Hello friends, here is another month of Thurrock updates. We are doing ok last month with only one defeat to Leicester and unbeaten for the rest of the games. We are currently lying 16th place and 11 points off the pace of a play-off spot. We cannot afford to lose too many points now as it will be difficult to catch up with the teams on top. With a more solid defensive foundation, i am hoping to see us winning more games from now. We have an additional game this month with a FA cup meeting against Man Utd in Old Trafford, it is another big game for us. It will be a busy February for us and lets take a look how we do this month.

February results

We don’t have a impressive showing in the league only managing 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses but we produced another giant killing feat in Old Trafford. Seems like we are the curse of Manchester teams knocking out both Manchester Utd and Man City out of the cup competition.

Home against QPR

First game of the month was against play-off chasing team 8th place QPR. We have a very good record against QPR as we never lose to them in our previous 8 meetings with them. First half saw both teams attacking each other but there was no goals in the first 45 minutes though we were the better team. Four minutes after the break, a penalty was awarded to us after Gary Lewis was pushed inside the box. Gabriel Torje stepped up and scored to give us the lead. We were still having the upper-hand after the goal but the introduction of Ishmael Miller changed the game around. We always have problem on containing him and in one of his penetrating  runs he scored in 70th minute to deny us a perfect start to the month. The game ended as 1-1.

Away at The Liberty Stadium

10th place Swansea was our next opponent for our second game of the month. They promoted with us together from league 1 in 2016/17 season and has established themselves as a decent Championship side too. Although we were playing away from home but at times we looked like we were the home team initiating all the attacks and closing in on their. They were defending for their lives for large periods. Even though we were controlling the possession but we simply cannot find a way through and the game ended as a goalless draw.

FA Cup 5th round

Next was the biggest game in this month a FA Cup 5th round meeting with Man Utd in Old Trafford. Its 2020 now and this is the formation that both teams line up. I used the same players whom featured in the league cup against Man City starting with Jim Beardsley and Julian Hayward up front hoping to use their pace to trouble Man Utd. A few of Man Utd players were regens but Wayne Rooney is leading the line. He is 34 now and he is only a backup. They rested Mario Balotelli and Mesut Ozil who are not in the reserves. I have a feeling that they are underestimating us and we have a chance if we can do well.

We had a lesson learnt just one minute to the game when Jonathan a regen young midfielder curled a ball in from 25 yards. It was a bad start but to my surprise, the players did not let their heads down. We kept the fans in Old Trafford quiet when a spell of dominance saw Julian Hayward crossed a ball for Jim Beardsley to head in home from close range. Man Utd was clearly shocked as they could not find a way through in the rest of the half. Second half saw us matched them ball by ball and player by player. In a counter attacking move in 70th minute, a long ball from Julian Hayward saw Jim Beardsley through and he brought the ball forward and hit the ball past Wayne Hennessey. They went all out attack after the goal but we hold our ground and pulled off another major upset in Manchester. There are no easy teams in the next round and we were drawn to face fellow Championship side Stoke City after the win.

Away at Hillsborough

Next game was against 14th place Sheff Wed a team that we can’t beat in the last 5 meetings. The game started as we took the game to them and went ahead after Colin Madden threaded a ball through for Gabriel Torje to slide it in. We couldn’t keep the lead for long as a loose ball fell to their right winger in the penalty area and he couldn’t miss. It was 1-1 in the first 45 minutes. Both teams were evenly matched after the break but our finishing was very poor. We conceded a goal after we failed to spot the run of their substitute striker in the 59th minute. It was a disappointing loss as we had chances to win this game.

Home against cardiff

We had a difficult game coming up and our next meeting was against 1st place Cardiff. Some of the players are getting tired and John Leonard who came back on loan at Huddersfield started in this game. We got off to a bad start after they beat the offside trap to score a goal in 9th minute. John Leonard had a good game and he brought us level after he turned his marker and scored his first goal for the club. It was stalemate for the rest of the period and the clock fast rolling to the last minute of the game. Cardiff was awarded a freekick and they headed in a goal which proved to be the last action of the game. The fans were clearly disappointed with the loss. We had a bad injury to Julian Hayward after he suffered a twisted ankle and will be out for 4-5 weeks.

Home against Leeds

Another difficult game coming up and we were up against 4th place Leeds Utd. We started the game as the stronger team but we couldn’t hit the target well enough. We went behind after a shot hit Bastian Bruckner and deflected into the net five minutes before the break. Things got worse for us in the second half they score through a magnificent freekick in 57th minute. We suddenly came to life after the goal and Gary Lewis hit a equalizer for us just two minutes later. We completed the comeback after Bastian Bruckner amended his mistake in the first half by hitting an unstoppable shot in 76th minute from 25 yards. We had numerous chances in the game but only two shots were on target. The game ended as a draw.

Away at Craven Cottage

Last game of the month was against 2nd  place Fulham. We were meeting the top three sides in a row. We took a shock lead just three minutes to the game after Gabriel Torje spotted the run from John Leonard and the young Irish didn’t disappoint. We doubled the lead in 16th minute after Jim Beardsley won a header from a corner and headed it past the goalkeeper. Fulham tried to come back into the game but the defenders put up a mighty performance to deny them any chances. David Cook need to be credited for some great saves to prevent them from scoring. This turned out to be our first win of the month.

Table

Nothing much has changed for us in the table as we are now lying in 15th place. Seems like we are going to miss out on the play-off spot this season. Even though our results hasn’t been that good but few players stand out for their performance this month with Gabriel Torje the Romanian on loan from Peterborough the best out of the players. He had a average rating of 7.70 in the last 5 games winning few MOM awards and chalking in few assists. John Leonard looks promising in the games that he has featured and he has a chance to be a regular next season.

March fixtures

We will begin next month with a FA cup 6th round meeting with fellow Championship side Stoke City, hopefully we can beat them and progress to the next round. Crystal Palace is the most difficult team that we will be facing in the league as they are lying in 2nd place now. The rest are either lying in mid-table or the bottom except for Derby who is in 6th place.

Wrap up

Seems like we are still unable to turn things around and as the season ending soon, our hopes of a play-off spot is getting fading off. Its a bit difficult to catch up with 11 games left but we are not throwing the towel yet. I hope we won’t finish lower than last season which is 11th place.  Alright friends, this is my latest update for February results. Thanks for following the story and see you soon in my next post.