New forest (not so) Classico

The eagerly anticipated south coast derby! Well to those in Dorset anyway. Personally I’d rank this fixture as third on the rivalry list behind Southampton Vs Brighton and the obvious real south coast derby against that team who lost 0-4 in their own backyard. 

I put Southampton Vs Brighton above the New Forest Classico as the early 2010s saw standout matches and battles over league position as we returned to the top flight. Who can forget the image of Jose Fonte topless celebrating at the Withdean in summer 2011. Kelvin Davis saving a Glenn Murray penalty at St Mary’s earlier in the League One campaign. Later in the Championship there’s the image of Rickie Lambert being, wrongly, sent off at our first encounter at the AMEX. Lest we forget Rickie’s hat-trick in a 3-0 home win that season. In contrast Bournemouth matches hardly have the same verve or vigor. An Oscar Gobern red card aside.

Sadly though Yeovil Town’s demise over the last two decades, a further relegation this season out of the National League, has led to this bizarre notion among Bournemouth fans that we’re their local rivals. Laughable I know however 9 points separate us at the start of the game. A defeat for Southampton in this fixture could add a genuine origin to this “rivalry” if the perception is Bournemouth winning at St Mary’s relegates us. As we all know though only one team is at fault for our relegation and that is ourselves - different matter entirely.

Here we go again

As a wise man once said “Well that, was fucking dreadful!” Despite having the lion’s share of possession in the game (57:43) there was always an aura of uncertainty breaking down Bournemouth. Short of Walcott’s trademark “in to out” runs from central to wide channels there was little signs of a distinct playing style. Bournemouth in contrast had an natural no. 9 to base play around - a strange idea that Selles appears averse to trying. 

Aside from Adam Armstrong clipping the outside of the post I struggle to recall any other chances of note. Indeed we had to ride our luck in the first half with Dominic Solanke marginally offside in the build up to Matias Vina’s disallowed goal. Lady Luck though would eventually haunt us. A Perraud injury in the first half saw a forced change in the fullback positions leading to an imbalanced wide threat, Perraud’s overlapping had carved out Armstrongs chance and unsurprisingly two fullbacks in unfavored positions offered little to no threat for the remainder of the match. 

At the start of the second half though an unbelievable substitution occurred. JWP, the ever reliable stalwart, was off for Lyanco. Could it be that Prowsey has gone full Hugo Lloris and thrown his toys out at half time? I think not. The suggestion from Selles is illness hampered his game, he did look lethargic in the first half. Lyanco for a second game in a row coming on at half time as Saints change to a 5 man defence. At Arsenal I could justify this, at home to Bournemouth in a must win game however I can not. Notice I say must win game not a must not lose game, emphasis’ surely should have been on attacking prowess. 50th minute, sure enough what we all expected to happen, happened. Marcus Tavernier cut in from the right, meandered around the box unchallenged to shoot left footed into the corner past Alex McCarthy. 0-1. 

Alexa play 1973 by James Blunt because “Here we go again!”

A goal down, the prospect of a 46 game season next campaign imminent yet it takes 10 further minutes for changes to be made. During which we were very fortunate to not concede a penalty for a Bednarek handball. Not a stone wall penalty however it was not too dissimilar to the penalty we won against Leicester City at the start of March. Elynoussi and Walcott make way for Stu Armstrong and Che Adams. Shockingly we look like we have some idea of what to do going forward. Actually, that’s generous I should say Stu seems to have some ideas. Progressive and direct ball carries, incisive passing and even defensive interceptions in a the left back position of all places. Interestingly with JWP and Perraud out of the side set pieces were left to him, if only he could beat the first man more often. 

Saints managed 11 shots in total during the game, efforts from Duje Caleta-Car and Kyle Walker-Peters were both blasted over as we pushed, albeit lightly pushed, for an equaliser. In the dying minutes of the game it looked like we had done it. Lyanco played it inside for Stu to drive at the Bournemouth back line, he dribbled past two defenders before sliding it across the box for Che Adams to control and then blast in from 6 yards out. 1-1? Our old nemesis VAR, or perhaps more the continual scourge of Adams Vs the offside rule had other ideas. An outstretched foot of Adams was in an offside position, goal disallowed. An all too familiar sinking feeling sets in. Time runs out, Bournemouth win 0-1. 

