Eastbourne FA Trophy 18th Dec 2021

[SloughFlyer]

What a great performance today. The whole team can be proud of the work rate, effort and quality shown against a side that "did us" a few weeks ago.

MoM - Michael Edegbe - thought he looked excellent. Made some excellent saves and his decision making was first class. Had no chance with their goal and 1 of 6/7 that could have had a shout at MoM today.

Thought the defence was a solid as ever and special mention to Sean Fraser who after a few long balls to start with pocketed their left winger

Midfield was excellent, worked hard and Scott Davies vision and execution for the quick free kick for Tenconi's goal was brilliant. Also looking  forward to seeing the Max Worsfield free kick again.

My pick for MoM was Alfonso Tenconi up front. The way he took the goal was first class and every time the ball went near him the defenders were worried.

A few "other" points.....

Amazing to see the support for Warren Harris before and during the game. A true Slough star.

I hope everything is OK with Neil as didn't see him at the game today?

God knows what was up with the Eastbourne manager and his bench team. Looked like he had got coal in his stocking from Santa already from the first whistle. Been a long time since we have seen a bench moan as much as they did today. Still, best answer is always a 3-1 win?.

Onto the next round and a big well done to everyone involved today.

Edited December 18, 2021 by SloughFlyer

[Reading Rebel]

The effort and commitment put in today by all the players was first class with a place in the next round of the Trophy the reward for their efforts.

Both sides created a lot of chances throughout the game, the only difference being that we converted 3 of them whilst Eastbourne were kept at bay by some good defending and some crucial saves from Michael Edegbe.

I was impressed with the Eastbourne attack especially in the first half where they caused us all sorts of problems especially down our right hand side with their pace and movement.

I thought Max Worsfold was excellent today, ran his socks off and was rewarded with by far his best game of the season.

Looking forward to having a bit of luck in Monday's draw.

COYR!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Reading Rebel

[Reading Rebel]

From what I can find out I don't think the next round of the Trophy is regionalised.

Any tie at home apart from against an NLS side would do.

Of course ideally Wrexham, Stockport, Southend, Yeovil, Aldershot or Notts County (if they get through) at home to pack out AP.

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Reading Rebel

[SloughFlyer]

What money Dartford away??

[Curtis]

28 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

What money Dartford away??

The same as Larkhall at home

[Reading Rebel]

I was certain we had a player booked but this is not shown on the match report details. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Reading Rebel

[SloughFlyer]

5 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

I was certain we had a player booked but this is not shown on the match report details. 

We did, Goueth was booked 100% for a challenge on their left back about a minute after the actual foul as the ref played advantage.

[3spirit]

Just watched the candid interview with Unders, and it tickled me when he admitted Slough were a hard working,solid side but not necessarily a free scoring, over attacking team. Fancy telling me this now I have my half a season ticket ! ha ha !

Yesterday's report of the game, though, reads as if it was a good game to watch with both sides going at it from the off. Sounds like Wazza got a great send off,wish I could have been there to see it.

Apart from Slough Flyer, does any Slough forumites who saw the game yesterday,feel that Michael Edegbe deserves to play in the next game, or maybe a stint in the cup games? Certainly going to be a tricky decision for our joint managers. Not looking to stir up trouble for Jonathan North, just interested in what fans think of our younger keeper,having not seen him play myself.  

 

 

[Irishadrian]

Anyone have the declared attendance please?

[Irishadrian]

3 Spirit it's really down to Northy the management did indicate their intention to play him as first choice keeper till the seasons end and he is a first class keeper with a proven record but what if he has a couple of poor  games that cost points ? Its good that we have another excellent keeper!

[PaxtonLee]

It was an entertaining game, chances for both sides and Slough deservedly coming out on top.
 

Fair to say that Scott Davies is playing the best football of his Slough career? 

Alphonso was absolutely relentless. A great work ethic to go with his talent. The next stage, for me, as he gains more experience, is to play more with his head up and learn when to slow things down.

I’m not sniffy at all at making the most of Guy Hollis’s long throw but it seemed to be nearly every throw in their half yesterday rather than mixing it up more. It did wind up their bench though and kept the play at our pace, so it worked from that perspective but I’d like to see a bit more variety.

Edegbe did nothing to deserve not keeping the spot in my opinion, and that’s more a marker on his own performance than thoughts on North. He definitely had a presence. There were a couple of moments with the ball at his feet that he didn’t look as assured but certainly only a very minor observation.

