A very disappointing day at The Racecourse.
1 – 1 at half time after playing up the hill. Norseman had scored an absolute stunner which Edelman could do nothing about. We equalised via a clinical strike from Reynolds. We had done enough in the first 45 minutes to be in front but had not taken our opportunities.
The half time team talk centred around our use of the ball and to improve our decision making. We were confident we could take Norseman especially playing down the slope. 5 minutes into the second half we conceded another fine goal from the same player who smashed in Norsemans opener. 1- 2. 40 minutes of AP possession then followed but resulted in absolutely nothing. Time and time again our passing and crossing was abysmal.
The frustrating part of Saturday was our decision making. Players would dribble the ball when a simple pass was available. Our shape was poor with strikers dropping into midfield and midfielders running away from the ball instead ofcoming to meet a simple pass. Players would try and play a first time pass when they had time to look up. We were in absolute control of the game but rarely were we in control of what we were doing with the ball.
This is not good enough for a 4th team and most importantly no one enjoyed playing on Saturday which is why we turn up in the first place. All 13 players looked well hacked off in the clubhouse so I expect to see a much improved performance on Saturday. We cannot rely on a moment of magic from an individual. We need to be more of a team on the field rather than a bunch of individuals. Communication, passing and moving will win games in this league.
On a positive note we are not making stupid mistakes when the opposition have the ball and so are not giving cheap goals away.
I expect the 4ths to win more games than we lose in this league so let’s “draw a line” under this performance and move on!
