The Scratching Shed

A bit of festive cheer was had by all yesterday as Leeds came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Hartlepool United. Beckford has deservedly stole the headlines, but here’s how I thought the rest of the team rated too.

Casper Ankergren – 7
Did what he had to do throughout and whilst the passes remain a little dodgy and his catching could use some improvement, he did well overall. Can’t be held accountable for the goal as it was sloppy defending that left their mammoth of a striker unmarked.

Leigh Bromby – 6
Quiet, but didn’t really do much wrong. A bit dodgy at times in the first half, but sharpened up in the second. Not an ideal solution - let’s say “adequate.”

Patrick Kisnorbo – 8
Another solid performance from Kis. Can’t put a foot wrong really, although the mammoth striker i mentioned who scored (Ármann Björnsson) was beating Kis and Nayl’s in the air for fun at times. Hardly surprising though as he was about six inches taller.

Richard Naylor – 6.5
Bit of an up and down performance from Nayl’s. His passing went astray at times (like others), and like Kis he was beaten a few times by the beast they had upfront. Also has to take some responsibility for the goal we conceded as the captain is the one who should be organising the defence in such situations – especially when he’s a centre-back. Leaving the back post empty is a major oversight. On the flipside, he got in with the tackles and blocks.

Andrew Hughes – 7.5
A very good performance from Hughes. Bit of a scare early on when he was down for a while with what looked like a knee injury, but pulled through and had a good game. Even delivered a couple of good crosses in.

Jonny Howson – 6.5
Poor in the first half but improved no end in the second. Distribution was way off early doors, but after the break he came back looking like a different player.

Micky Doyle – 5
I’m usually quite a fan of Doyle, but he served no real purpose in this game. Around the box he brings little to the party, but that’s nothing unusual. His strength usually lies in suring up the back line, which to an extent he did, but he gave the ball away far too often.

Neil Kilkenny – 7.5
Neil spreads the ball better than anyone else on the team. It’s like a natural ability for him to be able to pick out the right pass that creates openings for others. Great performance from him, but like last week, he could have shot more often.

Robert Snodgrass – 8
Absolutely tireless in his efforts. The passes didn’t always make it, nor did the crosses, but he was everywhere. Had several shots blocked within the opening quarter of an hour and I was surprised he didn’t get his name on the scoresheet.

Lucciano Becchio – 7.5
Not sure whether he’ll be awarded with the goal as it took a major deflection, but worked hard throughout, holding the ball up and playing people in. Was taken off after a daft yellow card he picked up for a handbags battle also involving Johnson.

Jermaine Beckford – 9
I can’t believe there are still people criticising parts of his play when he scored twice. He was a bit over-eager at times, granted, but he worked hard throughout and was unlucky not to get the hat trick considering the shot that came back off the bar. That’s the kind of answer we all wanted from Beckford after his recent antics, let’s hope he can keep it up.

Substitutions
Gradel was too eager to score for his own good and a little selfish in truth. Johnson and Kandol didn’t really get much of a chance to do anything (other than get himself booked in Johnson’s case). By the time they came on, the match was won and the rest of the team were more interested in playing olé football than they were scoring again.

There was an increased crowd at Elland Road, as is the norm for Boxing Day, the majority of whom were no doubt feeling a little sheepish after the excesses of Christmas Day and I was no exception.

Charlton had kicked off early and drew 2-2 with Swindon Town after Sam Sodje was sent off for a two-footed challenge early on and Deon Burton followed him just before half-time. Charlton were 1-0 up at this point, but with another half to follow and only nine men available, it wasn’t going to be easy. Predictably enough, Swindon came out firing and turned the game on its head. With only injury time remaining, they’d managed to get themselves 2-1 in front, but a last second equaliser from Miguel Llera (90 +4) put Charlton level and secured them a hard fought point. .

Norwich meanwhile had beaten Millwall 2-0 and Colchester also took three points away to Southend United. Nevertheless, the Leeds fans knew that a victory here today over the inconsistent Hartlepool would be enough to take us six points clear at the top as we approach the New Year.

Leeds were undoubtedly heavy favourites for the tie and as the game got underway, it looked like there would be no surprises. Robert Snodgrass had three early shots blocked by the visitors defence as he made himself available all over the pitch.

There was a stoppage in play early on after Andrew Hughes went down in some pain. It looked like he’d taken some kind of knock to his knee and the Leeds United physio came on to assess the situation. Hughes finally managed to get himself up and was taken off the pitch, returning shortly afterwards.

