Today & next season

[Yellow Bungle]

Just got back and had a fast forward through the video. On tele we didn't look that bad although from the Holte it looked like our defence was all over the place.

 

The worrying thing is that we always seem to struggle against physical teams. Hednesford were big lads and up for it and we struggled to stamp our authotity on the game just like when we play Hendon and Hayes.

 

When we play in the Conf. next season all the teams are going to big, but they are going to be skillful as well so perhaps we need a bit more steel in the middle.

 

Also, and I know I've said this many times before, but we will really need to play a back four in the Conference. Anyone playing 3-5-2 will be exposed and our three at the back aren't the quickest.

 

Overall I think we should say well done Hednesford, they wanted it more and battled well. Our lads put some nice stuff together at the start of the second half but couldn't kill the game when we went 2-1 up. I think we may faired better today with Dave Theobald in the team but never mind.

 

Lets look forwrad to next season. I hear the coach to Carlisle leaves Monday morning!

 

 

 

[Matt H]

I have to agree with Yellow Bungle from what I have seen of us over the last season, playing 3-5-2 from the off in a league where every team but probably 1, (Crawley) is bigger and more experienced than us, not conceeding goals I would've presumed was more of a priority than scoring them. I can see Boylan getting marked out of the game a lot next season against the big opposition defenders, and with most Conference teams playing the 'Big Hoof' style of play a flat back 4 of tall and pacy defenders would be needed.

 

Got a feeling about 4-5 new players will come in to strengthen the squad, but I think next seasons starting line-up will be cosiderably different in certain positions to that of which has just won the Isthmian League. If I remember rightly Gravesend went through the same sort of change throughout their first season which saved them from relegation and they built up from there. I think we may need to take a leaf out of their book.

[Phil Old Boy]

Once the initial shock of losing the match had passed, I think Canvey supporters on the whole are not too unhappy we lost yesterday as we have already had a fantastic season and this was just an extra bonus. Funny, but other teams will read this and say it’s only because you lost you are not making a big thing of it but we all respect the way Hednesford played against us.

 

Three years ago, we played several conference teams to get to the final and they all said they under-performed when they played us but in fact they played a very good team. Yesterday, it seemed that Hednesford had done their homework on us and they played to their strengths. Would suspect that that was the performance and attitude they had been producing on route to the final and must have been a far cry from their league form, which they underachieved in, and I would be asking questions their end as to their jekyl & hyde performances.

 

On our own game, our passing seemed too soft and would just about reach its destination or be intercepted by the other team.

 

I saw Micky Bennett against Fords recently and he should have been out there yesterday with his physical presence as we looked lightweight most of the time. Micky would of set the tempo for the rest of our lads and got some good tackles in.

 

What concerned me though, like last year against Aldershot was when it really mattered, we weren’t good enough at the end of the day. Jeff Minton became so predictable that they read him like a book.

 

In a way, perhaps this was bit of a wake up call as well that at the end of the day, things aren’t going to happen for you unless you work your socks off, like Hednesford did.

 

What our target is for next season, I don’t know but I would say although this was one game, we need extra in there as yesterday just won’t be good enough.

 

[Exile]

I would agree that our midfield looked lightweight and left our defence exposed too often. Also we gave away two goals from free kicks just outside the box in the semi, and on Sun gave away another one after a poor tackle by JK. I think Bennett may well have done the job in midfield on Sun, but alas he wasn't even on the bench. Still it was a heck of a season - and who knows what awaits us next season ? It certainly ain't boring following Canvey ! And just in case you still don't believe we are in the Conf next season, we have now made it to the dizzy e-heights of confguide.com !

[Matt H]

I've just watched the tape back this morning, (cracking two goals to win it I reckon).

 

Slight dig at our new kit - Why are the names dark blue on light blue? Can they not be white on blue instead, or very dark blue?

 

Must say that in the opening spells of the game, probably the first 20mins our Defence looked all over the place, we were really stretched with just three at the back, I don't know what difference 4 at the back would've made, but having an extra man we may have been able to close their attackers down sooner.

 

Can't fault Canvey for their second goal, a well taken free-kick. Unfortunate that Potter moved just before Hindes kicked the ball but it was a good effort. Again one slight dig I will have is that we had three of our shortest players in the wall, (JK, Ty and Midgley I think it was) and Gavin Cowan. I think if we might've had taller players in the wall, the angle for the free-kick would've been tighter.

