My first taste of football this summer and boy was it nice to be back! Turning up at the stadium, seeing the blue and white shirts outnumber the red ones, the sense of anticipation before the kick-off...this is what football is all about!
After missing the first few minutes and ending up as the only person in the home end wearing an Albion shirt – don’t ask! – I was always hoping not to draw too much attention to myself. Of course with our sideways passing game – nothing changes eh! – and the only half-chances directed straight at the ‘keeper it was an unwelcome sense of déjà vu when Albion somehow found themselves 2-0 at half-time after being level two minutes earlier.
While Albion didn’t do anything particularly bad in the first-half they didn’t do anything spectacular either. The tempo was slow, and a result, the ball wasn’t getting forward quick enough. A lot has been said about Luke Moore but I was really impressed with his movement – it’s just a shame our midfielders couldn’t see proposed runs. Dorrans impressed in the engine room while Marek Cech at left back seemed to have made his mind up regarding his future if his first half appearance was anything to do by. The same must be said for Greening as well. I’ve never seen him caught in possession as many times as he was yesterday.
After the break we left the hostile home end and found ourselves in the comfortable confounds of the Jeff Bonsor Suite. After being informed by Shrek the second that I could only watch the game from behind a curtain – yes you heard that right – I didn’t really have the best view of the second-half. After missing Luke Moore’s goal after visiting the bar it was a relief to see the rejuvenated striker being brought down and Craig Beattie add to his pre-season account.
A good comeback from the boys after finding themselves 2-0 down at half-time, but like RDM said after the final whistle there’s still work to be done. I was expecting to see an improvement in the defensive aspect of our game but to be honest I couldn’t see a difference since last season. Mulumbu did well after the break and it was a welcome sight to see a slim-again Filipe Texiera a threat again down the wing. Bring in a few new faces and the Geordies on August 8th!