Quite a week. Excitement building throughout, up a notch on Wednesday when news that Hamza was likely to back.
Then up again on Friday night with Fulham-Newcastle on the box, still not quite believing that this is now our league.
Saturday lunchtime and on the road to Nottingham. Not a frequent traveler in the past but this is different.First time along the A453 since the improvements and they are impressive. Easy parking close to where I had parked for our visit to Meadow Lane back in league season 1. And enjoyable hospitality at Meadow Lane with a pre-match pint and burger.
A lovely summer stroll along the Trent and then suddenly we are in the stadium. Wow. This is very different to Northwich Victoria (my first Brewers away day on the day we went top of the Conference for the first time).
Soon spotted Hamza warming up and before you know it we are off. The facts of the afternoon are well documented elsewhere so I will confine my comments to my own observations, though they are very close to the views expressed by our manager in his post match interview.
To lose three goals where the touch immediately prior to the finish was off a Brewers player is at least unlucky, though to be fair, Assomalonga's anticipation for the first in particular was impressive and a sign of the step up in class.
Magnificent response and the sight of Lloyd Dyer sprinting the length of the pitch with his team mates struggling to keep up will live long in the memory.
I also agree with Nigel that we switched off in first half stoppage time. Once five minutes went up on the board it was if the collective question was 'what do we do now?' Unfortunately the answer was surrender possession in the opposition half and then turn our backs on a quickly taken corner.
Very unlucky with the third. Not sure it was even a free kick, a very similar challenge on O'Grady immediately afterwards went unpunished. The wall did its job and the deflection could have flown anywhere but dropped to a red shirt. And the fourth also owed much to Hamza's attempted block looping up and over the keeper and on to the predatory Assombalonga's forehead.
But still we came back. Had O'Grady had a little more composure rather than swinging a boot at two very good chances he would have registered his first Brewers goal. And had Ben Turner's late header been a foot either side of its actual trajectory it would have found the net or Lucas Akins outstretched leg. Such are the narrow margins in football, and are likely to be even more acute at this level.
What more could we have done? Well, maybe held the ball a little better, particularly in those last few minutes of the first half. We can be more confident of playing out from the back. In general we did it well, but sometimes surrendered possession by trying to move it too far too soon.And we somehow have to find a way of converting the many good chances that we created into goals.
But all is not lost. We end the first weekend of our championship odyssey higher in the league than Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United. I know that it means nothing but its a start!
This week's biggest smile? Nigel's comment on the radio that apart from the four goals our keeper didn't have a save to make! We know what you meant, boss!
Only gripe? A small number of lads who insisted on ignoring the seating policy and standing throughout the game, in seats that weren't even the ones they had been allocated, thus ruining the view for a large number of older fans and families who wanted to enjoy the day. And to answer their arrogant chanting of "loyal supporters" and "where were you when we were sh##"? the answer is that we were at Eton Park, watching Russell Bostock, Ritchie Norman, Phil Annable, Peter Ward, Richard Jobson, Aaron Webster and Darren Stride. Ask you dads. Ask your Grandads. But please don't equate being a "loyal supporter" to wanting to "stand up for the Albion" at five minute intervals, declare hatred for our long term friends and neighbours,Derby County or to express a desire to commit acts of gross indecency with our new signings girlfriend. Simply offensive.
Steve's Sunday Summary - Week 1
posted on 8/8/16
Thanks for that Steve excellent summary.Love the last paragraph and I totally agree there is a minority of arrogant morons who don't portray true Burton fans who respect other football fans.
Yes I to remember the sixties at Eton park and I can honestly say I loved it after all its my home town club and my word our patience has paid off don't you think.
So I say to these so called loyal supporters who have just come out of school you don't know what loyal is and you need to take a good look at yourselves and I am sure you will be ashamed.
THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT MORONIC BEHAVIOR UP STEVE !!!!
posted on 8/8/16
Great post Steve and I hope that you continue with many a post match summary (as well as pre-match).
I think we won 3-0.
- The first goal was offside (plus lucky ricochet).
- The second Jon should have saved.
- The third a lucky ricochet.
- The fourth a lucky ricochet.
That game felt a bit like a win for me. It was a moral victory. I think we will play worse and win.
Incidentally, no criticism of Jon Mclaughlin. As soon as it went in I thought 'We would not be in this league had it not been for you'. In fact, we may still be in league 2. A fantastic 'keeper.
I went to that Notts County game and recall vividly leaving the ground thinking we had reached the big time by holding the mighty Notts County. You will recall Richard Walker scored our equaliser. One could have got good odds on him scoring alone. Who did Richard Walker beat between the sticks? Kasper Schmeichel. Sol Campbell was their Manager.
As for the loyal supporters bit, I have been to games in the last 18 months (yes, 18 months!) when we took what looked like less than 50 fans (yes, less than 50!). Accrington away on a misty 24th February 2015 is one that springs to mind. Jimmy was Manager then. Chances are those chanting that loyalty song at the game on Saturday were not there. Probably doing their homework at the time.