender, Harry Worley, come on for Lewis Guy, and then Jimmy Spencer got the second with a clever finish after Luke Summerfield volleyed a corner across the face of goal.
Mark Yates then took Russ Penn off and replaced him with Junior Smikle - good management as Penn was booked, had treatment for an injury and the game was becoming increasingly fractious.
We lost Penn's work rate and it allowed Oxford to have their best spell of the game and Jack Butland made good saves from Robert Hall, a Peter Leven free-kick and even the invisible James Constable had a shot.
But we were still comfortable, and maybe the only worry came when Leven curled in a fantastic free-kick for the first league goal we have conceded away from home since Lee Brown's goal on October 1 at Bristol Rovers - 387 minutes ago.
After a sublime free-kick, our goal came from a ridiculous one, Kaid Mohamed's 'shot' hitting Leven and dribbling past Clarke.
That was that, and there followed a mass emptying of the home stands as more than half of the Oxford contingent of the 8,037 crowd vanished almost immediately, or quickly donned fancy dress costumes as blue seats.
But the 766 members of the Ruby Army kept singing as they had from an hour before kick off, and the team celebrated with them after what I thought was our best away display in the recent run we have had.
So that is the Magnificient Seven away from home, matching what we did under Steve Cotterill in 2002, and our 12th win of the league season - remember, we only won 13 games in the whole of last season...
So on to Luton, then Southend at home, followed by Shrewsbury over Christmas.
Tough games yes, but after a performance like this, we should be fearing no one. If anything, they should be worrying about us.
Player by player
Jack Butland - Made some fabulous saves in the second half as Oxford had a decent spell, and was commanding throughout. Probably only one more game left of his loan spell but would love him back in January.
Sido Jombati - Great goal, whether he meant it or not, which has cemented his cult status. Another good performance overall.
Luke Garbutt - Kept Lewis Guy and Robert Hall quiet on the flanks and some decent set-piece delivery. Has been a big asset and glad he is here until January at least.
Alan Bennett - Usual commanding performance at the back. Never seems to panic, just goes about his job calmly and effectively. A great leader.
Steve Elliott - Brilliant display to keep Constable very quiet. He and Bennett have been imperious in the last two months.
Russ Penn - Work-rate and intensity set the tone for the whole display. He is the heartbeat of the team, and I lost count of how many 50-50 tackles he won, especially in the first half. Would love him to get a goal!
Marlon Pack - Superb passing and tackling as usual. One brilliant turn to outfox two Oxford midfielders and set us on an attack in the first half. Now on eight bookings for the season.
Luke Summerfield - Becoming a vital player now he has his real match sharpness. Under-rated by many and the 'quiet partner' of the midfield three.
Kaid Mohamed - Had the beating of Damian Batt from the off but too often made a poor decision when the play opened up for him. Could see the Oxford defenders didn't want to know when he ran at them.
Jimmy Spencer - Took his goal superbly and work rate was excellent down the right hand side, while he also linked up well with Darryl.
Darryl Duffy - Movement was superb and was a constant pain to Andy Whing and Jake Wright. Performance deserved a goal.
Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Russ Penn 65 mins) - Good decision to take Russ off, but Junior failed to acclimatise to the pace and intensity of the game and looked a bit lost.
Josh Low (for Darryl Duffy 71 mins) - Useful outlet for us on the right in the closing stages, even won a 50-50 tackle.
Marlon Jackson (for Kaid Mohamed, 90 mins) - Cameo for the new loan signing. Touched the ball once.
Monday, 21 November 2011
The numbers game
I love my stats.
So much so, that many people call me just that, and to live up to that mantle, I have been compiling some numbers pertaining to Cheltenham's loan players, and just how much they have added to the side in recent weeks.
Jack Butland is at the centre of much of the focus on the team at the moment.
The 18 year old Bristolian's loan ends on December 11, so as it stands his last game will be against Southend the day before, meaning we have two more games to enjoy having the future England goalkeeper in our side.
Yes, future England goalkeeper. Gareth Southgate said so, therefore it must be true.
On Twitter, Jim Proudfoot sent me this about Jack: "Never seen a young player who I would be so confident about winning 50 caps. JB is sensational"
This from the man who commentates on the England Under 21 games for ESPN or whoever is showing it, so he does know his stuff, despite being a Torquay fan.
