What last night proved ...

[Lennie Macfartney]

… was that playing to some kind of familiar system, with familiar faces around you is essential. If you combine that with a greater will to win, you have a decent chance, which is what Erith had & took, despite having I would guess less than 40% of the possession.

 

After Chris Giles went off, Ben White was the only recognisable player in the back line; Mark Bentley was playing wide on the left <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> and Ché seemed to have been told to drop back behind the front two. However, the other 1st team players out there, Liam, Budgie & Tostao were all in their accustomed positions (except for the last quarter when Tostao was told to swap flanks with Mark.) Tostao got in more quality crosses in 20 minutes, against Football League hopefuls, a few weeks back, than he did in 90 minutes last night, against a team in danger of relegation to the Kent League. Liam looked a shadow of the player we saw last season. What’s happened? He used to exude enough energy to run the floodlights by himself; last night he looked almost sullen <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> . Budgie I thought would murder Erith’s defence, but apart from the lay off for the 2nd goal looked out of sorts, too <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> .

 

I disagree with some people’s comments about Mark & Ché. Mark, I felt, was trying hard all the time, but he looked like a fish out of water stuck out on the left touchline. Ché ran his socks off, tackling back, retrieving the ball from huge holes in midfield; I’d have made him man of the match – except that he is a striker & when he had a golden opportunity to make the game safe, he couldn’t get the ball past the keeper.

 

To be honest, despite the line up, we should have won; we were good enough to have won. Indeed when we went 2-1 up, there seemed only one outcome. Which takes us back to the other requirement – the will to win.

 

First time I’ve been on the forum without suggesting a little musical number. I tried, but somehow couldn’t get “Sitting in the fecking freezing cold, watching the Fleet lose to a team 2 divisions below them,” to scan properly <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> .

 

Lennie Mac