Eastbourne Commentary

[kaizen]

It's a weird league this season isn't it! You couldn't bet on anyone winning!

[Alan W (GNFC)]

2 points dropped tonight - Eastbourne only made one foray into our area in the second half (from which they might have scored if the shot had been cleanly hit rather than simply bobbled into Lance's arms)and looked very tired through the second half.

 

We werent at our best though and Stacy & Ricko had poor games by their standards.

 

Darius had another very strong performance though & Kweshi did well for the majority of the 60 minutes he had on the pitch.

 

Gash took his chance well.

 

Ref was poor again - often left players perplexed by hisdecisions - to be fair he tried to play the advantage where possible, but then ended up blowing up for the foul anyway.

 

Looked as though Moore should have had a penalty right at the death and we thought we'd won it with a header which the keeper did brilliantly to fingertip round the post.

 

We need to start winning these games though if we are to challenge for promotion.

 

One other slightly disappointing aspect was the crowd was only 1120 - especially as there were quite a few Eastbourne there (at least 100 I thought and possibly 150?)

 

Still, at least we're still only 6 points off the top and just 3 off 2nd, so its not a disastrous result.

[Hempstead Gaz]

In honesty, that was a pretty poor performance - a number of players looked well out of sorts, a couple were out of position, and luckily 3 or 4 were outstanding.

Luke was wasted deep on the right wing - he ought to have been alongside Gash from the start, with Appiah wide.

Ricko, Stacey and Bazza looked well short, and Gash, Moore Darius and Hand spared us the indignity of losing.

 

[The Doctor]

HG and Alan pretty much summed up what I thought, they looked very tired, but defended really well. Luke and Darius were our two best players I thought. Gash was very quiet I thought, he took his goal well but that was about it. Although, he was held throughout the game, similar to the Lewes game.

 

The save at the end was amazing, it was in all the way, until out of nowhere hook gets down to the bottom corner and gets a strong hand on it and puts it round the post. Save of the season so far.

 

Definately thought we should have had the pen, Luke was brought down just as he was about to unleash his shot.

[Albie78]

Luke was probably my man of the match tonight he did a lot of running off the ball and getting into spaces. ricketts and long had poor games tonight, and please stacey sort out your corners because 1 in 4 corners reach the goalmouth the others don't even make it to the front post. kwesi appiah had a good game on saturday but i think he should slowly break into the starting line up, because i felt kezie didn't deserve to be dropped to the bench.

[Stonebridge Red]

Luke moores workrate was exceptional and should have got Man Of The Match! I can't understand the reasons behind Gash getting it, apart from the goal he did very little and just sat waiting for the ball, instead of trying to make things happen. Gash is a very good signing, but last night was his worst game since signing on for 'The Fleet'. We definitely should have had at least One penalty in the last couple of minutes, Moore was hacked down when about to shoot from a couple of yards out and Gash was barged off the ball in the area a few seconds later. Credit to Eastbourne though, they were lively and looked a decent side, they will stay up this Season and will be very difficult to beat at their place.

[ColtheJock]

This was only the second game I have got to this season, I concur with most of the comments above, the only thing I will say is that in the years I have been going I have stood beside the same group of people. We all were wondering last night why Stacy Long does not get dropped. He did nothing, his corners were rubbish and he does not give the team width. We should have had a penalty right at the end, but the ref was not at the races for the whole game. And you can only applaud the keeper's save at the death as well. It is a long season, and my only concern is about the taking of chances, does anyone feel we need another striker!!!! :-)

[ahsatan]

Not sure we need a striker, we look a different team when we actually play football and dont rely on the big hoof upfield.There was a point in the first half where we strung 8 or 9 passes together ( all on the ground ) culminating in a shot on goal,which is the type of football i am sure we all want to see. We play into too many teams hands by lumping the ball forward to Gash who either has no one reading the knock on or he gives away a free kick for backing in, either way we lose possession and the ball ends up at the feet of our back four and the process starts again !!

Hand has brought a new dimension to us, just need others to follow his example.

I thought Eastbourne looked a good side when they attacked us with pace in the first half, but they tired quite quickly in the second.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Spot on, Ahsatan. If only we could have the confidence to play like that for the entire game, we would be thrashing teams like Woking and Eastbourne.

Don't know if it is a confidence thing, but at the moment, the only player in the team remotely interested in playing a passing game, is Hand. Until such time as Lance starts throwing the ball to the full backs, or to Hand, playing just in front of the defence, we will always resort to the futile and ineffective route 1 lump forward.

I cannot recall Ricko having such a poor game as last night, positionally, and distribution were awful.

I was surprised Pooley didn't replace him tbh.In Moore we have the club's leading scorer (before last night 5 from 9 games), which is our 25 goal a season striker.

Why then was he playing wide right, especially after Appiah came on in that very position on Saturday and looke the business?

The evidence was there for all to see, as soon as Moore moved up front, we created a hatful of great chances, denied only by some inspired goalkeeping.

 

 

[bilbo baggins]

Definitely 2 points dropped against an Eastbourne team who had a lot of character and should easily stay on on this showing.

 

They played well in first half but were there for the taking in the 2nd half. We need to show more quality all round and wasted so much possession it was untrue.

 

Puts pressure on us to pick up points this saturday at Barrow and at Altrincham the following one.

[Richard C]

Eastbourne looked good... They will be fine and will beat a few teams.

 

We looked awful and if it was anybody's first game watching they will not be back. For 80 minutes we were w***. For the last 10 we murdered them!! BUT that will not get us near the play offs. Another 2 points dropped, a bad performance from a few players (that need to be dropped to prove they arent always first on sheet!!) and an awful gate. We are not good enough for the play offs - there you go ive said it now!!

 

All in all i'll try to consign this to the back of the mind and not dwell on it too much!!

[Hempstead Gaz]

We are not good enough for the play offs if we continue to play that ghastly route one, lump it up the field stuff.

We will not make the play offs if selected players who are underperforming by their own high standards are seemingly exempted from dropping (Hawkins, Purcell and Shakes seem to have been dropped).

We WILL make the play offs still if we concentrate on playing the effective crisp passing game that we have all seen we CAN play, and leave out those who are out of form.

[Special K]

Good game although a bit stressful due to that bloody ref. Came away with only two minor annoyances 1)The Fleet not managing to get that all important winner that they deserved and 2) Not getting out of the way in time of that Michael Gash free kick that sailed wide and thus being winded by it^^ Ah well I see the funny side of the last one^^

[Richard C]

so did we!!!!

[GNFC1946]

The ref was truly shocking last night!

 

Anyone know what has happened to James Smith? Has he been dropped???

[hopeful]

I thought gash had a reasonable game,he came to us as a goal scorer not a target man, to start with hes not tall enough, eastbournes number 6 was at least 6ins taller.Hes proved to us that with the ball at his feet, in front of goal, he can find the net.What we need is to stop hoofing it out of defence, use the wings, get to the line and cross it to gash.Weve got a lot of pace in the team,we need to use it.Talking of pace did you see appiah head the ball on the leftside of of the area across goal, then with no fleet player to receive it he chased after it and almost beat the keeper to it out on the rightside of the area, shades of henry there.I think this boys going to be a bit special.

[Albie78]

it was very funny.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Back on topic..............I didn't hear the game as the BBC did their usual, "change the link",bullshine. Why the hell can't they leave things alone?

Lord Chas.........Have a word!

[bsmith]

Yeah, needs to be fixed. Why there can't just be a simple standardised easy way to listen I don't know.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

It seems as if the BBC are the only people not to understand ,that Ebbsfleet have overseas supporters/fans!