A laboured, one dimensional performance and a streaky win.
We started well. There was some good movement from Jed and Billy down the right, some similar play down the left with Molly and Saville and Smith was playing a good role as a target man. Benik was running well but rarely got onto the second ball from Smith. They were pressing well and being aggressive in the middle but not really looking a threat. The game changed after 15 minutes. A good through ball to Benik caught their defence napping. He was beyond their last defender who pulled him back. The ref had no choice but to send the lad off for an early bath. All my mates said that we should get the ref to change his mind and get them back to eleven but he wasn’t listening. Every body knows that we are poor against ten and today proved the case. Sadly our tactics didn’t change. My mate described it six or seven passes along the back line and then a hoof forward to Smith, and he wasn’t far wrong. There was a decent chance to Benik and some promising moves forward. We pressed them hard at the back but we just couldn’t make that telling pass or get the run of the ball in the box and the half finished goal less.
I was sure that GR would make changes at the break. What was the point of playing five at the back when they really only had one attacker? Surely play a back four, put Mahoney on in the middle and press them back. We carried on in the same vein in the second half and some good forward movement and some good pressing. And then the inevitable happened. We had a good press forward but lost the ball and they moved like lightning through our middle. Their midfielder took it past two or three in the middle, laid off a good pass inside. Bart came out, parried the shot but it fell back to the attacker who slotted it home. Their mob went nuts. One up with thirty five to go and with only ten men. Finally we changed formation with thirty to go. Off went Billy Mitchell, we went a back four and on came Mahoney. Our movement forward was better and we threatened more. earlier we did get the ball in the back of the net but there was a push in the box and Saville’s header was ruled out. We continued to press and the fruits of our labours was a free kick just outside the box. Molly and Jed shaped up to take it but it was Jed who hit the sweetest of free kicks into the top left for 1-1. We continued to press and Mahoney looked a threat down the left. A decent cross was cleared by their outstanding defender number 21 who was here there and everywhere all afternoon. Right at the death we scored the winner. A Mahoney corner went out to the right and Jed hit it straight back in. There was Cooper to rise unchallenged to head it home and make it 2-1. The Den erupted and their mob was silenced. We saw out the added five with no drama.
Bart played well, had little to do and tried hard to keep out their only shot on goal but was unfortunate to concede. Billy was steady at RWB and put in a couple of decent crosses. Ballard was class for all 95 minutes. Murray was solid and Cooper played well and took his goal well. Molly was lively but never really threatened all the time. Dutch was solid and aggressive and Saville had his good and average moments. MOM was Jed. His goal was top drawer and he had a great last ten minutes where he looked a real threat on the left. Smith was a decent target man but his good work came to very little. Benik had some good movement and work rate but also fell over when it really mattered.
All in all a very welcome three points. A clueless manager took a little too long to change tactics but eventually found the winning formula with a streaky win. They all count!
We started well. There was some good movement from Jed and Billy down the right, some similar play down the left with Molly and Saville and Smith was playing a good role as a target man. Benik was running well but rarely got onto the second ball from Smith. They were pressing well and being aggressive in the middle but not really looking a threat. The game changed after 15 minutes. A good through ball to Benik caught their defence napping. He was beyond their last defender who pulled him back. The ref had no choice but to send the lad off for an early bath. All my mates said that we should get the ref to change his mind and get them back to eleven but he wasn’t listening. Every body knows that we are poor against ten and today proved the case. Sadly our tactics didn’t change. My mate described it six or seven passes along the back line and then a hoof forward to Smith, and he wasn’t far wrong. There was a decent chance to Benik and some promising moves forward. We pressed them hard at the back but we just couldn’t make that telling pass or get the run of the ball in the box and the half finished goal less.
I was sure that GR would make changes at the break. What was the point of playing five at the back when they really only had one attacker? Surely play a back four, put Mahoney on in the middle and press them back. We carried on in the same vein in the second half and some good forward movement and some good pressing. And then the inevitable happened. We had a good press forward but lost the ball and they moved like lightning through our middle. Their midfielder took it past two or three in the middle, laid off a good pass inside. Bart came out, parried the shot but it fell back to the attacker who slotted it home. Their mob went nuts. One up with thirty five to go and with only ten men. Finally we changed formation with thirty to go. Off went Billy Mitchell, we went a back four and on came Mahoney. Our movement forward was better and we threatened more. earlier we did get the ball in the back of the net but there was a push in the box and Saville’s header was ruled out. We continued to press and the fruits of our labours was a free kick just outside the box. Molly and Jed shaped up to take it but it was Jed who hit the sweetest of free kicks into the top left for 1-1. We continued to press and Mahoney looked a threat down the left. A decent cross was cleared by their outstanding defender number 21 who was here there and everywhere all afternoon. Right at the death we scored the winner. A Mahoney corner went out to the right and Jed hit it straight back in. There was Cooper to rise unchallenged to head it home and make it 2-1. The Den erupted and their mob was silenced. We saw out the added five with no drama.
Bart played well, had little to do and tried hard to keep out their only shot on goal but was unfortunate to concede. Billy was steady at RWB and put in a couple of decent crosses. Ballard was class for all 95 minutes. Murray was solid and Cooper played well and took his goal well. Molly was lively but never really threatened all the time. Dutch was solid and aggressive and Saville had his good and average moments. MOM was Jed. His goal was top drawer and he had a great last ten minutes where he looked a real threat on the left. Smith was a decent target man but his good work came to very little. Benik had some good movement and work rate but also fell over when it really mattered.
All in all a very welcome three points. A clueless manager took a little too long to change tactics but eventually found the winning formula with a streaky win. They all count!
