Town 0 Wood 2

[lovely stuff]

Poor display. Wrong starting line-up.Poor use of substitutes.Depressing atmosphere in the stadium.

 

Wood were very average. Game had 0-0 written all over it until reserve keeper Ken Kamarta (Chopper was ill) kicked a back pass straight at cooper on 70 mins, who tapped it into an empty net.

 

Crowd 355

[BladeRunner]

A bad night for us all then <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[The Invisible Man]

Bug ger.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Kamata, Campbell, Penn, Gant, Brotherton, Woodward, Ritchie, Hall, Smith, Hammatt, Morgan, Nyman, Valandia, Hall, Stevenson, Ofori

 

 

Gate 355

 

It was a game of 2 halves tonight. For the first 20 minutes Boreham did exactly that put some pressure on and bored. Bradley Brotherton tackled back early on retrieving the ball from the feet of Ian Cooper. The next 25 minutes was all town with some quality football. Bryan Hammatt headed over from a corner. A Bryan Hammatt volley had Imber at full stretch to keep the ball out. Paul Campbell headed just over. Chris Bangura did a very late tackle on Kamata for which he should have walked the problem was the ref turned up without his cards tonight so couldn’t book anybody. So didn’t.. Adam Gant tackled back well and Town had contained the planks well. Johnny Morgan shot wide. There was a blatant foul on Lee Smith in the box but the ref had not kept up with the run of play and did not see it. Half time Town fans were singing “Top of the league your having a laugh" and with some comfort and justification.

 

Second half Brad bless him after a hard days work forgot the game plan and passed back to Kamata only for Ian Cooper to steal in and score the simplest of goals (his 12th of the season). Chopper would have been OK but Ken has less experience. 0 – 1. Town heads dropped. On 67 minutes Chris Bangura (who should have been sent off scored past Kamata and again I think Chopper would have save this one but there you go that is football.

 

Good to See Ian Cooper up to his old tricks of pretending to stretch to get out of training. Some habits just cannot be broken.

 

I have to say Boreham did exactly what it said on the tin bore but we have to take our chances and we aren’t. We could have gone in a half time 3 – 0 up, the planks are beatable. I hope they don't win the league but we didn't have the right approach.

[Duke of York]

Quote:

The Invisible Man said:
Bug ger.

The 'Bur ger' bar was the highlight for me tonight!

[Duke of York]

After some of the great games I've seen Town play in this season, I'm kicking myself for pursuading my girlfriend that tonight was the night to bring her back to Goldsdown Road.

 

Boring Boreham - The 'Duchess' was not impressed! - Get well soon Chopper!

[lovely stuff]

Valendia,Green,Nyman,Kojo on the bench???

 

At least three of them should have started,and the other one given at least 25 minutes.

 

Brotherton has worked his way back into the team by performing when given a chance, thats the way it should be. Those that are not performing should be droped,and have to work their way back into the team.Players must earn a place, and play well enough to keep it.With the size of the squad ,their is no excuse for persisting with out of form players.

[OldTowner]

LS...You mention the size of the squad..

Well I think this is one of our biggest problems...

They are all to small ! !

Tonight the ball was played up in the air so much it could have had snow on it. Why, when we have the smallest team in the league ?

And then at 0-2 down, we bring on the 2 smallest in Deano and Kojo...and then hit high balls at the tall defenders ! !

 

Advertiser here we come, but this HAS to be down to Jim and his tactics, which do not seem to be working.

Yes we are second, Yes we have only lost 3 games ( all at home ) and Yes this is a step up for the team.

BUT

If we had put away the chances we would have been 3 up before the crazy Ken clanger.

 

From what I have seen so far in this league there are no great "football teams" they just defend well and whack it upfield for a runner to chase.

We need to adapt to the style in the league and get players who can adapt, otherwise our hopes will be lost. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/boxing.gif" alt="" />

[Southport - TOWNER]

Quote:

OldTowner said:
LS...You mention the size of the squad..
Well I think this is one of our biggest problems...
They are all to small ! !
Tonight the ball was played up in the air so much it could have had snow on it. lost. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/boxing.gif" alt="" />

With the exception of Mr Cove, we have never had a big front man. We seem to go for the smaller players, dunno why.

As for the high ball, not sure about that, as the corners seemed to be predictable, and the first ball played low; a couple of free kicks failed to clear the first defender

[Gazza]

Quote:

OldTowner said:
LS...You mention the size of the squad..
Well I think this is one of our biggest problems...
They are all to small ! !
Tonight the ball was played up in the air so much it could have had snow on it. Why, when we have the smallest team in the league ?
And then at 0-2 down, we bring on the 2 smallest in Deano and Kojo...and then hit high balls at the tall defenders....

