On the 5 Live this morning, one of the BBC’s radio commentators, think it was John Murray, was asked the following question in all seriousness – “was Tuesday’s First Leg Champions League Semi Final between Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich the best football match you’ve seen in your life?”.
I can’t believe there’s anyone reading this who doesn’t know that PSG edged a classic game by 5-4. As for what I thought of it, anyone who is a regular reader of the blog’s Feedback section will know that, with me being no fan of the Champions League, I opted for the National League Play Off game between Scunthorpe and Southend over the game in Paris for my Tuesday night viewing. It was only at half time in the Scunthorpe game that I realised the thriller being played out on the continent may be offering better fare than the ordinary stuff I’d been watching at Glanford Park!
Therefore, I only saw the last hour or so of PSG v Bayern and so I’m not really in a position to comment on best game ever questions, but what I will say is that it was the most I’ve enjoyed a game this season that didn’t involve Cardiff City!
However, even allowing for my rather biased viewpoint, I have to report that Mansfield Town 5 Cardiff City 4 this afternoon was not the equal of the match with the same scoreline from four days ago!
City gave what is becoming a traditionally shambolic last day of the campaign defensive performance as they made it fourteen goals conceded in their last three season enders following 5-2 and 4-2 losses at Rotherham and Norwich respectively.
Let’s be clear, I’m not going to read too much into today’s game, but we conceded a goal inside two minutes today after Harry Tyrer had been forced into a fine reflex save to give away the corner Mansfield took the lead from.
We went 1-0 down so early because we failed to deal with the first two high balls into our box, while the four goals which followed all came through a combination of our very high defensive line, shoddy passing and an unwillingness on the part of some to track back. However, that’s not not typical of how we’ve defended this season (apart from at Blackpool), whereas our failure to get first contact on crosses into our penalty area has pretty much been standard fare over the past nine months.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Tyrer who was faced pretty much with players racing clear of our defence charging in on him for the last four goals – he made some good saves in other situations, but had no chance of saving any of the goals, apart from, perhaps, the one which turned out to be the match winner.
Yousef Salech for Callum Robinson was the one change from the team that thrashed Northampton seven days ago, but, players like Dylan Lawlor, Will Fish, David Turnbull and Chris Willock were well short of their best. As for Salech, he looked like a player that needs a break from the game and a fresh start in a few months time after what has been a traumatic period for him.
City conceded with about a hundred seconds played as Ryan Sweeney found it much too easy to head in on the far post. Willock soon had the sort of chance he buries more often than not, but ended up putting his shot out for a throw in and within a few more minutes, we were 3-0 down.
On twenty three minutes Lawlor carelessly gave the ball away about forty yards from the Mansfield goal, but it was still a shock to see how easy it was for Lewis Akins to be put through on goal with just one pass. The 37 year old Akins easily beat Tyrer after running with the ball from inside his own half and three minutes later we were undone by a long ball over Ronan Kpakio which resulted in a cross to Akins. Lawlor got back to clear the resultant shot off the line, but the ball found its way back to Akins who this time blasted high into the net.
Turnbull had been excellent in the number six role against Rotherham where he had a lot of possession and was given an opportunity to show the full range of his passing. Here though, his limitations when not in possession were exposed and it just looked like we were really missing Ryan Wintle who, once again, was not in the match day squad (it cannot just be a coincidence that, on the three occasions in all competitions this season in which we have conceded five in a game, Wintle has spent no time at all on the pitch)
You can’t help thinking that there would have been wholesale changes at half time if there was anything riding on the game, but the eleven starters were given the ten minutes after the interval to offer more than they had done. There was no noticeable improvement though and so Willock, Joel Colwill and Turnbull were replaced by Isaak Davies, Alex Robertson and Omari Kellyman as we went with a blast from the past 4-2-4 with Rubin Colwill dropping back alongside Robertson and Davies playing through the middle alongside Salech.
