3pm pitch inspection.

Have mixed feelings about the game being on. Little chance of seeing a decent game with the wind and it will also keep quite a few people away from what you would have hoped  would have been a good crowd. Don't know what the injury situation is but lets hope we can put out a strong team and get 3 much needed points.
Noticed Lewis Powell has just joined Evesham which I thought was a strange move until I saw his old pal Ashley Williams is also there. Wondered where he went after leaving Paulton.
 

Agree with inthebox reagrding the referee . I bet the Poole goalkeeper was having a right laugh to himself everytime he was time wasting and the referee pointing to his watch thinking you've got a watch so what!! You wondered just how much time the goalkeeper could waste before actually getting booked. Hope Poole get promoted ( relegation would be better but not much hope of that) as means we won't have to play them again next season unless we got promoted as well which on recent performances no chance. Didn't like their attitude but their antics helped by the referee. Time wasting, pressurising the referee,  everytime we had a free kick one of their players standing a few feet away from the ball and constant moaning. Compare their attitude to that of Redditch a couple of weeks ago who played the game in a good spirit.
As far as our own performance is concerned appreciate the conditions were terrible and made playing football very difficult but same problems as the Redditch game were there. No width in midfield and all 4 midfield players very similar. Most balls going down the middle and getting picked up by their defenders.We had 3 wide midfield players on the bench  and not until late on was one brought on.Very little support for the forwards and don't remember seeing either forward having a shot all night. Maidstone, Redditch and now Poole 3 defeats and no goals and shows we struggle against the better teams. Bedworth on Saturday if we don't pick up 3 points there then what does that say for the rest of the season.

probably disallowed as you're not meant to beat the Southern League's Dream Team

Not sure I agree with Collier's assessment that we battered them in the 2nd half. Losing toss to play up the slope into the wind in first half is where the game was lost. Holding on to be 0-1 down at HT was a decent achievement. They then set up to sit deep hold their lead and counter attack on the break - which they did well. We just about deserved a draw but fundamental problems in the team at the moment I fear. I don't like Pook as the attacking central midfielder and Allen as defensive. I would swap these. Smith had a poor game unusually. We pushed Ballinger up and went 3 at the back then didn't give him the ball by which time Poole had spotted the change. The strikers don't get support Ash and Sands often had 3 defenders on them and no outlet.

As for the ref he made some bizarre decisions. Booking Preece and finally no corner for a clear goal saving defensive header over the bar right at the end

Last edited by newfan (18/11/2015 2:47 PM)