League 1 Match 22 - Leeds 1 Southampton 0

"Anyone who back heels it is a feckin' show pony..."

Away to Leeds for what was sure to be our toughest match of the season. They’re currently two points clear at the top with a game in hand. A lot of times in this league, we’ve played against teams who are high in the league but all the time, you’ve kind of suspected they wouldn’t be very good. Leeds would be good and it would be a very stern test.

We’ve all seen the footage of that 70s match when they beat us 7-0 and took the piss with a 104 pass move or whatever it was. In the middle of it, some tosser did a totally pre-meditated outrageous back heel flick. Said tosser was Johnny Giles who I now have to watch on RTE in Ireland berating any ‘show-ponying’ that goes on.

A recent memory I have is beating them 1-0 at The Dell and Hassan Kachloul getting sent off for belting Lee Bowyer or Alan Smith (can’t remember which little shit is was). Belting either one of those two should not be a sending off offence in any sport. After that particulatr game, David O’Dreary came up with ‘the referee favoured Southampton throughout’. Hmmmm, that’s how we ended up with 10 players then….

All our yesterdays…today it was a game between two teams who had got lost up financial shit creek without a paddle and were now on their way back. Pards was forced into a change with Schneiderlin ruled out and so Thomas came in at right back with James moving into midfield. Papa Waigo was on the right wing in favour to Antonio, Connolly and Jaidi returned with Mellis and Trotman dropping to the bench where there was a return for a half fit Kelvin Davis who was preferred to a fully fit Terrible Forecast. Talking of terrible forecasts… it was freezing and the pitch had snow all over it.

It’s the biggest match of the season and I’m… Christmas shopping. To make matters worse, my usual fail safe of text updates is denied me because I had a few beers before boarding my plane last night and so a) I nearly missed the flight b) I nearly pissed my trousers and c) I ran through security and managed to leave my phone in the tray in Dublin Airport. Nightmare… as anyone who has ever lost their mobile will testify, it’s like going out and leaving a vital organ behind, especially on a match day.

First half and it’s mostly Leeds with Saints hardly being mentioned in an attacking sense. Looking at our line up with Waigo and Lallana on the wings, it was quite attack minded so it was a little disappointing to be creating so little. To be fair though, we were solid with only half chances coming Leeds’ way. Leeds’ top scorer Jermaine Beckford was clean through at one point but instead of driving into the box and shooting, he allowed Thomas to catch up with him before falling on his arse. It was a nailed on penalty aside from no one touching him and the non-contact being outside the box. His appeals for a pen should really have been met with a yellow card.
Saints first and only shot of the first half arrived on 43 minutes when the ball was laid back to Hammond whose shot was as poor as Gordon Brown’s election chances.

The second half was more even but again you have to say that Leeds were the more likely with Bart pulling off a couple of decent saves. Time passed and it looked like the main danger was removed when Beckford was subbed. I didn’t know too much about Beckford before the game, aside from the goals he’s scored but he threw a big tantrum as he left the pitch. I know you’re playing for a big club son but you’re a League 1 footballer so having a ‘Billy Big Bollocks’ attitude is really quite laughable. Grow up!

A couple of minutes later and what seemed increasingly inevitable happened as Snodgrass, the man with a name like a character in a Carry On film, curled in a quite sublime goal from the edge of the box. No argument with the quality of the finish but the annoying thing is that Harding had the ball five seconds earlier and instead of playing percentages, tried a Hollywood ball from left back out to the right wing which was intercepted. To be fair, Harding is a very solid, no nonsense defender and this will hopefull not happen again.

The subs came on with Antonio and Gobern arriving for Waigo and Thomas and Saints at last managed some pressure with Lambert screwing an effort wide and us having a last minute penalty shout turned down when Antonio was taken out (according to Pards). The last action of the game was a corner which eventually fell to Harding who lashed it wide.

So, no disgrace but no points and a decent showing without being outstanding. I thought before the game that Pards would send out a defensive line-up with James playing in front of Thomas on the right but in fact it was our most attacking line-up of the season so far. Encouragingly, it took a brilliant goal that we could have prevented at source, for the league leaders to beat us. We could have got a 0-0 out of this game with a bit of luck but Leeds just about deserved it so fair enough. As Pards said afterwards, Leeds have been in League 1 for three years and have built things up in that time whereas we have thrown our team together in 5 months.

I think this was a game where anything would have been a bonus and it’s not a real surprise that we lost, disappointing yes but a disaster, no. Exeter at home on Boxing Day and you don’t need so bloke on a blog to tell you, we have to win that one. Merry Christmas one and all.

Look to the future now, it’s only just begun…..