What a difference a week makes. Well, nearly at least. Two games on the road: one near, one far. Two games on the road. Two draws. Two stunning goals. Two points.
The less we speak about the fixture at Bolton Wanderers the better. It felt more akin to a gentle tap than a smash-and-grab to come away with a very undeserved point at the Toughsheet.
For the first 60 minutes or so, Bolton played with us like a dog with a chewy toy. We were pushed around and bullied for large parts of the game. How we kept
it at 0-0 at half-time was a mystery.
“[Bolton] could and should have been out of sight, but that’s why this game is the best”
Ball retention was frankly awful; we just couldn’t string any kind of composure together, every touch felt like a hot potato we couldn’t wait to get rid of. It was a tough, tough watch.
That was until Andre Garcia took aim, hit the target and the ball gorgeously looped via the most delicious of deflections into the Wanderers net. It was wholly undeserved and an absolute robbery of a point but lessons are being learned in real time, which is a positive in itself.
Bolton on the other had will be kicking themselves that they took their foot off the gas and will no doubt rue that they thought they had the game won. In honesty, they could and should have been out of sight, but that’s why this game is the best. Even when you’re at your worst – and let’s face it, it was mind-numbly poor from us – you can still pinch a point if you’re lucky enough.
Returning the favour
If Bolton gifted us a point, Wycombe returned the favour – only this time, we were the ones punished.
In truth, this was a hugely improved performance on the midweek draw and all the subsequent league fixtures. Tactically we had obvious plans, catered for the opposition, that would help us specifically to nullify Wycombe. The much-needed chemistry in midfield was very much apparent with the return of the fleet-footed Ben Elliott. Aside from the opening goal from Wycombe, we seemed to be on the same page at least and not working from different books, as at Bolton.
And then, magic happened. Two minutes or so of utter mayhem that’s rarely been seen home or away in recent years. First, and the most unlikely, a wondrous, towering header from Mamadi Camara that found its way into the top corner beyond the reach of the ‘keeper.
Cue total carnage in an away end in which the entire throng of the travelling support was amassed. A goal had been coming but nobody would have expected the Camara Inquisition.
In the interests of full disclosure, I have been very dismissive of Camara’s output as footballer. I never thought he had tactical awareness or even the basics to contribute, but I was wrong. Not only did he score a peach of a goal, his overall play and moments in the press were impressive. I am very happy to be proven wrong in this instance!
“The contact was otherworldly. The ball rose gently, then crashed in. Perfect. Untouchable”
Then we moved onto our second goal, which defies superlatives. Being stood in the direct line of sight of Lewis Wing’s absolute howitzer just made it all the more special. We’ve all seen pearlers from him before but this finish just seemed to be even more perfect than many.
I doubt I’ll see such a strike with such perfection in a very long time. The contact was otherworldly. The ball rose gently, then crashed in. Perfect. Untouchable. Once again, cue limbs of epic proportions among the massed Reading fans. As moments go, that was simply breathtaking.
In that moment at least for me, it felt that we were genuinely showing signs of progress. That despite going a goal down there were bits of belief beginning to form. Even into the second half, we played with belief and intent. A third goal would have killed the game in our favour, without doubt.
Unfortunately for us, our tactical substitutions paid the price. The loss of Daniel Kyerewaa and Camara for Garcia and Paddy Lane proved to be decisive. Whether by accident or design they seemed to not perform the same roles as the starters and we were undone on the flanks. While still trying to push for a third, we also invited more pressure before the late equaliser.
It left a bittersweet feeling as we came away feeling that it was very much a case of two points dropped rather than one gained. The table still shows zero wins, but for the first time, it feels like we’ve got a team in there.
It was further proof, if proof were needed, that Elliott needs to start more games than not. His driving ability gives us so much more than we’ve previously shown.
There were improvements all over the park in honesty. Even the much-maligned Mark O’Mahony was more involved and was inches away from a goal himself. The partnership of Finley Burns and Derrick Williams was very encouraging. The latter is proving already to be a shrewd signing for his organisational skills alone.
Onto the week ahead with two home games: one in the Carabao Cup and one in the League. You’d imagine it will be a much-changed line-up against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night to give many of the bodies a rest. The fixture against our friends from Port Vale will likely be very similar to the one that started against Wycombe.
That is unless we have some further reinforcements through the door at Bearwood. Here’s hoping anyway.
