Stanley at Home

This is the best we've played for a full game this season.

We didn't really play that well in the first couple of months, we were just getting results but it wasn't with good play like today

 

MK Dons level with Coventry, back up to 3rd at mo. More like it.

 

I bow to your better judgement based on games you have managed to see!

 

Silly penalty given away by Wilson.
Another ref wouldn't have given that

 

Penalty scored.

3-1

 

Lets get the 4th, to reward the crowd, send them home happy.

 

Get in!!!!

Keane scores

 

There we go, Keano,Keano! Crowd go home happy, Oxford next. Wouldnt mind going up for that one.

 

Hell yeah!

I'll take that kind of win any day.

Well done lads

 

1st win since Guy Fawkes, bloody hell, long overdue.

Well done everyone. A clap and cheer for all support, commentaries, enthusiasm, laughter on here you lot!

We are getting our old Club back slowly.

 

Really ? since Nov 5th & we are third !!!!

 

I'm looking forward to Jack Lankester coming back more than anyone else!

 

Well this should be a more enjoyable post match to write.

As I said in the half time summary, we started the match on the front foot and made Accrington nervous from the beginning.
Our 3-4-1-2 shape made the best out of the players, who were picked together for the second match in a row and this result and performance will surely give many who have been complaining about the rotation something to crow about.

In defence, Wilson was tasked with being the sweeper with no more instructions than to clear the ball and be a rock at the back, and he's good at it. The two outside backs were both given freedom to roam forward and Woolfenden added to the attack on many occasions, driving forward like a full back and contributing massively to the attack. Chambers on the other side played some great passes (to be honest, it's not the first time I've mentioned Luke's passing, he does make some lovely cross field diagonal balls out to the flanks) and also got forward when it was open in front of him. If Chambers went forward, Woolf stayed home and vice versa and it worked a treat.

The midfield looked balanced with natural width and two players in the middle who are neither predominantly defensive or attacking. Huws and Downes compliment each other well. They are both strong, able to tackle and capable of bringing the ball forward and making the passes in to the front three. Edwards and Garbutt didn't have too much freedom down their flanks but did a good job of balancing attack with defence.

Judge caused Stanley problems with his passing range and he looked like he was enjoying his free role behind the strikers. We've all said that if we're going to put Alan in the team then it needs to be here and not out wide and this match surely solidifies that thinking. Jackson was a live wire, putting the Accrington defence under constant pressure with his runs into the channel and his outright pace caused all sorts of issues. Norwood was alright but I think he made more poor choices than good ones. Notably deciding to shoot on a couple of occasions when there were much better options available.

The second half was a bit flat from us. Understandable maybe considering our healthy lead and another game coming up on Tuesday but it feels like a missed opportunity to really smash someone for the first time this season. We weren't quite as aggressive on winning the ball back or getting to the second ball, something that we did so well in the first 45. The subs didn't bring much to change the flow of the game but also didn't add to it going more in Accrington's way. Bishop was a like for like switch for Judge, Skuse came on for Huws and Keane added some bullying up front in place of Jackson's tireless running. The second half was really a story of us taking the foot off the gas and coasting to an easy win after the hard work in the first period had put us in a healthy position. You're never going to have it your own way for 90 minutes and Accrington will feel like their goal was a deserved reward for coming out after half time with a bit more urgency and willingness to get forward.

Norris - much better today, didn't really do anything wrong but did plenty right.
Woolfenden - great game from Luke today. He was effective in defence and made some great runs forward to join the attack as a spare man from the back. Norwood really should have played him in after a lung busting drive into the box.
Wilson - has the nickname 'no nonsense" from me now. He did what he was asked to and what he is capable of. Clearing the lines and standing strong he played his part in a solid defensive line. A tad unlucky with the penalty in my opinion.
Chambers - good passing, got himself into some back post positions and made one of his usual 'body on the line' blocks to prevent a goal.
Garbutt - quietly prowled the left touch line. Didn't have too much space to work in but his dead ball deliveries were better today.
Huws - solid in the midfield. Helped dictate the play with Flynn, they looked a solid pairing in the middle of the park.
Downes - my man of the match today. Flynn just got stuck in everywhere. He's tenacious in the tackle and is starting to learn how to read danger and react accordingly. Easily our best all round midfielder.
Edwards - whilst he didn't really do anything of note, Gwion had a good game on the right. Like Garbutt on the left, he didn't have a lot of room to work in but he was able to effectively receive the ball and pass it on to Judge, which is all we really needed him to do today as Judge was playing well as the 'move maker'.
Judge - showed today why he needs to play in the #10 position. He's a liability out wide and it's detrimental to the team to play him there but today he was pulling the strings and made sure that Accrington never got settled into a rhythm. If he can continue in this kind of form than we can sell Nolan as we don't need him now that Bishop is back in the mix.
Jackson - raised his game against his old club, he was absolutely everywhere across the front line. He sure had the fire in his belly and took his goal well, if Norwood was sharper he may of actually nicked in before Kayden to score.
Norwood - Not bad but not good enough. I've mentioned it already, he took too many selfish decisions today that will only get overlooked because of the scoreline. I think Sears would be a better partner for Jackson. Freddie makes more intelligent runs and is more likely to make an assist when it presents itself then Norwood is.

