Yep their plan is to stop us playing and knock it long, a physical scrappy game is what they want, ref ain't helping letting late challenges go unpunished
Frustrating first half as both teams are cancelling each other out with very few chances. They're a physical team and we're going to have to find some quality to get through them. Cotter has seen a lot of the ball without doing much and maybe replace him with Jalo if this continues in the second half.
Need to alter the midfield 2nd half. Only seems to be Craig sitting deep with Connell and Phillips ahead of him. I'd drop Connell alongside Craig in CDM and get a foothold on the ball a bit deeper. Far too much open space in the middle of the pitch from our point of view. We have more quality than they do, but we always seem to play teams "at their level". Go back to Sheff U at home, we played some lovely stuff on the floor, lots of movement. Then we come up against a side playing a physical, long ball game and we just go along with it. Get it on the floor and play it through the thirds, we look good when we do it. Sick of us hoofing the ball out of defence and midfield to nobody.
Imho...you have to play all kinds of teams and Stevenage are going to make it hard for us. They are not pleasant on the eye and very much kick and run footy...the unpleasant side is the over physicality in nearly every tackle. That said we are doing OK but again I'd like to see us quicken our passing to try get through them. This is a game we need Pines to match up to their (ahem) style and we do need to match them in this department. Looks a draw nailed on hope we can sneak one.
Can’t knock Stevenage that’s how they play by trying to make it a physical game and they are probably better at it than us , we just need a bit more composure on the ball from our midfield or make one of our corners count.
It’s unfair to say we just go along with it. Sheff U were more than happy to let us play. These today don’t want either side to play football and it’s not always as simple as getting it on the floor and play through the thirds. They go man for man every time, give us very little space, and clatter us every time we get the ball. We’ll get chances second half and i back us to take one.
With how they've tried to stop us, it'd be a great result if we nick a goal and win. Watters and O'Keeffe on for Cotter and Pines at half time.
i was just thinking its the dullest match I've ever heard about from people who aren't watching or listening.
Surprised at Cotter, he was a threat in the first half, when they got the ball to him which was twice!