"Genuine play-off potential"

[Coffin Ender]

Neutral report from a blogger on Wednesday's game. Some surprising observations on the game itself but interesting nonetheless. I've cut and pasted it but the link is here: http://isthmianleagu...2.blogspot.com/

 

METROPOLITAN POLICE 1, MARGATE 3.

 

My first look at The Gate, tipped by Met manager Jim Cooper to win the league, even though they were 50/1 when the bookies initially went up a few weeks before the season.

The clubs sat next to each other in the middle of the table. Margate had two wins, two draws and two defeats; the Rozzers had won three and lost three, after a superb win at Bury Town on Saturday.

Again, no fancy formations, with each team lining-up in a bog-standard 4-4-2.

Within three minutes, Rozzers striker Craig Hughes, playing in midfield, was penalised for a challenge in which he came off considerably the worse. Down for a good four minutes, he was eventually stretchered off. Fractured tibia and fibula. Ouch!

A messenger came down from the tannoy box to enquire who the injured player was. Hughes's identity was relayed to Young Mr. Grace at the mike. Young Mr. Grace wrongly announced Dan Gwyther as the sub. Sigh!

It's a shame it wasn't Constable Brown or Sergeant Jeffrey who broke their leg. I mean that simply from the viewpoint of practicality, of course. Poor Hughes will presumably be off work and on Statutory Sick Pay. I'm confident police officers are as well remunerated for sitting on their backsides whilst sick as they are when sitting on their backsides whilst in uniform.

Elliott Taylor replaced Hughes, going to right-back, with Jack Page moving into midfield.

Margate took the lead not long after the resumption of play. Striker Kwesi Appiah did well to force Orlando Jeffrey into conceding a corner. Matt Bodkin's delivery was cleared, but the second ball was rounded-up by Liam Coleman, who stroked it back to the taker. Bodkin's cross was met by a thumping near-post header from striker Tom Bradbrook, which gave Met keeper Jamie Butler no chance. One-nil the Gate.

The lead lasted only four minutes. Gate centre-half Dean Pooley failed to deal with a hoof, letting in Staforde Palmer, who deftly chipped the stranded Jack Smelt in the Kent goal to equalise.

Having been second-best for the opening twenty minutes, the Police, who had seemed to be missing Dave Bryan's presence in midfield, began to take control.

The hulking Steve Harper produced a nice piece of control, held off a defender and narrowly failed to get sufficient elevation on his chip for goal to beat Smelt.

Palmer, who'd wriggled free in the inside-right channel, fired a good chance low and wide from twelve yards.

It goes without saying that Tony Finn again presented the biggest threat to the Met's opponents. One junking run saw him cut right, then go left, and finished with a low shot from just inside the box that Smelt did well to keep out.

Smelt was the key word as I walked past the Gate dugout. Boss Chris Kinnear has the air of a schoolmaster as he prowls the technical area. By that I mean that he looks as if he's trying to find someone to flog with a gymshoe or cane, rather than emitting a scholarly aura like Monsieur Wenger. He looked disapprovingly over his shoulder as a loud, "Uurrrrgghh!" emanated from the bench behind him. A couple of subs quickly rose and ducked around the side of the plexiglass. I'm confident that the Alex Ferguson disciplinary code would levy punitive fines for letting rip with a bench-clearing fart in the Old Trafford dugout, but Kinnear just gave the subs a stern look and redirected his glare back towards the nearest official. I don't think the farter was identified.

The Gate occasionally looked dangerous on the break, but it came as a surprise when they retook the lead. A Dean Hill throw arrived untidily at the feet of Bodkin. Back to goal, he hooked it high over his shoulder. Under little pressure, left-back Chris Bourne made a hames of controlling or clearing the ball. (I'm not sure which he was attempting.) It fell at the feet of Appiah, just a couple of yards out, and was scrambled into the net.

Gate midfielder Liam Coleman limped off, to be replaced by Adam Burchell on the left.

Hughes had been down for more than four minutes. Coleman was down for one. Referee Mr. Evans booked Gate's Curtis Robinson & Craig Cloke, as well as Tony Finn for the hosts, and all three received lectures with the card. There were two substitutions. I wondered how much time the referee would add on. The board went up for three minutes. He added 3:30. At all levels of the game, it's as if injuries and stoppages in the first half don't count.

