Slough vs AFC Hayes

[GarySTFC]

Line ups:

 

Jamie Jackson 1. Dean Thornton

Adam Durrant 2. Nick Walters

Ryan Fenton 3. Gilbert Nwako

Ricky Allaway 4. Youssef Metwali

Eamonn McConigley 5. Nick Turner

Rory Smith 6. Ross Akir

James Pritchard © 7. Jay Periera ©

Chris Fermie 8. Danny Tilbury

Byron Bubb 9. Dean Papali

Matthew Platt 10. Dean Clark

Yashwa Romeo 11. Trevor Charlery

Lee Riddell 12. Victor Osubu

Carl Dennison 13/17 James Harry

Dean Harper 14. Raydie Harewod

Tom Attrell 15. Ted Day

Stan Mugisha 16 Kevin Chakoada

 

[GarySTFC]

Bubb has hit the post after going through and has just put one over after Platt squared.

[GarySTFC]

AFC have a good shot across goal which sees Jacko dive low to his left, but the ball goes wide.

[GarySTFC]

AFC Hayes one up. Great solo goal, past two and tucking the ball across goal into the top corner.

[GarySTFC]

Slough Town 0-1 AFC Hayes HT.

 

Slough have had more of the territory, but are resorting to long balls far too easily and with no aerial presence upfront, Hayes are easily defending many of the Slough attacks.

[GarySTFC]

Two quick goals, Hayes first then an own goal. Slough 1-2 AFC.

[GarySTFC]

Finished 2-3. Late goal from Harper to make it 2-3.

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

Poor game from Slough, Durrant hade a nightmare, ref sent the wrong hayes player off(same player who scored own goal- not a good night for him!) and then most of their management - but only over the wall of the dugout.

 

Result reflected the effort, and still some players on the Slough team need to look at the effort and commitment they put in!

 

3 points lost!!!!!

[A Rebel and a Saint]

Disappointing. We started quite well and had some good chances but we just couldn't take them and we got punished for it.

We cannot play the long ball game at all, the ball needs to be kept on the floor and passed around that is when we look best.

Yash was good again he just keeps going, and Harper showed he is the only one who can win a header in the box when attacking, and should be put back into the team for Saturday.

We seem to be getting back into that losing habit again and the confidence is dropping. Picking up some points in the next few games should hopefully turn that around, but our heads drop a bit if we don't score first.

Need a good performance on Saturday, come on the Rebels.

[Chris]

Poor. In fairness to AFC Hayes I thought they were OK and had some tricky wingers, but we were not good.

 

Have to get some things off my chest though as i'm frustrated:

 

- Bubb plays behind the two strikers in a 4-3-3 again, but it did not work. Why not ask Byron to go wide right and switch to 4-4-2 at any point?

 

- We played high balls to the strikers all night, no play from midfield. So if you are going to do this why not stick Harper up front or Allaway last 20 mins?

 

- Why not swap Fenton and McGoinigly around. He is better going forward than Fenton and Fenton more comfortable at centre back. Fenton does not get forward enough at left wing back as does Durrant at right, so as a result were often left with two in midield when we play 3 up front at times against 4.

 

- Central Midfield was again too slow. We need to be quicker in that area. I still don't think Fermie and Pritch are a good partnetship there. We need energy in there. Someone who will be all over the pitch and in your face.

 

- Harris situation baffles me completely and I have not spoke to one person who understands it. We sign a player who has been one of our best players in recent years (at a higher level) and a player who played in a conference south play-off final last year and we send him out on loan? Fair enough if were winning and playing well, but were not

 

- Lee Riddell is a central midfielder. If he plays then please play him there. He's no right-back. Durrant comes off and Riddell comes on despite Harper sitting on the bench and him being our first choice right-back at the start of the season.

 

- Could anyone not 'let' the AFC tricky wingers know they were there. Give them a tackle, then they may have not been so interested all night

 

Rant over for now!

[Tom]

Very disappointed with tonights result and performance. It was terrible, unable to pass, control or take a decent dead ball.

 

Frankly I've had enough of pathetic performances already this season and for me the pressure is now on Sweetman to produce results. I'm sure hes going to come out with some sort of excuse, blaiming injuries, the officials (admittedly they did balls up some decisions and the sending off) and the weather.

 

The team out there was from my point of view good enough to win tonight. But the team was poor and I doubt he will come out and say that.

 

Why was Fenton playing left wing back when McConigley quite clearly is better at getting forward?

Why did we continue to play long ball by passing the midfield to strikers who cannot win headers?

Why did Harper not start from the beginning?

Why did we not move Bubb to the right and perhaps try a different approach?

 

So much for not being in a relegation battle, cos at the moment we are 2 points off of being in one with teams below us having games in hand.

[Martin]

Totally agree with the comments from Chris and Tom. Woeful performance and utterly baffling selection.

 

The number of occasions particularly in the first half when a Slough player had the ball at his feet and space in front of him they just hacked the ball aimlessly forward gifting possession away instead of carrying the ball and waiting for others to make space or decent runs was unbelievable.

