Fleet v Stevenage

[Fleet boys]

I am going to the game and wondering what time others are leaving as on google from where i am it takes 1hr 51 mins? anyway i reckon a 2-1 victory and charlie mac with the goals

[The Doctor]

I don't think it takes that long. Lots of parking. I will probably set off around 1 or half past. its only a tiny party up the a1. Cant wait for tomorrow, first game for ages because I am not egg chasing at uni. Come on FLeet

[eufckev]

I'm not going by road (but up by train), but consider the M25, with the roadworks and the Dartford Toll! Best be early than late!

[Harry J Allstars]

Also going by train. Leave work at 13:00, walk to Kings Cross depart at 13:21 and arrive at the ground at around 14:00

[mikefleet]

im leaving just after 12, COME ON YOU BLUES!! well just for today you blues <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[FleetFanatic]

Working. Since 6am, until 6pm.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Line ups:-

Stevenage

01 Julian

26 Beard

03 Nutter

06 Gaia

25 Henry

10 Miller

12 Johnson

21 Guppy

22 Dobson

11 Boyd

20 Morison

Substitutes

16 Potter, 08 Thorpe, 09 Nurse, 23 Binns, 31 Bradshaw

Gravesend

01 Cronin

02 Hawkins

06 McCarthy

20 Smith

04 Long

07 Slatter

08 Quinn

09 DeBolla

11 Keeling

10 MacDonald

12 Sodje

Substitutes

03 Opinel, 16 Coleman, 17 Purcell, 21 Mott, 18 Moore

Ref: Amy Rayner

[Hempstead Gaz]

Cannot comment - I wasn't there - busy putting up Chrimbo decorations.

It did SOUND poor though, no doubt that purveyor of truth and justice HJA will later on confirm we got what we deserved - second best.

It looks a tough game next week too.

Given our cup form against lower placed opposition in recent years, this has all the hallmarks of another banana skin.

[mikefleet]

£14 to get in and we were crap simply as.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Exeter and Aldershot both have two games in hand on us.

Both only need 3 points from those games to send us to a more realistic 9th place.

[EUFC superb]

I though we played quite well myself.

No way did we deserve to lose 3-0, and no way did they deserve to win 3-0.

The Penalty wasn't a penalty, we could've had about 4 penalties and to be quite honest, male or female, the ref was awful.

[Stu M]

Quote:

mikefleet said:
crap simply as.

Not quite so simple. Like said above, we weren't three goals worse. First goal, stupid unnecessay handball by Hawkins, second scored when we we were bossing game when Quinn criminally gave the ball away, third was just a typical Fleet goal to give away when we're down on our luck.

Sodje had an effort cleared off the line, De Bolla hit the post, and Charlie should have had a penalty in the last minute (not that it mattered). We weren't very good, true, neither were they particularly but our main problem is our inability to score at the moment.

[Ian_D]

Quote:

gnfc superb said:
The Penalty wasn't a penalty

Completely disagree... but anyway...

I think another poor game and a bit of a crap day. Cost me more to get in than to get there and we had to sit down...

We started off sleepily and, although some of their players dived I think, in the first half, little Amy did OK. We woke up a little in the second half with a couple of 2 or 3 minute glimpses that showed we could play football and string a few passes togther but this didnt last long.

I think a few bad decisions were made in the second half in Stevenages favour but I'd say Amy had one of her better days, If you want to call it that.

One thing that I noticed today was that every single goal kick or free kick that Lance took it was hoofed. I wonder if anyone thought of playing right from the back and creating some room in the middle of the park? We know we can pass and if Macca and Ross picked it up on the edge of the box and had sufficient support we could drag a few opposition players out of the center of the park and use the space like we know we can.

Another frustrating day and I am almost certain given the circumstances (losing streak, losing in the cup to underdogs, losing against former managers teams away (Cambridge - although that is the only example <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />)) that we will lose. Nevertheless I will try and get to Havant if I can get the day off work.

