No Need To Panic .... Yet!

By CCFC Sid
March 21 2005

Following a week that saw difficult away trips to Millwall and Sunderland, the more realistic of CCFC fans would probably have expected to take nil points - so one could be viewed as something of a bonus. Or maybe not....

Sadly, with every other team around us picking up points too, the extra points that two decent displays should have brought, but didn't, means CCFC are in the drop zone....

CCFC haven't won away at Millwall for nearly 50 years, and perhaps should have taken better advantage of an injury hit side, but were, in the end, thankful to Claus Jorgensen for a controversial late goal to give them a point.

I have to confess, for the first time in as long as I can remember I didn't see or hear any of the Millwall game - thanks to CCFC for that one! Having taken the freebie Smirnoff radio to work (As handed out at a CCFC home match last season), with the obvious intention of a spot of illicit listening, surprisingly, having used it once, it has stopped working.....

The details, which I have gleaned from elsewhere (Which partly includes translating the semaphor messages sent by a fellow employee across the workplace!) were basically that: Robert Page finally made his CCFC debut, with Morrell, Adebola, Shaw, and Osbourne also called in after the poor display versus Cardiff.

The away side (CCFC, to you and me) endured a fairly trouble free first half, with Millwall upping the tempo in the second half. Mickey Adams made changes in a bid to counter this - sadly, this had the opposite effect....

Benjamin's hand-ball had seen Morris open the scoring from the spot, but, with only minutes on the clock, and CCFC pressing for an equaliser, substitute Jorgensen was hauled down in the penalty area. The referee appeared to blow for a penalty, but Jorgensen, on the floor, poked the ball home. Confusion followed, before the referee awarded a goal - later admitting to Dennis Wise that he made a mistake. Like CCFC cared!

As with the Stoke match, this unlikely point could be vital come the end of the season. Or dropping two could be....

Onto Saturday.

Sunderland target Stephen Hughes was "missing" for the match at the Stadium of Light, with flu being given as the reason - though reports suggest he might not bother travelling back down the motorway with CCFC (Dear pedants: I realise, if he really has flu he probably wasn't actually at the game, so wouldn't be travelling up or down), and will become part of Mick McCarthy's charge towards the Premiership.

On the pitch, CCFC managed fourteen corners versus Sunderland - but not one of them was made to count. There was also a sitter missed by Benjamin, a big penalty shout ignored, and other chances created and spurned too.

If you watched the highllights on "The Championship", a slightly different story is told: CCFC were pummelled for 90+ minutes. Not the way I remember it, and not even the way Sunderland fans called it, but somebody in the editing department, in their infinite wisdom, decided to make this look a one-sided affair....

Sunderland, obviously feeling they should be dismissing the challenge of such strugglers with the ease with which Plymouth were (5-1, despite, as reports would suggest, playing abysmally!), were second best in the first half, with their nearest attempt at creating a goal seeing Arca booked for diving!

Having enjoyed a decent first half, CCFC were more under the cosh in the second half, but defended well enough to suggest that another away point looked a possibility - with Duffy and Bennett particularly being in fine form (The former being replaced, after a particularly brave block). This was Bennett's last match before his loan spell at CCFC ends - he has to stay! Hopefully permanently....

Hopes of a positive result for CCFC were further increased as Sunderland's best player, Arca, was replaced - but it didn't quite work like that.

A Staunton error should have seen substitute Brown score, but he hit the post with his effort (Wright also hit the post for Sunderland minutes earlier). Soon after, the same player did score the goal that sent Sunderland to the top of the table - and CCFC into the bottom three.

The introduction of Shaw, Barrett, and Adebola failed to get CCFC an equaliser, as CCFC dropped to their lowest position in 50 years (According to a caller to CWR).

Pessimists have us down - we've just lost 1-0 away to a side that will more than likely be back in the Premiership next season (All be it struggling at the bottom!). I prefer the Sunderland view that CCFC are only a goalscorer away from safety - two weeks to find one then....