 

 

[3spirit]

15 minutes ago, Irishadrian said:

3 Spirit it's really down to Northy the management did indicate their intention to play him as first choice keeper till the seasons end and he is a first class keeper with a proven record but what if he has a couple of poor  games that cost points ? Its good that we have another excellent keeper!

Thanks for the reply,Irishadrian. I've seen Jonathan North play many times [although not for a good while]. I know he is the first choice keeper and he would be mine,as I've not seen Michael play. What I am trying to glean from fans is whether on current form Michael is deserving of more games in the first team than he's getting? Or that shot stopping aside, he looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights when it comes to the bread and butter of a keepers duties ie commanding the goal area [for one so young] with crosses and getting in front of opposition players, his dead ball kicking, and his general all round game.

Young goalkeepers are agile and should be good shot stoppers, if they have anything about them but just having these qualities doesn't mean they are up to playing week in week out against seasoned semi pro's, however, it's the manager's job to ascertain if young players can thrive in the first team with a run of games. Sometimes it can work out well having two keepers vying for one position, and it doesn't have to mean the end of either at the club.

Bakes and Unders must have high hopes for Michael Edegbe and are using him sparingly but if as Slough Flyer alludes to that  Jonathan North is giving patchy performances, then perhaps Michael's time will come sooner than expected.

Sometimes it's better not to introduce a young keeper into first team action so soon.Who remembers Michael Parkin in the Slough goal? There was numerous fans wanting him in goal to oust the incumbent but after his initial good spells of form, when he did play week in,week out he was found wanting. He was not terrible but not the keeper everyone had hoped for, so for me we need to bear this in mind when we are looking for the right man between the posts.     

[Reading Rebel]

23 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Just watched the candid interview with Unders, and it tickled me when he admitted Slough were a hard working,solid side but not necessarily a free scoring, over attacking team. Fancy telling me this now I have my half a season ticket ! ha ha !

Yesterday's report of the game, though, reads as if it was a good game to watch with both sides going at it from the off. Sounds like Wazza got a great send off,wish I could have been there to see it.

Apart from Slough Flyer, does any Slough forumites who saw the game yesterday,feel that Michael Edegbe deserves to play in the next game, or maybe a stint in the cup games? Certainly going to be a tricky decision for our joint managers. Not looking to stir up trouble for Jonathan North, just interested in what fans think of our younger keeper,having not seen him play myself.  

 

 

As Unders alluded to in his interview, to win our fair share of games we have to be a solid workman like side rather than a free scoring attacking team.

Because of the resources we have at our disposal compared to other sides we have to mix it up but primarily try to stay solid.

Michael Edegbe is a very promising keeper and hopefully like a lot of keepers he will get even better with age and experience.

I think the best keepers command their area and are vocal which I'm sure Michael will do given time and when he becomes more experienced.

As we've said before all keepers make mistakes which at times will cost his side points but the better keepers will make the fewer mistakes and will for the vast majority of the time produce saves that will gain their team points.

Jon North has made some mistakes but he's also saved us on countless occasions so I see no reason why we would question whether he should be in goal for us.

     

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Reading Rebel

[SloughFlyer]

7 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

As Unders alluded to in his interview, to win our fair share of games we have to be a solid workman like side rather than a free scoring attacking team.

Because of the resources we have at our disposal compared to other sides we have to mix it up but primarily try to stay solid.

Michael Edegbe is a very promising keeper and hopefully like a lot of keepers he will get even better with age and experience.

I think the best keepers command their area and are vocal which I'm sure Michael will be given time and experience.

As we've said before all keepers make mistakes which at times will cost his side points but the better keepers will make fewer mistakes and will for the vast majority of the time produce saves that will gain their team points.

Jon North has made some mistakes but he's also saved us on countless occasions so I see no reason why we should question whether he should be in goal for us.

     

 

RR - as you happen to have bought this up, I read the comment about North "saving us on countless occasions" quite a bit last week. Couple of questions, 1 factual and 1 hypothetical:

1. What/when where these "countless" occasions?

2. On those "countless" occasions, do you think another keeper would have made the saves North did?

My example, as I used last week when asked about Jack Turner was the game against Chelmsford a couple of seasons back when he made probably the best save I've ever seen live in the first half and in a half we should have been 3/4 goals down in we went in 0-0 and won 1-0 carried on the back of Jack Turner.

Edited December 19, 2021 by SloughFlyer

[3spirit]

18 minutes ago, PaxtonLee said:

It was an entertaining game, chances for both sides and Slough deservedly coming out on top.
 

Fair to say that Scott Davies is playing the best football of his Slough career? 

