Saturday might well prove just a flash in the pan before we nose dive back to League 1, or it could prove to be something much more significant, a turning point in this woeful season? Subsequent performances and results will no doubt provide an answer. For now, let's simply enjoy what was one of our best displays since winning promotion to this League of plenty.
Before the game, I'd taken part in a podcast for those boys at Besotted, the Brentford fanzine which can be heard via their Twitter account. Over the past few season's I've built up something of a rapport with them as I've generally viewed the Bees as something of our southern equivalent, so I have no axe to grind with Brentford and have always enjoyed my trips to West London.
This was yet another of those "must win" games, there's been so many I know and usually they've ended in defeat. However, with M K Dons seemingly beginning to turn the corner and Bristol City starting to climb the table with some consistency, this really was one of those matches we had to win.
I'll not say too much about the actual game as most of it has already been done to death.
However, It always seem to me that fans of London teams like to harp on about how they play the game in a certain way. They play the beautiful game, a pure form of the game which us fans supporting teams from the Provinces can merely aspire to.
It's generally offered up as an excuse if they lose. "You kicked us off the park" "You were a bunch of thugs" "If that's the way you play to get results, then good luck but we wouldn't watch such stuff" You know the sort of comments.
If you need proof of the latest of this, just dip into the various Brentford forums and websites this morning!
They've blamed the referee and officials, they've mentioned our tactics, they've criticised our crowd, etc, etc!!! There's even the odd comment about the way we dress!
Rose tinted spectacles are in evidence aplenty today. I suppose that's football.
From my slightly biased point of view, I enjoyed Saturday's 100% performance more than any other since we achieved promotion. Despite their comments (the Brentford fans), the referee, in my humble opinion didn't favour one team or the other, he was absolutely incompetent throughout and succeeded in getting most decision wrong!
Glaringly, there was the penalty award....enough said on that, we all agree that he got that wrong. Even Dean Smith conceded that!
That foul count in the second period which Dean Smith alluded to, suggesting that Mark Brown had been intimidated by the home support. He likened it to something of a "Cauldron of Hate" towards the officials.
In my opinion, there was fouls, yes but no more than any other game. Jake Bidwell, their left back makes various statements about his battle, or should I say struggles with Greg Halford. Perhaps he needs a reminder that this is a Man's game and despite his best efforts to secure Halford's shirt long before the final whistle, he deserved his yellow card which was finally awarded after a personal foul count surely approaching three figures?
Whilst it's true that his diabolical decision galvanised the home support, that wasn't the reason why we won and they lost. We won because we wanted it far more than they did. Even in those dying minutes we witnessed defenders throwing themselves in front of the ball, Lee Camp in goal performing brilliantly to maintain our lead and at the other end Danny Ward, Jerome Thomas and co constantly harassing their defence. In midfield, how we've missed Lee Frecklington, who's performance was truly sublime. Rejuvenated Richard Wood, Greg Halford and Matt Derbyshire all played their part.
No doubt Brentford fans and players will continue to wallow in their sour grapes but for me It was one of those days which will live long in the memory.
Hillsborough up next, dare we hope for another positive result?
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Good read that Axholme, thanks. I agree it was a very satisfying result after the injustice of the penalty decision. It wasn't pretty, it was blood and thunder and players putting themselves on the line for each other and for the cause and if we go down playing like this at least we will have given it a go and got some pride back in the club. As for Brentford, they were poor but we made them look poor by not allowing them to play and they had no answer, no plan B. Good sides can mix it up and Brentford patently can't do that.
I had a spare season ticket so I took a friend.he said the last time he went to a match it was at millmoor and the crowd were singing mighty quinn!.When we came out he was hoarse from shouting at all and sundry and said he had really enjoyed it.
What a joke Bidwell is. It wasn't fair because how is he supposed to compete against someone 6 ft 5in in the air without fouling him? He almost seems to be saying it shouldn't be allowed, or that he should have been allowed to foul him so as to compensate. Pathetic. You are a small defender Bidwell. That is a weakness of yours that we exploited. Get over it, or find a way to deal with it within the laws of the game. Either way don't whinge about it like a small child at school playtime.
I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday. I don't think I'd be saying the same had that ref didn't give that penalty. Because he really did make it a "cauldron of hate" and it was one of the best atmospheres the NYS has seen, despite only 8,000 home fans.
I never know if the players get aggrieved by decisions like that and try that extra bit harder (I certainly did in my playing days) but I definitely think that the players react to the crowd. From then on we were willing every 50/50 challenge, claiming for everything, throwing our arms all over the place at any decision against us, and chanting very vociferously. And it made a difference.
The team played with a temp that has been missing for a long, long time now.
It wasn't the prettiest, but it was far from dull. And Brentford were the dirtiest, niggliest team to visit for a long while. Just like Dean Smith in his Orient playing days.
We don't expect anything from Saturday. The ticket sales show this. But play like we did on Saturday and we'll make it bloody awkward for them.
I guess it's just the nature of London tribes when the come North to fein that superiority. The thing is football is still tribal and Southerners have always felt ordained. Of course when you actually are it one doesn't need to draw attention to ones self. That's the Yorkshire way.
We thoroughly deserved to win. We were simply better. Personally I can never understand such bias views but I suspect many of them are young and unfortunately some are quite daft.