 

It is shocking to say that a 3-2 defeat flatters us, we were on our heels and all over the place.

 

 

[Reading Rebel]

Have to disagree Chris, we started the game in a 5-3-2 formation with supposedly 2 wingbacks, Fenton and Durrant. It was patently obvious after the first half that it was not working because Pritchard and Fermie were being out-numbered, over-run by some quick AFC players and being made to look ordinary.

 

So, expect Sweetman to have spotted this and make changes for the second half to bolster the midfield by perhaps resorting to a 4-4-2 formation by pushing MConigley into the middle but no chance, we start the second half with the same formation and guess what - we get more of the same.

 

Can someone tell me WHY Sweetman keeps persisting with the wing-back system because IT IS NOT WORKING.

 

 

[Matt]

I thought that was disgusting tonight, not just the performance and result against yet another average side, but the fact that we're still playing the same old system and it ain't working.

 

How disappointing is it that we have a team which is miles better than last season, yet we're slipping towards the bottom yet again. It's a waste considering the players we have at the club. Sweetman needs to sort it out big time. I think confidence is a problem and now I'm doubting if the management can motivate them and instil confidence in them.

 

Still, be thankful we weren't playing Truro tonight. They won 9-1 at Andover.

[Martin]

Confidence is a big problem, we go a goal down and it is as if we run up the white flag and consider the game to be over. None of the players seem to be eager or confident on the ball and just want to get rid of it (honourable exceptions in the front two and yes Lee Riddell who at least wants the ball and trys).

 

A good side is built on a sound defence. Yet despite playing five defenders and a holding midfielder we conceded three and have the worst defence in the league. Something is very wrong.

[Chris]

Quote:

Have to disagree Chris, we started the game in a 5-3-2 formation with supposedly 2 wingbacks, Fenton and Durrant. It was patently obvious after the first half that it was not working because Pritchard and Fermie were being out-numbered, over-run by some quick AFC players and being made to look ordinary.

Yes I agree! I've got 4-3-3 on the mind when I don't mean it. I mean 5-2-3 (which is effectively what we've been playing with Jordan/Bubb dropping a bit deeper)

[Mr Rebel]

we just dont seem to have any ideas if the 11 that start aint working

 

where was the leadership on or off the pitch??

 

quite how Sweetman sees it fit to not even appear to change anything on the pitch i do not know

 

the attacking choice of bringing on Attrell came once the game was over at 3-1. sorry TOO LATE!!! it was the same at Windsor. a bold manager would have took the risk and switched players about

 

cant really fault the 2 strikers who kept running but yet again were on a hiding to nothing with no service at all

 

no disrespect to AFC Hayes but they really werent all that great and yet we were much much worse. defensively and in goal Hayes were dreadful yet we made 4 chances at most all game

 

WTF was some of that play from us in the backline?? we played more passes in our own box than anywhere on the f'n pitch. 2nd goal was a disgraceful goal to give away

 

i thought the times of the slough fans being annoyed and visibly angry at a performance like last season was over but nope.

 

we better quickly realise it. WE ARE IN TROUBLE

[Tom]

Is it no coincidence that our best run of results this season came with us playing a straight 4-4-2 system?

 

With the wing backs we just get caught time after time when the team goes forward, especially tonight against a team with fast forwards just like against Windsor.

 

I'd like to see

 

Jackson

Harper Evans Allaway Fenton

Bubb Pritchard Brown McConigley

Platt Jordan

 

And with that we have good options from the bench too, Durrant can play on the right and Harper moving in the middle. Romeo could play on the right and Fermie in the middle for Brown.

 

Its just so frustrating that we have a good bunch of players, and its quite obvious that a good amount of money is being spent too but failures to realise this is costing us.

[Matt]

My main frustration is that individually I think most of the players we have are decent players. They just don't look capable of playing properly as a team. The formation and way we play just have to change.

 

It's a shame the season's going to peter out unless things change very soon. I like many others had hoped for a play-off challenge but that's just looking ridiculous at the moment - 3 wins from 12 games just isn't good enough all things considered, and there are few excuses left.

[Wizard( RWG )]

Well all the above have said it all,with all the questions they have posed about tonights performance ( or lack of)each and everyone of you have, without actually saying it pointed at the root cause of the trouble, and I am afraid its what I have said all along(sorry)THE MANAGEMENT are not up to the task.They have no idea on formations or what to do when things are going wrong,to my ears they don't seem to encourage or bollock from the side lines much at all.They certainly as said above do not know some of the players best positions or more to the point how to get the best out of them.Also losing at home to very poor teams shows you what state we are in.

To me the answer would be to maybe cut back a bit on some of the playing squad ( at least wages wise-for certain they are not earning it are they ?)and invest in a proven manager.When you look at windsor's manager Keith Scott(as an example) at least he has played in the football league and played under some good managers- where or what as Sweetman and friends done.

I agree with Chris the Harris affair seems ridiculous !