Back now. Mini-match report today. A game of two entirely different halves. The first half we scored more goals but then we also conceded one and looked generally quite disorganised and shakey. Second half we had a solid 3-5-2 shape from the start and whilst we looked less prolific, we also didn't look in danger of conceding and we kept our shape a lot better. 1st half was better for goals but the coaches will be more pleased with the second half.
First half:
Bittner 5. Should have done better for the goal. Nothing else of note.
Allen-4. Not his fault, he's just a CM not a full-back. Iffy at the back and didn't overlap.
Bentley-6. Jittery first ten minutes, otherwise looked a solid defender. Decent movement and anticipation.
Sargent-5. Don't want to judge him too much on one game as he's a young lad but he seems a bit of a 'Doumbe defender' to me. Makes a lot of mistakes but recovers them quite well.
Purrington-6. Rock solid defensively and some good long passes. Didn't overlap enough.
Blizzard-7. Probably our best performer in the first half. I like how he gets into good positions both attackingly and defensively. However, he'd struggle to replicate it in a competitive game as he had no pressure on him whatsoever.
Cox-7. Again, one of our better ones. Presses well and showed good attacking movement. Always kept the ball.
Norburn-4. Just not seeing it with him so far in either friendly or actual games. The odd good pass yes- but he has all of Young's weaknesses with less of his strengths. Needs to get in the game more.
Harvey-6. Looked entirely lost out wide to start with but grew into the role as it went on. Was involved in all three first half goals.
Morgan-4. Good positioning to score the first goal. Aside from that, very anonymous.
Thomas-5. Started off very poorly, losing the ball every time he got it. Yet grew into the half as it went on and was involved in some good forward moves making good use of his pace.
Second half:
Bittner-6. Practically untested.
Bentley-7. Looked better in a 3-5-2. Good eye for a long pass.
Wotton-7. Assured performance. He can't lose the pace he never had. His anticipation and strength still make him a worth squad player for this season.
Moxham-6. Some good pressing and challenges. Questionable positioning which has been his vice whenever I've seen him play. Inconsistent passing.
Miller-5. Highly rated in central midfield but not a good wing-back for my money.
Blizzard-7. See first half + a well taken goal. Man of the match.
Allen- 7. Much more assured in his natural position. Some very good passing throughout the half.
Harvey-7. See Allen. See above.
Purrington-7. Cool as a cucumber and got up and down the line at the appropriate times. End product from the wing let him down slightly but he did better than most.
Thomas-5. Busy, active, end product lacking. We should have got more than one goal in that half based on how good the midfield were.
Smalley-4. See Thomas except he missed some even clearer opportunities to score.
Steer-6. Not on for long, some good passing.
Vincent-5. Couldn't get into the game in the short time he was on.
Rooney-6. Some excellent movement. Should have grabbed a goal.
On the whole, not a lot that can be read into friendly matches as the tempo in which they're played is entirely different to that of a league match. But the players who treated it like a league game and put in the most professional performances were the ones who gave the best accounts of themselves in what was essentially one of many auditions for the first team. Those players were Wotton, Bentley, Purrington and Harvey. I would also add Blizzard to that list, but I fear however hard he tries he will ALWAYS be physically out-dominated in a competitive game rather than a friendly.
First half:
Bittner 5. Should have done better for the goal. Nothing else of note.
Allen-4. Not his fault, he's just a CM not a full-back. Iffy at the back and didn't overlap.
Bentley-6. Jittery first ten minutes, otherwise looked a solid defender. Decent movement and anticipation.
Sargent-5. Don't want to judge him too much on one game as he's a young lad but he seems a bit of a 'Doumbe defender' to me. Makes a lot of mistakes but recovers them quite well.
Purrington-6. Rock solid defensively and some good long passes. Didn't overlap enough.
Blizzard-7. Probably our best performer in the first half. I like how he gets into good positions both attackingly and defensively. However, he'd struggle to replicate it in a competitive game as he had no pressure on him whatsoever.
Cox-7. Again, one of our better ones. Presses well and showed good attacking movement. Always kept the ball.
Norburn-4. Just not seeing it with him so far in either friendly or actual games. The odd good pass yes- but he has all of Young's weaknesses with less of his strengths. Needs to get in the game more.
Harvey-6. Looked entirely lost out wide to start with but grew into the role as it went on. Was involved in all three first half goals.
Morgan-4. Good positioning to score the first goal. Aside from that, very anonymous.
Thomas-5. Started off very poorly, losing the ball every time he got it. Yet grew into the half as it went on and was involved in some good forward moves making good use of his pace.
Second half:
Bittner-6. Practically untested.
Bentley-7. Looked better in a 3-5-2. Good eye for a long pass.
Wotton-7. Assured performance. He can't lose the pace he never had. His anticipation and strength still make him a worth squad player for this season.
Moxham-6. Some good pressing and challenges. Questionable positioning which has been his vice whenever I've seen him play. Inconsistent passing.
Miller-5. Highly rated in central midfield but not a good wing-back for my money.
Blizzard-7. See first half + a well taken goal. Man of the match.
Allen- 7. Much more assured in his natural position. Some very good passing throughout the half.
Harvey-7. See Allen. See above.
Purrington-7. Cool as a cucumber and got up and down the line at the appropriate times. End product from the wing let him down slightly but he did better than most.
Thomas-5. Busy, active, end product lacking. We should have got more than one goal in that half based on how good the midfield were.
Smalley-4. See Thomas except he missed some even clearer opportunities to score.
Steer-6. Not on for long, some good passing.
Vincent-5. Couldn't get into the game in the short time he was on.
Rooney-6. Some excellent movement. Should have grabbed a goal.
On the whole, not a lot that can be read into friendly matches as the tempo in which they're played is entirely different to that of a league match. But the players who treated it like a league game and put in the most professional performances were the ones who gave the best accounts of themselves in what was essentially one of many auditions for the first team. Those players were Wotton, Bentley, Purrington and Harvey. I would also add Blizzard to that list, but I fear however hard he tries he will ALWAYS be physically out-dominated in a competitive game rather than a friendly.
