Well, it's finally over. The amazing unbeaten run which a spirited Oldham Athletic team has had on its travels has finally come to an end. And didn't we just know that we'd lose it in the most wimpiest way.
If we are honest, the Latics performances have been on the slide in recent weeks. The home form has been well documented, but the away form, despite still being unbeaten hasn't been quite what we have been used to. Gone, are the performances that the Latics displayed at Chesterfield, Crewe and Tranmere, only to be replaced by some fairly apt affairs at Cardiff, Stockport and Mansfield.
Leaving Field Mill on Saturday (after sneaking an undeserved win from a game marred by a most incompetent referee) fans felt a high level of satisfaction. But that was only with having won the 3pts and Crewe having lost. If we're honest though, every single one of the 1,240 that turned up knew that the performance wasn't good enough and that it needed to be much better in Bristol. It wasn't, and sadly the Latics finally lost their run without a fight.
We can't take anything away from a Latics side that has battled all elements this season and still has a great chance of promotion. However, the Latics need to emulate the kind of performance which The Robins produced on Tuesday night and put together a run as good as theirs currently is.
Bristol City have hit a purple patch at the most poignant time of the season, whilst the Latics might have hit "burn-out" after a gruelling first season undie Iain Dowie. It's ok to boast about being the fittest team around, but when a loss of form in players like Eyres and Berahall occurs and when Latics favourite Lee Duxbury makes the comments he has recently about training limiting what his legs can now do, it makes you wonder how far Dowie should be pushing this squad. Or if he is right, is our squad really good enough? That remains to be answered come what May.
Looking at the positives is a must though, with still so much to play for. Soon, Dowie will be able to employ Murray in his best position as Holden and Low near fitness, whilst Wijhnard now looks to be nearing full fitness and Hill is on the mend too. The Latics now have to lose the obsession with a 17-match unbeaten away run and concentrate on a 7-match unbeaten home run. Infact, 7 wins would be even more welcome.
So how did the Latics fail in this huge test at Ashton Gate? It's simple, they were too one dimensional, unconvincing and highly generous in offering space to City. The worst thing they could have done was invite pressure onto themselves but from early on, they did so constantly. This is something which the Latics have never done during their fantastic run as it's always been paramount to get the ball forward and defend it in the oppositions half. This never happened against The Robins - Eyres was amazingly camped on the edge of the Latics box for most of the game, whilst the flanks were barren. Any ball forward came straight back down the visitors throat and Andrews and Wiggy looked liked they'd only just met, let alone played together. It had shades of our Worthington Cup exit at Palace all over it, leaving fans with nothing to do but go through the motions of the defeat.
The match did have a few turning points though. Had Pogliacomi not been outrageously brilliant, the Latics might have been a goal down sooner and may have come out of their shells a bit quicker than they did. Only when a double substitution was made 2 minutes after going a goal down, did the visitors look like a capable team. But it was too little, too late. Another turning point was a goalmouth scramble on 69, where the Latics had 3 attempts within seconds of each other to cancel out City's lead. Unlike in recent away games though, the ball just wouldn't find it's way in. Had it, then who knows how this game may have changed.
In truth though, nobody could take this result from City. The first half was dominated by wave after wave of attack as the visitors gifted possession, sat too deep and invited a whole host of chances. And City loved it. Their first almost arrived on 14 as Brown and Murray linked up for the first time. Scott Murray's pace allowed him to turn and leave Berahall flagging behind. From the edge of the box, Murray shot through a crowd of players and Pogliacomi did well to palm the effort away, as he must have seen it late.
As Bristol City began to settle, the Latics defended nervously and unintelligently. The Robins did well at keeping the pressure on but when the Latics needed to find a clever way out of defence, most of the time they rarely got beyond the halfway line. And when they did manage to, there was nothing upfront to hold the ball there.
On 24, another break saw Scott Murray beat Berahall to the ball and deliver a sweet ball in. Robins drifted off his marker to the near post and without being challenged, he glanced the ball for just inside the post. Again, Pogi fingertipped the ball away. A goal felt imminent and on 28, the Latics almost conceded again as Brown was gifted too much room. Robins, showing his ability to ghost into the box like a stealth bomber, again found time and space to meet a cross and power for home. Pogliacomi completed a hat-trick of saves as he pulled out a great block.
The Robins continued to dominate but the chances gradually became fewer and more far between. The Latics first mustered anything with purpose on 41 as Hall nodded over Eyres' free-kick. However, it was soon back to the normal after half-time as City immediately enforced authority. Within seconds of kicking off Peacock received the ball on the edge of the box, held it up against a challenging Haining and threaded in Robins. Pogi again saved the day, turning the former Scum player's shot around the post.
