Have we got a game today? New matchday thread.

9 -0 nothing less then there would be summet wrong.

 

Have one tonight on me ,
I would go to bar if I could for thi

 

My first Reds game today. Not a difficult journey for me from near Cheltenham and good to have recovered fitness enough to be there and to bask in the sun and three points. Well, Cheltenham Town must be wondering what on earth they have to do to score. They did their best to batter us in the first half and it was only four outstanding saves by Liam Roberts which kept them at bay in this one - what a great find he is. I felt that the first half was well-balanced and it was a good end-to-end game with plenty of goalmouth action at both ends. Aside from the saves, Cheltenham hit the frame of the goal with Roberts' save and Shepherd did the same with a header near half time which looked bound for the net. We certainly weren't as assertive in play as last season, when we were 3-0 up by half time. A feature of that game was the excellent interplay through the midfield, combined with good use of width with the wing backs, but not much went through our midfield today and there were quite a lot of long high balls down the middle, which Cole is not really equipped to deal with, so finding himself in a heap on the ground more than once. I can see where Cosgrove will fit into this style, for sure, but it was tantamount to cruelty to expect Cole to deal with it, as he is no target man, but needs it played into space to use his pace and skill on the deck. Second half started in very much the same manner and made it a good game to watch which plenty of action at both ends. It was a Cheltenham corner which led to our first goal and left one Cheltenham defender facing four Reds attackers. It would have been very easy for McAtee, or Cadden to mess it up, but neither did, both making good choice of pass at the right time and Cole does what Cole does best in stroking the ball home into the left corner with his right foot. Well taken. It seemed to take the wind out of the Cheltenham sails and their heads did drop a bit, but their Arsenal loanee Butler-Oyedeji and Brighton loanee Peupion looked lively and skilful. What they get West Brom loanee Malcolm in the team, I can see their scoring problems being solved. We controlled pretty well the last twenty minutes, at last playing some good stuff through midfield and keeping the ball well. The second goal was extraordinary. I thought that the ball had gone out for a corner from Marsh's shot, but Watters appeared near the goal line and slotted it in. I will have to see the highlights to see how he did it. A deserved win in the end, but possible the score flattered us slightly, as there was not a two-goal difference between the teams, but it is finishing which matters and we did it twice (three times if you include Devante's disallowed one - must have been tight).

My player ratings:

Liam Roberts 8: commanding in the air and at least four top drawer saves. What a find this keeper is. We need to keep him.
Jordan Williams 6: did his bit. Made his tackles and distributed the ball well enough. Needs to be a bit more vocal as skipper.
Kacper Lopata 9: and my man-of-the-match. He was battered by high balls and crosses, but dealt with them all extremely well. A commanding presence at the back and good distribution from there - with such inexperience at this level, you might fear his giving the ball away, or being nervous, but far from it. A worthy replacement for Andersen.
Jack Shepherd 8: like Lopata, very sound in the air. He is quite a solid lump of muscle and not much gets past him. I did wonder what would happen if either he and/or Lopata were to face more fleet foot and tricky forwards, how they would cope, but they are both in their element with dealing with crosses and high balls. Amazing to think how solid he already looks after just a few games.
Barry Cotter 6: plenty of energy and drive, but a little cancelled out in Cheltenham also playing wing backs. Got mullered by the Cheltenham crowd in the first half when he went to ground - not much sympathy for him amongst their fans, but a sound performance with a few highlights.
Nicky Cadden 7: very similar to Cotter in being a little checked by the Cheltenham wing back, but unlucky with the shot which hit the post so hard that it rebounded into touch. Good and thoughtful final pass to set Cole in for the goal.
Jon Russell 6: quietly did a sound job at the heart of midfield. Should have at least hit the target with a first half header. Solid though and a useful addition in defence to deal with corners and the like.
Herbie Kane 8: he seems to have so much time on the ball, mainly because of a good first touch, but I also noticed evidence of a footballer's brain in being able to see more than just the obvious pass. A good number of his passes seemed to thread their way past two, or three Cheltenham players and set another attack in motion. He was a key reason why we managed the last twenty minutes so well.
Adam Phillips 6: did okay. I would think that he was the most attacking of the three midfielders today, but he had limited chances to run beyond the forwards and not many clear cut shooting opportunities. Sound performance though.
John McAtee 7: certainly puts a shift in and it is great to have a player who will run at defenders. Always looked lively and played a good part in our first goal in getting the ball into open play and towards the barely guarded Cheltenham net.
Devante Cole 7: probably cast too often in a role with which he isn't comfortable, which is target man, receiving the ball with his back to goal. On the occasions when he had the chance to run on to a through ball, he looked razor sharp and scored twice with precision, the first being chalked off for a tight offside, which must have been close, but he did well to play off the shoulder of the last defender and create the chance, which is what he does so well. Six in six for him, which shows how well he is doing again this season. Good work rate as well in chasing and coming back to defend. A player on fire at the moment and scoring quite freely.

Watters 6: amazing goal, so well done. Did his bit in the seventeen minutes plus he was on the pitch. Nice to have a second striker getting into scoring mode.
De Gevigney 6: good to see him get a run. I thought that he went into the right side of the back three, which freed Williams to go right wing back. Made me a bit nervous, as he still looks as though he may be trying a tad too hard, but there were no mishaps and the thirteen minutes on the pitch will have done his confidence good after his debacle of a debut. I hope that he settles in every way and comes good.
Marsh: hardly on long enough to be given a score, but looked up for it and it good that he knows he has been assessed positively by Collins and given a proper chance to prove his worth. Good shot which led to our second goal and plenty of energy.
Chapman: did his bit in so few minutes, but I would need to see more of him to know how he will turn out. Good signs though.

So there it is. I think that we just about deserved the three points, but we were indebted to Roberts again and to the very solid performances of Lopata and Shepherd that we came home with the booty. I think that the greater experience of McCart, McCarthy and Cundy will be needed during the season, but the young defenders have started incredibly well. Did I hear that Robins wants a swap deal Kitching for Lopata? He didn't look out of place at all. Well done, all you Reds. Funniest chant today: you couldn't score in a brothel. Hmm! Cheltenham could be in for a long old season, but, if Duff gets fired at Swansea after the Cardiff game and Elliott gets the boot at Cheltenham, which looks increasing likely, Duff's domestic issues could all be sorted out with a return home. Who knows? COYR

 

Top post which you ought to repost under its own thread otherwise it’s going to get lost which would be a great shame

 

deserves it’s own post

 

Thank you. As said above this needs to be a separate post .... it's too good to be lost in here !

 

This is post of the season so far. Brilliant!

 

There you have it then.