Several papers are touting Jack to be called up for the Euro 2012 squad as back up for Joe Hart, and he is also being backed to be Team GB's number one for the Olympics.
Amazing stuff - and it would be amazing if Mark Yates could find a way to keep him after Southend, but Chris Hughton might want him to challenge for his team, or play higher up the leagues.
He has to weigh up whether he is ready to replace Boaz Myhill in the Championship, or whether there is a League One side who would give Butland a regular game as we have done.
I suspect goalkeeping coach Dave Watson will have a say in what happens, and the suggestions I have heard are that he would like Butland to stay with us, which is good news, so it's all down to Mr Hughton now.
Butland appeared in our side first against Macclesfield, and has played every league game bar Dagenham, which he missed for England duty, and Crewe for which he was injured.
In those 10 games, we have won seven, drawn two and only lost one, which was the 4-1 loss at AFC Wimbledon.
Butland has kept six clean sheets, and let in eight goals - half of which came at Kingsmeadow.
Two of the others were long-range efforts at Torquay in our 2-2 draw and one was Lee Brown's deflected shot at Bristol Rovers.
The other, of course, was his only real mistake in those 10 games, dropping the ball on Steve Elliott's foot for Plymouth's goal in our 2-1 win.
Scott Brown has played in our other eight league games. We have won four and lost four of those games, with Brown keeping only one clean sheet, against Swindon, but only letting in one more goal than Butland has, with nine.
Another factor in that run of success recently has been the decision of Mark Yates to change the full-backs, with Sido Jombati coming into the side and the arrival of loanee Luke Garbutt.
The season started with Keith Lowe and Danny Andrew keeping the full-back positions they held last term.
Few Cheltenham fans were complaining at that decision, as Lowe had been player of the year and Andrew's attacking runs, crosses and free-kicks had supplied a few goals - even though his defensive capabilites were criticised at times.
This season, with Lowe and Andrew at full back, we played 10 games, winning four, drawing two and losing four, and conceding 13 our our 17 goals.
Andrew was left out at Bristol Rovers, so Lowe partnered Jombati, and we won that game 3-1.
After that, Garbutt and Jombati were paired, starting with the win over Dagenham, and we have not looked back since, with six wins in their seven games, and three goals conceded - the penalty Sido gave away against Crewe, the own goal against Plymouth and Dagenham's scruffy tap-in.
I have also been looking at our midfield partnerships, and how they have performed in our league games.
Much has been made of how much the trio of Marlon Pack, Luke Summerfield and Russ Penn have contributed and when they have all played together (eight games) we have won seven and lost the Crewe game, letting in five goals in that time.
Many fans (myself included) figured that we would be seeing Penn and Pack together, and they have played seven games together, of which we have won only two, drawn three and lost three.
The wins were at home against Swindon and Crawley, but the defeats included the one at Wimbledon.
Pack and Summerfield played at Gillingham on the opening day and in the win over Plymouth, while the only time when we saw Penn and Summerfield together was in the 2-0 win over Macclesfield, when Pack was suspended.
In attack, Jimmy Spencer has been with us on loan from Huddersfield since the start of the season, and is due to be here until January.
He has started every game bar two that he has been eligible for, having been suspended for four games, three after his red card against Swindon and one for five bookings against Plymouth.
He started the season alongside Jeff Goulding, and they have played together three times - and we have not won any of them, losing at Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon and drawing at Torquay.
Spencer and Duffy has been tried twice in a 4-4-2, in the 1-0 win over Swindon and the goalless draw with Hereford.
The six games in which Spencer has been banned or left out has seen Jeff Goulding and Darryl Duffy partnered, and we won four and lost two of those games, beating Northampton, Crawley, Macclesfield and Plymouth, and losing to Aldershot and Morecambe.
Then, in seven of the last eight games when we have played the 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 formation (bar Plymouth when we played 4-4-2 as Spencer was banned), Spencer was used as the central front man for five of them.
Four of them have been won, and only the Crewe home game ended in defeat.
The other two, the win at Bradford and at home to Port Vale, have seen Duffy in the central role - mainly because of his two goal display against Plymouth - while Spencer displaced Low on the right flank of the midfield.
