A WIN AT LAST

It took until the last day of the season for us to confirm our survival back in May, against Huddersfield Town. This season it took us until the final day of August to register our first victory, with The Terriers once more our opposition. 

After what has been a rather worrying opening to the 2013-14 season for the Reds, you could be forgiven for thinking a lot was already riding on this particular local derby fixture, once again. But, once again, it was a fixture with a happy ending for the Tarn faithful, as first half goals from Chris O'Grady and Marcus Pedersen were enough to settle this encounter, as well as the nerves of many a Barnsley supporter.. 




The midweek mauling at Oakwell we received courtesy of Premier League Southampton in the League Cup came off the back of a thumping at Ewood Park, Blackburn in our last league game. Conceding five goals in both had led to some murmurings of discontent among the fanbase over the last 7 days. Hard to imagine that back when we last took on yesterdays visitors, where manager David Flitcroft was hailed a hero as the Reds completed their remarkable 'Great Escape' on that barmy day in West Yorkshire. 

But football is always evolving. Players come and go. Managers chop and change. And let's be honest, we supporters in general can be a fickle bunch. 

However, after a pre-season of optimism and with everyone riding on the crest of that 'feelgood' wave, it's safe to say that most of us have been brought back down to Earth (some with a bump, others with a great big whallop!). 


The lack of goals in the opening three games - an opening day horror show against FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic; scraping through the League Cup game with Scunthorpe United on penalties; a late defeat at the seaside against Blackpool - were then followed by us finally opening our account in terms of goals (two) and points (just the one) as we drew at Oakwell with Charlton Athletic. 
But the fact we threw away a two goal lead in that one, did little to raise our peckers. And then came the aforementioned five goal hammerings.. 


Throw into the mix the continued saga concerning club legend Bobby Hassell, the dropping of keeper and captain Luke Steele, the loan signing of 41 year old stopper Mike Pollitt, and a couple of red cards, and yes, it was clearly open season on Flitcroft. 

If it's been an unwanted start to the season and a worrying time for us lot, then I'm sure the manager feels similarly. As if all the above wasn't enough to keep him up at night (not that he likes sleeping...) his wife gave birth to a baby boy which by all accounts was a troublesome one. 

Cut him some slack, though? 

Aye, oreight... 


It's not that we're unsympathetic, or a horrid bunch. I just know that a lot of us who support any football club - because it's not just us - do it so passionately that we often overlook the human side of football. I could be wrong, though. I am quite often. 



But I'll come back to a few of these issues later on. For now, let's get back to yesterday afternoon and that welcome win and three point haul... 

I was in the pub when news of Flitcroft's latest team selection was revealed, so I didn't share my opinion on it at the time via twitter or our forum as I sometimes do. Obviously, I would have liked both Steele and Hassell involved personally, but other than that I was quite happy with it. 
I've thought for a long time that Reuben Noble-Lazarus deserved a run in the left wing-back position. And the departure of Scott Golbourne to League One outfit Wolves probably forced Flitcroft's hand on that one, but nevertheless I was looking forward to seeing how he got on against one of the divisions better wide players in former BFC hero Adam Hammill. 

'Big John' returned to the centre of defence after serving his suspension. I've been pretty critical of M'Voto online. I've stated the obvious though, in my opinion. He's great in the air, and does look a good addition. But he's very poor in terms of positional sense and technically leaves a lot to be desired. He's got a mistake in him. 
But he got the nod over Jimmy McNulty, lining up with player of the month (in my opinion) Scott Wiseman to his right, and Tom Kennedy to his left. 

The Jim O'Brien 'experiment' at right wing-back continued. He's struggled there in the main, for me. But it's not down to a lack of effort or application on his part, and one hopes that he'll improve with each game he plays in that role. 

Behind the O'Grady and Pedersen pairing up top, were the rather defensive minded trio of David Perkins, Kelvin Etuhu and new captain Stephen Dawson. 
I could see the logic in that particular decision. Town have central midfielders who like to dictate, and get their wide men operating well forward. Flitcroft obviously saw this as the key battleground and decided against going with a more creative and less physical player such as Jacob Mellis or Tomasz Cywka. 



The Reds started off on the front foot, neat and tidy passes finding their targets, and pressing the opposition in the same relentless manner that became the trademark of BFC under 'Flicker' last season. 
Kennedy and Wiseman were allowed to get forward in support of O'Brien and Noble-Lazarus, and both O'Grady and Pedersen were dominating the Terriers centre halves. The former's strength and hold up play as good as ever, the latter with deft flicks and immaculate control. It all looked very positive, even if we weren't exactly creating chances in that initial phase of the game. 

However, we did make the breakthrough after just eight minutes. Wiseman charged over halfway, just to the right, and his whipped ball in from deep fell kindly for O'Grady after first Pedersen had tried to control it, and the Wednesday hater notched his third goal in six league starts this season when he drilled home past Alex Smithies with his left foot, just inside the Terriers box. 

