The Cherries on top: Episode 15
The board are delighted with job I’m doing so far and our great start in August is rewarded with a clean sweep of the monthly award. Skalidis unsurprisingly is player of the month with Hadzi scooping the young player and myself picking up Manager of the month.
We start the month at home to Barnsley in the league and our old defender Stephen Purches is now club captain. They are unbeaten so far and even though they have played a game less than us, they are an impressive 6th.
We have a rough week with injuries in training, Lara is out for month (calf), Duff (bruised head) and Moukuko (bruised rib) will both miss the Barnsley game.
After scoring on international duty Hadzi is back in side. Svensson gets his first start of the season as Barsom moves out to the right, Ravneng is recalled to right back and Gasperoni partenrs Lucic.
We are coasting with 2 goals in the first 20 minutes, Hadzi getting the first and then turning provider for Ravneng to double the lead. Hadzi gets his second either side of a fight back from Barnsley. Allen scoring from long range and Nicholson with a deft free kick meaning we take a 3–2 lead into half-time.
We go 5–2 up within 10 minutes of the restart, Svensson tapping in after Angelucci spilled a low shot from Barsom. Then Skalidis managed to keep his scoring run going by smashing in a half volley after good work from Barsom.
Barnsley’s persistence second half is rewarded as Voulgaris keeps out Gorré’s free kick but the rebound falls to Gerasinenko for Barnsley’s third. Following the goal a triple substitution is made to rest players and slow the tempo for the remaining 20 minutes.
The win puts us on a 6 game winning run, which isn’t too bad considering the loss to Wigan on the opening day. The 5 goals scored means that the board are naturally delighted with the result and we set a Division 2 record for the highest scoring game.
Our next game is a midweek game away to a fellow promoted team, Swansea City. We played them three times last season and didn’t beat them away, Roger Freestone put paid to that.
They have recruited well in the summer and now have ex-Liverpool and Blackburn left back Stig Inge Bjørnebeye. One time Liverpool youth player Phil Charnock also joined the Swans over the summer.
Like us they have had a good start playing their attractive 4–4–2 formation and they are currently 5th. Luckily for us Moukuko is back following his bruised rib and goes straight into side at the expense of Svensson.
Despite the narrow scoreline the game was insanely one sided, Swansea didn’t even manage a shot on target. Whilst once again Freestone did his best to thwart us, thankfully we weren’t waiting too long for the breakthrough. 23 minutes in and the Bartman fed Skalidis in the area, he was expertly tackled by Payne but the ball fell to Barsom who smashed it in the top corner.
Skalidis hit the bar just after half-time and we pepper the Swansea goal second half but Freestond keeps it respectable. It’s the first game of the season that Skalidis hasn’t scored, he looked to have a potential shin injury and was subbed along with a tired Scott Huckerby.
The board are pleased with the result and as Stoke and Blackpool play out a 3–3 draw the win puts us top.
A quiet few days pass and we now have Cheltenham to entertain at home, they’ve not had the best start and are currently sitting 22nd.
The match sets up the return of former players on both sides. Ex-Cherries centre back Karl Broadhurst is on bench, but there is no place for Gary O’Connor in the Cheltenham squad. Duff is back fit and ready to face his old club along with Jamie Victory.
Boyle-Renner comes in for Hucks who hasn’t recovered enough, luckily we now have depth and a fit squad to manage things like this.
We are lucky to come away with the draw as Cheltenham end our winning run with a fine display.
The nerves must have set in early as after just 6 minutes, Brayson skins Mike Duff and he scores with their first attack! Hadzi manages to get us level with a header from a Moukoko cross.
In the final 5 minutes of the half we both share another goal apiece. Cheltenham going in front with Brayson involved again, he forces Voulgaris into a save only for Howells to slot home the follow up. Moukuko restores parity 2 minutes later, taping home after Skalidis has his diving header saved.
After the frantic first half the second is a quieter affair, not much in the way of chances and with one eye on the League Cup I make some changes. I take off Skalidis and also end a dismal afternoon for the Bartman. Fortune-West gets himself involved with a few chances but none are on target, Howells nearly wins it for Cheltenham at the death but Voulgaris keeps him out.
