Goals
34 - Lawrie Dudfield - David Beresford put in a great cross from the left and Dudfield produced a back header from the edge of the 6 yard box which looped in to the far corner.
46 - Julian Johnsson - Beresford was again the catalyst, crossing from the left. His centre was half headered away by Chris Todd, and the ball looped in to the air. Underneath it was Johnsson, who volleyed home from 12 yards.
71 - Stuart Roberts - Theodore Whitmore lost the ball to the right of his own area and Richie Appleby crossed for Roberts to head past Glennon, unmarked at the back post.
Bookings
68 - Gareth Phillips - Foul
68 - Gary Alexander - Dissent
76 - Julian Johnsson - Foul
90 - Kristian O' Leary - Foul
Sendings Off
None
Match Report
City took their second home win in 5 days, a 2-1 victory against Swansea infront of 10,440 at Boothferry Park. Lawrie Dudfield and Julian Johnsson were the goalscorers for the Tigers, with Stuart Roberts netting for the visitors.
The game started scrappily, with neither side managing to put together many good moves. City continued their recent pattern of starting edgily.
However, on 34 minutes, the game sparked in to life as the Tigers took the lead. David Beresford crossed from the left for Lawrie Dudfield, who looped a back header over Roger Freestone and in to the far corner from the corner of the 6 yard box. It was a superbly taken header, and one which will undoubtedly further Dudfield's confidence even further.
As the half drew to a close, Mike Edwards nearly doubled the advantage from a Beresford corner, only to see his shot cleared off the line by Lee Jenkins.
The first half was fairly un-remarkable as a whole, especially the opening 20 minutes, but the second certainly wasn't, starting 2 minutes in...
Beresford again crossed from the left, and Chris Todd only managed to half-head away, sending the ball looping in to the air. Underneath it was Julian Johnsson, who buried a volley in to the back of the net from 10 yards. He was absolutely delighted with the goal, as he ran away in celebration to the East Stand, and you can't help but feel chuffed for him, as he has battled away in every game so far, always giving 100%.
City really started to tighten their grip on the game after the goal, playing some good football, and could have made it 3-0 minutes later. Dudfield was the provider, making a great run down the left and pulling the ball back for Gary Alexander, but his shot was deflected just over by Michael Howard. Andy Holt followed this chance by hitting a superb shot just wide from 25 yards minutes later.
As seems the case a lot lately, the referee had to make a mark on the game, turning down 2 City penalty appeals for handball, both of which looked to be very good shouts. He was not finished there though. More later...
With about 20 minutes to go, Colin Addison made his second substitiution of the afternoon, replacing John Williams with Richie Appleby, and the switch immediately made dividends. Appleby disposessed Theodore Whitmore and put in a cross for Staurt Roberts to head past Glennon, pulling one goal back for the Swans.
Although the visitors were looking for an equaliser, City still looked in control, and went close to scoring another themselves. Dudfield produced some great dribbling on the edge of the box and found his way in to the area, before shooting for goal. Freestone managed to save his shot, but the rebound landed back with Dudfield. Unfortunately, he blazed over, with the keeper still scrambling to get to his feet.
More on the ref... Firstly he added 4 minutes of stoppage time, when half of that would have been more accurate. In that stoppage time, however, he made his biggest error of the game, not giving a clear handball by Freestone. The Swansea keeper raced out of his area to get to a ball debutant Michael Reddy was chasing, but realised he could not get there first and saved the substitute's goal-bound effort with his hands, clearly out of his area. The ref indicated Freestone saved with his chest and waved play on, making that 3 serious claims by City turned down during the second half.
The match followed recent patterns, sloppy opening, starting to improve as the first half progresses, and a much more accomplished display after the break. The bad starts are cause for concerne, as against better teams we are likely to regret them, as we could so well have done against Rochdale. However, the defence has looked strong, and it is credit to the team that they have come through these periods without conceding. At the other end of the pitch, meanwhile, the first goals in the last two matches have come just as the team starts to improve, and show the real value of having good strikers. If we can score while playing below-par, we are going to find it easier to win games were we go through bad spells, like last Tuesday and today. These lax starts will have to be eradicated soon though, as you have to feel we will be punished for them if they carry on much longer. But the overall picture is good - the team is playing well, we are scoring goals, and are in a great position in the table. It feels good to be a City fan! |