 

I have to say from what I saw on the tape, Danny Potter played well. His quick distribution when he gathered the ball made us look dangerous on counter-attacks and if we had a bit of extra pace on the field we might've had a few more chances. Hednesford had some very quick players ready to track back and close us down, unfortunately we didn't have anyone to attempt to out run them.

 

I have to question the timing of our substitutions. Hednesford made two substitutions around the 60+ minute and had all three on the pitch within 78 minutes. Berquez didn't come on till at least 70+ minutes, (good to see him wearing No. 14 <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) and Junior came on with about 10 minutes to go. I don't think bringing on someone, especially a Striker with just 10mins to go, would give them a chance to make as much of an impact as if they had been on for 25+ minutes, (why does Junior have 'Junior' on his back and not 'McDougald'? Did he request that?).

 

Hednesford's 3rd was a nice piece of skill, puts Jay Smith's Southend winner to shame!!!

 

Congrats to Lee Boylan on the birth of Kai(?) though <img src="/images/graemlins/applaus.gif" alt="" />

 

Taking no credit away from Hednesford they were big, physical, quick and skillful - all the attributes a successful team should be built around. But I think had we maybe played a 4-4-2, certain players on the bench maybe even started, especially Dobbo and brought on fresh legs earlier in the game around the same time as Hednesford, we might have been able to salvage something from the game before Hednesford scored their winner.

 

I'm hoping at least 1/3 of the 3000-ish we took to Villa Park will return to Park Lane next season and follow The Gulls in the Conference. What do we need to do to get them through the gate!!? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[Basil-Don]

It seemed Duffers was snubbed by the rest of the team,I think during the whole of the 90 minutes there was only about 6 passes to him on the wing,and each time he got it there were decent crosses into the box.Why did we keep pumping long balls up to Boylan when it was obvious he wasnt going to win anything in the air?

The other concern was in defence as both of Hednesfords goals from open play were scored by players who were left unmarked in the centre of the goal area.

My worry is that since we won the league we havent played any decent football that we know Canvey excell at,and the other conference teams will have learnt that if you hussle us and close us down football goes out of the window and we revert to humping long balls up to the forwards.I really fear for us next season unless we bring in 4 or 5 good quality players who will fit into the team straight away,sorry to say that a few of the present squad will certainly struggle in the Conference.

[Yellow Bungle]

I think that the numbering and names may change as I believe that the Conference dictates style and what names can or can't be used.

 

I suppose we may have been a bit rusty with no really competitive game since Good Friday, but I agree with Phil's Aldershot comment.

 

Personally I would have bought on Junior and Dobbo for Greggers and TY with 25 to go, just to shore it up in the middle and to provide pace to scare them into holding a line at the back. But Jeff knows what he's doing and with the season he's had I don't think I can criticise any of his decisions. Besides, he's bigger than me.

 

As regards Jeff Minton, if you could turn the pitch 90 degrees anti-clockwise, he'd be lethal.

[David Holden]

Quote:

Yellow Bungle said:
I think that the numbering and names may change as I believe that the Conference dictates style and what names can or can't be used.

Yup you have to have three players called Smith and at least one whose name will be too big for their shirt.

Seriously though, they haven't brought in a standard yet, but that's not to say that they won't soon.

[YELLOW]

Well, we've got one called Smith!!

[CIFC - Y.A]

Noticed that McDougald's printing is Junior <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ... Damn Americans

[Phil Old Boy]

Yellow Bungle's comment.

 

"As regards Jeff Minton, if you could turn the pitch 90 degrees anti-clockwise, he'd be lethal"

 

Still trying to work that one out!

 

He does hold onto the ball too long and I wonder what the other players think. Do they make a run, do they wait, it must be hard to get on his wavelength.

Although much better, he reminds me of Miller who used to do the same.

 

After what I had seen Sunday, I would in fact preferred to have seen Bennett, Parmenter and Smith not only selected, but in the starting eleven at the expense of Gavin, Minton and perhaps Ty. With them being not selected or injured for most of the season, they looked hungrier than most at the season end.

 

 

 

 

[Basil-Don]

I think he means he tends to carry the ball across the pitch instead of up it,which I have to agree,he does tend to hang on to the ball too long and then run into trouble!

[Merv]

Great to read some serious footballing chat on this forum. The last sensible post was some time ago. Great match analysis Phil - you sum it up well.

 

Perhaps if any of our detractors are goint to join in this thread they might make some effort to keep up the level of debate. Makes a nice change from RJS's usual banal comments about only two fans and £50 to get in.

 

Top notch, lads.