So much so, that many people call me just that, and to live up to that mantle, I have been compiling some numbers pertaining to Cheltenham's loan players, and just how much they have added to the side in recent weeks.
Jack Butland is at the centre of much of the focus on the team at the moment.
The 18 year old Bristolian's loan ends on December 11, so as it stands his last game will be against Southend the day before, meaning we have two more games to enjoy having the future England goalkeeper in our side.
Yes, future England goalkeeper. Gareth Southgate said so, therefore it must be true.
On Twitter, Jim Proudfoot sent me this about Jack: "Never seen a young player who I would be so confident about winning 50 caps. JB is sensational"
This from the man who commentates on the England Under 21 games for ESPN or whoever is showing it, so he does know his stuff, despite being a Torquay fan.
Several papers are touting Jack to be called up for the Euro 2012 squad as back up for Joe Hart, and he is also being backed to be Team GB's number one for the Olympics.
Amazing stuff - and it would be amazing if Mark Yates could find a way to keep him after Southend, but Chris Hughton might want him to challenge for his team, or play higher up the leagues.
He has to weigh up whether he is ready to replace Boaz Myhill in the Championship, or whether there is a League One side who would give Butland a regular game as we have done.
I suspect goalkeeping coach Dave Watson will have a say in what happens, and the suggestions I have heard are that he would like Butland to stay with us, which is good news, so it's all down to Mr Hughton now.
Butland appeared in our side first against Macclesfield, and has played every league game bar Dagenham, which he missed for England duty, and Crewe for which he was injured.
In those 10 games, we have won seven, drawn two and only lost one, which was the 4-1 loss at AFC Wimbledon.
Butland has kept six clean sheets, and let in eight goals - half of which came at Kingsmeadow.
Two of the others were long-range efforts at Torquay in our 2-2 draw and one was Lee Brown's deflected shot at Bristol Rovers.
The other, of course, was his only real mistake in those 10 games, dropping the ball on Steve Elliott's foot for Plymouth's goal in our 2-1 win.
Scott Brown has played in our other eight league games. We have won four and lost four of those games, with Brown keeping only one clean sheet, against Swindon, but only letting in one more goal than Butland has, with nine.
Another factor in that run of success recently has been the decision of Mark Yates to change the full-backs, with Sido Jombati coming into the side and the arrival of loanee Luke Garbutt.
The season started with Keith Lowe and Danny Andrew keeping the full-back positions they held last term.
Few Cheltenham fans were complaining at that decision, as Lowe had been player of the year and Andrew's attacking runs, crosses and free-kicks had supplied a few goals - even though his defensive capabilites were criticised at times.
This season, with Lowe and Andrew at full back, we played 10 games, winning four, drawing two and losing four, and conceding 13 our our 17 goals.
Andrew was left out at Bristol Rovers, so Lowe partnered Jombati, and we won that game 3-1.
After that, Garbutt and Jombati were paired, starting with the win over Dagenham, and we have not looked back since, with six wins in their seven games, and three goals conceded - the penalty Sido gave away against Crewe, the own goal against Plymouth and Dagenham's scruffy tap-in.
I have also been looking at our midfield partnerships, and how they have performed in our league games.
Much has been made of how much the trio of Marlon Pack, Luke Summerfield and Russ Penn have contributed and when they have all played together (eight games) we have won seven and lost the Crewe game, letting in five goals in that time.
Many fans (myself included) figured that we would be seeing Penn and Pack together, and they have played seven games together, of which we have won only two, drawn three and lost three.
The wins were at home against Swindon and Crawley, but the defeats included the one at Wimbledon.
Pack and Summerfield played at Gillingham on the opening day and in the win over Plymouth, while the only time when we saw Penn and Summerfield together was in the 2-0 win over Macclesfield, when Pack was suspended.
In attack, Jimmy Spencer has been with us on loan from Huddersfield since the start of the season, and is due to be here until January.
He has started every game bar two that he has been eligible for, having been suspended for four games, three after his red card against Swindon and one for five bookings against Plymouth.
He started the season alongside Jeff Goulding, and they have played together three times - and we have not won any of them, losing at Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon and drawing at Torquay.
Spencer and Duffy has been tried twice in a 4-4-2, in the 1-0 win over Swindon and the goalless draw with Hereford.
