Well, a second trip to the South West in the space of 21 days to take on Exeter with an early start from home for the part drive part coach journey, 550-mile round trip. I find that distance drivable in the summer months but not on a cold November day; still, we have a lot of those long trips out of the way now for this season. The Exeter trip would hopefully give us a chance to get a bit of midfield movement & motion after the Portsmouth lesson on Tuesday when our midfield were really totally nullified in the second half by a very good Portsmouth side. These days, no visit to the 4th tier version of St James's park would be complete without a visit to the real ale bar in the supporters club and a good catch up with other football supporters from both clubs; all good stuff. What a wonderful job they do at that club where they have two bars one offering conventional stuff and the other dedicated to a variety of local real ales and ciders; can’t be bad, as ever well done to the splendid CAMRA volunteers who man the bar. Over a beer or two, we received the team news that certainly seemed to make the real ale bar a greater attraction for the next couple of hours than watching the declared Luton line up. Nathan had decided to drop Gilliead and Pelly to the bench; ok, they were not brilliant on Tuesday but their replacements did not get greeted with much enthusiasm by the group I was enjoying a beer with. Olly Lee was moved further up midfield to the tip of the graphite with Rea taking the holding role and Cuthbert returning to the starting line-up. In addition secret agent Cook, on deep undercover duties, took the place of Gilliead. So the question was, were we about to see an afternoon of midfield dominance against lowly Exeter who have struggled at home all season. Well, the answer to that question was rapidly answered from the first to the last minute in what has to be one of the least inspiring, least entertaining and most instantly forgettable games so far this season. For whatever reason for periods, we seemed to abandon much of a midfield option at least for the first 60 minutes or so of the game with a very overused and unproductive long ball approach that was really just getting us nowhere. Any attempts to play the ball on the deck through midfield just petered out in the congested middle of the field and it could not be blamed on the pitch which to my mind played well enough. The chemistry in the midfield just does not form at present and it’s puzzling because when you look at the various individuals they all have something to offer yet the sum of all parts is about 75% of what it should be if you get my drift. The thinking man's midfield trio of McGeehan, Cook and Lee looked as if they had just been introduced to each other as they really struggled to link anything at all together. In fact Cook again in his undercover role could hardly be noticed, just the odd sporadic decent pass and Lee was hardly effective in his more forward role if that was what it was meant to be; it simply was not working as planned and we drifted to half time with little excitement or promise of a goal. Hell, that was a truly boring first half with nothing at all to excite and warm up the cold supporters of both sides. The second half did little to lift the spirits and I don’t know what other supporters felt but I struggled to get a feel for the whole picture, the whole plan: what was Lee’s role, what did we expect from Cook etc. Later in the second half, Nathan made the Gilliead+Pelly change we did start to look a little better but really nowhere near the threat that we need to be against clubs like Exeter if we are to achieve our promotion ambitions this season. Of course, we could moan, as Paul Hart did, about the penalty that was not given but from where I was sitting that did not look like a foul on Hylton. In fact, the closest both teams came to a goal was a long shot from Exeter that hit the bar: then we had the quality free kick from Sheehan and the magical speed of Vassell that produced a chance for Lee that was saved by the keeper. To me, the real problem that Nathan will I am sure sort, is the lack of movement in midfield where we have a group of players who just struggle to run into space to give the guy in possession an option or preferably a number of options for making a telling pass. Result, nobody available and because of this the ball goes backwards; now I can readily cope with that as long as the players are then looking to create space and make themselves available for the next pass. Oh, frustration, maybe we are just too predictable, maybe we are just not good at the style of football we are trying to play. Urgency, well maybe in the final few minutes of the game we saw some from both sides but hell, it was still very dull and I waited to be put out of my misery by the final whistle, honestly it was such a dull game it really needed to be brought to an end simply to be kind to the supporters. Yet the timekeeper cruelly opted for 5 minutes added time that drew a groan from most; just not nice, not kind. The Sunday Rant Well is it fair to start with team selection or is it just a simple fact that whatever combination Nathan selects they will struggle to really control the game? We do seem to have a number of midfielders who are not at their best at the minute or is it a case of them just not collectively being good enough for the needs of L2? NJ and PH are certainly not fools and I really suspect that they genuinely see something really good in training from both Lee & Cook but sadly that just does not replicate on match days. Can’t really think of a description of an anti-rant and I don’t want to say “songs of praise” but I have to give a very special word to Nathan Jones who took the trouble to come onto the Bobbers coach and thank the supporter for their efforts