Carl Curtis : Poor Performance, Poor Decisions

After a long drive to Rotherham, which up until the kick off of the game, it was a good day.

On seeing the line up and the changes made my first reaction was that Russell Slade was ‘listening’ to outside influences.

Many City fans around me in the stand couldn’t understand the changes, most felt that the same team as last week should have started again.

The first ten minutes of the game and City were simply not in it but the fans behind the goal didn’t stop singing and supporting the team, there was no let up from our support in getting behind the boys on the pitch.

It took until 22 mins before City created anything, Ralls, Mason and Whittingham combined to earn City a corner.

The game was ebbing away and there was little threat from Rotherham who were controlling the first half but weren’t putting any pressure on our goal, City were just awful in the first half.

The turning point of the game came in the 42nd minute, Marshall ran to the edge of the box to collect a long ball, once he had hold of it, he went to run along the box but Matt Derbyshire and Marshall came together, I didn’t see what the striker had done but whatever it was it provoked a reaction from Marshall to kick the striker and got himself sent off and give a penalty away.

Poor decision making from Marshall our captain.

Rotherham scored the penalty and it seemed that is the way it would stay until half time but City and Fabio in particular came a Rotherham and got a penalty, which was right in front of me and I have to stay it was a soft penalty but I was not complaining.

Whittingham stepped up and equalised from the spot.

Poor first half from City and the prospect of a second half onslaught against our ten men was expected.

The following 45 were not any better from City’s point of view, it was truly a forgettable display from start to finish, but without creating any chances, they did show character in holding on, it is sad that we came to Rotherham and found ourselves fighting to hold on.

Rotherham had two glorious chances to win the game in the regulation 90 minutes but didn’t take them, then I thought they had the breakthrough, a 20 yard volley from central struck our post and rebounded away to safety, I thought we had held on and were coming away with a point.

But with just a minute of injury time left, a ball is drilled in from our left hand side on the byline and Connolly running back towards goal with their striker was unlucky for the ball to clip off his leg and diverting the ball, extremely slowly, past a helpless Simon Moore at the near post.

It was a bitter end to a poor game and a very bad City performance.

Russell Slade was animated on the touchline during the second half trying to instruct his team but the truth his the team were not at the races and the optimism from Tuesday’s performance at home to Hull is nothing more than a distant memory.

Next Saturday is a tough game against Charlton but this month could be disastrous if we lose that one, many of us were hoping to get 10 points from 12 on offer in September, the most now is 6 and that is disappointing.