City 2 Taunton 1
Oct 25, 2022 23:13:34 GMT
Post by Rijs on Oct 25, 2022 23:13:34 GMT
They say successful teams win even when they don't play well, and City may qualify as successful on that basis tonight. Earlier in the season we were falling victim to last-minute goals (Chippenham, Chelmsford), but we have learnt from that; for the fifth time in recent weeks, we scored a late goal. True, it was a penalty, but so was the decider at Chippenham, and this one was actually justified, while that was clearly not.
It's difficult to say why we did not perform to our best tonight, after some fine shows of late. Perhaps the Hoops' big effort on Saturday had sapped away their energy and zip. Maybe it was the lack of any training between the matches. Perhaps the absence of Saturday's goalscorer Josh Ashby affected the team, or Taunton's style. Whatever it was, for long periods City were defending, and on the break they often gave the ball away, especially in the first half. In the second their passing was better so they had more possession, yet without creating many clear-cut chances. The ref was whistle-happy at times, which disrupted the flow of a match which was niggly but not nasty.
We have occasionally conceded at corners and did so again tonight - something we need to tighten up on. That said, Taunton's goal sealed their best period in the match when City seemed to lose focus for twenty minutes or so, and we were probably rather fortunate to reach half-time still level. Our own goal was memorable and began when Lewis Coyle, covering on the right despite playing on the left, would not give up but determinedly won a ball on the touchline and found Klaidi Lolos with his clearance. Klaidi, who was again our most dangerous-looking player for the first hour or so, dribbled brilliantly and quickly to the goal line and then along it before pulling the ball back for Andre Burley, for whom Lewis had been covering. It was good to see Andre get his first goal for the club with his firm shot, though it was blocked on the line at first, and rebounded in off the goalkeeper's back.
Many teams would have settled for the draw in the closing stages when down to ten men and with ninety minutes up it looked as if that would indeed be the result. It must have been gutting for Taunton, who no doubt felt (as we did in similar matches) they had done enough to earn a point, but in a way justice was done. They had engaged in a lot of holding, shirt-pulling, stealing yards at throw-ins and trying to win cheap free kicks, doing their best to frustrate us and generally succeeding, so it was fitting that Tom Harrison went down when being held, and this time the ref was on the spot and pointed to it! There was a mixture of joy and relief at the Shed End when sub Joe Iaciofano kept his cool through the long delay for Taunton complaints and the blatant time-wasting and psycho games from their keeper, and sent him the wrong way.
The other talking point was Reece's sending-off. His offences were not violent or vicious but the ref, under pressure from our opponents, was giving a lot of yellows, including one for the constant complaints from their foul-mouthed manager Rob Dray, so Reece needed to be careful after getting his first one. I hope his ban will be over by the time we go to Fleetwood, but having him out while Ashby is injured could be costly in the meantime.
It's difficult to say why we did not perform to our best tonight, after some fine shows of late. Perhaps the Hoops' big effort on Saturday had sapped away their energy and zip. Maybe it was the lack of any training between the matches. Perhaps the absence of Saturday's goalscorer Josh Ashby affected the team, or Taunton's style. Whatever it was, for long periods City were defending, and on the break they often gave the ball away, especially in the first half. In the second their passing was better so they had more possession, yet without creating many clear-cut chances. The ref was whistle-happy at times, which disrupted the flow of a match which was niggly but not nasty.
We have occasionally conceded at corners and did so again tonight - something we need to tighten up on. That said, Taunton's goal sealed their best period in the match when City seemed to lose focus for twenty minutes or so, and we were probably rather fortunate to reach half-time still level. Our own goal was memorable and began when Lewis Coyle, covering on the right despite playing on the left, would not give up but determinedly won a ball on the touchline and found Klaidi Lolos with his clearance. Klaidi, who was again our most dangerous-looking player for the first hour or so, dribbled brilliantly and quickly to the goal line and then along it before pulling the ball back for Andre Burley, for whom Lewis had been covering. It was good to see Andre get his first goal for the club with his firm shot, though it was blocked on the line at first, and rebounded in off the goalkeeper's back.
Many teams would have settled for the draw in the closing stages when down to ten men and with ninety minutes up it looked as if that would indeed be the result. It must have been gutting for Taunton, who no doubt felt (as we did in similar matches) they had done enough to earn a point, but in a way justice was done. They had engaged in a lot of holding, shirt-pulling, stealing yards at throw-ins and trying to win cheap free kicks, doing their best to frustrate us and generally succeeding, so it was fitting that Tom Harrison went down when being held, and this time the ref was on the spot and pointed to it! There was a mixture of joy and relief at the Shed End when sub Joe Iaciofano kept his cool through the long delay for Taunton complaints and the blatant time-wasting and psycho games from their keeper, and sent him the wrong way.
The other talking point was Reece's sending-off. His offences were not violent or vicious but the ref, under pressure from our opponents, was giving a lot of yellows, including one for the constant complaints from their foul-mouthed manager Rob Dray, so Reece needed to be careful after getting his first one. I hope his ban will be over by the time we go to Fleetwood, but having him out while Ashby is injured could be costly in the meantime.