Alphonso was absolutely relentless. A great work ethic to go with his talent. The next stage, for me, as he gains more experience, is to play more with his head up and learn when to slow things down.

I’m not sniffy at all at making the most of Guy Hollis’s long throw but it seemed to be nearly every throw in their half yesterday rather than mixing it up more. It did wind up their bench though and kept the play at our pace, so it worked from that perspective but I’d like to see a bit more variety.

Edegbe did nothing to deserve not keeping the spot in my opinion, and that’s more a marker on his own performance than thoughts on North. He definitely had a presence. There were a couple of moments with the ball at his feet that he didn’t look as assured but certainly only a very minor observation.

 

 

PaxtonLee, your observation about the constant use of Guy Hollis long throw has always been a bug bear of mine since Bakes and Unders arrived at our club. I totally agree with you on the need for variety but I believe Bakes and Unders love this tactic, as it covers some of the limitations of our side in open play,hence why they choose to use it a lot. They do tend towards percentage football, in that a lot of goals come from these long throws and crosses from the flanks.

A secret weapon of ours,it isn't ! Every opposition manager in our league will know what's coming when Guy Hollis runs over to the touchline to take the ball. Why they never get Guy to take a short one to a Slough player's foot or something ingenious, I don't know?

I've not yet seen Scott Davies play for Slough this season but I think you may be underselling his value in our team of the past. I know his best performances have been sporadic over the seasons with us but he's never been a mug player.Sometimes his best work has gone unnoticed, as fans tend to be spellbound by goalmouth action.

Going by what our managers and fans have said on our media platforms, Bakes and Unders seem to have clearly defined a role/position in the Slough team/formation that Scott has got to grips with, which is obviously suiting his game. I don't believe in the past that was always the case, or that Scott on occasion did himself any favours. In some of the hardworking Slough teams of the past seasons under the guidance of Neil and Jon, Scott could appear lazy and disinterested but talent he's always had in abundance. I used to wonder,back then, if we really knew how to play him.

It's fitting that Slough has gone back to a hardworking resilient side and this time around Scott is hungry to be involved and has the heart and desire to do well. Last time around he came to our club as a star player/big fish, and as a fit into those Bakes and Unders teams he could look a luxury in our side. That said the season we got promoted into this division he was one of our stand out players, and when the big games arrived he put in top performances. To me on his day he is class. He's matured as a player and I'm glad he's back to being an asset at our club.           

   

[Reading Rebel]

11 hours ago, SloughFlyer said:

RR - as you happen to have bought this up, I read the comment about North "saving us on countless occasions" quite a bit last week. Couple of questions, 1 factual and 1 hypothetical:

1. What/when where these "countless" occasions?

2. On those "countless" occasions, do you think another keeper would have made the saves North did?

My example, as I used last week when asked about Jack Turner was the game against Chelmsford a couple of seasons back when he made probably the best save I've ever seen live in the first half and in a half we should have been 3/4 goals down in we went in 0-0 and won 1-0 carried on the back of Jack Turner.

SF, I can't obviously remember every or even some of the saves Northy has made that stopped an almost certain goal but like most supporters I can recall thinking on several occasions 'that's a goal' and Northy has then pulled off an excellent save.

As you say whether another keeper would have made the same saves is hypothetical.

On Jack Turner I think every man and his dog who were either at the game or watched it on video remembers 'that save'.

It was one stand out save in the season but I'm sure Jack made countless other excellent saves that season but I can't remember or recall any of them I just know he made them.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Reading Rebel

[3spirit]

45 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

As Unders alluded to in his interview, to win our fair share of games we have to be a solid workman like side rather than a free scoring attacking team.

Because of the resources we have at our disposal compared to other sides we have to mix it up but primarily try to stay solid.

Michael Edegbe is a very promising keeper and hopefully like a lot of keepers he will get even better with age and experience.

I think the best keepers command their area and are vocal which I'm sure Michael will be given time and experience.

As we've said before all keepers make mistakes which at times will cost his side points but the better keepers will make fewer mistakes and will for the vast majority of the time produce saves that will gain their team points.

Jon North has made some mistakes but he's also saved us on countless occasions so I see no reason why we should question whether he should be in goal for us.

     

 

This season I'm just glad we've still got a team playing ! [after last season's nightmare]. Actual fact, the team we have put out and currently have, looks a decent assembly. The Under 23 side has certainly been a Godsend. This new winger/loan signing could be a good acquisition. Obviously sorry for Wazza and what has happened to him. He will be a big miss to our team.

