When you get to my age, you tend to find your body generally is not performing to the standard one would like. If I were having an “MOT” I doubt I’d get many ticks in the “satisfactory” box. Five years ago I didn’t wear glass at all. Now I can hardly read a book without wearing glasses and I have to wear a different pair for driving. I have managed to become long sighted and short sighted at the same time. Mind you if you want to know what is going on in the middle distance then I am your man. Last week we went to watch England v Macedonia at Old Trafford. We were high up in one of those new corner sections they have recently built. I decided as an experiment to wear my driving glasses and have to say it was a distinct improvement. I could actually see what was going on (ironically of course it was nothing). I suppose I am going to have to start wearing them to Sunderland matches. But as we parked up opposite the Fulwood Barracks and made our way to the Garrison pub, it didn’t seem the right occasion. As it happened most of the important events in this match happened down the opposite end to us – so maybe I should have taken the plunge. It could change for ever the nature of these fortnightly musings mind. At present they are somewhat inaccurately called “reports”. Perhaps a better title would be “educated guesses on what happened at the match, based partly on some blurred views but mainly on the reactions of people around me.”
Before the match I was talking to a Preston fan. His view was, Nugent apart, they really didn’t have quality players but somehow they were gelling as a team. He was also laughing about our erstwhile striker Dichio saying “he doesn’t score – only scored once in the Coca Cola Cup – but the fans regard him as something of a cult”. I told him that our fans had had, err… similar feelings about him. His words of course made clear to me what would be happening later on. I told him we had two teams – the awesome team that had murdered West Brom, Derby and Leeds and then the one that had turned up at places like Southend and Ipswich. I had no idea which one would turn up today. I wouldn’t have to wait long before I’d find out.
The 6,000 strong red and white army were in good voice in the glorious autumn sunshine as the match kicked off with the lads attacking the goal towards us. Clive Clarke was back and Collins D had moved over into the centre of defence. Up front we had Connolly and Murphy. Preston started off slightly more brightly but we soon got a grip of things and were looking comfortable. I thought this lasted for a while but I think I saw somewhere that Preston’s first goal came in the 17th minute, which surprises me. Anyway the goal was a ‘mare. They were trying to launch an attack but we seemed to have them held back about ten yards off our penalty area – so no immediate danger. Their player got a good cross in from the right but it shouldn’t have troubled us. In fact from my vantage point halfway up the opposite stand it looked like Dichio had acres of space and ages of time to nod an easy header into the back of the net. Whether it was Varga or Nosworthy or Alnwick or a dropping back midfielder I don’t care – someone should have picked him up in these circumstances. I know he is Dichio but he was their main target man for crying out loud – it was hardly like we were caught on the break. It was certainly a surreal experience hearing a ground singing out Dichio’s name!
Before you could say “oh, shit”, the game was over. Nosworthy, who had already been booked for a lunge after someone broke free on the half way line, brought down a Preston player in the inside left channel in the box. I see Keane reckons some of our players thought it was a harsh decision. Even in blurvision from the opposite end it looked a stone bonker to me. Nugs got nowhere near the ball and brought down the man. Where is the controversy in that? The only point one could dispute is why he didn’t get a second yellow. The penalty was pretty poor – which unfortunately is still several classes above Alnwick at present. Actually he got a hand to it but what difference does that make? And then they came at us down the right channel. Having failed to come out for the first goal Alnwick thought he’d make up for things by coming steaming out for this one. From my angle the only flaw seemed to be that he charged out to an area where neither the ball nor the man was. The Preston striker looked bemused as Alnwick went zooming past him. Maybe he had seen that scout form Spurs over in the stand and was anxious to have a word with him again. Anyway while Alnwick was warming up on the touchline, the ball did one of those pinball type things around the box. If it is us attacking, it is a good time to go for a pre-half time wee as you know the ball will be coming back out again shortly. If we are defending you are never more than five seconds away from the home crowd leaping up in celebration. Apparently it was an own goal.
Half-time passed with an altercation (another word from my “Big Boy’s Book of Words with which to impress People”). Some SAFC supporters decided to act like tits around the kiosk. The police, who have training in this area, stepped in and said “no, no, let us show you how it is done” and proceeded to baton everyone in the vicinity. Fortunately we were near the gangway and so headed sharpishly back up to our seats. Some people guilty of the heinous (yes, same book) crime of coming out of the toilets at this point were not so lucky. Well, to be fair they were football supporters – the only group of people left in Britain that the police can still attack en masse (on the basis of there being some troublemakers) with impunity (OK, I’ll put it away now).
Second half we huffed and puffed a little. But we didn’t blow their house down. Some minor damage to a bedding plant in their front garden was about as far as we got. A Preston player took a speculative shot from distance and Alnwick did an “Ipswich” and dived over the ball again. Stunning stuff Ben lad. For your next trick would you mind getting your body between the ball and the goal? I can’t believe it is not worth giving Ward a chance.
Lawrence was pants, even by Lawrence standards. He didn’t fall over as much as he sometimes does – but frankly it might have been an improvement if he did. Hysen was poor and was taken off. Whitehead and Leadbitter do not seem to be an effective central midfield pairing. Arnau was not even on the bench. Not sure what he has done in training to deserve no chance at all but it is looking like we will never see him again.
Varga scored a header from a corner but it was never going to make much difference. A lot of Sunderland supporters had left before the end but those who remained were pretty cheesed off. Credit to Yorke (who came on during the second half) at the end – he kept up the applause of the supporters until there was some reciprocity (oops, that damn book again).
Fairly depressing this football team supporting stuff. Keano reckoned after the game we were on a learning curve. I’m not so sure.