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Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:36 pm
by Darlopartisan
What a game we played some very good football, cracking free kick from Thompson , just over 1300 there, those who turned up Wednesday but not today missed a good game.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:45 pm
by onewayup
A good game and could have been double the final score, lots to look forward to with excitement for the rest of the season.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:56 pm
by QUAKERMAN2
Great performance, solid at the back, Bascombe and Hatfield outstanding in midfield and our forwards gave their defence a torrid time with our movement and passing game.Dont think they had a shot at goal and in all honesty could have been 5 or 6. Can honestly say we did not have a weakness today, young O'Neill held the ball up well and his link up play was good.Bascombe had a cracking game and hardly put a foot wrong and they could not cope with Thommo, Rivers and Campbell What a change from last season seeing quality subs like Heaton, Donawa and Holness coming off the bench ....chalk and cheese.Special mention for Laing, his best game so far and you can see why AA rates him.

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Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:11 pm
by poppyfield
Echo the above great to watch.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:51 pm
by Darlopartisan
Yep O’Neill is improving every game, he has quick feet for a tall lad, holds the ball up well.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:53 pm
by Darlopartisan
As mentioned on another thread the grass was to long and the lines were not clear enough, it looked to me as if it had just been left from Wednesday night.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:58 pm
by OnTheTerraces
Great game that.

O’Neill was very effective and tracked back getting his foot in.

The simple change of Bascome for Holness allowed Hatfield free reign. He also made himself available to the defenders so they weren’t forced into a long ball. The wingers were receiving the ball in positions where they could make a difference and not isolated high up the pitch.

I think this is what he was expecting of Atkinson, Will be even better once he’s in and fit. Bascome definitely one for next season, is he the youngest player we have??(other than Lucas Bell).

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 6:09 pm
by Darlopartisan
Great to see Wheatley on the bench , obviously not called on to play but it shows his fitness/recovery is getting there.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 6:13 pm
by PierremontQuaker03
Thought Liddle was outstanding today covering as right back.
I was doubtful that this formation would work with Campbell upfront but the front players look to link really well.
Really like the potential of Donawa - love the fact he is not scared to have a shot at goal.
Great to see Heaton back and he did well when he came on.
We missed a lot of chances, but Kettering missed a glorious chance with the last kick of the game which would have taken the gloss from a positive performance.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 6:52 pm
by LoidLucan
The flexibility of the squad was really pleasing today. Liddle switched to the other side seamlessly and Watson came in and was rock solid on the left. Bascome slotted into the midfield with an impressive display and going forward we picked them apart and they couldn't live with the pace and movement. We cut out the costly mistakes and everything now looks to be heading in the right direction.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:23 pm
by Darlo_Pete
I really rate Bascome, he looks better with each game he plays. But he was one of many outstanding performances right across the park. Good to see Armstrong acknowledged the fans. I know it's unlikely but if we have a good win on Monday, we could go top of the table for 24 hours!!!!

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:50 pm
by LoidLucan
Interesting comments from AA in the programme asking for fans to be thoughtful in criticising players on social media and forums. Seems to be saying he has confidence in the squad he has assembled and if individuals hit a bad patch or make mistakes that doesn't make them permanently bad players who should be pilloried. I don't think he's trying to silence any derogatory comments but maybe saying don't start writing people off after a couple mistakes in the opening couple of games. Hard to disagree really and today's excellent displays right through the team helped to reinforce the point as barely anyone put a foot wrong.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:55 pm
by theoriginalfatcat
QUAKERMAN2 wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:56 pm
Dont think they had a shot at goal
Our goalie made a great save at about 30 mins. A hard low shot that was dealt with brilliantly - this, to me was a key moment in the game.

Apart from Mr Q walking around the pitch in what appeared to be black ladies stockings :o

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:17 pm
by PierremontQuaker03
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:55 pm
QUAKERMAN2 wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:56 pm
Dont think they had a shot at goal
Our goalie made a great save at about 30 mins. A hard low shot that was dealt with brilliantly - this, to me was a key moment in the game.