Robertson definitely improved us in the middle of the park and Colwill became more influential. Also, within five minutes of coming on, Davies added more evidence to my contention that he’s the best finisher at the club by finding the net from twenty yards with an unerring accuracy that so many of his team mates struggle to match.
This signalled the start of a period where three goals were scored in five minutes. Ollie Tanner smacked a superb left footed volley onto the crossbar and was to hit the woodwork again with another fine effort later on, but he showed the other side of his game with a lazy, misplaced pass which gave Mansfield another chance to slice us open with a single ball. This time Rhys Oates was left in the clear and he lobbed neatly over Tyrer to restore the home team’s three goal lead.
However, within another two minutes, Rubin Colwill and Kellyman combined well for the latter to hit a weak shot which Liam Roberts (who was so good in the first game between the teams) somehow let slip under his body and over the line with Davies poised close by to add a finishing touch if one was needed.
City replaced Joel Bagan with teenage debutant Noah Williams who I thought was quietly impressive at left back while sixteen year old Paul Moreno came on for the older Colwill to become our youngest ever league debutant.
Before Moreno made his entrance though, Mansfield made it 5-2 as City couldn’t cope with another quick break and substitute Ollie Irow found the net from eighteen yards with a low shot that eluded Tyrer.
Kpakio had begun the season with a goal to beat Peterborough on the opening day and ended it with his second senior goal as, playing more like a winger as the game went on, he tapped in after Tanner’s second effort against the woodwork.
There was still time for a quality finish by Kellyman and this goal ensured that, as League One’s best attacking team (as opposed to best team) we were able to pip Lincoln as the division’s top scorer. However, there’s no way Lincoln, or one or two others, would have defended like we did today.
Still, as I said earlier, that performance was hardly typical of us this season and I’m not going to be too critical about a game which counted for nothing on an afternoon where the real drama occurred elsewhere.
At the bottom, it wasn’t that dramatic truth be told as Exeter never threatened to get the win they needed with Bradford sealing their Play Off place with a 2-1 win in Devon and Stockport secured their Play Off spot by winning at Barnsley. Bolton, already there as top six finishers, were beaten 3-2 by Luton who were thinking they may have beaten Plymouth, 3-2 winners at Northampton after being 2-0 down, to the last Play Off place after their 93rd minute winner when news came through that Stevenage had scored a controversial ninety second minute winner over Wigan to hang on to sixth place.
One thing I learned today is that the wristwatch device which almost instantly tells the ref whether the ball has crossed the line for a goal or not is only used in. the Championship by the EFL. Why this should be is hard to understand, as you would have thought the system would not be financially prohibitive for the EFL.
Having seen the Stevenage “goal” a few times now, I’d say the ball just about crossed the line if I had a gun held to my head, but it’s got to be wrong that a club’s whole season gets to be decided by what is, effectively, guesswork. Given the circumstances behind their Virtu Trophy win and the fact that they were still receiving parachute payments following their relegation from the Premier League, I’ve no great sympathy for Luton Town, but the technology is available to let them know for sure whether they’ve been robbed of the chance of a promotion or not and it’s a mystery as to why it’s not being used.
For bottom of the table drama, League Two was the place to go. Newport County spent most of the afternoon in the bottom two after falling an early goal behind at Barrow who were all but down. With all the other candidates to go down drawing, it looked like all of last weekend’s dramatics in the late, late, late win over Oldham were to count for nothing for County.
Goalkeeper Jordan Wright kept County’s hopes alive with a second half penalty save, but it was looking like they would need a result to go their way elsewhere if they were to survive. However, they roused themselves for a late effort and it was the unlikely figure of ex City left back Tom Davies who equalised in the seventy sixth minute before last week’s winner Bobby Kamwa won it with a trademark curler inside the far post.
