Dreadful spectacle first half. Town playing far too deep and resorting to standard aimless hoofing just to clear their lines. The loudest noise coming from the Pontoon first half was the collective sigh when Collins didn't see the ball out properly, their lad knocked it in to the box and a good finish left Macca helpless. But for the aforementioned Macca and some shocking finishing MK Dons could and should have been out of sight by the interval.
The half time talk must have been magnificent Embleton started to see more of the ball and his cut inside and arcing finish into the top left corner woke the team and the fans up. The second goal once again showed Thomas's benefit to the team if you play to his strengths rather than belting it at him at head height and Vernam's excellent finish put some early icing on the cake. That two goal lead encouraged the defence into the sort of heroics witnessed during last month's decent run with both centre halves throwing themselves in front of everything. On the only occasion Macca was beaten Collins redeemed his earlier error with a superb headed clearance off the line.
Jolley brought on Welsh to give a bit more steel to the midfield but Town still looked decent on the break. The second change saw Cardwell make his entry. I'd forgotten how much pace the lad had and he was unlucky not to control a difficult chance for what would have been a deserved fourth goal.  Vernam, Embleton and Clifton ran themselves into the ground second half and Dons had no answers really. Great win. Pity there weren't more there to see it but given the recent fare on offer not really surprising. How long is it since we had any interest in the 2nd Round draw?

Didn’t really see that coming tbh. First half we were neat and tidy but had no real threat and looked very lightweight.
Their goal was the result of a big error by Collins but to his credit he was outstanding after that.
Got on the front front from the start of the second half and a wonderful strike into the top corner by Embleton brought us level, Thomas twisted and swivelled to slam home the second and then Vernam had a powerful strike to confirm victory.
All the back 4 played well, Hess was excellent as was Thomas IMO.

Hope the draw is kind and we also get a home win next weekend.

Shame only 1800 Town fans could be arsed to turn up especially after the last couple of home performances

Humberside said a 2nd round appearance is worth £54k btw

Collins shouldn't have tried to shield the ball out for the goal but in his defence, it was well over the line.

Vernam, Embleton and Clifton played excellent today. Clifton is fast becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet. Amazing what happens when you persist with putting the ball into the box!

Quoted from Cloudy

Didn’t really see that coming tbh. First half we were neat and tidy but had no real threat and looked very lightweight.
Their goal was the result of a big error by Collins but to his credit he was outstanding after that.
Got on the front front from the start of the second half and a wonderful strike into the top corner by Embleton brought us level, Thomas twisted and swivelled to slam home the second and then Vernam had a powerful strike to confirm victory.
All the back 4 played well, Hess was excellent as was Thomas IMO.

Hope the draw is kind and we also get a home win next weekend.

Shame only 1800 Town fans could be arsed to turn up especially after the last couple of home performances

Humberside said a 2nd round appearance is worth £54k btw

Got £36k for this win

Looked ominous when MK scored and other than a brief 5 minute spell of decent play, Town were 2nd best in the first half.

However, they came out a different side in the second half. Played on the front foot, pressed MK hard and when they won possession, passed it around quite nicely and began to look a threat.

Three well taken goals, each one seemingly giving Town a bit more confidence and they saw the game out quite comfortably.

Overall, an entertaining game and a good team performance with Embleton, Thomas and Pringle taking the eye. The latter is looking sharper with more games and looks a classy player at this level.  

Nice feeling being in the hat for the next round draw (almost forgotten what that feels like)

UTM.

Well done Town, and to those who went today, hopefully we will keep that sort of form going from now on, we need to build momentum so I'm hoping for a winnable home game for round 2. MK are 2nd in league 2 so a very good win, come on Town.

Wasnt going to go, but everyone went out and i thought not sitting here all afternoon. I was not impressed  with the first half, and the ball was deffo out by a good 6 inches for there goal. GOLDEN RULE  play to the whistle.. Thought about leaving at half time  but stuck it out , and a different team came out after the break, 3 very well taken goals . special mention for Pringle. played very well and is getting to look like he is getting better each week

Enjoyed that display today hope we can build on it ,we have a good side when we play to our strengths and don't try to  blitz teams al la Lincoln , well done GTFC.

Have to say that from my angle the ball didn’t look out for their goal & virtually no complaint from the players, including Collins

Out of interest... Was it MK Dons' regular starting XI?

