The Reds fought off relegation contenders Cambridge United in a convincing 2-0 victory thanks to an early Max Watter’s goal before being sent off… and a sublime strike from Jordan Williams to put the game in our favour in the second half!
Defensive Masterclass!
Despite the goal scoring efforts from us this afternoon we shouldn’t let the on-point defensive performance go unnoticed as the Reds keep a 9th clean sheet in the league thanks to new goalkeeping star Harry Istead who put on an amazing show for us Reds fans having made a handful of terrific saves to deny Cambridge a goal in many occasions. His chance to shine was prompted by the hamstring injury of usual starter Brad Collins in which he picked up in the last game, but yet to worry as we appear to be in safe hands with Istead between the sticks. Bobby Thomas however continues to shine in our defensive back line and is shaping up to be one of the signings of the season for us due to his impeccable Ariel ability winning almost header that came his way and also looking composed on the ball at all times. The addition of Thomas shows again that the defence being as solidified as it is allows the midfield and attack to be more free and adventurous when attacking.
Max sees Red…
After an early yet comfortable first goal for the club by Max Watters to put the Reds 1-0 up in the 8th minute, just within half an hour he is shown a straight red card by referee Ross Joyce for violent conduct as the striker apparently went into a challenge with Cambridge defender Lloyd Jones with his elbow raised which was enough for him to be sent for an early bath. With just 10 men and a full half of football still be played, the game seemed to have opened up to Cambridge as they applied the pressure and endured a large spell of possession as the first half came to a close, yet the Reds held on superbly. Manager, Michael Duff bravely subbed on James Norwood in the second half for defensive-minded player Nicky Cadden resulting in the 5 at the back changing to a 4 at the back which ultimately was the right move for the reds as instead of sitting back all game and inviting the pressure, we remained on the front foot and found the second goal we needed to put the game to bed.
Atmosphere 👏🏻
As well as the on pitch performance in todays affair, the Red’s fans today were amazing and were behind the boys from the first minute. This comes after a recent Q&A with Michael Duff who said “If we can get the place bouncing, it gives the players a lift” and that it certainly did. The fans gave the boys a real boost with the noise created today which will be needed in weeks to come due to the upcoming run of fixtures, which will no doubt put the reds to the ultimate test to find out if we really are play-off material. With games against high-fliers Derby, Plymouth and Ipswich creeping up on us quicker than it seems, it is crucial that the atmosphere from today is replicated week in week out to give us the highest chance of coming out on top and solidifying our position within the top 6.
TykesInsight 