As it turned out, County’s equaliser dropped Harrogate into the last relegation place and, forced into having to go for a winner, they conceded a second to lose 2-1 to Barnet and so it might be said County would have stayed up even if they had lost, but I’m not so sure about that one myself.
There will be three Welsh teams in the Championship next season because Wrexham, sixth going into their last game, were replaced in the Play Off places by Hull as a result of their 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough whilst the out of form Tigers were 2-1 winners over in form Norwich. Ipswich scored twice in the opening eight minutes to make their promotion in second place virtually certain – they added one more to comfortably beat QPR 3-0 and go up behind Champions Coventry.
City’s under 18s won their final match by 2-0 at Sheffield United, but their midweek defeat by the same score at Millwall meant that they had missed out to the Lions in the race for a second placed finish and a spot in the Play Offs.
The season in local football was not quite over either – Treorchy Boys and Girl’s Club going down to a 3-1 defeat at Nelson Cavaliers in Division One (East) of the Highadmit League.
So, that’s the end of City’s 25/26 season which means that, although I may get around to writing another piece about this memorable campaign in the coming week, I’ll be taking most of May off before returning with the weekly review pieces that I’ve posted through the past fifteen summers it must be now. Therefore, while it’s not quite appropriate to wish people a good close season because I will still be around posting stuff, it is probably appropriate to thank all readers through the season – in. particular those who have contributed to the Feedback section over the past nine months.
Hi Paul and thanks for usual excellent summary.
Less said the better about yesterday, but guess could have been worse looking at half time score.
I have only seen the highlights in a 2 minute package and therefore relying on you and BBC site for some more detail.
Looks like too many individual errors/ poor defending and, as you point out, we really do miss Wintle when he is not there ( as has been proved -sadly – a few times) . Nobody else mops up around the defenders like him. I would also add Ng to that as well. Not sure where they both were yesterday, but hope BBM has worked out our weaknesses ahead of next season as we will undoubtedly get punished severely if not.
Note you said the new keeper did ok as the Trott situation remains unclear and guess negotiations ongoing now re keeping him and other out of contract players. Fingers crossed as we have been very fortunate to have him this season.
Sort of glad it’s over now and we can relax and have a “normal” Summer of transfer speculation etc.
Well done to Newport on their Harry Houdini act and bad luck to Wrexham who will be kicking themselves for not getting to the play-offs. Still another “derby” for us next season so should be interesting. Not to mention some interesting games against whoever drops from the Premier League.
Massive thanks to you for all your hard work again in keep us all updated on this sight with your perceptive reports, analysis and quizzes! Always a highlight to get your missives each week. Also big thanks to all regular correspondents for providing their entertaining and valuable thoughts too.
Enjoy your breaks everyone.
Let’s do it all again in the Championship?
Paul compadre,
Let me start by echoing the closing thanks of Huw to you and the other MAYA commenters.
Now, to yesterday… what a warning it was to us fans not to be carried away in our euphoric joy at promotion. Play like that next season, and we will be back in the third tier again before the smiles have left our faces.
My take on the 5 goals we conceded were…
Goal 1… Joel Colwill, please STOP auditioning to be a wrestler… and try looking at the BALL instead. At no stage in that tussling did you even TRY.
Goal 2… Dylan Lawlor, you are no centre back… you are potentially a very fine MIDFIELD player. You are too irresponsible to be a centre back… lacking the true defender’s DNA which would have known if that if that crazily casual pass was intercepted, our madcap high line (straight out of the Postecoglou playbook) would be a veritable Maginot Line to the rampaging Mansfield forwards.
Goal 3… Ronan Kpakio, has nobody explained to you that in football there is a feature called a… TACKLE. You want to try it some time. I reckon you’d be very good in futsal… but you are a disaster as a defender in Association Football. However, you can cross a ball very well, and you are faster than Ollie over 15 yards, so I would like to see you in Tanner’s role next season, with Tanner moved inside because he can shoot and has a physical presence to give support to Salech. And let’s see Isaak Davies on the left wing because he is faster than Willock, can cross just as well, and has a hotter shot and a slightly better aim.
