The Great Baguette Crisis and One-On-One Mysteries

Pre-Match Panic: When Sandwiches Become Security Risks

Early kick-off at 12:30 meant getting Odie there for 12, and I’d sensibly packed a cheese and ham baguette for lunch. What I hadn’t counted on was the turnstiles treating my sandwich like some kind of security threat! “You can’t come in with that,” they said.

Cue me scoffing my baguette as fast as humanly possible in the car park, trying not to choke while watching other fans stroll past with their perfectly acceptable pies. Sometimes football throws you curveballs before you even get through the gate!

Bouncing Boundary Park and Early Drama

Strong team sheet and a bouncing crowd - over 7,000 at Boundary Park! The atmosphere was electric, and we were all hoping we’d get going from the kick-off.

Well, we got going alright - 60 seconds in and Robson picks up a yellow card for a scrappy tackle. You know it’s going to be one of those games when the cards are flying before you’ve even settled into your seat.

Five minutes in and disaster - handball in the box by Fondop, penalty to Barnet. Former Latics player Shelton steps up and slots it home. 1-0 down and we’ve barely started breathing.

The Toy Story Tactical Masterclass

I swear Barnet’s players must have been watching Toy Story before the match, playing their own version of “The Andy’s Coming Game” - every few minutes, someone was hitting the deck! The ref was falling for it every single time, handing out free kicks like they were going out of fashion.

It made for a frustrating, stop-start first half with delays galore. Six minutes of added time, and we went in a goal down, but you could feel that if we could just find our rhythm, we could get hold of this game.

Hero Fondop on the Goal Line

Just when things looked like they might get worse, Barnet broke forward and drove the ball down the left. Cross into the box, and who’s there on the line clearing it? Fondop! From penalty villain to goal-line hero in one half - that’s football for you!

Second Half: The Michael Mellon Show (Almost)

Caprice came on for Sutton at half-time - probably sensible given that half our team seemed to be on yellow cards. Sometimes you need fresh legs to keep eleven players on the pitch!

Out of the blocks we went, with Mellon crossing for Hannant, whose header hit the crossbar. You could feel a goal coming - it was just a matter of when.

Quigley came on and immediately we were on the attack again. Drummond found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but the keeper closed him down well, and Pett couldn’t quite get the rebound into the net.

Then came the moment we’d been waiting for - Daniels broke forward, we were scrapping in the box, and we were awarded a penalty! Up stepped Michael Mellon and slotted it into the back of the net. 1-1!

🎶 There’s only two Micky Mellons! 🎶 rang out around Boundary Park - what a moment for the family!

The Traveling Head Bandage Strikes Again

Clash in our penalty box and Mellon was down with a head injury 🤕. That’s the third game running that one of our players has needed the head bandage! It’s like a cursed piece of equipment doing the rounds. But he was up and okay, ready to continue his one-on-one masterclass…

The Great One-On-One Mystery

What followed was the most baffling sequence of missed chances I’ve seen in years:

• Mellon through one-on-one… no joy

• Drummond through on goal, one-on-one… couldn’t get past the keeper

• Mellon spins his defender, one-on-one again… couldn’t get it through

The lad could have been on a hat-trick! I’m thinking this week’s training sessions are going to be entirely dedicated to one-on-one practice!

Nine Minutes of Added Drama

Nine minutes of added time - NINE! - but neither team could find the back of the net. It finished 1-1, which felt frustrating given the chances we’d created.

The Referee’s Performance: Felt like he never really had a grip on the game, stopping the flow constantly and falling for every piece of Barnet theatrics. Sometimes you need a ref who can see through the play-acting and let the football flow.

Barnet’s Academy Awards: Full marks to their players for commitment to the cause of spending more time on the ground than on their feet. Could barely keep upright for five minutes at a time!

The Bottom Line

Positives:

• ✅ Over 7,000 at Boundary Park creating brilliant atmosphere

• ✅ Michael Mellon’s penalty and that family moment

• ✅ Fondop’s goal-line heroics

• ✅ Creating plenty of chances (even if we couldn’t finish them!)

• ✅ Battling back from going behind early

Frustrations:

• ❌ Those missed one-on-ones (SO many of them!)

• ❌ Early penalty conceded

• ❌ Ref falling for every bit of play-acting

• ❌ Two points dropped at home

Felt like we should have won this one, but it would have been awful if they’d taken all three points after that performance. Sometimes a point earned feels better than two points dropped - this wasn’t one of those times!

Still, Michael Mellon’s penalty celebration, that crowd singing about the two Micky Mellons, and Fondop’s redemption arc from penalty concession to goal-line clearance made it a day to remember.

Next week’s training schedule: One-on-ones, one-on-ones, and more one-on-ones!

Come On You Latics! 💙

P.S. - Note to self: check the sandwich policy before packing lunch next time. Apparently, cheese and ham baguettes are now considered contraband at football grounds!