Some painful memories of that game

The game started in the evening sunshine. Eleven of the twenty two players on the pitch were interested in playing all of the time and a few of the others run around every now and again. Occasionally one of the yellow shirts looked interested in proceedings. One of the few exceptions was Safri who looked a class apart from the rest of the city team. During the game one pass forward, by Safri was followed by three backward passes which almost always ended up with Greeno punting the ball up to McKenzie who was trying his best to fill the void left by Hux’s absence by being offside at every given opportunity.

Every now and then City mounted an attack and kicked the ball at the supporters in the appropriately named Cowshed Stand whilst aiming at the goal. Trying to emulate Norwich, the MK Dons tried the same tactic and several of the away crowd were awoken from their early evening slumber by the thud of the ball after yet another MK shot was ballooned over the bar.

Half time came as merciful relief to the travelling faithful, who had all perked up, not having to watch the game.

The second half started with a little more urgency than the first, but any early hope of some decent play, was dashed, when the second half soon took on the turgid pattern of the first period. No subs were made, which was surprising, but as there so many potential candidates, perhaps the management team could not agree on who should go off. Only Safri, Shackell and Green looked to be safe.

We were nearly spared an additional thirty minutes when Thorn’s header was saved and the re-bound was cleared off the line, but were faced with grim reality of extra time and a late journey home.

Extra time proved a little more lively with the introduction of Henderson, Jarrett, and the returning Doherty, and a few chances came and went at both ends, but by that time most of the City faithful had lost the will to live and just wanted the game to end. The match looked to going the way of the MK Dons when Shackell mis-timed a tackle and the ref pointed to the spot. The penalty taker, did not realise that anywhere at the goal is OK with a penalty against Greeno, and tried to be too clever, in aiming at the top corner. In keeping with most of the MK Dons goal attempts he sliced the ball high and wide into the crowd.

The second period was almost over and the game appeared to be heading for penalties when Brennan’s rose, Lazarus like, from the deckchair he had been sleeping on to fire an innocuous cross-shot that the MK Dons keeper could only parry into the path of McKenzie and the ball bounced off him somewhere in the groin area and rolled into the net.

This was McKenzie’s first shot on target from almost ten attempts.

Posted By: KentonCanary on June 13th 2008 at 10:27:17

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