the_mighty_bosh Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) I was so glad that this tie gave me the chance to watch this current crop and see what all the fuss was about. I wasn't disappointed! Good day out for many reasons. The match itself wasn't the best you'll ever seen in terms of quality but both competed well and while I wasn't particularly worried that we were going to concede, they certainly made things competitive. They were fairly disciplined and I could see them keeping a lot of clean sheets at their level but they lacked the cutting edge and for once, thanks to one man, we did! The main thing that stood out for me from the majority of our players was their work rate. Players like Derbyshire, Croft, Wabara and Montano were brought in for their ability and I expected them to show what they could do today, but instead I was most impressed by the way they chase down lost causes or make the extra run to put their defence under pressure. The only player who didn't exceed my expectations was Wes, simply because the standards he sets are so high in the first place. Bouzanis dealt very well with most of the high balls and made an excellent reaction save to keep us in the game. Grounds looks so reliable. Tarky misplaced the odd pass but does the basics of a centre half surprisingly well for his age. Brown looked a little vulnerable when he came on but I think a lot of that was down to the backline being unsettled without Byrne. Simpson worked hard and didn't do much wrong although he didn't look particularly natural in centre-mid. Furman got about when he came on too. Baxter - Great pass for the 1st and I'm sure he gave the 'keeper the eyes for the 2nd. But is vision when on the ball is so good and his manner just oozes class! Most importantly does anyone know if Byrne is OK? I didn't see him move on the stretcher and it looked very serious. We got lucky at the end of the 1st half as Wes definitely handled in the box and the 1st goal was crucial, but we deserved the win over the course of the match. Their fans came across very well to me before, during and after the game. Friendly outside the ground and passionate inside. The pie was difficult to judge objectively but compared to any other football ground pie it was streets ahead! On the whole the atmosphere was very good in the away end as our fans were very vocal, but there were the odd chants that really don't have a place in a football ground. Fortunately it was the vocal minority and they got criticised by surrounding fans. There's something I've forgotten. Hmm... Oh that's right... JOSE BAXTER BABY!!! Edited November 3, 2012 by the_mighty_bosh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stainrod Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I was there too. Sat just behind Dcikov and co amongst the Kiddie fans ~ their overall feeling was that there was a significant gap in quality (as should be expected of course) and the pace of our team was admirable as was much of the precision of the football we (at times) played. This is a good latics side, as good a first 14 as I can rememeber for quite a while. Outstanding for me Croft, Baxter, Montano, only disappointment was Derbyshire today, full marks for effort as usual and held up the ball very well at times but by his high standards felt he didn't feature as much as I'd have liked. There centre back Gowling (Fellani hairstyle ) got their man of the match award which I think was fair as he played Derbyshire very well. Only other points to highlight 1) not convinced yet by Brown at full back 2) didn't see the point of bringing Montano off for Furman as this then invited Kidderminster on to us, they should have had a penalty and who knows what might have happened then. Overall a convincing victory and a good/enjoyable match. Kidderminster gave it a go and fans near me were suggesting that they had clealry raised their game today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_mighty_bosh Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 I was there too. Sat just behind Dcikov and co amongst the Kiddie fans ~ their overall feeling was that there was a significant gap in quality (as should be expected of course) and the pace of our team was admirable as was much of the precision of the football we (at times) played. This is a good latics side, as good a first 14 as I can rememeber for quite a while. Outstanding for me Croft, Baxter, Montano, only disappointment was Derbyshire today, full marks for effort as usual and held up the ball very well at times but by his high standards felt he didn't feature as much as I'd have liked. There centre back Gowling (Fellani hairstyle ) got their man of the match award which I think was fair as he played Derbyshire very well. Only other points to highlight 1) not convinced yet by Brown at full back 2) didn't see the point of bringing Montano off for Furman as this then invited Kidderminster on to us, they should have had a penalty and who knows what might have happened then. Overall a convincing victory and a good/enjoyable match. Kidderminster gave it a go and fans near me were suggesting that they had clealry raised their game today. Can't disagree with that. Brown looked promising when I saw him at Pompey, it's just that he (and the rest of the defence tbh) need Byrne's experience and reliable play to allow them to settle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wehatecity Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Only good thing about today is the main 3 Being cup tied Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeylandLatic Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Only good thing about today is the main 3 Being cup tied Yeah getting through to the second round was a real disappointment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stainrod Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Oh, I meant to add that the partnerships between fullback and winger on both flanks are now working really well and make for some really entertaining and fluid football. Grounds is the best left back we have had for some time and Wabara is a class act. Croft and Montana are going deliver some great moments for us this season. Can't believe we are hanging around the bottom half of league one, why did it take so long to gell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancy lad Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Only good thing about today is the main 3 Being cup tied Whats that supposed to mean? You obviously didn't go? We didn't step out of second gear but didn't have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeP Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 The pie was difficult to judge objectively but compared to any other football ground pie it was streets ahead! The pies were fantastic. We take it for granted that football ground food is poor, but Kidderminster have thrown that cliche out of the window - absolutely superb. Without wanting to belittle Kidderminster, I thought we did a thoroughly professional job. They had a go, which was to be expected, but I don't think they really had enough about them to beat us. That said, while the "handball" shouts got a bit excessive I think they had a couple of fair shouts in the first-half. Reckon a Latics side from 6 weeks ago, after missing lots of early chances, might have gone on to lose a game like today 1-0, but we're being a bit more tenacious these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I thought we were a bit slow to attack second balls at time in the first half, second half we got stuck in and it reaped dividends. I thought we again dropped seeper the last 15 minutes or so and if they had nicked one, it could well have been interesting, but all in all a thoroughly professional job. I just hope Cliff Byrne's injury isn't too serious. And we're not only in the 2nd Round Hat, we've gained £18k in prize money and probably around another £10k in our share of the gate receipts…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosa Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 We got lucky at the end of the 1st half as Wes definitely handled in the box and the 1st goal was crucial, but we deserved the win over the course of the match. Ref must have decided it was ball-to-hand, but you're playing a dangerous game if you've got your hands above waist-height in the penalty area. Brown was VERY lucky to not give away a penalty for handball in the 2nd half, could arguably have been a red card as well. Ah well, life's a :censored:house. Thought Baxter was nowhere near his best today, but he's a good enough player that he can play in first gear for most of the game, then win the game in 10 minutes. Not that he usually does that, to be fair, his workrate's been superb, but his quality's there for all to see. I'll be distraught when he leaves but he really is too good for this level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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