Whatever… whilst I accept that BBM has ‘pass and move’ off to a fine art, he is a naive coach defensively… and his regular selection of Kpakio at full back, is proof-positive…
Goal 4… oh dear, another kamikaze goal with Ange Postecoglou defending… this ridiculous idea that the opposition will be made impotent facing that vast expanse of all that vacant green empty space in front of them…
Goal 5… the sub just waltzes inside, past the admiring Fish and Lawlor… who don’t even THINK of challenging him… and shoots home with ease. They’d make good statues.
How good was Mansfield’s shooting, eh? Betcha that Nigel Clough insists on regular shooting practice. Wish our BBM did. If Tanner practised more, he would not be hitting the woodwork twice like yesterday. He has big potential as a marksman… and has TNT in his boots.
But Paul, I reckon we should forget ‘buying a second striker’ as being desideratum… we should instead buy two good STRONG centre backs who have a presence. Start with Brad Hills… ha… that will set some of our fans teeth on edge.
Now Paul, regarding your comments on the other games… I watched the last 25 minutes from what I still refer to as Field Mill, on catch-up… I just had to go to LIVE to Barrow. Gee, how impressive were those County fans…
I was thrilled for them when they got their second…
But when I heard of Plymouth getting a third (and imagined the delirium that I might soon be seeing on my favourite Pieface vlog)… only to learn that they had immediately been upstaged by unworthy lucky old Luton getting their third… my thoughts went to another Hertfordshire team… and imagined the gloomy anxiety of the home supporters. I was thus so eager to see the last few minutes from Stevenage.
And like you say Paul… what a decision that linesman’s decision was…!! I do hope that that troll merchants from Luton and Plymouth do not make life hell for that individual. Because what I perceive as his ‘wrong call’ has been so costly… almost of ‘1966 Soviet linesman’ proportions.
Still, what a great third tier it will be next season. I will forecast now that the top 6 will contain these 4 teams: Plymouth, Leicester, Luton, and Sheffield Wednesday. But who will be the ‘surprise’ equivalent of Lincoln City next season?
Here is an outside bet that the bookies will give punters huge odds on… look no further than another Lincolnshire team. The smart money might be on Grimsby Town emulating them… if they prove triumphant in the Div 2 play-offs this season.
And I sign off reminding myself that whilst I am far from being a direct descendant of Nostradamus, I did at least get very close when at the start of the season I tipped these three teams for my choices for promotion to the Championship: Stockport, Bolton and my wild card, Bradford. All are in the play-offs.
TTFN,
Dai.
Thank-you, Paul, for another excellent report on the Mansfield T (a) game yesterday. I also didn’t, “read too much into [the] game.” As you correctly mentioned a-Wintleless City is not reflective of this 2025/26 team. Wintle’s involvement is vital to this BB-M City team and is crucial to how it functions.
During a season in which many young players tasted first team football we need to note the age of yesterday’s team. Nine players of 24 years and under started the game with another five coming on. Furthermore, six under 21s played in the game with five of that age finishing the match. What a transformation to the long in the tooth City we’ve seen recently.
This was very much a tale of two City’s. Yes, a 4 and a 5 were scored but it was only in the second 45 mins that the true City turned up. During the first period the Bluebirds were cut open almost at will. Standing behind the goal City defended, it was clear to see Kpakio was awfully exposed, taking up a very narrow position repeatedly, and then finding himself having to drift out to the wing to have to deal with two wide players coming his way. But where was Tanner at these times? This put me in the mind of the self-same attacking ploy Dean Smith’s Brentford side of 2013-2018 adopted.
