I think everyone in the ground (apart from the two in the picture) had a bit of an off night last night. Us lot in the crowd were flatter than a discarded estate football, while the manager paced gingerly about the technical area in the manner of someone who might have tweaked a hammie celebrating the goal on Saturday. The players had a slightly bemused look about them too. The kind you get for the hour or so before you work out that the instructions don't match the flat pack chest of drawers you're trying to put together. You have all the tools, the screws, the Alan keys and the parts to make it work, but it just ain't happening.
Was it surprising? Not really. Go on your Summer Holidays to Spain if you don't believe me. Watch the Elvis impersonators, the Queen tribute bands and then when you get back, go down your local. All of a sudden, Maureens "hot pot Tuesday night" (complete with the "guess what's in the box" section) doesn't seem that thrilling. After the Lord mayors show is one of the commonest phenomenons in sport, that's all that last night was.
At least it was consistent in that it started awkwardly and got worse. Omar Bugiel tweaking something in the warm up wasn't what we needed, particularly given the fact he is surely in the form of his life (he must be, otherwise he wouldn't be playing in League Two). From there we never really recovered nor got going. Like the old BSA bike you find down the allotment, when the key was turned we coughed and spluttered, threatened to kick into life, then ultimately died with a fffttttt and a plume of smoke. It wasn't for want of trying. We gave it our all, gave it numerous shoves and the lads tried their hearts out, it just wasn't there this time.
The good news is we didn't get beat. Nowhere in the rules of football does it say that you have to lose if you aren't playing well, and yet again we eeked out a point when not really at it. Was it a good point? Yes.
We've got ten games to go and we have 51 points. We could win six of those remaining games and we still won't make it. That is UNLESS we keep on picking up these points while it ain't really happening for us. Obliviously we are at some stage going to have to go on a winning run, but unless we eek out draws in games like last night, it won't matter even when we do.
So last night was a good point under difficult circumstances. It's the long game we're interested in, and if we can arrive at the last three matches knowing that if we win them all we've got an outstanding chance, I'll take that. If we then don't win them all, fair enough.
Last night's point though gives us a platform, we move on. COYD.
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