However, this is the feeling I got before we played Oxford so hopefully a bounce back is on the cards.

The less said about the day the better, apart from I hope the team can use it to learn from their mistakes.

[Keith_Razor_SBFC]

A Stevenage Opinion Here, Shame Mr Allstar couldnt get a fans team firstly. Secondly, it was the points which mattered for us, first half was just shaded to us if im honest, the penalty from the view i had, it hit the hand but not sure if your lad couldnt do anything about it. Second half, you came out all guns blazing but fired blanks im afraid with the post dening you. few attempts at getting penalties also which were denied after a dramatic fall to say the least by that Keeler is it? then we came out of the blocks and actually played and got 2 goals which were two bad defensive errors on your part. poor marking. overall i would say we were worth the points but 3-0 wasnt a true reflection but thats football for you. good luck for the rest of the season.

[Stu M]

Agree with that Keith. Definitely a penalty for you, Hawkins really should have known better than to jump in the way of that. And while I'm usually the most biased of Fleet fans, Keeling certainly went to ground looking for a penalty when he'd have been better carrying on as he'd beaten his man.

 

That said, Keeling had a blinder for the half-hour where we actually looked like we were interested.

[jc]

Quote:

gnfc superb said: we could've had about 4 penalties

'Could've' being the operative word. In reality, none of our appeals were stonewall penalties in my view.

Strange that Daish didn't play 4-4-2 today, despite the fact that he had the personnel to do so. Stevenage are known as a side with good wingers, so to play a 3-5-2 with neither of the wing-backs being specialist defenders was a little surprising.

To be fair, 7th in the League remains an excellent position at this stage of the season, and while we keep threatening to fall into a prolonged slump (e.g. also after our defeat at Cambridge), we seem to bounce back with an excellent performance or two.

Given our poor record at Broadhall Way, a defeat yesterday was always likely. It's the next three games that are more significant - all against sides we should beat based on league position. But we know it probably won't be as simple as that.

[PogoDave]

I only really post on here when I feel strongly about something but I think liam got his tactics wrong today. Stevenage are a team that play with a lot of width and playing 3-5-2 left us very vulnerable to that. I thought that was noticable throughout the game and as soon as they spead the play, we looked in trouble.

 

We had a good spell at the top of the second half, but all the play was coming through Keeling down the left, Slatter was almost non existent for me as an attacking presence, because he was having to defend so much.

 

I felt we should have started 4-4-2, but having got to half time only 1-0 (to a stonewall penalty) we should made changes... put Hawkins at right back and brought Sasha at left back on for Rob Quinn (who was very quiet, partly because we crowded the middle of the park so much) leaving us with two wingers and De Bolla and Long in the middle. I think that would have made us stronger at the back and a potent attacking threat and we could have snatched something.

 

But then what do I know...???

 

As an aside I was very disappointed with Charlie yesterday. He seemed to just hang around and wait for the ball to come to him... whereas Sodje was chasing everything and working hard for the team. Charlie's a good player but needs to put a bit more effort in for me.

[mikefleet]

to top off me weekend after yesterday, went and dislocated my knee last night now in plaster and crutches for 6 weeks <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

[Stu M]

Quote:

PogoDave said: De Bolla and Long in the middle.

I thought De Bolla was one of our best defenders yesterday! He was always in the box making a last-ditch tackle!

[cockneyred]

i was sitting right in front of their penalty and it was a case of ball hitting hand not a deliberate handaball, linesman gave it not ref, who was poor and was dictated to by linesman AND the home crowd who got to her. she is no more than a politically correct statement and was out of her depth spending nearly 2 minutes to tell debolla to calm down, obviously she knows nothing about passion and emotion in the game. macdonald, quinn(booked again) and long were poor and slatter ended up playing right back, with 5 across the middle we should have had enough to deal with them AND create chances but all of midfield apart from keeling were the same, sitting and trying to play from too deep,some players looked heavy legged and only sodje, moore and coleman gave pace and energy going forward and perhaps they should start.