City 3 Needham Market 0
Sept 21, 2024 20:22:06 GMT
Post by Rijs on Sept 21, 2024 20:22:06 GMT
Well. let's hope this improved performance and result lifts the players' confidence and buys Sam Cox a bit more time to instil more belief in the system and style. I feel a bit for him. He seems a decent, honest bloke who was giving it his all from the touchline today, while just behind him stood Ross Jenkins - was that a bit too pointed?
As it happens, a variety of circumstances and commitments (not my fault!) had kept me away from City until today, so it was an unusually late start to the season for me. It was a good one to turn up for, though, and on the basis of this one match, I could not tell what all the criticism was about! Apart from a brief spell early in the second half, City were dominant and should have won 5-0. Mitchell in goal had only one real save to make, late in the game, while at the other end, we hit the post and bar in successive efforts, had a goalbound header cleared off the line, and Zac might well have scored a second goal had he shot first time when Josh Parker cut it back to him with the scoreline at 3-0.
That said, City did look nervous at the back for the first twenty minutes or so until the first goal went in, thanks to Josh Parker's header from Josh Ashby's precise free kick from the right. And clearly, Needham Market are going to prove one of the weaker teams in this division; they had little to offer their noisy contingent of travelling fans today. Noisy, that was, until Reece Fleet got our second, following up a good break down the left after 29 minutes.
The best goal was the third - which may turn out to be our best all season. Zac's first-time volley from outside the area following a corner flew over the keeper's head into the roof of the net. One to savour on the video highlights! And Zac deserved it for the tremendous effort he put in today, chasing down so many apparently lost causes. Most of our set pieces caused anxiety in the Marketmen's defence, when the big men at the back came forward.
Only downsides today were first, the bookings - all three we got were for innocuous offences while seemingly worse from the visitors went unpunished, until one got a straight red in added time for a blatant head-butt on Ashby, who took a battering today; and second, the injuries picked up by Carlo Siddiq and Andre Burley. Let's hope they are not too serious.
My MoM would be Zac but everyone put in a shift today, including Parker, who may not even be fully fit yet, but was kept on until late in the match. He looked pretty tired by the time Andrews replaced him.
One win doesn't change everything, but it does give some much-needed hope. Next week's cup tie is equally important but with United facing Burnley, the potential for support drops, so I would encourage all City fans to do better than I had thus far by attending and supporting!
As it happens, a variety of circumstances and commitments (not my fault!) had kept me away from City until today, so it was an unusually late start to the season for me. It was a good one to turn up for, though, and on the basis of this one match, I could not tell what all the criticism was about! Apart from a brief spell early in the second half, City were dominant and should have won 5-0. Mitchell in goal had only one real save to make, late in the game, while at the other end, we hit the post and bar in successive efforts, had a goalbound header cleared off the line, and Zac might well have scored a second goal had he shot first time when Josh Parker cut it back to him with the scoreline at 3-0.
That said, City did look nervous at the back for the first twenty minutes or so until the first goal went in, thanks to Josh Parker's header from Josh Ashby's precise free kick from the right. And clearly, Needham Market are going to prove one of the weaker teams in this division; they had little to offer their noisy contingent of travelling fans today. Noisy, that was, until Reece Fleet got our second, following up a good break down the left after 29 minutes.
The best goal was the third - which may turn out to be our best all season. Zac's first-time volley from outside the area following a corner flew over the keeper's head into the roof of the net. One to savour on the video highlights! And Zac deserved it for the tremendous effort he put in today, chasing down so many apparently lost causes. Most of our set pieces caused anxiety in the Marketmen's defence, when the big men at the back came forward.
Only downsides today were first, the bookings - all three we got were for innocuous offences while seemingly worse from the visitors went unpunished, until one got a straight red in added time for a blatant head-butt on Ashby, who took a battering today; and second, the injuries picked up by Carlo Siddiq and Andre Burley. Let's hope they are not too serious.
My MoM would be Zac but everyone put in a shift today, including Parker, who may not even be fully fit yet, but was kept on until late in the match. He looked pretty tired by the time Andrews replaced him.
One win doesn't change everything, but it does give some much-needed hope. Next week's cup tie is equally important but with United facing Burnley, the potential for support drops, so I would encourage all City fans to do better than I had thus far by attending and supporting!