York Match Thread.

I just don't think we control and dominate games enough, and we seem far too happy to let the other team have the ball. Luke McCormick can only save us so many times.

typical..control the first 10-15, take foot of gas, don't take chances, last minute equaliser/winner for opposition. Must just happen If your an Argyle fan.
Wake me up when this nightmare is over.

Gutted we've given 2 points away but we need to be more ruthless. Lewi, Morgan and Smalley need to earn their corn with goals when Reid has an off day or is marked out of the game.

Les Miserable wrote:

Gutted we've given 2 points away but we need to be more ruthless. Lewi, Morgan and Smalley need to earn their corn with goals when Reid has an off day or is marked out of the game.

Lewi looked sharp and created a few chances but he does need to be more effective up front. Morgan isnt interested these days other than his clothing biz and smalley is shit so i doubt they will chip in if reid cant.

I worry for us if any one of McCormick, Hartley, O'Connor or Reid gets injured for any length of time.

Same for anyone at this level, though, I guess.

I may do a longer post in the morning or I may not bother but all I'll say for now is this: I'm not somebody who's afraid to have a moan when it's needed. I thought the display up at Mansfield was complete tripe. I'm not a happy clappy PR guy and I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade. The Mansfield display was turgid, timid and possibly showed underlying problems with our form away from home and our general lack of spirit and confidence on the road. So basically if I think a game's crap I'll say it's crap...

But anyone who was at that game today will surely agree that there weren't any underlying negative reasons why we failed to win today. We had chance after chance after chance from minute 3 to minute 90 and just none of them went in. Bobby Reid could have scored about 4. Reuben should have scored, Blizzard should have scored, Mellor went extremely close and Smalley/Alessandra missed the two biggest sitters of the lot. We controlled the game from almost start to finish maybe allowing for the odd 5 minute spell from York in each half.

And I don't think the possession stats mean anything whatsoever. How many times under the management of Carl Fletcher did we have more possession but in terms of meaningful play and chances on goal we were outplayed? That was what happened today- we had less possession stats but we had far more of the play in the final third. If it was a boxing match it'd have been called off early the extent to which we outplayed them in the second half. York only had one other good chance bar their goal- we had a multitude which we just didn't take. We bossed the game for the vast majority of it, it's just that York were more prolific than us with the taking of their chances. On another day that would have gone 3-1/4-1 maybe even 5-1 to Argyle. All that was lacking was the finishing.

I saw nothing in that game that caused me any concern. Even the goal we conceded was from a free-kick which I think was six of one, half a dozen of the other. A lot of refs wouldn't have even given it. We could play that game 200 times over and 199 times we'd win. What I do remain concerned about is the away form- the acid tests will be Sheffield United and Northampton.

McCormick-5

Nelson-7
O'Connor-8
Hartley-7

Mellor-7
Cox-7
B Reid-8
Blizzard- 9 MOTM
Kellett-7

R Reid-7
Alessandra-8

Smalley-5

And one more thing, even accepting for the fact that we dominated and that York's goal was contentious I don't think York are a bad side at all. I'd be happy to bet the first person to take me up on it a tenner that they'll end the season in the top half. They're in a false position and will improve very quickly under Willcox. On the whole, I'm happy in spite of the last minute punch to the depths of the gut. What remains to be seen is whether we'll have such a high quality of performance in our next two away matches.

I personally didnt think we looked up for it today and lacked our usual urgency. Mchugh was a big miss and it took O'Connor out of the midfield. I would love to know Sheridans thinking in taking Reid off with 15 to go and replacing him with Smalley when only 1-0 up. The one thing this team lacks is a player along side Reid with pace. I find it very difficult to see why and how Sheridan thinks Smalley, Morgan and even Lewis is a better option than Thomas.

I'm not a big fan of Morgan but he's a far better substitute option anyday of the week than Smalley. At least you can rely on him to be a team player and always track back when defending a lead.

We all look at it differently Sam but how about looking for a second goal? I feel defensively we are set up well and I trust them.

Love to know how you do your ratings sam as they seem to be silly. 5 for mccormick honestly?He did alright nothing bad enough to warrant a low score other than letting a goal in

Two points thrown away, we are still shy of goals, domination doesn't matter goals do, gutted. I still think we are good enough for playoffs but not top three, top three teams kill games like this.

stephensdad wrote:

We all look at it differently Sam but how about looking for a second goal? I feel defensively we are set up well and I trust them.  

Argyle did look for a second goal. There were half a dozen chances and efforts in the second half which could and should have wrapped the match up. Lewis shot over when right through, Blizzard put one just over, Mellor had an exquisite lob which just missed the far post, Reid had a couple of shots saved, Smalley volleyed over after having a decent header blocked, there was a low cross from Kellett begging to be converted at the far post.......that's just off the top of my head. I thought Argyle played some great football in the second half and York did not threaten once, it was very nearly a perfect performance. I'm certainly not blind to the overall shortcomings of the team but they reflected the weakness of the personnel rather any tactical problems yesterday-teams are inevitably going to come at you and have some possession when 1-0 down, no doubt you'd expect the same from Argyle in similar circumstances.

Still feeling gutted at the result I had such a bad feeling as they were about to take the free kick, interestingly from the Demport it did not look a free kick but other who were in the Moanflower sid it looked like a nailed on free kick to them.
The Minster fans must have thought all their christmasses had come at once with an early gift of two points.
Most definitely 2pts thrown away, every chance League 2 will finish tight at the top and this result may prove to be disastorous.
I guess no one needs to tell Sheridan or the players that - they will know!

I didn't think it was a freekick either, looked like a 50/50 wrestling match between Mellor? and the York player, the Referee even gave Mellor a yellow for it ffs.

No odds, we should have been three or four up by then!

stephensdad wrote:

We all look at it differently Sam but how about looking for a second goal? I feel defensively we are set up well and I trust them.  

As Greenskin says, we did look for one we just didn't get one. Away form is a deeper problem. Today was a game that if you played it again we'd have probably put four past them. Even York's goal was very contentious and on another day the ref probably wouldn't have given anything.

The bigger problem is that we don't play like we did yesterday when we go on the road. As heartwrenching as yesterday was, it's a sideshow to what we need to REALLY improve on.

There was an arrogance about us yesterday. Having scored such an early goal our confidence soared and we seemed happy to sit back, wait for a mediocre side to lose possession and then play through them.

This worked perfectly in every way except for the notching up of the goals by which to measure that arrogance partly because of some good goalkeeping and partly due to some poor finishing and partly due to plain bad luck.

That said truisms are truisms for a reason and a one goal lead is never enough... The equaliser, scrappy, controversial and lucky as it was, when it came was well-deserved by a York side that kept plugging away and never gave up.

How many times have we forced a draw by scoring in the 90+ minute of a match? A few I would say in the last couple of seasons.

York aren't good at all. Two poor full backs who knew nothing but to hoof. We know what Zubar is like too. Tempted to take you up on that bet Sam..

We were either quite tidy or they were just very poor. Bit of both I think.

Luke Summerfield can pass a ball better than when he was here i noticed.