My two cents
24 hours on and had time to reflect.
Firstly a great day, if someone had said 4-3 to a top Premiership side I would have bitten your hand off. But as they say so close and yet so far. The stats show what a great game it was and how both teams just had a great go at each other.
Onto individual performances. Hayes will rightly get his plaudits. Two goals and a performance of effort and energy mot suited to a player 10 years his junior. Did not see that coming and I was more than a little disappointed when I saw he was starting, that is why I am not a manager. But my favourite performance by a distance was Sam Wood. Where has he been for the last 12 months? His effort and application was fantastic and I hope that he continues this run in the first team as he deserves it.
Looking forward now is a real test for Ainsworth. Its no small job to turn these frowns upside down and to try and squeeze performances of equal desire and quality against Exeter and beyond. There will be tired bodies all around the 11 that started yesterday but I believe we now have a good enough squad to mix it up a little bit.
Finally a nod to the 99% of Spurs fans I met in pubs and around the ground. Its easy being gracious in victory of course but there were some real genuine comments about our club and team. To the handful of idiots in the lower tier who forgot they were playing Wycombe Wanderers and not Arsenal in the final of the Champions League you really need to get a grip.
Comments
Before the game, My yardstick was that we'd give our all and that we wouldn't get tonked any more than Marlow were in 1993! Afterwards I was as gutted as I was after the play-off final defeat, though because this is in the midst of a season, there's no time for a football detox. In any case, we almost beat a team that boasted 8 internationals and/or established top-flight players rather than threw it away against another 4th division side.
Hayes was outstanding yesterday - even taking his exploits in games against the big clubs with Scunny into consideration, there was no way anyone was have dreamt he would have the game he did, especially after that terrible miss in the first minute.
I don't think it'll be that difficult getting the players back up again, they know what they're capable of now they've pitted their wits against a team that was meant to be far better than them on paper, and in the knowledge that there's still 60 points up for grabs in the league. It's up to them to draw strength from the Spurs game and carry it on into the rest of the season.
Just wondering why a new thread is needed.
Because the other ones have become threadbare!!
The problem is, I think, is that we have some quality footballers who had some space at Spurs that they are normally denied in the packed midfield, defensive League Two. Sam Wood was indeed excellent...but I doubt he would have got ten yards without being heaved over in a normal match. But whatever the reasons, Hayesy was immense, Akinfenwa was excellent as usual and Thommo and Weston showed a spark we need for the rest of the season. This team wanted to win and almost did...playing good football - kudos all round.