Just Back on the Train.

And for the benefit of those who didn't watch on i-follow.  A performance full of guts if not great skill which should nail the belief that the players aren't at least fit.  We could/should have been a couple of goals to the good before 20 minutes was up with two one on ones with the keeper..(I cannot remember who asked the question but the answer is Yes-Vernam definitely has pace.) Hendrie took the goal really well in what was a wide open game. For all their possession Carlisle didn't create that much real danger with only a couple of second half goal mouth scrambles to heighten the nerves. A big shout out for Embleton,  Clifton,  and the much maligned Collins but everyone played a part. It wasn't a season changing performance in that we still gave them acres of room to play in especially down the flanks, we gave the ball away far too easily and resorted to the big hoof far too often to absolutely no positive effect. It was though a massive three points and I'm quite prepared to overlook the shortcomings tonight. The fans were magnificent...especially the guy a couple of rows in front of me stifled a Fenty Out chant with a "That's not what its about tonight" Tonight was about encouraging a team devoid of confidence and each and every one did exactly that. My favourite chant of the night perhaps cliched but I like the sound of "How sh*t must you be..we're winning away...Up the Flipping Mariners!

Enjoy the trip home and full marks for making what is a long journey especially for a night game.

Let’s hope that MJ is learning all the time and we see a more positive team selection continue for the forthcoming fixtures.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

Enjoy the trip home and full marks for making what is a long journey especially for a night game.

Let’s hope that MJ is learning all the time and we see a more positive team selection continue for the forthcoming fixtures.

Ta...but I should come clean and say I'm only going to Workington...30 miles away!!😊😊

Assume you must be serving some sort of sentence then? 😄😄

Used to travel up there for work and it was a bloody long drive, but sure you will enjoy a nice beer to celebrate the win.

Good to meet up with my old pal Barra tonight. If anyone thinks he's dour you should have heard me at the game. Anyway, one game so far this season and a 100% win success. What's the problem with everyone?

What the f are you doing in Workington.
I caused a riot there once

A welcome relief to get the three points but still feel conflicted with how we got them. Hopefully the very fact that we got the three points will give the players and MJ a boost in confidence that's desperately needed. It was a fairly even first half but for once we were the team that created the gilt edged chances. We started brightly and could have and should have scored three goals before Hendrie tucked one away. Vernam and Hooper missed simple one and ones and how Hooper didn't even get a free header at least on target from eight yards out I don't know. Still, having Embleton and Vernam in the same team gave us something that we've been lacking, players with an excellent first touch and the ability to beat the first man. The ability to beat the first man is key at any level, not solely to get around him but sometimes just to drop a shoulder pull the opposition out of position and find a better pass. Previously we've not been able to do that and the old take a touch and pass from a static position has held us back. Hendrie and Famewo have got that in their locker too but others haven't and how many games have we seen that all four haven't been in the starting line up? Cutting through the relief of getting the three points I would say we were extremely poor second half, I dread to think how low our pass completion percentage was and I'm struggling to remember us getting out of our half let alone around their box. Carlisle are going to struggle a bit this season, they're not the worst footballing side but boy are they toothless up front, even worse than us!

McKeown - For all their pressure, he really didn't have a lot to do. What he did, he did it fairly competently.

Hendrie - Took his goal well which he created from an excellent attacking run along the byline, very athletic and had an all round good game even though at times he's left a bit isolated from in front and behind.

RHJ - Not fully match fit yet. Gives us added athleticism and strength but was a bit erratic at times. He'll get better with game time.

Whitmore - Back to how he was a few games back. Strong and extremely competitive. he bullied the Carlisle forwarrds.

Collins - You've got to give him credit. Overall he had a good game, more so second half as with us camped around our own box, the game suited him with many last ditch tackles and blocks. There was a moment just before half time where he was very shaky when isolated and from the cross their forward should have made it 1-1 with the resultant simple close range free header. This highlights to me why I would still not have Collins in the team because we're not going to win many games camped on the edge of our own box. But last night DC has to be given the credit he deserves, first half he did try to stand up to their forwards and not back off and second half he and Whitmore defended like lions.

Clifton - Was a bundle of energy last night and showed more than a glimpse or two that he will be able to hack it at this level. He was braver on the ball than I've seen him (apart from Lincoln), and if he could find ways to stay in the game for 90 minutes, he'll be a good player for us.

Rose - Was really poor on the ball last night but more than made up for it with a herculean effort to be a strong protector of our back four. Extremely athletic and I lost count of the times he put an important challenge in or covered for other players.

Embleton - Added a lot of class to our side first half, faded second half but looks like he could be more than useful at this level.

Vernam - Is a class act. At times he looked head and shoulders above every player on the pitch. How he hasn't been in our starting eleven all season, god knows. Faded second half, but so did we as a team.

Hooper - Had a good game first half, won headers, looked lively, passed the ball well at times and got himself into scoring positions. Second half he reverted to the old JJ a little bit, ducking out of headers and more than once was caught napping as his player was overlapping. He tried harder in this game but I'm still not convinced.

Thomas - Fed on scraps all night, worked his socks off and is starting to look stronger and quicker game by game.

For me, the game on Saturday will prove if the three points has given the players the necessary boost in confidence to improve. There was a spell of twenty minutes in the first half that we looked a good attacking dangerous passing team, but other parts and mainly in the second half when we couldn't string two or three passes together for long periods. We looked nervous on the ball, acted like it was a hot potato and often either played it too quickly or picked the wrong pass. The three points could be a turning point, the inclusion of Embleton and Vernam in the starting eleven could be a turning point, the grit and determination of the defence could be a turning point, but on balance the 90 minute performance as a whole against a pretty ineffective Carlisle side wasn't. We'll have to wait until Saturday to see if we've turned a corner.

Hats off to the noisy 143 who made the long trek, you did your club proud..

I wasn't at the game but a Carlisle supporting friend messaged me after it:

"Your team were enormous compared to our midgets."

Did we deserve to win?    "Just. Yes. We have no goalscorer. Lots of mindless endless balls into the box.  You looked pretty solid at the back"

And his final thought: "We all feel empty and depressed."

Just remember ... as long as there are two teams worse than us ...

Are you Marta?

Sorry Marra !