You know, we were genuinely excited about the start of the league season, post FA Cup exploits. We knew it'd be a tough one but we seemed to have made the signings he wanted and they were all ready and registered.
Then forty five minutes before kick off we get another of these pre-match interviews from our dark lord. To be honest guys, we couldn't finish it all. Fuck a duck, his media training in positivity seems to involve purely banging on about the fucking sunshine. Fuck knows what'll happen when we get a wet and cloudy one.
Seth is injured, so is JAWs, Jewers picked up a knock and is out, and new boy Coady who looked sprightly first half against Lymington is also out. New boy Sims is ill, Bryan was ill, but like the Messiah, he rose this morning and declared himself fit.
But anyway, what difference does it make, this isn't going to last long, not according to the great doctor himself, Spencer Day, we'll be in lockdown and dead before long so who actually cares. This is being written before we get to a post match interview, but we lost so maybe he'll run away from that one again.
So, spoiler alert everyone. We fucked it. Well someone did.
Anyway, getting ahead of ourselves here. First up, the teams.....
Two debuts for Wilberforce Ocran and Fabio Sole, replacing Coady and Jewers respectively. Bradders Pearce returned in centre half in place of Seth and AJ was in for JAWs....
...... BUT CJ WAS STILL UPFRONT?!?!
To put that into a bit of context, he played upfront last week as we had no other strikers. Yesterday, we had three on the bench, Connor was back, Shaban had clearance and Jabbari. Kamon was also available for the wing if AJ was to be utilised up top. Fitz made up the subs, presumably still not fit enough (or more likely, we have to play the loanees from football league clubs).
So it looks a little something like this.
Beach
Leggett
Akongo Pearce
Paget Oyenuga
Sole Dunne
AJ
Ocran
CJ
New striker Wilberforce Ocran certainly wasn't playing as a left winger but AJ was on the right. A bit lopsided.
Our main tactic is to try an up and under which their six foot centre halves will lap up all day, and use the long throw from every occasion.
This doesn't really work because of the aforementioned centre backs. By the half hour mark, Bradley's arms are tired, CJ looks terrible and Bryan is collossal.
Liam seems to hate a spectator on either side of the ground and keeps trying to hit them with goalkicks.
Then Le Git drops a clanger and ex-Boro man Harry Williams has the freedom of Rushmoor to smash home. Buggerations. Not really deserved, nil all at half time would probably have been fair but we shoot ourselves in the foot.
It does rally us for the final ten of the half and Dunne Dunne Dunne Dunne hits the up right with a subtle curler that took an age to smack against the post.
At times AJ looks imperious, sending their left back packing back down the M4, but more often than not his final product lets him down. His head doesn't come up and he's out on the right and can't get to the box. A frustrating half all round.
As we make our way to the bar, we hear our management team consider a change of formation and going with AJ up top.
As it happens he seems to move centrally but nowt else.
Without paying too much attention, Swindon seem to have changed their shape a little and they get a fair amount of joy down the wings. Was it a corner, we thought it was just a cross from the right but there's terrible topknot to head in courtesy of the under side of the crossbar. Marking non existent.
We seemed to completely run out of ideas and motivation at this point. Kamon and Fitz enter the fray and briefly lift spirits and tempo but when the latter goes for a worldy that is blocked, Mariiiiiine break and eventually their 8 dinks it over Liam after seeming to dilly dally for too long. Nice finish. Game over. 0-3.
And Swindon seem to think so too. They step off the gas and make do with the possibility of hitting us on the break, which let's be honest, is a distinct one.
We huff and puff and Kamon has a bit of joy, CJ has been moved back to his Non-League Midfielder of the Year 16/17 position and Cullen comes on up front but for Ocran. I mean, we just... can't.....anyway.
Eventually, a freekick is actually sent into the box and it deflects back across the six yard line by a Supermarine defender where The Messiah bundles it almost apologetically into the net. Swindon seem more sure that it will be given than us as an initial offside flag is overruled by the ref. Correctly. For once.
A little earlier, Bryan, again, has the ball in the box and is stepped across by a defender sending him down. Even the Swindon Supermarine Twitter account said it was a strong shout. This big bald bellend hasn't been keen on giving us penalties over the past few weeks and today besides two blatant and cynical fouls which he couldn't have not given a booking to a man in red for, he decides to book Bryan for a six of one, half a dozen to the other grappling incident. As per, he's far too inclined to give free kicks for whenever an opposition player squeals like a bitch for one. He's unmoved when we try and con one out of him (you know who they/you are) but maybe we need to practice our shrieking in training on a Thursday.
Above all, it's the team and formation that baffles the most.
If the aim was for a settled and stable squad, besides Reggie Young making the move there's been no significant departures come kick off of the league season.
If he'd really wanted to he could have played this team.
Beach
Leggett
CJ
Pearce
Oyenuga
Paget
Fitz
Dunne
AJ
Cullen
Ocran
That's very similar to the team that hammered Taunton in February. Bryan Akongo should be in that team, in my opinion in place of Leggett who hasn't made the best starts to the season where as Bryan has generally been immense. There's Seth Owens to slot back in too.
That team on Saturday was bizarre and baffling. Yes Connor was just back from a holiday Spencer clearly wasn't happy about and fair enough, yes there were a few injuries and illness but that team above all featured at the weekend.
As he mentioned several times in his pre match interview, he's going to have a good whittle over the coming weeks and not everyone will make the cut, but he did say he was keen on a cup run, deadly pandemic permitting. Which hopefully won't result in another mass lockdown and prove him right as he's so looking forward to it.
To Chalfont St Peter where Ollie Sims will be available and others will be fit and healthy, fingers crossed so let's see who he goes for up front with on Tuesday.
As always COME ON BORO!!!
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