Glad its not just me that see's it that way, their two defenders were big & old, Harvey turns slower than a super tanker, but he was solid all night because we played to his strengths.... in the bloody air!!
I thought first half we played well & should have gone ahead with a duplicate goal from Uxbridge last week when Rudi put in a peach of a cross that needed a glance but got powered well over instead, 2nd half we lost our way & after they scored their first we never looked like getting back into it.
I didnt think the Wood were that dull, just had a game plan & stuck to it, and just so happen to be top of the league!

[Tom S]

Quote:

lovely stuff said:
Valendia,Green,Nyman,Kojo on the bench???

Green wasn't on the bench. Or at least not as a named sub. The other two were Hall (G) and Stevenson.

[Steph]

I do not think that Ken was to blame for the first goal.

 

The ball, and it may have been mishit, was passed back to Ken in a slow looping lob directly to goal. As it was Ken was not in the goal area and so had to make up a lot of ground to reach it. At the time he reached it the ball was on the bounce so, he is not an outfield player, he had to bring it under control in order to kick it away.

 

The slow lob and the time taken to get it under control allowed Ian Cooper to come in and stand in front where it hit him on the clearance.

 

There was Stevenson on the bench and most of us agree that Brad is better in midfield than defence as he is inclined to make the occasional blunder (not often but enough to give butterflies when he is last man and not under pressure) In midfield he gets forward and worries the life out of his opponents with his running, heading and intelligent, constructive passing.

 

As for the team tonight - lets face it they were rubbish and I dont think the chances in the first half were as clear cut as many imagine. A header that just missed I recall - but the others. BW defended well in the first half and were fitter and faster in the second. In the first half I thought they gave us too much respect and in the second they gave us less time on the ball and defended on the half way line rather than further back. A couple of well hit shots that went wide. These shots should not in my opinion have been called chances as if they went in they would have been astounding goals.

 

BTW did the BW goalkeeper have anything to do in the second half.

 

Please note it is now two games since we scored! Can anyone see where the next goal is coming from. I note in the programme that Jim says the midfield should be coming through and scoring more.

 

Jim the midfield/defence has scored more goals than your strikers. (midfield 9 strikers 6 (including 2 from Dean Nyman in his few minutes playing time))

 

Go figure.

[Tom S]

I partly agree with you about the goal Steph. I'd put the blame 60% on Brad for the initial pass and 40% on Ken for not dealing with it better. He certainly needed to take one touch - if he'd tried to clear it first time there's every chance he'd have sliced it or missed it completely - but having been closed down so quickly he might have done better taking a second touch to drag the ball clear of Cooper.

 

I reckon Chopper or any other keeper would have had much the same problem with that one.

[lovely stuff]

Why has the Southern league website got the attendeance down as 200?? When it was 350?

[andyetfc]

I actually do not think that Brad intended to pass back to Ken. I thought it was a cross field ball that went wrong.

[lanceyboyuk]

i think Ken played well under the circumstances. Lets face first it, start for a new team and lets face it, its not like hes going to get that many games this season. I put it down to nerves and inexperience with the first goal.

[Keep the £]

Quote:

Steph said:
Please note it is now two games since we scored!

Our lack of goals is worrying - 240 minutes since we last scored (our last scorer was Brad in the 30th minute of the Uxbridge game).

I knew we needed to improve to take maximum points from Ilford and Boreham Wood and quite frankly we didn't. Wood deserved the win last night and I think they'll take some stopping from winning the championship. As mentioned previously, why did we continue to pump high balls forward to the front two last night? It was meat and drink to the impressive back three and we never really threatened them all night. Fair enough, we had a few headers go close from set pieces but that was about it. I think we need to use the flanks more and try and bring more width into our game. We certainly missed Dean Green last night.

What terrible antics from Wood's No 9 last night. He should have walked yet he wasn't even booked! It seems refs are either card happy or forget to bring them! I've seen players feign injury before but never have I seen a player go down injured, jump up as right as rain and try and pick a fight before going down injured again! The No 9 completely conned the ref last night.

Anyway, here's to Saturday. Let's hope Town remember their shooting boots!

[andyetfc]

We made their back 3 look impressive.

[lovely stuff]

Exactally. Everytime i've seen the Wood play this season, their back three have been run ragged.Just think,we played poorly but still created 3 really good chance in the first half.

[The Invisible Man]

The long ball game is the last resort of very mediocre teams. There is of course a complete difference from precision long passing. If opponents have two or three tall centre-backs it is lunacy to pump high balls (or crosses) at them, even if you do have one or two strikers to compete with them. They are facing the right way and will win most balls. If you try it with small strikers, you need your head examined! The tired old tactic of going for the second ball is just that, tired park football. Such a scenario is ideal for nimble, skillful forwards to out-turn, out-pace and out-football the lumbering giants.

 

There is no substitute for skill, as the man once said.