Leeds continued to pile on the pressure and the next chance fell to Jermaine Beckford who fired a shot on goal from a tough angle. It was an easy save from the Hartlepool keeper but there was an early indication of how the Leeds fans were feeling about their number one striker as the stands burst into a chorus of “Jermaine Beckford, Jermaine Beckford,” clearly indicating that last weeks incident had been put to bed.

Next up to try his luck was Jonny Howson who struck well from the edge of the area, but it went straight at the opposition goalkeeper who saved with relative ease.

The game lost a bit of pace and Hartlepool managed to get up the other end of the field. Their efforts resulted in a corner which was whipped in at some pace, being headed on to the back post where an unmarked Bjornsson knocked it in to send the visitors into the lead, totally against the run of play.

Leeds tried to reply but found themselves on the back foot once again. A shot from Adam Boyd deflected out for another corner as Hartlepool found some belief. The corner was subsequently cleared by Becchio, then knocked back in but the offside flag was up giving Leeds a free-kick and time to regain some composure.

The game then turned back in Leeds’ favour. Howson had another shot from range which deflected off a defender leaving the keeper wrong footed. The shot was spilled but as Jermaine Beckford moved in to poach a goal, the keeper managed to clean up and save his team from danger.

Beckford looked extremely hungry and the fans were more than appreciative of his efforts. There was still the odd one or two who stubbornly refused to forgive and forget, but on the whole, the Leeds fans had his back.

After a three on two move was ended by a poor pass from Beckford, the striker redeemed himself by levelling the scores. Neil Kilkenny took a shot which whizzed through the area and Beckford got a touch to it to make it 1-1 and put Leeds back on level terms. The striker’s celebration was somewhat subdued, perhaps because he was in front of the previously critical Kop, or maybe because of the poached effort. The fans reacted favourably though with a chorus of the striker’s name.

Robert Snodgrass continued to make himself available wherever and wasn’t afraid to shoot. Another shot from him was saved with ease by the Hartlepool keeper, but Leeds were totally on top once more.

As the three minutes of extra time came close to an end, Leeds got themselves in front. Some fans will have missed the goal as they headed in to the stand for half-time refreshments, but there was more than a little luck involved. As the Hartlepool bench appealed for handball, Howson sent a cross in which Becchio headed towards goal. The header took a deflection and found the back of the net to send Leeds in, in front at half time.

Although Leeds deserved the lead, Hartlepool fans had a right to feel aggrieved. The referee was another fine example of how poor the officials are in this division and made so many errors it was often comical. The decisions did seem a little one sided at times too and I’m sure we’d have felt annoyed had it been the other way round. When things are going for you though, you have to take it.

After a quiet opening, Jermaine Beckford got the first chance of the second half when he broke free and unleashed a powerful shot that clattered back off the bar to deny him his second. He had another chance shortly after too as he met Snoddy’s cross but couldn’t direct his effort towards goal from six yards.

Things quietened down, giving me some time to interact with my followers on Twitter. Although a little over-eager at times, Beckford was having a good game and shortly after I suggested he may well hit an hat trick today, he added his second. A beautifully chipped shot over the Hartlepool keeper sealed the victory for the Whites and sent the 30,000 fans into raptures. This time, Beckford celebrated in style in front of the South Stand and last weeks antics were now but a distant memory.

As the half wore away, Leeds started to play ole football, safe in the knowledge that the result was confirmed. Simon Grayson made a few changes bringing Bradley Johnson on for Micky Doyle, Tresor Kandol on for Richard Naylor and Mad Max Gradel on in place of Lucciano Becchio. The referee meanwhile was handing yellow cards out like Christmas cards after an incident involving Bradley Johnson led to a bit of handbags at five paces.

There were a couple of chances left for Leeds, the first of which fell to Max Gradel who shot from range when he should have played one of the many White shirt wearing players around him in. Jermaine Beckford was eager to get his hat trick, but the best effort he would get was a long ranged strike that sailed in to the packed South Stand. The game ended with a poorly struck free kick from Max Gradel, but the victory was secured and Leeds move six clear of Charlton Athletic.

A couple of interesting facts from my followers on Twitter; Firstly, Leeds now have the best goal difference in England with +30. The next closest being Chelski on +28. Secondly, with that win secured, Leeds are now guaranteed to end the decade as they started it – at the top of the table. Obviously, we started at the top of the Premier League and end at the top of League One, but an interesting fact nonetheless.

