Derby Co. V Sheff Utd - In a Nutshell.

[Ellafella]

1.       The sheer champagne shenanigans of that Mancunian night are a distant memory as we arrive at Pride Park swathed in October sunshine; Please God bring an end to the international break as well as a plague of locusts on my boss’s house {What a country!}.

2.       It’s only 2 O’clock so we try the Yard where we find the quasi-hostile reception(“Match tickets?!”), plastic glasses (clearly Derby fans ARE prone to glass one another of a Saturday lunchtime) and strict orders on where we can and cannot stand a tad too overbearing, so we down plastics and head to the Brunswick where we get a warm reception and very good refreshment in a proper beer glass.  We won’t be found back at the Yard anytime soon.

3.       The announced team with Hudd, Marriot, no Johnson and no Davis gives us plenty to debate; We are not sure we will get anything but Edward is confident.

4.       We love the pre-match poem…it has powerful passion and gives me a lump in my throat.

5.       We’re off bang on 17:30:00 and at 17:30:21 Bryson is charging away to the corner flag after smashing a half-volley into the corner of the net after a 6-pass move. Delirium and pandemonium.

6.       Sheff Utd recover and look solid, Bryson goes off with a strain and Lawrence comes on and Wilson goes into Centre mid. Everyone about is questioning FL’s state of mind, and why no Bradley Johnson?

7.       4 minutes prior to H-T, a little Sheff U player dances past 4 Derby statues and squares for a lanky sheff u player to stroke home. Our school-boy-esque defending is alarming. I sense a second-half catastrophe.

8.       I was right about the second-half catastrophe…but it was for the opposition mind. That was the only bit I got wrong, hence maintaining my superior sense of insight and knowledge about the game. Derby, having ceded control in midfield first half now had an iron grip;

9.       Hudd, who always looks like he’s shillying and shallying, was running the show with metronomic regularity, weaving, bobbing, pirouetting and sending the ball with precision to the furthest edges of the Pride Park pitch {is it me, or is the pitch narrower this year?).

10.   Foghorn Waghorn, perhaps the least comfortable of the starting 11, who should have buried a header first half but for his thrupenny-bit head, angled a superb shot narrowly wide. Then Tom Lawrence, fed by Bogle after a superb inward run and pass, smashed a right footer goalbound only for a fine save from the utd stopper.

11.   Then with 13 to go, Forsyth, who was sublime and ridiculous all afternoon, swung over the sort of ball that he is capable of {think the cross to Hughes in the Brighton home leg of the play off} and the blur that is Marriot did the rest, superbly angling the ball off his shin, Sammon-esque, into the corner of the net. Bounteous uproar. Pride Park became volcanic. The craic was mighty. Oh! the volume of noise.

12.   Marriot has started to look like the missing part of the puzzle…we’re starting to look like we can score.

13.   This was a great win against a good side.

14.   I’m sorry Christine, but I too am in love with Frank. Great game, great result, happy days. ?

[JoetheRam]

Pretty big feckin nutshell.

Good read mind.

[Ellafella]

5 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

Pretty big feckin nutshell.

Good read mind.

Thank you. Like the profile pic. I'm off to pay my respects to Oliver Reed grave next year and will of course raise a glass of stout to him. 

[dcfc the 1 4me]

In a nutshell, we smashed it

[Ellafella]

That’s probably too nutshell-like. 

[bigbadbob]

Just now, Ellafella said:

That’s probably too nutshell-like. 

works for me. Your nuts must be massive