‘Nomad’
“A member of a people that travels from place to place to find fresh pasture; has no permanent home.”
This week’s review seeks to try and shoehorn in three disparate stories via a potentially tenuous and/or debatable link to the term ‘nomad’. You can be the judge of how effective this is! One thing though comes with a cast-iron guarantee - we will definitely deliver some incredible late moments from the weekend just concluded.
There is absolutely glorious chaos supplied by the latter stages of knockout football on both sides of the border and there is also a hat-tip to the Northern Premier League Midlands division which is delivering a thrilling title chase.
The Nomads that initially provide the basis for the title headline ply their trade and my half-hearted pun are actually the Anstey Nomads. They will be joined in this week’s blog by Joe Hart - who threatened a somewhat nomadic career after his 266th and last appearance for Manchester City. He endured challenging spells at Torino, West Ham, Burnley and Spurs prior to finding a ‘second home’ in Glasgow over the last three seasons. Should he start all the remaining games between now and the end of the season, his 110th and final game for Celtic will be the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers - thanks in no small part to his mad-cap contributions on Saturday.
Completing the nomadic triumvirate is Coventry City - a club in recent years often without a home having ground-shared with Northampton Town, Birmingham City, and Burton Albion (albeit the latter for just one game). They might just have had a little bit of late drama to process this weekend as well.
So why were Anstey getting antsy at the weekend? Well, they are right in the thick of a thrilling battle for the title (and the only automatic promotion spot) and, deep into injury-time against mid-table Coleshill Town, they were set to drop two points. At the same time, their title rivals and my local side, Spalding United were cruising to a 7-1 victory away at Sporting Khalsa. On 90+5, Anstey relieved their angst as they grabbed what could turn out to be a pivotal winning goal:
That late winner keeps Anstey just one point behind Spalding and it also means that, instead of just needing a point on the final day of the season, Spalding will need to claim all three to guarantee the title. Anything less and the door opens for Anstey to condemn my local club to a second consecutive season in the play-offs.
This will be something Spalding might be keen to avoid after heartbreak in last year’s play-off final. They led 1-0 against Halesowen Town prior to the agonising concession of a 90th minute equaliser. They would lose 2-1 after extra-time.
So, to the big finish to the season. Spalding at home next weekend against … Coleshill Town. The latter who have inadvertently found themselves in the thick of the action as the season concludes! Traditional football, 3pm next Saturday at the Sir Halley Stewart Field in Spalding:
Come on the Tulips!
Over the border, it was Scottish Cup semi-final weekend and the clash between Celtic and Aberdeen proved to be an absolute classic. For fans, every possible feeling on the emotional spectrum was experienced in an astonishing encounter.
Aberdeen took an early lead before a defensive howler mid-way through the first half allowed Celtic to level. Despite exerting growing dominance throughout the second half, Celtic’s ‘only’ reward was a goal from substitute James Forrest which provided a slender lead as the game ticked down into the final ten minutes of normal time.
With nothing to lose, Aberdeen seemed to come alive. Incredibly, on 90 minutes, a lofted cross from Junior Hoilett evaded the Celtic defence and substitute Ester Sokler headed home to spark joyous scenes in the Aberdeen end. A breathless game was gifting us an extra 30 minutes. And making us Celtic fans a little antsy as well!
On 105+1, Celtic’s Matt O’Riley did this:
The ball ended up in the top corner to give Celtic a 3-2 lead. Aberdeen potentially cooked for the second time in the match.
Incredibly, in the 120th minute, Aberdeen players and fans were celebrating another unforgettable moment as they levelled again with a goal that was almost a carbon copy of their previous equaliser. A lofted cross to the back post with the finisher this time being Angus MacDonald. It was a redemptive moment for the Aberdeen captain as an earlier mistake had gifted Celtic their first-half goal. That seemed a distant memory as Aberdeen raucously celebrated making it 3-3 and taking the game to a penalty shoot-out.
Enter Joe Hart.
The goalkeeper has become a huge presence at Celtic and added a glorious flourish to his career via his time in Glasgow. He would be front and centre throughout the conclusion to this sensational semi-final.
Seven penalties were dispatched to leave Celtic 4-3 up in the shoot-out before Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos appeared to go down with cramp right after Paulo Bernardo had converted Celtic’s fourth penalty. It left the next Aberdeen penalty taker, Ryan Duncan, with an interminable wait before stepping up. He hit the post and presented Celtic’s fifth penalty taker with the opportunity to put them in the final. Up stepped … Joe Hart:
His penalty was struck cleanly but it hit the post!
Junior Hoilett levelled for Aberdeen. Alastair Johnson and Jack Milne traded successful penalties before Celtic’s Tomoki Iwata put the cup-holders 6-5 in front. Joe Hart would ultimately grab the last word as he saved Killian Phillips penalty to send Celtic through.
A heroic effort from Aberdeen (with 90th and 120th minute equalisers) but ultimately a dose of semi-final heartbreak. Little did we know that, just a day later, Coventry City would deliver a ‘hold my beer’ moment in an equally chaotic FA Cup semi-final at Wembley!
With an hour gone at Wembley in the second semi-final, it looked like it was settled:
An all-Manchester FA Cup Final (for the second consecutive season) looked like being added to an all-Glasgow Scottish Cup Final on 25th May 2024. That it ultimately ended up that way threatens to hide what became a cup tie for the ages. Having stunned Premier League opponents in the quarter-final:
Coventry took it up a notch in the semi-final. Striker Ellis Simms grabbed one back on 71 minutes before team-mate Callum O’Hare made it 3-2 on 79 minutes.
Almost unbelievably (running out of superlatives this weekend), deep into injury-time, Coventry were awarded a penalty and an opportunity to level the game. Haji Wright, the hero in the previous round, stepped up and was nerveless in making it 3-3!
In a thrilling period of extra-time, Manchester United smacked the underside of the bar in the first half. Before Coventry did exactly the same in the second half!
On 120+1, we momentarily had a moment for the ages. “Siri: tell us what winning and not winning an FA Cup semi-final looks like".”
Coventry led in stoppage time at the end of extra-time.
Until they didn’t:
Agony for Coventry; reprieve for Manchester United.
Despite then taking an early lead in the penalty shoot-out, Coventry would eventually lose 4-2.
36,000 fans stayed on to herald heroes in sky blue. On this occasion, they would not get the chance to emulate their counterparts from 1987. The memories of a rollercoaster afternoon will no doubt endure but how much will the image above haunt the dreams of Coventry fans for the next few weeks?!
‘Football. Bloody hell.’