| Frustration at the Lane 11:06 - Aug 20 with 656 views | gerry_us |
How to sum up a totally frustrating evening at Meadow Lane?
Yes Joe, you are correct, we did boss the game but unfortunately they scored two to our one. Until we get someone up front who can actually hit the back of the net regularly then we are in for another frustrating season. The BBC stats probably sum up the match well enough 24 shots with 9 on target.
For the first ten minutes I thought we were either still on the coach or the strenuous pre-game warm up had tired us out. We were all over the place and it only took County six minute to take the lead albeit from a fortunate redirection of a shot cum pass by Murray.
Ten minutes in and we started to play, and boy did we play. Slick passing, excellent overlapping runs by Clohessy (my MOM) and many clear cut chances, but none unfortunately taken. I lost count of the goal chances we had, Sears blasted over the bar, then brought saves from Roy Carroll. Vose just high from 30 yards, then from a corner Bean had a free header inside six yards but managed to direct the ball from whence it came. More chances came and went from Ibhere, Moncur and Vose but without the net bulging. Half time arrived with a sense that if we got one then we would get a hat full. Confidence flowed during half time that we would ultimately get our first win of the season.
County obviously also talked about this and tightened up early in the second half and it took us nearly twenty minutes to get back to the all attacking mode again. Ibhere right through on goal but managed to find Carroll’s midriff and Gilbey tried his luck from 30 yards but finally Freddie’s Ears finally found a way through a flat defence and also past Carroll and we were level on 70 minutes.
Calamity; behind again in less than two minutes. Marcus Bean playing around in left mid field managed to give the ball away cheaply, not once but twice and from out of nowhere Noble fired in from 30 yards past flat footed Walker. Not what the faithful expected. From this point on it was all out attrition coupled with some unattractive time wasting from County. Carroll went down as if he had been shot with nobody near, two County players plus their manager managed to get their selves comically sent off in what was an unedifying ending to the game culminating in nearly eight minutes being added. More huff and puff from the boys without looking likely to score an equaliser which would have been the absolute minimum we deserved. Credit to the 100 or so faithful who never got on the guy’s backs and we can all hope that sometime in the very near future (Saturday?) some of these chances made will be converted and we will give someone a good thumping. Hopefully after buying Holman for his goal scoring prowess we may give him some time as last night we looked extremely short of a out and out front man.
Missed you Durham. Just for you, made the ground in hour and half from home via A46 Lincoln, Newark and managed to find street parking pretty close. Sausage roll luke warm and flaky (most of it finished in my lap) but coffee warming. Hoped for an ice cream but temperature in mid August not suitable.
[Post edited 20 Aug 2014 11:10]
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| Frustration at the Lane on 11:30 - Aug 20 with 640 views | noah4x4 |
Excellent report Gerry; this is my perspective;
Had the U’s won 2-6 no Magpie fan could have legitimately claimed that the result was an injustice. In past times, one suspects that any one of Jamie Cureton, Kevin Lisbie or Scott McGleish might have taken the match ball home with them. I have never seen the U’s so overwhelmingly dominant and yet fail to win. The official possession statistic was 53% in favour of the U’s, but to achieve 47% County possession somebody must have been counting the time when the ball was NOT in play in Roy Carroll’s (or ball-boys) hands as the home side put on the most shameful display of time-wasting.
In the most exciting yet frustrating U’s (or Division One) game that I have EVER seen the two teams conspired to produce 35 shots between them with the majority (24) attributable to the U’s (with 9 on target). Isn’t that what the fans want; reminiscent of the attacking exciting football of yesteryear? But today, no doubt the moaners and doom-mongers will be having a field day in the Gazette columns because we lost. The U’s pressure on the home goal mouth was relentless; indeed monotonous; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; SAVE. Pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; MISS. Pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; pass; SAVE (repeat x 23 times). Our players danced around the Magpie defenders as if they were tailor’s dummies, but sadly with only a single end result. If Joe Dunne ever suffers from recurring nightmares; this will be his.
It wasn’t as though the U’s attackers were actually fluffing their lines. We were missing headers by inches; shaving the posts/bar with shots; with Roy Carroll pulling off some great saves as regards the NINE we hit on target. It’s true that there were a couple of moments when beating the keeper ‘one on one’ seemed routine; here with one goal taken and one missed; both by Freddie Sears; but this wasn’t a game where we missed any certain tap-ins nor sitters; simply good fortune simply defied us within a magnificent attacking effort, but I do feel that a Lisbie or Cureton would probably have made us smile.
