Very little creativity. It’s never good to become reliant on loan players and i don’t think we are on the whole but we really missed Ricky tonight. Weather was plunder, referee was poor for me tonight as well, really hard to get going when the game is broken up so much by the whistle but no excuses here, simply not good enough to get anything on the night. Shame because I thought this was 3 points tonight and St Albans I think will be a little too much for our young squad. Defo need to get Bray back fit! We are missing the width so much and whilst Spence is filling in well, Brays pace is frightening and allows for us hit that 5 back formation that served us so well early season. Bad day at the office, we move.

Her Ladyship's firm New Year resolution to start "learning the violin" was just the propulsive force that sent His Lordship down to the Surfacing Park Ltd last night after almost a month's self-imposed exile from Bluebird football.  Paginini Her Ladyship isn't: in fact, one or two pieces of our finest Osborne & Little
wallpaper appeared to be detaching themselves from the Library  the walls in despair, as she once again took up her bow just as I left the house to to head fro the sanctuary of the  Daimler.  It was a puzzling and unsettling return to action for His Lorship... especially after being surfeited on the 6 goal feast ( witnssed on video only) of the previous home encounter...

Inexpert Analysis No. 10

Overall:  When the fog provides the most exciting action of a game, then  you know you have not witnessed a classic. Probably a 1-1 draw would have been a fairer result, but that is saying little.

TAFC:  Unexceptional, physical and hard-working they offered little.  They did their job efficiently and disrupted us consistently.  Defensively, they were highly effective in almost never allowing us an incursion into their box.  Their well-taken goal was set up by one high quality, cross-field pass... otherwise they were content with  scrappy, scrapping play. Got to the byline more than we did.

CTFC:  We began brightly.  Young Jason Y  sharp, aware, full of confidence set up some exciting potential breaks, as did Young Alefe who seemed full of self-belief and energy, unrecognisable from the rather lost young footballer of a 2 or 3 months ago.  As the fog descended midway through the half, so did our ability to work out  a way through.  Apart from a splendid "Top" Gunner strike from 30 metres or so we hardly visited their penalty box in the first half... and forced perhaps only 2 (?) corners.   The second-half proved no more fruitful.  We had brief periods of pressure but several were wasted by over-hit crosses and weak final balls. His Lordship can barely remember a shot in the whole 2nd half..let alone a shot on target.

Conclusion:  Tonbidge are exactly the sort of side we seem to struggle most against.  Ebbsfleet completely outplayed us... fair enough.  But we cope poorly with the workmanlike, the disruptive, the physical.  Our midfield were outmuscled and smothered.  It didn't make a pretty spectacle.

Positives: Compared to performances in October and November  we looked a far more disciplined unit and determined to play football.  Despite the odd error, young Minturn always looks to play the ball out of defence. There was far less hoofing.. and far more attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to unpick the Tonbridge padlock rather than just yank at it.  We were hampered by lack of pace on both flanks an d very poor crossing of the ball. Young Ola, despite his physical frailties, showed, when he got onto the pitch, just how to destabilise a defence by constantly moving across the line and dragging defenders with him.  More of that, please. From what I've seen of him at U23 level , young Alamu, might offer us the same. This was a game we could and should have won... a couple more keys should unlock  stolid opponents like these. Paradoxically, a better quality side like St Albans might just bring out the best in us... providing we don't concede early.

A complaint: the very loud, very clear ugly and discriminatory shout from the CTFC end about one of the the linesman was exactly what His Lordship hoped he wouldn't have to hear when he abandoned EFL football several years ago for the more familial, principled, old-fashionedly decent world of Non-League football.  Perhaps this is " No Country for ( moaning) Old Men" but if the friends of the shouter thought his outburst was acceptable at Hardenhuish, then His Lordship will just have to accept that that is just the way of the world nowadays.  Before any respondent complains  of His Lordship's thin skin and lack of realism .... let him  just say there is passion and there is passion.  Direct personal abuse isn't passion .. it's ignorance and it's embarrassing and it can only do damage to our great club. Here ends the Lesson. Amen..... and back to the ear defenders as the Library door clicks ominously behind Her Ladyship.
 

Don't think I heard it but is it the same loud prat who's been mocking Ola's name in recent games?

Posting this on the forum will make people more aware that so called fans can behave in this way and hopefully report it to the club if they know who it was. This is exactly the right place to shame the moron and he may think about his future conduct.

Last edited by AJG (19/1/2022 11:44 PM)