| Dunstable, the Bedfordshire town named after Spiderman babe Kirsten Dunst is located on the outskirts of Luton, the worst town in England according to a recent poll. We weren't there long enough to form our own opinion but surely the overspill from the subject of Lorraine Chase's seventies catchphrase would make Dunstable the equivalent of being 'a few miles from' Chernobyl. |
| To be honest I don't think we could've picked a shittier day to visit, weatherwise that is although the recent loss of Andy Hoskins has made the past few days less than thrilling. Of course, we'd netted Daryl Addis in return, but surely he couldn't fill the big mans boots? Now, having seen him play I see no reason why he couldn't be a success at Meadow Park and make Hoskins a name from the past. |
| I recently saw a document which laid out the requirements for clubs at their respective levels and facilities they must provide to compete. In our league a public address system is a must and to be fair what can be an expensive utility is quite adequately covered by most clubs. Dunstable on the other hand give us the PA 'experience'. |
| They aren't well supported by the local residents and suggestions of a leaflet drop to publicise the club are wasted when all they have to do is switch on the tannoy and broadcast to the whole town. Loud? Even my old man could hear it clear as a bell. Whats more amazing is that there didn't seem to be any speakers around the ground although this mystery was solved when it was revealed that the main stand WAS the speaker! |
| Unfortunately Creasey Park (not Greasy Park as Phil Gough labelled it after sampling a burger) isn't the most luxurious of stadiums, in fact it's pretty crap. But given that the supporters took it upon themselves to rebuild the club and renovate the ground six years ago it's a pretty amazing place. Talking of the burgers, sort the tea bar out boys, 50p for a polystyrene cup of budget cola isn't a 'Diet Coke'! |
| As has already been mentioned, Hosky has gone down to the woods in search of a big surprise and Daryl Addis has finally escaped the shackles of the bear killers after being a Cinderford player for so long. City's first choice partnership of Cox and Hoskins are no more and Jimmy still wasn't fit as Lee Davis partnered the new boy up front. With Chris Burns suspended, it was a midfield of Smith, Webb, Mustoe, Wilko and Knighter. In front of Matt Bath were defensive saviour Lyndon Tompkins, Thommo and Griff. |
| For Dunstable, in the past a team able to field the likes of Jeff Astle and George Best, the only big name on show was Frank Bruno lookalike Junior George. Both of their strikers were banned so they'd drafted in hitman Tommy Hayes from Bedford Town, a man who'd failed to trouble Bath on that sunny day at the new Eyrie back in August. |
| They might not have been big names, but Mr Tannoy made them all feel loved. For City we had "Mabth, Lesmth, Kenite, Noel Griss" etc but the home team were among others, "He may be blue but we call him yella, Tony Fontanelle" (I think, but I was too astounded to remember!) |
City's recent form at the start of this campaign is a mirror image of that from the tail end of last season. Being bottom of the table is no fun and it was a real test of the Tigers' bouncebackability to see if they could turn this dreadful start into anything of note.
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| Those wondering had an answer after just three minutes as Lee Davis netted when Tom Webb's midfield header freed the young striker. He drew the keeper off his line and curled a beautiful shot into the far corner. Mixed fortunes for City fans though as Matt Clift bagged the sweepstake pot but Phil Warren missed out on the Golden Goal by a minute or two. |
| Finally getting a goal saw the Tigers sensing that the restraints were off and it was all City for the opening throes of the match. Lee Smith tried his luck from distance, and over the bar, stand, clubhouse, wall, car park etcetera it went. Even Neil Mustoe had a go, this time from a sidefooted set up from Dave Wilkinson. That one went over too. |
| Davis was finding lots of room on the massive pitch and got in behind the defence again but like his chance last week, hesitated and let the keeper claim the ball too comfortably. Hosky might not have been there to bollock him in body but I hope he was there in spirit. |
| The Cheltenham youngster was finding acres of space with the high back line and he got behind them again only to be denied by a two footed lunge by the keeper. In an effort to encourage Davis, Keith Knight shouted across to the striker to keep it up as the keeper was "shitting himself!" |
| Knight was almost left red faced when he was turned inside out in his uncomfortable left back position but the cross that was cut back by Tony Fontanelle was shot wide of the near post. The City man knew he had a problem with the winger so stepped up his efforts to close him down. |
| As the home team broke away from a City corner Knight made up ground and slid across in front of Fontanelle to knock the ball out for a throw, yet the Dunstable player didn't cease his run and used the City assistant boss as a surfboard along the slick surface. Knight's choice words and discomfort from the Town mans studs weren't enough to earn the blue a booking. |
| Fontanelle had become a marked man and found himself as the subject of Wilko's attention when the ball had gone. What with me being a ballwatcher, I didn't see the incident but there were suggestions that the City man had clouted the Dunstable player. The referee (Mr A Field, who 'denied' us at Ciren last year) called over both players, first booked Fontanelle and then, well, I thought the red was coming out, yet amazingly just spoke to Wilkinson! |
| Wilko being Wilko, as the ball was pumped upfield from the resultant free kick, he got involved in a tangle with a Dunstable player. Even though he had 'book me please' tattooed on his forehead, he didn't see yellow. |
| City got back to playing football and almost had another when Lyndon Tompkins narrowly headed Knight's free kick wide of the post. Again Davis got in a good position following a lucky bounce from Bath's goal kick, but the teenager shot tamely at the keeper with nothing but goal either side. |
As the game approached half time the awful conditions took their toll and the game degenerated from the chance-fest to quite a dull affair. This suited the home side and they might've profited when a swirling cross looked to have fooled Bath but the City stopper found his feet in time and adjusted to prevent what would've been an incredibly soft goal.
