Two minutes with… Shrewsbury Town

A little bit of a delay getting it written up, but the last visitors to Underhill over a week ago were promotion-hopefuls, Shrewsbury Town. The Bees run of being unbeaten this calendar year in the League was finally ended, with Salop taking all three points. Soccer AM star, and Shrews fan, Steve Bradford tells me about the match and his experience at Underhill. You can follow Bradders on Twitter @bradders1stfc

18/02/12
Barnet 1–2 Shrewsbury Town
(McLeod ’48 – Kamdjo ’45+1 (og), Collins ’74)
Attendance: 2,046 (away: 457)

How did you get to the game?

Travelled down Friday on the train courtesy of Sky as a group of us were appearing on sky's soccer AM the following day, hotel in Brentford was also paid for so that was ideal.

What did you do pre-match?

We finished the soccer AM broadcast at mid day and then had taxis (again paid for by Sky) to take us to Underhill. Spent a couple of hours drinking in The Old Red Lion pub near the ground – decent size pub, but seemed to be away fans only so didn't really mix with any Barnet fans.

Where did you sit/stand in the ground?

I Stood up in the away terrace at the side of the ground. An average terrace with fairly low roof, which I was glad to have as we had some of the worst rain I have ever encountered at a football match! Cats and dogs springs to mind!

What did you make of the game?

With the conditions very poor the game wasn't the best I have seen, however Shrewsbury coped well enough and dominated the game for large periods and ran out fairly comfortable winners 2-1.

Was the scoreline a fair reflection?

Just about right I would say, Barnet had a couple of moments but Shrewsbury were in control for the majority of the game and deserved the three points.

Who, in your opinion was man of the match?

Matt Richards for me: worked hard as usual, making tackles, breaking up play and keeping the ball moving. Richards also was the provider for Shrewsbury's first goal, an own goal by a Barnet defender.

Who do you play next and how do you think you'll get on?

Having already played Swindon since visiting Underhill (rather not talk about that one), we host Crawley Town at the New Meadow on Monday night, the game is also live on Sky Sports! Prediction - 2-1 Salop win!! Come on you blues!!

Thanks Bradders

And you can read my match report, here

Match Report: Barnet 1–2 Shrewsbury Town (Barnet Fan’s Perspective)

The 2012 unbeaten run came to an end last weekend as the Bees lost to the Shrews at Underhill, 2-1. It won’t be a game to be remembered though, with some awful playing conditions which didn’t help in any way.

The away side proved why they are hopefuls for promotion, sitting pretty in the play-offs, attacking from the off with shots raining in on Dean Brill’s goal; Jon Taylor and James Collins going closest. It took a while for the Bees to get into the game, with Shrewsbury’s dominance, controlling possession and looking a threat; with Izale McLeod in the side, attacking chances were likely to arrive. Jordan Obita, on-loan from Reading was a particular highlight: tricks and pace down the wing and a number of beautiful deliveries into the box, unfortunately to no avail.

And it was Shrewsbury that were to go ahead, before half time, after some continuous pressure. McAllister was the man fouled, and a free kick whipped in from the right hand side by Matt Richards evaded all Town’s players and off the head of Clovis Kamdjo for an own goal. Kamdjo could have so easily been the hero just minutes earlier, a free header from a corner – the closest the Bees had gone all half.

Whatever Sanchez said at half time obviously worked as with little over a minute of the second period on the clock, top scorer, Izale McLeod netted – an assist from Ricky Holmes after his attempted shot was blocked by the Shrews’ defender.

With that you’d think the home side would be in the ascendancy and continue to press, given such a quick equaliser. However it was Shrewsbury that largely controlled the second half. In stark contrast, the Bees barely turned up – whether that was because of the conditions is yet to be seen, although at half time there was a torrential downpour. Possibly the worst conditions I’ve ever seen at a football match, you had to feel particularly sorry for the handful of fans standing on the uncovered North Terrace behind the goal, many of which, didn’t have umbrellas!

