The case for the defence

It was reported on RH last night that for the first time since 1998, we had kept 4 consecutive clean-sheets in league games at home.  (Port Vale, Exeter, Colchester and Crawley).  

For good measure we also won 1-0 away at Carlisle the week before this home run started.  

If this stat is true over 20 years then it is both commendable and a sad indictment of our NL days at home.

We have also conceded 6 fewer goals overall, home and away, than Newport who are 3rd.  (23 and 29).

We know that we have no pace in central defence, players long in the tooth, and our full-backs have been injured. The defence is also prone to making silly mistakes.

However,  the reality/perception is that despite these weaknesses and errors, we can defend well in some games and secure points/wins against the top teams. (MK Dons (twice), Lincoln, Colchester and Exeter).  We can do it but are just too poor or inconsistent against many other poorer teams. This is very frustrating.

Our midfield is set-up more to offer protection to the back 4 to get into attacking positions.

This reduces the opportunities to create good chances to score.  Our achillies heel.  If we concede first, we are likely to lose.  Often 1-0.

We need a winger and scoring striker in January.  If we can secure these players, then the generally sound defence can support the strikers to score more goals and hopefully get more wins.  Maybe Ahkeem Rose has a role to play as well?

  

The pressure on the defence is immense due to our lack of goal scoring...it isn't difficult to understand that should  they let a goal in that another one soon follows...that is a mental strength thing but without the "goals for" column going up then the defense are under it from the kick off... week in week out that builds and probably helps explain why every now and then we look like we fall apart.

Good point Moosey. Sure that when the front line finally clicks, we might see a rapid transformation. Just a hunch that a minor change in one area can lead to s step change in overall performance.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Good point Moosey. Sure that when the front line finally clicks, we might see a rapid transformation. Just a hunch that a minor change in one area can lead to s step change in overall performance.

It's only a quick calculation but I believe 1 more goal in the close games would have given us 11 more points and we would be 1 point off the play offs.  

Small margins.