A cracking game and very good performance against Billingham Town in the League Cup on Wednesday night. Opinions are divided as to the value of the new group stage for the League Cup, but a goodish crowd turned out and were well entertained by this match. I thought, from my restricted view, that what looked like a young Billingham side started very well, passing and moving with purpose, but came up against something like a full strength RCA defence which meant that very little of their attacks reached Robbie Dean in any way likely to cause him any great discomfort.
At the same time the feeling that RCA would create a decent chance every few minutes or so, which was a feature of the first few weeks of the season but had disappeared lately, came back. The midfield trio of Dylan, Dom and Nathan got hold of and produced a lot of good ball for Sparky and young Ryan. RCA lined up with something between a back three and a back five, depending on where the nominal full backs found themselves at any given time, and how much they had on their plates. It did seem to offer quite a bit of flexibility going forward, and plenty of cover at the back. There is many a stalwart that frowns on these fancy variations, preferring the flat back four at all times, not to mention being nostalgic for the old W formation of Stanley Matthews day, when a half back was a half back and nothing like an inside forward. Still as such types are in their nineties now maybe we can move on...
International weekend and Non League day today, and a little bird tells me that we are to be joined this afternoon by some football enthusiasts from Norway no less. They rejoice in the name of the “Sagajordet Hellhounds”, Sagajordet being their home town and the Hellhound their favourite boozer. They found themselves strangely attracted to Sunderland, the football club and the City, as a result of watching the “Sunderland til I Die” TV programmes, though perhaps they didn’t find it as funny or inevitable as I did. They therefore planned a trip over to see the bold lads at the SoL, against the might of Fleetwood Town, not realising until it was too late that it was the aforementioned International weekend, bit of a schoolboy error admittedly, and that the game might be postponed.
Still SAFC’s loss is RCA’s gain, and very possibly to the advantage of the Hellhounds themselves. If we perform and it grips the lads, well, we might have a new squad of multimillionaire fans on our hands, who get more bang for their buck. I say multimillionaires with some confidence and only a little humour, as any group of lads who can afford to drink in any Norwegian pub, never mind have a favourite boozer, must be very well heeled indeed. I think they will find Defty’s Diner very much to their taste pricewise...
Since it’s International time I suppose we should give it some attention. England are nowhere good enough defensively and give the ball away too much. Much as it’s always been really. But I will say one thing and make a prediction much as it pains me. In my opinion the older Longstaff boy over at the Mags is the best young player in the country by the width of a considerable tatie field, and I predict by this time next year he will be the first name on the England teamsheet. By contrast Deli Ali is vastly overrated, and you know my views on Sterling...
Enjoy!