A good result today and a good response to going behind in the first half. Good to see 30,000 Leeds fans at the game today, some of which looked a little worse for wear, but all seemed to be enjoying the Christmas spirit. Special shout to those that attended in fancy dress, there were quite a few of them today for us all to laugh at.

TSS man of the match
I can’t give it to anyone other than Jermaine Beckford. He was over-eager at times, but looked desperate to make up for last weeks antics and responded in the right way – as did the fans! Mini goal drought over and the January speculation will snowball from here on in. Can’t see him leaving ‘til the end of the season though.

Funniest fan award
Goes to the lad in the Kop who called his mate (who is a bit of an occasional fan) a fair-weather fan despite the fact it was one of the coldest games of the season. Love it.

Managed to get home and complete a match report by 18:15. That’s got to be a new record. Please excuse any grammatical errors, but the pub awaits. Happy Christmas to everyone – TSS.

I often find myself disagreeing with Phil Hay’s attempts at rating performances, mainly because he refuses to give anything less than 5/10. Maybe he’s been reading TSS, because since I mentioned his reluctance to give anyone really low scores, he hasn’t rated them. Anyway, it’s unfair to criticise others for something you don’t do yourself, so here’s my first attempt.

Casper Ankergren – 5/10
Never had a single save to make throughout the entire game. Anything Southampton tried was nullified by the defence and midfield making Ankergren more of a spectator than a goalkeeper. Still getting sarcastic cheers from the Kop whenever he catches the ball, and his kicks still have a habit of finding touch, but doing his job well on the whole.

Leigh Bromby – 6/10
A pretty solid performance from Bromby. Closed down well, passed well and essentially did what he’s supposed to do.

Patrick Kisnorbo – 9/10
Kis was everywhere and I only remember him making one slight error that was cleaned up easily by Nayls. The difference with him in the team is remarkable. Irreplacable for me, an absolute rock at the back. Bandage still on from his clash early in the season. I’m starting to think it’s a fashion accessory.

Richard Naylor – 8/10
Not as influential as Kis, but a solid performance nonetheless. Not sure Nayls is 100% yet, but there were few signs of fatigue or lack of match practice.

Andrew Hughes – 6/10
Probably one of his best performances so far for Leeds. He actually looked like a full-back for once. Was beaten a few times down the wing, but overall he had a good game, getting the tackles in and pushing forward when possible.

Jonny Howson – 7/10
Going forward he was missing in the first half, but had a good second period before being substituted. Defensively he was consistently good throughout, closing down quickly and getting back to help out when needed. Tried to sort Becks out during the substitution saga but to no avail.

Michael Doyle - 7.5/10
His defensive contribution was much more important than his attacking one. Like most of the team, he lacked ideas going forward but helped to dominate the midfield by closing down quickly and getting stuck in to make sure Southampton had no time on the ball.

Neil Kilkenny – 7/10
Also played his part in denying Southampton time and space, but much like Doyle he seemed a bit lacking in ideas infront of goal. Felt he selflessly passed up a few shooting opportunities that he probably should have hit, but overall another good shift from Killa.

Robert Snodgrass – 7/10
Had it not been for the spectaculor goal, Snoddy would have scored lower. His crossing was poor throughout leading to many wasted attacking opportunities. He kept the work rate up though and even on a relatively poor day by his standards, he made the difference.

Jermaine Beckford – 6/10
Contrary to most reports, Jermaine didn’t have a bad game. It seems that a lot of fans are too willing to focus on the negatives now though and refuse to give him any respect for what he did do well. Becks chased the ball, closed down with the team and tried to play people in throughout. Nothing really fell for him, but the one chance he did have saw him slip and whinge at the referee. Whinging and substitution antics aside, not a terrible game for Becks.

Lucciano Becchio – 8.5/10
I said it was a coin flip between himself and Kis for man of the match in my report, but Becchio did let himself down by putting an unmarked header over the bar from six yards. Aside from that, he hassled the opposition whenever they had the ball, held the ball up well, linked well with the other players and worked tirelessly throughout.

The substitutions
The usual introduction of Max Gradel brought with it some new ideas in the second half, whilst Bradley Johnson, who came on at the same time also had a good run out and brought the game to life. Although neither of them were really involved with Snoddy’s goal, they did seem to give Leeds an edge.

