Just Back v Brentford on iFlop

silverlion

Well-known member
Staff member
A solid defensive performance with some flair too and a well deserved point.

We started brightly. Danny looked lively down the right and Bennett looked a real threat down the middle. It didn't take long for us to get in our stride. A lovely take from Mason set Danny free on the right. His cross to the far post was hit on the volley by Molly but went over the bar. They were struggling to get any real control on the game and they lacked some urgency. We thought there could be something in this for us and we pressed forward on the counter attack. A decent ball down the left to Molly saw a cross to the far post but Murray headed wide. We continued to press forward and a few minutes later a Wallace cross into the box found Cooper who nodded it into Molly's path but his shot was smothered. A good bit of joined up football from us down the right with a one/two with Jed but his cross was cleared. They showed little threat in the first 45 and Bart did not have one shot to save and the half ended all square.

GR would have been the happier of the two managers but told the players there would be more threat from them in the second half. They did move the ball quicker and had more possession but they couldn't find the final pass to threaten. Toney was very quiet and for a player with 29 goals under his belt he did not really look a threat. We pressed forward on the break and an Evans free kick found Cooper but his nod on was just in front of Jed. It was time for fresh legs. Off went Bennett and a yellow carded Evans for Bod and Mitchell. They continued to press and Toney did have a chance. A decent pass was just nodded by Murray but it fell to Toney 8 yards out bu Bart smothered it and got a whack for his trouble. It was the one and only save he had to make in the whole game. With a minute to go Burey came on for a tiring Bennett. we had a glorious chance to take all three points at the death. A good interception from Dutch set Mitchell free who played in Danny. He could have put his laces through it but he crossed it poorly and Molly picked up the scraps on the left but his cross went off for a corner. And the ref blew up for a good point from us.

Bart had little to do other than a couple of catches and a smothered shot from Toney to gain his seventeenth clean sheet. Danny was all energy and threat down the right. Murray was solid and only gave one short pass. Pearce was solid and so was Cooper. Molly was good in defence and a threat running forward. Dutch had a very tidy game and hardly put a foot wrong and so did Woods. Evans was tidy and got his foot in well. Jed played well but tried one or two fancy tricks which did not come off. Bennett was probably the pick of the bunch and shaded MOM with a tireless and threatening performance up front. Bod ran around and looked busy, Mitchell had energy when we needed it and Burey hardly had time to break sweat.

So, our clueless manager played all the right tactics, did not give them an inch and could have nicked it on another day. As it was a point on the road against a side that had scored 5 last time out, a clean sheet and a good defensive display. Can he repeat it it on Wednesday?
 
Thanks, Silver.

Thought you'd be doing a Just Back on the magnificent choir at Windsor Castle...

Couple of points. Nothing wrong with Mac's cross in the final seconds. You have to put pace on it, or the keeper will smother, or a defender intercept. With pace, a defender is frighted to stick a foot out, in case he diverts it into his own net.

Bod should have known this but, typically, was back on his heels, slow to read it and made a great ball look bad. It's what poor players do.

Elsewhere I showed that Bod has scored one goal this season in 2,050 minutes. Now 2,071. That's one goal in more or less and a day and half of football. And you can see why. No thinking. No perception. No reading. No instinct. No bravery.

He should have been sliding in there. A decent striker would have tucked it away. As a striker, he is about as much use as a garden ornament.

I think Bradshaw would have got that one. But looks as though the manager has even less belief in him than Bod, which is a bit strange.

Second half, thought we dropped back five to counter that ball they were trying to play in behind us. That meant they pushed up, and just like against Swansea with their players further forward our wingbacks were neutered which meant our two front men were starved of attacking options.

The biggest difference was that against Swansea we were chasing the game, which left spaces. This time we weren't and could afford to try and hit them on the break. It meant we kept our shape superbly, thanks mainly to the magnificent marshalling of man-off-the-match Pearce.

Dutch gave the kind of quietly commanding midfield display we have been missing for ten years. While ahead if them battling Bennett was quite excellent.

But again our main threat came from our wingbacks...all three chance came from them: wingback Mac crossing for wingback Malone to narrowly volley over; Malone in again to make the keeper save at point blank; then, finally, Mac doing great work on the right to put in a sublime ball for Bod to slide home...except he couldn't be bothered.

Don't think we are far away from seeing our team for 2021/22 season.
 
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If Pearce was man of the match - GR will give him another year.

Good to see GR take a risk as alluded to in his interview with NAD and bring Burey on in the 90th.

Did we even have a shot second half?