[Pendle Red]

The Cobblers have done us twice scoring seven into the process while concending none

Bournemouth have beaten us at the Crown and will prove a stern test for us this Saturday

These two in my mind play to their strengths which are pass & move the ball quickly from one end of the pitch to the other whilst defending in numbers, they are hard to break down but still play good football.

Fitness to be fair should be tip top at this level, they are proffessional footballers it's also about how you prepare, the shape, the formation, looking at opposition's charecteristics how to break them down, how do they attack, how do they defend, who is the key players, who is marking who, set pieces Training Ground stuff.

I still think that the midfield is a problem area with three being Proccy, Joyce & Ryan all good players but those three with Miles wide just does not work, for it to work Joyce has to play a sweeper role in front of the back four with Turner on the Right, Miles/Grant on the Left, Procter & Ryan in the centre and one up top as a lone striker, with the wide men tracking back & bombing forward along with the two central midfielders surging forward.

There are still players on the Bench who can make a difference, the problem is you can use them from the start and they sink or swim or try bring them on as subs to use as impact subs which is a very big ask of anyone given twenty minutes to shine.

Substitutions are more for tactical benefits like changing the shape, shoring up at the back, cover for injuries, giving more width and replacing knackered players.

The Play-Offs are still there for the Reds just need to get back to the basics and do what they do well and move the ball about simply, whilst working for each other.

As for the Play-Offs being too early nonsense!