Just back

Enjoyable 0-0 against a good side. Positives were 4 of the back 5 and the midfield 3. Cook worked hard, Wes didn't and Ring is not an improvement on Fox. We looked sharper when Vernam & Rose came on and with a bit of quality/less panic could have won it.

As the manager has said, we are not far off. Interesting to see if we can add a bit of quality in the summer.

Very satisfying result against one of the supposed best sides  in the division, we matched them in every department and had our share of chances.
Macca superb again as was all the defence, a good team effort to be honest.
Ohman reminds me more every game of Pearson, he sticks his head where others wouldn’t.
Very happy again tonight, a good hard fought point.

UTM

Good game and basically held a promotion chasing team, but the best bit for me was driving home with Humberside phone in on the radio, a scunny fan sent a text in that they are looking forward to the local derby with us next season because they are going to be relegated, priceless.

Defensively very good. Blocked shots, clearance off the line. Good save by McKeown.

Going forward, poor until Akheem came on then they struggled to contain us. Vernam unlucky to see a curling long ranger go wide.

MOM clifton

Really enjoyed that for a 0-0. Little bit frustrated when he took RHJ off for Collins. Feel we need to change the system at some point to go for 3 points , unless we are happy with a point!
UTMM

Enjoyed that. First half was fairly even. The ref was equally awful for both teams. Bury always had a player in space and available to pass to but, Town were better on the break and could have nicked one just before half time.
Bury came out fired up in the second half and pressed Town back into our defensive third. Another wonder save from Macca and defenders blocking everything kept us in the game.
Fair result in the end. To hold Bury, who will probably be promoted, to a draw and keep a clean sheet is a good point.
UTM

A drab game against a team you wouldn’t have thought were 2nd. Although it became more entertaining in the last 10 mins when Rose came on

Ludvig, again very decent and could’ve been very different without him today. Ref was deffo a Manc

Far from drab it was a close game with nothing between the teams. Only minus for me was Thomas looked on another planet?? Apart from that we all performed brilliant. Jolley's counter attack very nearly paid off. Vernam was so unlucky with that curling effort just wide. Whilst Rose looked so dangerous their defence who previously  looked calm and collected suddenly started to panic. For a nil nil it was far better than last week. Forty nine points now nice to be able to relax, the players too can express themselves more.

Quoted from gobby

Really enjoyed that for a 0-0. Little bit frustrated when he took RHJ off for Collins. Feel we need to change the system at some point to go for 3 points , unless we are happy with a point!
UTMM

Believe RHJ, my MOM, took a knock/was injured and that is why he went off. Defensively very good as they did didn’t create one clear opening but offensively we don’t look at the races. Disagree with posters comments re Cook who offered zilch and his ball control was appalling. Really have no idea of what position he is playing, stuck out wide, miles from Thomas, isolated and rarely in the penalty area just don’t get MJ’s tactics as Thomas looked disinterested for the second game running and offered no threat whatsoever. Harry grafted, but his distribution was poor on a number of occasions, and Woolly not at the races today which makes creating chances difficult.

Lively last 15 minutes and just lacked composure at crucial times on the break. Ring is a concern but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he gets on after a full pre-season and more time to adapt to English football.

We have Whitehousse for next year but need more quality in midfield and up front if next season is going to be one that sees us pushing for a play off place !!!!

RHJ improving with every game.  Clifton ran his socks off from the first whistle.  Thomas and Cook both became frustrated because of poor service again. Macca 2 excellent saves as usual. Rose speed is an asset in this type of game and should have been on earlier. Both linesmen and ref should be at Specsavers first thing Monday morning and give their fees to charity.  We need to practice crossing from the wing. Enjoyable but frustrating game.

I thought Collins came on at the end to give us a bit of extra height to deal with their aerial bombardments.

I thought Woolford played well, moving the ball on and offering support to Ring out wide.

Enjoyed that, and it was a well earned point versus a decent side. Credit to MJ & AL as they set the team up not to lose and who knows with a little more composure we could have even won the game.

