22/01/2025
SOBS V RAMS
BY SOBS
With the games coming like Adama Traore (thick and fast) the Lads were down the A38, now know as US highway 38, to Pride Park to grind out a win that was very much deserved but would have been more comfortable but for an absolutely baffling decision to disallow Issy's second half strike. A dreadful piece of refereeing, but a win's a win and three points are three points that put us, albeit perhaps only temporarily, in third place.
Omens were good, in that the Rams had lost their last five games, even if one was on penalties to Orient in the FA cup, and we'd won 4-1 on our last visit. If posh buses are an omen, we were laughing, as our former team coach had a full-on kitchen at the back... and the seats smelled of leather. Mind, the clock said 04:59 at 13.49... some things never change on football coaches.
As we stopped off in Ripley to thank the stars that Mepham was fit, we wondered why the Spoons wasn't called "The Talented Mister" before backing Issy to score. He was, as expected, in there...
Patterson
Hume O'Nien Mepham Cirkin
Neil (c) Bellingham
Rigg Le Fee
Mayenda Isidor. and a bench of Moore, Roberts, Hjelde, Jones, Ogunsuyi, Aleksic, Aouchiche, Ballard, and Samed.
A positive line-up with the potential for two up top or Mayenda out wide, and in the stripes we attacked the end to the left of our corner, with the home side kicking off as, for some reason, we gave a chorus of Oh Vito Mannone. Perhaps it was a dig at their embarrassing drummer, who'd presumably been given a free ticket to face away from the pitch. Note to any football team wanting to be taken seriously: DO NOT employ a drummer. It's pathetic.
After eight or so Enzo was away down the left and cut it back to Cirkin, who hit it over, but at least it was the game's first effort. Shots were at a premium for the next fifteen, then Issy really connected only for his swerver to cannon off the keeper. What a goal that would have been, but "would haves" don't count for much, unfortunately. However, five minutes later, some great play down our inside right channel saw Bellingham's pass fall nicely for Mayenda to show his strength - so he did, and fired it through the keeper and in. Well deserved, and a cracking, cool finish.
After what has been a pretty frantic opening, that goal gave us the chance to breathe and start to tease the Rams a bit. Perhaps a bit early on the game for that sort of stuff, but if it makes their drummer even more embarrassed than he already was then that's good enough for me. To be honest, the stuff that Neil, Bellingham, and Le Fee were producing had us asking how on earth our latest Gallic import was deemed surplus to requirements in Italy. I mean, Rigg was having decent game but those three were something else.
When we won a free kick in the inside left channel about 25 out, we wondered if it was worth a penk - and Le Fee's effort drew a decent save. Start putting those away, Lads, and we're laughing. Their keeper was hitting the goal kicks long and pretty much making Patto look like David Beckham as both benches dived for cover at regular intervals. We conceded a corner, which we defended well with Issy picking up the loose ball just outside our box and stretching those long legs to leave opponents in his wake only for a desperate, but effective, block preventing his shot from getting through. A single added minute was added before the light show began and we went in deservedly ahead. A second would have been no more than we deserved.
Most of the half time chat was about how lucky we are to have Le Fee and how he'd settled into the side, in the "wrong" position so well.
As usual there were no changes for the second half and we started where we'd left off, for ten minutes, then the home side began to get some joy down our right. We needed a superb block by Mepham to save Patto from work, then young Anthony was forced into a couple of fine saves to give the home fans something to shout about. Pressure was something we could have done without, but we're nowt if not resolute at the back, and we kept our a flurry of corners. Luke drove out a couple of times, Hume and Cirkin both put in a couple of thunderous tackles, but their left side was getting a bit irritating.
With just under twenty to go, on came Roberts and Ballard for Cirkin and Mayenda, and a couple of minutes later we looked to have sealed it when Issy went through, picked up a Le Fee touch after Bellingham's long pass, and whacked it home off the underside of the bar to spark the usual mayhem in our end. A full minute later, after no intervention from the linesman, and having indicated a goal, the ref changed his mind and the phone went mad. Their keeper had even hoyed the ball to the centre spot for a restart.
No offside, no infringement, no handball, no push - need nowt, as they say on a Sunday morning in our part of the world. The ref seemed to indicate it was offside when Captain Dan spoke to him afterwards, despite him not noticing at the time. Even Clinton Morrison agreed it was a bad decision, and that bloke is mad, which means it was a goal. I really despise VAR, but it would have given us the clincher (and me a tidy few quid on a free bet). There really are some poor officials around these days.
We needed some typically mad but effective defending from Luke as the Rams kept at it, no doubt spurred on by that let-off, but we looked the more likely to do damage as that magical midfield trio, now with the hold-up play of Roberts on the right, began to torment the home defence.
Mind, when you're only one up, torment needs to turn into two up, but we couldn't quite manage it. Having used up all their subs, one of them decided he'd had enough and limped off to leave them with only ten men for the closing stages, so we swapped Le Fee for Hjelde and Rigg for Samed and the presence of our Norwegian/Nottingham stopper did what it usually does, and kept Patto's bed linen unsoiled. Keep what we've got - clever substitutions, Reg.
Seven added minutes were announced, presumably to test Hjelde's fitness, but we got stronger as the Rams got increasingly weaker and it was a case of hanging on comfortably - if that's such a thing where Sunderland are concerned - for a well deserved win. As the fans applauded the team, Mayenda went a bit Terry Butcher and whooped us into more celebrations. Long may that buy-in continue and spread through our squad.
Man of the Match? Great stuff up top from Mayenda and Issy, solid defensive work from the Lads at the back, but it has to be one of Neil, Bellingham, and Le Fee. What a little group to have at our disposal, so a really tricky one to pick. Ah, sod it, Mayenda scored, and he did that post-match whooping, so it's his.
Bring on Plymouth.