When Hogan Ephraim’s shot deflected in after just eight minutes, it looked like it was going to be all too easy for Leeds United, but if the opening goal was lucky, the atrocious defending that went unpunished thereafter was miraculous.

Grayson rung the changes to his side. Richard Naylor returned to the team and partnered Lubomir Michalik at the back, with Crowe and Hughes playing at full-back. On-loan Liverpool goalkeeper, David Martin made his debut and there was also starts for Hogan Ephraim, Tresor Kandol and Mike Grella.

After Ephraim’s fortuitous opening goal, Leeds never applied any real pressure. The best chances we had for the remainder of the first half fell to Kandol, who had a shot blocked by the Accrington keeper’s legs and a hopeful shot from Robert Snodgrass that went wide.

Accrington meanwhile probably had as many chances as Leeds including a free-header from a corner that their striker really should have buried. The lack of man-marking from the set-piece was a sign of things to come as the shaky Leeds defence made the game harder than it should have been.

The second half brought with it another early goal when Ephraim crossed for Kilkenny who headed home. 2-0 to Leeds and things really should have been wrapped up.

Accrington never put their heads down though and kept fighting. Had it not been for a lucky save from David Martin which flicked on to the post and came back out in to the path of a White shirt, Accrington could have been back in it. More fortune for Leeds as the woodwork came to their rescue again and the Leeds defence continued to scare the life out of the 12,000 inside Elland Road.

Grayson changed the front two with Kandol and Grella making way for Vokes and Gradel. Neither of the departing strikers will have been happy with their shift as they did little to threaten Stanley’s keeper throughout. Gradel forced an impressive save from the Accrington keeper late on, but the substitutes didn’t have much more luck than the two they replaced and Accrington continued to look the more likely to score.

Such was the state of Leeds United at the back, Simon Grayson made the decision to bring on Patrick Kisnorbo in place of Robert Snodgrass, effectively changing the formation to 5-3-2. Probably not something he’d expected to have to do before the fixture, but Naylor and Lubo just weren’t keeping the visitors at bay.

Leeds managed to escape the fixture with a clean sheet, but if todays team was supposed to show the quality of this squads depth then we have problems. I know Doyle is often seen as the weak link in midfield, but the job he does in suring up the defence is invaluable. His absence today was noticable throughout. The partnership of Lubo and Naylor didn’t work and the full-backs didn’t inspire much confidence either.

Elsewhere, Grella and Kandol never really had a chance to shoot. The difference between the two sides was only Leeds taking their chances. There were very few clear cut chances for the Whites as we rarely looked in a hurry to attack, but the ones we did have were converted. Accrington meanwhile will have been disappointed with some of their finishing, most notably the free-headet in the first half. However, they’ll also be cursing their luck with the woodwork coming to our rescue twice.

Regardless of how many changes we made tonight, we have to improve before the weekend. Southampton are a strong side and with Rickie Lambert upfront, they’ll be sure to punish such sloppy defending. The main thing is that we’re through to the final where we’ll meet Carlisle United. Although I’d have preferred to play the Leeds suburb of Bradford, we’re still in the race for Wembley and that’s the main thing.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to give it to the Elland Road woodwork tonight as without it, we’d have probably been knocked out on penalties. Hogan Ephraim deserves a shout too though. Although he did little to help out defensively (like the rest of the team) he got himself a goal and an assist, so an obvious choice.

Three in, three out

What’s impressed me more than anything about Simon Grayson since his arrival is his ‘take nothing for granted’ approach and the final day of the loan window saw plenty of activity for Leeds.

Firstly, it’ll come as no suprise to most that Tony Capaldi has joined us from Cardiff City. It’s been suggested for a few days that Larry was targeting him and with Andrew Hughes the latest addition to our injury list, it makes good sense. Personally, I’ve been impressed with Aidy White whenever he’s got a game, but you can’t blame SG for covering his bases.  

Simon has also brought in Hogan Ephraim (what a name!) who is a midfielder from Queen’s Park Rangers alongside 23-year-old Liverpool goalkeeper, David Martin. The final one suprised me a little bit. I’m probably one of Casper’s biggest critics, the bloke drives me insane, but he’s kept four consecutive clean sheets and with Alan Martin on standby, I didn’t realise we were in the market for a new keeper. I guess Shane Higgs must be out for a while longer?