A fresh face for a month or more,given his record,may be a smashing boost to our team, and an injection of something different to the norm. Looking forward to seeing them all back in action[sadly without Wazza]. 

On the goalkeeper front,isn't it funny how goalkeepers roles have changed over the years. Most were fairly silent when I first started watching football,and as a kid my hero was the unassuming gentle giant Pat Jennings.

I remember watching Paul Hyde in goal for Hayes and Yeading, and Wycombe Wanderers and thinking at the time what a great goalkeeper but what a loud mouth ! He went on to be an England Semi-Pro, and then quite a few goalkeepepers in non league football seemed to be like him. Slough wise, Jacko was probably our loudest. I think Gary McCann liked to be vocal,too.

Nowadays,keepers are being asked to perform almost like outfield players in the professional game,which will obviously feed down to lower leagues eventually ie being good on the floor with their feet and punching most of the balls rather than catching them. The actual football size and weight has been the catalyst to the role the goalkeeper now has to play, so it makes me wonder if the better keepers of yesteryear ie height/commanding in the box/resilient/strong will be the types of goalkeepers in the future? Do you actually think shouting and hollering makes for a better keeper, RR? I believe it is good to be vocal but sometimes keepers can have verbal dairrhoea.  

[SloughFlyer]

1 hour ago, Reading Rebel said:

SF, I can't obviously remember every or even some of the saves Northy has made that stopped an almost certain goal but like most supporters I can recall thinking on several occasions 'that's a goal' and Northy has pulled off an excellent save.

As you say whether another keeper would have made the same saves is hypothetical.

On Jack Turner I think every man and his dog who were either at the game or watched it on video remembers 'that save'.

It was one stand out save in the season but I'm sure Jack made countless other excellent saves that season but I can't remember or recall any of them I just know he made them.

 

 

And this seems to be the issue RR, the throw away comment of "saved us countless times" to me means he has made saves that IMO plenty of goalkeepers make (including Edegbe) where as the decision making and errors are either not in the other keepers games as much OR with a young keeper are more forgivable as they are learning their craft, much as Goueth has been (rightly so) encouraged and supported after his pen miss v Chippenham and his 2 misses against Welling. 

[Holyport Rebel]

Evening all.

Yep, a very good win yesterday.

An entertaining game I thought.

When it got to 3-0 I thought I would be able to relax until the final whistle, but that hope lasted for about a minute when Eastbourne scored their goal.

You couldn't help think that if Eastbourne pulled another one back to make it 3-2, then it was going to be a difficult and tricky finish to the match for the Rebels, regardless of how long was left to play.

Thankfully that didn't happen.

It was great to see such a good performance from Michael in goal, and he fully deserved  his "Man of the Match" award I thought.  

He had a great debut for the first team at Hungerford, but I did wonder how he would react after his ummm, "hiccup" against Beaconsfield in the B and B cup, but I needn't have been concerned.

Well done Michael. 

Alphonso did a great job up front on his own, and was a constant threat to the Eastbourne defence.

Freddie Grant is proving to be a great asset at attacking set-pieces, whether they're corners , freekicks or long throws.

The number of balls into the area he gets on the end of is pretty remarkable for a full back.

George Hunt does seem to get clobbered a lot by opposing players !

Didn't he viciously get chopped down twice in the home game v. Tonbridge ?

He got "taken out" more or less right in front of where I was standing in the 2nd half.

Eastbourne player went straight through him.

The ref did bugger all about it. Didn't even think it warranted a disapproving look to the guilty party. Unbelievable.

If it had been me in George's place I think I'd still be lying down on the turf, still unable to move.

So we're through to the last 32 of the Trophy.

It's a nice change to win a couple of games in this competition.

Every season since we reached  National League South level, I've thought we stood a decent chance of a good run in the Trophy, but those hopes have not materialised.

This season, who knows how far we might go ?

A lot of course depends on the luck of the draw.

According to my calculations there are still 13 National League sides left in, 10 other clubs from our level still left in, and 7 lower league teams remaining, (and

the Bradford Park Avenue v. FC Halifax tie still to be played. )

All other managers know that Bakes' and Unders'  demand 100% effort  from their players every game, and if you can produce that you will always be in with a shout.

I'm hopeful that this might be the season that we go far in the Trophy.

It's about time !

Fingers crossed for the draw tomorrow. ( and even if it's  Boreham Wood or Bromley  away I still feel we'll give them a game ! )

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Holyport Rebel

[Reading Rebel]

13 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

Anyone have the declared attendance please?

I think it was 400.