No Turning Of The Page As Yet

This one was meant to mark the turning of a corner, with the incorporation of new players into a different formation, to draw a line under the dire period since late November - one which had effectively put paid to any thoughts of the play-offs – and to point towards better times next season. More prosaically, while a first win in nine games would have been most welcome, at the least we needed to avoid another defeat to avoid a possible material drop down the table and being sucked more clearly into a relegation struggle. Against opponents we had failed to beat at The Valley in December (despite being ahead for around 70 minutes of the game).

We ended up losing badly, in the sense that we were made to look increasingly ordinary and ineffective once we’d gone two down early in the second half. Our obvious frustration boiled over at the end with May’s petulant and nasty scything down of their guy heading towards our goal. As pointed out on Charlton TV, that could easily have seen a red card and him out for three games. Instead of a new start, the game revived old ghosts as we were treated to a re-run of so many we’ve seen this season and last, including conceding a goal that illustrated some of the problems of 3-5-2, more evidence that domination of possession means nothing if most of it amounts to going sideways and back, and the minimised threat down the flanks the system usually results in.

We were hard done by to be behind at the break, which could be attributed to us being denied a pretty clear penalty, a wonderful save by their keeper, our inability to turn half-chances into serious attempts on goal, and their scoring with their only real shot on goal. We were not hard done by at the end of the game, taking account of our lacklustre response to going two down and the comfort with which Burton saw out the game.

In all of this and other accounts, I suspect not enough credit will be given to Burton. When the came to The Valley they had a gameplan and stuck to it – stay in the game, get men behind the ball, deny space. Thanks to a late equaliser they went away with a point as having gone in front we didn’t do enough to finish off the game. This time around Burton had a similar approach but avoided going behind, took their chance when it came, defended by and large very well and the keeper helping them out, then having gone two up slammed the door shut in our faces, to the extent that until a late scuffed Kanu shot then his effort against the bar in stoppage time we really didn’t threaten their goal.

The team showed two changes from the Peterborough starting line-up, with both Campbells missing: one on the bench and one with his loan period ended. Lapado, signed on loan just the day before, leapfrogged Kanu to go straight into the team to play alongside May in a 3-5-2. The defence - still missing the injured Hector and with new arrivals Gillesphey and Edmonds-Green among the subs – was unchanged, with Ness, Jones and Thomas the central three and Edun and Watson(T) wing-backs, while Coventry started in midfield along with Dobson and Bakinson. Asiimwe and Anderson were the two still with us who missed out on a place in the squad.

We began well enough, with early encouragement as a Lapado dummy for May to collect pointed at understanding, while Edun was getting some joy down the left side. A good move involving Dobson, Bakinson, then Edun saw a low ball in for Bakinson, who shot over the bar (the ball probably took a bobble, much else did through the game). And before 10 minutes were up we really should have had a penalty. Great work by Edun ended with him moving along the goalline, only to be bundled over from behind. There was contact, their guy was nowhere near the ball, but the ref just ignored it. Not long after Jones headed over from a good position at a free-kick, then another set piece on the right side after a foul on Dobson saw the ball squared for May to run onto it and hit one on the turn that went over the bar.

Added to the chances was the fact that we had nearly all the ball. Often it was sideways and back, but Burton barely had a kick. Despite being at home, it didn’t bother them, they kept to the plan – and hadn’t gone behind. And sure enough, on 24 minutes they took the lead. Goalkeeper kicks the ball out, their forward beat Ness to the ball to flick it on, and suddenly they have a guy in space down their left heading for our goal. Watson(T) was and remained out of the picture, being around the half-way line. Instead Jones moved out towards their guy. It would, however, be wrong to say he challenged him. Rather he backed off and, as stressed by Curbs in the TV coverage, did nothing to impact what their guy did, always being a couple of yards away from the ball. He was able to cut inside, in a fashion very similar to Peterborough’s second, only this time the curled shot was excellent and perfectly placed rather than taking a deflection on its way in.

That was to say the least a blow, enabling Burton to redouble their efforts at just keeping us away from their goal. We still had chances. Rather out of the blue on the half-hour Thomas collected the ball driving forward and unleashed what would have been a goal of the season contender, the ball arrowing its way to the top corner of the net, only for their keeper to get fingers to it at full stretch to turn it aside for a corner. From that corner we almost equalised with Bakinson’s shot from close range also saved. And just before the break a good move down the left ended with Bakinson curling one just wide of the far post.

The half-time stats showed we had 74% possession and nine shots (three on target) against three (two on target) for them. Them’s the breaks, still half the game to go. But the game changed more decisively just a minute or two into the second half, as a long throw into the box was cleared and our massed defence did what it has done so often this season, all moving out towards the ball. It was lofted back in to the far post where Watson(L) managed to intercept it but only to send it square to one of several of theirs on hand, who scored easily.

And with hindsight there the game ended, for us at least. Not long after their second Lapedo hooked a shot over the bar and we did have another shout for a penalty as Edun seemed to be taken out on the edge of the area (possibly just outside it) but nothing was given. Then a Coventry cross to the far post almost dropped for May to convert but a defender got there first.

With around 20 minutes of normal time left and us clearly flagging, Appleton made a triple change: Fiorini, Kanu and Gillesphey replacing Thomas, Ness and Coventry. That meant a switch to a back four and a sort of 4-3-3. The changes may have been necessary to get fresh legs on, but they really didn’t work, although Kanu was involved in our remaining efforts. A long Edun cross dropped for him but it was a difficult take and he shot into the ground then up. Watson(L) came on for Lapedo and in the nine minutes of stoppage time Kanu’s shot came back off the bar, him having been set up by Bakinson. But the game’s final meaningful action saw Burton break and May chase their guy all the way back, ending with a two-footed lunge which could easily have done their guy damage.

It wasn’t a game to take positives from. Bakinson continued to impress with his support of the attack, Lapedo showed good signs of being able to develop an understanding with May, Gillesphey looked assured when on the pitch (although by then Burton were not looking to pressurise our back line), while Edun might be given MotM for his work down the left side. Fact is the goals Burton scored were soft and once more we’d conceded twice. I’d imagine that Gillesphey and Edmonds-Green will start on Tuesday night against Northampton as the defence looks in need of a revamp. Whether Bakinson, Coventry and Lapedo are able to start another game so quickly remains to be seen, although presumably Appleton will be sticking with 3-5-2 for now. If he does, one practical change I’d make is ensuring we have back-up wingbacks on the bench as the system asks a lot of them.

All you can say is that we went up a place in the second half, having at one stage during the afternoon been in 17th spot. We would have been at least that low had the Port Vale v Wycombe game not been called off. It’s not reached the stage where you say we simply have to beat Northampton on Tuesday night, but it’s not far off, given not least the fixtures coming up in February..