[choirboy]

Gutted at losing three points but I am more GUTTED by the way we GAVE the game to Scunthorpe TONIGHT! Yes we played quite well in the first half. The wind was helping us as it blew hard and brought showers from the changing room corner diagonally down the pitch to the Clayton/ Whinney Hill corner from where they tried to pass it out, with confidence in there ability to play on the ball. In the second half we got it totally wrong tactically. Joyce and Murphy conceded midfield and defended as if they were in a back line of six with Joyce and Murphy often positioned either side of Aldred. Our centre midfiled MUST PRESS HIGHER UP THE PITCH even when playing against the wind! I thought it was a mistake to take Koyode off even though he wasn't having a good match because he had the height needed to defend corners and free kicks. It would have been better to bring on Liddle, Hatfield and Atkinson to fill the midfield gap that we allowed. Yes I accept that the conditions were worse for us to defend in the second half as the wind really got up and it lashed it down with rain...horrendous conditions in which to play and defend. There is an old saying that you all have heard......"The best form of defence is attack!" Which in football terms must mean play up in their half of the pitch!!