Impressed with RHJ today as he defended really well and also managed to do a lot of Ring’s defending at the same time, very mature performance from a player who we need to get on a long term deal. Though some of it was “last ditch” I thought we defended well overall.

I think all the boys deserve some credit today as that was a real team performance based upon good work rate and great spirit.

I really hope we see more of Rose and Vermam as they are really exciting prospects. Today proved we may lack edge at this stage but if MJ can have a couple of more windows brining the level of quality we’ve seen in the likes of Hess (superb today) and Hendrie things will be very interesting indeed.

UTM!!

Not keen on the defending at corners/long throws which was even deeper than usual! Literally every one of our players less than 10 yards from the goal line, even before they brought that massive striker on. If we continue to defend in that manner, at some point we'll get a run of games where the opposition smash shots from the edge of the box into the top corner or have them deflect/squeeze in through the crowd of players.

Otherwise, hard-working defence and some promising breaks which failed due to a poor final ball or just a lack of a little bit of quality.

Finally, if we're going to try to play the possession game, we've got to stop needlessly giving it away so often. I realise it's 4th division football so mistakes are going to happen, but we continue to set up as many of the opposition's attacks (whilst ruining our own) as they do!

fairly entertaining 0-0....very few attempts at goal for either side but was no where near as poor a spectacle as last time out.

When we press high we look as good as anyone, to say they are 2nd and one of the most free scoring teams in our division we made them look poor, thought Jolley got his homework spot on this week.

With a bit of quality and pace in the final third we would be much higher in the League...but i guess most teams could say that in reality.

Hess, RHJ, Davies, Hendrie all bossing their opponents today.

Rose and Vernam both added something when they came on .

Just a couple of final passes/ right choices away from a victory today.

Very importantly i think we played as well, if not better, without the services of Embleton. Important to carry that thought forward.

Oh...the ref and at least one of the lino's were fking terrible.

UTM

Quoted from Maringer

Not keen on the defending at corners/long throws which was even deeper than usual! Literally every one of our players less than 10 yards from the goal line, even before they brought that massive striker on. If we continue to defend in that manner, at some point we'll get a run of games where the opposition smash shots from the edge of the box into the top corner or have them deflect/squeeze in through the crowd of players.

Otherwise, hard-working defence and some promising breaks which failed due to a poor final ball or just a lack of a little bit of quality.

Finally, if we're going to try to play the possession game, we've got to stop needlessly giving it away so often. I realise it's 4th division football so mistakes are going to happen, but we continue to set up as many of the opposition's attacks (whilst ruining our own) as they do!

Things are looking positive then?

Quoted from moosey_club

fairly entertaining 0-0....very few attempts at goal for either side but was no where near as poor a spectacle as last time out.

When we press high we look as good as anyone, to say they are 2nd and one of the most free scoring teams in our division we made them look poor, thought Jolley got his homework spot on this week.

With a bit of quality and pace in the final third we would be much higher in the League...but i guess most teams could say that in reality.

Hess, RHJ, Davies, Hendrie all bossing their opponents today.

Rose and Vernam both added something when they came on .

Just a couple of final passes/ right choices away from a victory today.

Very importantly i think we played as well, if not better, without the services of Embleton. Important to carry that thought forward.

Oh...the ref and at least one of the lino's were fking terrible.

UTM

Always think we're lacking a Pouton/Cunnington type player in central midfield to compliment Hess and Clifton. If MJ could unearth a similar type at League two level next season I think we stand a lot better chance of getting on top in games. Whether it's Embleton or Woolford, we lack a certain amount of dynamism and physicality which is underlined by how many times we give the ball away under pressure. A bit more pace and power in our midfield three may earn us a little more time on the ball and with it comes a bit more much needed composure.

Thought the back three played very well today as did Hendrie. Felt a bit sorry for our left wing back who was a bit isolated at times. As Hessenthaler was rightfully man marking Mayor and generally a lot wider on our right than normal, it left the other two a lot of ground to cover to link up with Ring as our midfield three were a little lopsided. Our front two were fairly poor, but at least Cook worked his behind off while Thomas was deciding between Marbs and Dubai. Think MJ needs a good think about what qualities he needs from our forward line next season because average all-rounders aren't going to cut it.

