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Date: 11 May 2024
So the season ended (at home, anyway) with the proverbial ‘damp squib’ – resulting in a lot of fans declining the invitation to stay behind for the end of season awards and a players’ lap of honour after the end of the match.
My overwhelming memory is of a rotten day. No tickets had been available in the East Stand so my ticket was for row Q of the South Stand, nowhere near anyone I know. We were packed like sardines on the train down from Woking: scarcely any standing room let alone seats. We lost the match, and then I endured heatwave conditions rushing for the homebound train that had spare seats but no air conditioning!
When, two weeks ago, it was announced that we’d (just) attained our highest ever number of points in the Premier League, my immediate fear was that we’d get no more in the three remaining matches – and it’s now looking like that could come true. From the start of this match it was all Brentford; our team looked lacklustre and it was some time before we really got involved. Travers kept us in the game with some great saves during the first half, but eventually Solanke got the ball in the back of the net twice – both ‘goals’ being disallowed. For the first, Semenyo had been guilty of a handball near the halfway line but the referee had initially waved play on; only after we ‘scored’ did VAR intervene. For the second, the referee had already blown for a foul (incorrectly, as it turned out) before Solanke struck, so the ‘goal’ couldn’t stand. So it was 0-0 at half time – and amazingly was still 0-0 on 86 minutes!
In the meantime Brentford had had a penalty shout overturned – again involving VAR and the referee going over to the pitch side monitor. On 86 minutes, though, following a spell of Bournemouth attacks, a Brentford break led to a goal from Mbeumo. On 89 minutes Solanke equalised with a great header. But five minutes into added time – as we were chasing the winner – Unal gave the ball away and another break led to a goal from Brentford substitute Wissa, with Mbeumo providing the assist.
I never leave before the final whistle but, like many others, I didn’t hang around after the final whistle today, despite this being the last home match of the season. Looking back over the game, we certainly hadn’t been at our best, but only one player (Ouattara) could be said to have been particularly off-form, passing the ball poorly or even failing to pass at all whilst running into traffic. The crowd were calling for him to be substituted long before it actually happened, Iraola opting rather to swop the two wingers (Semenyo and Ouattara) for a while to see if that made any difference. It didn’t.
As with the previous weekend the coach was subsequently blaming VAR, the referee, or more vaguely ‘decisions that didn’t go our way’. But to be honest I’ve no time for these excuses. Maybe we’re just not as good as we think we are.
The team lined up as follows at the start of the game:
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Travers;
Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly;
Christie, Cook;
Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara;
Solanke
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Travers;
Cook, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly;
Scott, Adams;
Semenyo, Unal, Tavernier;
Solanke
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