Another year of the Championship

Hull City v Watford

Wednesday 14^th May

I arrived at work to find all systems down and classes cancelled as a consequence. The guy who bid me leave said I’d be able to watch the Rangers game but I corrected him. Jun and I went to a pub near Mornington Crescent that I’d phoned to check would show it having been turned away from the local earlier. It was a dream start for us. After eleven minutes, good work by Jobi McAnuff led to Darius Henderson pulling off a one-two with Nathan Ellington in the box and slotting us in front. We stayed on the front foot and dominated without really looking like adding to the total until a couple of minutes before half-time when a Hull cross that didn’t look dangerous saw Richard Lee stranded and a ridiculously high header go over him and in.

We never looked like we’d score again after the break and with half an hour left Betty gambled by bringing on striker Tamas Priskin and taking off defender Adrian Mariappa, who’d made a terrible back pass in the first half and had been lucky not to give away a penalty in the second. The Hungarian smashed another shot at the keeper soon after coming on (as he had Sunday) but crossing the ball would probably have meant a goal. Hull took off Windass and brought on Folan, who made an immediate impact. It was downhill from there. They scored a second, meaning we needed three more (haven’t scored four all season), and in the final two minutes they added two more. The fans invaded the pitch twice and Mexican waves rocked the KC stadium. 6-1 on aggregate and yet we played better passing football than I’ve seen us do for ages. We need strikers, a midfielder, a right back and perhaps a keeper. As for the manager, that debate will rage but I’m prepared to stand by him if the dressing room are.

Same difference

Watford v Hull City

Sunday 11^th May

Our play-off semi-final first leg was full of incident and we actually played pretty well. With a Danny Shittu header disallowed after only five minutes, the boisterous Yellow Army might have been forgiven for thinking we’d score at home at last but with Nathan Ellington anonymous throughout, it was left for Jobi McAnuff to have the best (missed) chances with Tamas Priskin forcing a good save from their keeper and man-of-the-match, Myhill. However, way before the Hungarian impressed, we’d let in two early goals. The first derived from a mistake by centre-back Danny Shittu, who clashed into Mat Sadler out in the left-back’s position, leaving their winger to cross for a shot from Nick Barmby to slip under keeper Richard Lee. Fifteen minutes later after another scramble, Lee was unable to get up quick enough to stop a header from Dean “who ate all the pies” Windass.

The fans stayed behind the team for once and willed a goal before half-time that didn’t come. We started the second half in blistering form but that goal didn’t come and then our captain, John Eustace, got himself sent off for the second time in a couple of months and although we remained the better team, our chances of reducing the deficit ahead of Wednesday slipped by.

Scraping through

Blackpool v Watford

Sunday 4^th May

It was via the non-drama of BBC live text that I half-watched the drama unfold. Watford were one down within a couple of minutes at Bloomfield Road and still losing at half-time. Quarter of an hour into the second half and Darius Henderson received a second yellow leaving ten men to search for an equaliser. As it happens, at this stage of the afternoon even defeat would have left us in sixth but within ten minutes Tommy Smith, our player of the season, had equalised. Later Ipswich and Wolves both scored, which meant that the draw was what we required to see us into the play-offs on goal difference.

What can a fair-weather-fan say? I’ve used all the clichés about punching above our weight and have pointed out that the other relegated teams are still (and have now finished) below us. Nevertheless, with expectations so high after such a fantastic start to the season, how can the Yellow Army be less than disappointed with the performances of the last six months and the results over the last two? We can’t score, we don’t pass well and worse than that, we can’t beat even the lowest-placed sides in this division.

Home to third-placed Hull on Sunday 11^th and away on Wednesday 14^th must surely bring our season to an end. West Bromwich Albion finished champions and Stoke took second place. Bristol City (4^th) meet Crystal Palace in the other play-off final so I’d guess a Hull-Palace final at Wembley. Somehow, though, despite the narrow margin by which our season has been allowed to continue, there remains that fan’s hope that favouritism will triumph over realism.