The winner came on 75 minutes – James Collins with the Shrews’ second goal: a cross steered past Brill after some brilliant build-up play. With little time remaining on the clock, Salop continued to keep hold of the ball and although McLeod could have easily got his, and the Bees’ second goal of the game with an overhead kick, it lacked any real power and went wide. Shrewsbury were good money for the victory though, and tried to keep the ball as far away from their own half as much as they could.

A game of two halves I suppose you could say, but Barnet could have no real complaints about being the losing side.

 Attendance: 2,046 (away: 457)

Starting line-ups:

Barnet – Brill; Hajrovic, Dennehy, Downing, Saville; Deering, Hughes, Kamdjo, Obita; Holmes, McLeod

Shrewsbury Town – Neal; Grandison, Jacobson, Sharps, Regan; Wright, Taylor, McAllister, Richards; Collins, Gornell

Two minutes with… a ‘The 92’ special

In a spin-off to the usual ‘Two minutes with…’ which delves into the minds of opposing fans visiting Underhill, I have been lucky enough to find one of my Twitter followers, Bolton fan, Joe Gibbons – the genius behind ‘Gibbo’s 92’. If you haven’t heard of it already, it basically is an insight into all the football grounds of all 92 Football League clubs (with a couple of Non-League thrown in along the way!). Anyway, Joe was at Barnet on Saturday for the Shrewsbury game, and I was able to catch up with him after the game to grab his thoughts.

What made you initially decide to do ‘The 92’?

My Dad mentioned the concept of ‘The 92’ in passing conversation one night. I was only aged nine at the time and thought it was a ridiculous thing to do! Why would I want to travel around the country watching other teams when I have the best team in the world on my back door step in Bolton Wanderers?

It was February 2009 and my Dad took me to a match at Turf Moor, Burnley. From that day on I was hooked and couldn’t wait to visit more grounds! I have been going to about one a month since. I enjoy meeting other football fans and taking my Bolton shirt to as many stadiums as possible!

How did you come to a decision about the order in which you visit each ground?

I haven’t got an order at all. It is totally random.

Stadiums which won’t be around for much longer take priority... which is why I was at Underhill on Saturday! You can usually find me on an away trip with my local teams: Bolton, Bury and Wigan.

What did you do pre-match and where did you stand/sit once in the ground?

I set off from my hometown of Atherton – a small place found right in between Bolton and Wigan – at around 09:00. I then caught the train from Manchester Piccadilly to Euston before dashing to Waterloo to check into a hotel.

I then topped up my Oyster Card – yes, a Northerner with an Oyster Card. Shock I know! Arriving at High Barnet I rather enjoyed jogging down Barnet hill, well worth another visit!

After taking a few photos and speaking to a few locals it was time to go in. I was stood in the East Terrace South. I was surprised at how many people were stood in the East Terrace... there were a few comedians there as well. Underhill reminded me somewhat of one of the rugby stadiums you find in Yorkshire.

What did you make of the game and was the scoreline a fair reflection?

It was a game of two halves really, whether the sloping pitch had anything to do with it we will never know. I was very impressed with Barnet in the first half and the stand out performer for me was Jordan Obita. He is one of the best young wingers I have seen on my travels alongside the two Bennett brothers – now of Norwich and Doncaster.

 In contrast I was very disappointed by the performance of Izale McLeod who never really got involved in the match.

In the second half Barnet couldn’t string together their passes, and Obita was non-existent on the left. Shrewsbury deserved the three points as they dominated in the second half.

What did you make of Underhill as an overall experience?

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Barnet. The locals didn’t understand my accent, but after we had dealt with the language barriers I had a great day. I wasn't too impressed with the food available. As I am educated in Wigan I know a good pie when I see one, and unfortunately for Barnet, Pukka doesn't cut it for me anymore.

 I really liked how easy it was to reach Underhill from Central London.