Meanwhile, going out of Elland Road until the New Year is Andrew Milne, Alan Sheehan and Davide Somma. Sheehan has gone to Swindon Town and with him unlikely to get much first team action, I wouldn’t be too suprised to see this made permanent in January. Andrew Milne and Davide Somma however have gone to Darlington and Chesterfield respectively, where they should pick up some much needed match experience. I’ll be keeping a close eye on them two.

Can’t take us anywhere

Really interesting piece on The Guardian website today showing what it takes for a non-league team to host someone like Leeds United. Kettering have been more than generous giving Leeds United around a quarter of the total tickets. We’ll be occupying the stand running lengthways across the pitch, opposite the makeshift commentary box where Clive Tyldsley and Andy Townsend will be.

With an average attendance of 1,600, Kettering are expecting almost four times that on Sunday which means the club need extra policing to treat the Leeds United fans like thugs and keep us in line (It’s ok, we’re used to it!) An interesting stat used by the Guardian is that on Sunday alone, Kettering will spend 40% of last seasons entire Policing costs to stage the game. Can’t take us anywhere!

Stadium redevelopment plans

There’s days when I check the official Leeds United site and I’m almost convinced Ken Bates is trying to wind us up. It’s like he gets some sadistic thrill from it or something. Maybe the wife is holding out on him these days, so we have to suffer as a consquence?

Anyway, to get to the point, the Leeds United official site is this morning boasting about the plans to extend both the North and West stand should Leeds win host city status. Furthermore, the club also mentions it’s approved planning permission for the East Stand eyesore that will also begin construction should we be successful.

It’s not that I don’t want to see Elland Road improved – although what the point would be when we’re stuck in League One and can’t fill it as it is, despite being top of the league is beyond me – it’s the Thorp Arch thing once more. How on earth can we afford to build a Leeds branch of Chelsea Village and extend two of our stands when we can’t scrape together enough money to repurchase something so fundamentally important to the clubs future? Where on earth is the money for this coming from Ken?

Becchio strikes back

Lucciano Becchio made his return to action for the Leeds United reserves last night as they beat Lincoln City 2-1. Becchio opened the scoring on 27 minutes with a lobbed goal, but Lincoln equalised from the penalty spot soon after. The final goal came from Davide Somma four minutes before the break who has now scored in his last two reserve outings.

Great to have Becchio back in action. Wouldn’t be suprised to see him play a part in the FA Cup tie against Kettering Town on Sunday as he looks to regain match fitness. Davide Somma seems to be coming on nicely too. What this means for on-loan striker Sam Vokes is anyones guess, but I doubt Simon Grayson will be looking to extend his loan period in January. For me, he hasn’t been worth it.

Loan swoop for Cardiff City left-back?

The loan deadline expires this evening meaning Simon Grayson won’t be able to make any further additions to his squad until the January transfer window opens. However, the Yorkshire Evening Post (amongst others) are reporting a possible move for Cardiff City left-back, Tony Capaldi.

Not sure this is totally necessary as Jason Crowe played in the reserves last night so is close to a return. Aidy White also gave an excellent performance after coming on as a sub early in the second half on Tuesday. However, I can’t fault Grayson for covering his bases. It seems Hughes has picked up an injury so it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Another milestone for TSS

Back in August, it looked like TSS had come to an end after just a few months. The previous host cancelled the account for no clear reason, although I believe this was because they couldn’t cope with the traffic. The site continually experienced problems under them whenever demand was high.

Anyway, back then I lost all the posts I’d made, all the comments users had contributed and all the other site content. It was a frustrating day and I seriously considered giving it up for good. However, my stubborn ways wouldn’t let the unreliable host defeat me, so I found a new one (Hostgator, who have been brilliant!) and set about re-launching the site.

Since that day, there’s been 112 posts on TSS which have received a combined total of over 125,000 visits, many of these returning visits from users that now frequent the site daily, and the latest milestone is entirely down to the sites users. Yesterday TSS passed the 1,000 comment mark, so thanks to everyone that’s participated and helped make the site a success. MOT.

Anyone expecting Leeds to be totally humiliated by last years Premier League runners-up will have been sorely disappointed last night as Leeds held their own against the European giants.

David N’Gog’s strike was all that seperated the two sides but the result could have been much different. Leeds thought they were ahead after a Robert Snodgrass corner was turned in by Jermaine Beckford. However, Lucciano Becchio lunged at the ball as it was crossing the line after coming from an offside position, but it’s unclear as to whether the ball had already crossed.

