Well, it looks like 4.00 PM on a Sunday is worth a couple of thousand supporters as the crowd was posted as 4313 (I think - impossible to read the crap scoreboard in the late afternoon sun). It seems fireworks are obligatory as they were routinely set off so the last few interrupted the first sounds of Julie Bloody Anthony and the equally routine national anthem which fewrer than usual bothered to sing due, presumably, to the aforementioned scoreboard visibility problem.
Inauspicious start as the IC was shut as it had been "trashed", especially the toilets, at a party the night before. Still, the scousers had lost again :-). I like it when we win, but the bare openness of those vast empty stands opposite are all the more stark in the bright sunlight and drove home that the game is still struggling to make an impact here. At night the lights add a certain glamour, and you can more easily shut out the emptiness of the ground and the paucity of the crowd.
I found the ambience quite a downer and felt strangely flat. Football usually gives me lift - perhaps it was the subconscious memory of that awful Confed Cup cup game played at roughly the same hour a few weeks ago.
The match ticket was amusing, and I was sorry I had to give it up at the gate. It had the main match starting at 4.00 PM and the curtain raiser at 6.15 PM - more of your curtain dropper I should have thought.
I thought David Arnold's match report probably adequate, but will just add a few comments. Firstly Carlton. I was very disappointed in them, expecting great things and seeing none. Colosimo (though by some to be the Second Coming), in particular was barely seen. Kossie had done his homework and bluffed in the Wail that we would attack flat out; but we didn't and had OHY up front in splendid isolation for most of the game. For most of the game, too, he was his old self but did get his nut to an excellent Cranny cross ( I love the boy) and powered it in from close range. I Kasey W had the worst game I had seen from him, his usually inventive and safe passing badly blemished, and wondered if he had his mind elsewhere.
There was a powerful and cold southerly blowing into the Carlton faces in the first half ( worth half a dozen goals in another code) and when we were 0 - 0 at half time I was less than than confident that we could score against it.
Overall, I thought the STRIKERS played some quite nice one touch and close passing stuff, were doing well in the 50/50 balls and looked the more threatening for most of he time.
We probably need one more quality midfielder and another striking option to be contenders, but are looking much better than last year still. Clint Bolton was impeccable and seemed to have his sticky gloves on as the ball adhered so securely when Carlton hit those high balls at him all afternoon, as Kossie had invited them to do earlier in the week. I think I heard it announced that he was man of the match, and have no trouble in agreeing with that as there weren't too many other contenders.
So, a win, possibly a tactical one for Kossie; but when I got home my wife thought from my mood that we must have lost. I must say I still feel strangely let down this morning. Two weeks off to recover now.