A minute or so later and this time it was Etuhu who burst forward and released O'Grady just outside the box but his first time curled effort cleared Smithies' crossbar by at least a foot. 

Huddersfield rarely threatened in the first half, Hammill's inviting low cross from the right went across the face of goal with nobody close enough to connect. Adam Clayton's 20 yard effort curled well wide of Pollitt's goal. And the same player having jinked his way into the box saw his cut back cleared by Noble-Lazarus with strikers waiting.

Tarn doubled their lead just after the half hour mark, and it was another cross from out wide, this time expertly whipped in by Kennedy from the left after a neat lay off by Noble-Lazarus, and Pedersen brought it down sublimely before driving it home from pretty much the penalty spot. 

I was thoroughly impressed by our first half showing. The graft and application was as joyous to see as ever. But the quality of our passing was much improved and the strike pairing already look to have developed a pretty decent understanding. 

It was hard to find fault in any of our players, although M'Voto and O'Brien were at times a little sloppy but overall we were much the better side and deserved our 2-0 lead. 

My only worry was whether we could maintain that same intensity in the second half. Something we failed to manage in our last home league fixture when we pretty much surrendered against a poor looking Charlton on that day. 

My worries increased within minutes of the restart, as Huddersfield looked more like the side I expected before kick off, and again the Reds dropped deeper and struggled to retain possession. 

Myself and my mate who I attended with decided to move from our first half seats situated in the West Lower towards the Ponty End, and instead took up a position right behind the home dugout. 

It was very interesting to witness each of the coaching staff go about their business, and gave me a little perspective on how hard it can be for them to get their messages across to the players. More than once Flicker was tearing his hair out (literally) as we became nervous and were retreating further and further back. 
It was funny however, to see Martin Scott and Ian Wilcock arguing at one point. Ian was making a suggestion but Martin wasn't interested and was telling him where to go, to which I'm sure I heard Ian call him "babe" when suggesting he calmed down.. 

A mention too for Jason (Jason) Scotland whose reaction to Huddersfield's goal was one of pure anger. He proper lives every minute that bloke, which is good to see I suppose, especially when you consider how limited his chances are likely to be this season. 

But special mention to Luke Steele. It's no doubt been tough for him this past week, but he was encouraging his competition in Pollitt throughout that second half. But then, I'd expect nothing less from a true professional. 

Oh, and the faces on Flitcroft, Scott and Mickey Mellon as 'Big John' went on that late rampage down the touchline were indeed a picture. 

The match itself certainly tipped in favour of the opposition in that second period. It wasn't all our own (wrong) doing, though. Town were much improved after the break and after James Vaughan had missed one great chance when put clean through, he made amends when we gifted him a second opportunity. 

It was M'Voto again at fault, as his header clear fell straight to Clayton who then slipped a ball through the M'Voto sized gap in defence, and Vaughan this time made no mistake when beating Pollitt from just inside the box with a cool low finish. 


That Charlton giveaway certainly came to mind, and as we again struggled to keep any meaningful possession, often lumping it aimlessly forward I was expecting an equaliser almost every time Town came forward. 

The manager brought on Mellis and Chris Dagnall, replacing Noble-Lazarus and Pedersen, and we switched to a flat back four with Mellis on the left flank ahead of TK. Dagnall dropped in behind O'Grady who looked very ordinary in that second half. Turns out he lost a tooth in a challenge with Sean Scannell, so I'll forgive the big man for his pretty poor showing after the break. 

Despite all the worrying, and plenty of possession for the visitors, they rarely tested Pollitt and I can only remember them once carving us open in the latter stages, where Kennedy was stupidly trying to let the ball go out of play for a goal kick and was beaten by his man only for the referee - thankfully/fortunately - to blow up in our favour for a Reds free kick. 


They did force a late corner after a block tackle from O'Brien, and sent up keeper Smithies. But the ball over was too deep and missed the myriad players grouped together - Smithies included - and M'Voto somehow raced away with the ball and began to gallop like Patrick Vieira in his pomp down the left touchline. The Huddersfield goal was empty and after getting within 30 yards of it or so, he tried to place it and missed badly by a few yards, under pressure from Hammill. 
It would have been another cracking finale between the two sides, but it wasn't to be. However, the final whistle soon sounded and that vital first victory was ours.. 

