OUR BIRMINGHAM CUP JOURNEY ENDED IN SEMI-FINAL HEARTBREAK AS WE CAME UP JUST SHORT AGAINST A GOOD OUTFIT IN OLD WULFRUNIANS F.C. THIS WAS OUR FIRST GAME BACK AFTER A 4WEEK BREAK AND IT WAS ALLWAYS A WORRY THAT MATCH SHARPNESS,FITNESS AND RING RUSTYNESS WOULD ALL EXPIRE AGAINST US. I MAKE NO EXCUSE AS ITS THE SAME FOR BOTH TEAMS EVEN THO WE HAVE GONE LONGER WITHOUT A GAME THEN OUR OPPONENTS AND KNOWING THE TEAM LIKE I DO AND MY PLAYERS IT WAS ALLWAYS GONA BE A BIG ASK FOR US TO COME STRAIGHT BACK TO THE LEVEL WE WERE PERFORMING BEFORE THE COLD SNAP ARRIVED. WE STARTED 4-4-1-1 WITH THE IDEA TO HAVE A LOOK AT OUR OPPONENTS AND TO KEEP IT NICE AND TIGHT EARLY ON,AND WITH NOT PLAYING FOR A MONTH THE SYSTEM WOULD ENABLE US TO HOPEFULLY COMPACT THE MIDFIELD AND GIVE PLAYERS A TOUCH ON THE BALL THEY ALL CRAVE AFTER A MONTH OFF, THE HOSTS ENJOYED MOST OF THE POSSESION EARLY ON BUT MOST OF IT WAS BEING PLAYED IN THERE OWN HALF,THEY WAS COMFORTABLE ON THE BALL AND YOU COULD SEE THAT THEY WERE GONA BE A THREAT WITH THERE NEAT,QUICK PASSING TO FEET AND GOOD MOVEMENT. THEY SEEMED TO PINPOINT THE WINGS AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY WITH THERE FULL-BACKS BOMBING FORWARD WHICH STARTED TO CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR US ESPECIALLY WHEN AT TIMES OUR FULL-BACKS JUST NEEDED TO CLEAR THERE LINES INSTEAD OF PLAYING THEMSELVES INTO DIFFICULTY. THE GAME PLAN WAS GOING TO PLAN ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TOOK THE LEAD AFTER 10MINS THROUGH A SHOT FROM STUART TIBBETTS THAT TRICKLED TOWARDS GOAL THERE DEFENCE SWITCHED OFF ALLOWING AN ALERT LUKE MOULTON TO TAP HOME. THAT SEEMED TO SETTLE US DOWN AND WE STARTED TO PLAY SOME GOOD STUFF AND WE WERE STARTING TO GET JOY DOWN THERE RIGHT HAND SIDE ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS THAT WE SHOULD OF DONE BETTER WITH, THEN ON THE 25MINS MARK A DEFENSIVE MISTAKE GIFTED OUR HOSTS A EQUALISER WHICH WAS A BAD GOAL TO GIVE AWAY BY OUR STANDARDS,WE NEVER RECOVERED AFTER THAT AND THE REST OF THE FIRST HALF WE SPENT ON THE BACK FOOT WITHOUT OUR KEEPER REALLY HAVING TO BE CALLED INTO ACTION WITH ALL THE POSSESION THEY WAS HAVING. AT THE INTERVAL WE CHANGED TO A 4-4-2 SYSTEM TO TRY AND MAKE A POSSITIVE RESPONSE FROM THE TEAM AND WITH BEING UNDER THE COSH IN THE LATTER PART OF THE FIRST HALF WE FELT THAT IT WAS INVETIABLE THAT WE HAD TO CHANGE IMMEDEATLY,WE ALSO CHANGED OUR LEFT BACK AS LUKE BRADLEY SEEMED TO BE STRUGGLING AFTER THE BREAK WITH FITNESS. THE RESPONSE WAS IMMEDIATE WE LOOKED MORE DANGEROUS AND WE STARTED TO CLOSE DOWN BETTER THAN THE FIRST HALF WITH REAL URGENCY,ALL OF A SUDDEN THE FOOTBALL THE HOSTS WERE PLAYING FROM THE BACK WAS MINIMAL AS WE NOW HAD 2 HARD WORKING STRIKERS DEFENDING FROM THE FRONT,THE GAME WAS GETING STRETCHED BUT WE WERE LOOKING THE MORE LIKELY, THEN JUST AFTER THE HOUR MARK WE GOT THE GOAL AFTER A THROUGH BALL FOUND LUKE MOULTON WHO JUST GOT THERE BEFORE THE KEEPER TO PROD HOME THE GOAL WE DESERVED. THE NEXT 15MINS SAW THE HOSTS TRY TO WORK THERE WAY BACK INTO THE GAME BUT WE WAS DEALING WITH THERE ATTACKS COMFORTABLY AND WITH A SENSE WE WAS GONA CATCH THEM SOONER RATHER THAN LATER ON THE BREAK,AND IN THAT PERIOD WOULD PROVE PIVOTAL AS WE SHOULD OF USED THE BALL BETTER AT TIMES TO KILL THEM OFF IN THE FINAL THIRD,THEY THEN SCORED 2 LATE GOALS TO SEND US CRASHING OUT OF THE CUP IN THE FINAL 10MINS OT THE GAME WITH A BLATANT PENALTY FOR US NOT GIVEN IN THE DYING SECONDS. 4 WEEKS AGO I BELIEVE THIS GAME WOULD OF BEEN A DIFFERENT RESULT AS THERES NO DOUBT WE WERE LETHARGIC AT TIMES DURING THE GAME ESPECIALLY IN THE LATTER PART OF THE CONTEST. WE WISH OLD WULFS ALL THE BEST IN THE FINAL AND CREDIT GOES OUT TO THEM WHO ARE A VERY GOOD FOOTBALLING TEAM. ITS BEEN AN EXCELLENT EFFORT BY THE TEAM TO REACH THE LAST 4 OF THE COUNTY CUP IN OUR FIRST TRY IN THE COMPETITION AND WE,LL TAKE ALL THE POSSITIVES INTO THE REST OF THE SEASON. THERES 2 PLAYERS WHO HAVE RECIEVED VERY LOW RATINGS DUE TO NOT ENTERING THE CHANGING ROOMS AFTER THE GAME AND ALSO TRAVELLING HOME ALONE KNOWING THERE WAS LADS WITHOUT A LIFT HOME,IF THAT EVER HAPPENS AGAIN THEY CAN LEAVE THE CLUB AS WE DON"T HAVE LADS LIKE THAT HERE,IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM COME AND SEE ME AND I"LL TELL YOU WHY I HAVE MADE THAT DESICION DON"T TAKE IT OUT ON OTHERS.