The six games in which Spencer has been banned or left out has seen Jeff Goulding and Darryl Duffy partnered, and we won four and lost two of those games, beating Northampton, Crawley, Macclesfield and Plymouth, and losing to Aldershot and Morecambe.
Then, in seven of the last eight games when we have played the 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 formation (bar Plymouth when we played 4-4-2 as Spencer was banned), Spencer was used as the central front man for five of them.
Four of them have been won, and only the Crewe home game ended in defeat.
The other two, the win at Bradford and at home to Port Vale, have seen Duffy in the central role - mainly because of his two goal display against Plymouth - while Spencer displaced Low on the right flank of the midfield.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Rolling along
Another Saturday, another win... almost becoming boring now then isn't it?
No, of course not.
It's good to see the positive vibes around the place, and that was best summed up at Thursday night's Fans' Forum, where those in attendance were almost struggling for questions as, let's face it, there isn't really anything to moan about.
Alan Bennett came up with the quote of the night when he said he felt the club were 'shackled by the memory of previous regimes' when he arrived - spot on Benno!
But more wins like this one against Vale will keep up the attempts to consign those times to the history books once and for all... this was as convincing a home win as we have had all season.
We controlled the first half with the bedrock of the midfield trio once again winning the battle in the middle third of the field, and the centre backs having the best of it in our own penalty area.
The only thing missing was that elusive final ball but it felt like only a matter of time before we got it right and came away with the points.
That is the sea change this season - previous seasons have seen us held at 0-0 at the break, then fans and players get jittery, the away side builds up confidence, nick a goal, shut up shop, game over.
Yes Vale had a few players out, and I had people saying to me it would have been different had Marc Richards or Gary Roberts been out there.
They weren't, so that's an irrelevant argument and I think we would have won the game whatever side we were up against, so let's just enjoy another win.
The first half was short of goalmouth incident, as, while we had more territory and possession, we didn't make Stuart Tomlinson work hard enough.
At the other end though, Jack Butland also had a quiet half, with Steve Elliott's tackle on Shaun Rigg as he shaped to shoot stopping Vale's only threat on our goal.
After the break, I thought we had started a bit slowly but after we got the penalty, there was only one winner.
Russ Penn won a penalty like that against Macclesfield earlier in the season cutting in from the edge of the box and Darryl Duffy made no mistake.
That's nine goals in 11 starts for Duffy now - an excellent return, even though four are penalties, and I am not sure yet whether we are allowed to count penalties again, after Justin Richards wasn't allowed to by some idiot fans when he was here.
The second goal was a good move and Luke Garbutt's cross was fired in by Luke Summerfield for his third goal of the season, that was just about that.
Vale never threatened to get back in the game, Kaid Mohamed fired a shot wide and Jimmy Spencer had a shout for another penalty.
Much has been made of our displays on the road, but we are now 6-1-2 in home games and 5-1-3 away in the league - so maybe we have done our home record a bit of a disservice.
This game also showed that we can make the system we have used away work for us on our home patch, a feature of this win being how effectively we got Garbutt and Sido Jombati coming forward, borne out by the second goal.
So we stay in third (yes, Football League Show, that's stay in third not move into third) and it was nice to see us get a little bit of focus from Manish and Steve Claridge - as he said, they seem to be talking about us every week now.
It all sets up what is going to be a very big three weeks coming up, with a game down the road at Oxford as we go for seven in a row away from home against a side well beaten at Crawley and seemingly going through a little dip in form.
We should take a decent following down the A40 and the Kassam is always a difficult place to go, but surely now we are at the stage where we don't worry about who we play, and go into the game confident - but not complacent.
That's followed by the FA Cup game at Luton, where getting in the hat for round three is all that matters, and then the next home game is leaders Southend on December 10, and what a game that is shaping up to be.
Exciting times - long may it continue.
Player by player
Jack Butland - Little to do. One slight alarm but we'll let him off.
Sido Jombati - New contract in his pocket and another top notch performance as he galloped up and down his wing all afternoon.
Luke Garbutt - Set up second goal with a great cross and like Sido got forward well and did defensive duties superbly.
Alan Bennett - Usual commanding display. Tom Pope was a an awkward customer but Benno handled him well.
Steve Elliott - Pick of the back four. Just oozing confidence with Bennett alongside him.