A ball over the top or hard running was rarely repelled by City. The latter could be understood in that the two sitting central midfielders for most of the season (Wintle & Robertson) gave way to the solitary Turnbull. The four in front of him, in the 4141 we started with (Tanner, the two Colwills and Willock), all of the attacking variety, gave Turnbull a tremendous defensive workload. Salech had a lonely time of it up front. Moreover the three players at the near post for corners (Kpakio, Turnbull & Colwill Snr) did not breed confidence in the heading stakes. Oh for the days of Kavanagh who seemed to mop everything up at the near post. The ability to win defensive and attacking headers in the penalty areas is an issue that needs addressing in incoming transfers before August comes back around.
Without the double protection of Wintle and Robertson it was an uncomfortable first 45 mins for the quartet at the back. Keeper Tryer had an afternoon that was both good and bad. Though he made a number of fine saves there were two goals, I’m sure he’d agree, that could have been dealt with better. For #4 the keeper slipped and was chipped though I’d concede he was placed in a difficult situation. Trott, though, has saved this type of goal numerous times this season. Goal #5 he really should have saved as the ball crept inside his right hand post.
It was City’s three substitutions just before the hour that transformed the visitors. Robertson, Kellyman and Davies (for Turnbull, Willock and Colwill Jnr) sparked City into life. For Colwill Snr the thought of passing still remains second to his insistent thinking that he be the sole creative force in the team. Bless him, he must run a marathon each game. Oh that he would look up more often and thread a piercing pass to open up the opposition for a City assist.
If critical of the opening half, City’s final 30 mins of football was worth the journey alone. To me it seemed City went with a three at the back; a middle four with Robertson behind them and Davies joining Salech.
Kpakio was a completely different player as the second half wore on when deployed in a attacking role. He and Kellyman were simply unplayable. In fact the Sofa Score Attack Momentum details are self-evident. They are found here: [ https://www.sofascore.com/football/match/mansfield-town-cardiff-city/lbsvb#id:14061480 ]. It really was that one-sided in that second period. Mansfield’s two second half goals were from two of very few attacks.
Goal 1: Davies’ crisply stuck effort from outside the box gave the home keeper no chance
Goal 2: Kellyman’s good work resulted in the opportunity to shoot before the keeper’s mistake let the ball cross the line
Goal 3: Kpakio, who calmly tapped home from 6 yds, reacted first to Tanner’s thunderous shot that rebounded off the post
Goal 4: Kellyman cut in from the right and shot into the far corner
So a League season in which three or more goals were scored on 16 occasions and 17 clean sheet was kept. Just take that in! City were also the highest scorers in the 3rd Tier and the second highest scorers in the entire EFL. I’ll settle for that any day of the week. Lincoln were clearly the most efficient team in the division and efficiency gets them top spot with a remarkable unbeaten run. However, after over 65 years of watching football, I want a bit of entertainment thrown into the pot these days.
I don’t mind owning up to the fact that I’m a Luddite. I’ve never been in favour of the play-off system, always believing that the next highest team should gain automatic promotion. Aren’t they after playing 46 games? This season that would be Stockport but my views on that team and their manager’s disgraceful statement after our game up there don’t need to be rehashed here. So anyone but Stockport please in the five-game showdown, though they deserve it based on finishing third.
Finally, to Paul for this personal labour of love and all contributors thank-you for all your endeavours. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed re-living games through your writing.
Next season, commitments mean that time available to write on this excellent blog will be somewhat less. Be assured though, even for those games where time constraints prevent a written response, I will be reading all contributions with interest. Any thoughts Paul on a book, a kind of, ‘MaYA: Through the Ages,’ with highlights of favourite entries?
Of 2026/27 let’s hope that the work done off the pitch this summer will result in the incoming transfers that will take us to the next level. Over to you, Mr Tan.