All in all, that was a decent game to watch.
We were great in the first half and for the first time in a long while every move forward felt like it could result in a goal. We were relentless in attack and gave Accrington no sniff of our goal. Second half we coasted and allowed Stanley more of the ball without busting a gut to retrieve it. It does feel like we missed a chance to really give somebody a hiding but at the same time it was a professional performance with the team playing at half speed once we had a good lead.

It looks like Lambert might have found a formula to get the best out of our available players but it could all get screwed up when others are fit again. The team looked more balanced than it has for a long time and our play was more positive than negative. All we need to do is switch Edwards for KVY and Norwood for Sears and we have a pretty balanced team that should be fun to watch.

Here's hoping for a similar performance on Tuesday but not all teams will be as impotent as Accrington were today so there are different tests on the horizon.

 

Decent showing all round,particularly first half.Took the foot off the pedal Second,but Stanley were never going to get back in it,easily the worst side I've seen down here for a while.

Hopefully that's us back on track and PL has a good idea of his best starting line up??

 

I took about a half hour to summarize something you've said in a few words

 

Sounds like a good result and performance and nice to get back to winning ways. Hopefully we can go on an unbeaten run now and look to break back into the automatic promotion places.

I know there was a bit of controversy pre-match about the decision to start Norris in goal - but do look a lot better and a more balanced side playing 3-5-2 than 4-4-2, so hopefully the formation stays. Getting a composed centre-back on loan will help with cover and competition, and to encourage us to play the ball forwards more effectively against better opposition. Nice to hear Huws and Judge have stepped up in recent days and put in the type of performance we were probably expecting a little more consistently at the start of the season. Let’s hope it continues.

San Diego, thanks for the summaries and player ratings. I usually find they’re very accurate and much-needed perspective on the match - and kudos to you for watching us week-in, week-out even when the football has been bad. I should be going to the Lincoln home game in a fortnight, so will hopefully add my more detailed thoughts after that match.

Up the Town!

 

Just home from the game and the best 45 minutes I’ve seen from us this season. Could and probably should have had 5. Team looks balanced with Downes and Huws behind Judge as a midfield 3 with the added option of Bishop (who had a pretty good cameo today). My 1 gripe is that I wish we could take throw ins, there’s no movement and more often than not, opposition win the ball. Pretty minor gripe but the question is, can we follow up today’s win with another against better opposition

 

we SAFC are back also ! and have added another striker can't wait for you and peterborough to come here so us and Ipswich for promotion, how can Wycombe be top of the table ? we are back to 3 up front and ripping teams apart hehe.

 

The first half was the best 45 mins I've seen from us this season, one concern I have is Jackson and Norwood missing easy chances and not passing to each other if they can help it, we should have scored 7 today but for their failing to take chances, but all in all a welcome return to form.

 

Thanks mate

I've seen almost every match either live or on full replay this season. The FA cup matches are a bit more of a challenge because they aren't shown on iFollow but I normally manage to find a stream. I'm up at 6:40am every Saturday ready to run an HDMI cable from my computer to my TV to watch the game. Breakfast and a quick summary at half time.
Midweek matches are either watched at my desk at work (on my second screen so I can still do some work) or I avoid the football websites until I can see the replay later without knowing the result. This is the first season where iFollow is actually a decent paid subscription product. The official subscription platform I've used for years was always substandard. Even when it was Ipswich Player we didn't get the same experience as other teams on the same platform, who had access to replays etc years ago. I reckon the club were being cheap and not paying the necessary license fees needed for full coverage.

I do my best to write my summaries from an unbiased viewpoint and I don't allow the commentary to sway my opinion on what I witness with my own two peepers. There are many times when I don't agree with what Brenner or Mick Mills say and I like to get that across in my reports.

One example springs to mind from today. -
Halfway through the second half and Brenner was talking about how well Woolfenden had been playing and that nobody had got the better of him today. Luke was defending against an Accrington player (can't remember who) and Luke stood tall and forced the player to retreat and play a back pass to a team mate. Brenner described that as the player getting the better of Luke when in fact Luke had done everything right. Sure, Luke didn't win the ball back but he didn't let the lad get past him and made him go backwards, I wouldn't describe that as being gotten the better of at all!

Anyway, I hope my reports are enjoyable to read and help those who can't attend or see the game get some insight into how the match was, I can remember when I only had audio commentary to go off for years!