Russ Penn - Terrier like display, winning tackles all over the pitch.
Luke Summerfield - Another good display, capped with a goal. Becoming a vital member of the side now.
Marlon Pack - Ran the game from the start. Loves that role as the deeper of the trio where he can find space and pick his passes.
Kaid Mohamed - Fairly quiet and only had a couple of runs - one of which he nearly ended in spectacular fashion.
Jimmy Spencer - Worked hard as usual running the channel and trying to support Darryl as much as possible.
Darryl Duffy - Like Jimmy, work rate superb and deadly from the spot but found it tough against Vale's uncompromising centre backs.
Subsitutes
Josh Low (for Duffy 83) - Barely touched the ball after coming on.
Junior Smikle (for Mohamed 88) - Was a bit worried Junior wasn't going to make his customary appearance, but he did, so all is well with the world.
Jeff Goulding (for Spencer 90) - Got his win bonus.
No, of course not.
It's good to see the positive vibes around the place, and that was best summed up at Thursday night's Fans' Forum, where those in attendance were almost struggling for questions as, let's face it, there isn't really anything to moan about.
Alan Bennett came up with the quote of the night when he said he felt the club were 'shackled by the memory of previous regimes' when he arrived - spot on Benno!
But more wins like this one against Vale will keep up the attempts to consign those times to the history books once and for all... this was as convincing a home win as we have had all season.
We controlled the first half with the bedrock of the midfield trio once again winning the battle in the middle third of the field, and the centre backs having the best of it in our own penalty area.
The only thing missing was that elusive final ball but it felt like only a matter of time before we got it right and came away with the points.
That is the sea change this season - previous seasons have seen us held at 0-0 at the break, then fans and players get jittery, the away side builds up confidence, nick a goal, shut up shop, game over.
Yes Vale had a few players out, and I had people saying to me it would have been different had Marc Richards or Gary Roberts been out there.
They weren't, so that's an irrelevant argument and I think we would have won the game whatever side we were up against, so let's just enjoy another win.
The first half was short of goalmouth incident, as, while we had more territory and possession, we didn't make Stuart Tomlinson work hard enough.
At the other end though, Jack Butland also had a quiet half, with Steve Elliott's tackle on Shaun Rigg as he shaped to shoot stopping Vale's only threat on our goal.
After the break, I thought we had started a bit slowly but after we got the penalty, there was only one winner.
Russ Penn won a penalty like that against Macclesfield earlier in the season cutting in from the edge of the box and Darryl Duffy made no mistake.
That's nine goals in 11 starts for Duffy now - an excellent return, even though four are penalties, and I am not sure yet whether we are allowed to count penalties again, after Justin Richards wasn't allowed to by some idiot fans when he was here.
The second goal was a good move and Luke Garbutt's cross was fired in by Luke Summerfield for his third goal of the season, that was just about that.
Vale never threatened to get back in the game, Kaid Mohamed fired a shot wide and Jimmy Spencer had a shout for another penalty.
Much has been made of our displays on the road, but we are now 6-1-2 in home games and 5-1-3 away in the league - so maybe we have done our home record a bit of a disservice.
This game also showed that we can make the system we have used away work for us on our home patch, a feature of this win being how effectively we got Garbutt and Sido Jombati coming forward, borne out by the second goal.
So we stay in third (yes, Football League Show, that's stay in third not move into third) and it was nice to see us get a little bit of focus from Manish and Steve Claridge - as he said, they seem to be talking about us every week now.
It all sets up what is going to be a very big three weeks coming up, with a game down the road at Oxford as we go for seven in a row away from home against a side well beaten at Crawley and seemingly going through a little dip in form.
We should take a decent following down the A40 and the Kassam is always a difficult place to go, but surely now we are at the stage where we don't worry about who we play, and go into the game confident - but not complacent.
That's followed by the FA Cup game at Luton, where getting in the hat for round three is all that matters, and then the next home game is leaders Southend on December 10, and what a game that is shaping up to be.
Exciting times - long may it continue.
Player by player
Jack Butland - Little to do. One slight alarm but we'll let him off.
Sido Jombati - New contract in his pocket and another top notch performance as he galloped up and down his wing all afternoon.
Luke Garbutt - Set up second goal with a great cross and like Sido got forward well and did defensive duties superbly.
