This was so close to being a disaster. (Wolves 4, Canberra 2).
Wolves for most of the match were sheer shite.
We played back the last five minutes of the ABC coverage when we got home (you can see Alex dancing on the seats behind Nick T's shoulder) and despite the usual TV-commentators-beating-it-up-like-you-wouldn't-believe-thing (were they at the same match!) they seemed to have some of it pegged pretty right.
Canberra should have been 4-1 up at half time. But, thanks to two wonderful saves from Pogliacomi and some woeful shooting by Canberra, they went in 1-1. Wolves backs needed the guillotine in the first half. I'm not sure it was solely Stanton's fault but Nick took him off at half time (replaced by the ever reliable Huxley). And the bedraggled Brooks (replaced by Petrovski). There were just too many to choose from. The crowd was at various times baying for the heads of Surjan, Chipperfield, Ceccoli basically, throw in a name. The TV commentators were praising first-goal-scorer Horsley, perhaps for his usual motivation, but he just once really bedazzled his defender (something he'd do a dozen times a match last year) and he did provide the service for Masi's goal but ... he's about a metre off 1997's pace. Paul Reid was rewarded for his confident display last week with another go in the starting line-up and he did okay. Certainly no more duffed passes than anyone else though once his pass back from Canberra's area turned into a great though ball ... for the Cosmos.
Ceccoli couldn't have beaten a rug tonight. Chipperfield was named Wolves' player of the match, largely for the second goal and for being pivotal in Wolves' last minute attacks (if a Pogliacomi error hadn't led to one of the Canberra goals, he'd have been Wolves' best player). Petrovski (great tap in from a marvellous Chipperfield cross) had his best game for Wolves so far (proving Nick's faith and disproving my lack of faith in him). Kosta was getting nowhere against the Canberra defence. Maybe they were getting tired by the end but Masi bothered them more. Sorry, I spent too much time with my head in my hands to note who or what the Canberra players were doing but Buljan, particularly, had me with my heart in my mouth on several occasions (he must have paid the Wolves backs to give him the ball within shooting distance).
The piddly-sized mob (justifiably staying away in droves for fear of another embarrassment) was getting ready to boo the team off. The ever-likely draw would have been beyond the pale. In a couple of brief flashes (one in the last few minutes in which they scored two goals) Wolves looked the better team we know them to be. But the Canberra players, who looked so, so pleased with themselves when they were holding Wolves to a 2-2 draw, can rightly feel the score-line doesn't reflect the difference between the two teams on the park, on the day.
Wolves' starting line-up with the two ball players Surjan and Reid joining Horsley and Brooks in midfield is, in my mind, their best. But Surj and Reid need to get more of an understanding going (maybe that's why Nick left them on together). Matty needs to get his zip back. And Brooks has lost whatever he had three and four matches ago. They should have used tonight to get it right. (As if they'll have a chance to next week!) I'm longing to see them do the one touch passing and dashing up the right that tore teams apart last year. Dream, dream, dream.