What a cracking game of football, one of the best ever.
We missed the start, we were late arriving, sometimes it happens. Yet what we saw was brilliant it had everything, fingertip saves, open flowing attacking movements, no fear, just enthusiastic gung-ho football, both teams trying to win , it was a pleasure to watch.
But then disappointment in the concourse, with injury time being called, BT sport lost their transmission. It came back of course but the final few moments of Tottenham v Arsenal were lost forever.
From that loss, with trepidation, we trudged to our seats.
Even the sun shining and the waft of a breeze, a promise of Spring, can't lift our mood of despondency of missed opportunities and another year facing disappointment.
Team news "everybody is fit” said Wassall on the radio. Ramage says Johnson has an infection. In Craig we trust. Maybe it was a super fast Derby bug. And it's not often the words; "super fast” and Derby have been mentioned in the same sentence surely.
Still season tickets are available now. Heigh Ho. Meanwhile iPro Sport fuels the Rams, hmm. Right now would it entice you to buy, given our slow pace in games?
All this ramble an excuse to avoid the main event.
Breaking the lethargy we applaud the team out.
Huddersfield are 300 strong. On the pitch and in the stands the stewards shirts matching the team colours perfectly. We await the offside confusion.
Two minutes gone the Terriers nearly score after awful defending by the Rams rear guard.
Nine minutes, Richard Keogh nearly puts through his own net. Just didn't strike it right.
Tom Ince adds a little magic, it lifts the crowd. Jamie Hanson floats in a free kick and Keogh nearly scores. Just didn't strike it right. Three shots in quick succession fly past the derby goal. The visitors dominate, we are hit and hope. It’s slight hope and the hits are off target. It rain, the sun shines, somewhere there is a rainbow. It’s not here. There is no pot of gold. Clouds. The heavens open whilst the man who plays like Tyson shoots narrowly wide. Ince beautiful skill ball hits the post. Can we clone him, quick?
Half an hour we score. Christie crosses and Chrissy Martin, sporting a new haircut nods the ball home. One nil, against the run of play. We even out the next fifteen minutes and go in leading, Ince playing in the centre of the park the increasingly bright spark. Second half the sun shines again. Two minutes in and the Terriers replicate their first half start and nearly even the scores, the ball skidding past Scott Carson’s post with the keeper stranded. Huddersfield queue to shoot, they are walking through the Rams. Ten minutes in and a thunderous challenge leaves a fluorescent shirt on the deck. It requires a trainer for number 18 Joe Lolley, the visitor’s player of the match. The sun hides behind the clouds and West Stand again. On the hour Martin has his second shot on target well saved by the keeper Jed Steer at the expense of a corner. Blackman off Johnny Russell on, Jacob Butterfield goes to boos aimed not at him but more on the fact that Jeff Hendrick remained on whilst Craig Bryson emerges to muted applause. Huddersfield sub too Karim Marmoor enters the fray. Russell in two minutes does more than the man he replaced did all match as he slides one in, Martin can't reach the ball then soon after Ince blasts one against the bar. Minutes later Russell makes it two, curling a shot from the edge of the box Seventy Three gone.
Two Nil. We drag the game on. Huddersfield try to the end, they play fluently, better than us most of the time, they just can't finish. We can. And that's the difference between the two sides. We sit in the car waiting for the roads to open. Waiting for the wisdom of Wassall. Mr "Cup Runneth Over”. He’s had a reality pill, "We rode our luck”. We did indeed Darren, keep talking sense and we might warm to you! That and well done on the win, "Come On You Rams”.
Darren Wassall felt his team rode their luck.
Jamie Hanson was pleased with the result.
COYR!!
Match Highlights & Stats:
Gaffer / Player Interviews:
What to read next:
With our second visit to the Hawthorns looming, we again take a look through our photo archives at some of our previous visits, did you go to any of these games ? Leave your memories in the comments section below.
Southampton fans at Leeds United hailed the appearance off the bench of Ross Stewart, now with Saints sailing into the play offs, Russell Martin has revealed just what the plans will be for the striker.
Our second trip to the Hawthorns of the season, it is the same 2,000 allocation as the League game, but this time it is an afternoon fixture so more will go by train than back in February, anyway here is all the info that you need.
Saints finished the season with a flourish, to give hope that they can go into the play offs with discipline & organisation as well as the confidence that they can beat anyone that they meet.
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
The opponents won't be known until Saturday afternoon, but Southampton FC have announced their ticket pricing structure and how the tickets will be sold to give supporters plenty of time to sort their tickets out.
Recent months have seen a number of events and issues divide opinion and split the supporter base but as we head towards the play offs it is time for everyone at Saints to kick in the same direction.
Against Stoke City Russell martin selected a side that was very much a second string line up, with the play offs looming should the manager repeat this for the trip to take on Leeds on Saturday.
A big big game for just Leeds now, although by Saturday the odds on them going up automatically might have changed slightly so here is all the info for those travelling Saints fans who are still going,
The hope of getting back into the Premier League automatically has long gone, but the season is not yet over and we now have a good chance of getting to Wembley and going up through the play offs, here we look at who we could meet.