[choirboy]

'Twas a very disappointing result today!
For me the first half was like a preseason friendly!......apart from a mini wrestling match between Pearson and their No 8 Simpson for which they both got booked!........ In the first half there was lots of pretty football played by us and very little threat from an Exeter side, who played like they were expecting to lose!
I remember thinking, after about 25 minutes, that we needed a player to come out and 'take the match by the scruff of the neck'! Whoever that was supposed to be I am afraid to say that he remained hidden!
Before half time Exeter grew in confidence even though we should have been a couple of goals to the good.
Exeter came out after half time with a more positive and confident approach and gradually took charge of the game. Up to when the goals came Stanley had played some quite good passing football from the back but two thirds of the way up the pitch we seemed to simply have no guile or creativity or determination to get behind their defence!
We had made scoring chances but I cannot recall a single shot at their goal from outside their penalty box! Then of course, the first shot that they had from distance flew into the bottom corner to put them one up! Eagles came on and we quickly responded with a well constructed equaliser and I thought then that we were going to blow them away. However we gave them a real birthday present with no one marking their lad at the far post! We struggled to put any passes together from then on and the game got rather ragged! Not helped by some pretty inept refereeing once again! Their No 8 Simpson should have been sent off for a wild kick from behind on Pearson but he didn't even get a talking to!
Our corners were poor from MaConville, all just chipped in towards the far post, which to me puts them up to be a 50/50 ball at best. I would rather see them driven in really hard at head height or put in with some kind of a tactical plan, like the step over corner from a few seasons ago which yielded quite a number of goals! Similarly our free kicks posed no threat. They were either hit over the cross bar or again just chipped in to the far post. Have the lads actually been practicing any free kick variations in training?
A few things stuck out to me today;
.......A lack of drive from midfield which Windass gave us last season.
.......A lack of shots from outside the box. I cannot recall one today!
.......Neither of our 'Wingers' got round their full backs to the goal line...... my favourite move!
.......A lack of back up for "Billy No Mates Up Front!"
.......Dare I say it, apart from Matty Pearson, ...... a lack of real passion!

Opening the second bottle of Merlot now...............................