The Wild Lower West: Cardiff Disappointment, Ugly Cobblers Win

SB Nation

Our win against Northampton Town on Tuesday evening came just three days after a disappointing loss at Cardiff City, and I say disappointing because I still believe that, if you are 1-0 ahead at half-time,

you need to be securing a point at the very least, against any team in this division.

While the Cardiff loss was disappointing, it must be said that some of the football was right up there with the best this season.

Playing on the front foot with aggression and not letting Cardiff play was something we rarely see from a Noel Hunt side, and with better finishing, a bit of luck and anyone but Nathan Trott in goal, we could well have been 3-0 ahead at half-time, and I’m not sure that any home supporter could have complained.

Lewis Wing scored another tap-in to add to his impressive collection of goals, and Charlie Savage put in a performance that was reminiscent of his displays towards the end of last season.

To put the Cardiff performance into perspective, we had 26 shots in the game with 10 of those being on target – that’s the most we have amassed in any match this season. Compare that to the win at home to Northampton on Tuesday where we had 14 shots with five on target, and it shows how impressive the Cardiff performance was going forward.

So it begs the question: how did we lose the game?

For me, it comes down to our game management at crucial times during the second half and our ability to keep the ball when needed.

With Cardiff 1-0 down it was pretty inevitable they would come out after the break firing on all cylinders, so I don’t think it’s too harsh to say we were naïve in not trying to sit and contain Cardiff for the first 10 minutes of the second half, rather than continue to play expansive football that left us exposed.

A simple adjustment by way of dropping one of the midfielders 10-20 yards deeper would have closed a lot of the space that Cardiff enjoyed leading up to their equaliser. In doing this though, you also need to manage the game by way of trying to keep possession, but unfortunately we are still nowhere near good enough in doing so.

As soon as Cardiff scored you could see the momentum shift, and the conceding of several free-kicks in quick succession after the goal came because of repeatedly giving the ball away. The fact is we need to be better in managing periods of the game when we are likely to be under pressure, especially away from home.

While it’s difficult to be too critical of a much-improved performance, the fact is we lost the game from a winning position, and that should not be happening.

An ugly win

In contrast, the game against Northampton on Tuesday evening will go down in the “ugly win” category, against a very poor side who rarely threatened to change the 1-0 scoreline.

However, much of that can be attributed to Paudie O’Connor, who was excellent in dealing with repeated aerial balls launched towards Northampton’s forward line. In O’Connor we have someone who just loves defending, and if we can keep him and Derrick Williams fit then I truly believe we have the best centre-back pairing in the division.

Hunt sprang a surprise before the game when he allowed Ben Elliott out to play after several weeks of being grounded.

I can’t help thinking there is a problem between Hunt and Elliott, because the repeated omission of a player who makes our midfield tick is something that can only be attributed to off-field relationship issues, rather than the player’s performance on it.

During the game Elliott showed just why he should be a regular starter in this side, initiating several attacks with his ability to beat players and find space where others find trouble.

It is difficult to see why Elliott does not feature more often, as he also breaks up opposing attacks on a regular basis, and seems more than comfortable with defensive duties when called upon.

So, while Elliott’s inclusion in the starting XI was a surprise, his withdrawal after 64 minutes was as predictable as the minute of the substitution itself. What does the guy have to do to play a full 90 minutes?

Having vented my frustration at Elliott’s predictable withdrawal (apologies to those sat next to me at the time), it was almost inevitable that, just 60 seconds later, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan nodded in what proved to be the winner. That made me look particularly stupid for my outburst, and made Noel Hunt look like Pep Guardiola, although I do think the timing of the goal had little to do with any tactical masterplan.

Tactical masterplans are not something you associate with Reading currently, and we really do need to find alternative ways of playing that better suit those starting games.

Against Northampton we continued to play long balls blindly (mainly from right-back, and Kelvin Abrefa really does need to improve his passing) into spaces that were never going to be occupied by Ehibhatiomhan. In Jack Marriott we have someone who will run the channels and chase lost causes, but with all due respect to Ehibhatiomhan, his strengths do not lie in his ability to run into spaces and create havoc in the opposition’s defence, so why continue to play as if Marriott were on the pitch?

Maybe the 1-0 “ugly win” is exactly what we need to kickstart our season, and while the performance was not great, it was better than recent home performances, so credit where it’s due.

The win was also achieved without both Joel Pereira and Marriott, who were later joined by Matt Ritchie in an overcrowded treatment room, which is worrying given that those three bring vast experience to the side, so fingers crossed they are back sooner rather than later.

Talking of experienced players and their injuries, I couldn’t help but be impressed with Andy Yiadom’s second-half performances in both the Cardiff and Northampton games.

Each time he looked solid when defending and impressive in his ability to carry the ball forward and join the attack, reminiscent of Yiadom from a few seasons ago. I don’t know how far Yiadom is from playing a full 90 minutes, but if his contribution to this team is his continued introduction in the later stages of games, then I’m all for it and it could be vital this season.

On Saturday we entertain Doncaster Rovers, a side that started the season brightly but have since lost four of their last five games, so you would think their confidence may be quite low. With the opportunity of another three points and a chance to move into the top half of the table, I am going for a comfortable 3-1 win.