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| This must've given Chris Burns his easiest half time team talk of the last few weeks, with just the words "Keep it up lads" needed. |
| The home side could've got an undeserved equaliser within a minute of the restart when their player, unmarked at the far post, just got under the ball as a free kick whizzed across the goal. They came out of the traps quicker and caught out Tompkins with a quick one-two in the middle of the park and the City man was booked as his opponent crumpled to the ground. |
| Whether Keith Knight had been hurt in the first half or not I don't know, but he didn't last long into the second and was replaced by Marvin Thompson. Or "Mar-vun" as announced by DJ Creasey with a deliberate West Country twang. |
| Marvin had been on the field for about a minute when he was played into space up the wing, he stepped on the gas only to be brought crashing down by a crude Burgess tackle. A deserved booking for the Dunstable man but with men over City were denied a clear advantage. |
| The play switched wings and a clever move involving a one-two between Lee Smith and Addis saw the former Cinderford man backheel into Smith's path, who then rounded the defender but was sent crashing down with an ungainly challenge. Surprisingly the referee put his hands behind his back to rule out a foul before eventually pointing to the spot. Remember, this referee was the goon who didn't think that both Adie Mings and Cox being fouled at the same time warranted a penalty at Cirencester! |
| Great stuff, we had a penalty and chance to double our lead. But no, Neil Mustoe grabbed the ball and groans rose from the terrace where the thirty or so City fans had congregated. Joe Green even started to headbutt the wall in frustration but there was no need to worry as the City Captain slotted the ball inside the right hand post to send half of the crowd wild. |
| Despite being rooted to the bottom of the league prior to kick off any neutral would've believed the league was upside down had there been any in the paltry crowd of ninety-five. It was all City as chance after chance followed. |
| A defender slipped and Mustoe, lifted by his goal for the season, played in Davis but the youngster's shot narrowly evaded the far post as it flew across the face of goal. Tom Webb should've finished following a hungry tackle by Addis and cross by Smith, but the shot had no weight to it and Paul Taylor in the Dunstable goal was presented with an easy save when he should've been picking the ball out of the back of the net. |
| A double substitution from the home side looked as though they were holding up lottery numbers (according to Phil Warren, not me). One of the withdrawn players, Anthony Francis tore off his shirt and threw it to the ground. Now come on matey, if you're really pissed off with your manager, tell him or if you're feeling brave enough, hit him. Just don't do the girly shirt thing because it looks crap in front of less than a hundred people! |
The increasingly hopeless looking keeper almost gifted City a third when under no pressure whatsoever, he dropped a cross from Webb. Wilko was lurking in the area but he wasn't quick enough to poke the ball home. Nat Lofthouse would've scored from there though.
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| Another ball over the top shouldn't have posed any threat for the home team, but the keeper, now rated as 'My dead nan could do better than him' on the dodgykeeper-o-meter smacked his clearance into a defender and Davis shot towards the open goal. We started to celebrate but Davis' body language and sudden movement suggested that the touch it took en route was sending it wide. It scraped the post and went out for a bloody corner. |
| Dunstable made their final change and Warren was seen to be scribbling down the numbers '2, 6, 10, 12, 14 & 15' before making a beeline for the shops. |
| At times nothing more than a spectator stood out in the cold and rain, City keeper Matt Bath was called upon to save a perfectly executed dipping volley by Jonathan Barnett. In truth he could've probably caught it but he palmed it over the bar for a corner because he was bored. |
| Back at the interesting end Addis enticed the keeper out to the edge of his area before bending a cross towards Lee Davis but the defender nipped in to concede a corner before City could add to their lead. |
| Dunstable started to show signs of life as the game started to wind down. Bath was forced to get down low to hold a close range effort which would've produced an undeserved goal. |
| City made a couple of changes within a couple of minutes. First Davis was replaced by Jimmy Cox but minutes late the home fans were denied the opportunity to see 'the Midget' as youth teamer Jamie Reid brought an end to an encouraging debut from Addis. It's a shame really that Adie Harris didn't get on because it would've been sobering for them to see a bloke in his forties run rings around their players who were almost half of his age. |
| The last few minutes produced two long range efforts, first Tom Webb was inches wide and then Bath pulled off a double save from the drive and then from the point blank follow up. Paul Taylor were you watching? |
| The final whistle brought about relieved cheers from the travelling Tigers as they'd secured their first win in more than two months and lifted themselves out of the relegation zone. Out of our three wins this season, two have been at the expense of Dunstable. |
| Can we play you every week? |
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| Tiger Roar Man of the Match - Neil Mustoe |
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Neil Mustoe
Star Man |
These were just the kind of conditions that defensive midfielders love to play in. A wet surface, good for sliding tackles and zipping passes across. Mustoe was everywhere today and when Lee Smith was fouled was even brave enough to claim the ball and slot it home from the spot, despite his previous cursed luck from twelve yards.
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