NOT THEM AGAIN

Subs  

• Mcloughlin for Mytton

• Hill for Abbott

• P.Ryan for Stokes

• Foster for Barnes

• Mytton for Halloran

I guess nobody is surprised that we lost to Moor Green as it seems to happen every season.  It is one of those strange things where we probably should be taking 4 or 6 points a season off them and yet we often end up with 2 defeats.  Moor Green are not a bad side but they are not as good as teams we have beaten comfortably already this season.

The 1st game after Christmas has never been good for us.  Actually, January as a whole has always been the end of our season as we never seem to get going.  This game was different though as we started so brightly as usual and dominated the 1st 20 minutes.  We should really have been 3-0 up and out of sight before the Moors even had a shot.

There must be a reason as to why we dominate the start of every game and seem to fade away so badly in the 2nd half.  I don’t think it’s physical stamina.  I think it’s more like a mental thing.  Poor concentration seems to cost us.

Our game plan was as normal to get the ball wide and use our pace.  Also to get the ball into Ryan’s feet so that we could build moves from there.  This worked well for 20 minutes and Dayle and Matt Barber were seeing plenty of action out wide.  Matt had whipped in two great crosses before the 3rd finally landed on Dayle's weaker right foot.  It didn’t matter though and we were 1-0 ahead.

We created 2 or 3 chances early on, all of which seemed to come Dayle’s way.  I think the turning point was when Ryan went through 1 on 1 with the keeper and had a good chance to put us 2-0 ahead.  He got too close to the keeper and finally lost control of the ball.  It was only a minute or two later that we had conceded and what should have been 2-0 ended up as 1-1.

Half time came and we had been the better team and were unlucky not to be ahead.  We made 1 change.  We wanted to get Dylan running at there sluggish full back so he came on top the right wing.  Matt went into the middle and Alex came off.

The 2nd half was fairly disappointing.  We stopped playing our game and never kept the ball very well.  We stopped using the wings and everything seemed to be a hack up field.

Our defence to their credit were rock solid and often kept us in the game.  Scotty and co never really looked in any danger and if we could have only got it right at the other end we should have won comfortably.  We didn’t create much at all in the 2nd half even though we had a lot of possession.  We resorted to long shots from Mark, Matt and Mike Halloran, all of which went tamely wide or into the keepers hands.  We must get back to playing that extra pass and not always going for the wonder goal.

Dylan hardly got a touch and Dayle seemed to tire.  We looked very ineffective trying to play down the middle.  For some reason everybody seemed to develop the same little flick, which kept resulting in giving the ball away.  What’s wrong with getting a ball under control and passing it simple?

Eventually Moors got the winner with their only real chance of the half.  A scramble led to two of our players getting in each other’s way and there was an easy tap in.

On the plus side we defended well and Jim and Scott had one of their better games of the season.  Dayle was great in the 1st half too. 

We were very disappointing going forward after the 1st 20 minutes as we seem to lose our shape and stop doing what works well for us.

I also noted one or two opportunities that were wasted by players who went for glory themselves when others were in a better position.  That is most disappointing of all.  We are a TEAM.  Not a group on individuals.

Next week it’s back to the cup and we host Cadbury’s who are top of the Premier League.  If we can perform as we did against Bromsgrove then I am sure we can do ourselves proud.

Steve