Amidst all the week’s off-field events, it felt almost anti-climactic when we remembered there was a football match this weekend. It was even more anti-climactic when we inevitably lost the football match in question, a 2-1 defeat away to Bristol City.
I couldn’t go so this can’t be any more than a few musings based on what I saw of the highlights, but this match had the added cruelty of us leading away from home for a few minutes. We had more attempts on target than them on the first half, then in the second half, young left-back Lloyd Kelly was pressured well by Craig Noone, who could then set up Sammy Ameobi, who in turn crossed for Will Buckley, giving us a goal and something to work with.
But good things never last with us, if they even happen in the first place. Bristol City made a triple-substitution, and Matt Taylor equalised shortly after. Now when you face as many shots as we do (per game, only four more teams in the division face as many as us) it’s going to increase your chances of your goalkeeper making a mistake, but Ben Alnwick has to do better at his near post for that, it reminded me of the first goal let in at Norwich too.
Minutes later, we were back to our familiar position of being behind, when new signing Kasey Palmer scored the winner, the ball adjudged to have gone over the line.
A win for Reading over Nottingham Forest didn’t help too. We’ve got bigger problems off the pitch, but on it, I’m starting to lose any optimism of Championship survival.