We can take a break from the league now and prepare for our midweek League Cup game against Watford. They are flying so far in Division 1 and currently sit in 5th place.
For us, Hucks is back in for Boyle-Renner and that is the only change from the weekend. We managed to get a draw against fellow Division 1 side QPR in a pre-season friendly, but that was before we got super Skalidis!
As we are underdogs – it’s all out attack.
The attacking formations from both sides make for an entertaining game. Within the first 22 minutes Skalidis has a header cleared off the line, Vernazza has a goal ruled out for offside and then Hucks pulls up and needs to be substituted.
Hadzi drops into the midfield and Leo comes on upfront alongside Skalidis and instantly hits the post as we lay siege to the Watford goal with little to show for it. That is until just before half-time as Leo finds his stride and heads in a Moukuko cross to put us deservedly ahead at the break.
Watford are more up for the second half and equalise early, Smith forcing the corner that is headed in by Vernazza who was unmarked. Watford then have a few chances but they are tame at best, meanwhile we spend the rest of the game trying to find the winner. But it’s not to be and the game then moves into extra time,
Watford probably have the advantage here with better training facilities, coaches and their players will be better conditioned. This proves to be the case in the early stages of extra time as Vernazza puts in a cross, Smith gets in front of Voulgaris and they are in front at the half-way point of extra-time.
With only 15 minutes left, it’s all or nothing, both fullback and midfielder run arrows are pushed up front to aid Skalidis and Fortune-West.
Luckily this take Watford by surprise and after hitting the crossbar straight from the restart we have a perfect 15 minutes. Barsom finds Fortune-West unmarked and scores to level things up. Then with just 3 minutes left, Hadzi picks up the ball and scores from long range.
3–2 after extra time, get in! The result is no more than we deserve as we had 15 shots on target.
Skalidis is back to picking up man of the match awards despite not scoring. The result gives us another home time next month, this time it will be Sheffield United to overcome. The only sour note is that Scott Huckerby will be out for a month with a groin strain.
The 120 minutes has taken its toll on the squad and we need to rotate fairly heavily for the league game against Luton on Saturday. The lineup isn’t THE best, but with a similar lineup last season we were able to beat The Hatters in the FA Cup.
Luton are on a six game winning streak, so let’s see how we get on. We have Brinias at right back and that is the only weak link I can see as everyone else is fairly solid.
I needn’t have worried as we are able to dispatch Luton in the end. We were ahead inside 10 minutes, Bart-Williams with a nice little pass to Dunwell in the area who slots home.
The lead would have been 2–0 at half-time had Luton not capitalised on a loose pass from Boyle-Renner, what was more annoying was that Thorpe scored with a lucky shot. Gasperoni scored his first cherries goal just before half-time to keep noses in front at the break.
Luton come out brighter in the second half and are rewarded with a goal. Richard Smith heading in from yet another set piece. However two goals in the last 20 minutes seals the win, Fortune-West with his fifth goal of season and a 25 yard screamer for the Bartman to open his Cherries account rounds off the game.
The board are once again pleased with the result and so am I given how much we rotated.
With a full week of preparation we are able to welcome everyone back to full fitness, with no new injury worries to report. Moukoko for Svensson is our change for our away game against Bristol City
It was a lively game, with both teams playing with attacking formations. We were never comfortable during the game and with the narrow win you could say we were lucky to take the three points.
Despite Hadzi hitting the post inside 10 minutes it was Marvin Brown opened the scoring for the home side, beating Lucic and then Voulgaris.
Skalidis then scored two either side of a disallowed goal for City. His first was a tremendous run from the half way line, followed by winning and scoring a penalty on the stroke of half time – his 10th goal of the season already!
Hadzi scores early in the second half giving us a nice lead. City get one back 6 minutes from time to set up a nervy finish after a defensive blunder allows ex-Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Trond Egil Soltvedt to score and leave Voulgaris fuming until full-time.
Two goals for Skalidis yet no 10/10 performance, I might have discipline him at this rate!
With our four wins this month we have a slender lead at the top of the league over Stoke, they are still the only unbeaten team in the division though and have only conceded 9 goals.
Episode 16 coming next week.
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