The madness of crowds.

 

Going home in the car I was almost on my drive by the time Michael Appleton was interviewed on the radio. It was the usual spiel, I thought we were excellent in the first half, true. I silently mused, please praise the crowd because, for me, not for the first time but probably the first time this season the LNER faithful were instrumental in getting the team over the line with all three points. He eventually did acknowledge the fans not before commenting on the assembled faithful’s nerves after, with a certain inevitability Morecambe pulled a goal back. You bet we were anxious Michael, we’ve seen it all before.

That set back, as is depressingly familiar, rocked the team back on its heels. I was thinking, poor as they were, if Morecambe get an equaliser, they’ll win it. The reason for that is, that’s what keeps happening, Step forward, us. The Imps weathered the storm and kept it at 2.1. The crowd sensed resolve was slipping, something was needed from us and gradually, metaphorically speaking people began to rush to plug the gaps pushing, heaving the team over the line. Led and cajoled by the ever excellent 617 the cry rang out, red and white army, red and white army. The silence signs in the library were covered over, come on, more is needed, red and white army, you can clap along but we need a massive effort, so those who wouldn’t normally utter a word did join in, red and white army, red and white army on and on it went until finally, finally the referees whistle went. Even then the chant still rang out, a home win. We’d done it.

Any notion that the steam had gone out of the City support was answered last night. A very healthy, I thought crowd of 7500 turned up to see what was the least attractive  of the triple header to come. I’m not that sure I enjoyed it all that much as the game took on a familiar pattern. City imperious in the first half. Two goals, I thought at the time if we could just get one more maybe the nerves will subside but it didn’t come. A free kick was awarded in a dangerous place. Free kick. Really? Morecambe got one back. It was a great strike admittedly. Here we go again backs against the wall. You’d think we’d cope better, we're very experienced at this sort of thing. Talk about deflated, the body language seemed to say, go on then, win it, that’s what usually happens but somehow, I like to think I know why, the inevitable didn’t come about. City survived, we survived. We pushed and shoved and did the only thing we could and it worked.

Rob Bradley tweeted afterwards , give the crowd Man of the Match and he was right, well he wasn’t, I’d have given it to Conor McGrandles. Can a crowd win a game for a team? No of course not. Did a last nights crowd win the came for City? I’d like to think so.