Post
by JE93 » Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:52 am
First half there was plenty of hope. It genuinely was a good performance, controlled the ball well, pressed high, didn't give Peterborough a sniff of our goal for most of the first half. We were a bit toothless, not taking the shot on early enough, but other than that fairly positive. Then we win a free kick where our player requires treatment but two Darlo players are the only two yellow carded. Unfortunately that means when Hedley loses the first contact in the second phase of that free kick he can't take a cheap yellow and bring his man down. They come forward, deep ball to the back post and their lad has tried to square it across the face, it's hit a Darlo player and gone in. Not even sure it was on target but with their only half chance of the game we're 1-0 down. Most of the rest of the half was a none event.
Then second half, seemed like no one really wanted the ball anymore. The press dropped, the balls from the back went from being played into midfield to aimless lumped balls that the CBs of Peterborough would have happily defended all night. When we did get into potential shooting positions we were slow to take the shot. Then their lad starts making a run down the left hand side, by my count there were 4 players he went past, not one of them on a yellow. Not one of them tried to take a tactical foul, all just weakly letting him run through.
Burton and Hatfield deserve lots of credit for their performance. Burton won everything in the air all night and Hatfield put him self about, winning second balls and driving us forward.
Salkeld put in lots of effort and running, but I don't see him as a CF. Lindley and Platt were good first half, plenty of the ball happy to take it in tight areas. Ngandu I thought was tidy, turned his full back a few times and got breaking into the pitch but lacked a final ball.
As for the others nothing really of note from any of them. Hazel was a passenger for all of the second half. Coulfnt hold the ball, wouldn't put a challenge in when he lost it, couldn't pass to a player in blue. How he stayed on for 90 mins I'll never know, Ngandu should have stayed on pushed Salkeld right and Nelson through the middle. Taylor had nothing to do but pick the ball out his net twice, neither goal he stood much of a chance with. The full backs were meh, okayish defensively though I think Griffiths is starting to look very leggy for a full back, going forward too often crosses hit the first man. Lees was totally out shone by Burton who seemed to do most of the defensive work.
Subs didn't really have any impact on the game. Nelson having long balls pinged at him isn't going to work. Rowe looked like a fish out of water at LB and Rivers was weak when he came on.
Don't really know what the answer is tbh. When you concede goals like the first last night, in the manner you concede them (having dominated the ball all half) then you're in trouble. We definitely need a target man striker, I think that would definitely help us in the 4-2-3-1 to keep.the ball higher up the pitch. And we need to get rid of some of this deadwood around the squad (not likely that there will be many takers).
more informative than the Echo!