Alan Bennett - Usual commanding display. Tom Pope was a an awkward customer but Benno handled him well.
Steve Elliott - Pick of the back four. Just oozing confidence with Bennett alongside him.
Russ Penn - Terrier like display, winning tackles all over the pitch.
Luke Summerfield - Another good display, capped with a goal. Becoming a vital member of the side now.
Marlon Pack - Ran the game from the start. Loves that role as the deeper of the trio where he can find space and pick his passes.
Kaid Mohamed - Fairly quiet and only had a couple of runs - one of which he nearly ended in spectacular fashion.
Jimmy Spencer - Worked hard as usual running the channel and trying to support Darryl as much as possible.
Darryl Duffy - Like Jimmy, work rate superb and deadly from the spot but found it tough against Vale's uncompromising centre backs.
Subsitutes
Josh Low (for Duffy 83) - Barely touched the ball after coming on.
Junior Smikle (for Mohamed 88) - Was a bit worried Junior wasn't going to make his customary appearance, but he did, so all is well with the world.
Jeff Goulding (for Spencer 90) - Got his win bonus.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Win at all costs...
When I was about eight years old, I went to watch a celebrity cricket match near Southampton with the family of my best school mate of the time.
It was the mid 1970s, and there were lots of famous TV faces of the time there, but I only wanted to meet one of them.
He wasn't playing, but he had crowds flocked around him, so my mate Simon and I pushed through them, and got to the front, and asked to have our photo taken.
We sat down, and he turned to me, and asked me what football team I support. "Watford," I replied. "It's where I live."
He looked at me, grinned that smile I had seen a thousand times on the TV, laughed his head off, lifted his famous glasses up, and said "I'm not talking to you then," as he opened his jacket to reveal a large Luton Town rosette.
That man was Eric Morecambe, and as you can see from the above, I have never forgotten that moment.
I also have an aunt, uncle and two cousins who live with 10 miles of the place, and my uncle turned up at my 21st birthday party with a rosette on. I still haven't properly forgiven him now.
That is a small insight into a rivalry which I have carried with me for the majority of my 45 years, and is the reason why I am so desperate for the Rubies to do the business at the Kennel on December 3 (or 4).
I don't think I have ever wanted us to win a game more than this one.
After our brilliant win yesterday, I sat down for the draw with a list in my head of teams I didn't want to play - Carlisle, Southend, Preston, the Sheffield clubs, Charlton - and some teams I did - mainly the non-League sides like Sutton, Salisbury, Hinckley/Tamworth, Redbridge/Oxford, Totton and the like.
That's because getting into that third round draw is the most important thing.
But when I saw Luton come out, I then really wanted it to be number 17 which followed, as I can think of no team I would rather beat to take us into round three, and our inevitable trip to Old Trafford.
It's not an easy draw, but neither is it a terribly difficult one.
Yes, they beat Northampton on Saturday, but we have won there and with our record on the road we have nothing to fear by going there.
The only bad part about it is that we have to go the Kennel, arguably the worst ground in the top five levels of English football.
I haven't been there since I saw Ron Futcher score a hat-trick on his debut against Wolves at Christmas 1975, and to be honest, the thought of going there turns my stomach.
I have never seen Cheltenham play there, and all my Watford-Luton games have been at Vicarage Road.
They are intense affairs, and there is true hatred between the fans of the two clubs, much more than people think.
The rivalry was at its' heyday in the mid 80s when the two sides were in the top flight. Watford had Luther Blissett, John Barnes, Mo Johnston, Kenny Jackett and co; Luton had the likes of Brian Stein, Paul Walsh, Ricky Hill and Mal Donaghy.
The highlight of those games was an FA Cup third round game in January 1984, where Watford came back from two down at the Kennel to draw and won the replay 4-3 after extra time back at the Vic. The Golden Boys went on to reach Wembley that year. Heady days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luton_Town_F.C._and_Watford_F.C._rivalry
Luton later won the League Cup which they never shut up about, but the British clubs' ban of the time meant they didn't play in Europe, which, let's face it, is a good thing. Watford have done, and that rankles with the Beds lot, so we never shut up about it.
Basically, they have always had ideas above their station.
Having got caught fiddling the books the other year, they are down where they belong in non-League, and after thinking it would be a cakewalk to get back up again, they haven't managed it.