 I love the more traditional grounds, and for that reason I put Underhill in my top 5 so far.

Which ground are you visiting next?

I am off to Charlton v Stevenage next weekend. I’ll have to get a house down here soon!

Thanks Joe

You can of course follow Joe on Twitter @JoeBillGibbo, and check out his blog ‘Gibbo’s 92’ for all things Football League: stadium reviews, photos and of course the most important part, pies!

Are you planning on visiting Underhill as part of a ground hop soon? To appear on ‘Two minutes with…’ contact me on Twitter @Lucy_BFC

League 2 season preview - part four

I thought I’d do something a little different and after completing the Twitter92 a month or so ago, I thought it’d be apt to see what my fellow League 2 supporters thought about their aspirations and expectations for their teams in the coming season. Here is part four (of four):

Port Vale       

Josh Green – Twitter

“I can see another bumpy season ahead at Vale Park! With all the off the pitch aggro we will be lucky to stay in the top half as everyone need to pull together for a promotion push and I can't see that happening any time soon. With attendances dropping (www.starve-em-out.co.uk) and increased pressure on the board all of this will overshadow anything that happens on the pitch!

Look out for John McCombe! Took pretty much every club award last season and I have every faith that he will do it again. With us not having much fire power our defence will have to be on top form once again.

I would say Crawley first game as this should give a glimpse of what we can expect this season not only with new players but with attendances/protests. Other than that Crewe and Shrewsbury are always tasty games as for some reason they seem to hate us.

With Micky back who knows what could happen over the next 46 games but it won’t be short of ups and downs. Enjoy the new season of Emmervale! V2001 OUT”.    
      
Rotherham United     

Gareth Simmons – Twitter – Blog

 “In all honesty, I really don’t know. It’s going to go one of two ways. We’re either going to be really good and be challenging for promotion, or, it’s not going to work and we’ll end up in the bottom third. This is due to the complete overhaul we’ve had this summer both with the backroom staff and playing staff. Also, we’re still two signing away from challenging for promotion.

From the games I’ve seen so far it has to be Lewis Grabban. He’s got a touch of pace, a trick or two and seems to have an eye for goal. He’ll certainly trouble opposition defenders and with the right partner, we could have a good strike force on our hands.

Not really got any games to look forward to, sadly. After Chesterfield went up our closest game is Bradford. Burton away is always a good day out, and obviously, I look forward to the game that will hopefully send us up, if we’re going to be challenging.

If Andy Scott can get two more signings, especially a big target man, then it could end up being a good season. Looking at our squad now, we just seem to lack a physical presence and some height. Another centre back wouldn’t go a miss as well as a left back. Then we could possibly be talking about promotion”.

Shrewsbury Town    

 Steve Bradford – Twitter

“I think this season will produce a similar finishing position to the last (4th), however I feel this will be our year to succeed in the play offs and gain promotion to League 1. The last few years we have suffered some bad lack with the Gillingham play off final winner in 2009 coming from a corner that never was in the 90th minute and last season’s phantom goal by Wycombe which went on to cost us an automatic spot. I feel lady luck may just be on our side this season and all will end on a high.

We have the ever reliable centre backs of Ian Sharps and Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, but new signing Reuben Hazel won’t have dropped a league to sit on the bench so competition for places is high. I think this year in midfield Sean McAllister and Lionel Ainsworth will offer us more than they did last season, they both will have had a full pre season behind them and providing they keep fit I feel they will create a lot of chances. These chances will hopefully be converted by new signing Marvin Morgan who in my opinion is an improvement on Matt Harrold who we have sold to Bristol Rovers. James Collins, another new signing Terry Gornell from Accrington and promising youngster Tom Bradshaw will be fighting for a the remaining place alongside Marvin Morgan.