 

The Met could count themselves unlucky to be behind at the break. They opened the second period looking likely to rectify the situation. In the first minute Finn crossed and a scramble resulted in the ball breaking to Palmer, whose low drive was brilliantly tipped around his left post by Smelt. The keeper then watched a dangerous header fly wide at a free-kick.

Margate sealed the points, very much against the run of play, when the Police untidily cleared the ball in a Gate attack down the right. It was chipped back in to Robinson, just to the left of the D and he jinked right to hit a fierce, low shot from five yards outside the box. At his near post, Butler will feel that he ought to have got more beef behind his parry across goal. Bodkin raced in and narrowly beat a lunging defender to turn the loose ball home from four yards out. Three-one.

That seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Blues.

A poor Met defensive header allowed Gate midfielder Richard Avery to send a low cross through the home area. Appiah's far-post slide narrowly failed to connect when a touch was all that was needed for the fourth. A low Harper shot, easily saved by Smelt, was all the Met could muster in response.

Carl Wilson-Denis arrived for Harper and put himself about, but could only manage one shot on target and that was straight at Smelt.

The referee found eight minutes of added time in the second half, but the Kent defence cruised comfortably through them and the visitors and the points happily headed down the A2. Indeed, the best chance of the added minutes fell to the Kent team, when they were again first to a half-cleared corner: Robinson chipping the ball back in to Bradbrook, whose deft chip went straight into Butler's arms. He should have done better.

For the second midweek running, I saw the Police look the better side for a sizeable chunk of a game and lose. They should string a run of positive results together soon and I'm still confident they'll finish above halfway.

The Gate looked a very professional outfit, with scratch pairing Robinson and Avery winning the midfield battle. They look to be a side with genuine play-off potential.

 

 

MET. POLICE 1 (Palmer 19')

MARGATE 3 (Bradbrook 15', Appiah 40', Bodkin 54')

 

Met. Police: (4-4-2)

Jamie Butler; Jack Page, Orlando Jeffrey, Steve Sutherland, Chris Bourne; Craig Brown, Craig Hughes, Tyron Smith, Tony Finn; Steve Harper, Staforde Palmer. Subs - Elliott Taylor (for Hughes 7'), Carl Wilson-Denis (for Harper 65'), Dan Gwyther (for Sutherland 80').

 

Margate: (4-4-2)

Jack Smelt; Laurence Ball, Dean Pooley, Craig Cloke, Dean Hill; Matt Bodkin, Richard Avery, Curtis Robinson, Liam Coleman; Tom Bradbrook, Kwesi Appiah. Subs - Adam Burchell (for Coleman 43'), Dean Grant (for Appiah 89').

 

Referee: C. Evans.

Attendance 138.

Edited September 17, 2011 by Coffin Ender

[michael]

Thanks for posting that-great report.

 

i similarly saw the hendon game-and not too sure i would come to the same conclusion !!

 

The top teams will be the most consistent-and we certainly are not one of those !!

 

Is 'potential the most over used word in football.

every team has the potential to be a play off contender-but most won't make it.

 

I have the 'potential to be chancellor of the exchequer-but will not work hard enough or join a political party-so i won't be chancellor.

 

Anyone has potential to do anything.

 

I also believe there is no point in being in the play-offs unless you win the damn thing (i guess you have to be in it to win it though in fairness ) No prizes for just making the play-offs.

Much better to win the league outright in 2012/13.

 

meanwhile-reaching the semi finals of the FA Cup would do for this season

[Bill in USA]

got the attendance wrong!!

[Dutch_Mike]

Granted, Michael, we were poor against Hendon. But, as you so often point out that 'one swallow does not make a summer', one poor performance does not make a bad team. We were good at Horsham, very good. We were good yesterday, at home to Tooting. Although we weren't brilliant against Aveley, a 3-0 win should not be quaffed at. We could (and probably should) have won at Hastings, and a point at Wealdstone is always a good result.

 

To expect us to perform well in every game is unrealistic. Although I think playoffs may be a tad optimistic, I am confident we will be mid-table at worse. And, if we are around 10th or so come February, it only takes a few wins, and the playoffs are easily attainable.

 

Always good to see a neutral's perspective, though.