Decent game, deserved a point, as our midfield and defence stuck to their tasks, disciplined defending and competing resolutely without the ball, we could have nicked it at the end with two dangerous forwards on the pitch at last..

Well, we're better than we were at this time last season. Just not as much as I hoped we would be.

Hopefully, we can retain the right players and sign a few more who will improve us enough for contention next season. Would be nice if we could manage the pacy, high-tempo game which Jolley has mentioned in the past.

Quoted from Bigdog

Always think we're lacking a Pouton/Cunnington type player in central midfield to compliment Hess and Clifton. .

I'm led to believe Elliot Whitehouse is that type of player.

Quoted from Bigdog

Always think we're lacking a Pouton/Cunnington type player in central midfield to compliment Hess and Clifton. If MJ could unearth a similar type at League two level next season I think we stand a lot better chance of getting on top in games. Whether it's Embleton or Woolford, we lack a certain amount of dynamism and physicality which is underlined by how many times we give the ball away under pressure. A bit more pace and power in our midfield three may earn us a little more time on the ball and with it comes a bit more much needed composure.

Thought the back three played very well today as did Hendrie. Felt a bit sorry for our left wing back who was a bit isolated at times. As Hessenthaler was rightfully man marking Mayor and generally a lot wider on our right than normal, it left the other two a lot of ground to cover to link up with Ring as our midfield three were a little lopsided. Our front two were fairly poor, but at least Cook worked his behind off while Thomas was deciding between Marbs and Dubai. Think MJ needs a good think about what qualities he needs from our forward line next season because average all-rounders aren't going to cut it.

Decent game, deserved a point, as our midfield and defence stuck to their tasks, disciplined defending and competing resolutely without the ball, we could have nicked it at the end with two dangerous forwards on the pitch at last..

Are there any Cunnington/Pouton like players in L2?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Are there any Cunnington/Pouton like players in L2?

With the way that all tackles are deemed a foul by most referees than a strong tackling midfielder in today's game is not as important. Herd about 5 minutes of the Walsall v Barnsley game yesterday lunch time and the commentary mentioned how good it wad to have a game where tackles were allowed, not like the premier, so why do the referees authorities and the FA accept different outcomes for the same tackles depending on which league there from?

Quoted from Gaffer58

With the way that all tackles are deemed a foul by most referees than a strong tackling midfielder in today's game is not as important. Herd about 5 minutes of the Walsall v Barnsley game yesterday lunch time and the commentary mentioned how good it wad to have a game where tackles were allowed, not like the premier, so why do the referees authorities and the FA accept different outcomes for the same tackles depending on which league there from?

I think the answer is money. If a player at our level get's injured it's a relatively small amount of money a club loses out on (in some cases it is actually beneficially ). If Salah's career was ended that might cost Liverpool £200 million.

I thought Welsh was brought in to be the tough tackling midfielder. First game he made a couple of great tackles but I thought he was way off the pace and he got slower!

Also in the later rounds of the FA Cup, it may be a premier team versus a league 1/2 team, with a premier ref in charge quite a lot of the league 1/2 teams find they are penalised for tackles are called as fouls, that in their league games would be ok.

Couldn’t have two more contrasting nil-nil matches from last week to this. Good game of football this one with the ball majority played on the deck by both teams IMO.
Two teams playing 5-3-2 and u can see I think how town can continue to progress. Ball control and retention from the forwards was the main difference I think. Personally I think we can see the significant progression we have made in many respects and if we continue to make further steps forward with this system we could match Bury’s standard by this time next season....and look at where they are in the table. Patience - frustrating tho it is - is a virtue!
UTM

Quoted from Gaffer58

With the way that all tackles are deemed a foul by most referees than a strong tackling midfielder in today's game is not as important. Herd about 5 minutes of the Walsall v Barnsley game yesterday lunch time and the commentary mentioned how good it wad to have a game where tackles were allowed, not like the premier, so why do the referees authorities and the FA accept different outcomes for the same tackles depending on which league there from?

