There was an interesting moment after half time, when John-Jules tugged back McGrandles as we looked to break. The referee awarded a free kick, and it was the first Crawley had conceded all game. That fascinated me – a side in danger of relegation, 3-1 down, and they didn’t resort to fouls, long balls or the other tactics that are likely to keep them up. They stuck to their principles, and while that is commendable, one only has to ask Forest Green how that panned out for them to worry a bit for the troubled Red Devils.
The second half wasn’t quite as exciting as the first, as we regressed a little in terms of our play. We weren’t passive, but Crawley had more of the ball, offered a little more threat, and we soaked that up. A game isn’t all the same from minute one to minute 90, and game state dictates sometimes the risks you need to take. At 3-1 we didn’t batten down the hatches, but we didn’t need to take risks. Mind you, James Collins is a great example of someone who will drive standards at 0-0, 3-1 up or 8-0 down. He is constantly angry, always eager to tell his teammates where the ball should be passed to, or the run they should have made. I have huge respect for him already, because he delivers that feedback in a manner that is forceful, but also not confrontational. He’s no Chris Maguire in terms of being a bit of a dick to people, but if you don’t do what he thinks was right, you’ll know.
The first 15 or 20 minutes were Crawley’s and we were forced to do some defending, which is terrifying at times. Let’s be real; our defending has, at times, been worrying this season, and when Crawley got a free kick in a good area, I thought perhaps a half-decent delivery might trouble us. It didn’t. Tendayi was blocking twice in a strong return to form for him. Still Crawley pressed, Quitirna a constant threat with his tricks. The end product wasn’t quite there from him, but at one point he put Sean Roughan on his bum in the area, and not a lot of players do that – Roughan’s one-on-one defending has, at times, been as good as Paul Morgan’s was back in 2003.
We made some changes on 63 minutes and it changed the balance of the game, again. Joe Gardner came on and looked really lively. Him coming on with 30 minutes to go did make me think he has a bigger role to play for us, and one of his runs did have me thinking he might just be like another former Forest loanee we had, the one Jez specifically said not to compare him to when he signed. So, I won’t.
Another loanee got on as well, Bailey Cadamarteri, and to see some reinforcements coming back into the fold was great. He’s been missing, Hamer has, Gardner has, and we’re going to have O’Connor back for Saturday as well. Bodies coming back into the side underlines we do have a decent squad, and it means perhaps one or two who have been misfiring in recent weeks will feel the pressure a little more. We need that, and with a few putting on good shows at the Bank last night, there’s food for thought in team selection for Birmingham City.
We certainly finished the game strongly, and while it ended 4-1, it could (and perhaps should) have been six or seven. Sam Clucas came on and put in a strong shift, and he could have had a goal with a lovely move. His chance actually went against something that often annoys me as well – throw-ins. How many times do we see it go to a player, back to the thrower, and then nowhere? This time, Clucas made a run, Roughan’s throw found him, and a chance was created. It went wide, but it outlined a forward mentality I think lots of fans have been eager to see.
I think Crawley were beaten at this stage, and the question ‘how many’ came back into my mind. It should have been four on 81 minutes, a nice move by House and Tendayi setting up Ethan Hamilton. His shot went wide when it looked for all the world like it would go in, but the two chances were nerve settlers. Crawley had come out, thrown a few punches, but never looked like getting back into the game.
Hamilton was involved in the fourth with a lovely weighted pass, but it was all about Joe Gardner. He took the pass in his stride, outpaced his defender and fired across goal to get his first for the Imps. It was a great finish, a run that showed all the qualities some have felt we’ve missed this season. It wasn’t unlike some of our loanees of old, either….
That wrapped things up nicely, and while Crawley weren’t great at the back, you have to beat what is in front of you. I am told there were fist pumps at the end, slated by a couple of the usual suspects on social media. I’m not always a fan of the fist pumps, but if there was ever a game where Michael and the players deserved to enjoy them, it was last night. There’s been a lot of pressure around the place, and it won’t dissipate on the back of one result, but it would have been a disaster if we’d lost. To come back from 1-0 down and win was excellent and the team deserve the chance to do a few fist pumps and enjoy the moment.
I’ve heard we’re not an entertaining side, with wins against Mansfield (4-1) and Peterborough (5-1) now joined by the Crawley result. On our travels we’ve smashed three against the Stags, and put four past Crawley. We have the ability to entertain, and people who say ‘but they were rubbish teams’ are looking for arguments to fit their narrative. We’re inconsistent, just as likely to turn in an impressive big score as we are perform dismally against a struggling side.
We won’t go up this season. We won’t go down this season. We’re seeking to consolidate to move into what will be our longest spell as a third-tier side in the club’s history. We’re not always good, but we’re not always bad and sometimes, as fans, we have to realise and acknowledge where we are. The first aim, every season, has to be survival in this division. Remember, it’s alright saying an owner or manager has ‘taken the club as far as they can’, but sometimes, that’s as far as a club can reach at any one time. Ask Alan Curbishley and Charlton fans, or Scunthorpe and Graham Alexander, if you don’t believe me.
I’ll get stick for this, but I’m still 100% convinced that this club is heading in the right direction. There are bumps in the road, and when it is bad, like Saturday, I will say it is bad. But we could be much worse off, and there are plenty of examples of expecting more than you can achieve across the Football League.
It’s nice to feel I can say that as well in a game where we thumped a struggling side, or goals (four) matched our xG (3.97) and we went up the table. We’ll write the gifting of a goal off as our little quirk, and hope we don’t do it Saturday.
Up the Imps.