Rather than provide a match report. I thought I would try to analyse why this performance was so different.

My first observation is that a suited and booted Tim Waddington and Matt Hudson sat in the South Stand with the faithful, presumably to sample our views. The latter's absence from the press area possibly explains why the BBC text service was reporting that "the final whistle was blown on 78.58 minutes" and the BBC results table had the U's winning merely 2-1 at full time (until corrected much later). But it was a good initiative to get the non-playing management out with the most vocal fans, presumably prompted by Joe Dunne to confirm that we all "Bleed Blue and White".

Even before the game there was an expectancy that this would be THE day, and the die-hards concurred in the pubs and cafes, at no time in the previous two years had we EVER more looked forward to a Saturday. Later, "I won't mind when we lose if we play like that" echoed around the stadium as the faithful 3,741 drifted away after the best entertainment EVER seen at WHCS.

From kick-off there was a completely different spirit and intent compared to the Ward era. So what made it different? For a start, Michael Rose and Brian Wilson were no longer impelled to gallop forward and vacate their defensive duties to support an overly defensive midfield that is too slow in attack (e.g. no Izzet, Bond or O'Toole).

Instead the team had tangible width from two pacey wide men in Gavin Massey and Sanchez Watt. However, when our full-backs did get forward it was to overwhelm Hartlepool when the away team posed no threat having already pulled nine men behind the ball due to U's pressure. For once, I thought Rose deserved his place and I look forward to seeing him again in the line-up against Swindon. He didn't take a single corner, nor attacking free kick (shot for glory) or otherwise unjustly wander too far up the field. He paid attention to his job description and looked a better asset as a result. I was always his biggest critic, but today I am a fan.

What enabled this change? Not only did we have width, we had a new 'midfield general' bossing play in the centre, rather than have midfield players kicking lumps out of the opposition to prop up a shaky defence. The full backs properly did their defensive job to free up more flair in the middle of the pitch. I thought loanee debutant Craig Eastmond was brilliant. His match didn't start well as he gifted a goal for Craig Lynch on five minutes, but after that he was awesome, as was the performance of fellow debutants Ibrehe and Watts. The ball fluidly skimmed from player to player on the deck, as if on elastic, and it brought the best out of others, such as Woody, Rose and Wilson, that also joined in the neat triangles and squares that so tormented Hartlepool. The Monkey Hangers were not the most testing of opposition, but the U's standard of passing and ball retention would have troubled most in this Division.

Joe Dunne is a clever motivator compared to John Ward. With the game (all but) won, he made sure that each of the debutant stars walked off to a deserved standing ovation whilst being substituted, while noticeably ensuing that their replacements, Henderson and Sears, knew that the bar had been raised and what they had to replicate. It looked clear that some arses had been kicked and discipline injected. Even Woody was perspiring, and for once revealed his potential brilliance.

Joe is evidently, also a very clever tactician. In the Ward area, when defending a corner we would have nine or ten men back. If nine, our sole attacker would be on the centre spot waiting in vain for an easily defended hoofed ball. Instead, we had eight back and Massey and Watt on the half way line as far apart as possible, (shaking hands with the West and East Stands). This tactic forces the opposition to have at least three defenders back on the half way line and that helps unclutter our penalty area to allow our defenders a better chance to deal with any threat. Then if Cousins gathers the ball, a throw out to a midfielder or full back offers a further outlet to the wide men and a fast counter attack. However, it was noticeable that after Watts and Massey were substituted, their replacements, Henderson and Sears, tended to drifted back in (as before) and it looked to me as though both had to be reminded of the new 'wide tactic'.

Similar, it always frustrated me that under Ward, prior to a U's goal kick, all players would crab into a small area on one side of the pitch and wait for Cousins to thump it up the line. Yesterday was no such thing. We had men wide on both sides hence pulling defenders wide and stretching them. Then a sensible throw to (say) Magnus, Wilson or Rose, plus moving the ball along the back line to look for a better opening, whist retaining possession, became our prevailing new style. At times we looked like a Premier League team. Suddenly we have found how to receive and keep the ball. Watts, Eastmond and Ibrehe lifted the others and we once again looked like a team full of confidence, arrogance and flair that we have not witnessed since the penultimate season at Layer Road.

Drawing 13 in 22 games with 1 win under Ward yielded 16 points. I reckon the way we played yesterday is more likely to yield 12 wins and 10 defeats. But that yields 36 points. I rest my case. "I won't mind when we lose if we play like that".

Photo: Action Images

lawrie65 added 21:01 - Sep 30 Great right up and agree with everything that you wrote
0

Swindon Town Polls