"Same result, same gutsy performance" : The latest SAFC blog

By Martyn McFadden

Same result, same gutsy performance, but the same difference in class that saw us lose in the league saw the end our FA Cup campaign at Arsenal. Much of the week has been taken up with speculation over who Sam would be signing, and we were pleased that a central defender was first in – given the age and physical well-being of those we already have, that position was a priority. When the deal looked to have gone unusually smoothly, his international clearance didn’t come through in time for a debut at the Emirates, so we had to rely on O’Shea to organise the defence once again.

While the result wasn’t what we wanted, and was only one part of an awful weekend for the North East in the Cup, the debut of Jason Pickford was a bonus. OK, he might have let three in, but his overall performance bodes very well for the future.

He was confident, brave, and agile, and his distribution was on a level we’re completely unaccustomed to on Wearside.

His display adds fuel to the theory that either Pants or Vito will be sold to the highest bidder this month, and my money’s on the Romanian, as he’s on the bigger wages. Of the other players, Lens scored a cracker and put in the sort of performance that we should have been seeing from him since he arrived.

Hell, he even tracked back to good effect when necessary. Anything to do with the transfer window being open? I suspect so.

Disappointed? Yes. Downhearted? No. We played OK, and for over an hour were well in the contest. Apparently the Toon fans turned on the players at Watford – there was no hint, nor any justification, for us to do that at Arsenal. Now all we have to do is bring some points back from the coming week’s marathon tour of England and Wales.