Another fine and balanced review as usual Paul. Many thanks and thanks too for the comments of everyone. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to watch a 3.00pm kick off live on Sky but almost wished I hadn’t when I saw our inept defending. That said, I agree that we should not read too much into it though it does reinforce what I have been thinking that we most need for next season:
1) A back up for Wintle in defensive midfield
2) An experienced central defender to support Fish and Lawler as they develop
3) Back up for Salech
All these are core central positions which I think are key to us develop in the Championship where the teams at the top this year are streets ahead of the top of League 1. As much as I enjoy my football I am really looking forward to a rest for a few weeks. Best wishes to all.
Mike
Thanks all for the replies, just a few quick points in response.
Although it’s in the nature of all football fans to start speculating about a new season as soon as the old one finishes, I find it very hard to look ahead to how we fare in 26/27 because there is a fair degree of uncertainty as to what the team will look like. To be honest, I was more confident about us back in January than I am now. Back around the turn of the year, I was looking at how we’d played against teams from a higher division than us such as Burnley, Wrexham and Chelsea along with how we’d gone to Stevenage and Bradford and won and was thinking we had similarities with the Ipswich side which gained successive promotions a few years back. I was also thinking that, as long as we completed what looked like the formality of promotion, then Nathan Trott was as good as our player.
I should have started having doubts about the goalkeeping situation when we signed Harry Tyrer as he’d had an impressive season as a League One regular with Blackpool and I’d read about some surprise among Everton fans that they weren’t going to renew his contract. Bearing that in mind, it’s reasonable to wonder if such a goalkeeper would be happy to come here as second fiddle to Trott, so was there any awareness then that the Trott signing was not “in the bag” as long as we were in the Championship next season? Steve has questions about Tyrer for the fourth and fifth goals, I can understand why he feels like that about the fifth one and he did slip for the fourth, but I maintain that the finish was so good as to give him no chance even if he had kept his feet – either way, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Tyrer starting for us next season if we don’t sign Trott.
As I mentioned in my piece, I’m not too concerned about how easy it was for Mansfield to consistently slice us open with a single pass as something similar had only happened once before this season. That was at Blackpool where, to add to what I said about a certain player being missing from the three games in which we conceded five, Ryan Wintle was an unused substitute. Suffice it to say then that the evidence points to us being a lot more solid with Wintle sat in front of the back four than we were when he wasn’t. However, let’s not forget though that we were happy to loan Wintle out for the season last year (albeit that seemed to be more down to a personality clash with Erol Bulut) and it was hardly as if he was a regular pick for Millwall while he was with them.
So, even before you start to consider whether he’ll sign a new contract with us, Wintle, like Perry Ng and Joel Bagan, has a bit of a point to prove when it comes to the Championship. Similarly, our full backs had a bit of a torrid time of it on Saturday, but they weren’t helped by Messrs Tanner and Willock who decided that, after a season of helping out defensively in more than adequate fashion, they weren’t going to bother doing that for the last game. There’s two more players who will need to do better at the higher level than they did in 24/25 – albeit Tanner was injured for much of the second half of that season. The five players I mentioned have a fair degree of experience in the Championship as does Rubin Colwill, while Calum Chambers has been a Premier League level performer through most of his career, yet I’d say they all have to improve on what they showed in our relegation season if we’re not to struggle again.
Two things in particualr have changed since 24/25 though. First, we’ve got a sprinkling of younger players who become regular selections at the lower level – I’d like to think that Dylan Lawlor will take the Championship in his stride and I don’t think that Ronan Kpakio or Joel Colwill need fear it. The other change is that we have a manager that some other clubs are, undoubtedly, casting an envious eye at. BBM has transformed the way we play and, if you were to ask me, I’d say that he will need to be a bit more pragmatic in his outlook at the higher level, but I suspect he won’t be!
More importantly for me, as I’ve mentioned before on here, I reckon one of the things which sorts the wheat from the chaff at managerial level is the ability to improve the players you inherit and I’d also add an ability to get younger players breaking into the first team to fulfil their potential to that – I suppose it’s as much down to coaching skills as it is how good you are with people. For me, BBM has done both of those things – although I take the point that, as I’ve alluded to myself, the improvement we’ve seen from some of our more senior players has to be measured against them playing at a lower level and so it may be transitory.
