Brief Synopsis!!!

[ealinggreen]

Good game,we kept our shape well.If only Lewis had taken his chance,it was a golden opportunity.On Tuesday,bring back Purrington for Parsons.I would also rather see Wotton than Blanchard.Blanchards passing is awful.

 

[esmer]

It all came down to fine margins but Scunthorpe were very well organised and played the 3-5-2 better than us and deserved to win. But it was a close game and on another day we may have nicked it. We had problems on our left side with Nelson playing far too narrow and Parsons far too deep, it allowed their wing back (no 18) who was a decent player to push way forward. It was akin to playing most of the game with ten men. It's disappointing that the coaching staff were unable to do anything about it and it was a relief to change to 4-4-2 towards the end. Allesandra and Hourihaine were outstanding and Reid worked hard. Onto Tuesday with hopefully some intense coaching to Nelson and Parsons in the meantime.

 

[odiumruse]

We didn't deserve that!

In the end it came down to fine margins, we didn't get the luck in front of goal and Scunthorpe did.
Let's be honest, Scunthorpe are a very good team, the best visiting team I've seen at Home Park this season and yet we more than matched them. With their possession football you can see why they draw a lot of games.

There was contrasting styles in the way each team played, Scunthorpe were neat and tidy in midfield playing possession football with little threat in attack while we were content to sit back and contain and play on the counter attack and it's fair to say we had the better chances by being more direct.

Alessandra was a class above the players on the pitch, he had two great chances in the first half but sadly both shots flew over the bar.
His running, control and energy worried the Scunthorpe defence and in the second half he could have grabbed a hat-trick, he had two shots that hit the post, one of those hit the inside of the upright and bounced across the goal and was cleared. So unlucky!

In a very tense game it would be a mistake that would gift a goal and sure enough a slip in the Argyle defence opened up a chance and Syers put it away. We didn't deserve to be behind.

Sheridan brought on the three subs and changed to a 4-4-2 formation and we briefly rallied but Scunthorpe got the killer second goal, once again thanks to a stroke of luck. Adelakun had a shot that hit the post and rebounded back across goal and hit the diving Cole to slowly roll over the line. 2-0.
Remember Alessandra's shot doing the same but bouncing to safety? Fine margins.

It's difficult to fault any player after a good performance like that, Hourihane was everywhere and had a couple of shots that on another day would have beaten the keeper, it looked at one stage that he would be subbed after picking up a hamstring injury in the first half.

Reid was bullish and a lot of play went through him particularly from Young in the quarterback position. Reid would receive the ball to feet, turn and run at the Scunthorpe defence to set up several attacks. He was unlucky to be subbed but it was worth trying something different late in the game.

Nelson and Trotman were solid and Cole made one superb save during the first half that kept us in the game.
Parsons provided lots of width on the left and if we were to score the goal would come from that side of the team, however, he needs to find some bravery in the tackle. After the Rovers game Reid was now on near post duty when defending set-pieces instead of Parsons.

A word for the referee who had an excellent game.

We've dropped a place in the league but nothing much has changed, it's still in our hands although the pressure is now on to beat Chesterfield.

Ty as usual. Once again showing that a good synopsis is worth waiting for, and not rushing to be first.

 

[monkeywrench]

I thought it was a really good, closely fought game with both sides playing good football. Its easy to say that we could have attacked more or whatever but you have to remember that there is another team out there with their own ideas. And a bloody good one at that. Very very impressed with how they movrd the ball around and kept possession and they broke with pace and looked very dangerous.

That said we matched them. Almost. They had slightly more quality than us but the gap is closing. I would have taken a point at half time.

Lewi was outstanding as was Connor. Nelse and Trots had good gamea and were very solid. Maxi was assured in defence but he gave away possession way too much. Parsons made some excellent runs forward but in doing so left gaps in behind when it broke down.

if only Lewi's shot had gone in rather than hit the post..... the game is all about moments....we gave the ball away on the half way line. They broke, someone slipped and they scored. Small margins.

Heads up though, our performance today would have got us a win 9 times out of 10. ,

 

[r4h4al]

Brief Synopsis We played ever so well had a hat full of chances but missed them all, just one of those days I'm afraid. McShreffey looked a handful for them.

To be fair there's been games this season where we've gone away played poorly and won, Mansfield away (not york!) for example. Still we're still pushing for the playoffs :scarf:

 

[samjones]

Good game and a bit unlucky but that's the difference between us and a top team. They took their chances and had the rub of the green today whilst we had enough opportunities to win the game and lacked a bit of quality to actually score. Lewi is by far our best player

As far as I'm concerned we lost the game in midfield again. Their No 4 controlled the game and whilst it was end to end at times I never felt we got a hold of the game in midfield. We seemed to be far too deep and just let them play one touch football around us.

