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Hmph. From seven points from nine, to one point from six. Sorry for jinxing it, lads. It’s a long season, though. A marathon, not a sprint.
The bubble had to burst at some point, but did it have to be at the (Christ) Electrical Services Stadium? Did it have to be by that margin? All three of their goals from open play were sloppy ones to concede, and we were way off it, but it didn’t feel like a 4-1 hammering. You can’t say you’ve been unlucky if you concede four goals, but it didn’t feel like THAT abysmal a performance.
The defence clearly had an off day, which was disappointing after they’d played so well in the first three games. Given that he’s looking like the signing of the summer, it was particularly frustrating for Monthe to commit a cardinal sin for their second goal: NEVER show the attacking player your number!
Ogle did great work to break into the penalty area and finish from an acute angle to pull us back into the game. Alas, in chasing the equaliser, we kept getting hit on the break. Again, we gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch and got caught out with what was, in fairness, a great finish to restore Aldershot’s two-goal cushion. Then, in the final minutes, Monthe (God, we really jinxed him didn’t we) handled the ball in the area to give away a penalty. Hudson guessed the right way and was unlucky to not get a hand to it, but the ball sneaked past him to make it 4-1. Mellon apologised to the travelling support after the game and declared himself “thoroughly peed off for everybody concerned”.
Home to Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday, who’ve made a very strong start to the season, and a chance to make amends and redeem ourselves. So it was a kick in the crotch, then, when a speculative effort from distance (that Hudson probably should have done better with) put the visitors 1-0 up in the first half. We had our chances, with their keeper making a good save at close range from Monthe. Speaking of whom….
We came out more attacking and better organised in the second half and won a free kick 30 yards out on the right from a cynical foul on Lundstram. Gardner put a great delivery into the box, and who else to get on the end of it and bundle it into the net?
I’ll be honest, at the time, from our view in the Rocky, me and Andy were both convinced it was an own goal by their number 5, and his reaction suggested that he thought so, too. Having watched the highlights, I’m not sure, and who am I to deny Monthe the goal? Especially as that makes him our current joint top scorer with Charsley, which is pretty impressive for a centre-half. Man mountain, goal machine, hero.
The momentum was very much with us then, and I don’t know how we didn’t win it. Fate denied us what would have been one of the funniest winners of all time, when one of Gateshead’s players overhit a back pass, it went sailing past the keeper, hit the post and trickled along the goal line, but somehow neither Fondop, Gardner or Charsley could get on the end of it.
The Heed (as we’re apparently meant to call them) were visibly rattled, but we couldn’t make any of our many chances count. Booty had the ball in the back of the net for them, but it was chalked off for offside. (Honestly, what kind of names are Tinkler and Booty? Deeply unserious team.) Callum Whelan, bless ‘im, blazed over from ten yards. Ultimately, a frustrating afternoon, but you couldn’t say it wasn’t entertaining.
Credit it to him, Mellon took responsibility after the game for getting it wrong tactically in the first half. He wasn’t above giving the players stick, though. When asked about Monthe showing how important he is to the team, his reply was, “he did, but I was gonna strangle him when he missed the one in the first half!” Bloody hell, Michael, bit harsh. Like most of us, he didn’t know how we didn’t win, and assured us there’s a lot more to come from Norwood as he gets fitter.
On Thursday, we got the transfer news we’ve been waiting all summer for. After looking decent in pre-season, the Pakistan captain, Otis Khan, has finally signed on a one year deal. No, I didn’t know that Pakistan had a national men’s football team either.
I liked the look of what I saw of him in the friendlies. Looked nippy, always looking to get forward, good cross on him. Was blowing out of his arse after 10 minutes but that’s what pre-season is for, and he’s not played a lot of football this year. He should be a good option to bring off the bench.
Yes I was hoping to have another signing to write about. Next week, inshallah.
Should be a brilliant day out in Altrincham today. Sun cracking the flags, loads of nice bars in the town centre, and maybe if I’m lucky I might be able to see some of the match on the crappy flat terrace. See you there. KTMFF.
Written by Arlene Finnigan
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