Boxing Day Special

Nigel Preece reports from the Tiger Turf Stadium.

 

Boxing Day is always a special day for football and this one was definitely such. After the overconsumption and sloth of the previous 24 hours, it feels revitalising to get out into the fresh air and walk up a hill or watch your local sporting team. 

I've witnessed the sublime, beating Wolves 2-0 (RIP Ian Wells) in 1986 to the ridiculous, a 7-1 hammering at Mansfield in 1994. I've been bored and frustrated, a football fan’s standard lot, most recently just 12 months ago, a dismal home defeat to Kiddie was the final straw last season for many. 

So onto Gloucester as this season's festive double header. As I've read elsewhere, it doesn't really feel like a local derby, despite being considerably closer to Hereford than Kidderminster, but after a slow start this one turned into a cracker. 

We lined up with the 11 that started the second half against Spennymoor with loan signing Hall on the bench along with Rooney, Willo, Howkins and Tolley. A decent afternoon for football, dry, with little wind (no sprout jokes please). 

The first half can be covered in a paragraph. Similar to previous games at Gloucester it was dull and lacking in quality. The home team had two decent chances to our one, perhaps reflecting the balance of the game. Our best effort was Babos clearing the bar from Mendes’ clever pass right at the end of the half. 

The second half was what Boxing Day football was made for. Eventful, roller coaster, chaotic, dramatic, incident packed. Add your own adjectives. 

We started it early. Ceesay linked up well with Cowley, who drove to the byline, laid it back for Ceesay to shoot home from 8 yards. Someone said off the post, I couldn't tell that from my vantage point, like many I found getting a decent view of the pitch somewhat difficult. There was a delay to the restart as in the post goal celebrations the goals had been knocked slightly off kilter and had to be recentred and checked. More on that later. 

For the next 10 minutes or so we looked untroubled, perhaps this was the day for the comfortable away win, Willo to come on after 75, grab a second? 

I should have known better. Cameron, in plenty of space with the ball 40 yards out, was closed down by the impressive (for 75 minutes) Harry Pinchard, was dispossessed and the ex Hereford player took his chance clinically, driving to the edge of the area and striking across Pond to get Gloucester level. Perhaps deservedly. 

This Chance For Gloucester Landed On Top Of The Net

Minutes Later Pinchard Put Gloucester Ahead

It got worse. I was thinking we were starting to look the more likely, Willo had come on for Babos, when a neat bit of play by Gloucester down their right resulted in a cross being headed in at the near post by the ageing battering ram, Danny Wright. Wright had caused us issues all afternoon up to then, both Cameron and Downing struggled with his physical approach, the latter’s unusual uncertainty on the ball under pressure from Wright gifting the home side one of those two first half chances. 

With 15 minutes to go it looked like yet another disappointment at Gloucester on a bloody plastic pitch but, as has been said regularly in recent times, this lot are different, they have guts and never know when they're beaten. 

Almost immediately Ceesay drove against the post from 15 yards after a typical incisive burst and from then on the right side of the home defence just could not cope with his pace and inventiveness. 

A few minutes later he skipped outside the full back, clipped a cross beyond the back post for Willo to head classily back over the keeper, Rob Elmes style, for the equaliser. 

More delighted mayhem on the terrace and more issues with unstable goals; perhaps the benefit of the doubt first time but don't think so this time. Not the brightest bit of behaviour. It has to be said though, with the rear supports of the goal almost on the terrace, it's not the greatest bit of ground design either. And frankly, having such a small gap between byline and advertising boards doesn't seem the best for player safety and gives poor supporter viewing from behind that goal. 

We had two chances immediately to snatch a winner, an audacious Cowley effort from outside the area whistling just over, then Willo hitting the outside of the post after intercepting a poor Gloucester pass. That pass was perhaps an indicator of their tiredness, they'd given everything and, at times, looked the more likely side because of that effort and energy, but now there looked only one possible winner. We poured forward in search of our second late winner of the week. When the board went up for 10 minutes injury time you knew, on and off the pitch, who wanted to grab the opportunity and who sighed in despair. 

Cowley volleyed over the bar. A Pugh shot was well saved. 

 

From the resultant corner, Cowley headed in; our joy cut short by the ref indicating there was a push. I couldn't see one, I couldn't see much in the six yard box anyway, but subsequent viewing seems to suggest Cowley did nothing wrong. The frustration led to more silliness directly behind the goal though and a further delay. 

There was no let up with the drama, next was a dismissal for City's manager. In his desperation to slow us down he kicked the ball away preventing us getting on with a throw in; annoying yes, what looked like a straight red seemed a little harsh. All adding to the Boxing Day pantomime! 

The delaying tactics couldn't stop the Bulls’ charge though. 9th minute of injury time, more tired and desperate defending gave us a free kick 22 yards out. Ceesay took a run up and drove towards the far post, it took a slight flick off the wall and Willo, with anticipation learned from 700+ games, stole in and poked home from close range. 

Mayhem turned up to eleven. 

Howkins came on for the knackered Cowley. With several extra minutes rightly played after the minimum 10 it gave time for a late Gloucester corner which was comfortably dealt with before the joy of the final whistle. The second brilliant come back win in a few days, again the deeper the game went the more aggressive and vibrant we played, like Spennymoor on Saturday, Gloucester wilted under the onslaught. 

Gloucester Manager Mike Cook Was Sent Off Late In Added Time

The no doubt shell shocked home fans had been asked to wait for us to leave first. While some had clearly managed to sneak out early, it must have been galling for most to have to wait and watch our celebrations; something I'm sure they'll be keen to see rectified on New Year's Day. We'll have to give another decent performance to claim three further points as I thought the Tigers looked better than a bottom four side.

Finally, further comment on the ground. Good refreshment outlets but woefully inadequate loo facilities, even if allegedly we did only have 960 supporters in a gate of just short of 2500. The time to exit after the post game celebrations was far too long, probably not helping the humour of many delayed home supporters, the lack of a large exit gate an odd safety omission. 

A Boxing Day special to remember. See you in 2024.