Quoted from Mighty_Mariner

Out of interest... Was it MK Dons' regular starting XI?

Humberside said that  starting 11 played in their  last League game I think

Thought we were going to get hammered with Gilby spraying the ball around and dishing out orders. Second half completely different.Don't know what made Jolly change into an attacking team for the first time this season,but we want more of it. Only 1800 home supporters but made more noise than at anytime this season.   To sum up in 3 words-FAN TAS TIC.

Cracking win, not only for the confidence that will give the players but it also gives us a few quid and a welcome distraction from the league for a bit. We started slow for the first 20 odd minutes but had an excellent spell once they had decided to move off the ball when we have it. It didn’t look to me like the ball had gone out of play, and a player of Collins’ experience should’ve dealt with that much better, although he definitely redeemed himself later on in the game.

Second half we had a much higher tempo working the ball towards their third of the pitch, energy in the centre of the field in the shape of Hess and Harry certainly helped push them back when we were in possession. I loved the way Pringle and Embleton just drifted in of the flanks into little pockets of space to drag them out of shape. It finally worked for Embleton’s excellent goal. Fantastic strike, but credit to Pringle for the overlapping run which pulled the full back across to open the space for the shot. They’re both very clever, calm and technical player and if we can find a way of letting them play like they did second half then we might finally find some of that missing creativity. Thomas had a good game and showed the type of striker he can be when we produce quality balls into the box, him and Vernam’s work rate stopped them playing out from the back as much as they wanted to and they often had to resort to a longer ball, leaving gaps in midfield for us to exploit if we won the ball. Back 4 were solid apart from the DC incident, with Famewo showing great pace and athleticism after an erratic start, and Harry Davis showed no signs of rustyness after his spell out. Good to see Harry Cardwell get a run out too!

An excellent and unexpected win if I’m honest, let’s hope for a decent draw on Monday and a similar performance next week!

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Had a right go at them.

Quoted from golfer

To sum up in 3 words-FAN TAS TIC.

Thank you Craig Revell-Horwood.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Collins shouldn't have tried to shield the ball out for the goal but in his defence, it was well over the line.

The problem was that he didn't try to shield it out. He thought it was going to run so did some sort of ridiculous step over which allowed their player to nip in. If he had tried to shield it out, their player wouldn't have had a sniff of getting it.

Interesting game and I'd say it wasn't exactly a game of two halves but one of three thirds! They were much better for the first half hour and we didn't get near them as they passed it around accurately and had good movement throughout. Despite this, their only real chances (other than set pieces) came from our own errors. They were tidy, but really lacking in any creative play and their strikers didn't create anything themselves.

We were the better team after the first 30 minutes, though obviously more of a threat in the second half. A cracker from Embleton, good poaching from Thomas and great play from Clifton for the third. Very noticeable that Pringle dropped a lot deeper and was dictating much of the play from midfield in the second half. Not sure most teams in our division would give us quite that much space in the middle of the field, but we used it well.

Finally, its good to see Cardwell return as it does at least give us an option of sticking a big bloke up front to mix it up with the opposition defence. Thomas does his best to lead the line but its not really his game and we need to see more of him in the box.

Well at half time given some of the second half performances we’ve witnessed this season I was dreading what we were going to witness but that was brilliant.

Three good goals but the pick of them for me was scored by Embleton. What a player he’s going to be in the future. Could have had a couple today. Have we ever had a player as accurate with both feet as he is?

It’s a change to be happy after a cup game supporting Town over the last few years! Let’s hope it’s a winnable tie next round and hopefully we can dream of Old Trafford, Anfield, The Emirates etc after that match.

Just back in myself not too long ago....a long day travelling to and from BP but what a great afternoon I've had  :)

The posts above sum it all up already but just want to say how worthwhile it proved to be going to the game where to be honest I thought a draw would have been a good achievement given their standing this season

The first 20 minutes or so of the second half Town totally played the Dongs off the park.... without any shadow of a doubt, we fully deserved our three goals and the win

Just hope we can carry on this sort of performance in the league...before the match all I hoped was that we gave as good an account of ourselves as we did back at the Stadium MT in August.... apart from their goal, we surpassed it

Looking forward to the draw on Monday night.... ,maybe this will be our turn to get some footballing fortune at last

UTM GTID

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Thank you Craig Revell-Horwood.

