Poor performance from Rovers and an awful game but the win is gratefully accepted. I think we were complacent today, happy to play at a pedestrian pace for long periods without imposing ourselves on the game. There was none of the spirit and intensity of recent away performances. Neither side deserved to win, but Stanley probably had longer periods of pressure, without showing any real quality in the final third.
In the opening twenty minutes we were poor defensively, both as a back four and as a team as a whole, with Taylor and McNulty apparently unsettled by Odajeye. Stanley had two or three opportunities they should have converted as we repeatedly gave the ball away in bad areas, Hateley in particular having a below par game. Fortunately, we gradually settled with Koumas getting on the ball and becoming more influential. In the final twenty minutes of the half we controlled the game and created two or three good opportunities, for Kirby, Atkinson and Lowe in particular, the latter harshly having a goal disallowed for a push in the box.
Unfortunately at the start of the second half we took our foot off the pedal again, became pedestrian and allowed Accrington to have periods of sustained pressure without really threatening our goal. In fairness, McNulty and Taylor defended really well after half time. Ronnie switched to a 4-4-2 bringing on Akpro then Stockton; these changes actually made us worse in the short term by weakening the midfield but paid dividends with the last minute winner, Akpro cleverly setting up Lowe for a quality finish. There was a question of offside about the winner, but neither the Accrington players or supporters appealed, so I am guessing the goal was good.
Had we played with a better attitude today I think we would have won comfortably against a limited side, but as it is our good run continues and we certainly seem to have remembered how to win games.
Man of the match was either Koumas - very impressive and dictated the tempo for long periods - or the much improved Danny Holmes, although Kirby again did well.
