Humbled by Gateshead
Sept 26, 2023 22:39:53 GMT
Post by Rijs on Sept 26, 2023 22:39:53 GMT
If you are looking to bounce back after a heavy defeat, the last team you want to meet at the moment would be Gateshead - high-scoring and on hot form, with five wins now in their last six. I can't think of a non-league team I have seen that played better football than they did this evening: it was a virtually faultless performance. Their passing was almost 100% accurate, their defending composed and strong, their breaks very fast and their running non-stop, so they always seemed to have an extra man. City found it hard to cope with their changes of pace - the quickstep rhythm of slow, slow, quick-quick slow, which meant the Hoops had to concentrate on defending in the first half in order to keep the score down.
Having done this, partly thanks to some excellent defending by Tafari Moore and Lewis Miccio, and partly thanks to some wayward finishing by Gateshead and some good work by Chris Haigh, their fans were hoping for the kind of second-half revival which they produced the last time they faced visitors from the north-east, but it was not forthcoming, so complete was the Gateshead control. Certainly, City have played better than this, but it was difficult to decide whether they were just poor tonight or whether their opponents simply did not allow them to play. At times they just couldn't get the ball, and when they did they were unable to do much with it in the final third. They ran around energetically enough, especially Pierre Fonkeu and Alfie Potter, but they also gave the ball away occasionally.
City gave their fans little to cheer. In fact, they produced only three worthwhile efforts on target, and the first came quite early. Burley met a corner with a goalbound header which was deflected up onto the crossbar by a defender. Had that gone in, perhaps the match would have had a different complexion overall. But perhaps not...
In the second half, Reece Fleet (probably our best player on the night) had a powerful shot well blocked, and giant goalkeeper Mair could only parry Nya Kirby's long-range effort out to newboy Smith(?), but unfortunately, he shot straight at the keeper.
Gateshead created numerous chances and the scoreline did not flatter them, even though once again we conceded a goal in added time. We gifted them their third, which we could ill afford, but it was really the second goal, scored from a typical fast break and cross from our left, which did the damage. At the end, for the first time this season, our boys looked rather demoralised.
We need Josh Ashby and Zac to get fit again and back in the team. Another tough match is coming soon.
Having done this, partly thanks to some excellent defending by Tafari Moore and Lewis Miccio, and partly thanks to some wayward finishing by Gateshead and some good work by Chris Haigh, their fans were hoping for the kind of second-half revival which they produced the last time they faced visitors from the north-east, but it was not forthcoming, so complete was the Gateshead control. Certainly, City have played better than this, but it was difficult to decide whether they were just poor tonight or whether their opponents simply did not allow them to play. At times they just couldn't get the ball, and when they did they were unable to do much with it in the final third. They ran around energetically enough, especially Pierre Fonkeu and Alfie Potter, but they also gave the ball away occasionally.
City gave their fans little to cheer. In fact, they produced only three worthwhile efforts on target, and the first came quite early. Burley met a corner with a goalbound header which was deflected up onto the crossbar by a defender. Had that gone in, perhaps the match would have had a different complexion overall. But perhaps not...
In the second half, Reece Fleet (probably our best player on the night) had a powerful shot well blocked, and giant goalkeeper Mair could only parry Nya Kirby's long-range effort out to newboy Smith(?), but unfortunately, he shot straight at the keeper.
Gateshead created numerous chances and the scoreline did not flatter them, even though once again we conceded a goal in added time. We gifted them their third, which we could ill afford, but it was really the second goal, scored from a typical fast break and cross from our left, which did the damage. At the end, for the first time this season, our boys looked rather demoralised.
We need Josh Ashby and Zac to get fit again and back in the team. Another tough match is coming soon.