in supporting the team: such a nice gesture. Well done Nathan, mark of a great man. General thoughts: neither team really got to grips with the game. Had we been playing away to let’s say, Carlisle, then it would be classified as a good performance but as we were playing a very average Exeter, I would say it was just a handy point. In terms of defence we were decent enough with Cuthbert and Justin looking good but in terms of midfield, the current players available just don't appear to dominate a game. We really need players running into space and creating movement for a touch more to happen. Maybe it was for that reason i.e. we were struggling to create in midfield, that we used the ineffective long ball a fair lot in the game, particularly in the first half. Maybe it will be a case of some out and some in when we reach the January window. Never mind, good company and good beer as ever contribute to a good day out slightly dulled by the football bit in the middle but hey a point is a point and worth having. Hopefully, the thoughts of the game will not linger in my mind for a long time as even when journeying home writing these notes, I was finding it difficult to recall anything but boredom from the first half of the game; honest, that was not down to the lovely local ales. However, we are still in a very good position in 5th place. What a volatile L2, Wycombe who were right down the bottom a few weeks back are now in the play-off places. Shame we can't really get it together in a bit more of a productive way as this division seems to be wide open with almost anybody capable of beating anybody: Plymouth's defeat at Morecambe was their third on the bounce and Tuesdays master class tutors, Pompey, losing at home to awful Stevenage. Overall, it’s such a shame that a few of our draws could not have been converted to three points. Some thoughts on individual performances: The defence as a unit were fine: Walton: decent enough game and only looked a touch troubled once when he appeared to dive late for a shot down to his right-hand side but he got there and pushed the ball around the post for a corner. Justin: another good display from this youngster who seems to get physically stronger each week; quite decisive in his style and worth his place in the side. Cuthbert: well I am really glad that our management team saw the light and reinstated the captain to the starting line-up. Won just about everything in the air and most on the deck; a good game. A good old 4th division centre-half. Just why was he left out of the side on Tuesday; sorry, I am ranting again; apologies. Mullins: decent enough game, nothing fancy but solid enough. Sheehan: probably put under more pressure than Justin and reasonable enough at LB but surely not the long term answer for that position. He almost scored with a really decent free kick from outside the area that forced the keeper into a good save at the top left-hand corner of his goal. The midfield: that smudgy graphite formation again! Rea: not his best game in my view; generally did well in defence but gave away quite a few free kicks. Rea did not look his usual “well in controlled self” in my view. Cook: well another Cook game where he kept his secretive skills well hidden from view. There must surely be more to Cook than we have seen to date but rather than starting him, I would rather see him used later in the game until he builds some belief. Ok, he can on occasion place great pass, there was on one Tuesday night but surly he should do other stuff in between? Is it just confidence with Cook at the moment? McGeehan: brilliant effort in making 100 appearances for the club and scoring around 30 goals. He pleasingly put himself physically into the game and was probably the best of the “creative trio” but nothing really significant came off for him. Lee: Lee did have once chance on goal from a classy Vassell cross but the keeper saved well. Worryingly, in Hart’s post-match interview he described Olly as the most skilful player at the club; really! Maybe Paul Hart is on strong medication, I don’t know; maybe it’s me; I feel confused, send for the men in the white coats, I give up, it’s all too much for me. The strikers; they tend to play better if chances are created but maybe I am being picky! Vassell: played well in my opinion and a terrific turn of pace absolutely skinned his marker to give a chance to Olly but it was blocked by the keeper. Well done Mick Harford, quite a find Vassell and I am happy to have him around. Hylton: oh so loved by the Exeter crowd. Gave his usual whole-hearted effort but could not manage a breakthrough of any type. The subs Gilliead: got more involved than Cook had managed to do but found the attentive marking of the home defence tough going. On one occasion when on the right he had three minders; ok that’s difficult for him but his presence surely created space that should have been exploited by others. Pelly: a couple of threatening bursts but not much else from the strangely deep position he took when he came on. Marriott: not really on long enough to make much of an impression on the game. The Teams: Exeter: Pym, Woodman, James, Wheeler (Simpson, 87), Watkins, Moore-Taylor, McAlinden (Oakley, 64), Taylor, Sweeney (Ampadu, 71), Reid, Brown Luton: Walton, Mullins, Cuthbert, McGeehan, Hylton, Cook: unused player (Gilliead, 70), Rea, Lee (Pelly, 60), Vassell (Marriott, 82), Justin, Sheehan Unused subs: King, O'Donnell, Smith, Mackail-Smith, Gilliead Our supporters: another great effort for consecutive away trip with over 600 turning up to cheer on the Hatters.
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Hi there, welcome to my site where I chronicle various things about the Hatters, a team I have followed since the mid 60’sArchives
December 2017
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