| With little more than three weeks to go until the end of the year, City had played just twelve league games therefore it was with paramount importance that tonight's encounter with Shepshed Dynamo actually took place. So, it was with great concern that most folks approached Meadow Park and saw it shrouded in a blanket of thick fog. |
| With kick off time fast approaching, it was confirmed that the referee was happy for the game to go ahead as long as he could see his assistants flagging, so the bizarre sight of the linesman waving to the whistler on the other side of the pitch occured during the warm up. |
| Shepshed, a small town next to the M1 in Leicestershire have existed in various guises in their recent history. Among others they have been also named Albion and Charterhouse due to the club folding and starting again. Only this time last season they were in financial difficulty and it's widely known that they have one of the lowest playing budgets in the DML. |
| Today marked the start of the two week ban imposed upon Lee Jeffries following his appeal against the thirty-five day ban handed down to him by the GFA for his red card against Bishops Cleeve during pre-season, his place in the heart of defence was taken by sixteen year old Dan Avery. Keith Knight came in to bolster the midfield so Adam Hemming was dropped to the bench with Tom Webb slotting in at left wing back. |
| For Shepshed, the only notable absentee was their huge centre half who pretty much coped with everything City could throw at him as Dynamo beat us 0-1 at Butthole Lane in April. Their ground is actually called 'The Dovecote' but I couldn't help myself with a name like that! |
| The game started on time with limited views (maybe we should've paid half price), although all that was visible of the T-End from the car park end were the frames of the goal. That said, Andy Mac and his travelling Dynamo army made themselves heard as the first half went on so there were definately signs of life out there! |
| City should've had a penalty in the first minute when following a cross from Andy Hoskins, Dave Wilkinson was tugged back as he attempted to beat the goalkeeper to the ball. He may have been thwarted on that occasion but it wasn't long before he scored his seventh goal in eight games. The defence looked static as he jumped in front of the keeper to nod in from about a yard out following a Keith Knight corner. |
| Although, for the benefit of the travelling Shepshed fans up on the T-End, it was better than the sublime goal scored by Jarzinho in the World Cup Finals at The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City during World Cup '70! |
| It really should've been two moments later when Hosky leaped to connect with a Jimmy Cox cross at the far post, but the City fans despaired as the header clipped the crossbar and went over. Wilko was then presented with a golden opportunity to add to his tally when Knight found him with a low cross on the penalty spot, but his shot was easily claimed by the Shepshed keeper. |
| He may well have been unlucky with his first attempt, but on thirteen minutes Hosk was in the right place at the right time as Tom Webb's shot struck the post and fell nicely in front of the empty net. The way the goals are flowing for the former Brockworth man, even he couldn't miss from there as he bagged his twentieth goal of the season. |
| As the fog got worse it was becoming harder to see anything over the halfway line, so this report will seem more biased than ever. Shepshed were in real danger of being overrun by their hosts as both Webb and Neil Griffiths saw there efforts blaze over the bar. |
| Then they went and scored, but the only way we knew was from the celebratory cheers from the travelling fans. I was told at half time that Lee Smith had lost possesion on the right and Simon Forsdick found room to score inside Matt Bath's near post. |
| City's reply was instant when Neil Mustoe sent in a thunderbolt of a shot from all of thirty yards, but a touch from a defender took it over the bar. Visibilty may have been difficult but it wasn't so bad that the referee couldn't see the late tackle on Lee Smith that yielded the game's first yellow card. |
| This was followed by a period of pressure from Dynamo with two good chances, although I couldn't say any more because I couldn't see the outcome of their attacks, I just hoped that I didn't hear that cheer again. |
| Wilko won a free kick for City on the edge of the box for what looked a rather innoculous foul. With no Burnsy on the pitch to blast it over, Keith Knight had a go and was disappointed to see the keeper fly to his right and make a cat like save. The pressure from City continued and Lee Smith twice found himself in a dangerous position near the far post but on both occasions failed to make the final ball tell. |
| It should've been third time lucky for Lee when he profited from a mistake between the keeper and the defender on the corner of the box, but his lob cleared the Shepshed number one and spun inches wide of the far post as they always seem to do. That would've been a nice finish, but we weren't left to wait long before Andy Hoskins showed Lee how it should be done. |
| With five minutes to go until the break there was a spell of frenetic activity just inside the Dynamo half, almost as far as we could see and a Mustoe charge down sent the ball into the path of City's leading scorer. Without hesitation and the keeper really not too far off his line, Hosk guided in a superb curling left footed shot which found the top right hand corner to restore City's two goal advantage. |
| As the game restarted, the play again disappeared into the mist and our curiosity was interrupted again by the celebrations of the Shepshed fans. Their man Forsdick was left unmarked at a corner and he headed home to give the half time scoreline an encouraging feel for the basement club. |
| During the interval the fog seemed to lift somewhat, much to the relief of those whose first half was blighted by the freak weather. |
| Lee Smith continued to press and try to get on the scoresheet but it wasn't his night and it showed as his early shot narrowly missed the top corner. However, it seems that Andy Hoskins can't miss right now and he completed his third hat trick of the season on fifty-one minutes when he threaded a shot into the far corner following a Keith Knight free kick. He now has twenty-two goals in as many games! |
| Dynamo were now being restricted to shooting from distance, although as had happened during the previous home game against Gresley, that was no advantage. At least the fog had now lifted to enable us to see if the opposition had scored. Again Lee Smith found himself with unwarranted attention as he was the victim of a late challenge for the second time and again the referee produced a yellow card for the offender. |
| Halfway through the second period, Knight capped an impressive display on his return to the starting eleven with his second goal of the season. Patient build up play with short passes between Smith, Cox and Mustoe led to a quick ball back to Knight on the edge of the area and he swung his foot to send a shot curling away from the keeper's deseperate dive. The stopper managed to get a hand to it but was unable to prevent the ball nestling in the corner of the net to give the Tigers an unassailable three goal lead. |
| The goal was immediately followed by City's first change as hotshot Wilko was replaced by Adam Hemming. The young sub went out onto the left and Tom Webb slotted into Wilko's place in the centre of midfield. Now the fog had totally lifted, it became apparent how lucky we were to have the game played as it revealed a rock hard, frozen pitch. |
| There were more changes as Shepshed's two goal hero Forsdick was replaced and Kenny Howard came on at the back in place of Chris Thompson for a rare first team outing. With just ten minutes remaining, Jimmy Cox had his first chance of the night when he ran onto a Matt Bath clearance but his lack of practice showed and he shot well wide of the near post. |
| Jimmy had another chance when he had a free header from Smith's cross, but his aerial ability isn't his strongest attribute and he headed over the bar. As the game drew to a conclusion, Shepshed almost got a third but Bath stood firm to snatch a point blank shot and deny the Leicestershire side what would've been their first three goal haul of the season. |
| The win moved City up to fifth place, a position which in all fairness shouldn't be relinquished and will be enough to see us promoted come May. However, a win at home to Rugby United on Saturday will really prove what I believe, and that is that we are going to win the league. |
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