The Lads, plus well in excess of 7,000 fans, crossed the Pennines to the land of black pudding, and... well, after 45 we could be forgiven for wondering how we were still in it and after 95 wondering how we hadn't won. We showed good we can be, but only after we showed how bad.
Ain't football great?
After a first which is best, and easiest, forgotten about, in which we were quite simply overrun, we sorted ourselves out and got on top. Other than a few breaks, the home side dominated that first 45 and ran us ragged with Danny Batth running around with an Isidor-shaped lump in his pocket... and it wasn't because our former defender was pleased to see us.
All aboard the dead posh bus (complete with kitchen area), there was football to discuss. There was no Dan Ballard thanks to his late injury in the win over Norwich, so we reckoned it was an easy swap for O'Nien with Hume in at right back. Christmas celebrations were naturally discussed - including my new festive drink of Bucks Fizz made with champagne substitute and long-life milk. Who puts milk cartons where the orange juice should be?
Nobody died, nobody was ill. Get over it, family!
Mind, the stop-off on Colne was lovely., even if only for discovering that nobody there liked Blackburn apart from the barmaid in the Red Lion… and one of her regulars is from Durham!
We got to Ewood in time to discover two things
1) nowhere nearby would have room for us, and
2) the (fanzone) only sell a hideously expensive range of pretendy exotic stuff that is actually "brewed" in Staffordshire
Not even a hint of anything brown or remotely local in the fanzone or the ground. Blackburn - give your head a massive shake. Lost revenue, serves you right.
What some decent music from Lancashire bands, and with Max Power on a birthday treat in our end (once a Mackem always a Mackem) we lined up ...
Patterson
Hume O'Nien Mepham Cirkin
Neil (c) Bellingham
Roberts Rigg Mayenda
Isidor
...and a bench of Moore, Rusyn, Jones, Aouchiche, Aleksic, Alese, Connolly, Hjelde, and Poveda. That's a decent bench for any side in our division. Girrrup.
In the stripes and attacking Brandon lad Aynsley Pears in the far goal, we kicked off and had a bit of a go before the energy, movement, and shape of the home side had us on the back foot. I don't like to be a whinge (I do, really) but ref Bobby "not him again" Madely once again showed his disregard for the rules of the game by ignoring several handballs that had Chris McCausland shouting in our favour. How does the man keep getting games, particularly our games?
Having said that, it was hardly a surprise when a Blackburn shot after yet another break hit a couple of Sunderland shins before dropping nicely to be swept/smacked/plonked past a helpless Patto. Given that they'd already put a better chance into the top tier of they our fans, we couldn't really grumble.
…but we did, and with good cause. Where was our energy, drive, and clever stuff up top? Where was our command of the base of midfield?
Neewhere. We needed a Patto save and a (correct) linesman's flag to keep it down to just the one, even after a single added minute.
Get in, get sorted, and get back out and into them. Changes to personnel? Not our style, but changes to attitude very much are. It was as if a different team had emerged for the second half, having washed down a Christmas stocking's worrying Haribo Ultra with a gallon of Rola Cola.
We were all over them, and it was nothing short of expected when, seven minutes in, Luke hit in a low cross that Issy challenged for at the near post and the loose ball fell for Rigg, and it was duly swept/smacked/plonked past Pears to draw the s level. Cue mayhem upstairs and downstairs in our end, and big smiles of the three Bellingham faces not on the pitch.
To say we had the home side on the back foot is a bit like saying they'd done that to us in the first half - we had them all over the shop, with Roberts tormenting their right-hand side while Neil simply gave it to Bellingham to work space and keep setting us away. Such was our dominance that it was only a couple of minutes after drawing level that Roberts swanned and served past their defence to clip in back for Issy to flick in, backheel-styleeee!
Girrrup, and no more than we deserved. Still 35 or 40 minutes to go, but as we'd got our sweet Wearside noses in front, there looked to be only one winner.
Jobe was showing all his strength and composure, Neil was picking out Rigg, Issy, Roberts and Mayenda seemingly at ease - and it looked like getting better but Mepham's header from a free went over the top and Jobe's curler didn't curl enough. We needed Luke to take one for the team, as they say, to prevent a break with five to go, but we suddenly let them start playing again. Rigg took a clatter and was replaced by Aouchiche, who alternated with Mayenda on the left and more centrally as we hoped he'd set up another from our wide. Didn't happen, unfortunately.
They were busy announcing five added minutes when we failed to clear and it was 2-2, bringing the first meaningful roar from the home fans.
What a bummer - but we could and should have still won it when Mayenda burst through the middle but didn't even get a shot away before Pears was down at his feet a few yards out... wrong place, wrong time - would Aouchiche have done better? We'll never know.
Look, we all went through the usual "I'll take a point away from home" mantra before the game, but we should really have won that. However, we're still up there exceeding the expectations of all but the terminally optimistic. I'll take that.
Man of the Match? Roberts - a persistent pest and provider
Bellingham - a tower of strength
Neil - simple but effective
Isidor- sort of back to his unpredictable self.
Several others - worthy of commendation.
Dan Neil for me.
Still should have won it, mind.
