| Report
from NigelBlues A bit strange to
describe as City was poor at times, terrific at others,
should have scored more, lucky they didn't concede a couple but after 7 months
of no home wins, who's going to complain about 2 in 4 days (and 2 clean sheets
too)?
Nearly missed the game as I've been working away in Nottingham the past couple
of days and plans to finish early this afternoon collapsed. I was stuck in
Nottingham City Centre at 4.40 and caught up in another massive hold up on the
M42. However thanks to great abuse of a Peugeot 306 hire car, I made Ninian
at 7.15 and managed to change whilst stopped in a traffic jam.
Talk of possibly starting with Fowler, Jarman and/or Ford remained just that
as the starting line up and subs were unchanged from Saturday. Presumably
Frank & Billy decided not to change a winning side.
Hallworth
Delaney, Eckhardt, Young (C), Mitchell
Bonner, Carpenter, Brazier, O'Sullivan
Thomas, Nugent
sub: Fowler, Middleton, Williams
Barnet were greeted as you would expect for a side that had a hammering last
weekend with chants of, "What's it like to let in 9?", "We want 10",
"9 - 1 to
the Peterboro". Also, to their fans, "You must have come on a skateboard".
42 Barnet fans came to Ninian, I know because I counted them during the often
boring first-half! The crowd was 3,742 also so at least we know where the
42 came from.
The pattern of the game was eerily similar to Saturday, bad 1st half, very
enjoyable 2nd half.
City started brightly and Barnet appeared to still be hung over from their
weekend drubbing. Most fans around me thought if City scored an early goal,
we would get a comfortable win and it seemed the players felt the same.
Eckhardt, O'Sullivan & Delaney were storming the right had wing, Brazier and
Bonner were doing likewise on the left. For the first 10 minutes and then
City went into their shell.
Gradually Barnet seemed to get belief and without really troubling City,
except for a headed corner narrowly wide, they asserted themselves. I'm not
sure whether they raised their game or City sunk to their level but the next
25 minutes were awful. Whenever City got forward, the crossing was quite
poor. Barnet were pushing forward in reasonable numbers too and were starting
to fancy their chances.
Thankfully, just like last Saturday, City started to take control in the final
10 minutes.
Better passing and crossing created chances, the best falling to Kevin Nugent
who really should have scored with a free header that came to him on the far
post from a corner but was put over the bar. The referee amazingly found 4
minutes of injury time but I think most of us were glad to see half-time and
hoped the legendary Frankie rollocking would take effect.
H-T City 0 Barnet 0
The 2nd half saw City virtually camp in the Barnet half and pressure,
pressure, pressure. They were numerous chances - the ones I can best recall
are a fantastic Matt Brazier effort when he beat 3 defenders, cut inside and
hit a great shot off the outside of his boot (he loves doing that) go a
fraction over and 2 clear chances to Dai Thomas but he was either too slow or
took too much time and the chances were gone. The 2nd Thomas chance should
have won City a penalty as he was clattered, after the ball had gone, by a
Barnet defender. The ref, who was quite poor, turned a blind eye to it.
Brazier was putting on a fantastic show 2nd half with a few touches that made
people go woooaahhh and genuine old fashioned wing play (dare I say Willie
Anderson like?). I can't believe Bowen would be any better than Brazier - I
think City should try to make him permanent.
However even he was starting to be eclipsed by Wayne O'Sullivan who must have
had something in his half-time tea because he ran the show. He was buzzing,
was back helping the defence and clearing or playing the ball away, in
midfield he was dominating with his runs and he looked dangerous up front. A
couple of times we were treated to his Riverdance routine - you know the one,
he's on the edge of the area and starts kicking his legs over the ball that
stays stationery and defenders watch wondering which way he's going to go.
Perhaps City Centre Ticketline should sell coach trips to Ninan for the
o.a.p.'s to see Wayne's riverdance rather than Michael Flatarse.
The goal finally came on 61 minutes. A play was played from midfield to on
edge of the area which was met with a superb back flick header by Nugent into
the area. Who should come charging into the area but Wayne O'Sullivan who
coolly lobbed the ball over the Barnet keeper. A great goal and really well
worked.
If his finishing was cool, his celebration wasn't as O'Sullivan jumped on the
Canton Stand fence nearest the Grange End and then run all the way behind the
goal to the other side of the Canton all the time raising his arms and
shouting out. This confirmed my suspicions - he's on something!
City continued to take the game to Barnet but, for all the play and passing
which at times was exceptional, they couldn't kill the game. City were
putting together 10-15 passes, play wasn't always direct and the problem of
creating clear chances remains. O'Sullivan is now in unbelievable form but
the rest of the midfield aren't penetrative. Nugent won loads in the air and
was producing great flicks and touches but Dai Thomas isn't taking advantage.
