Salisbury 1-2 U's: Playoff payoff
Saturday 18th April 2009 - Salisbury 1-2 U's: Playoff payoff
"Dreams are nothing more than wishes, and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true." Harry Nilsson may have been dreaming of a puppy rather than the Blue Square Premier championship - I'd ring him to check, but unfortunately he has been unavailable since 1994 - but United fans are tonight trying to stop themselves from daring to dream that their team might still snatch the title from Burton Albion's wobbling jellies after another dramatic weekend of results which saw the U's cut the gap at the top to three points and four goals with one game left.
The scene was set for United's visit to Salisbury by another drama-packed defeat for Burton on Friday night, ten-man Oxford denying them the point they needed for the championship in a match which climaxed in a mass shoving match and a dismissal for Brewers striker Shaun Harrad. Double agent McFarland must be congratulated on a fine job there.
It was a sunnier and warmer day than for last year's visit to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium at the same stage of the season, a venue which must be the most desolately isolated ground in the pyramid, miles from the city after which its occupants are named and indeed from any pub or shop; just a nondescript housing estate, an old army barracks and some industrial units are the only signs of civilisation nearby, although some new housing is beginning to sprout by the park-and-ride site up the road.
The stadium's facilities for away supporters also remain inadequate for this level of football, with a small number of portaloos instead of a proper toilet block, one burger van for food, and an open terrace for visitors except for a tiny covered seated stand by the halfway line. The remaining cover, seated and terraced, was the sole territory of the home support, as was their club house which deemed out of bounds for the segregated U's fans as it was located in a home area of the ground. These inadequacies will have to be addressed if the club is to progress further.
Salisbury is another case of a team whose success has outstripped its facilities, and they have done remarkably well to remain comfortably ensconced in mid-table all season despite money troubles which have led to the club's recent offer for sale for the princely sum of £1.
An official away attendance of 755, which looked proportionally more than that compared to the sparsely spread home crowd, soon filled the terrace which they had been allocated at one end and halfway along one side, and the air buzzed with speculation as to whether United really could pull off the impossible dream. First off all, though, they had to clinch a place in the playoffs, and with Histon, Torquay, Kidderminster and Stevenage all playing each other, a win today would almost certainly do the trick in that respect.
Our Gary retained the usual 4-4-2 system, but recalled fit-again Phil Bolland in place of the unlucky Josh Coulson and introduced Andy Parkinson in place of the injured Courtney Pitt, Parky slotting into an unfamiliar wide left position. Danny Crow made a welcome return to the bench.
Salisbury had been unbeaten at home since a 4-0 St Valentine's Day massacre by Histon, including draws with Kidderminster and Torquay, and a perusal of their programme revealed that ex-U's striker Danny Webb played at centre-back for them in the latter match on Easter Monday. No, really. He was, however, absent from the squad today, although former United loanee Charles Ademeno started up front alongside top scorer Charlie Griffin and another ex-U, Brian Dutton, was amongst the subs.
Salisbury's pitch is not the easiest to play on, an uneven, bumpy surface which rises to a peak in the middle and has the effect of making the lines painted upon it look like drunken squiggles, but United started promisingly, Robbie Willmott crossing for Scott Rendell to have a header deflected wide on 2, then Jai Reason slamming a long-range shot just wide a minute later.
It quickly became apparent that the U's would have most joy down the flanks, using the pace of Willmott and Chris Holroyd to outpace the ponderous home defence. On 10 Dan Gleeson was fouled by Darrell Clarke and Reason's free-kick was half-cleared by Sean Clohessy as far as Wayne Hatswell, who crossed back into the middle for Willmott to stoop and nod wide.
First chance for the hosts came on the quarter hour, Griffin's header from Clohessy's cross comfortably caught by Danny Potter, then a typical spring-heeled run by Holroyd culminated in a cross to Rendell to head straight at home keeper and supporters' player of the year James Bittner. Next came Salisbury's most dangerous moment, Ademeno setting up Griffin to skip through the United back line and test Potter with a low drive, but the U's custodian stood strong and blocked with his feet.