In November 2020 Southampton went top of the Premier League tweeting “stop the clock.” A statement relevant now in a much sadder context. 

Hey diddle diddle 

The game reminded me of a classic nursery rhyme.

Hey diddle diddle,

The cat and the fiddle

The cow jumped over the moon

The little dog laughed to see such sport

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Bournemouth being the little dog laughing at us whereas Southampton are the dish, running away with the Premier League’s wooden spoon. 

A twelfth league defeat at home by a single goal. Another defeat in a must win game. A team, particularly in the first 60 minutes, devoid of energy, lacking intensity and verticality. All things that were considered the Southampton way in previous seasons. 

Meanwhile in Merseyside, Sundays opponents Newcastle win 1-4. That’s now 10 goals in their last two games. The only thing that could further compound misery at this point would be a 9-0. Having not won at St James’s Park since 2014 with an Elijero Elia brace (remember him) it’s not inconceivable we could receive a drubbing, to be polite. 

Sunday it won’t be a view in the channel rather than a view just off the River Tyne as I travel the 475 miles over land and air, to see what could be my last live Premier League game involving Southampton for a while. I’m left wondering if the players will turn up seeing as they struggled to do so at St Mary’s Thursday evening. The away end at Newcastle is notorious for height respective to the pitch, not one for the faint hearted however neither is watching Southampton this season. 

Friday night fever

Heading into the match against Arsenal I find myself with a bizarre sense of excitement. For starters it’s Friday night football, perfect excuse for a beer and a curry, and in theory the result is redundant. Not in the sense of the fixture being a “free hit” but either Arsenal perform as we all expect, boosting my fantasy football score or Southampton pull a shock and get a result. One might say Southampton making waves in their Solent inspired kit - if you pardon the pun

With Ainsley Maitland-Niles ineligible, I’m expecting Perraud back in the side at left back with KWP on the right. Fully expect Perraud to be as exposed as Simon’s testicle [The Inbetweeners] against Saka nevertheless the traditionalist in me likes the prospect of full backs playing in their preferred positions. Up front however quite literally anything could happen. After the Aribo curveball against Palace I have no preconceived ideas about who’ll play there which actually adds to that bizarre excitement. No doubt this feeling will change once the team sheet is released. Walcott I do expect to feature, hopefully playing at the Emirates he can harness some mystical power from the turf to “roll back the years” as it were. No Adams for another game so could we even see Orsic, who was back in training this week. An evening game in London, under the lights might inspire a Dinamo Zagreb-esque performance from him that he showed against Chelsea and Spurs in previous Champions League campaigns.

This is wide eyed fanaticism granted but given the scale of the task ahead that’s all we’ve got to lean on.

While I can conjure all manner of “what-ifs” on our part the cold hard stats don’t lie. Exhibit A, the league table. Fuck. Furthermore Southampton have failed to win in 27 league games away at Arsenal, spanning back to the Highbury days. We do have a couple of League Cup wins (2014 & 2016) with thunderbolt strikes from Nathaniel Clyne and Jordy Clasie respectively. Candidates for a thunderbolt this evening though are at a premium, only Perraud and Alcaraz spring to mind.

Arm strong, substitutions weak

I thought Adam Armstrong was out of the picture having featured for the B team Friday prior but he’s the latest Selles wildcard pick. Taking up a left side midfield position rather than that of a central striker. Not that I had time really to notice this as 27 seconds in and Alcaraz smashes one past Ramsdale. 0-1! Furthermore my Walcott premonition comes true. 0-2 as he slots home from Alcaraz’s through ball. What a signing Charly is looking.

Inevitably, Saka goes past Perraud to pull back for Martenelli. 1-2. Half time sees Charly subbed off for Lyanco which is disappointing but ultimately understandable given the booking and his tendency to “get amongst it.” Lyanco thought hardly the coolest cat around. We’ll get on later to Selles’ questionable substitution but how on earth have we ended up with two CBs who had such clangers against League Two Grimsby up against the Premier League leaders. 