PLAYER RATINGS: 


MIKE POLLITT - Had little shot stopping to perform, could do nothing about the goal, but what he had to do he did well, and looked assured throughout. 6 


JIM O'BRIEN - A typically energetic performance from Jim who certainly gave it 100% as always. However, whether it's the role or just poor form, he did make a few errors that luckily didn't cost us. 6 



SCOTT WISEMAN - A near faultless display from Wisey. His pace is nothing new, we all know about that and he got the better of Hammill and Carroll in particular on more than one occasion. But his aerial ability is much improved and he just looks a different animal from the lad who was criticised so much last year (quite often, by myself I must admit). 9 



JEAN YVES M'VOTO - Won everything in the air as usual, and in the main was rarely troubled by Vaughan and co. However, he's his own opponent. His mistakes are too regular for a centre half and he was certainly found wanting for the Town goal. But, if he can work on these issues he's definitely going to be some player. Has all the attributes. Just needs the intelligence and I suppose, the experience. 6 



TOM KENNEDY - Steady player is TK, and certainly looks the part when played where he was yesterday. Linked up well with RNL, helped create the chance that Pedersen tucked away and should be pleased with his efforts. 7 



REUBEN NOBLE-LAZARUS - First start for Reuben since he was outstanding against Hull City last season, and in that same position. He'll not come up against many better wingers than Hammill, and he coped with him admirably, linking well with TK throughout. I think he'd be incredibly unlucky to be dropped if over the international break Flicker recruits a new left wing-back. Looks the perfect replacement for Golbourne. 8 



DAVID PERKINS - A typically industrious performance from our most consistent player. Not his best display by any means, and look to fade badly second half, but I would select him ahead of every one of our other midfielders. 7 



KELVIN ETUHU - We rarely lose when Kelvin plays deep in midfield, and he absolutely bossed it first half. Has so much to admire about his game and very little to complain about. I honestly think he's still going to get better. Which is a frightening proposition - for our opposition. 
Faded like Perkins second half, but like Perks he'd been struggling all week with a knock. 8 



STEPHEN DAWSON - A captain's performance. Drove us on first half, put himself and his body on the line in the second, and was the best of the central trio second half, even when pushed out wide late on he fared well. 
Did waste a couple of decent openings when well placed but he does what he does well, in my opinion. 8 



CHRIS O'GRADY - Vintage COGba in the first 45, and took his goal well. Hard to believe there's a better striker at Hillsborough... 
Struggled though after the break, but I do think a lot of that is down to the aimless balls up to him. Last season proved that he's more useful with the ball into his feet, not his head. 8 



MARCUS PEDERSEN - My first live viewing of the Norwegian, and I was very impressed with him. Has great feet, a quality first touch, and that finish was exemplary. Similar to Etuhu, I think he's still a bit off the pace, so it's exciting imagining how good he 'could' be. 9 






MY MAN OF THE MATCH: 

Scott Wiseman. 

WHITEY'S FINAL THOUGHTS: 



The win yesterday has lifted everyone with BFC connections I reckon. And it's enabled me personally to now look upon a few of our other results a tad more positively. 
The Blackpool defeat for example. That could/should have been a point, and a good one considering how well the Tangerines have started this season. 
We should also have beaten Charlton. And so if you were to add on those three lost points, we'd be on seven points and probably calling this a decent start to the season. 

However, a defeat yesterday, or dare I say it, had we conceded a late leveller at Oakwell, we'd be looking at things a lot differently, negatively. 
But we aren't, so scrap any of that thinking and let's stay optimistic, eh? 


A few words on 'Hassellgate' which never seems to go away, certainly not when we're struggling for results. 
I'm a big fan of Bobby and take the stick that comes with holding that opinion (bizarre though it is). But I do believe that there are non-football reasons for his exclusion. And that it's a situation that could have been avoided by Flitcroft/the board deciding against renewing his contract. It's that simple. It would have stung - as it did with Foz - but rather that than this sideshow we continue to have going on in the background. Because it does nothing positive for either Bobby, Flicker or we the supporters. 


The Luke Steele thing, I disagreed with at the time. And I still do. 
I believe he's better than Mike Pollitt and his removal implies blame on his part for our drubbings early on. 
The fact that we went on to ship another five goals without him in goal just proves that opinion. And yesterday, the result would not have been a negative one with Steele in between the sticks. 
That's not a slight on Pollitt, who I thought did well. And whilst I do think he was brought in because Flicker is best of friends with him (there are better keepers available on loan, I am sure of that) I have no real problem with that. As in, it's nothing out of the ordinary for a manager to recruit people he knows well. It happens at every club. 
But it does bother me that our manager felt the need to call it 'disgusting' that we supporters were questioning his decision. 



We've now got two weeks to prepare for our trip to high flying Nottingham Forest, and to get the likes of Paddy McCourt, Martin Cranie and Lewin Nyatanga up to speed in terms of fitness. 


I'm hoping that this Monday's deadline passes without any more recruitment, and neither do I think we need to delve into the loan market at this stage, either. 
We have a huge squad, and plenty of players who can feel quite hard done by so far in terms of opportunities given. 
But perhaps a few may head out of the door? And I wouldn't be as averse to that. 



To finish this update, I'd like to say well done to the supporters who have attended Oakwell so far this season. The atmosphere is still good, and it does look like we've clawed back at least 1,000 regulars, despite our dodgy start. 

We're above Wednesday, too. Always nice. 

And a big thanks to those who contributed to selling out the first issue of 'West Stand Bogs' the new fanzine that covers everything and nothing about Barnsley Football Club. 


Up The Tarn!