[choirboy]

What a game of TWO HALVES.
In the first half I thought that Stanley played some super football and really deserved a two goal cushion at half time. There was a welcome return to some lovely trademark passing play that Jimmy and John had the team playing a few years ago. The goal was the result of a great build up albeit with the final 'pass' from Cal being a totaly fluffed shot but it was a well taken finish!
The second half started badly as some of our players seemed to think that we were going to win at a canter. Nicky Hunt let their goal scorer simply waltz straight inside for the first Daggers goal and Chapman had no chance as the ball curled right into the bottom corner. We then failed to take the initiative and never managed to get any decent possion and lo and behold, virtually the same thing happened for their second goal.
The team did try hard to lift the tempo for the final twenty minutes and Tom Aldred could easily have a had a hatrick of headed goals with just a bit more luck. The header that came down off the crossbar was difficult for me to judge, as I was behind the goal on The Clayton End, but some of our fans walking off at the end seemed to think it had dropped down over the line before it was cleared!...?
I have to agree that the referee was poor. He was a mystery to me too? Throw ins were frequently given the wrong way, as were some corner/goal kick decisions. Daggers also got away with a number of late tackles that left Procky somewhat in the wars! He stopped play for fouls when he could have clearly played the advantage!?
The Daggers goal lead a charmed life for the last twenty minutes or so.
However, we did get some great play going down the wings and from the right wing especially, two or three times we should have been pulling the ball back towards the penalty spot but our lads chose to shoot at tight angles on their near post!
I still cannot believe that we lost that match today. Teams like Dagenham are the sort that we need to send home empty handed when we play them at home. Like one or two others around me I think that we could have used our subs more effectively. There was only thirteen minutes left on the clock when Gray came on and perhaps we should have brought him on with 25 to go with Carver or Hatfield or Pierro also given a chance to change the way we attacked near the end?
Hey ho! If we can play the full ninety minutes like we did for the majority of the first half then we can be a force to be reckoned with this season. Just needs more consistency of application throughout the whole match really.
ON STANLEY ON
KEEP THE FAITH