Andy Munro watches Blues winning in Bristol.
Playing a team just back in the league after a spell in the Conference and o who lost on Saturday seemed like the type of Blues banana skin of which Fyffes would have been proud.
Apart from a win being important to keep confidence high, I had two other more flippant reasons for desperately wanting a win.
Firstly, whilst I will happily walk under ladders and pick number 13 in raffles, I think football shirts can be unlucky. I love the German flag away kit so didn’t want to see Blues lose in their first outing wearing it. Secondly, having played full price for my season ticket, a good cup run could see me taking advantage of my 65th birthday in November and celebrating with my first ever OAP concession down at BCFC.
Anyway, Blues fielded a much changed side (eight in total) and one wondered whether this was another Blyth Spartans waiting to happen. True to form, we certainly didn’t have things our own way and it was a relief when one of our new recruits, Maghoma, scored to put us one up. However, it didn’t last long and Bristol were soon on level terms and cranking up the pressure.
Luckily Shinnie showed that, contrary to popular opinion, he can still score goals. We then saw the game out but in doing so still had a few squeaky bum moments. We didn’t really learn a lot and with Koby Arthur only being given a few minutes off the bench and Reece Brown getting splinters from the aforementioned, it was an opportunity missed to learn a bit more.
Bringing in tried and tested but mediocre squad players does nobody any favours in my view. Still, I suppose Gary Rowett knows best and we did make it to the next round when Championship ‘giants’ like Blackburn fell ignominiously at the first hurdle.
