Brewers Droop (vs Burton L2)

Hello all -

So, off up the M1 to Burton, making sure I kept two chevrons apart of course. Not my first time up that particular road this week as I'd popped up a stretch of it on Thursday on my way to Wolverhampton to see Half Man Half Biscuit live in Bilston. Very good they were too. The match had been moved to Sunday because Derby were at home in the cup on Saturday, and Burton share their stewards. Hmm. Football on a Sunday afternoon is unnatural and agin God.

Anyway, got to Burton in decent time, and managed to park in the £2 car park near the ground. Usually I'm a bit later and end up leaving the jalopy in the industrial estate near the MacDonalds and Screwfix. There aren't any signs there about not parking, but I always walk back to the car expecting it to have been towed away! £2 for a bit of peace of mind isn't bad I suppose.

Into the ground (a very reasonable £14) and into the terrace behind the goal. The Pirelli Stadium is a neat enough, if small, ground with terracing around three sides and seating, press, directors boxes etc on the other. As kickoff approached, the stadium filled up a little and the teams were read out. Batt was missing (suspended for this and the Barnet game) so Andy Whing moved into right back and Hall came into the midfield. Probably as expected really.

A horrible monstrosity of a mascot called (I think) Bettie the Brewer, carrying a yellow handbag paraded in front of the stand to our right. The Burton 'singing section' was in that stand, comprising twelve (I counted them) pre-pubescant lads and an embarassed looking girl. Still, they afforded us much amusement throughout the match... The Burton support behind the other goal (in the Don Amott 'King of Caravans' stand!) were remarkably quiet all match. Although they'd obviously spent a lot a time sat at the sewing machines making banners. It's good to see that Kirsty Allsop's Handmade Britain has had such an effect on the football lovers of Staffordshire.

Burton were wearing yellow and black stripes, and confirmed their waspiness by buzzing about industriously straight from the kickoff. In contrast, the only garden wildlife reference I can apply to the men in the blue and white change strip is 'sluggish'. Buton were kicking towards us, and all the action was down our end of the pitch. The Oxford midfield went missing almost completely and immediately, giving the ball away all the time and not challenging or closing down the Burton players. I don't understand really. Although we nominally play a 4-3-3, surely that should become a 4-5-1 when we haven't got the ball. So where are those five 'midfielders'? Well the three proper midfielders (Hall, Leven and Heslop in this case) were far too close to the defence most of the time. And the two wide attackers who were presumably supposed to be helping out were still stuck too wide and too far up the pitch. Leaving a bloody great hole in the middle of the formation, with the midfield not having the speed or mobility to move into it quickly enough to make a difference. The Burton midfield had as much time and space as they wanted, and it was only a matter of time before they turned the possession into a goal.

It came after about a quarter of an hour. Clarke made a decent save, but from the resulting corner (which was taken short) the ball was simply passed into our penalty area and thumped goalwards. It took a bit of a deflection, leaving Clarke helpless. One down and, to be honest, we were getting what we deserved. The game continued in similar vein. The Oxford defence were actually doing OK under constant pressure, Heslop started to get his act together a little and made some useful challenges in the midfield, but it was still one-way traffic. Burton didn't really use the space they were being given very well, the most notable attack being a through ball that was well dealt with by Liam Davis. You may have noticed that I haven't been saying much about the Oxford attack. There's a reason for that. We were hardly up the other end at all, and we certainly weren't shooting when we were. The Oxford faithful were getting restless. 'This is embarassing' was the chant from some. Not particularly supportive maybe, but entirely accurate. The tackling was non-existant, the movement off the ball lacking. There was no accuracy at all in the passing. The ball went into the air far too much - and usually straight to a wasp. It was a depressing display. A corner after about half an hour lead to our first shot, with Heslop blasting over the bar. JPP then had what looked like a decent shot blocked. And half time came.

Blimey. Probably the worst half of football I'd seen from us this season. We looked like a bottom of the table side, not one challenging for the playoffs. The only good thing was that we were only one down - due to the decent effort by the Oxford defence in general (Andy Whing in particular, who was having a solid game at right back) and the lack of cutting edge in the Burton attack (I'm glad we didn't sign Zola over the summer!).

As far as I was concerned at half time, there were two racing certainties for the second half. We would concede more goals, and Beano would get sent off. He'd talked himself into the book jsut before the break, and you got the feeling that the (inconsistent) ref would not need much of an excuse to wave a second yellow at him. Nor for the first time (or the last, I am sure) I got it wrong.

I suspect that the dressing-room crockery at Burton might need replacing. CW obviously gave the team a bollocking, and livened the team up by making them dodge china and flying hot beverages for ten minutes or so.

As the teams came out for the second half, the lightweight and rather ineffective Hall had been replaced by Oli Johnson, which showed attacking intent. Although that left Leven and Heslop as the 'proper' midfield. Mind you, the midfield couldn't be less effective than it had been in the first half even with only two in there!

The second half started, and there was an immediate change. The Oxford players were suddenly a yard of two quicker, the tackling was at least being attempted. Johnson looked useful, linking the (still too deep) midfield with the strikers. Alfie Potter was also coming into his own. He made one jinking run that ended up with him just failing to get past the Burton keeper at the far post, just in front of us. Proving that those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them, the Burton defence failed to stop him a second time. This time he made no mistake after his enterprising dribbling and equalised inside the same post! An excellent individual goal (which is generally the type we rely on) had brought us right back into the match. Constable put one just wide of the post, and the referee missed a blatant handball by a Burton defender inside the box. Potter blazed over when he should have at least hit the target, Peter Leven's flying header was unfortunately straight at the Burton keeper. Burton had a header hit wide of the goal and a shot into the side netting, so there were chances at both ends. The preschool choir to our right tried an 'Is that all you take away?". Yep, at least double and probably nearly treble what you took to us. Mind you, ever mindful of child safely, we enquired whether their mothers knew they were at the match. Very thoughtful. We then warned the single girl amongst them about the danger of unnatural sexual acts - she assured us (through the medium of mime) that in fact she did not do such things. Much to the chagrin of the lad standing next to her.

Peter Leven missed narrowly from a free kick, and there were a couple of scrambles in the Burton area (including another penalty shout) but it all came to nothing and the ref blew up to end the match all square.

A match of two halves if there ever was one. After the first half I was glad we were only one down and was just hoping we wouldn't be beaten too badly. After the second, I was disappointed we hadn't taken all three points. In fact, this one match had summed up our inconsistent season yet again.

Thoughts afterwards:

We need to sort the midfield out. Whether that's a new player, or simply reorganising what we've got I don't know/care. But it needs doing, and quickly if we are to be challenging at the end of the season.

We are now in the last playoff place but we are six points behind the team above us. So we are one of at least half a dozen teams competing for that last place.

Doobs - that horrible diagonal cross field ball to nobody in particular. Don't bother. Really.

My men of the match? Whing in the first half, Alfie in the second.

We need to start actually winning matches and quickly. An away draw at Burton is an OK result, but not when it follows two home matches in which we have managed one point. A home match at Barnet next Saturday might give us the chance to put three points on the board. Maybe there will be a new player or two to bolster the ranks?

It's never dull, is it?!!! See you next time, I'm off to listen to some HMHB.