One game I was looking forward to before the fixtures were announced was AFC Wimbledon away as I have great respect for what they have achieved in such a short space of time. Hereford away is always one I look forward to as it’s an easy 3 points for us. Weekenders are possibly Southend in September and Plymouth in March next year. As well as grounds I have not yet visited which I want to knock off this year: Derby County (League Cup), Gillingham, Bristol Rovers, Southend, Crawley Town, Swindon Town and Plymouth.

Southend United    

Tom Ross – Twitter

“Anything less than promotion in my (and the rest of the Southend fans) eyes would be a failure we have a good squad which have jelled well during the last 12 months after everything that happened last season.

Ryan Hall and Jemal Johnson on the wings and Barry Corr and Neil Harris upfront banging in the goals are players to look out for. Alassane N'Diaye looks a beast with no-one getting past him. Kane Ferdinand cousin of Rio came in from the youth teams at the beginning of 2011 and has made the defensive-mid position his. And cannot forget about the defensive tank that is Bilel Mohsni, a bit of a loose cannon but when on form he is unstoppable! And can do a decent job upfront.

Looking forward to all of our games, most notably our local-ish games as once again not playing Colchester: Orient in the cup, Crawley, Wimbledon, Barnet and Gillingham”.

Swindon Town  

James Spencer – Twitter

“A few weeks ago when we hardly had a team I would have said we’d finish mid table at best but now we have signed a few quality players and done well in a few pre-season games I think we will certainly be challenging in the top 3.

I think Matt Richie, Paul Caddis, Jonathan Smith and also Alan Connell will be key for us this season.

It’s been a long while since we played Oxford so that comes about quite soon in late August – definitely one to look forward to; as well as the League cup game against Bristol City, which should be good”.

Torquay United  

Andy Charles – Twitter

“If you had asked a couple of weeks or a month ago I'd have struggled to find much positive to say. The appointment of Martin Ling was met with derision and we lost the heart of our team from last year (Bevan, Branston, Stanley, Zebroski) but pre-season and Ling's signings have changed all of that. Suddenly from being told we were looking a value price to be relegated we have pundits claiming we could repeat last year's play-off run. I'm looking forward to it now but we have a really tough start to the season so that will probably tell us everything we need to know.

Eunan O'Kane, now seemingly established in a central midfield role, has the ability to play much higher than League Two. He's been linked with a few Championship sides already and our worry is that we don't get to see much of him this season. Hopefully long enough to make an impact at least. The rest are all new boys, ones we are looking forward to see build a heart to the team. Keeper Bobby Olejnik is an Austria U21 international, Brian Saah has it to prove in the league all over again and striker Rene Howe can hopefully build a career now he is with a team that actually wants him unlike Peterborough. Most exciting signing is probably Ian Morris - a proper left-winger with a left-foot, something we haven't had in a decade. Look out for youngster Saul Halpin as well - real prospect who went for a trial with Derby last year and scored a hat-trick in his only game for their reserves.

Bristol Rovers home and away will be interesting to say the least after former manager Paul Buckle's questionable departure this summer - fair to say the fans do not like him a lot these days. Crawley because we just don't like them or their managerial staff and Plymouth because of the local factor. Hard to say we are actually rivals because we've played each other so infrequently - I just hope they don't go out of business before then which would be a tragedy for their fans. And personally, Barnet because it's nice and local for me and a lovely club to visit.

I'm just hoping the 'dark siders' we have among our support give Martin Ling and the new players a chance to build into a team. It's tough having so many new faces around at the same time after four seasons of almost complete stability and some of the signings (Chris McPhee, Martin Rice) returning to the club have been met with a mixture of laughter and disgust. And anyone hoping to come to Torquay as an away fan and sit down will be unlucky - our creaking main stand is being demolished and replaced with something bright and shiny - won't be ready until February at the earliest, meaning it's standing room only for visitors”.

And I would like to take this opportunity to thank all 24 fans for their input – it is much appreciated. Hopefully I’ll get to meet a couple of them (as well seeing a few familiar faces again) this season.

Read their blogs, follow them etc.