BWFC v Crewe EFL Trophy

... and david, I'll go for the 3-0 score again from the friendly. Early days, or is it a warning. As whites would say, I hope I'm wrong.

I don't put Crewe much above our division and a good indicator on how we will proceed in the season. I still think if we are on the edge of the playoffs we will have done well.

Can't see us keeping a clean sheet after some of the shambolic defending at the weekend.
just hope the attack can function a bit better. give Doyle a bit of service, and get him up & running as
that can help fire the confidence of the whole team. i listened to bits of the Northern Ireland game last night..vs Norway.
and their key threat is the young prodigy Haaland. Norway without Haaland would be pretty average.
but with him in there, even the big teams would fear them ON THE DAY. you'd still expect the big nations to beat them but
at least you have a threat...something to give you some hope.
what with Doyle being topscorer in lge 2 last year by a country mile, and voted player of the year for Lge 2.
he can be that player for us. (not that he's a young prodigy or anything..he is 32 after all ).

prediction . slightly negative but will go 1-1.

I’m going for a 2-1 win why I’ve no idea it’s interesting that the three games we have lost in a row have all been against football league clubs with well organised teams. Two friendly’s and one a cup game tonight I hope Crew will have other things on there mind like trying to stay in league one and they might give us a chance. Afternoon 63 all’s well at minute back at work after 14 weeks furloughed looking forward to watching live football and Bolton winning games again stay safe one and all COYWM

Sorry wots, didn’t go back to check but since I went for the same shoreline as you and Crewe have just got the first I’m rather hoping a comeback like Saturday is on the cards but that we can then go on and win it. Have to say though that I’m not confident!!

A very poor first half in which we rarely looked like scoring but looked like conceding 3 or 4 times was followed by a decent attacking second half.



It was spoiled though by some rank bad defending.



We have a major problem defensively where we don’t mark, don’t react to runners and generally give the opposition chance after chance.



We couldn’t get going at all in the first half and it was just 8 minutes gone when Crewe had a one on one with the keeper. Credit Crellin for saving.



The neat one touch passing from Saturday was missing because Crewe refused to let our players settle on the ball.



Crewe were much the better side but the first goal was horrendous. A needless free kick was played in. I thought that perhaps the keeper could have come and punched clear. He didn’t and nobody challenged so the Crewe striker had an unchallenged header 6 yards out to score.



In all honesty, Crewe should have scored another soon after when Crellin came out for a high ball and collide with Gordon. He dropped the ball and a Crewe player tapped it in the net but the ref gave a foul. No way did any Crewe player touch the goalie.



And so the first half finished with us labouring – just 1 shot and no danger on the Crewe goal.



The second half was infinitely better. We were slow for a few minutes then had 15 minutes of good attacking which was rewarded when Doyle knocked a centre from Crawford back across goal for Delaney to head in.



Doyle missed a simple header from 10 yards out, heading wide when he should have scored.



So it was all to play for but defensively we are poor.



The Crewe goalie hoofed the ball up field. There were only 2 Crewe attackers there. The first one won the header and headed to his colleague who was way out right. Delaney allowed this player to bring the ball infield for 10/15 yards and then he allowed him to shoot from 20 yards out. It was a rocket straight into the corner. Terrible terrible defending, or lack of it, from Delaney.



Doyle missed another great chance, shooting wide from the right of goal.

The manager brought Miller on for a sluggish Delfouneso and he made a difference.



He was involved immediately and gave Crewe problems. We were playing well at this stage and Miller turned and put a lovely shot in to equalise.



So again a chance to gain a win.



Comley, who had come on as sub for White, gave away an innocuous free kick just inside Crewe’s half. Three of our players stood next to the ball (why?) so we were out of shape. Crewe played the ball out into acres of space on the left then lofted a pass over the heads of our dozy defenders to leave man clean through. Taft then obliged by tripping him and giving away a penalty which they scored and we lost.





The manager must be tearing his hair out at our defending. We could easily have conceded 6 or 7 tonight.



Second half, we attacked well and missed chances so there is hope there.



We have played, and lost, to 2 reasonable teams but we must improve on Saturday.



Marks:-





Crellin - 7 As on Saturday, he made a couple of excellent first half saves which stopped us being 3 goals down at half time. Not sure about his failure to come out for the ball for Crewe’s first goal.

Brockbank - 4 Not very good at all. Poor passing and caught out a few times.

Delaney - 4 Scored but missed an easy header for a second goal. So badly at fault for Crewe’s second goal.

Taft - 5 Fast asleep for Crewe’s winner.

Hickman - 6 A couple of good balls into the box.

Crawford - 7 Much better than Saturday. First half a bit sluggish but second half ran our midfield.

White - 5 Nothing like as influential as Saturday. A struggle to get in the game.

Gordon - 4 Still not seeing his reputed lightning pace. Final ball a disappointment so far.

Sarcevic - 4 Deeply disappointing. Just no involvement in the game.

Doyle - 4 Missed 3 chances, 2 of them absolute sitters. Unselfish in setting up our first goal.

Delfouneso - 5 A real struggle tonight where he caused no problems.

Miller - 6 Good goal and looked lively when he came on as sub.

Just on my break at work gutted that we lost again I’m really hoping this season doesn’t become a damp squid and we end up struggling I can’t pass judgment on last nights game as I never saw it but does anyone think we need to be worrying about our defence anyway onwards and upwards stay safe one and all COYWM