Can we play with ten men every game, please Mr. Coleman ?
Cracking game: five well-taken goals, a deserved penalty, a sending off, the ref getting poleaxed and subbed, the bar saving Stanley at the death, and a brilliant second-half performance from a 10-man Stanley.
Some really good performances today, especially Finlay and Clark, but the transformation in Stanley as a team after Conneely was harshly dismissed was just unbelievable.
First half they pummelled Stanley down their left wing and were generally bigger and stronger (am I repeating myself, I know) but, after conceding a soft opener, Clark and Finlay stunned them with two great individual efforts. A late equaliser for them just before half time was probably a fair result for the first 45 minutes.
But, down to 10 men and a couple of judicious subs, Stanley were transformed.
Opoku came on to make a solid back three, Sherif on in the midfield, and Stanley just hammered the Gas for 30 minutes.
Listened to Radio Bristol on the way home one gashead claimed Stanley were the best footballing side he’d seen this season. I won’t argue on that display.
But the BIG question is whether any lessons can be learned from the enforced changes.
I know there’ll be many of here who won’t agree, but, on the second half performance, neither our captain or vice-captain (nor even Billy Kee, dare I suggest) were missed at all today.
Coleman clearly has a squad full of talented, keen, young, and new players and, imho, he has to find a way of getting them onto the pitch. Not all of them all at the same time, but not to exploit their talents whilst we have them would be a shame.