Tuesday 10 May 2022

No Place Like Home

Sheffield United U23 0 v Bristol City U23 1 
Professional Development League Semi Final 
Monday 9 May 2022 
Played at York City!!! 
SUFC 2021/22 Game #72 

The headline is - that's the end of the season for the U23s, a defeat in a poor, flat, uninspiring display.

Lots of "traffic" since Saturday about people not being able to buy THEIR seats for the Forest game. If I'm honest, I've not helped with a series of incendiary Twitter posts (smiley face). But, here's the reason why shit like that won't trouble the Carrier Bag Firm. Here we are. At a Sheffield United Under Two Three HOME game. Being played in YORK. Not The Lane. Not Chesterfield. Not Shirecliffe. As all previous U23 home games have been. Not in Sheffield. Not in South Yorkshire. Not in NE Derbyshire. In York.

You can't get your usual seat? Dry your eyes mate…

"I'm not gonna fucking just fucking leave it all now
"'Cause you said it'd be forever, and that was your vow
"And you're gonna let our things simply crash and fall down
"You're well out of order now, this is well out of town…

The U23s finished their regular league season on top of the Professional Development League North. Played 23. Won 15. Drew 3. For 48 points. That put them into today's Play Off SF.

They also competed (alongside some Cat 1 & some Cat 3 Academies) in the Premier League Cup. Finishing second in their four team group. (Above both Everton & Burnley). Played 6. Won 3. Drew 1. For 10 points. 

They lost a dramatic Round of 16 knock out game 4-3 away at Derby County.

For my part, repping the Carrier Bag Firm, I did 7 home league (& play off) games & 5 away. Two home cup games & two away. Making 16 out of 31 they played.

Across all that, I harvested three new ground ticks. York City's new ground. Loughborough University (as a Derby County U23 home game). And Wigan Athletic's Academy ground at Christopher Park.

Successful on the pitch (before today), it felt like an odd season to me. Call ups. Call backs. Drop downs. And a lot of fluid movement between the U18s and U23s. All against a backcloth of our more experienced Academy lads out on loan in "men's football".

No single dominant goalscorer - again. Indeed, twenty one different goalscorers this season. Including Slater, Brewster, Ndiaye & Jebbison. Will Osula topped the list with 9 goals. Hassan Ayari next with 7. It's worth noting that Will's 9 goals came in just 8 starts & 2 subs.

We have to go back to 2017/18 to find a Big Number Goalscorer. Tyler Smith bagging 22 goals. For comparison, there were 17 different goalscorers that season. And we used a frankly ridiculous SIXTY players. This, 2021/22 season, we used 46 players.

"Intriguingly", seven of the 60 who featured in 2017/18 also featured this season. Belehouan, Broadbent, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Slater, Dewhurst & Eastwood.

The big game time players this season were Andre Brooks, 27 starts, 2 subs
Nicksoen Gomis, 27 starts
Angelo Cappello, 21 starts
Joe Starbuck, 19 starts, 1 sub
Oliver Arblaster, 18 starts, 1 sub

Of course, that's a double edged sword. For more established players, it can be a signal for - going nowhere. Only Brooks & Arblaster of those started the game today. There is a rumour Cappello trialled with Watford recently. It'll sound mad. But these U23 Academy play offs always come at the wrong time of the season - the end.

Some players will already know they're unlikely to be retained next season. And, clubs are extremely conservative, saving all and sundry for first team games - in our case the Championship Play Offs. And, the Academy management are already planning longer term. All working against this single, one off, short term game.

So. We ended up with a makeshift team. Shored up with Amissah in goal & Ky Gordon at centre back. The main issue was the frankly lightweight pairing of Leo Gaxha & Hassan Ayari up top. They couldn't get anything going. Partly because of a lack of control and energy in midfield from Arblaster & Peck. Those two are "up & coming" players. They'll surely be retained. But, compared to what I've seen from them before, they were poor today.

Collins kept fucking about warming subs up & showing them the tablet. Then sitting them on their arse. He finally hauled Gaxha off on 60. And stuck George Broadbent, most recently on loan at Rochdale, on in an unfamiliar role.

As the game bumbled towards extra time, I think he decided to save his subs for that. Subs that included Will Lankshear (6 goals in 5 starts & 9 subs). And we got our arses bitten as Bristol City scored on 89. A great curling shot from outside the box.

Lankshear immediately came on for Ayari. But, we were done. Big choice on Ayari this Summer I feel.

Even though I've already joked about it, an afternoon game in York does, of course, afford a great drinking day. The Carrier Bag Firm started in…

The Maltings
Tanner's Moat, York YO1 6HU

A bit of a York Institution. They've placed themselves as one of those wholesome, traditional pub grub hostelries. Lots of "jokey" quips written on the menu. And mammoth portions. Too much for the plate, and you're supposed to go - oooohhhh look at that. Every table clearing is met with - aaahhh, it beat you did it?

Eight on Cask. Four pukka Keg

Two By Two (Wallsend, Tyne & Wear), Azzaca IPA on Cask at 6%

I didn't realise that was 6% when I ordered it. Amateur Hour. Just what I expected. Fruit & Sweet at first. Some ginger in there, which surprised me a bit. Quite a thin mouthfeel. Tongue tingling bitterness, but not a throat grabber. Great beer.

York Brewery, Guzzler, Golden Ale on Cask at 3.6%

(FFS, look at them chips, piss take)
Easy drinking. Uncomplicated. Good condition. Challenger and Celeia hops.

We adjourned to…

House Of The Trembling Madness
14 Lendal, York YO1 8AA

The first time I've been in that branch. One set of Keg/Cask upstairs. Which seemed to be centred on a Cloudwater takeover. And, a different set downstairs, (where we settled). The Carrier Bag Firm sometimes adopt the - all order the same beer - rule. Makes us more confident we got the one we were targeting. Today we swerved that. I ordered…

Sureshot Brewing (Manchester), Name A Yellow Fruit, West Coast IPA on Keg at 6.7%

The barman lined mine & the others on the bar & pointed them out. I wrote down verbatim what he said about this one;

"That one is definitely the West Coast. I'm telling you specifically because, nowadays, a lot of West Coasts don't look like West Coasts anymore. Just don't call it a West Coast if it comes at you Hazy. Because it isn't"

He's right. He's right. He's fucking right. So many beers billed lazily as West Coast, which aren't. He's right. This one was one.

Wylam (Newcastle), The Makings Of You, Centennial Pale Ale on Keg at 4.4%

Fresh & Bright. Just a bit of bitter grinding away in the depths. Bursting with flavour.

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