01/01 Sheff Wed 2nd Half

By: Tony Butcher
Date: 02/01/2001

Town didn't make any changes, and I can't remember if Wednesday did. Once again Lennie's half time team talk did the trick. After about 5 minutes a Sheff Wed player had a shot from outside the area after a dribble across the face of the Town area.

It went comfortably to Coyne, who didn't have to move. That was his first save of the afternoon. I am thinking very hard about what happened next, if anything. The crowd amused themselves with various half-hearted attempts to insult their hosts.

The ground settled into that low hum of boredom and frustration that is the sound of 1st division football. Town definitely became shoddy in the second half, with Wednesday refining their intricate passing game from 2 passes to one - very basic chip and chase football. They literally chipped the ball over the Town defence for their two forwards to run after. This allowed Butterfield to confound his critics by turning in a competent defensive performance.

Twice a fat Wednesday winger ran past him onto a chip. Both times he "did a Macca" by getting his body between the man and ball and easing the attacker away from goal. Proof he has been watching McDermott and can defend. Oooh, I remembered a Town attack. In numbers, on the left and Fostervold "Donovaned" it high and wide from near the angle of the penalty area. Town had pressed from right to left, but it all seemed in slow motion.

Wednesday did get behind the Town defence after about 55 minutes, but Town were awarded a free kick for something or other, so it isn't interesting (and the bloke missed anyway). Errr, next thing to report is the goal. As usual the inflated Town support in Yorkshire counted their chickens far too early, chirruping "we're going to score in a minute" as Town had some concerted pressure which resulted in a couple of inconsequential crosses and slick piece of interplay between Donovan and Nielsen. Donovan wriggling and wiggling his way through the defence to shoot straight at Pressman from a centre right position, 20 yards out (the ball got stuck under the jam roly poly's bottom).

They then sang "you're supposed to be at home" to the sullen silent Sheffield sufferers. Either that's a heightened sense of irony or an example of an inferiority complex. The logical conclusion to draw from such a taunt is that Town are so rubbish it's an embarrassment to the home team that they aren't beating us. And of course Wednesday immediately went up the other end and scored. Yes, they were at home.

After 20 or so minutes of the second half Town allowed Wednesday to play the ball across the park from the (Town) right to left, 15 yards inside the Town half. Campbell was too far infield and a Wednesday player had 10-15 yards of space to run into down the left hand side, towards Fostervold, who held his position just outside the area, rather than closing the bloke down. The midfielder looked up and curled a low cross between the defence and Coyne. No-one seemed to react, with Coyne appearing to half come, then stop. None of the defenders "attacked" the ball, allowing it to meander past them. The ball went to the far post where SIBON, about 5 yards out tapped the ball into the empty net. It all seemed to be in slow motion and was, to quote Glenn Hoddle, "the banana skin waiting to happen". Sibon had been almost comically poor. Like an un- co-ordinated Ian Ormandroyd. He never looked like scoring, so, of course, that meant he was bound to.

The Town response was a) from the crowd a lusty "Mariners, Mariners", followed by 15 minutes of total silence, and b) from Lawrence, who replaced Enhua and Coldicott with R Smith and Livingstone. Town moved to a 4-3-1-2 formation with Donovan playing in Kingsley's hole behind Nielsen and Livvo. Town had five bad minutes where Wednesday even made three consecutive passes. Harkness was eventually booked for a full frontal studs up stamp tackle on Burnett (unharmed, seemingly).

As Town had depopulated the midfield it allowed the Sheffield players a bit more space to hit long passes from there, rather than defence. It also meant that there were occasions when Town were severely outnumbered in breakaways. How effective were the highly paid former Premiership stars? Coyne only had one more save to make (a substitute tried to do a clever flicked chip which went gently to him) and a couple of long shots went a yard wide. Nothing else got near him, as the defence generally got in the way. So the correct answer for 10 points is "not very". I'll accept no other answer.

