Despite the scoreline, I enjoyed the game last night, which I thought was a good match between two decent footballing sides. We started very poorly and took 20-25 minutes to settle, but I did not think we were outplayed. On the contrary, some of our midfield play was very good and we created chances throughout, but poor defending and profligacy in front of goal cost us. We probably missed Banks' experience and know-how in a defensive and organisational sense, but I did not actually think we missed his creativity. Gilmour, Smith and McCullough all had good games and Jay Harris did very well as a stand-in.
We started slowly and were penned in our own half for the first quarter of an hour, the hosts perhaps responding to criticism of their poor performance in their derby game on Saturday. However, I actually think the back four did well to repel their attacks in this period and Davies did not actually have a save to make in the early stages. Ironically, the opening goal came just as we had started to settle. Defensively, it was a naive goal to concede, as Gilmour found himself one-on-one with their forward on a counter attack and should have challenged him robustly on the halfway line, and taken him down if necessary, rather than allowing him to sprint the length of the pitch.
We responded well and created several chances in the next ten minutes, two one-on-ones for Norwood and a more difficult opportunity for Smith where the ball would not settle for him. If we had equalised then, we would almost certainly have taken something from the game and, as their manager commented, we could have been 3-1 up before they scored the second. The second goal was again poor defensively, McNulty caught on the wrong side of the forward and committing a definite foul. It was even more disappointing that the FGR forward reacted first to Davies' save rather than a defender.
In the second half FGR stood off us and we continued ton have decent possession and create chances which we missed (Cole, Jennings, a one-on-one for Harris) until Mullin deservedly pulled a goal back. The third FGR goal is an irrelevance really, as we were caught on the counter attack having committed numbers forward looking for an equaliser.
Individually, I thought the midfield were very good in possession, particularly McCullough, Gilmour and Smith. Norwood's movement was excellent but he is having one of those periods in front of goal at the moment. I did not think McNulty and Sutton were as poor as some above have suggested. Caprice was excellent and gave us constant attacking width down the right hand side. However, Monthe was poor at left back and we need Bakayogo to return soon. Cole was lively when he came on, and Tollitt was predictably awful. Man of the match, Jake Caprice.
We have already shown we can defend well at this level, and if we continue to play the football we did after the first twenty minutes last night, we will be fine.