Keep it to yourself  Darling.

Terrific win. It was the best football seen all season in the second half. Some cracking goals and Embleton, Thomas and Pringle all impressed.

Just a shame so few people were there to see it. I was actually quite surprised with the attendance but I guess you can’t blame people with the prices and how we’ve been as of late!

Well done to the players but equally well done to MJ as he must have said a few things at half time as well as getting the defense to hold a higher line which is unusual for a GTFC side but alongside what looked like a shape change to provide both Pringle and Embleton among others a bit more freedom on the ball made for great 2nd half.  

The first half was very frustrating with Macca making his statutory 1 on 1 save early on and it looked like Town where just sticking to a rigid game plan which resulted in too many passes sideways/backwards, no attacking runners through the channels and nobody really running beyond the ball. It just looked like we couldn't work out how to break them down. though we did "keep us shape" better than at Mansfield us shape didn't do us any favors.

At times we could  have advanced with the ball at our feet into their penalty area instead of a couple of powder puff shots and a few balls hoisted into the box for their tall if immobile defense to deal with. Disappointed with Collins for their goal as 38 years old's are arguably more suited to putting the ball out rather than trying to have fleet of foot to run it out.  

The second half it looked like the hand break had been taken off with the players having a bit more freedom and actually enjoying it a bit more. Town did better without the ball and where more dynamic with their movement and tempo in possession for the spell from the break to the 3rd, all that said the catalyst to the win was a moment of brilliance from Embelton, as soon as the ball left his foot you could see it was going in. This kid is some player at this level and I hope (but doubt) we can keep him beyond the window.

The 2nd goal was again well worked with great build play from Verman, Pringle and Embleton well finished with some "Podge like" work from Thomas who took his "Johnny on the spot" moment really well, a fitting reward for another afternoon of hard graft. At 2 -1 Collins also redeemed himself with a great goal line clearance.

The 3rd prompted my comment about the hand brake being of as some good work to get in behind them and a clever pass by Harry Clifton (who needs a goal) resulted in a great finish from the willing and dangerous runner that is Charlie Verman, who just gets better and better IMHO.  

Town saw the game out and on reflection where the better team across the 90+ minutes versus a side that will probably go up and are no mugs.      

The players....

Macca - At the moment I'm convinced there is not a better keeper in league 2.
Hendrie - Apparently not a RB but looked decent today
Famewo - Still has the L plates on but I love his confidence and desire to play football at every opportunity.
Collins - Did well to come back from personal disaster, his legs may be questionable but his mental strength is not.
Davis - Looked like he's never been away versus a tall MKD attack
Clifton - Energetic but looks like he's trying too hard and needs a goal, great once the shackles where lifted in the 2nd half.  
Hess - Not a holding player but did well in the Rose role and if some of the passes he saw had come off it could have been even more entertaining,
Pringle - Average 1st half IMHO but much more influential in he 2nd, I think as his fitness builds this lad will turn out to be this seasons Nolan.
Embleton - MOM, he turned the game and has a great future ahead of him, I just hope it's at GTFC for the rest of this season. His goal was to class and we've not seen his like since Townsend I reckon.
Thomas - Again hard working and deserved his goal, at time today we saw the benefit of his experience .especially when the ball was played up to him in isolation,      
Verman - I like this lad a lot hard working, willing and when he feet the ball at his feet and runs at people he's an entertainer, he proved today he can finish as well.

Welsh came on and did the job he was asked to do really well and it was good to see Cardwell back as well.

So a good day, overall performance and for the team to come from behind and score 3 goals in the 2nd half indicates some real progress. We need to replicate this progress next Saturday versus Crawley for today to reall mean anything but all that said admission price apart I really enjoyed it today.

Well done to the players and MJ!

UTM!    
      

What about Pringle today??
Thought the ginger bloke was fantastic  🙂

Quiet in the first half (almost anonymous, in fact), but used the ball really well in the second. Kept the ball moving intelligently when we were on the front foot.

Great win and great performance - at least in the second half - and into the hat we go.

Not wanting to put a downer on it but we talk about how much this win was worth, and how much a win in the next round might bring in... but do any of us honestly think it'll be reinvested wisely given our track record?

