That Was the Season that Was - Part 3

Stephen takes us back to that glorious winter when wins came easy. The final part tomorrow. No spoilers.

December

A visit from the runaway league leaders and the team that, bar a Forest defeat at Anfield, had been almost perfect. We were coming off that ‘performance’ at Palace and put in one of our best displays of the season, certainly our best to this point. Sandro at the 6, Bruno at the 8, and we were excellent. Gordon scored a great goal to put us back in front, after Isak scored our goal of the season. Trent came on and made Salah look great as we went behind, Schär scored late. It wouldn’t be our last big performance against them this season.

Then we went to Brentford and were appalling - Sean Longstaff’s last PL start (at time of writing) for NUFC. Then the run that made our season, beating Leicester (Murphy and his cupped ears), Ipswich when we blew them away, as well as Brentford again in the Cup.

Boxing Day brought Villa for their annual SJP massacre and then a trip to Old Trafford for one of my favourite ever away days. Should have been four up after twenty minutes, could’ve been seven and we didn’t leave second gear. You’ve seen United …. the locals were quiet.

January

A win at Spurs and then the perfect away performance at Arsenal in the semi final. Dubravká was allegedly off to Saudi and was crying in front of the away end. He’s still here!

Rumours of sales rumbled on, while incomings were basically shut down by the club from the word go. The useful distraction was an Osula belter against Bromley and the overpowering of Wolves.

We were eventually brought back to earth with a bump by a domination from Bournemouth and a Kluivert hat trick, which meant that he’d scored as many SJP goals as his dad, probably. It was one of those days where the team looked unrecognisable, and the call for reinforcements would have been hard to ignore. Instead, it became common knowledge that both Lloyd Kelly and Miguel Almirón were likely departures. A win over almost relegated Southampton was a formality once a debatable penalty decision was awarded.

February

And so, Almirón was gone back to MLS and Kelly off to Juventus for a PSR deal that was basically twenty million pure profit. The best news was that we had a six-game month and an opportunity to really make this a great season.

Eddie still seemed livid, but the first half against Fulham we dominated without scoring a second goal. Following that we were destroyed in a second half that showcased the worst of our frailties. Though there was a feeling that eyes were now on Weds night and Arsenal at home.

That game, under the lights, is the best atmosphere bar PSG that I’ve ever witnessed at SJP. The noise when Isak scored early only for it to be disallowed. Murphy’s rebound effort for the first goal and then the second which was Schär pressing Rice into an error. Back to Wembley two years later - get in.

A reserve side went to League One Birmingham and nearly fell apart, but Joe Willock looked a player again, and bar the farcical decision to bring Isak on when people were getting kicked, a banana skin was avoided.

For reasons best known to him, Eddie decided that Willock had been so good that City would be bothered by him, they weren’t. He was hooked at halftime for Miley, and we looked slightly better but also got our annual hiding down there.

Then a cracker at home to Forest, where in eleven minutes we went from one down, to four one up. Then tried to throw it away. Yet we were in a cup final, aiming for the top five and a home cup draw. What a season this could be…

Stephen Ord