Canvey 3 Town 1

[Mr Happy]

What a rubbish first half!!! The middle of the pitch was a quagmire yet we decided to play through it. Occasionly we varied this by playing some high balls into the box to take advantage of our height!!!!!. We deserved to be 2 down at half time and only the bringing on of Kojo lifted some spirits. The second half was a diferent story. the lads had clearly been told to have a few shots and we did!! Eventually a superb goal from Crace led to Canvey looking very scared and defending deep. Trouble was, as time moved on, so they began to hit us on the break. We had a clear penalty not given when Crace was sandwiched in te box and then Canvey killed the game of with a good third. On balance canvey deserved their win but if only that pen had been given..........

[enfield T]

I heard that Town dominated both halfs,and that Canvey scored against the run of play twice in the first half with their only shots on target,and that Richie has a perfectly good goal disallowed.(although Canvey supossidley looked dangerous on the break when we over committed in the last 20 mins).

 

If match reports are to be believed,Town were the better team but wasted good play and possession with their lack of killer instinct in front of goal.

[andyetfc]

Quote:

enfield T said:
I heard that Town dominated both halfs,and that Canvey scored against the run of play twice in the first half with their only shots on target,and that Richie has a perfectly good goal disallowed.(although Canvey supossidley looked dangerous on the break when we over committed in the last 20 mins).

If match reports are to be believed,Town were the better team but wasted good play and possession with their lack of killer instinct in front of goal.

What game was I at then?

We were inept today and defended like schoolkids in the park during the first half. We played ping pong with the ball and gifted Canvey the first goal and took a free kick inside our own half, played a short ball, lost possession and consequently let in a second because others were expecting the ball to be hit long!

Why did Kojo come on, frighten the life out of their left full back and then move over to the right in the second half, sometimes playing at a right back?

Did some of the players just turn up today because it was a day out at the seaside?

Just not good enough today.

[enfield T]

I heard from two seperate sources that Town played some lovely football today and should have won easily,but let themselves down with sloppiness,both in the last third and in defence.

[Mr Happy]

We were excellent in the second half but the first half was dire.

[brutus]

Town dominated the game but were hit on the break why was Craces goal disallowed when the oppostion defender clearly fouled his own keeper poor refereeing lots of possession not enough shots at goal why are we trying to walk the ball in to the net very frustrating. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bootyshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bootyshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bootyshake.gif" alt="" />v

[Out_Of_Towner]

I'm afraid I agree with Andy's chain of events .The boys were not all that today . The defending was abysmal O K it got slightly better but you could see the 3rd one coming.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Everybody leaving Enfield believed the game would be called off because of the torrential rain. So the mindset was the game would be called off. But the referee called the game on. We knew that the conditions were playable but boggy. the first goal was a defending howler in the quagmire gifting Canvey a goal. The second had town fans (including me) shouting at Crace for not making more of an effort but the ground was heavy. The Town goal to Niall Ritchie looked good to me and if we had gone in at half time 2 - 1 then we could have rolled these guys over. Darren Bonfield made some fantastic saves and for me he was the man of the match before half time when even only partially sighted he made a glorious save of a top corner effort by Canvey.

 

I thought we played well at times but the poor product soon demoralised the team. Runners like Campbell, Negus and Ritchie were not using the width as much as we had hoped which was I'm sure down to the conditions rather than a wish not to follow orders.

 

A fantastic goal by Rikki Crace to make up for the earlier error. He rolled the ball just inside the post with Wiseman not moving in the Canvey goal.

 

The Canvey keeper was another that liked to run way up the pitch to get involved in a handbags event. Canvey were going to put on a nativity themed match but couldn't find a Wiseman to go and stay in goal!

 

Canvey didn't deserve to win but with the 2 goal gift from us they collected all 3 points.

[Mr Happy]

I just about agree with you apart from your final comment. On the balance of play, Canvey did deserve their win.

[Steph]

I thought Canvey deserved their win. They were direct and knew where goal was. In the first half we were over-complicated and in the second undone by the speed of their man of the match.

 

Ritchie's goal looked good to me. The penalty that was given was a clear pen and why was Brian booked for a foul and the number 2 get away scot free. It seems that all Canvey had to do was to get histrionic about fouls and our lads got a talking to. Again a weak ref not penalising players for kicking the ball away or not retreating after a free kick is awarded.

 

But all in all a good performance by Darren Bonfield, which, it has to be said, stopped a cricket score.

 

Are our lads fit enough? What is the training regime now Roy Austin has left?

[Eastside Urchin]

i thought you was taking 150 down to canvey,their forum says you took no more than 50,which is not a very big slice of your fan base i would suggest.Anyone????

