That Was The Month That Was

Are we still top? Who'd have thought it! Despite the sounds of straws being clutched at in Yorkshire, our superior goal difference sees us maintain our rightful place at the summit of League One. Indeed, it's been such a good month that we've actually increased our lead on the side in third place, and with the prospect of four very winnable games coming up between now and New Year, we can hopefully look forward to a serious promotion push from January onwards. All Kenny J needs to do now is splash the cash on the well debated weaknesses in the squad. OK Ken?

Time for the match reviews…..

Stockport (A - FA Cup) - An absolutely Godsawful performance, topped off by a thoroughly deserved 2-0 defeat. Were our eyes on the Southend game a week later? Did we want out early doors so we could "concentrate on the league?" Who knows? The defeat does not bother me. I'd rather concentrate on the LDV. The manner of performance was disappointing though.

Southend (A) - The game of the season between the two best-placed sides in the division, the clash at Roots Hall saw Kenny provoke some frantic reactions by making a tactical change to the side, and also saw it pay off in style. Southend couldn't handle either Lee Trundle or our midfield muscle in pretty much that order, and the return of a fully fit Garry Monk to our defensive line was also a massive boost. However, all the pre-match talk was of the shootout between Freddy Eastwood and MD10, and there was only one winner. Easily our best away three points since the win at Bury.

Yeovil (H) - Nineteen and a bit thousand people crammed into White Rock stadium for it's first serious game under floodlights (including a highly creditable 1,200 Wurzels) and the side responded with a comfortable 2-0 win. Not our most fluent performance of the season, but I don't think Yeovil really looked like scoring at all. A self-won MD10 penalty, and an outrageous 40-yard half-volley straight back over the keepers head (It's getting harder and harder to believe that he'll see the season out with us) from the same sent the White Rocks' record crowd home happy. That's why we're top of the league.

Rushden & Diamonds (H - LDV) - An allegedly second string outfit (albeit one containing the likes of Monk, Martinez and Robinson) made easy pickings of a Rushden side who, despite managing to string a few pretty triangles together, looked to have less penetration than your average Eunuch. Andy Robinson staked a good claim for a first team start with two goals, Garry Monk notched his first ever for the club, and Paul Connor finally got on the scoresheet with a late finish after squandering a host of earlier chances. Also shining was young Shaun McDonald, who looks to be a good prospect for the future. A healthy 5,000+ turnout for an LDV game too.

Tranmere Rovers (A) - It was pretty much the proverbial game of two halves for Tranmeres' cup final. An abject first half display where we never really took the game by the scruff of the neck was wiped away by a dominant second half display (inspired by substitute Roberto Martinez) that saw us take a deserved share of the points with Andy "homeboy" Robinson also coming off the bench to grab the late equalising goal. We still had time to almost snatch the points too, with Adrian Forbes' late header coming back off the post. Queue days of tedious complaining by the wannabe Scousers about various things that I've tried to push out of my mind with repeated showings of cheesy 80's action movies.

Plus Points - The win over Southend was an immense display, combining the tenacity and team spirit we've exhibited in droves over the last 18 months with the inspiration of LT10. Hopefully in six months time we'll be able to look back and identify this as the point where our promotion campaign really kicked in. It was also a moment of great pleasure when it was announced that we had smashed the Eggers record attendance for the White Rock. Let them never get it again.

Minuses - The continued speculation over the future of LT10 has been a source of worry, with many now starting to feel as if it's a matter of when he leaves for pastures Premiership rather than if. It's going to be a strange waiting game until Feb 1^st. It's also a little worrying that there seems to be a bit of an edge between Roberto and KJ too. We need unity if we're going to achieve anything this year, and having the manager and Captain in disagreement isn't going to help.

My overall grade for November - A

Two good league wins, a fine performance in a cup that's starting to look like a very serious chance of silverware, and a tidy away point at a fast improving Tranmere Rovers. All topped off by that special sell-out night against Yeovil. We're still on the march, and the confidence is growing. Supporting the Swans doesn't get much better.

J

Previous Reviews: August September October

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