0-v-2 
Should have gone shopping instead?
Pre-match
The build up to the proverbial six-pointer against Reading was frantic. Mrs Durruti’s mother was down for her annual trip to Meadowhell and, as a consequence, I was on full dog and Andrew duty. This, allied to the fact that we have finally binned off Rupert’s evil empire and replaced our SKY HD box with a (vastly cheaper and contract-free) Top Up TV digital television recorder which she who must be obeyed had requested be set up in order to record Strictly Come Dancing, meant I was tearing about all morning like a box to box midfielder!
Any road up I managed to get it all done even though we were a little late landing at the Java lounge. Andrew and Bill had their usual variations on tuna mayo – jacket potato and Panini melt respectively whereas I went for the all out adventure of a cream cheese and tomato bagel! Andrew had been poorly for the West Brom game so we all hoped that his return to good health would coincide with similar for Wednesday.
Lee's new catering staff
As Tommo was giving the game a miss, after meeting Mrs D. fresh from her shopping expedition, we had to sample the premium experience with reduced numbers. I have to say, though, that Lee Strafford has improved the catering side of things massively and one member of staff in particular has caught our Bill’s eye. I have never known him so keen to help out with the drinks ordering and carrying. This single bright spot aside it was pretty much all downhill from here.
The “game”
What can you say? I knew it was going to be sruffy and that the result was what matter but this was the poorest of poor fare. A single, very tame, Tudgay effort and a nice little drag back and turn from Potter represented the first half highlights from a Wednesday perspective. Ominous runs from McAnuff, who twice waltzed directly through our midfield and central “defence”, and solid defending from Pearce for Reading foretold of what was to come from Reading as a first half of frantic but facile futility frittered to its fruitless finale.
I tried to be positive: it was 0-0 and we could/would nick a
goal; yes, Beevers had made several mistakes but he had shown the pace and
agility necessary to recover; Potter was, for once, harrying like he has to;
Varney was whippet like up top and Des was a worthy (if unnecessary third in
the space of a month) captain. It would come right surely.
Rasiak - homework done
Four minutes and three Rasiak chances into the second half proved otherwise. Maybe it’s me but allowing what appeared to be a free header inside your six yard box is not the stuff of good defending. I’ve had neither the time nor the inclination to watch it again but it looked to me that we were two on two when the irrepressible McAnuff roasted Spurr like a seasonal chestnut and floated a cross over for the bean-like Pole to head in unchallenged with the emphasis on the word unchallenged. Surely Brian had been working on countering this threat, surely?
Spurr - humiliated
Briefly we were sparked into some form of life but it was left to the player who had been humiliated twice in the past eight days by his “manager”, Tommy Spurr, to deliver the first telling cross and shot (for Wednesday) of the game after nearly an hour had been played. Then the moment of salvation arrived when after the 63rd hoof into the box the ball fell to the energetic Varney who spun on the half turn and struck a peach of a half volley goalward. 1-1 and game on! But, no, with the Reading ‘keeper unmuddy but beaten the post intervened and instead of the ball going across the line it ran along it.
The usual Plan B ensued with Johnson replacing Gray as we went from 4-4-2 to, er, 4-4-2. Then, after Reading had doubled their lead with Esajas failing to support Spurr from another roasting by McAnuff before delivering a cross to the untracked Cisse to sidefoot home, Clarke was brought on for the ineffectual Esajas with the game all but gone. Big Leon did “score” but he had apparently handled and the opposition have sold all their Irish players so the “goal” was ruled out.
Thereafter the game petered out against a backdrop of the Reading 300 singing and the Wednesday 22,000 leaving.
Post match observations
Brian Laws chose, wisely, to praise the supporters rather than turn on his beleaguered players in his post match interview BUT it was the usual incoherent rambing all the same and I thin he has lost the plot completely.
Buxton, Varney and O’Connor aside we were shambolic and, as the game wore tediously on, we resorted to a form of back to front football not even seen under the previous more defence orientated regime.
Fair enough we didn’t have much luck BUT Reading were the better side and, worst of all, the only team on the pitch who tried to play through their midfield. Whilst ¾ of our defence didn’t look like they knew what day it was their centre halves looked composed throughout and had the ability to find a man nearby rather than simply launch the ball aimlessly beyond the halfway line.
One oddity on the drive home was sitting behind Imre Varadi in the queue to the University roundabout but not having the chance to properly thank him for his part in Richard Wood's departure!
If you’re looking for positives I suppose we were 50% better than last week because we only conceded the two goals…
Time to go, Brian, time to go.
Sean (Durruti).