Beaconsfield

[manurgrate]

We seem to be like a householder who is busy insulating their loft whilst there is a ****dy great hole in the roof! Once again we played some really attractive flowing football and carved out good chances. It is all rather pointless, in more ways than one, when we keep conceding so many goals ( and all very preventable).

 

I wonder if we need to go all negative for a while, play a sweeper behind the back four and just leave one up front. If we can scrape a 0-0 maybe it will help to draw a line under this dreadful start to the season and give the players a little bit of confidence.

[Swifty]

My previous lack of comment had nothing to do with a protest, and everything to do with my home PC crashing and being out of commission for a fortnight, and my waiting to get back to work to use their computer!

 

That first half was painful. We were lightweight against a streetwise and very ordinary SYCOB team who were allowed to get away with foul after foul by a lettuce of a ref. The only players who came out with any real credit from the first half were Perry and especially Qas, who apparently played 45 minutes while ill and, if so, he played a blinder, mopping everything up while suffering numerous half-second-late challenges by Brian Haule, who put in as much effect on Tuesday as he used to do in six games combined for us.

 

The introduction at half time of Cyril and notably Jamie, and probably some hairdryer treatment by Burgo, saw a much better second half. Much more like the old Ashford. We found some mettle, gained confidence, got in SYCOB’s faces, and gave them some of their own medicine and they didn’t like it. When Joe scored we had them arguing amongst themselves while 3-1 up, and we were playing well enough to have an outside chance of a point. That chance was lost when Joe was subbed. I just don’t get it. Players who’ve run their socks off and / or scored goals recently have been subbed (Bitz at Chertsey, Lynchy against Cockfosters, Hughesy on Tuesday) while - how can I put this diplomatically? - less effective players are allowed to last the whole game week after week, maybe to give them more game time to break the bad spell?

 

Still, there were positives. Jamie’s exactly the sort of roustabout midfielder we’ve cried out for, Harry Driver looks a future captain too – a handful of senior games and he was bellowing orders and encouragement like a gnarled old campaigner – and Joe Lynch was a star. Clattered by another awful foul, painfully clutching his ribs, he still ran sixty yards at the end to hurry up their keeper. If only that attitude could be infectious. That lad’s the future of the club.

 

Many thanks to Alan Constable for sponsoring a pint and programme for me. Unexpected, lovely touch. I’ve suggested to Alan that, if there’s a surplus of Pitbull’s superb casserole after the interval in future, we sell it to spectators in the second half at two quid a portion (maybe £2.50 with some bread to mop up the gravy?) to get some more coffers in and avoid such cruel wastage.