The Wanderer - issue 119 - http://www.wwisc.co.uk/

OPPONENTS: DONCASTER ROVERS (A)
DATE: Saturday 29 th February 2020
COMPETITION: League One
SCORE: Rovers 3 (Ennis 45, Sadlier 71, McCarthy 83 og) Blues 1 (Akinfenwa 67)
ATTENDANCE: 7,522 (including 432 thinking ‘at least it can’t get worse than this’…)
REFEREE: David Rock
SUMMARY: We missed the chance to go back up to third, as a failure to take our
chances coupled with some soft defending saw us slump to a demoralising defeat. We
actually dominated the first half, with Smyth and Samuel spurning good chances to put
us in front, but then some horrendous defending just before halftime allowed Niall Ennis
to wriggle free in the box and poke the ball home. Bayo equalised midway through the
second half to become our record Football League goalscorer with his 54 th strike in the
blue quarters, but it was the home side who found another gear and our woes at the
back continued as we conceded two more soft goals to hand victory to the hosts.
BEST BIT: Bayo’s record-breaking goal.
WORST BIT: Our defending for all three goals.
HERO: Bayo. What a signing he’s been for us.
VILLAIN: Not a villain exactly, but McCarthy’s clumsy own goal summed up a poor
performance from our backline.
MEMORABILITY RATING: 4/10
OPPONENTS: FLEETWOOD TOWN (A)
DATE: Friday 3 rd July 2020
COMPETITION: League One Playoff Semi-final, First Leg.
SCORE: Town 1 (Evans 4 pen) Blues 4 (Ofoborh 2, Jacobson 6, Wheeler 45+3, Samuel 57)
REFEREE: Tony Harrington
SUMMARY: Bloody hell, where to start with this one? Most of us were still getting the
sofa cushions how we wanted them when Ofoborh rocketed home the opener. Within
six minutes it was 2-1 and by halftime it was 3-1, Fleetwood were down to ten men and
we’d missed a penalty. Four months without a game didn’t seem to have dulled our lads,
as they burst around the pitch like hyperactive schoolchildren, sweeping Town to one
side in a first half blitz. Even their super-soft penalty felt like it didn’t really matter, just a
brief respite for them before we retook control. Town were mostly architects of their
own downfall, with Lewis Coyle receiving his marching orders for a reckless challenge on
Jacobson and ‘keeper Alex Cairns first flapping JJ’s devilish corner into his own net and
then kindly dropping the ball in front of Alex Samuel for our fourth, though he did partly
make amends with a good save from Joe’s spotkick. Paddy Madden, so often a thorn in
our side in recent encounters, then completed the self-destruction when he ‘talked’ his
way into a second yellow in the space of sixty seconds, to more or less hand us the tie.
BEST BIT: Ofoborh’s early strike settling our nerves.
WORST BIT: Lewis Gibson’s tumble for their penalty. Still not sure how that was given.
HERO: Take your pick.
VILLAIN: Lewis Coyle for his foul on Jacobson. Lewis Gibson for his dive. Paddy Madden
for his dive. Ched Evans for being Ched Evans. Joey Barton for being Joey Barton.
MEMORABILITY RATING: 10/10
58