How’s your heart rate today? Ian’s is still pretty high after another Rowley Rollercoaster. Here are his Five Conclusions from Huish Park…
That was a bonkers finish. When the seven minutes of additional time went up there was a roar of hope rather than expectation but what unfolded in that stoppage time was unlike anything I can remember at Huish Park. Jack Sims in the Sutton United goal had barely been tested in open play all evening and somehow we managed to find the reserves to not only equalise, but go on and win it. No doubt there are early leavers who woke up this morning knowing they could have witnessed a remarkable finish.
James Daly was the fox in the box. It was a bit Dryden Experimental Experience seeing Daly through the middle but when it mattered most he was there. He was the sharpest to react to Sims’ spillage of Luke McCormick’s penalty spill and when Ryan Jones (who I thought worked tremendously hard all night) whipped a teasing cross in, Daly was there to lift the roof off Huish Park. The winger (…striker?) has boundless energy and may not score two more important goals this season.
It wasn’t a vintage performance. Plenty left Huish Park before 90 minutes last night and who could blame them? I thought struggled to create, looked like a team that hadn’t played a lot of football together and – in the second half in particular – were largely second best to Sutton. Passes were loose, Sutton disrupted us when they had to, and when they came down our left hand side it felt like there was something on every time.
But, a win is a win. You cant understate the importance of that result, no matter how it came about. Everything that needed to happen around us did, Braintree lost, Morecambe and Gateshead expended everything to draw 4-4 and we are now sitting pretty eight points clear of the bottom four, but who’s counting? It was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but in terms of Huish Park moments, Brett McGavin’s penalty is up there. The relief, the joy, the trauma, all of it exploded in that moment and it was an unbelievable feeling. Who’d be a football fan eh?
I think it will be this way for the rest of the season. I’m not sure we’re going to see much identity shine through as the season draws to a close. As cliched as it is, each game will be it’s own cup final with varying levels of severity as we muddle through until the May. Until Billy Rowley has exactly what he needs to implement his vision of the team, In my opinion, we’re just seeing a patched up squad to get us through. This has undoubtedly been a baptism of fire for Rowley, and as he admitted last night he’s learnt a lot in his short time at the helm.
Fair play, pretty uninspiring stuff until Sutton sat back for the last ten minutes expecting to comfortably see out 3 points and somewhat unexpectedly Yeovil gained some confidence and energy to unsettle them. Thought the support from the Thatchers was outstanding.