Back came United, and on 17 another lung-bursting run from Holroyd to the left-hand corner saw him cut inside and arc an inch-perfect cross to the far post where Rendell was lurking; his powerful header was superbly stopped by a diving Bittner, and when the rebound dropped to the United marksman, he nodded onto the top of the bar when he should really have given his side the lead.
Two minutes later, however, Holroyd sprinted clear again onto a Parkinson ball down the left channel and this time he looked up and found Rendell storming into the middle with a low cross, which he rammed gratefully home under pressure from a sliding Sam Pearce. 1-0.
The dream was on. United remained in the ascendant as long as they tried to play their men in down the channels and did not try any long, high balls which would be gobbled up by the hosts' defence. Salisbury also created (half) chances, though, Anthony Tonkin blocking a Matt Tubbs drive on 21.
First cards of the day arrived on 28 when Bolland was penalised for holding Griffin, the latter retaliating with some sort of wrestling throw (possibly Sumo), but both men saw only yellow. Clarke found Griffin with the free-kick, but he blazed wide from close range.
Four minutes later Tubbs drew a rather soft kick by knocking the ball past Tonkin along the byline then just running into him, but gullible ref Rushton gave it and an equally soft home equaliser ensued: Clarke lofted it to the far post, and there was Griffin rising, criminally unmarked, to head into the top corner. 1-1.
Now we began to recall the rather less salubrious parts of the hosts' oeuvre from past encounters: the cynical, unnecessarily physical fouls, the histrionics, the Olympic class diving. Skipper Michael Fowler flattened Paul Carden with a horrible high 'challenge' on 33 but was only booked, and when the ref failed to call some blatant holding on Reason four minutes later, it was the United man who saw yellow for his frustrated protests.
The U's pulled themselves together, however, Willmott blasting wide on 40, although the set pieces were disappointingly predictable, Carden floating in a succession of high corners that Bittner was easily able to catch unchallenged when surely a ball whipped in with more pace, curl and a lower trajectory would at least have asked a question or two.
In added time, however, United made the breakthrough again. Reason advanced down the middle, Parkinson sprinted ahead of him down the left channel, and young Jai waited and waited for the perfect moment of delivery before sending a delightful through ball into his colleague's path. Parky hared into the box, cut inside, and his cross-shot was spooned nightmarishly high into his own net by Neil Martin. Parky deservedly took the credit: 2-1.
The woefully inconsistent ref drew more groans from United players and supporters alike when he allowed the U's to attack down the middle as Ademeno lay apparently injured in the visitors' area, but just as Holroyd was approaching the hosts' box, the man in black changed his mind and stopped play, to cries of outrage from the sunlit amber army. There was further irritation when, after Ademeno left the pitch following some considerable time's treatment, play was allowed to resume for a matter of seconds before the half-time whistle blew, with no consideration for the time that the most recent injury had lost. Surely basic application of the rules is not too much to ask.
Whoa, I'm beginning to sound like Alex Ferguson. Anyway, Salisbury made a change after the interval, introducing the problem-haired Robert Sinclair for Martin, but they suffered another booking on 48 when Clohessy felled Holroyd. A Willmott corner followed which fell to Holroyd via Reason, but he shot straight at Bittner.
The sides continued to slug it out, Clarke crossing for Griffin to win another header in the box but this time nod over on 52, then Holroyd fed Rendell but he screwed his shot past the far post, and seven minutes later Holroyd found Reason at the near post with a left-wing cross but he could not find the target.
Patrick Cox replaced the injured Pearce for the hosts on 65, one of several home players to collapse mysteriously to the ground off the ball and require lengthy treatment (must be the ley lines). Two minutes later Carden flicked a Reason free kick into Bittner's arms, but United were by now something of a shadow of the attacking force of the first half, dropping deeper and increasingly hoisting lazy long balls towards the front men rather than passing the ball properly through midfield or down the flanks, where Parkinson had disappeared and Willmott frustrated by his inability to keep possession.
