With no Dack injury and some defensive reinforcements in January, I think we would have had a really good chance. Sadly I now think it is an extremely small chance. If Holtby is out for a fair spell, I'd give us no chance at all.

This has made me wonder, when was the last time someone 18 or younger got a league debut for us? Or a start?

U-18s lost to Manure, 0-1.

I don't know that he's a must, but I don't know his game. Wiki describes him as a deep lying creative central midfielder. It isn't the deep lying role we need filling, for me. I'd still like to take a proper look at Davenport, and he couldn't even make the bench today. If injuries happened in CM, we even have Smallwood who is no great shakes and doesn't fulfil the creative part at all, but can fill in as a spoiler in a pinch. It's the attacking roles we need sorting in midfield. LAM, CAM and RAM as FM would call it. A versatile, quality player who can fill those spots would be ideal. Mind, transfermarkt shows him as playing LM and RM roles so maybe he could be wedged in there. Anybody seen much of him?

That was dire. I think it's really telling how supportive his team mates were after it though.

"We have been trying to sign some free agents now the transfer window is closed. But the wages that unemployed footballers are on these days are astronomical..."

That's all of the core skills on the application form ticked then.

Thought Johnson was ineffective again when he came on and would rather have seen Davenport coming on. Looking like it's gonna take a lot for him to get a real chance.

I wouldn't care if he wore a full on ski mask on the hottest day of summer if he did the business. Sadly it's probably true that he no longer would, with enough frequency, to be worth the hefty wages. I'm just glad he didn't seal our fate today, would have been that much harder to take.

In general he doesn't seem to have gone on to better things like we all expected and has probably regressed. You're right about the wages too. But he did look good today and it had me wondering the same as Darwen Rover whether he'd do a decent job here. With Graham on the wane we have nobody anywhere near his league for heading ability. He nearly did us twice in about a minute.

Buckley doesn't even make the bench at the moment so I can't see him starting the next game. TM seems to have realised he isn't ready. Tosin and Nyambe had unusually poor games today. Lenihan and Bell (!) played well. I haven't looked back to see who the two that abandoned the men for the rebound goal were though. Walton mixed. I feel he should have done better with the goal, but it's one of those that just happens sometimes. The defence were more culpable. Fabulous save later on from Rudy. Best I've seen him make. JRC didn't scintillate, but did enough to show he fits into senior football already, unlike Buckley. I look forward to seeing him develop. Worked hard and looked to make things happen. Hard to say what impact the head injury may have had on his mental side of his game today, if any.

Because we did the exact same dumb shit with Cunningham and that worked out swimmingly too.... Physios or whoever makes a call like that need to give their heads a wobble.

Don't like the way Lenihan was hobbling there.

I thought he handled it a bit poorly. But yes it was absolutely on the defence to mark those two at the back post.

That guy on the pitch gives me kittens. Uh looks another odd sub (Graham for JRC)...Arma going wide?

Weren't we 4 points off top 6 before today? Could do with other teams dropping points. Then again you never know which teams will end up there at the end. We may be 3 points ahead of whoever finishes 6th at the mo. Why am I letting myself dream again?

I think you've maybe forgotten how bad Brereton is? I think this is a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder. At least Gallagher has a little pace, a strong work ethic, a modicum of skill now and again, and is better in the air than Brereton. Absolutely shouldn't be playing on the wing either, but definitely better than BB.

Huh, I'm listening to Rovers commentary.

Someone said he was on 60k a week before his release. So probably well out of our league.

Disagree. Before the knocks it wasn't that bad. There were even a few brief passing moves where I thought the link up play was lovely. Flashes of what we showed against Sheff W and the first half of QPR. Ever since JRC went down the momentum died though and it has been utterly turgid.

That's a stretch. Looked like scoring a few times, so did they. A draw is the correct HT score. We were coming into the ascendancy until the JRC and Holtby knocks.

That's...no better. Fucking hell. Even at junior level if I was on the bench I had full kit and boots on. I wonder if that's why TM said fuck it, Bennett instead. Seems a daft sub. Could have just brought one of our three strikers on and put Arma in the hole. Instead we are shifting a few around?

I wouldn't mind but we already knew about the midfield injury crisis and that Holtby wasn't the most robust.

Did they just say Graham went down the tunnel to put his match boots on?? What kind of amateur hour shit is that? Or did I mishear?

Yeh it was skous who said nose bleeding.