Having refs who award freekicks for the slightest contact in the Premier division is probably a good thing for the ntional team. Gets them used to the standards they can expect internationally.

Quoted from mariners1

Couldn’t have two more contrasting nil-nil matches from last week to this. Good game of football this one with the ball majority played on the deck by both teams IMO.
Two teams playing 5-3-2 and u can see I think how town can continue to progress. Ball control and retention from the forwards was the main difference I think. Personally I think we can see the significant progression we have made in many respects and if we continue to make further steps forward with this system we could match Bury’s standard by this time next season....and look at where they are in the table. Patience - frustrating tho it is - is a virtue!
UTM

Yes, must say it was refreshing to watch two teams who played to feet and virtually no gamesmanship in the game at all.

enjoyed the game some good open play from us A little disappointed with Bury as thought they would stretch us in the channels bit more and be a little more threatening up front, Really thought after half Time their league position would  prove our undoing but it never came.

Happy with our overall performance and a well earned point

A good day out on the beach for me and my 8 yr old daughter and is really starting to enjoy her Town games again GREAT SHAME TRANS PENNINE MESSED UP ON THE WAY HME AND NEARLY LEFT US stranded at Donny but they laid on a people carrier to king x got hme at 02-40 am UTM

Sorry if mentioned previously as not read it all, but some interesting comments on the Bury forum....

-----------
Interestingly, on the very, very delayed train home we met the Grimsby Town Assistant Manager who said he was glad when Adams went off, at that point we had put 6 crosses in from the right but only 2 from the left.
The Grimsby AM, Anthony Lambrick (who was manager at Woking when they beat us in the Cup) said a lot of his work was done on previous games videos and stats.  Part of their game plan was to pressurise O'Connell & Wharton but basically leave Thompson alone, the thinking being that Thompson released the ball slower and would keep the game narrower and so not allow us to get wide as often or as quick
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Some saying our number 7 (hess) totally killed the game plan they had and made Mayor non existent

And mainly saying we defended well, but offered nothing going forward...

I felt Rose, and Vernam made a difference.. i've not spoke highly of Rose previously, and still made some strange decisions, but hes young and learning, and could do well.

I am a big fan of Vernam, and although Thomas has been very good, he seemed to offer more in his 20 mins, than Thomas did all game.
I feel with a run of games, Vernam will easily get in double figures next season

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Sorry if mentioned previously as not read it all, but some interesting comments on the Bury forum....

-----------
Interestingly, on the very, very delayed train home we met the Grimsby Town Assistant Manager who said he was glad when Adams went off, at that point we had put 6 crosses in from the right but only 2 from the left.
The Grimsby AM, Anthony Lambrick (who was manager at Woking when they beat us in the Cup) said a lot of his work was done on previous games videos and stats.  Part of their game plan was to pressurise O'Connell & Wharton but basically leave Thompson alone, the thinking being that Thompson released the ball slower and would keep the game narrower and so not allow us to get wide as often or as quick
-----------

Some saying our number 7 (hess) totally killed the game plan they had and made Mayor non existent

And mainly saying we defended well, but offered nothing going forward...

I felt Rose, and Vernam made a difference.. i've not spoke highly of Rose previously, and still made some strange decisions, but hes young and learning, and could do well.

I am a big fan of Vernam, and although Thomas has been very good, he seemed to offer more in his 20 mins, than Thomas did all game.
I feel with a run of games, Vernam will easily get in double figures next season

he loves that plan of leaving the least able opposition player to have the most possession doesn't he (see his video about how he master minded the shock win v Malmo)? Works well though, as we saw at palace

Quoted from forza ivano

he loves that plan of leaving the least able opposition player to have the most possession doesn't he (see his video about how he master minded the shock win v Malmo)? Works well though, as we saw at palace

When we were in the Conference, often that would have been a difficult choice to make.   A lot of times when the opposition got the ball close to our box I was screaming at Town players not to tackle because more often than not at that level they would fluff the opportunity if you didn't give away a foul.