The game started with the U’s on the back foot as County threw the kitchen sink at them. On six minutes, a miscued shot by Wroe looked to be harmlessly heading for the corner flag; but in a hopeless lunge; Murray stretched out a boot with zero aim or control, and the ball spun off his toe into Sam Walker’s net leaving the giant keeper stranded; simply one of those unfortunate flukes. If only we had managed to miss-hit a few of our shots in a like manner.
Ibrehe, Sears; Bean; Moncur; Vose; Gilbey (et al) repeatedly went agonisingly close with too firm strikes. We peppered the home goalmouth and it was one of those days when the best side by a country mile (let alone a county mile) undeservedly lost; but no doubt others will (rightly) tell me that it is goals that count and not shooting statistics. But you had to be there to realise just how unlucky we were. We must come away from this with many positives. But what might we have done differently?
I would like to see what might happen if Dan Holman leads the line along with Sears; but with Jabo slotted in behind them (as Ibrehe does seem to like to win/fetch the ball) with Ibrehe selected instead of Marcus Bean. It is easy to say this with hindsight, but this was perhaps that perfect day for a prolific out and out goal scorer like Holman to shine given the abundance of chances. But having not started with Holman; Joe Dunne (IMHO) later made the right decision to add the extra pace of Szmodics (rather than the former Braintree striker) when County slipped to ten men; and then nine as the referee rightly punished the most appalling time wasting demonstration. But frankly, this made it more difficult for the U’s as they then faced all ten (or nine) men behind the ball with the home team protecting their slender lead. The sending offs were perversely probably to our disadvantage as County abandoned all forward ambition.
The U’s had earlier deservedly pulled back to 1:1, and looked destined to win; only to see a double slip by Marcus Bean allow Noble to fire off a speculative, but magnificent shot from distance that curled into the top corner. Here I disagree with Gerry. A Gordon Banks on springs couldn’t reach this rocket. Frankly, Walker (or Carroll!) could have done nothing with either of the Magpie strikes and there was the difference. Had Vose, Moncur’s or Gilbey’s similar missile like attempts (also from 30 yards) found the net we would be praising the ‘goal of the century’. After Vose’s near miss we were reminiscing about similarities with Greg Halford’s goal at Layer Road. Nobody can now accuse the U’s of “trying to walk the ball into the net” when we are willing to shoot on sight; but on refection; perhaps an extra pass; or an extra shimmy of the ball; or a just a moment of patience might have been the correct tactic for 50% of our shots, notably in the last ten minutes when it became nothing more than distance shooting practice for the U’s; where we demonstrated that we are not very good at it. Oh for a 'goal-poacher'; 'fox in the box'....but might that be Holman on Saturday with Sears alongside and Jabo behind in the Marcus Bean role? |  | | |
| Frustration at the Lane on 11:31 - Aug 20 with 639 views | durham_exile |
Hi Gerry,
Thank you for your match report. I noticed the flat footed Walker reference (he was also at fault at Ashton Gate with their winner). But I still think he is a good keeper.
Mind you Lewington had a nightmare debut at the Valley!
But never mind all that, our strikers are simply not delivering once again and it is costing us big time.
The reason I wasn't at Meadow Lane is that my Wife has sadly fractured her right ankle and will be in plaster for 6-7 weeks. It certainly puts things into context.
The good news is that she is making good progress and I am therefore hoping to be back watching the U's sometime in October, when she is restored to better health..
In the meantime, take care and Up the U's
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| Frustration at the Lane on 12:27 - Aug 20 with 622 views | BluenWightExile |
Thank you Gerry and Noah4x4 - I got the picture and it is all too familiar these last 3 seasons primarily centering on a striker issue. We cannot know if Holman is a solution unless he's tried.
I support Joe - my own one concern has been a consistent one - does he ever know his ideal best XI?
No reason for doom after 3 defeats and 8 goals as a win or two in the next fortnight could put us midtablle which is our realistically best hope surely given the youth and lack of a wise and influential Kevin Watson to influence?
Commisserations to Mrs Durham - may she swiftly recover - along with the U's. |  |
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| Frustration at the Lane on 20:48 - Aug 20 with 563 views | gerry_us |
Please add my best wishes to Mrs Durham for a speedy recovery. 
Please hurry, I need him back Mrs Durham!
Also I wish to add than my "flat footed" reference to our esteemed keeper was not meant as a criticism (this time) of Walker. The Noble shot would have left every keeper in the league in the same mode. As far as Walker is concerned he made probably one save near his post; his dead ball kicking was OK and the only comment I would make (as with all other goalkeepers) is the time it takes to get the ball back in play when they take possession. It seems to me that the time taken only allows the defending side to regroup. The quick "get rid" seems to be a thing of the past. | | | |
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