City 1 Plymouth Parkway 1
Oct 1, 2022 19:37:45 GMT
Post by Rijs on Oct 1, 2022 19:37:45 GMT
If we don't make it to the play-offs, the FA Cup matches are the most important we play in the season. It should go without saying, given the thousands of pounds of much-needed sponsorhip money at stake, and the chance of glory if we make it to the First Round proper. Maybe even a lucrative televised game. These are the games we remember as fans. But today the crowd was strangely quiet and subdued because the Hoops gave them little to cheer.
Perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on City for this disappointing performance and result. After all, they had a very hard match in midweek and played well to hold the league leaders, so looking a bit leggy and jaded today was probably to be expected, though Ross Jenkins could have minimised that by making some changes to the line-up. Several players were off the pace today while there were good men on the bench who were fresh.
In the end, we got out of jail courtesy of Canice Carroll's late, headed equaliser when we finally began to bombard their box with high balls and get players in there, including substitute Charlie Rowan coming on in an unaccustomed striker role. But it could easily have been an embarrassing defeat today.
Maybe we were guilty of underestimating some competent and hard-working opponents who came with a definite game plan. Certainly, Parkway worked hard to keep their shape, choosing not to press high but instead to sit back and put up a defensive barrier, breaking quickly when they could. It nearly worked, and their goal inside the last ten minutes was a stormer.
It would all have been very different if City had converted any one of numerous chances they created well before that, but our finishing was poor today. Although we did occasionally get in behind down the right flank, we had no one wide on the left to stretch them. We are missing George Harmon, and his natural replacement Lewis Miccio was left on the bench while namesake Coyle was played out of position at left-back and never looked comfortable there. He has been playing well this season, but today was one to forget for him.
Overall we lacked zip, and were too predictable, passing the ball about in front of their defence for long periods of possession without the directness which might have penetrated more often. Zac's belated arrival on the pitch did liven things up, but Plymouth surrounded him and made it difficult for him to run through them. We needed a Plan B; we came up with it only in the closing minutes when their goal shook some urgency into us.
Now we face a long trip away in midweek and an extra game which we can do without; it will probably impact next Saturday's league performance. And the result is no foregone conclusion. PP clearly like playing Oxfordshire sides and would love to take a third scalp. This could be a long, hard match. Better get some penalty practice in, boys.
Perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on City for this disappointing performance and result. After all, they had a very hard match in midweek and played well to hold the league leaders, so looking a bit leggy and jaded today was probably to be expected, though Ross Jenkins could have minimised that by making some changes to the line-up. Several players were off the pace today while there were good men on the bench who were fresh.
In the end, we got out of jail courtesy of Canice Carroll's late, headed equaliser when we finally began to bombard their box with high balls and get players in there, including substitute Charlie Rowan coming on in an unaccustomed striker role. But it could easily have been an embarrassing defeat today.
Maybe we were guilty of underestimating some competent and hard-working opponents who came with a definite game plan. Certainly, Parkway worked hard to keep their shape, choosing not to press high but instead to sit back and put up a defensive barrier, breaking quickly when they could. It nearly worked, and their goal inside the last ten minutes was a stormer.
It would all have been very different if City had converted any one of numerous chances they created well before that, but our finishing was poor today. Although we did occasionally get in behind down the right flank, we had no one wide on the left to stretch them. We are missing George Harmon, and his natural replacement Lewis Miccio was left on the bench while namesake Coyle was played out of position at left-back and never looked comfortable there. He has been playing well this season, but today was one to forget for him.
Overall we lacked zip, and were too predictable, passing the ball about in front of their defence for long periods of possession without the directness which might have penetrated more often. Zac's belated arrival on the pitch did liven things up, but Plymouth surrounded him and made it difficult for him to run through them. We needed a Plan B; we came up with it only in the closing minutes when their goal shook some urgency into us.
Now we face a long trip away in midweek and an extra game which we can do without; it will probably impact next Saturday's league performance. And the result is no foregone conclusion. PP clearly like playing Oxfordshire sides and would love to take a third scalp. This could be a long, hard match. Better get some penalty practice in, boys.
