This is being written the day of the game having only just got back from Twerton Park. As mentioned in the last post, ESPN were to televise the replay between City and Dagenham & Redbridge.
First thing, for every football fan who raves about TV coverage, try standing in your usual spot with a newly build temporary TV gantry in the way!! Not happy! But will take the £33,500 as said before (although they didn't take me up on the offer of a Tribute at the Crown!) the first half for City was dire.
We barely created a thing, lacked penetration, and somehow were looking toothless against what must be one of the worst Football League teams of all time (apart from the current Plymouth team obviously...) we resorted to long punts downfield and very little happened for the first 19 minutes, and I was thinking to myself "I bet they wish they'd chosen a different game for TV" then on 20 minutes a cross was swung over and Woodall headed it home. Can't say more as despite hoping around like a loon the Bath End temporary gantry got in the way.
This did seem to spur City into life. I got completely confused by the 7:15 kick off, and out of instinct at seeing my clock point to quarter to I headed to the tea bar thinking the half was coming to a close. Bought a drink, said hello to Shane and the ever helpful and enternally loved volunteers and wondered why I hadn't seen a queue or the added time board! Realised my mistake and chuckled, but decided to stay on the tea bar steps for the much superior view, at which point Alex Russell sent over a freekick which hit the post. According to sources the Waddler couldn't understand how it hadn't gone in and neither could we.
So the first half ended, and so came the anger, at the insipid, listless awfullness being played out by the men in black and white. We wandered to the Bath End, and this time thankfully the gantry wasn't in the way. We chatted and arguements were made for and against Scotty Murray.
Adie once again opted for the cautious approach and made no half time changes, leaving some understandably frustrated fans. City started to get more of a grip on the game, and Lee Phillips came on for Russell, and the stripes pressed more. Then out of nowhere the ball dropped to Adam Connolly 25 yards out and he smashed a thunderbolt home, I haven't celebrated much this season, but the surge was one of superb proportions. Super Scotty Murray then did come on for Sean Canham, and instantly was creating chances, and one jinking run will long live in the memory.
City had chances to snatch it at the end with a Murray cross barely evading a diving Lee Phillips, while Lewis Hogg hammered a shot that Lewington did well to parry. Normal time finished 1-1, and we were all over them in the last 15.
The extra time kicked off and after a while Jimmer came on for Burnell, and was involved in a hell of a controversy. The ball was kicked forward by a D&R player, and Jim tried to flick the ball towards Garner, and it broke to Nurse, who rounded Garner and slotted the ball home....now the controversy, Nurse was clearly offside, by a mile now Jim might have flicked the ball as it passed him, but surely he was offside when the ball was originally played forward? But this might be the classic example of the ridiculous stages of the offside rule now.
With City chasing the game Dagenham broke and scored another, City lost 3-1 in a scoreline which so flatters the away team its ridiculous.
The disappointment is that City could've and maybe should have won this game easily, especially if they didn't start so poorly and so defensively.
Pride, that a team so devoid of confidence this season managed to take it so close, you cannot criticise the team if they play with that much committment.
Questions, depend on the offside rule and generally whether the goal was deserved, however, as stated, this was written without seeing tv replays so I reserve the right to retract this. Another savagely disappointing game in this season of neverending misery was the unjust reward of a night City shone on the national stage.
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