Humble Pie for one please! Duje Caleta-Car heads home from a corner. 1-3. Only one team in the league doesn’t win this game and luckily for Arsenal, it’s us. Bizarrely though the 5-4-1 is holding up as we approach the final 5 minutes. This is when the aforementioned dubious substitution occurs. Diallo on for Lavia. I like Diallo but you’ve got to consider game state at this point. Emirates is electric as Arsenal lay siege on our goal. It’s arguably too late in the game for fresh legs as Diallo can’t get up to the pace of the game. Surely enough Ben White and Martin Odegaard pass around him for the Norwegian to score with, in fairness, a lovely curling effort from outside the box. 2-3. Now the electricity is tangible. Bazunu parries a shot straight into the path of Saka. 3-3. JWP on his knees slamming the turf, I don’t know if we’re going to hold out here.

Thankfully Thomas Partey chooses to blast one over from 30yards out in the final few minutes. It ends 3-3. We threw away a two goal lead (twice) in the match but ultimately I’m left somewhat pleased. 

Acceptance

Mentallly I accepted relegation after our 0-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on January 4th. Appreciate that’s negative but that was easily the lowest point of the season. All I’ve really wanted to see is some fight and a bit of spirit, which has certainly been lacking in a lot of fixtures. For the sake of the word count I won’t address specific games directly. 

Therefore a draw away at the league leaders resembles a success even if the manner of which is slightly disappointing. In terms of immediate positives, we managed three goals in a league game for only a second time this season. In addition we’ve got Alcaraz. He continues to impress, arguably second best signing of the season - the mercurial Lavia taking the top spot. We’ve got Bednarek exhibiting a Darth Vader style redemption arc, acting as an assistant manager after his substitution. Perhaps masterminding the third goal from the sideline. Most surprisingly Lyanco didn’t get booked - sometimes it’s the little victories.

Yes, results didn’t exactly go our way with Leicester beating Wolves & Everton getting a point at Palace isn’t ideal but who cares. Really! For me the remainder of the season isn’t going to be determined by the question of relegation, I’d just like to be proud of my club and even the most steadfast fan will say there’s been few reasons to be proud this season. Let’s just enjoy the football that we can clearly produce when we show a bit of grit and character. Onto Bournemouth Thursday, let’s have a go at home for once please. 

As for Newcastle away on Sunday, maybe a little prayer is in order as they put 5 past Tottenham inside 20 minutes. I wonder what the betting market is like for us to concede quicker than we did in the Carabao Cup semi final at St James’s Park. This match under the stewardship of a third manager with Hassenhuttl and Jones losing the tactical battle with Howe. Hopefully third times the charm for Ruben.

Season in brief - Winchester City

Lets contextualise. Its May 2nd 2022, Winchester City have won the Southern League Division One South Play-off to earn promotion into Premier South (level 7 of the English football pyramid) for the first time in their history.

Fast forward to the start of the season, before a ball was kicked they were firm favourites for relegation. Fast forward further to Easter Monday, Monday 10th April 2023, a 1-2 victory against Salisbury secured their league status with three match to spare. Having never been in the division before the Citizens get another crack at it.

Granted most non league successes are underdog stories, possible exception of FC Hollywood in Northern Wales (Wrexham) and Class of 92 City (otherwise known as Salford City.) This was a genuine underdog triumph. Winchester City have the smallest playing budget in the league & a stadium not up to the respective level of football - a supporters stampede in the playoff final, tearing down the pitch barrier behind a goal not helping this situation.

Despite these limitations league safety is secured and it feels right to take a moment to look back.

Rule of three

I appreciate "season in brief" connotes a Premier League Years style breakdown of matches & key events by month however, sadly, this is not that in regards to the 22/23 season for Winchester City. It is though an alternative approach in commentary of a clubs story.

A few years ago at a music festival, a friend and I came up with a ruling in order to maximise acts we saw. You can claim to have seen a band/artist providing you have seen a minimum of three songs from the set. I believe the same principle can be attributed to a clubs season. Despite my locality in the Channel Islands, I witnessed three matches for the Citizens this season. Collectively these three; Winchester City vs Chesham United, Poole Town vs Winchester City and Winchester City vs Hayes & Yeading United lend themselves to the overall story of the 22/23 campaign.

