Contrasting displays so frustrating
I’VE got good news and bad news.
The good is that we have a team capable of playing great football, some of the best we’ve seen for several seasons – the 6-0 win against Southport was without doubt the drubbing we’ve been threatening to deliver since we went non-league.
Goals apart, we played the seasiders off the pitch, the passing was sumptuous the forward play was brilliant, we dominated the possession and restricted them to pot shots from distance.
It’s easy to say that they were down to 10 men but even before the sending off we were in total control of the game.
It was a great feeling to at last witness the fast, flowing football Jim has said this team was able to deliver.
I don’t know how Jason Oswell was given man of the match as every player could have taken the award, can you give the man of the match award to the whole team?
Then there’s the bad news.
At York we reverted to type. On the dreariest of afternoons we couldn’t string two passes together, for a time we couldn’t get out of our half and when we did the strikers couldn’t lose their markers and the ball just came back our way.
I’m not saying that the Minstermen were great but they had done their homework and sussed us out.
They nullified our midfield and man marked Oswell and Darren Stephenson while at the back we were unable to deal with Big John Parkin.
Their opening goal came from a defensive mistake, a corner ball drops onto the foot of the only un-marked man in the box and all he had to do is flick the ball goalwards.
Their second was a goal of quality, a curled shot from the right from ex-County man Morgan-Smith that was worthy of winning any game.
The afternoon got worse when Michael Clarke was stretchered off with a dislocated knee that looks like he’ll be out of the side for a month or so.
Trying to find any positives from the game is hard but I have one – Adam Thomas came on for the last 15 minutes and looked like he could change the game. He had the composure and commitment that just might be needed to re-ignite the season, starting last night at Telford.