This was very much a repeat of the second half at Kettering, and it seemed that United were happy just to grab the three points rather than push their luck in search of further goals in anticipation of trying to catch and match Burton next Sunday. Pragmatic rather than romantic.
And they were pretty efficient at fending off Salisbury's attempts at attacking, Potter barely getting a touch. Holroyd was still a constant threat with his pace and mobility, and on 78 he drew a foul from the aptly-named Fowler but Reason could not beat Bittner with the free-kick.
Two minutes later Holroyd's quick awareness almost bore fruit when he nipped in to intercept a back-pass from Cox, rounded the keeper and shot low from an acute angle, but Fowler was there to slide in and clear almost off his own line. A couple of well struck corners ensued from Willmott, and the second fell to Hatswell just beyond the far post but his extravagant bicycle kick flew over the top.
United continued to contain Salisbury with some degree of comfort without laying siege to the goal, and on 88 Carden picked up an extremely harsh booking from Random Ref for the most innocuous of challenges on Sinclair.
There was time for Potter to make one last save from Clarke before the final whistle signalled two celebrations, the hosts' last home game of the season bringing a satisfactory if sometimes fraught campaign to a close, while the amber army acclaimed qualification for the playoffs for the second year running and, by way of bonus, just a chance of nicking the championship next weekend.
The celebrations from both players and supporters were fairly restrained, recognition that today was just a professional job done and there are greater challenges ahead which will merit much greater acclaim, should they be surmounted successfully. The only way United can avoid the playoffs now is to become champions, by beating Altrincham at home, hoping Burton lose at Torquay, and overcoming an inferior goal difference of four plus a much lower total of goals scored. So if Burton do capitulate at Plainmoor by 1-0, the U's can go up by the simple expedient of winning 16-13. Hey, it's a dream. Come and dream with us at the Abbey next Sunday.
Statto Corner
United have now won their last three games by the same score, 2-1. The last time they accomplished such a feat was almost exactly a year ago, in the final three games of last season's league campaign, when three consecutive 2-0 victories were recorded over Salisbury (a), Torquay (h) and Northwich (a). United also won four games in a row by 2-1 last term.
Today was the third match this season that United have used no substitutes, after Wrexham at home in September and the draw at Histon in March. Only two opposing teams have finished with the same starting elevens this term: Mansfield away in September, and Barrow away in March.
In 2006-07 and 2007-08, United did not get through a single match without introducing at least one substitute. This is undoubtedly a result of the increased allowance that clubs have for subs these days; it was much more common not to see any replacements in days gone by when only one was allowed anyway. The U's post-1970 record for the number of games in a season in which they used no sub(s) is 28, in 1976-77 and 1985-86.
On the bench today for Salisbury were twin brothers Ben and Toby Osman, sons of former Ipswich defender Russell, on loan from Exeter. This is the second consecutive match in which the opposition has had two brothers in their squad, after Alfie and Luke Potter for Kettering on Monday. Three sets of brothers have represented the U's since 1970 on the same pitch: Alan and Gary Kimble, Craig and Lee Middleton, and Aidan and Jordan Collins. The first two pairs were also twins. Youth products Dale and Darren Cockrill were both allocated squad numbers around the turn of this decade, but neither progressed to the first team.
Charles Ademeno figured in six matches for the U's in early 2007, starting once and coming off the bench five times. His only goal came in his third game, a 2-2 draw at Morecambe.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Coped comfortably with just about everything Salisbury could throw at him.
Gleeson 7. Rarely troubled.
Bolland 7. Safe and sound.
Hatswell 7. Usually in control.
Tonkin 7. Solid, although did not manage any of his exciting overlaps.
Willmott 7. A thorn in Salisbury's side, especially in the first half, but still needs to improve his end product.
Carden 7. Industrious as ever.
