Blessed Relief

Four deadline day signings, making around 11 new players in total for this season, manager sacked after seven good months gave way to one pretty poor one, four league defeats in a row, 19th in the third flight, and up against one of the five teams still below us, one which – with no disrespect intended – is among the favourites to be relegated. The overwhelming desire was just to fashion a win, by any means and of any description, give Pearce a 100% record, then we can have a couple of weeks off (Crawley really doesn’t count) to start to focus on how we will shape up with the new personnel and manager. But nobody was forgetting that Fleetwood left The Valley with the points last time around, or the possibility of Stockley returning to exact some retribution.

We ended up for once getting what we wanted, and just about what we deserved, with yet another game decided by the odd goal and us overcoming a poor opening period – during which we could well have conceded more than the one we did. Stockley did exact some retribution, but to his credit kept his goalscoring celebrations low-key. In the end it was smiles all round on the pitch on our side, less so for Fleetwood who followed up today by sacking their manager, becoming the second team this season to do so.

The team and formation were anyone’s guess, hadn’t exactly been consistent under Holden. In the event Pearce made three changes from the starting X1 at Oxford, with Elerewe and Ness, two of the starting three centre-backs, missing out (Ness to the bench, Hector coming in), along with Kanu (also to the bench), seemingly to accommodate a 4-3-3 set-up: Isted retained in goal, Asiimwe and Edun full-backs either side of Hector and Jones (who seems to be quietly retained each game), Dobson, Anderson and Campbell(C) making up a midfield trio, then May flanked by Blackett-Taylor and Campbell(T). The surprises on the bench were the early return of Leaburn – which meant going from no forward options in reserve to having two - and Kirk given a spot (to be fair with Jaiyesimi departing on loan and the others included in the starting line-up he was the only reserve wide option available).

In the first 20 minutes or so we were decidedly second-best. Fleetwood were laborious, generally predictable, but did the basics better than us and played to their strengths. By contrast we buzzed around to little effect and once again looked vulnerable at the back. In the first 10 minutes Fleetwood had a couple of dangerous situations, rounded off with Stockley smacking the crossbar from a free-kick just outside the box after a foul by Dobson (one of several he was pulled up for through the afternoon, some unjustly, without picking up a yellow).

So it was really no surprise that on 15 minutes Fleetwood took the lead with what was from our perspective another soft goal, from Fleetwood’s probably a well-worked and well-finished move. The bald facts were their guy in a decent position on the right side put in a good cross to around the far post, where Stockley outmuscled his man to head home. The reality became clear with the TV replays, which highlighted another case of poor defensive coordination and lack of leadership. Anderson had tracked Stockley back, into the box. When he saw their guy on the right he drifted to the far post, still marked by Anderson. When it came to getting on the end of the cross Stockley barely had to get off the ground, heading home from slightly behind him back across Isted.

You might say Anderson should have called for help when he realised the situation, perhaps that Asiimwe could have taken over, it was more his space, and that Edun stood off too much, allowing their guy to choose his time to deliver and where to put it. But for me the main culprits were Hector and Jones. When the cross came in, Hector was central, marking their other forward. I’d guess he felt he was doing his job. Jones was to the left of Hector, presumably also feeling he was where he should be positionally, but actually on his own, just marking space. Neither he nor Hector reacted to the danger, to assess the situation and take action. With a simple drift to the far post Stockley had created a mismatch and punished us. Now it can’t be that easy. Perhaps the two centre-backs didn’t have the time to adjust, but they didn’t seem to be aware of the danger and made no effort to neuter it; and whatever they did it couldn’t have turned out any worse.

Perhaps having gone ahead Fleetwood became more conservative, but the rest of the first half proved more even; and we created half-chances. CBT and Campbell(C) were causing problems (even if Campbell sometimes seemed to be taking up the space that CBT needs in order to use his pace), crosses were almost finding their way to May – and when on 40 minutes a low one from our right did hit the mark he completely missed the ball rather than tuck it home. No matter, all was forgiven a couple of minutes later. Campbell(C) from around the half-way line on the right played an absolute peach of a pass, curled behind and in between their centre-backs. May timed the run to perfection, didn’t have to take a touch or break stride before sliding it low under their keeper. Suddenly we were level and the game had changed.

Pearce indicated after the game that some home truths were said in the dressing room at the break, and accepted by the players, and buoyed by the goal we did come out on the front foot in the second half. Things done just a little faster, more determination to win the ball back. It actually felt a little like away at Oxford and the reaction then to what had been an unacceptably poor opening period.

Before the hour we should have had a penalty. It wasn’t a stonewall one in real time, but when the ball was nudged in the box to Campbell(C) their defender went through him to try to reach the ball, connected with him but not the ball, then guiltily played it away. Any VAR and it would have been given.

Instead a further 18 minutes elapsed before we were awarded a spot-kick, this time with no doubt involved. For the second time in the game a penetrative ball forward, this time from Jones it seems, resulted in a goal. This one was to Blackett-Taylor on the left, inside the box. He cut inside and their defender stuck out a leg. Over he went and May stepped up to rifle the ball down the middle. He managed to pick up a yellow in the process, explaining afterwards that there had been a few exchanges with the Fleetwood keeper and acknowledging that it wasn’t the best thing to do, especially following a series of yellows for kicking the ball away bringing the risk of an early suspension.

Thereafter we were the more likely to score and with hindsight, despite 12 minutes of stoppage time and the nerves associated with wanting to end a losing run, we saw the game out reasonably comfortably. It seemed as though Fleetwood’s changes had made them weaker, whereas we were able to welcome Leaburn back onto the pitch to good effect (for Campbell), then to later replace Edun and Campbell(T) with Thomas and Taylor, even at the death bringing on Kirk (for CBT), with time for him to dunk in an inviting cross which May just failed to reach.

There will of course be much stiffer tests ahead. But the only negative for us after the game was more evidence of defensive frailties to be worked on. The positives included the contribution of Campbell(C), who despite May’s two goals I would have made Man of the Match, the return from injury of Campbell(T) and Leaburn, a couple more goals for May, and the sight of four new signings to be integrated in the weeks ahead. Most of all, just a huge sigh of relief, for obvious reasons.