Town did sporadically threaten, though it was more cup-tie stuff than cultured football. Willems (who got increasingly gangly and unable to control his legs as the game progressed) whipped in a cross to the near post after a four man passing movement down the left. Donovan missed the ball on the edge of the 6 yard box and the ball bounced up and hit Walker on the forearm. Referee not interested, though the Town players and crowd were. A slight difference of opinion there. A high ball was headed on by Livvo, half way inside the Wednesday half. Nielsen helped the ball on to Donovan, right in the centre 20 yards out. As Donovan knocked the ball past the defender the last man walked across our fey ex-wingman. The referee gave Town an indirect free kick . After a minute or two of arguing over whether the wall was back 7 yards or 8 the ball was touched back to Willems. Harkness got his bottom in the way and Town got a throw in.

The nearest Town got to an equaliser was in the last couple of minutes. A cross was slung in from the right by Campbell, half cleared, then slung in from the left by Willems (I think). Livvo rose at the far post and knocked the ball back just behind Nielsen, about 7 yards out. He tried a hooked volley facing Coyne. It came off the side of his right boot and bounced towards the 'keeper's left hand corner. Unfortunately the bounce killed the pace of the ball and Pressman plopped onto it. The very last Town chance was wasted by Donovan and Nielsen both running to the far post when a cross was clipped into the near post. This was a constant failing of the two Donovans - they ran into the same spaces all day.

There were two minutes of added time which produced a couple of Wednesday breakaways as Town flung players forward, and the aforementioned cross that was wasted by the unthinking duo. Then the final whistle.

Wednesday? Well they threatened with breakaways only. No troublesome shots. Generally a terrible team with a lot of poncing about by their strikers. Di Piedi was a complete waste of space, like a taller but untalented Carbone - same hair, same white boots. Their midfield was full of "grafters" with almost a complete lack of artistry. Their defence was disorganised and panic stricken. On the two matches against Town they are down there with QPR as one of the worst teams. And yet they have taken 6 points off Town. So what does that say about the monochrome stripeys?

The usual failings, collectively and individually, were on show today. An individually talented set of players with little co-ordination between important areas of the team. The defence needs stability, though one could point out that numbers 2,3, 4 and 5 did not start the game. And they would, usually, be the first choice back four. Enhua looked to be playing to impress with his skills, the "showy stuff", rather than an effective, but understated performance. Fostervold came over at the end and gave the supporters a clap, like it was a goodbye. I can't remember him tackling anybody during his stay, but he was, oddly, effective sometimes. Simply by virtue of his size he literally got in the way. A curious player that seems to be a historical curiosity already. Butterfield had his best defensive game for a long time and rarely chipped aimlessly. Groves was a little erratic, falling over twice when Sibon turned inside, though he did get better as the game wore on (and wore is the right word to use. It was a chore watching this).

Poor old Stacy. A midfield battler sent to the wing. He did produce a couple of very dangerous crosses (and when was the last time you could say that about Donovan), though he is wasted out there. His best work was in defence, covering and harrying (even doing a couple of last ditch tackles on the left). Burnett was easily the best player on the pitch, when the ball came near him, of course. As both sides indulged in long whacks, his talents were only fleetingly on show. He can't do anything with the ball if it is 20 yards above his head. Swin - Willems is no winger. His legs don't move the right way (or fast enough). Just think Ronald Koeman. When he was out wide he kept falling over his own feet. Campbell worked and worked and worked and still has no left foot. Forget about the front two, they were Two of Kind, though neither has short, fat, hairy legs. But you can see the join on Donovan.

Overall Town deserved a draw much more than Sheffield Wednesday. Neither side really deserved a win. Wednesday should go down, though with slackness and such mental weakness up front Town may. Let's face it, Town were beaten by a rotten side. That's worrying.

NickO's man of the match - Wayne Burnett. There is no alternative.

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