bring back the cowshed!
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- Joined
- 1 Oct 2005
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- 5,726
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- Alan King, Barry Dyson
I have to admit I had a bad feeling about this one before the start, but the defeat still hurts. Ronnie shook the side up by not only bringing Ben Gibson back but also bringing Danny Harrison and Paul Black in, pushing Zoom forward. We started OK, but it all went wrong as early as the fifth minute. Ash conceded an unnecessary corner when he failed to control a through ball. The ball was eventually crossed and hit the bar. It bounced straight to their full back who headed unmarked into an unguarded net. It nearly got worse soon after, but a last ditch Danny Holmes tackle saved the day.
We failed to pick up our game and just before half-time, the defence was split open like the Red Sea and the home side got their second. Just after half-time it was game over. Ben Gibson gave away a needless free-kick just outside the box. Fonners did well to parry the resulting shot but Potter stepped forward unchallenged to head into an empty goal.
Eventually, ABB replaced Harrison and was given a free role. He made an immediate impact and the Dons had to mark him closely and sometimes foul him to stop his tricky runs. On one occasion he put Danny Holmes through, but the full-back blasted over from eight yards out. Then Zoom did the same from a similar position. It was a shame these chances did not fall to our strikers, who had hardly any opportunities to score thanks to a well-organised MK defence.
In fact, MK Dons looked a very useful side and controlled the game from the moment they scored. I found it difficult to believe they were not near the play-offs. I think the problem might be their ground. It must be one of the best outside the Premier League, but totally lacks atmosphere with a crowd under 20,000. The home fans spread themselves out so thinly, you can't hear them. In fact, whenever they scored, you still couldn't hear any cheering. It must be difficult for the players.
It's best not to dwell too much on our performance. It lacked edge and even organisation. We kept passing into open spaces where there was no-one or leaving the ball for a teammate, only to see an opponent run through. Our only good moves were in the later stages and then the wrong people had to finish them off.
No-one deserved TRFC MoM, but I won't single out anyone for playing badly. The whole team was a bit below par. Collectively, we often seemed like a bunch of strangers at times. Maybe Ronnie had made too many changes, but I doubt it would have affected the end result.
We are definitely looking like a mid-table side. My best hope now is that we finish higher than we did last season. Looking desperately for positives, it was good to see Gibson back. He looks fit and has lost none of his confidence. No-one was booked or (as far as I could see) injured.
Roll on next season!
We failed to pick up our game and just before half-time, the defence was split open like the Red Sea and the home side got their second. Just after half-time it was game over. Ben Gibson gave away a needless free-kick just outside the box. Fonners did well to parry the resulting shot but Potter stepped forward unchallenged to head into an empty goal.
Eventually, ABB replaced Harrison and was given a free role. He made an immediate impact and the Dons had to mark him closely and sometimes foul him to stop his tricky runs. On one occasion he put Danny Holmes through, but the full-back blasted over from eight yards out. Then Zoom did the same from a similar position. It was a shame these chances did not fall to our strikers, who had hardly any opportunities to score thanks to a well-organised MK defence.
In fact, MK Dons looked a very useful side and controlled the game from the moment they scored. I found it difficult to believe they were not near the play-offs. I think the problem might be their ground. It must be one of the best outside the Premier League, but totally lacks atmosphere with a crowd under 20,000. The home fans spread themselves out so thinly, you can't hear them. In fact, whenever they scored, you still couldn't hear any cheering. It must be difficult for the players.
It's best not to dwell too much on our performance. It lacked edge and even organisation. We kept passing into open spaces where there was no-one or leaving the ball for a teammate, only to see an opponent run through. Our only good moves were in the later stages and then the wrong people had to finish them off.
No-one deserved TRFC MoM, but I won't single out anyone for playing badly. The whole team was a bit below par. Collectively, we often seemed like a bunch of strangers at times. Maybe Ronnie had made too many changes, but I doubt it would have affected the end result.
We are definitely looking like a mid-table side. My best hope now is that we finish higher than we did last season. Looking desperately for positives, it was good to see Gibson back. He looks fit and has lost none of his confidence. No-one was booked or (as far as I could see) injured.
Roll on next season!