Parsons defending leaves a bit to desire in the last few games and could of cost us dearly on a couple of occasions.
Lewi and Hourihane should have both had at least 1 goal each today

Best team one sadly

 

[SMIAL]

How are people saying it was evenly matched. We had 40% possession, we parked the bloody bus and hoped we would 'nick it'.

We are better than that!!!!

Were you there or are you purely basing it on stats?

I was there but must have watched a different game to everyone. We were extremely poor with the ball, sat far too deep with no tempo. No one looked comfortable on the round thing. We were too happy to let them play.

It was a tactic by Sheridan of 11 men behind ball and break with three men, which to be fair nearly scored twice from it. But we need to be doing more at home against promotion rivals.

Morecambe we played like ....

................................COLE ................................

...........BLANCHARD...TROTMAN...NELSON...................

BERRY......................WOTTON...................PARSONS

...................YOUNG.............HOURIHANE..................

........................REID...ALESSANDRA.........................


Today it was more.....


................................COLE ...................................

BERRY....BLANCHARD...TROTMAN...NELSON.....PARSONS

......................YOUNG.............BLIZZARD.....................

...............................HOURIHANE...............................

......................REID.............ALESSANDRA..................

 

[Frank Butcher]

Parsons has one poor game and some people are branding him a poor player. Jesus Christ.

Not sure anyone has said any such thing. Suggest you read the posts again.

 

[Penlee]

Good game it was noce to watch two good teams how long since we said that.

We didn't deserve to lose, I did a 'corporate' today with several neutrals who said exactly that.

Allesandra and Hourihane stood out for me today both were excellent and Allessandra really unlucky not to notch.

Ref wasn't bad we've had a lot worse not too much for him to do to be fair

 

[oddball]

We had two shots on target all game. Not very good for a home team.Need to do better if we are looking at a play off position.

 

[Frank Butcher]

We had two shots on target all game. Not very good for a home team.Need to do better if we are looking at a play off position.

So says the BBC, but I remember Hourihane definitely having at least two on target (one in each half) plus Gurrieri had a shot on target when he came on. Regardless, that stat is wrong.

 

[jollygreenjohn]

Brief Synopsis We played ever so well had a hat full of chances but missed them all, just one of those days I'm afraid. McShreffey looked a handful for them.

To be fair there's been games this season where we've gone away played poorly and won, York away for example. Still we're still pushing for the playoffs :scarf:

We drew at York but I take your point.

A game we might have won but not necessarily deserved to. Scunny were a very good side and kept possession so much better and were so much better organised than us.

Others have made the point on how Hourihane and Alessandra were outstanding. Oh if only Young and Blizzard could have contributed a little more.

Also agree that JS should have changed things earlier obviously with the benefit of hind sight. Oh well we only have to wait until Tuesday to go again.

 

[Steve Evans]

i was very proud of our club today.we were unlucky not to get a draw.i thought parsons and blizzard were poor today but every other player was superb. :clap:

 

[narrowboat]

Whether we would have done better we shall never know and I blame Sheridan for this totally and I will tell you why.
Firstly, what is the point of playing Blizzard when he does absolutely SFA other than to put himself into spaces where he can hide(if this isn't a contradiction). His overall contribution to the cause was about zero. Many a time he could have stood his ground in the middish field area but his option, nearly always, was to got into or next to the back line and leave their midfidfielders with the freedom of the park. So why delay in bringing on Gurrerei in his place. Just doesn't make sense.If many of us can see this why can't the managerial staff.
Secondly,also like others, this comes under the very very late substitutions that must leave players like Gurrerei, Morgan and Thomas et al tearing their hair out in frustration.
In general instead of harrying the opposition in midfield we just sat back and waited for things to happen.
Notwithstanding that, Allesandro and Reid worked very hard and can't be faulted.
Just my opinion.

 

[HarlHM]

On chances, it was very much 50/50. But we were, in the end, beaten by an evidently superior team.

They pinned our wing-backs down and forced them to play as regular full-backs. Everything we did when we got the ball was rushed and sloppy.

Blizzard should've been brought off much earlier for a more attack-minded option. He looked lost.

Cole - 7/10.
Blanchard - 6/10.
Trotman - 7/10. Dominant aerially.
Nelson - 6/10. He's better than that.
Berry - 5/10. I'm still unconvinced about him as a wing-back.
Parsons - 5/10.
Young - 7/10. Good ideas, even if they didn't always come off.
Blizzard - 5/10.
Hourihane - 7/10. Should've at very least scored one today. Good, energetic performance.
Reid - 6/10. He had 2/3 good solo runs, but he's, and I keep saying this, basically useless when the opposition have the ball. When the play's near him he'll chase and pressure people (which is why I think he gets tagged by some on here as 'hard-working'), but is very quick to give up and lose interest.
Alessandra - 8/10. Comfortably our best player of the last 2/3 months. Was isolated on countless occasions but he continually made something out of nothing. Hit the post twice.

We should've pressed higher, but Scunthorpe made it tough. They're a very tidy side. Sean McAllister ran the game.