Take that, Graeme Smith! Actually….wait…give me a minute here…

We played Tuesday night. Won, too, marking our first consecutive wins in two and a half years.

There’s no detailed review to offer about the match. Scant highlights too, but Liam Lawrence’s winner just after the half hour was indeed impressive, shades of Denis Irwin and Ian Harte….except that Lawrence is a midfielder….and right-footed…and he’s never played in the Champions’ League…and…oh, never mind then…

How did we play? Pretty badly to start with, but we weren’t helped by being reduced to 10 men for a little while after Caleb Folan was cynically bodychecked by centre-back Morgan Gould, a collison that left Folan requiring 4 stitches to the side of his head and left Darcy Tucker a distant second.

Now, forgive my anger, but this tit at the back for South Africa…the damage he could have done to Folan, considering it was a bloody friendly, was mind-boggling, and a for a while, it didn’t look good for Caleb. Second cap or no second cap, this idiot should have seen red for such an utterly stupid, crass, blatant challenge. Ultimately, the referee saw fit to award a free-kick, perhaps swayed by the injuries Gould sustained whilst imitating Tendai Mtawarira (I love the beard and the cheesy grin), necessitating a swathe of bandages strapped across his forehead for the rest of the game. In the end, Caleb had him looking rather daft for the rest of the match, so I suppose there was revenge of sorts. That was unnecessary and infurating however, and it should have recieved the punishment which fit the crime.

Now, calm again. How did the rest of them do? Well, once they settled, the back four looked fairly comfortable, Eddie Nolan in particular doing a good job in helping to dislodge Kilbane. Their distribution was bad at the best of times, but they kept Keiren Westwood out of the firing line, which he will be grateful for, so it’s job done.

Concerns still abound about the central midfield, with praise of sorts coming in for Keith Andrews and Darron Gibson. But frankly, they were anonymous for most of the night and did little to influence the midfield, so the pining for Stephen Reid and someone else remains. Andy Keogh also failed to take his chance, on occasions showing his talents, but the end product was poor and he failed to penetrate the South African defence, so that’s another opportunity which has passed him by, and he looks set to remain a bit-part player behind Duffer and McGeady for at least another qualifying campaign (Duffer is 30, it’s likely he’ll finish up after Euro 2012 for us).

Massive credit to Liam Lawrence though, who was the brightest light on an otherwise fairly dull night. Aside from the free kick, which showed excellent technique to go along with his combative qualities, he was the most creative aspect of the midfield quarter, looking for early ball into the areas where it mattered with dangerous crosses and forays forward. He knew how dangerous Folan is as an aerial prescence, and he looked to exploit this as much as possible. It was smart football, playing to strengths, systematic of a Stoke City player, and I like it a lot. While McGeady is a better player on the right when on form, Lawrence’s enthusiasm and influence should at least afford him a place in the centre of midfield for the match against Italy. I know I’ve voiced some concerns, but Lord knows we need a creative spark in the centre of midfield, otherwise we will not be competitive with the best of them, and that includes Italy next month. Give him his head and see what he can do there next month. Hell, throw Stephen Hunt in the centre for his industry as well, perhaps in a drifting role, give the Italians something to think about. Frankly, it can be no worse than the options available to us otherwise. Decent players though Whelan, Andrews and Gibson are, international players they are not.

Again, Kevin Doyle failed to impress. A big night for him as captain, and he had one half-chance which was well blocked, but otherwise he was again high on effort, low on productivity. Sorry Kevin, but we need someone up front who can contribute, and right now that’s Folan. The man is so good at creating havoc, panic, you name it amongst opposition defences, and he did the same last night after coming back on. Setting up chances rather than taking him, his selfless play allowed Leon Best a few opportunities after he came on, with the Coventry man impressing to a degree, although he will remain a back-up option. If I was picking two players to start up top against Italy, it’s Folan and Robbie. Maybe Traps fancies Caleb as a substitute who can come on and exploit tired defences, but against a fresh set of defenders yesterday, he caused blind panic. Give him a stretch in the game, see what he can do. With someone as able as Keane as the foil, perhaps we can give the Italians a right scare. All things told, it was a night of mixed feelings, with promise from the likes of Lawrence, Nolan and Best, but missed opportunities for Gibson, Keogh and Doyle.

South Africa? Started brightly, had me wondering between that, and their Confederations Cup showing, why everyone was knocking them down. But then, I only actually saw them play Iraq, and it turns out the pundits still know more than I do about the Bafana. Once Steven Pienaar decided he didn’t fancy it anymore, more particularly after he was booked for encroachment at the first attempt at an Irish free kick (second was Lawrence’s goal), South Africa looked truly dreadful. Katlego Mphela and Bernard Parker looked miles off the pace. Kagisho Dikgacoi showed why we saw hardly anything of him at Fulham, and Blackburn fans shouldn’t get too excited about Elio van Heerden. More Maceo Rigters than Benni McCarthy in terms in impact. The defence looked helpless to prevent against Folan and were fortunate we didn’t create that many chances. Any bright points? Steven Pienaar looked top class for a brief while and if he’s fully committed, he will be a handful for whoever South Africa face next season. The goalkeeper, Rowen Fernandez and the full-back, Tsepo Masilela also did their reputations no harm with their performances. Three out of 11 ain’t good enough though, and unless South Africa improve drastically before next June, they’re not getting out of their group, doesn’t matter where they play or who they draw….