Ricardo's report v Bristol City

[ricardo 7,395]

                                                                                                  A Tale of Two Cities

 

Its been a chilly old week here in Norfolk and this morning was no exception with a constant nagging wind from the north west. Mrs R said " you'll need your gloves and woolly hat today", but I didn't want to be encumbered with them and it didn't look like rain so I went off without.

Wagner seems to have finally settled on his first choice eleven so an unchanged side was no surprise and I think most home supporters were in confident mode. Winning runs always come to an end however and to my thinking this game looked like being the hardest of the remaining fixtures.

The Carrow Road playing surface looked in fine condition and both sides opened with some neat and tidy passing but it was the home side that made the first real chance in the fifth minute. Sainz made good ground down the left and a sharp ball inside to Sargent fell nicely for a low shot at goal from the edge of the area. Fortunately for O'Leary in the Bristol net the ball struck the foot of his right post and nobody could pick up the rebound before it was booted clear.

It got the home crowd going but despite possession, City could not force further chances as several sweeping moves broke down before reaching the danger area. Just before the quarter hour Kenny slipped over and muffed a pass in midfield and the vistors sprang away with a crossfield pass that found a strker in acres on space. Gunn advanced and spread himself but fortunately the ball was lifted over him and well wide of the far post. It was a good chance and you couldn't help feel that we dodged a bullet there.

At the other end Nunez whacked one over the bar after a corner had been cleared but then Kenny, who looked decidedly unsure of himself, misplaced a simple pass and presented the visitors with another opportunity only for Gunn to again come to the rescue. It was all a bit nip and tuck and the crowd became a little subdued. Most of City's danger was coming down the right where Stacey was getting well forward but he couldn't find a telling final ball.

Around the half hour mark Gunn had to push a well direct free kick onto the bar and there was a bit of a scramble before the loose ball was cleared and then there was another one on one as Sainz lost out in midfield and the ball was flicked on to a Bristol man in acres of space. It really should have been nil one but somehow Gunn deflected the shot over the bar. The away side was certainly making the better chances and City could never really get control of the game.

The boy said to me that it looked like a one goal game and that we didn't look like scoring it but just after the half hour a corner scooted right across the Bristol goalmouth without anyone getting a touch. The home side tried to turn up the wick but the closest they got was Gibsons header from a corner just before the break but he couldn't get proper contact and the ball flew over the angle.

                                                                                 HT    NORWICH 0    BRISTOL  0

 

The sun came out as the second half kicked off but that nagging wind was beginning to take its toll and it felt more like January than April. Mrs R's wise words began to ring in my ear but all I could do was grin and bear it. Thankfully the game warmed up a bit and City stormed forward but Sara could not convert when a sharp chance came. Then at our end more quick passing saw the visitors looking quite dangerous. I was hoping they might fade a bit but they were annoyingly persistant in midfield and stretched the home defence with balls from wing to wing. It felt like a goal was comimg and on fifty five minutes it did as Roberts was on hand to sweep a low shot across Gunn and into the far corner after some quick accurate passing split the City rearguard. Disappointing but at the time it seemed about right.

Rowe was quickly brought on for Nunez as City set about rectifying the situation. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long as just three minutes later Sara's quick ball up to Sargent allowed the City striker to turn his man and run on into the area with just the keeper to beat. He might easily have taken it on but rolled the ball sideways to Sainz who couldn't miss an empty net.

Rowe breathed a bit of new life into proceedings and almost gave City the lead as the home side pressed forward. O'Leary did well to go full length to his right to keep out a powerfully struck shot. Bristol however refused to die and Gunn had to make a remarkable double save to keep the honours even. He could only palm away a swirling ball that came in from the Bristol right and it looked for all the world that Twine would net from the rebound but somehow the City keeper was down to his right to deflect a goalbound shot for a corner.

City still hadn't given up on a win and Stacey might have done better than fire over the bar after a sweeping City move had opened the Bristol defence. Fassnacht came on fro Sainz as the minutes ran down and I think both managers were beginning to think about settling for a point although Rowe nearly made an opportunity as he flashed a cross in front of goal but no yellow shirt could find a contact.

I was reaching the first stages of hypothermia now and confess I made a bolt for the stairs as time ticked up to ninety minutes but thankfully the main action was now settled and to my mind I think I am more than happy with a point from what was a really tricky opponent playing with great confidence. Hull could only draw so three points from two games ought to be enough.

Gunny my MOM, good points to Sara and Jack Stacey. Kenny did not have one of his better games but stuck with it and came through.

I was glad to get back in the  warm and Mrs R asked me if it was cold but I could see she didn't believe me when I said it wasn't too bad.

                                                                           Result   Norwich City  1   Bristol City  1

 

[The Raptor 1,230]

Excellent report. I hope you've warmed up.  (And also that she doesn't read this board!)

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,294]

Only one reply to a Ricardo match report. Is this the quietest post match message board ever?

[Canary Wundaboy 1,359]

Cheers for the report Ricardo, was out playing golf this afternoon so couldn’t follow any of it, good to get a bit of colour!

[Robert N. LiM 4,464]

10 hours ago, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

Only one reply to a Ricardo match report. Is this the quietest post match message board ever?

I think the report was so good it left nothing else to be said.

[A K Narey 93]

Thanks @ricardo 

I agree with you on Gunn for MOTM and also that, for mid-April, it was really cold! 🥶

[Helsinki canary 242]

Great report as usual! Gunn certain won us the point, as has been the case some many times this season - when a team is disciplined enough to play the high press against us and break up our play they make us look pretty ordinary- all credit to Bristol for doing their job very well and also defending infront of their back four with tenacity unlike our massive void in that position

[Vegueros 7]

Great report as usual Ricardo. Loved the final paragraph. I’ve tried that ‘making light of’ tactic too, but it’s always met with a confidently doubtful smile that makes the reply of ‘yes dear’ redundant. ‘The missus’ is invariably right !