Apart from Mr Q walking around the pitch in what appeared to be black ladies stockings :o
Last kick of the game their player missed a really good chance - he should have have at least hit the target.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 9:15 pm
by QUAKERMAN2
PierremontQuaker03 wrote:
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:55 pm
QUAKERMAN2 wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:56 pm
Dont think they had a shot at goal
Our goalie made a great save at about 30 mins. A hard low shot that was dealt with brilliantly - this, to me was a key moment in the game.

Apart from Mr Q walking around the pitch in what appeared to be black ladies stockings :o
Last kick of the game their player missed a really good chance - he should have have at least hit the target.
Ok, 2 attempts in 90 mins is a credit to the way we defended today, also how many chances did Gateshead create on Wednesday ?.Pretty impressive in all honesty.

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Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 10:49 pm
by Darlo_CR
OnTheTerraces wrote:
Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:58 pm
Great game that.

O’Neill was very effective and tracked back getting his foot in.

The simple change of Bascome for Holness allowed Hatfield free reign. He also made himself available to the defenders so they weren’t forced into a long ball. The wingers were receiving the ball in positions where they could make a difference and not isolated high up the pitch.

I think this is what he was expecting of Atkinson, Will be even better once he’s in and fit. Bascome definitely one for next season, is he the youngest player we have??(other than Lucas Bell).
He’s the third youngest after O’Neill.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:32 am
by HarryCharltonsCat
Think today should put an end to the worrying about how we cope with injuries. All three who came in today had good games. Watson was solid, O'Neill was excellent and Bascombe surprised me. Thought he was outstanding. The quick free kick he took to find Thommo which led to Rivers' goal was brilliant. We also still had quality on the bench to bring on. No need for calls to fire up the BTB anymore. Credit to Elliott and Laing as well, who both had very assured games. Hopefully some off the premature worrying about them will have died down.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 7:13 am
by jjljks
Timing of the goals could not have been better. Nice early goal in first half, then a peach from Rivers straight after the restart. Lads had settled in and played with confidence despite the gusty wind, neglected looking pitch and another inconsistent ref. All the team pressed Kettering and midfield mopped up a lot of 50/50 balls then picked out our wide men. Hard to single out any particular player as everyone did their jobs well. Another plus was lack of any serious injuries, although Hadfield did limp after he won the penalty. Great show and AA deserves praise for pulling together a side which entertained the crowd with some very attractive attacking football. :clap: :thumbup: :D

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 8:45 am
by Quakerlad
Think AA deserves a huge amount of credit.
He has put this squad together at very short notice, got them playing attractive attacking football and yet also reduced the budget significantly. They also seem like a group of players who will give 100% every game win or lose and clearly already have a good team spirit.
Actually came away yesterday having enjoyed the whole game which I cannot remember doing for quite a while.
On top of that he was still missing arguably 2/3 of our best players through injury and had Heaton and Wheatley on the bench.!

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:29 am
by Darlopartisan
Thompson will miss the Southport game be interesting to see how we line up for that one.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 11:12 am
by TFDM
Like a few others have said, today was the first time in a while where I came away having enjoyed the afternoon.

Its also the first time in a while where I've had a job to keep the highlights a reasonable length because of the amount of action in it.... by the way... link below for them. Obviously don't share them too widely just yet :-)

Highlights: https://youtu.be/K83j5rJDCh0
Goals: https://youtu.be/3K4T5fzJ-gQ

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:11 pm
by Ghost_Of_1883
That was a great game, only disappointment for me was the crowd of 1,344 - so about 1,300 home fans. Personally I thought we did enough on Wednesday against a very well organised and solid Gateshead team to encourage everyone back on Saturday for another look, but oh well, never mind eh. Those 400 stay aways missed a cracking match.

I was a bit worried at half time only 1-0 up after hitting the post twice and Thompson missing the one on one, that it might come back and bite us as it has so many times in the past, but this team seems to have a bit more about it - they simply cranked it up another notch in the second half and the result was quickly not in doubt.

