Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:50 pm
A frustrating game - overall, we should be grateful for a point because, over the full 90 minutes, Chesterfield were the less bad team. Yet it could so easily have been a welcome rare away win. How many times have we conceded a goal in the closing minutes, this season? Lester's equaliser came on 44 minutes and 44 seconds of the second half! In the first half, without ever dominating play, we always looked in control. However, in the second half, play was nearly all in our half. Luckily for us, the Spireites are as crap in front of goal as we are.
Walker - did what he had to do, well, with ever being really extended.
Westlake - steady performance, nothing outstanding, but no major mistakes, either.
Beevers - a workmanlike performance. Although he's not quite good enough to get into our full-strength starting XI, he does provide reliable cover along the back four.
Butler - usual performance, excellent headers, tackles and blocks but bloody awful distribution.
Sadler - good performance again.
Taundry - as usual, worked his socks off and gave good support to Westlake.
Peterlin - who?
Chambers - see Peterlin - if Peterlin and Chambers are the answer, what on earth was the question? Totally anonymous again. In their defence, I will say that the distribution of Walker and the back four usually by-passes them. You don't need a conventional midfield when your defenders play "hoofball". Can somebody on the coaching staff PLEASE do something about this?
Paterson - wide left is not his best position but he is still learning (and hopefully "filling out"). Always looks more dangerous when cutting into the penalty-area.
Nicholls - worked tremendously hard right across the width of the pitch. Took his goal well. My MotM.
Macken - the old warhorse was a good player in his day but he is now well past his "best before" date.
Grigg (for Macken) - no improvement on the old man (even worse, in fact)
Halliday (for Paterson) - not enough time on pitch.
Bowerman (for Westlake) - reshuffle saw Taundry drop to right-back. Bowerman managed one on-target shot but it was too weak.
I am still concerned about the style (or lack of it) of our football. Persistent "big boot" upfield to a dwarf forward line, none of whom could head their way out of a wet paper bag. This suggests poor coaching. Even if we do sort this out, we still need a couple of midfield players.
Listening to BBC Radio Dingle (yeah, I know!) on the way home, I heard that Deano and some of the players were complaining that Jack Lester (who went on to score the equaliser) should have been sent off for elbowing Chambers in the face. We can't comment on that because we were all in the North Stand while all the action was in our half, at the other end! :evil:
Nice little ground - no stanchions, Roy! :twisted: The traffic management outside was just as bad as at Bescot, though.