Leamington Fight On
After 93 minutes, my slightly pessimistic prediction that Redditch's superior fire power would see them edge this tight, cagey game 1-0 seemed to be horribly close to becoming a reality. In a game in which both sides had experienced spells on top in the first half, and both sides had been rock solid defensively, Redditch led through the match's only real moment of attacking quality, a sumptuous volley from the edge of the area. In the second half, Redditch had partly sat back, partly been completely pinned back, as Paul Holleran through the kitchen sink at the game, bringing on three attackers in Mackey, Baker-Richardson and Ogleby. And as Leamington tried everything to level the match, it looked increasingly likely that Redditch's terrific defensive display was going to be rewarded with a play-off final in front of their own fans.
But a needless corner, as Flanagan hooked away in front of his own goalkeeper, spurred Leamington on in the game's dying seconds, and with Tony Breeden, the Leam keeper, throwing himself into the box amongst others, it really was do or die time for Leam. And Leamington did. A good ball into the box, a flicked header towards goal and suddenly there was one hell of a goalmouth scramble on, Redditch desperately defending as Leamington had several shots blocked, with no idea how they hadn't scored, until finally, with almost the last kick of the game, the ball dropped to Baker-Richardson about six yards out and he slammed the ball emphatically home.
Pandemonium from the away fans behind the goal. A stunned silence from the nearly 1000 home supporters, who had been fantastic at supporting their team all night long. 1-1. Final whistle moments later and extra time to come.
Redditch never recovered. The goal absolutely knocked the stuffing out of them and going into the extra half hour, it was Leamington who simply had all of the momentum, creating a string of good chances in extra time to win it. Jack Edwards, who had dropped into midfield, was running the show; both sets of defenders put in the performance of their lives, but none moreso than Jamie Hood and James Mace, who once again both turned in potential man of the match performances.
As the seconds ticked by, penalties looked increasingly likely and with the tension on a knife edge, up stepped a hero. Tony Breeden. With Leam having missed the first penalty of the shootout, there was a moment of huge pressure, as every single Leamington fan in the ground was starting to get nervous. But not Breeden, who dived to his left, not once but twice, to save both of Redditch's first two penalties, either side of an emphatic penalty from Sam Austin to give Leamington the advance. Breedo then stepped up to rocket his penalty low and hard past the keeper. Although Redditch finally scored on their third attempt, it was 2-1 after three each, and when Richard Taundry coolly sent the keeper the wrong way, Leamington were one penalty from glory. And glory came moments later, when Redditch finally buckled under pressure, skying their last penalty high and into the Leamington fans behind the goal, who swarmed Breeden and the rest of his heroic teammates.
The reward for an absolutely incredible display from the Brakes is a trip to Hungerford, who had come from 2-0 to beat Hitchin 3-2, on Monday afternoon, and if the atmosphere in Hungerford is anything like the atmosphere in Redditch, then it's going to be a cracking afternoon. Redditch deserve nothing but credit: their players were terrific on the pitch, their fans terrific off it and the atmosphere at the ground was exceptional. But Leam pulled off an incredible display, with shades of mirroring our first game covering the Brakes, maybe three months ago, when they equalised in the last minute against Altrincham to take that game to extra time. But unlike that day, last night ended in victory for the Brakes. And a thoroughly deserved one too.
European Round Up
Elsewhere in Europe last night, my prediction that the game would favour Athletico and be a tense, low-scoring affair proved correct, as Bayern failed to score despite dominating possession and a terrific solo goal from Saul Niguez gave Athletico the advantage. Saul's early goal set up the game we were all expecting: Athletico to sit back and soak up the pressure, which they did with aplomb. I'm not surprised that Bayern didn't score, even though I thought that they probably would, and from here you'd have to say that the second leg is really Athletico's to lose. If they can steal a goal then you can't see Bayern scoring three.
And tonight is the big one! As Liverpool go to Villareal, a side that have beaten both Madrid sides and drawn with Barcelona at home this season, losing only two games out of eighteen in La Liga, a formidable home record to say the least. However, Liverpool will feel buoyed by Villareal's correspondingly poor away form, losing more games than they've won on the road in La Liga, so if Liverpool can grab an away goal or a draw at El Madrigal, they'll definitely be the favourites at Anfield, especially given the atmosphere that the home fans will create, and the result at home to Dortmund.
Nevertheless, tonight will be a very tough test for Jurgen Klopp's side, missing a number of first team regulars with Henderson, Can and Origi still out injured and Sakho now formally suspended for 30 days by UEFA (not that Klopp would have considered him anyway). What this does mean is that the pressure will be on Kolo Toure, Lucas and/or Joe Allen to fill in in crucial positions, whilst Christian Benteke will be back on the bench to offer cover/support to the starting Daniel Sturridge, who fortunately is in top form at the moment.
Inevitably, the key players in the side will be Phillipe Coutinho, Sturridge, Lovren, Mignolet and James Milner. Mignolet will be key because of his propensity to make huge mistakes, so Liverpool need him not to do that. If Liverpool want to keep a clean sheet, then they need Lovren to marshal a creaking defence and Mignolet behind him to have a solid game. In terms of attacking force, Sturridge's finishing is second to none in this team and he will be the main source of goals, whilst Coutinho is the one player that can create a spark of something different, something extra.
But more importantly, they need James Milner to have a good game. Milner is one of the most experienced players in this Liverpool team and will be the key influence in the midfield area, with Can and Henderson both missing. He'll be vital in keeping the midfield ticking over and will be one of the most creative players Liverpool have. He's the one player who can make the difference at both ends of the pitch, but just as importantly, in the middle of it too.
Overall, I fancy Liverpool tonight. Villareal aren't in great form, having not scored in their last two games, and although they'll keep it tight at the back. if Liverpool can defend well then Villareal will struggle to break them down, and Sturridge and Couts on the bench will offer a different kind of threat. So I'm going to say either 1-0 to LFC or 1-1, both of which would be a good result for the visitors.
The Hard and Fast Section
- Alli banned for the season. No surprise there,
- £8m for Ings. Decent price tag.
- Moeen with another big ton. More positive signs.
- Three Championship rugby sides eligible for promotion. Woooo.
- Tyson Fury is disgusting. And hit repeat.
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