Brief Synopsis!!!

Mark Pedlar · Feb 28, 2015

1) So as expected Cox replaced the suspended Lee. Reuben's absence slightly unexpected but big chance for Brunt. Only other changes were Banton and Harvey joining the subs.

2) Bury had the best of the first-half with McCormick forced into a couple of saves and their forwards putting over a chance that I thought only Argyle missed.

3) Brunt struggled a little but the supply was poor from a midfield lacking creativity. Bobby Reid not at his best. To be fair though Bury pressed all over the pitch especially on Talbot and Thud who both struggled to get into the game.

4) Even the usually solid Hartley had a dodgy moment. McHugh and Nelson were probably the better outfield players. Alessandra didn't get into the game and O'Connor and Cox weren't given the chance to play.

5) Argyle started the second 45 well and had the ball in the net, Alessandra netting a rebound from O'Connor's free kick. Talbot had a good chance but seemed to lack confidence. Lewi's only decent moment in a poor performance.

6) Then, against the run of play Bury broke and a free-header left McCormick stranded. That 'never come back' statistic was in everyone's mind.

7) All change with 15 to go. Most surprising was Mellor going up-front - Harvey must be really low down the pecking order. Almost immediately Argyle down to 10 as Mellor went off. Bury's undeserved second from a breakaway. Over the whole game Bury deserved the win, Argyle outclassed at times.

8 ) Awful time wasting by Bury, even before they scored. Don't know if I should be applauding Sheridan for trying something different or having a go at him for leaving a forward on the bench and playing a right-back as centre-forward.

9) Good sized home crowd, but not as noisy as usual in the first 45. Like the team they got into it more in the second but the ground emptied when the second went in. Bury brought a decent amount compared with many that have come to Home Park so far this season.

Luke McCormick - 7
Drew Talbot - 5
Curtis Nelson - 7
Carl McHugh - 7
Peter Hartley - 7
Tareiq Holmes-Dennis - 6
Anthony O'Connor - 7
Lee Cox - 6
Bobby Reid - 6
Lewis Alessandra - 6
Ryan Brunt - 6

Substitutes:
James Bittner - unused
Kelvin Mellor - 5
Ben Purrington - unused
Oliver Norburn - unused
Dominic Blizzard - 5
Jason Banton - 4
Tyler Harvey - unused

hometown5 · Feb 28, 2015

Our unbeaten run met the mere end. Should have won at home if aim for the promotion. How pathetic.

landons forehead · Feb 28, 2015

Insipid, predictable and spineless.

Tugboat · Feb 28, 2015

What is it with loan returns? They just can't replicate what they have done before there first loan expired

Tony Flags · Feb 28, 2015

hometown5":18j4jecg said:
Our unbeaten run met the mere end. Should have won at home if aim for the promotion. How pathetic.

The pathetic bit was only after we conceded. Plan B was awful, whether in design or application is hard to tell as players fell to pieces after the goal. We played a solid well drilled team without two of our attacking players. We looked like nicking a goal until the breakaway goal. Heads then dropped and that was game over.

soccerpilgrim · Feb 28, 2015

Bury made it their game to win or lose today, and we struggled. We were dominated in the first half and, while the second was a small improvement, the defending was poor for both goals.

However, nothing was more frustrating than the substitutions and change of formation. Banton played like he had a point to prove and was always eager to get on the ball but he did very, very little in the end; he can wave his arms as much as he likes, he really is nothing special.

But Mellor coming on up front and pushing Alessandra out wide was the worst of the three changes. Mellor has no shooting ability whatsoever, and the ariel threat of a Nelson or somebody would have been better if that was the idea.

No real argument over Blizzard's introduction, but he had no effect on the game.

Hopefully Reuben will be back on Tuesday, especially as it's another side looking to overtake us, and It's against a side as physical as Stevenage.

McCormick 6
Talbot 6
Nelson 6
McHugh 5
Hartley 6
Holmes-Dennis 7
Reid 6
O'Connor 6
Cox 6
Brunt 5
Alessandra 6
Banton 4
Mellor 4
Blizzard 4

Frazer Lloyd-Davies · Feb 28, 2015

We were abysmal with the exception of ten minutes in the second half. Brunt and Talbot had particularly poor games.

cheshiregreen · Feb 28, 2015

Wasn't there today but was at the Bury game early in the season. They are a decent side at this level.

