I wasn't so confident about this one. Their away run is terrible, but who else in this division would you pick to play when you can't buy a win on the road ahead of us? We always seem to be the ones who give teams respite from whatever rut they're in; we've got history for it (Sheffield Wednesday, anyone?) so I was rather worried about this game. Then again, I do tend to worry about most games anyway so that usually doesn't indicate anything. As it happens, my instincts were to be proven wrong again, although you won't find me complaining too much today.
The atmosphere in the pub beforehand was pretty lively; it was a big match for both teams, this one. It was one of those games that could shape the season for whichever team managed to nick the points. While we were pulling Preston to pieces in midweek, Watford were doing a real number on our Blunt neighbours at Vicarage Road, and they'll have been confident going into this one. There wasn't many Watford fans buzzing around before the match, which was a shame 'cos it's nice to have a natter with them, and get a feel for how their season is panning out. Not so long ago, they were on the brink of administration and it looked like a point deduction and a relegation scrap, so it's testament to them that they, like us, are breathing down the neck of the playoffs.
On the pitch, it was always gonna be a tall order for us to replicate the Preston performance, and it never got to those heights. Again though, the lads really dug in, and probably just about deserved this one. Darren Moore was back to his best after his episode at Deepdale, and Doyle was fantastic yet again. And after smacking the post yesterday, he's getting closer to getting a goal for us too, so if I was a 'Boro fan I'd be worried about him on Tuesday night. Luke Steele deserves a mention too; that save at the end was the difference between one point and all three, no question. It was destined for the top corner, and it was a class save. He even looked more solid when it came to claiming crosses, so fair play to him. The only thing in question yesterday was his kicking, which looked suspect on several occasions, although some of the dreadful backpasses he was tasked with clearing were very bizarre. If you pushed me for a man of the match, I'd probably go with Doyle again, simply for yet again rolling his sleeves up and doing the dirty work with minimum fuss. He's getting better every game, that kid, and getting him for nothing was an absolute steal.
The only one who came out of this one badly, apart from the referee who was, yet again, pretty poor throughout, was young Ryan Shotton, who picked up his second red card of the season with a needless, reckless tackle. Sometimes the young lad seems to lose his head, and we're lucky it didn't cost us the points yesterday. Maybe Robins needs to have a word in his ear, and tell him to calm himself down a bit. As I said before, it was a needless challenge yesterday, and his suspension could cause us problems for Tuesday night if Bobby Hassell isn't ready to return.
He's getting closer...
Watford were a bit unlucky yesterday, and even after Steele pulled off that save could have nicked an equaliser, but overall it was a good, solid display from the Reds, and the sort of display that we need to reproduce if we want to keep pushing up the division. The key word that is thrown around is consistency; we need more of it and this was a step in the right direction. It was also another clean sheet; something else that we need more of.
In tarn after the game, it was celebration time, particularly any time the Championship table popped up on Sky Sports News, showing us sat proudly in 9th place. Me and my old man ended up chatting with a bloke who travelled from outside Halifax to get to the home games, and was having himself a swift one before his trek home on various methods of public transport. He was refusing to get too carried away, which is probably for the best, but sometimes you just have to take the highs and enjoy them while you can, because they don't last nearly as long as they ought to.
'Boro on Tuesday is gonna be a tough one. I'll be making that journey to the Riverside, weather permitting, full of confidence that if the same team that ripped Preston to shreds turns up, we can certainly pull of another big result. They've signed quite a few have 'Boro, most of them from Celtic, but their home form isn't great, so if we can go there on a high and play the way we know we can, hopefully we'll take another step towards that playoff race.
Thanks for reading.
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