Battling point for City as Y'Army are treated to the re-emergence of Hoff-ball

Today at 04:54 AM

Good point that!

Had we been offered a Hawthorns draw before a ball had been kicked, we’d have unquestionably taken it. That we then created a couple of second-half chances to win it, made it all the more impressive.

Much needed it was too.

While things off the pitch appear to be falling into place quite nicely, those three consecutive defeats before the international break had created some unease among the Yellow Army. Even armed with the obvious caveat of the long injury list, the stats made for uncomfortable reading.

And, in truth, if we rely on statistics alone, there is still cause for the sphincter to twitch. No wins in seven is not the run of a team destined for the playoffs; nor is a record of four wins out of 16 games.

Yet, after that point from a soggy, blowy afternoon in the Black Country, it feels like some semblance of calm has been restored.

Against opponents who have conceded just a single goal at home all season, City scored twice and created several chances. The Baggies knew they had been in a battle and while they will argue – have argued in fact – that they did enough in the second half to win it, Johannes Hoff Thorup’s men were deserving of their point.

And there was more.

The swagger was back and after having gone into hiding for a few games, Hoff-ball also re-emerged. Both City goals had a pleasant ebb and flow about them, the second, in particular, being of the precise, tiki-taka style that JHT demands of his men.

Okay, so Torbjørn Heggem had the final touch but it was the nifty footwork and quick thinking of Borja Sainz and Emiliano Marcondes that created the opportunity amid very little space.

Had City not switched off as thoughts turned to halftime instead of keeping it tight for the next five, then it could have been enough for the win, but their propensity to concede soft goals endures, almost regardless of the make-up of the back four.

And that’s one thing that will feature heavily on the fields and in the meeting rooms of Colney in the coming weeks. Until the soft ones stop going in and they can conjure up a clean sheet or two, then this will continue to be a one-step-forward, two-step-back type of season.

But given how, when it clicks, this team creates chances, some defensive solidity could make it a formidable beast; a solidity that needs to be borne of defending crosses and stopping crosses coming in on a more consistent basis than they do currently.

Yet it was an afternoon to pluck out the positives rather than focus on the few negatives.

Sainz continues to do Sainz things, almost regardless of circumstances and opposition, and is a goalscoring threat whenever he is on the pitch. If they can get him on the ball in the final third and one-on-one against his opponent, rather than double or treble-teamed, then he will create problems. Simple as that.

And with Marcondes getting fitter by the game and having the instinct and game intelligence to link up with the Spaniard, there could yet be excitement aplenty over the coming five months.

A word too for Amankwah Forson who earned a place in the starting XI at the expense of Oscar Schwartau. The young Ghanaian has clearly struggled of late and has found the tempo and intensity of Championship football not to his liking, but yesterday was a step forward.

In tricky conditions, he showed positive intent and showed glimpses of the carefree Forson who made his mark in the second half of the season opener at Oxford.

While two of those central midfield berths will hopefully soon return to the possession of Messrs McLean and Nunez, for Hoff-ball to be better than it has been throughout November, it is vital the likes of Forson and Schwartau can slot in when required and not create a significant drop-off in quality.

One obvious area for concern is how we cope without Josh Sargent. And at the moment, there is no obvious answer. The ‘false 9’ experiment with Marcondes in that role didn’t really work against Bristol City, and on the evidence of yesterday, and previously, asking Ante Crnac to replicate the Sargent role is a big ask for someone who is still finding his feet in the Championship.

Like many others, I feel there is a good player there waiting to be unlocked but Crnac is not there yet and is some way off offering the team what the US international does when fully fit. Whether a fit Ashley Barnes is the short-term answer is a moot point, but the number 9 conundrum remains so.

With clean sheets thin on the ground, a reliance on Sainz for goals is far from ideal, when to win a game it feels like Citye have to score two or three.

But that’s one for JHT, Glen Riddersholme and, perhaps, Ben Knapper to wrestle over.

All said and done, a point at The Hawthorns was excellent and City were decent value for it.

The final word has to go to the magnificent 2500 who created a wall of sound in the away end yesterday. Even in the difficult moments, the support never wavered and they too were more than deserving of a point.

See you all on Tuesday.

OTBC