This was always likely to be tough, and the 3 points represent mission accomplished, especially as all the other contenders came up trumps.
However, it was not convincing against a hard working, physical but mid table side. I overheard someone say that 'you won't get them tougher then thatg': well I reckon we probably will, at the end of the day they were a hard side but only really mid table.
We were well let off in the first half when our defence was split wide open only for a well placed shot to rebound out off a post. Then towards the end of the first half Brentford missed a sitter of a header that should have gone in but skirted around the left hand post.
In the end BWP came to the rescue with a typical poacher's goal, latching on to a good cross along the ground from Green faster than any of the defenders.
You cannot take anything away from the effort of the side today in securing the points. However, there was little craft on show and,. like against Wycombe and Sheffield United we could easily have come out with nothing are being broadly played off the park in the first half of each game.
As my fellow season ticket holder said, it was unconvincing for a side in our lofty position but they must be doing something right to continue getting the results. I agree, though in those three games alone we have also been happy to take the luck (or the "run of the ball") whichever way you look at it.
Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly accept and congratulate the side if they get another 3 points (or even 1) against Huddersfield. However, having said that it really would be great and be more satisfying to come away from a game having comprehensively outplayed the opposition with a bit of style.
At the end of this game, it seemed to me that only Hamer, Morrision and to an extent BWP came out with flying colours or ven stood out above the crowd. The latter should have picked up another goal which went wide but generally persevered well throughout the game, with little support.
Jan C had another game like Wycombe where astonishingly he won few balls in the air (was that because he was playing good back four players? or did he just have a slightly off game). Irrespective of that, he gave 100% and more and was on the end of some pretty rough treatment throughout the game.
Whether our performance was badly impacted by the pitch was not good. It seemed to me to have been watered heavily and suggest that we do not like such a surface, so let's hope it's not repeated too many times.
Our first half performances in all three of these great victories suggests to me that if we play a really good side (if there is one) we may be taken apart. Let's hope that is not Huddersfield.
If ever there was an incentive to get out of this division it is Brentford and Stevenage. They seem like nice little friendly clubs (Brentford not the force thet were 40-50 years ago) but the grounds are depressingly small, scruffy and bordering on the unsafe in the case of Brentford (I wonder if Health and Safety get around there much?)
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3 comments:
It is crazy that it takes so long to get out of the upper tier at the end of the game, though I believe they have an emergency exit available at the other end of the stand too (not used for normal exiting...). I thought Taylor and Green also had good games, but Hughes, Wiggins and Yann were below recent form. Bring on HT!
Pedro45
Thanks for the eye witness views, Mike.
Thanks for the two comments chapos.
In respect of anonymous's comments on the players, I sort of go along with Taylor (and Morrison): not outstanding but solid, though their distribution is such that it often doesn't relieve the pressure, quite the opposite. Taylor lacks the confidence or the ability to do something more constructive and finishes up passing to Solly who finishes up being put under pressure and having to hoof it down the wing.
Green is just not living up to expecations at present; too often wasting the ball and, surprisingly, putting in a lot of poor crosses (even though he can claim one to make the breakthrough yesterday).
A decent run and perhaps a goal might build up his confidence, though the lack of a goal seems to make him desparate to get on the sheet, sometimes when a more intelligent option would be to pass to another in a better position.
Glad to hear about that other exit, the one tortuous steel staircase I saw did not give me great confidence in the event of a rush to get out.
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