However, if BBM is the real thing when it comes to improving players and bringing on youngsters (and I suspect he is), then I’d be cautiously optimistic about the new season. Having out of contract players agreeing to stay and getting Trott to sign would help. However, if they do need to be replaced, I’d be hopeful that, even if he’s not given too much to spend in the transfer market, BBM’s growing reputation within the game and the way his team have played this season will see other sides willing to loan some of their best young talent to us. Besides that, I’d hope that the thought of working with our manager may persuade one or two players of a type that wouldn’t have contemplated coming here in the past in the Championship to do so now.
Watching Manchester City last night was a most illustrative affair… for it was more apparent than ever that BBM is a Pep tribute act, in the same way as his fellow Cork native, the delightful Allie Sherlock, is an incredibly faithful mimic in unerringly reproducing the sound she hears from more famous artistes than herself.
That is to say that for much of the first half, Man City passed the ball oh so sweetly, but nearly always laterally, never troubling Pickford until Docu got his goal just before halftime.
But the second half was just as informative. First Guehi commits footballing suicide with that quite unnecessary pass back, and then we saw where BBM gets his Bluebirds’ high defensive line from… as Everton started to play the ball over the top of them and into the vast inviting green space of a deserted half… in the same way as the wily Nigel Clough got his boys to do last Saturday. And best of all, David Moyes got his players to rattle Man City physically.
Oh Paul… how I wish that your defensive spine of Lawlor/Fish (and pray God no, Calum Chambers) succeeds next season… but I fear it won’t. What we need is a centre back who is a WARRIOR… and more importantly ‘old school’ in not passing it back to the keeper, but deciding to – if necessary – on putting it in Row Z.
But I was so glad that Everton did so well in the second half: it restored my faith in my version of proper football. But alas their improved performance looks like giving the title to Arsenal… but hey for one night (tonight) I will be wanting them to win, as I suspect you too Paul, might be of the same wish.
Yesterday was a ‘first’ for me in wanting Glasgow Rangers to lose a game. And what a great game it was. (And it makes you wonder eh what Lawrence Shankland could have achieved had he been snapped up by one of the EPL top clubs…)
Not so long back I sent you a pic of me at Tynecastle, just before my legs packed up on me about 4 or 5 years ago. Even on a non-matchday, you can sense that extraordinary atmosphere there: it is in the breeze somehow.
And boy, yesterday… was it not something else…!!
Here is 73 year old ex TOTP Colin Chisholm setting our nerve ends tingling with his rendition of the ‘Hearts Song’… and showing us that ‘Sunshine on Leith’ can amazingly be vanquished in a straight shootout.
I have been waiting for three hours for this to be put up on YouTube and when it just dropped ten minutes ago, it had just the one view… so mine was the second.
By the time the week is out, it will have many thousands. Brilliant singing. Colin (any relation to our great Ken?) made the original record in 1986… and I adore the way that he works in that famous old hymn I sang in chapel as a boy… Blessed Assurance… which we were always told as kids that it had lyrics by the blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby… and thus we then saved milk bottle tops with an even more earnest relish…
https://youtu.be/JxuxfYTGteM?si=h0RLCC_uPnhzYO3i
TTFN,
Dai.
If you’d asked me beforehand Dai, I’d have said Trott would sign for us permanently, but only after taking a month or so to weigh up his options, so that has to be good news as I rate him just above Alex Smithies and Neil Etheridge as our best keeper since David Marshall. On the other hand, I would have said that there would be positive news on at least one of the three soon to be out of contract players within a week of the league season ending. Therefore, it’s a bit concerning that we’ve heard nothing – although in Bagan’s case, it may be because he’s had a much deserved call up to the Irish senior squad and wants to give that his full attention for now.