Post by davidm on Sept 30, 2023 17:12:31 GMT
Firstly, to get a 1-0 win away to the team 4th in the league is excellent.
Saying that, it was mixed bag – excellent in the 1st half and dogged hanging on in the 2nd.
Deserved the win because of the 1st half dominance and the 2nd defensive display.
The 1st half was one of complete dominance – 70% possession and a lot of that possession actually in the opponent’s half with some very good movement and passing.
The midfield dominated Port Vale and Charles scared the life out of them.
But our usual problem, we cannot score when on top.
Charles had a lovely chance one on one but somehow poked it wide with his left foot when going around the keeper onto his right seemed the option.
Charles also broke on the right and chipped the keeper. 5 yards farther forward and the ball would have gone in the net; 5 yards farther back, it would have been a tap in for Nlundulu but it was neither.
We dominated but struggled to create but, at last, just before half time we got the goal we deserved.
Morley (I think) tackled and won the ball in midfield and fed it forward to Charles just inside their half, He did a mazy run, their defender conveniently slipped to give him some space and he finished brilliantly into the corner. A bit of luck with the slip but deserved.
We almost conceded immediately after some pressure down their right, dodgy defending by Williams but Baxter made a superb save.
2nd half though was totally different.
We didn’t get a kick of the ball for the first 10 minutes and Vale dominated. Having said that, they dominated but created little.
And the half more or less went like that – Vale dominating, getting as far as our penalty area, winning corners/free kick but not creating anything thanks to solid defending – Toal and Forrester plus safe hands from Baxter.
In fact, we had the best chance when we broke from a Vale corner and Dacres-Cogley put the ball across and both Bodvarsson and Williams were inches away from getting a tap in.
So we held out valiantly.
A deserved win – now for 3 successive home games. We need 9 points out of them.
Well done.
Marks:-
Baxter - 9 Very good. Some good catches and a very good save from Vale’s only real chance of the 1st half. A nice bit of “injury time” in the last minute.
Dacres - Cogley - 7 Very good. We looked good down the right. Some excellent breaks and almost set up a 2nd goal in a second half breakaway
Williams - 6 I have concerns about the left side of the defence. Plenty of good stuff but also beaten a few times. He also must never do a defensive back heel in his own box again – nearly cost us a goal.
Forrester - 8 Very good. Determined – no complaints
Toal - 9 A rock in the centre of the defence. Excellent
Iredale - 6 Like Williams, a little scary. One complete miskick in our box almost cost us
Sheehan - 7 Very good 1st half but, like the rest of the midfield, couldn’t get the ball in the 2nd half
Morley - 7 Like Sheehan, some really good patches but chasing in the 2nd half.
Dempsey - 7 Good 1st half. Determined.
Charles - 9 Tremendous non-stop running and harrowing. He missed an early chance and also could maybe have set Nlundulu up when it was still 0-0 but made the goal himself. Endless problems for the Vale defence.
Nlundulu - 7 A better performance from him. Some good movement but, as I said at half time, he has a terrible habit when he gets a bit of space either in or on the edge of the box of twisting and turning backwards and eventually the ball finishes up 30 yards farther back. He needs to be looking forward
Bodvarsson - 8 A very good 30+ minutes. Intelligent movement and good ball control when as a side we were under the cosh.
Jerome - 7 He did well with what he had to do, i.e. keep the ball to relieve pressure and defend dead balls.
Ashworth
Saying that, it was mixed bag – excellent in the 1st half and dogged hanging on in the 2nd.
Deserved the win because of the 1st half dominance and the 2nd defensive display.
The 1st half was one of complete dominance – 70% possession and a lot of that possession actually in the opponent’s half with some very good movement and passing.
The midfield dominated Port Vale and Charles scared the life out of them.
But our usual problem, we cannot score when on top.
Charles had a lovely chance one on one but somehow poked it wide with his left foot when going around the keeper onto his right seemed the option.
Charles also broke on the right and chipped the keeper. 5 yards farther forward and the ball would have gone in the net; 5 yards farther back, it would have been a tap in for Nlundulu but it was neither.
We dominated but struggled to create but, at last, just before half time we got the goal we deserved.
Morley (I think) tackled and won the ball in midfield and fed it forward to Charles just inside their half, He did a mazy run, their defender conveniently slipped to give him some space and he finished brilliantly into the corner. A bit of luck with the slip but deserved.
We almost conceded immediately after some pressure down their right, dodgy defending by Williams but Baxter made a superb save.
2nd half though was totally different.
We didn’t get a kick of the ball for the first 10 minutes and Vale dominated. Having said that, they dominated but created little.
And the half more or less went like that – Vale dominating, getting as far as our penalty area, winning corners/free kick but not creating anything thanks to solid defending – Toal and Forrester plus safe hands from Baxter.
In fact, we had the best chance when we broke from a Vale corner and Dacres-Cogley put the ball across and both Bodvarsson and Williams were inches away from getting a tap in.
So we held out valiantly.
A deserved win – now for 3 successive home games. We need 9 points out of them.
Well done.
Marks:-
Baxter - 9 Very good. Some good catches and a very good save from Vale’s only real chance of the 1st half. A nice bit of “injury time” in the last minute.
Dacres - Cogley - 7 Very good. We looked good down the right. Some excellent breaks and almost set up a 2nd goal in a second half breakaway
Williams - 6 I have concerns about the left side of the defence. Plenty of good stuff but also beaten a few times. He also must never do a defensive back heel in his own box again – nearly cost us a goal.
Forrester - 8 Very good. Determined – no complaints
Toal - 9 A rock in the centre of the defence. Excellent
Iredale - 6 Like Williams, a little scary. One complete miskick in our box almost cost us
Sheehan - 7 Very good 1st half but, like the rest of the midfield, couldn’t get the ball in the 2nd half
Morley - 7 Like Sheehan, some really good patches but chasing in the 2nd half.
Dempsey - 7 Good 1st half. Determined.
Charles - 9 Tremendous non-stop running and harrowing. He missed an early chance and also could maybe have set Nlundulu up when it was still 0-0 but made the goal himself. Endless problems for the Vale defence.
Nlundulu - 7 A better performance from him. Some good movement but, as I said at half time, he has a terrible habit when he gets a bit of space either in or on the edge of the box of twisting and turning backwards and eventually the ball finishes up 30 yards farther back. He needs to be looking forward
Bodvarsson - 8 A very good 30+ minutes. Intelligent movement and good ball control when as a side we were under the cosh.
Jerome - 7 He did well with what he had to do, i.e. keep the ball to relieve pressure and defend dead balls.
Ashworth