Everyone played well, particularly Watson and Bascombe for me in their first starts of the season. That fills me full of confidence that we've got a squad not just 11 men. Thompson was unreal today and I kept on thinking back to the Northern League days and how ridiculously good he was at that level - he's playing 3 levels higher and is still just as effective now, when he is on form. Hatfield had his best game yet, as did Laing, and O'Neill is a player for sure, gave us some much needed presence up front as well as holding the ball up really well. And Donawa, fucking love him I do, already. We can rotate these players round no problem.

This season's squad compared to last season's squad is like chalk and cheese - we've basically got the backbone of the successful Blyth squad plus Hatfield, Galbraith, Thompson, Heaton, O'Neill, the Bermudans - could this team turn out even better? Got to say, AA's recruitment at this point looks spot on. We have options all over the pitch.

Think of it this way, we were missing Trotman, Atkinson and Holmes through injury, yet were able to bring the likes of Bascombe, Watson and O'Neill in - and still had big options on the bench like Heaton, Wheatley and Donawa!

Compare and contrast to last season where in September due to a handful of injuries we were down to just 11 fit senior players and five 16 and 17 year olds on the bench, none of which Tommy dared bring on.

Got to stop getting carried away now! Top half and a little cup run will still do me, and to be fair I don't think Kettering are going to amount to much this season - so we do need to take into account their strength or lack of it, when looking at yesterday's result.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:39 pm
by LoidLucan
The game helped back up the view that this league will be very open, given that a ten-man Kettering side beat the useful Telford on the opening day of the season.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:12 pm
by theoriginalfatcat
Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:11 pm
by Ghost_Of_1883 » Sun Aug 11, 2019 1:11 pm

That was a great game, only disappointment for me was the crowd of 1,344 - so about 1,300 home fans. Personally I thought we did enough on Wednesday against a very well organised and solid Gateshead team to encourage everyone back on Saturday for another look, but oh well, never mind eh. Those 400 stay aways missed a cracking match.

The BBC weather forecast looked atrocious. 40 mile an hour winds, and rain were due to kick in at 3pm and continue throughout the match. This of course never happened.

I reckon many would have stayed away because of this.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:27 pm
by quakersam
Surely you look out the window before deciding :roll: not look at the forecast and think best not go out there today.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:37 pm
by Beano
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:11 pm
by Ghost_Of_1883 » Sun Aug 11, 2019 1:11 pm

That was a great game, only disappointment for me was the crowd of 1,344 - so about 1,300 home fans. Personally I thought we did enough on Wednesday against a very well organised and solid Gateshead team to encourage everyone back on Saturday for another look, but oh well, never mind eh. Those 400 stay aways missed a cracking match.

The BBC weather forecast looked atrocious. 40 mile an hour winds, and rain were due to kick in at 3pm and continue throughout the match. This of course never happened.

I reckon many would have stayed away because of this.
Absolutely - a lot of pay on day fans have feared being soaked to the skin given the weather we’ve had.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:45 pm
by don'tbuythesun
Die hards don't care about the weather, do we? Chorley last year was sort of under cover but we were freezing and soaked. As a walk up fan I would have thought twice about going out in that. Looking forward to Monday night!

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:56 pm
by theoriginalfatcat
The last North Ferriby home match, played out in a snow storm/blizzard!

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:26 am
by Spyman
I watched the highlights this morning and was very impressed.

Rivers looks a real handful - reminds me a little of Wainwright at his peak, the way he's weaving past defenders.
Bascombe looked good in midfield and was to me more impressive alongside Hatfield that Holness has appeared from highlights of the previous two games. He seems to have a good range of passing and looked a bit more composed on the ball - although it may just be that Kettering didn't press in the same way as Farsley/Gateshead.
I like the look of Laing and the way he tries to bring the ball out. Liddle also looks the part.
Campbell's link play is encouraging, and Thompson as ever is just a class act and a constant threat.

Re: Darlington V Kettering

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:55 pm
by biccynana
Darlopartisan wrote:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:29 am
Thompson will miss the Southport game
Why? I've obviously missed something as I keep seeing references to this across a number of threads.