Afternoon, Hook Panthers 2 v 0 Rushmoor Kestrels (goalscorer Josh 2, Ted MOM) Another beautiful morning and not as cold as it had been earlier in the week (or we've adjusted!). I To Rushmoor's credit they threw themselves at everything to prevent goals, with last ditch blocks and tackles... We played a 1-2-2-1 again this week, allowing the wingbacks to surge down the wings whilst not forgetting their defensive duties. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but when we got the ball down and played decisively we looked good. Sometimes we overelaborate, slowing the game down when perhaps we need to move quicker. The team were also quiet, no award given for top communicator this week. I told the boys after the game that we had some good oportunities with players in space but a lack of communication meant we wasted the chances. Our problem beginning of season was the lack of opportunities to score goals. Now it is just the er scoring the goals issue. Oportunities are certainly coming.. RE - little to do, but was quick out of his goal to use his feet to clear the danger. OK - Positionally very sound today, but distribution was a little imprecise for Owen's high standards. JF - nice surging runs in space from Joab and positionally good. Occasionally was trying to take players on in traffic, not ideal...Got to find space. JR - Very tidy football, simple passing. Did well to get to the bye-line and also took the ball back if forward was blocked. Needs to keep an eye on the defensive side of his game and track back. JC - A little passive early on, but once he got his feet working, did well. Prefers to be running at players and put in excellent cross in the second half that just needed a touch.Good game from Josh... EH - Looked dangerous in the striker role, showing good feet and angles when on the ball. Needs to understand that strikers drop into channels to receive the ball, rather than just central. RD - Good allround performance, with decent passing and carrying of ball. Didn't have shooting boots on today and seemed to get stuck in mud. .... MG - Played midfield and wingback and did well on debut. Lot of strength and commitment, as well as good understanding of defensive duties without ball. Nearly scored on two occasions, including a header. Just needs to look up a little bit more and relax on the ball. TH - two roles, sweeper and midfield. Played well in first half, although attackers were left unmarked behind him, so just needs to check his shoulder or get a call from RE. Excellent second half performance in midfield pairing up with RD. ON - Couple of good plays in first half, with quick decisive moves that nearly led to a goal. Couple of very good corners taken too. Just needs to keep working on making decisions quicker and also pairing up in defensive duties. We are a squad off 11, with the plan to go to matches with 10 players (rather than 9) i.e. continue a small rota. That meant more subs today, but the thinking is with the winter etc, illnesses may hit, so prefer to go with more players than be left short. I do ensure every player has at least 20 mins on the pitch, the rest will be based on performance when we play the more competitive games. Hope that is okay.
I enjoyed it and hopefully that's an upbeat report without getting carried away.....