Reason 7. Finding his way back to top form gradually, his ball to set up the winner was sumptuous.
Parkinson 7. Splendid in the first 45, although tended to disappear in the second.
Holroyd 9. A class above.
Rendell 7. Grabbed a welcome goal, although continues to struggle to match his early season standard.
Match Summary
Ruthlessly efficient United secured a playoff berth with a sterling display at Salisbury which rather tailed off in the second half but still leaves a tantalising shot at the title next week. Don't miss it.
Man of the Match
Chris Holroyd. Chris has blossomed into one of the best strikers in the Conference this season, and Salisbury had no answer to him today.
Ref Watch
Rushton 4. A disjointed affair was made all the more stop-start by the maddeningly inconsistent man in black, who seemed to delight in randomly awarding free kicks for the most innocuous of challenges then ignoring the next one. Too many stoppages, too many cards, too much chat; we didn't pay to see you, old son.
Becky's World of Wit and Wisdom
"Opinion is valueless unless based on fact." [Brentford, 4/9/92]
Hello... Goodbye
United supporters of a certain age will shudder at the name of today's first birthday boy: Ken Shellito(1940). Admittedly saddled with taking over from one of United's most disaster-prone managers, John Ryan, in March 1985, he had a distinguished history in the game with Chelsea, but came across as remote and cold and he never seemed to gain the confidence or respect of the players. He oversaw United's relegation to Division Four, then a rapid descent to the rear end of that division which culminated in a FA Cup defeat to non-League Dagenham and a 5-2 home defeat by Northampton. When he left the Abbey in early December, apparently as disillusioned with football as we were with him, he departed with a record of six wins, six draws and 25 defeats. We should, however, thank him for one act during his brief tenure: he signed the marvellous David Crown, one of United's greatest ever goalscorers. Thanks, Ken, but don't come back for the Legends match, eh?
Happy birthday also to Keith Bowker (1951). A striker with a decent record of better than one goal every four games for Exeter, he started his United career at the start of the 1976-77 season in a forward partnership with Alan Biley, but only found the net once in seventeen appearances and, disappointed, Big Ron loaned him to Northampton and got Jim Hall in exchange. Big Jim went on to fire the U's to promotion, but Bowker returned to Exeter where he continued his consistent goalscoring rate for several more seasons before ending up at Torquay, then wound down his career in the West Country at Bideford Town.
This day in 1998 saw the first and last game in United colours for midfield man Mark Moore. A Yorkshireman who had been studying at New Hampshire College, USA, he came on as sub in a 4-1 home win over Swansea, but failed to gain a contract, and his professional football career in England was over as soon as it had begun.
Soundtrack of the Day
Neil Young 'Fork In The Road'
Parky's Pick of the Pops
Andy Parkinson lends an ear to the Salisbury sounds. "All right, lads and lasses? I've always been young at heart, me, even if the old body ain't as spry as it used to be, but you know you're getting older when the music on Radio 1 starts to all sound the same, like, and you end up turning the dial to the oldies station.
"Well, it sounds like they've done the same thing at Salisbury, and y'know, I really enjoyed the old hits from the 70s and 80s they played. There was some really catchy pop from Jane Wiedlin, the Bangles and Martha & The Muffins, edgy new wave from Talking Heads, rock from Whitesnake, Yes, and the Steve Miller Band, classics like 'Baker Street,' 'House Of The Rising Sun' and 'Purple Rain' and, best of all, one of my favourite songs of all time, 'The Whole Of The Moon' by the Waterboys. Passion, power, poetry, it's the musical equivalent of a dribble and shot by Kenny Dalglish. I was made up, I can tell you!
"The only current song I heard before kickoff was the new one by Bruce Springsteen, and I've got nothing but respect for him, a blue-collar guy who sings from the HEART! I must deduct a point for the half-time music, though - I mean, Girls Aloud? Lady GaGa? Gimme a break, ey?!" PPP verdict: 9/10. Never walk alone!
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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