Wild Things Run Fast: Bristol City Report

Grimsby Town 1 Bristol City 2
17 Feb 2004, Nationwide League Division 2

There was a huge queue outside the club shop, presumably to pick up those free fridge magnets that the club haven’t stocked since 1999. Hundreds of disappointed fridgefreaks trouped into Blundell Park; they’d just have to watch the live action fridge magnets instead.

Town lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, as shown. The invisible Barnard meant many a crossed finger for young Young. It was not a back four that inspired confidence within the bowels of the Pontoon, but at least Rodger’s yard dog, Stacy the West Midland Terrier was pawing the ground and prowling the park.

Bristol City warmed up with some natty routines, one of which resembled formation yogic flying. They looked as though they meant business, unlike Town, who were even more half hearted than normal in their light jogging and this new one touch passing whirl. They just didn’t look like they knew what they are supposed to be doing and that was before the game. There were one or two suspicious hairstyles over in the distance. Miller looked like he had just come down from his treehouse after protesting about the new Keynsham (that’s K.E.Y.N.S.H.A.M) gyratory system.

Before the kick off the Bristol goalkeeper, resplendent in a dashing yellow outfit, had a long conversation with the referee, holding up the start of the game for a minute or so.

1st half

Bristol kicked off towards the Pontoon in a heck of a hurry and Town panicked. The ball was flipped up their inside right, headed on into space and Anderson scampered across to guide the ball away as it slowly trundled towards the area. Anderson tipped the ball back to Davison and continued running, as did the two Bristol strikers. Anderson and Davison collided as both tried to thwack the ball clear. A-tissue, a-tissue they both fell down with the ball rolling across the face of goal, pursued by a bear of a man, the be-gloved Peacock. Luckily, Peacock ambled rather than sprinted, allowing a Town player to scurry the ball out for a corner. The corner was delayed as Mansaram had a bit of continental slappings with Coles, a Bristol defender who was rolling around Davison, trying to do American football type blocking. The referee told Mansaram off and let Coles continue, which he did. It was even more blatant than Trevor Benjamin on Saturday, with Coles not even looking at the ball. Corner somehow cleared eventually.

Bristol City simply harried the life out of Town, never giving an inch or second, clamping, stamping out any hint of a thought of a suggestion of danger. In fact Town just could not get out of their own half, pressed back, resorting to hackneyed hacking, there was a distinct gulf in the abilities and organisation of the two teams. They just looked a division better than Town. And this after about 127 seconds. In the fourth minute one-two, buckle Cranes’ shoes as the ball was played up to Peacock, laid off, and passed behind Crowe. Brown zoomed off from the touchline, just inside the Town half, unimpeded. Into the area, Davison creeping off his line. A dozen yards out, about eight wide of the right hand post, Brown hit a low shot towards the bottom left hand corner. The ball hit Sugar Ray Davo’s shins and careered out into the centre of the penalty box. Luckily for Town, Daws had managed to retreat and retrieve.