He is not sharp and doesn't seem fit. He looked superb at Shrewsbury but is
not delivering at present. Earnie could have had a field day playing off
Nugent's flicks tonight.
And City also have to be grateful to John Hallworth who produced 2 great saves
in the 2nd half. One was a clear run to goal by Sean Devine where his shot
across goal was turned over. The next save was even better as a hanging far
post cross was met at force by a Barnet striker from 6 or 7 yds but Hallworth
spread himself to beat the ball away. So for all the work, we could have
lost! John Hallworth is a god.
The same subs at virtually the same times as Saturday occurred tonight.
Fowler on for the final 15-20 mins, Williams for the final 5 mins and
Middleton at the death. The last substitution may be significant was Scott
Young limped off very slowly and had obviously taken a strong knock.
So we won - disappointing it was only 1-0 and with other aspects that we've
noticed all season - midfield not supporting attack effectively, problems up
front and not enough goals but the show is on the road again and we need to be
thankful for that. Next up - a strong test at Halifax on Friday.
Nigel
ps Never thought I'd say this but Mitchell was quite good tonight!!! Loved it
when he "took out" Sean Devine for his booking too.
Report from Paul Sawyer
Mixed feelings about tonights game. Yes it was 3 points, and
we shouldn't complain about that, but something wasn't quite right and we didn't gel at
all.
Barnet, on tonights performance were absolutely terrible. They are the worst professional
football side that I've seen for a few seasons. At times they
seemed to actually want us to score, and if they DID get the ball, they passed it back to
us in a blind panic. A side with reasonably capable strikers would
have put 4 o 5 past these.
While I was watching the gane tonight I kept thinking of Hibbets comments at the beginning
of last season, that "we are going to give someone a
thumping soon, and when we do, everyone had better watch out" If we couldnt beat this
Barnet team, who are weak in all departments, even by the low
standards of this division, then we really don't deserve to succeed.
O'Sullivan was excellent tonight again and more than deserved his opportunist goal.
However for a midfielder to score tonight when Thomas and Nugent
(or Fowler and Williams who came on as subs)couldn't, is a bit worrying. Thomas is not, in
my opinion, anything like fit, he bumbled around tonight vainly
ball-chasing without winning much. Nugent, although he improved in the seceond part of the
second half, didn't have much of a look-in either.
Hallworth was superb again, making two world class saves- the fact that Barnet had 3 shots
on goal in the entire game, 2 of which they almost scored
from, and we had 90% of the possession without making more than 4 real chances says a lot
about our strikers. I felt that if Earnshaw had came on
(maybe working alongside Fowler and Brazier) we could have had a hatf-ull tonight. We
won't play a worse team than Barnet at home all season- lets
hope that we finish better the next team we play.
Report from Ant's Dad.
Some good football in patches from City, who missed a hatful
of chances and
should have won quite comfortably, yet lived dangerously and eventually had to
thank Hallworth for two point-blank saves from Barnet's Sean Devine.
Goal came from a Eckhardt ball to Nugent, who flicked on for O'Sullivan to
shoot home from the edge of the penalty box midway through the second half.
Thomas, Nugent and Eckhardt all missed chances for City. Brazier had an
excellent game. The player we all seem to love to hate (Big Nose Mitchell)
had a reasonable performance.
I think it was the same starting 11 as Saturday. Fowler came on for the final
15-20 minutes; Williams replaced Thomas with 5-10 minutes left. Middleton had
to replace an injured Scott Young even later (Let's hope Scott isn't too badly
injured).
Sponsors Man of the Match (deserved according to my Dad) was O'Sullivan.
Barnet (Sean Devine apart) were dreadful - then again, my dad's never that
complimentary about the opposition, particularly the shite we currently meet
in the dungeon.
Final thought: a small number of fans were apparently whinging about Bonner
and Carpenter again tonight. Of the six league games I've seen this season, I
think they're performed reasonably well. Never in the limelight, simply
ploughing on. Bonner in particular always passes to a blue shirt.
Report from AOL
A Wayne O'Sullivan goal in the 61st minute gave Cardiff their
second home win
in three days.
The Bluebirds made full use of the flanks in the opening half but could not
prise open the Barnet rearguard.
The second half was all Cardiff and O'Sullivan raced on to a Kevin Nugent
flick to lob over the advancing Nicky Rust.
City played neat football but found it hard to penetrate a Barnet defence that
had leaked nine goals last Saturday.
Sean Devine played a lone role up front for the visitors and he forced Jon
Hallworth into several fine saves.
Matthew Brazier sent one curling shot just over the bar but City had to be
content with another 1-0 home victory. |