Winchester City 1-1 Chesham United

October 15th 2022

Having seen Winchester City in level 9 (Wessex League Premier) of the pyramid as recently as the early 2010s, the prospect of level 7 football was remarkable. For most of my youth Saturday consisted of following Winchester home or away with my dad. Being slightly past my own youth, this match actually gave the opportunity for three generations to watch Winchester as my newborn son attended his first mainland football match

*Specification of mainland football required having taken him and my partner to a 0-0 draw between Jersey Bulls and Tadley Caleva the weekend prior.

While I had delusions of my partner, my son and I pitch-side watching the game, the weather had other ideas. Middle of October and a rather rain soaked Simplyhealth ground, thankfully the clubhouse has windows. Chesham took an early lead, a goal I missed during a nappy change. Once said change was complete I ventured out to the stand just in time so see Winchester's equaliser. City forward Simba Mlambo picked up the ball in the left channel, sent a curling cross towards the penalty area. 

I've seen better crosses but inadvertently the Chesham defender at the front post misjudged his clearing header. The ball looping over the hapless goalkeeper. Despite an apparent own goal it was credited to Winchester striker Warren Bentley. You don't get the dubious goals committee at this level. 1-1 it would end as both sides struggled in the conditions.

Hardly a classic. Though a valuable point secured at home to a side on route to finish in the playoff places. A common cliché in football is good home form will keep you up yet only 21 points came at home this season for City, less than 50% their total tally. Winchester seemingly a side stronger on their travels. Although as I was to discover they aren't always.

Poole Town 1-0 Winchester City

February 14th 2023

The prospect of spending Valentine's evening this way wasn't exactly my partners first choice plan however she was ultimately very understanding. Commonly the immediate frame of reference for Poole Town is that they're a former Conference, sorry I mean National League South side infamous for their role in Charlie Austin's career. A very physical side who frequently threatened to score in the first half with City keeper Charlie Philpott called into action multiple times. The games only goal coming from a set piece with roughly 15 minutes remaining, a towering header powering past Charlie in goal. City in fairness has a great chance to equalise as substitute Henry Brooks had left footed drive bounce back of the post.

Alas the game ended 1-0. A game serving as a reminder that this league has some strong sides with recency of a higher level of competition that what Winchester find themselves in now. That said great solace can be taken from such a performance, Winchester by no means outclassed.

Winchester City 3-0 Hayes & Yeading United

April 8th 2023

Three home wins plus two away draws post Poole Town defeat had positioned City just outside the relegation zone. Victory against Hayes & Yeading would all but secure survival. City came out flying. Warren Bentley slotting home inside the opening five minutes - nothing dubious about this strike.

Later in the first half the away side were reduced to 10 men after two bookable challenges in quick succession. The rest of the half Winchester did everything but score hitting all manner of woodwork without adding a second goal. It took until halfway through into the second half to double their lead, during which time the opposition had fashioned a couple of opportunities to draw level. After 70 minutes substitute IK Hill pounced on a loose ball in the book to smash the ball past the Hayes & Yeading goalkeeper. A scramble in the box saw City add a third as Bentley, again, poked home from no more than 2 yards out. 

Party time. Realisation set in amongst the Winchester faithful that just 1 point from the remaining four games would be enough. As stated earlier, two days later Winchester took all three points at Salisbury to confirm safety.

I'll keep it brief

With the Hayes & Yeading match I effectively completed the league. Seeing one draw, one loss and finally one win in my three matches this season.

That 1-1-1 record, as it would show statistically, was against sides in the top ten of the league. This account of three games against such sides shows differing elements of Winchester's season. First game showed a team who this season have stepped up to a new level, getting a point in a cagey dreary encounter. Second match serving as a reminder that this team do have a way to go to establish longevity in this league. More importantly and certainly more excitingly from a fan's perspective the final game shows a side capable of being clinical, winning a key game when it mattered.

Jury out on whether this piece is really a season in brief, regardless "the Winch are staying up" and deservedly so.