Well ... It's back! It was almost hard to believe, but footie is back - just at the time when cricket, tennis and golf are usually getting into full swing.
The downside of last night's match, of course, was that we did not get the win to take us out of the bottom 3. And it could be a rich opportunity missed as I really thought that Villa should have had a win last night - they were certainly more worthy of a win than the Blades.
And yet the Blades were denied a real goal! An absolutely bizarre moment, it has to be said, as Villa's keeper was effectively bundled over the line by his own team-mate! But the technical stuff didn't pick it up and Villa were left with half a match to take what should have been a deserved win.
So much for technology, but it did work in Villa's favour! And - who knows - triggered a run of good fortune for Villa.
It was also bizarre that the man whose burly frame caused Villa's keeper to go back over his line was Keinan Davis, starting a Premiership match for the first time. How I love this player - possessing strength and no little skill he looked just the man to be Villa's main striker. But out of several chances he had to get the ball in the net (some very well saved), the only one he succeeded with was the effort that pushed his own keeper over the line! The last chance he had before being substituted was as a result of coming in just too late to prod the ball into the net.
As for anything else, well the effort was there and the back line looked ever so more solid in its latest guise. We'll see whether it works against the better teams that are queuing up to face Villa, but it was a much better-looking effort at the back and the Blades had so little chance to get any effort on goal.
What was so frustrating was that the Blades' keeper seemed always to be in the right place at the right time (shades of Sam Hardy I thought!), and but for him, Villa would surely have won well. There was no real fault to be seen in any of Villa's players really, except for a certain rustiness - particularly in McGinn, who I had expected to show more punch. Conor - amazingly - stayed on the pitch for the whole match and didn't do at all badly - particularly with his corner-kicks, most of which got to a Villa player. Jack did his usual stuff and seemed to have more freedom to play his game in the second half.
Villa, notably, had developed new tactics during their enforced break, sending in plenty of accurate over-the-defence long passes that may well have brought success before the break.
Well - we go again at VP on Sunday. But let's hope that Villa have been able to use this first match advantage over nearly everyone to good use. It might just have got Villa into a better state of preparedness. We hope!
UTV!
The downside of last night's match, of course, was that we did not get the win to take us out of the bottom 3. And it could be a rich opportunity missed as I really thought that Villa should have had a win last night - they were certainly more worthy of a win than the Blades.
And yet the Blades were denied a real goal! An absolutely bizarre moment, it has to be said, as Villa's keeper was effectively bundled over the line by his own team-mate! But the technical stuff didn't pick it up and Villa were left with half a match to take what should have been a deserved win.
So much for technology, but it did work in Villa's favour! And - who knows - triggered a run of good fortune for Villa.
It was also bizarre that the man whose burly frame caused Villa's keeper to go back over his line was Keinan Davis, starting a Premiership match for the first time. How I love this player - possessing strength and no little skill he looked just the man to be Villa's main striker. But out of several chances he had to get the ball in the net (some very well saved), the only one he succeeded with was the effort that pushed his own keeper over the line! The last chance he had before being substituted was as a result of coming in just too late to prod the ball into the net.
As for anything else, well the effort was there and the back line looked ever so more solid in its latest guise. We'll see whether it works against the better teams that are queuing up to face Villa, but it was a much better-looking effort at the back and the Blades had so little chance to get any effort on goal.
What was so frustrating was that the Blades' keeper seemed always to be in the right place at the right time (shades of Sam Hardy I thought!), and but for him, Villa would surely have won well. There was no real fault to be seen in any of Villa's players really, except for a certain rustiness - particularly in McGinn, who I had expected to show more punch. Conor - amazingly - stayed on the pitch for the whole match and didn't do at all badly - particularly with his corner-kicks, most of which got to a Villa player. Jack did his usual stuff and seemed to have more freedom to play his game in the second half.
Villa, notably, had developed new tactics during their enforced break, sending in plenty of accurate over-the-defence long passes that may well have brought success before the break.
Well - we go again at VP on Sunday. But let's hope that Villa have been able to use this first match advantage over nearly everyone to good use. It might just have got Villa into a better state of preparedness. We hope!
UTV!
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