No Points And Fresh Problems

I couldn’t help thinking ahead of last night’s game that I hoped Jones and the squad were better prepared mentally than me for the encounter. That they would be up for the contest from the start, focused on the task ahead. Whereas all I wanted was for us, after Saturday’s gift, to bag another three points, by whatever means and with whatever good fortune, given the need to restore a decent buffer with the relegation zone, especially with a couple of shall we say challenging away games coming up. We know we’re not firing on all cylinders at present, still suffering from the defensive injuries, confidence not high. So just give us the points and be done with it.

Unsurprisingly Derby have ambitions and expectations of their own. And they did a job on us, keeping to a game plan which involved getting quickly behind the ball when out of possession, letting us play around in our own half to no good effect, and taking advantage of our defensive frailties, with a centre-forward who caused us no end of problems. For an hour it worked very effectively, although as Jones said the goals we conceded were avoidable (ie poor). Against that, were it not for more Kaminski saves there would have been others.

With the introduction of Fullah at the break the game did change, in that Derby suddenly had a problem they couldn’t contain. TC’s excellent strike got us back into the game and with the red card and us throwing caution to the wind we might have salvaged an important point. But that didn’t happen – and against the positives (which include another good performance from Clarke) are balanced Jones off injured and the apparent confirmation of a setback for Edwards in training. So we ended the day with no points and fresh problems.

For the team/squad, like Saturday there were a number of questions. Who would take the poisoned chalice of the left-side wing-back position? Would new signing Clarke be able to play two games in quick succession with Bree now gone? Would Burke, even Bell, be available? And would Coventry and/or Docherty be back in the team, with presumably Carey replacing the now injured Knibbs? In the event Jones opted for shifting Ramsay to right-side wing-back and reverting to Campbell on the left, while Burke came in to start alongside Jones and Gillesphey, Clarke among the subs. In midfield Coventry returned to the starting XI, Rankin-Costello dropping to the bench, to partner Anderson and Carey indeed starting, while Docherty was back among the subs. Up front Dykes would start alongside Leaburn, with Kelman held in reserve along with Godden. Among the subs would also be Roussillon, who we’d all assumed would remain out of the picture, and Fullah, with no place for Apter (or Olaofe).

The first half was a depressing affair. The decision to start with the ‘big two’ together up front did not work, the lack of movement making it easy for Derby to just keep their shape and hold us at bay, the only real exception being a crazy moment (for them) as Leaburn won back possession as they were looking to play out from the back and the ball ran to Dykes, who astutely knocked it past their onrushing defender only to be unceremoniously taken out. But for another defender in the vicinity, one I doubt would have got to Dykes, it surely would have been a red. Carey’s strike from the resulting free kick didn’t really stretch their replacement keeper and was our only attempt on target in the half.

By contrast, Derby fashioned a number of good openings and took the lead, on 16 minutes. We had several opportunities to clear our lines but failed to do so, causing confusion. Their centre-forward exchanged passes, then quickly skipped past a flat-footed Anderson and sent a low ball across the box. Gillesphey was confronted with a quick decision and failed to come up with a decisive answer, ending up just planting the ball into the net. Not his fault, he couldn’t know it, but the replays showed that if he had just left it alone there was nobody behind him.

Just after the half-hour, after Jones had received treatment for a foot injury, which seemed to require heavy strapping, he was caught out by a ball over his head, only managing to divert it a little, into the path of the onrushing Blackett-Taylor. Fortunately he failed to beat Kaminski from close range. And just before the break Campbell was standing still, trying to cover a guy of theirs out wide, and left an ocean of space behind him, which their guy ran into and received the ball. He made it into our box but pushed his effort wide of the far post.

The half-time stats showed that we had 53% possession but had done next to nothing with it. The only positive was that we were still in the game, but nobody doubted we would have to improve if we were to get anything out of it. And Jones the Boss did make two changes at the break, one enforced. Jones the Player was unable to continue, with Clarke coming on and Ramsay moving back inside, while an out of sorts Leaburn was withdrawn for Fullah.

That second change did alter the pattern of the game, as we could no longer rely on arial balls forward and Derby were clearly confused about what to do with this new guy annoyingly cropping up in different places. Almost immediately Fullah and Campbell combined on the left, the resulting cross almost converted by Clarke at the far post. Derby then missed a decent chance themselves, failing to convert a low cross at the near post, and as our early buzz seemed to be fading they doubled their lead, in a curious fashion. A fairly innocuous ball forward seemed to attract all our defenders, none of which got on the end of it, the result being their guy collecting the loose ball and being clear on goal. This time Kaminski couldn’t come to the rescue and we were two down, seemingly out of it.

However, rather out of the blue on 66 minutes we pulled one back, entirely due to TC. Derby had spent all the game crowding him out when necessary and not allowing him to cut inside and try the curler. But this time they failed to stop him and the shot, from a more central position than usual, was less a curler than a good strike planted just inside the post.

That gave us fresh heart. Kelman came on for Coventry as we upped the risk-taking and Derby were pushed back. Gillesphey struck a free-kick well, their keeper managing to claw it away, and Campbell just failed to convert a Clarke cross. On 84 minutes Clarke delivered a well-weighted pass forward (how often do we get to use those words?) and Ramsay got there just before their defender, who ended up flattening him just outside the box, collecting his second yellow, and leaving the pitch. Still time to rescue a point. Berry and Godden were sent on for Anderson and Burke, but despite some close calls and seven minutes of stoppage time Derby were able to see it out.

Last night we came up against another team basically better than us, in that for most of the game they shut us out, kept to a game plan, and created chances at the other end, scoring twice. Some may say that’s not surprising, given our budget and adjustment to the higher division. But it’s also a reflection of our current failures and (IMO) a need to reassess how we approach games.

Every good team plays to its strengths. Early this season there was no question that our strength was a dogged, resolute, determined defence, which provided the platform for decent draws and unlikely wins. Since Edwards was forced out, and given injuries at various stages to Bell, Burke and Ramsay, now we fear Jones also, plus the departure of Bree, the chances of returning to that are remote, in the short term at least. So surely there is a case for reassessing the 5-3-2/3-5-2 formation, especially if Jones is not available for Saturday.

Clarke is looking very good for right-back. Buy/borrow or promote from the youth ranks a left-back, which is probably simpler to do than secure the services of a good left-side wing-back. Choose the best available partnership for two in central defence. Play Campbell and Apter as outright wingers, give the opposition some problems and provide service for the front two. If that seems a little too gung-ho then start with one and have the other on the bench. And stick with the original idea of one big and one ‘little’ guy up front, at least to begin with (as that gives the option of changing to two big guys or replacing the two during the game). It is simply a case of looking at what our strengths may be and playing to them. Because right now the status quo isn’t working.