Let's hope it takes them a few more seasons yet.
But I mustn't get too vitriolic about things. It's a very winnable game for us, and that's the main thing, getting into that third round draw.
Their squad includes our former loanee and Gloucester City fan Stuart Fleetwood (suspended on Saturday); our old youth teamer James Dance and an ex-Watford player in Jamie Hand - one of very few players who have played for both clubs over the years. Their chairman is Nick Owen, which is another reason to dislike them, quite frankly.
I have just one message for Mark Yates and the squad. If you only win one more game this season, make it this one. Please. I don't care how you do it, just beat them.
It was the mid 1970s, and there were lots of famous TV faces of the time there, but I only wanted to meet one of them.
He wasn't playing, but he had crowds flocked around him, so my mate Simon and I pushed through them, and got to the front, and asked to have our photo taken.
We sat down, and he turned to me, and asked me what football team I support. "Watford," I replied. "It's where I live."
He looked at me, grinned that smile I had seen a thousand times on the TV, laughed his head off, lifted his famous glasses up, and said "I'm not talking to you then," as he opened his jacket to reveal a large Luton Town rosette.
That man was Eric Morecambe, and as you can see from the above, I have never forgotten that moment.
I also have an aunt, uncle and two cousins who live with 10 miles of the place, and my uncle turned up at my 21st birthday party with a rosette on. I still haven't properly forgiven him now.
That is a small insight into a rivalry which I have carried with me for the majority of my 45 years, and is the reason why I am so desperate for the Rubies to do the business at the Kennel on December 3 (or 4).
I don't think I have ever wanted us to win a game more than this one.
After our brilliant win yesterday, I sat down for the draw with a list in my head of teams I didn't want to play - Carlisle, Southend, Preston, the Sheffield clubs, Charlton - and some teams I did - mainly the non-League sides like Sutton, Salisbury, Hinckley/Tamworth, Redbridge/Oxford, Totton and the like.
That's because getting into that third round draw is the most important thing.
But when I saw Luton come out, I then really wanted it to be number 17 which followed, as I can think of no team I would rather beat to take us into round three, and our inevitable trip to Old Trafford.
It's not an easy draw, but neither is it a terribly difficult one.
Yes, they beat Northampton on Saturday, but we have won there and with our record on the road we have nothing to fear by going there.
The only bad part about it is that we have to go the Kennel, arguably the worst ground in the top five levels of English football.
I haven't been there since I saw Ron Futcher score a hat-trick on his debut against Wolves at Christmas 1975, and to be honest, the thought of going there turns my stomach.
I have never seen Cheltenham play there, and all my Watford-Luton games have been at Vicarage Road.
They are intense affairs, and there is true hatred between the fans of the two clubs, much more than people think.
The rivalry was at its' heyday in the mid 80s when the two sides were in the top flight. Watford had Luther Blissett, John Barnes, Mo Johnston, Kenny Jackett and co; Luton had the likes of Brian Stein, Paul Walsh, Ricky Hill and Mal Donaghy.
The highlight of those games was an FA Cup third round game in January 1984, where Watford came back from two down at the Kennel to draw and won the replay 4-3 after extra time back at the Vic. The Golden Boys went on to reach Wembley that year. Heady days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luton_Town_F.C._and_Watford_F.C._rivalry
Luton later won the League Cup which they never shut up about, but the British clubs' ban of the time meant they didn't play in Europe, which, let's face it, is a good thing. Watford have done, and that rankles with the Beds lot, so we never shut up about it.
Basically, they have always had ideas above their station.
Having got caught fiddling the books the other year, they are down where they belong in non-League, and after thinking it would be a cakewalk to get back up again, they haven't managed it.
Let's hope it takes them a few more seasons yet.
But I mustn't get too vitriolic about things. It's a very winnable game for us, and that's the main thing, getting into that third round draw.
Their squad includes our former loanee and Gloucester City fan Stuart Fleetwood (suspended on Saturday); our old youth teamer James Dance and an ex-Watford player in Jamie Hand - one of very few players who have played for both clubs over the years. Their chairman is Nick Owen, which is another reason to dislike them, quite frankly.
I have just one message for Mark Yates and the squad. If you only win one more game this season, make it this one. Please. I don't care how you do it, just beat them.
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