The Latics goal lived a charmed life and on 48 another move involving Brown and Murray saw the former slip the latter in down the right side of the box. Murray shot early this time, but still Pogi refused to be beaten as he turned the ball around the post again. But as sure as night follows day, endless attacking pressure had to be followed with a goal and it was only thanks to the big Aussie - who has taken much unfair criticism this season - that the goal took an hour to arrive.
With the visitors foraging forward with purpose for the first time in the half, Armstrong looked to pass his man and glide into the Robins box. His attempted was thwarted though and Carey slid the ball past an un-alert David Eyres to send Scott Murray on his way. Picking the ball up midway in his own half, Murray stormed forward with one thing on his mind. Like a sprinter running in the 100m final, Murray ran past, through and beyond any competitor that came near and superbly skipped past Hall to leave him with just Pogi in his way. Finally, he slickly tucked the ball into the far corner earning the City midfielder his 21st goal - one that he had worked tirelessly for. 0-1.
This set-back now had to be seen as a blessing in disguise. It had to be a wake up call and the visitors now knew that scoring against Bristol City, one of the best home defences in the league, was now like a Rubik cube. Everything needed to be moved into place to succeed, otherwise frustration and failure would be the result. Dowie made 2 immediate changes in search of the answers to the puzzle. First he threw on Corazzin and Killen for lacklustre Berahall and apathetic Andrews. Then he switched the formation to a 3-4-3.
Hoping for some fresh impetus, the Latics did look immediately brighter from the changes. However that counts for nothing if sloppy passing occurs and on 67, this almost costus again. Another loose pass presented Carey with a free run through an endlessly barren midfield and again, Scott Murray was the man to find. City's top scorer waltzed through but despite being beaten once, Pogi showed he didn't want to be beaten again and pulled off another great block.
It had taken nearly 70 minutes, but finally the Latics started to get the passes flowly better now. However, the problem now was that things were becoming far too direct and The Robins mopped up most thrown at them. Finally on 69, the visitors forced a corner and from it, the game could have turned dramatically. Eyres ball in bounced all over the place. Corazzin saw one effort blocked, then almost on the goal-line Wijhnard needed to just poke the ball over the line but instead accidentally shinned the ball out of goal. Unchallenged and with the usually calm City defence, now all over the place, Hall needed to just nod home but agonisingly prodded the ball an inch over. What a great chance wasted.
The attempts that the Latics were now making all smacked of little too late. However, the game had opened up completely now. The referee was allowing it to flow, probably a bit too often in truth. His advantages were sometimes quite baffling, whilst a few handballs went unpunished. However on 80, the referee had no option but to blow for a foul on Murray.
It was one of the Latics best moves of the game. Coming out of defence, Hall superbly played the Murray down the right and into space but a City defender decided to man-handle him. From the free-kick, Eyres' viscous inswinging ball caught everyone out and bounced off Mickey Bell's head and off the goal-line. Bell almost certainly knew nothing about it. From the resultant corner, Brown cleared but the Latics kept the pressure on as a pass to Wiggy on the edge of the box caused great concern amongst City's defence. Trying to stop any move, Wiggy looked to be pulled and pushed all over the place and with Latics fans screaming for a penalty, the referee shied away from giving a major decision.
From the Latics chance the play broke down to the other end. Murray again raced into the box but this time Armstrong had tracked him well to block any effort. This time it was City fans screaming for a penalty as Armstrong used his body to shield the ball but many claimed it was a hand.
The Latics had the lions share of possession in the final stages but always looked susceptible on the break. However on 87, despite few chances during their late flurry, the Latics won a dangerous free-kick 20 yards from goal. Wijhnard tapped the ball for Eyres to step up and curl a low effort around the wall. The ball swerved around it but failed to beat the angle and crashed into the side netting. You sensed this was the Latics last chance as Robins broke away and skewed an effort wide when he should have hit the target. Eventually the final nail in the proverbial did come - another breakaway against a bare Latics defence allowed defender Christian Roberts enough room to power through and slot home in the dying seconds. If any hopes of a miracle comeback had existed, this surely put them to bed. 0-2.
Dowie's comments suited the occasion and no doubt will surprise most of the moaners on the coach home. "We came to win but our own play put us under pressure,” "we were rubbish" and "we allowed Murray too much space" summed up the performance. It was a similar whimper to that Palace defeat and it is sad to see the unbeaten record go without a fight. But now the test is here. How do we re-act to this away defeat? If badly, then without a home record fit to rely on the Latics could be in big trouble to just stay in the playoffs. And it doesn't get any easier - since sacking manager Steve Whitton on January 29th, Colchester have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 0, including beating Bristol City at Ashton Gate. As we know, that must have taken some achieving!!!
On the positive side though, maybe now that the obsession with keeping our away record going is over, the Latics can focus on the most important aspects now. The home form has suffered due to using the same direct approach which we've used on our travels. Now we must get back to basic with creativity and flair. These have been lacking in recent weeks. And if we don't produce them on Saturday, the Latics are in trouble. And maybe our season will be too - let the challenge begin!