rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 5, 2022 8:31:20 GMT
After the disappointment of drawing our last three games we are still very hard to beat having lost just once this calendar year in what was a very tight match against Solihull Moors. Bromley are on the cusp of the playoffs and will be themselves looking to get back on track so should make for an exciting match later on which I’ll be looking forward to! COYY! TUFC preview |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Mar 5, 2022 13:42:22 GMT
Always look forward to the match. Wonder who will drop out in the unlikely event of Hall, Lapslie and Wright all being fit. Lolos on the bench or not? Lapslie in action at Wealdstone:  |
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 5, 2022 14:14:34 GMT
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Mar 5, 2022 14:48:30 GMT
Unchanged. Hall and Martin still out. |
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Post by Swanny on Mar 5, 2022 18:22:45 GMT
A credible draw today against Bromley today having to play the majority of the match with 10 men after Lewis was sent off for a professional foul. I was a bit surprised that Lewis was sent off as at the time I felt it looked more of a free kick and booking so it will be interesting to view the video footage of it. Lewis has been our outstanding central defender this season and it looked ominous when he left the pitch. However the defence reshuffled with sponsors MOTM Wynter switching to centre back and did a sterling job shutting out Bromley.
Torquay in the second half then had to cope with Little, who had been hobbling in the first half, finally going off early in the second half to be replaced by Omar. Omar continued to show his improved recent form and put in another solid display alongside Wynter in central defence. The commitment from all the team was excellent all game and a draw was the least Torquay deserved. Apart from a crucial save by MacDonald in added time Torquay had the clearest chances in the game. Torquay carved out 3 or 4 decent chances in the first half but did not quite have that finishing touch. Lemonheigh-Evans looks more of a threat in recent games than Wright and it was Lemonheigh-Evans fine header in the first half that brought a decent tip over from their keeper. Torquay's best chances were when they still had 11 men. Wearne had Torquay's best chance in the second half but just put the ball over.
I thought it was a decent competitive game to watch and not a bore draw we had previously against Boreham Wood. Torquay had more defending to do in the second half with 10 men and were rock solid all game. MacDonald had another exemplary game in goal. He no longer has a rush of blood making rash decisions. His decision making is now excellent, his handling assured, at one stage he came out of his penalty area to win the ball and he made a fine point blank save when Bromley were through in added time.
Today reassured me that our defence and keeper are very solid and dependable and the team gives excellent commitment. This has turned our season around and we are now a decent competitive team. Duke-McKenna was our most flair player today and it really is a joy to see his close control on the ball turning and beating opponents. Wright for me does not offer enough these days. He still has a presence up front and can hold the ball up but he rarely looks like scoring or even has a shot at goal. There was no sign of Holman today even on the bench which is no loss either, in my opinion. Both Wright and Holman are well past their best. Lolos did not get a chance today, not even for 11 minutes. It is clear to everyone that our strike force is severely lacking in a goal scorer and Lemonheigh-Evans looks our best bet these days. It's the difference between drawing a lot of games as opposed to winning games and only when we had Sinclair Armstrong this season we looked a proper threat up front.
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petef
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Post by petef on Mar 5, 2022 19:02:38 GMT
Yellow and blue army v Red army - very apt considering the sad events of the past ten days - the pre match one minutes applause was completed with conviction and thought in every corner of the ground.
Not the greatest watch but a brave and determined performance none the less against the "giants" of the division who must have had three or four players well over six foot making the likes of Lapslie, McKenna, Johnson etc look like characters out of Land of the Giants! Early play suggested they may well role us over with such a height advantage with constant crosses coming in early on to test the back line and keeper MacDonald who had another assured and excellent game. Our work rate and commitment though was exceptional and needed to be to stop a very physical Bromley side from steam rolling a result. God even there subs are built like brick sh**houses in comparison to our front line of an aging Danny Wright and the ever hard working CLE when he could get get there to support. The sending off really ruined the contest for me and I thought harsh and unnecessary. It was the slightest of contact and I didnt think a goal scoring opportunity. This level and standard of officiating is inconsistent to say the least as we saw last week costly.Today we earned that point with god organisation and hard work where last week we squandered the three points when we should easily have brushed them aside. I guess the Bromley manager will be thinking similar thoughts after we went down to ten.
The same old issues were again pretty plain to see up front. Danny doing his best as a decent target man with little mobility or support which was virtually impossible one Lewis exited. Credit to one man amongst a few very committed hard working performances and that man was Ali Ommar who came on and performed well to help nullify the giants and get forward to support when he had the opportunity with some neat touches and passing at times.
MOM for me was Shaun MacDonald though could have gone to any of the braves today.
End of PO challenge, in reality we wouldn't stand a chance with the squad as it is in any case.
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Mar 5, 2022 19:56:01 GMT
I thought the sending off today was one of the few things the officials got right today ☹️ Lewis was stupid to make the tackle by holding their player back - silly Billy.
Sadly our strikers, poor old Wrighty huffs and puffs, lolos can’t buy a game and Holman are not going to win many if any matches ☹️☹️
Southend seem to have acquired a few players from Conference South. Perhaps we should try even if they can only play part time. There’s Tyler Harvey at Truro and Goodship at Weymouth would surely be worth a part time contract?
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 5, 2022 20:29:04 GMT
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 5, 2022 20:51:33 GMT
Quite enjoy the game today with many talking points and where all the players put a decent shift in with the spirit of the side coming to the fore during the second half. For the first five minutes thought we were in trouble, Bromley are a big side and they hardly let us touch the ball in the first few minutes as they passed it around well. However we gradually grasped the initiative back and created a number of chances with CLE’s bullet header being really well saved by their keeper.
The match turns when Lewis got a straight red. For some reason a long ball just saw him and their striker tussle for possession and when the striker got goal side, a clear pull back by Lewis and the red was the correct decision IMO. Not sure why the rest of the defence just let Lewis get on with it and should have at least doubled up.
The players worked really hard in the second half and gave as good as they got. Wearne probably had the best chance where the ball unexpectedly came to him and his curling shot was just fractionally over around the far post area. CLE took over the sole striking position from Wright as he tired and some really good performances and individual skill were also put in by Moxey, Låpslie and Omar with the latter particularly lively after coming on, at times combining roles on the wing and up front while somehow holding the centre of defence steady. Like Martin, he has really grown over the season, showing what Johnson saw him him and no doubt will start the next game. Finally McDonald put in another tremendous shift in goal and hardly put a foot wrong. Came out in the first half and put in a great tackle after the ball held up in the wind to clear a dangerous situation. Made some good saves in the second half, was very competent in his handling of the ball and even when their substitute got the ball with his back to goal a yard out, McDonald calmly caught the ball at virtually zero range as it was flicked backwards straight into his hands.
If only we were this hard too beat at the beginning of the season! Even so, a striker the quality of Armstrong at the beginning of January would have made all the difference. Anyone know if he is fit again?
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