Could be enough for January reinforcements, but that would depend on whether Fenty/the board hand it straight over to Jolley.

I think the victory will give us a little boost in the league. Could be the thing that finally gets our season going.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Thank you Craig Revell-Horwood.

Think that's Fab-u-lous

WELL DONE LADS.

About time we beat those parasites been a long time coming hopefully we can continue the second half belief into the league.

Just read above about theoney we gain being used wisely. Ideally we need to use some towards a couple of players in January but I'm happy for Fenty to take a bit of it, let's slowly get that 'debt' we owe him down and gone as soon as possible so we can move forward.

Was wondering if Embleton being allowed to play means that he might be staying for the rest of the season 🤔

Quoted from RichMariner

Great win and great performance - at least in the second half - and into the hat we go.

Not wanting to put a downer on it but we talk about how much this win was worth, and how much a win in the next round might bring in... but do any of us honestly think it'll be reinvested wisely given our track record?

Could be enough for January reinforcements, but that would depend on whether Fenty/the board hand it straight over to Jolley.

I think the victory will give us a little boost in the league. Could be the thing that finally gets our season going.

Let's just live for the moment. Let's forget about J.S.F. at least over the weekend

I thought the second goal was great, it was the sort of goal we should be scoring. Makes a big difference when we have so many players around the 6 yard box. That is what has been missing. The ball dropped to Thomas but it could have been to 2 or 3 others and they cannot all of them be marked can they?

The same applies to the 3rd goal in a way because we had 2 players in the area when Clifton reached the by-line and the defenders were so bothered about marking them that it left space for the cut back to Vernam, good finish as well.

We don’t have a Podge but piling bodies in the box is the next best thing.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I thought the second goal was great, it was the sort of goal we should be scoring. Makes a big difference when we have so many players around the 6 yard box. That is what has been missing. The ball dropped to Thomas but it could have been to 2 or 3 others and they cannot all of them be marked can they?

The same applies to the 3rd goal in a way because we had 2 players in the area when Clifton reached the by-line and the defenders were so bothered about marking them that it left space for the cut back to Vernam, good finish as well.

We don’t have a Podge but piling bodies in the box is the next best thing.

Yes, it was noticeable on the highlights alone just how far we got behind them, and how many players were available in every area as opposed to the last few games where we seem to have our collective confidence visibly drain when in possession and their 18-yard box comes into view.
The first half is the stuff that drops the crowd to sub-2000, the second half will bring the crowds back.

Seemed to be an emphasis on getting the ball in the box much more. Smart and about time. It paid off like the stats say it should.

Quoted from essexexile

Think that's Fab-u-lous

You're clearly more of a connoisseur than I am.  ;)

Couldn't get two more differing performances than what we chucked out in the first and second half.

First half we looked dreadful, truly dreadful.  No shape, no balance, just awful.  Their goal was laughable and I feared a tonking.  Credit to the players that they rallied and held it together until the break.

Second half we were a different animal.  Desire and drive made a big difference but it was the mindsight of having a go at them and believing that we have the attacking abilities to hurt teams.  Also a notable lack of aimless punts in the hope that Thomas can bring it down.  

Pringle, Embleton and Vernam buzzed about off Thomas with a fair amount of freedom and it worked.  For me that's probably our best front four at the minute, but it doesn't fit into a conventional two strikers/two wingers format.  Thomas isn't a target man but is the best of the four at being a focal point of some sort.  The other three naturally play better off someone and there's a degree of flexibility in that they can switch about.

Embleton set the tempo and continued to pepper their 'keeper with shots after his goals.  Pringle put in his best performance in a Town shirt but still lacks a bit of confidence at times, few occasions where he could have had a pop at goal but hesitated and pulled it back for someone else.  That'll come though.  Thomas looks twice the player when he's not watching it sail over his head.  

Wasn't convinced in the first half by the midfield pairing of Hessenthaler and Clifton.  Thought we missed Rose's strength and composure.  Second half Hessenthaler dropped deeper which freed up Clifton to be more of a nuisance.  

Standard was set with the second half display.   Lots of intensity, lots of freedom to attack and be creative rather than slamming it high and long.

Great to see Cardwell back too.  If he stays fit I think he can offer us a real alternative from the bench.