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As an aside, Jack Bycroft, their keeper, was quite a character.

I had a bit of banter with him during a long stoppage in the second half (not for the penalty when he was in Jervis's ear all the time the wait went on while their dying swan managed to avoid getting a card for deliberate handball by writhing around for an age).

He complained about a long journey back to Bournemouth where he lives and took time during the match to compliment our play!

Until the sending-off the pattern of play was disappointingly similar to the rest of the season - we played long-ball and long throws and lost possession, Taunton played to feet and threw to feet and kept good possession, and carved us open for their 2 tap-in goals (where was the defence?).
It seemed to take us 10 minutes after the break to actually spread the play in a controlled way, thereafter we largely dictated the game as we should have earlier.
We certainly hit a number of crosses into the penalty area, but too often with hopeful chips rather than purposeful intent - there was often a lack of movement in their box, their keeper's handling was good, and our corners were unconvincing.
Still it was a win. Agree that Lawrence looked a class above.
Where was Gary?

PL21gull wrote: ↑18 Jan 2023, 10:40 Until the sending-off the pattern of play was disappointingly similar to the rest of the season - we played long-ball and long throws and lost possession, Taunton played to feet and threw to feet and kept good possession, and carved us open for their 2 tap-in goals (where was the defence?).
It seemed to take us 10 minutes after the break to actually spread the play in a controlled way, thereafter we largely dictated the game as we should have earlier.
We certainly hit a number of crosses into the penalty area, but too often with hopeful chips rather than purposeful intent - there was often a lack of movement in their box, their keeper's handling was good, and our corners were unconvincing.
Still it was a win. Agree that Lawrence looked a class above.
Where was Gary?

Gary was in the Directors Box. He was serving his one match touchline ban for wishing James Durkin "A Happy Christmas" on Boxing Day. He appealed, so the ban was put back until last night, better he was on the touchline for Halifax !

I'm not hiding away from our first half defensive frailty but, having just seen the highlights, they just about sum up how one sided it was at times. There was a clear foul on Aguiar in the build up for their first and we should have had a second penalty late on when a shot from Jervis hit a very out stretched arm, bounced back to Jervis and went out for a goal kick. Result, the ref gives a corner as he presumably saw the handball but thought we still needed a another go if not from the spot! It's just as well that didn't matter by then.

Thank you gateman49 for your well balanced report on last nights game. I missed my first game this season although I had bought a ticket.

What a lovely goal from Dillon De Silva. Well done Ali Omar always worth a big lad in the box and so it proved.

I froze the highlights for the first Taunton goal and guess what? Yet again we were all over the place in defence.I have lost count the number of games were we concede because we have no shape. I am certain many of the goals conceded are due to our inability to play a right back who plays in that position.We could run a competition as to who can spot the goals conceded when we have no one within 10 yards of the scorer at the right hand side of defence.

When is this basic fault going to be addressed??? We have to sort it.

The second Taunton goal was the same. Because we have no leader no one knows were to be. So we end up with 3 players on top of one another and huge gaps. For full time pros this is not good enough.

Tomorrow I am going to phone Plainmoor and ask if I can attend training in the next couple of weeks to see how we train because something is not right and it has to change.

portugull wrote: ↑18 Jan 2023, 17:42 Tomorrow I am going to phone Plainmoor and ask if I can attend training in the next couple of weeks to see how we train because something is not right and it has to change.

This isn't the first time you've said you wanted to observe training when things haven't been going well on the pitch. Even if they let you watch what good would it possibly do? Unless of course you think you know more about the game then the professionals, why don't you phone up the club and ask for Gary Johnson's job.

Cheddargull wrote: ↑18 Jan 2023, 21:44 This isn't the first time you've said you wanted to observe training when things haven't been going well on the pitch. Even if they let you watch what good would it possibly do? Unless of course you think you know more about the game then the professionals, why don't you phone up the club and ask for Gary Johnson's job.

Well, I’d give him a reference.
Aron Downes says there are aspects of our defensive play we have to work on.
It’s been like that all season, so either do it, or get out ..

Blimey any neutral reading this match thread must have thought we had lost 6-0 if they didn’t know the score before reading it.

What a lovely header for the goal from Aaron Jarvis....
Just shows what a decent cross can do....
Hope the squad watch a video of that several times......

In response to Portugull yes the right back position has been a problem all season,
Crowe still learning the defensive side of the role, Donnellan fills in there sometimes and does ok, probably our best option, but prefer him in the centre, De Silva as a wing back great going forward but not a clue defensively.
We are ok on the left with the improving and relatively experienced Wyatt, Moxey or Martin when fit, but we need a right back who can defend, be aware with positional sense and stop crosses.
Don't want to have a go at Crowe, he's a talented lad but we can't wait forever for him to improve defensively.

Now someone wants to watch training.

It's not enough for people to stand on the terraces or sit in their armchairs and easily say how they could do so much better.

Now they want to watch training.

They'll be in the showers next saying that if they ran the club the water would be wetter!