Whether the goal should have stood or not remains debatable. The more I watch the replay, the more unsure I am, but I’m not going to get hung up on that as there are so many positives for us to take from this game.

Liverpool had made seven changes from the side that started at the weekend, but remained cautious with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres on the bench. Torres never did get a chance to play infront of the sold-out Elland Road crowd, but the cautious Benitez did bring his captain on for the final fifteen minutes or so to try and secure victory, who took more than his fair share of stick from the Leeds faithful. Glen Johnson also made an appearence late on.

Liverpool’s part reserve, part first team line-up never managed to take control of the game as they maybe expected to. Leeds closed down well, attacked well and passed the ball fluently in patches. If anything, we probably had the better chances but paid the price for ultimately failing to convert.

There was some controversy late on when Javier Mascherano appeared to elbow Jermaine Beckford. Despite the referee having a perfect vantage point, nothing was awarded to Leeds. Mascherano escaped what should definitely have been a booking and perhaps a red card. Minutes later, David N’Gog found space in the box and slotted home to give Liverpool the lead.

The major negative for me last night was Andrew Hughes at left-back. Time and time again, Liverpool were able to find space down the right and Hughes held off the players rather than getting in and making the tackle. He was also out of position a lot of the night and most of the threat Liverpool posed came from his failure to clear the danger.

As I said earlier though, there was a lot of positives. Shane Higgs shined once more making a couple of important saves. His first save of the night was from a Ryan Babel shot that he collected comfortably, but his most notable one came just before half-time when he made a vital save from Albert Riera’s close range header leading to chants of ‘England’s number one’ from the crowd.

Elsewhere the midfield held their own in a tough battle. Jonny Howson continues to impress and has come on leaps and bounds in the last few months. Doyle didn’t do much wrong either, getting in quick with the tackles and passing well throughout. Bradley Johnson’s had better games, but didn’t do too much wrong in all fairness. The star of the show was Robert Snodgrass though who had his best game of the season so far.

Snoddy didn’t look out of place against Premiership opposition. He tackled well, passed well and controlled the right-wing throughout. I doubt there will be many Leeds fans suprised by his performance as we all know what he’s capable of, but he may well have caught the attention of some other clubs last night. At such a young age, Snoddy could have a long and prosperous career at Elland Road. As we climb back up the leagues, I firmly believe he can make that step with us.

For the other 38,000 fans alongside me in Elland Road last night, you were the real stars of the show. The Elland Road crowd has always been something special and we proved that to the world last night. The standard chants to tease the Liverpool fans were sang throughout alongside the usual chants to spur the boys on. At kick-off, the atmosphere was electric. The noise was truly deafening inside Elland Road, but what made me especially proud was the reaction of the fans when we went 1-0 down. As soon as the goal went in and Liverpool started celebrating, the stadium erupted into a chorus of “we are Leeds,” effectively silencing the Liverpool fans celebration.

After the final whistle blew, there was a standing ovation for the players and another chorus of ’we are Leeds’ followed by Marching on Together. I imagine the players are feeling some disappointment after last nights result, but they’ll also take great pride from knowing they can compete against the best. Hopefully this will add to the belief that we can win League One outright and start clawing our way back towards the Premier League.

Rafa Benitez was extremely complimentary of Leeds in his post match interview, saying;

“The atmosphere was fantastic, Leeds were really good,

 ”They are good team with good players and they worked really hard.”

Simon Grayson was also complimentary of the team and rightly proud of their efforts;

“I’m hugely proud of them. I thought they were excellent from start to finish.

“We certainly matched them and on another night we might have got the victory our performance deserved.

“We had good opportunities but over the course of it maybe we did not get the breaks we deserved.

“I felt Jermaine was level with the centre-half for the goal. I’m loath to criticise but when you look he was level and the goal should have stood.”

Overall, I feel proud to have seen our third division team compete so well with Premier League giants. On another night (with another linesman) we may well have come away victors, but that’s completely besides the point. Even in defeat, the performance can only add to the confidence within the squad and should serve as motivation to go and earn promotion.

TSS man of the match
Undoubtedly Robert Snodgrass for me. At such a young age, we have a terrific prospect who I honestly believe could compete at a much higher level. Didn’t put a foot wrong all night and truly deserves the praise he’ll receive.