Stoke Reserves 2-2 Fulham Reserves
FULHAM: Stockdale, Stoor, Anderson (Briggs 83), Leijer, Smalling, Milsom, Brown (Saunders 90), Andranik, Smith (Hoesen 70), Nevland, Gray. Subs: Foderingham, Brown (gk).
He didn’t score a hat-trick or anything though.
Nice to see Danny Hoesen’s name there. I think I’m right in saying that this is his first ‘competitive’ outing for the club, something to do with international clearance.
Finally, nice to see a proper reserve team isn’t it? Say what you will about Roy, but he’s whipped the club into shape quite nicely. I mean, sure, in an ideal world you’d want better players thoughout the system, but we’ve come a long way in a short time. I last saw the reserves a couple of years ago and didn’t know who anyone except Bjorn Runstrom was. Now the side’s being used to get the promising youngsters a game, and to get the fringe players match action.
I posted this some time ago, but I was reminded of it again recently by the terrific USS Mariner baseball site. So:
Jimmy Bullard’s saying the same thing today really:
We lost last Saturday but I thought we were unlucky, we had a crazy five minutes but it happens. We had a right old go in the second-half and overall I don’t think we can be too disappointed with the way we played. You’ve just got to keep playing and believing
I think that’s a sensible approach to a long season, and one that we’ve heard from Roy over and over.
He also says:
“You’re not going to win the league after five game and you’re not going to get relegated after five. People can make mountains out of molehills either way.
“But that’s football nowadays and that’s what people talk about. You’re never going to get anything in the middle, its either good or bad – that’s why people listen to phone-ins or buy the papers because it’s a good read. No one wants to talk about middle ground because no one would want to read about it.
This is my perspective entirely. But it sometimes feels like I’m in the minority.