[andyetfc]

Quote:

Rhymenreason said:
Everybody leaving Enfield believed the game would be called off because of the torrential rain. So the mindset was the game would be called off. But the referee called the game on. We knew that the conditions were playable but boggy. the first goal was a defending howler in the quagmire gifting Canvey a goal. The second had town fans (including me) shouting at Crace for not making more of an effort but the ground was heavy. The Town goal to Niall Ritchie looked good to me and if we had gone in at half time 2 - 1 then we could have rolled these guys over. Darren Bonfield made some fantastic saves and for me he was the man of the match before half time when even only partially sighted he made a glorious save of a top corner effort by Canvey.

I thought we played well at times but the poor product soon demoralised the team. Runners like Campbell, Negus and Ritchie were not using the width as much as we had hoped which was I'm sure down to the conditions rather than a wish not to follow orders.

A fantastic goal by Rikki Crace to make up for the earlier error. He rolled the ball just inside the post with Wiseman not moving in the Canvey goal.

The Canvey keeper was another that liked to run way up the pitch to get involved in a handbags event. Canvey were going to put on a nativity themed match but couldn't find a Wiseman to go and stay in goal!

Canvey didn't deserve to win but with the 2 goal gift from us they collected all 3 points.

R

Are you actually saying that the players were not 'up for the game' because they thought it may be off because of the rain?

If we now blame the conditions for not allowing us to play the game we wanted to, then why not change the tactics rather than apportion blame to the pitch?

We did play well for a 20 minute spell during the second half, but it was the dire defending that cost us the game. It does beg the question as to why we didn't play well for 90 minutes!

[Eastside Urchin]

i did think that reasoning was total bollox but didn't want to say anything,to suggest your players didn't play well coz it was raining is the biggest load of tosh i have ever heard!!!

i hope it rains when we play you lot then!!!

[Steph]

Hawk boy there was a crowd well above average at Canvey yesterday. There were far more than 50 Town supporters at the game. The usual suspects were all present and accounted for though I suspect there was not as many as 150 - I think the weather can be blamed for that. I suggest that there were between 100 and 125 at the ground which does suggest that Canvey support is slipping badly.

 

However many were present at Canvey there were a lot more Town supporters there than the measly following you took to Brimsdown in August or Flackwell Heath last week and with only 133 at Witham (Town attendance at the same ground 144) I should keep quiet about crowd attendances if I was you. Your average away attendance is only 219 compared to 229 for Town. Whilst your home attendances are very good you do not appear to travel well.

[ronin]

Quote:

Steph said:
Hawk boy there was a crowd well above average at Canvey yesterday. There were far more than 50 Town supporters at the game. The usual suspects were all present and accounted for though I suspect there was not as many as 150 - I think the weather can be blamed for that. I suggest that there were between 100 and 125 at the ground which does suggest that Canvey support is slipping badly.

100-125 <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bigshock.gif" alt="" /> absolute rubbish! i`d say the 70-80 which a couple of our supporters have suggested is being generous.

[The Horse'sMouth]

I personally thought we had the better of the first half as did the few Canvey fans I was speaking 2. Canvey capitalised on some rubbish defending and we played some pretty football with no end product. Defo should have had a goal b4 half time never a foul on the keeper. 2nd half similar to the first but we were always likely to concede at the other end. Looked ropey at the back all game.

 

Negus, Hunt and Hall were all rubbish.

 

easily 100+ town fans in my book. Probably more away fans than we will see in the return fixture.

[Father Jack]

Question for discussion:

 

In the second half, when we were chasing the game, why did we have:

 

- A left-sided midfield player (Negus) at right back?

- A right back (Campbell) on the left wing?

- A left winger (Ofori) deep on the right?

 

There is a well-known expression about playing to your strengths, isn't there? To be honest, yesterday, I wouldn;'t havebeen surprised if Darren Bonfield had tried his luck as a wide midfield player for the last ten minutes.

[andyetfc]

Quote:

Father Jack said:
Question for discussion:

In the second half, when we were chasing the game, why did we have:

- A left-sided midfield player (Negus) at right back?
- A right back (Campbell) on the left wing?
- A left winger (Ofori) deep on the right?

There is a well-known expression about playing to your strengths, isn't there? To be honest, yesterday, I wouldn;'t havebeen surprised if Darren Bonfield had tried his luck as a wide midfield player for the last ten minutes.

Darren did have the best shot at goal for us yesterday upto when Kojo came on!

[townerboy]

 

Quote:

Steph said:

Hawk boy there was a crowd well above average at

 

100-125 <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bigshock.gif" alt="" /> absolute rubbish! i`d say the 70-80 which a couple of our supporters have suggested is being generous.

 

not sure you can blame our fans not wanting to coem down to canveyr for such a "warm wlecome". ncie attitude from your ball boys, and then your "hardcore" offering us out all game. nice.

[Steph]

A very interesting post FJ.

 

I thought that Ofori swapped sides as David Bastian came on which would have meant two fast players on the left and weakness on the right.

 

We were constantly undone in the second half by speed on the Canvey left.

 

I also agree that Negus Hunt and Hall did not have good games but Hunt was subbed. It was Hall's first full game after a long lay off - I dont know what was Negus's excuse.