Getting back on track after tough week
THERE are characters in football; every team has them, comedians, hard men, sick notes.
Players who at one time or other have been superstars while later in their career they’ve been a liability.
Step forward Mark Hughes.
For some reason “Sparky” likes to be the centre of attention – it was the same at Valley Parade back in October where he was booked (and I think his number two was red carded as well) why he has to get involved in the way he does is baffling.
It has to be said that Tuesday’s game wasn’t the most enthralling; it was a game where both defences were on top and while Ben only had a couple of soft saves to make the Bantams keeper Harry Lewis (the grandson of a County legend) was by far the busier.
One save in particular from Neill Byrne stands out as he made it with his face! We dominated for large parts but it always looked like a 0-0 draw without any talking points until, that is, we were awarded a succession of throw ins along the right hand touchline.
Kyle Knoyle prepared to throw the ball when Hughes decided to stand one foot on the pitch to cause an obstruction, he was told off by the forth official so he moved but as Kyle again went to throw the ball, out came an elbow. Classic petulance from someone who should know better.
I thought Saturday’s trip to Wimbledon could be in doubt as their Tuesday game had gone by way of a frozen pitch. How I wish it had.
On arriving at Plough Lane (my 188th ground if you’re interested) you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported to a 1950s East Germany with all the stark, very high brickwork walls surrounding the ground and when, eventually we got in the ground it was all uniform steel and Gestapo...sorry, stewards at every turn who didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.
It was one of those games where everything went wrong and absolutely nothing went right, from a succession of early assaults on Will Collar that resulted in a yellow card which should have been red, to Myles Hippolyte’s saved penalty and Wimbledon’s goal coming from their only cross into the box. The fact that it was scored by the very same Harry Pell who was so lucky not to receive that red card just added to the horror show that was referee James Oldham.
It wasn’t the best of weeks, one point from a possible six but hopefully by the time you read this we’ll have beaten Crewe and have our season back on track.