I hope one of the journos ask JS why he threw Mellor on up front. Knowing our local media we will never know.

As someone not at the game seemed bizarre choice- Mellor has not looked like a defender who can turn his hand to scoring. If it had been Nelson up there I could see some logic there.

Edit - see Mellor has got a MoM vote on here so perhaps he did great

Monster Green · Feb 28, 2015

Sheridan out brigade soon to return then. 4 games unbeaten, lost today against a very good Bury side. Play-offs are still achievable; lets regroup and get back on track :scarf:

Mark Pedlar · Feb 28, 2015

Don't think we will see Reuben for a while. Promotion chance over

#backtorealitywithabump

BadBoy · Feb 28, 2015

I think that game shows us that Brunt is an impact sub, nuisance value at best. Allesandra was the only one that performed anything like going forward. Tyler must really wonder what's going on when Mellor gets the call to play up front ahead of him, some truely mind boggling subs.

arrythewurzel · Feb 28, 2015

Not too disappointed. Bury the far superior team. Stronger all over the pitch. Felt like men against boys. Thoroughly deserved their win. Can accept a defeat when you're well beaten - which we were. On to the next game ..

Cobi Budge. · Feb 28, 2015

You've been extremely generous with your ratings, especially for the defence.

Apart from a 10 minute spell early in the second half, we were frankly appalling today and I think we would have lost with Reid.

The two goals we conceded were quite embarrassing, especially the first. Then we rolled over and Sheridan made some truly bizzare decisions.

The subs actually made us weaker.

McCormick - 7 - No chance for either goal, left for dead by his defenders.

Talbot - 4 - No confidence, head went down very early.

Nelson - 7 - The only defender who had a solid game.

McHugh - 4 - Suspect throughout.

Hartley - 4 - See above.

Holmes-Dennis - 5 - Attacked well but lost count of how many times he was caught out defensively in the second half, one resulted in a goal.

Cox - 5 - Average.

O'Connor - 5 - Average.

Bobby - 7 - He did quite well and always looked a threat. We did miss Lee at times but Bobby plays better without him.

Brunt - 4 - He didn't have a good game but half the time he had nobody around him to latch on to his chest downs or flick ons. He goes down too easily as well.

Alessandra - 6 - Worked hard as always, he was ok.

Subs:

Banton - 3 - He's just not very good anymore.

Mellor - 4 - Mellor at CF instead of Harvey, bizzare.

Blizzard - 5

We need to put today behind us but learn lessons. Sadly we won't, because if we go behind in a game, we lose, simple.

Frank Butcher · Feb 28, 2015

If we needed reminding that our first 11 is decent but there isn't much depth, then this game again proved the fact. There are particular players we simply can't do without - McCormick, Hartley, McHugh, Nelson, O'Connor and Reuben. The latter's absence proved a big loss this time.

Brunt tried but was simply no match for their centre-halves who must have had one of their easier afternoons. For me, I would have had him off at half-time, put Banton up front and played the ball in to feet. But no, when we make the change we put a tall right-back up there instead. Bizarre doesn't describe it.

A first 11 team, and a first 11 manager it seems ...

How will we react ? I guess it depends on whether our first 11 is fit.

P.S. With some mitigation, Bury were probably the best visiting side for me this season.

Dan Ellard · Feb 28, 2015

Best team in this division. If David Flitcroft has only got them in 6th he's clearly a pretty poor manager. But they turned up today and were too good for us. We had our 20 minute spell in the second half and had two excellent chances - Talbot bottled his and Nelson hit the bar.

McCormick 7

Nelson 7 (best of the back three by a shade)
McHugh 7
Hartley 7

Talbot 5
Bobby 7 - would have been 8 but bottled a tackle late on that was shameful. I've never seen anyone (not even Banton) bottle a tackle that badly.
O'Connor 8 MOTM
Cox 7
THD 6

Brunt 4
Alessandra 5

Subs: Blizzard 5 (can't play in a two), Banton n/a not a flaming left winger, Mellor n/a not a striker.

Draw a line under this one and move on.

Brief Synopsis!!!

Mark Pedlar

Administrator

hometown5

landons forehead

Tugboat

Tony Flags

soccerpilgrim

Frazer Lloyd-Davies

Guest

cheshiregreen

Monster Green

Mark Pedlar

Administrator

BadBoy

arrythewurzel

Cobi Budge.

Guest

Frank Butcher

Dan Ellard