It's strange how a result can change everything. I often remark that football is, technically, in the entertainment business but you can go and see a cracking game, with several goals and come away disappointed. You can also see a totally pants game where you score a late winner both against the run of play, and from an unfair advantage (penalty that wasn't for example) and come home very happy.
Saturday was clearly much more like the latter. It was both a good result and a good performance. The ball was passed much more than we have seen in recent weeks. Parkinson made some of the changes I was hoping for, but not all of them, and we looked a more balanced side, and played the kind of football that is necessary if you want to provide entertainment aside from the result.
We didn't start with a 4-5-1, but in the second half Mooney dropped deeper so that it did at times look like we were. Llera came in for Sam Sodje and he gave a great performance. I was tempted to give Sodje an extended rest after his red card against Swindon (like it was ever my decision - but you know what I mean). However we did look a lot more confident at the back, and, of course we kept our first clean sheet since 5th December - a massive eleven games.
It could have been very different, however. Rob Elliot made at least two significant saves that you would normally have expected to end up in a goal. Had he failed to keep them out the result could well have been very different. Having said that, however, the Brentford game back in September finished with the same scoreline, and we had a couple of scares in that game too. Maybe what we needed was that bit of luck to get the first goal. We certainly looked a different side at 1-0 in front that we have looked at 1-0 down in recent weeks.
So, onwards and upwards. Norwich lost and Leeds drew. Colchester, who I have been worried about for more than a couple of weeks, won again. There is a similarity between them and the Watford side that Boothroyd got into the Premier League - not so much in their playing style (which is similar) but their results and the fact that they have had a mid season run that will give them every chance of being in the playoffs and possibly even automatic promotion.
On the whole if you'd offered me a 2-0 win with Norwich and Leeds stumbling at home on Saturday morning, I'd have ripped your arm off. Ignoring games in hand we are three points off second and eight above seventh. That'll do for me, for now.
Up the Addicks!
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