Just back

Strangely muted game given they had to win to have any chance of making the play offs. Think Crocombe made one save and that was down to his own hesitation when a through ball had him in no mans land for a second or two.

McAtee an Taylor again linked up almost telepathically and showed the link up play that was lacking on Saturday when Abrahams just couldn't read the travel of the ball in the same way.

Fox was MOM and had a good game but Sousa was terrible I thought and barely did anything of note save put over a cross that was there for burying, but Clifton headed it too straight and the keeper saved, which was one of many he made on the night, mainly from Mcatee who was a threat all the time he was on the pitch.

A solid performance all round and we did what we had to do, so no complaints, but it wasn't the most exciting of games.

I mentioned in another post that Taylor would get more goals if the crossing was better and tonight again, they were mainly woeful and mostly overhit. The two good crosses we did put in led to Taylor hitting the post from  tight angle and the aforementioned header from Clifton.

Don't know whose idea it was to have a player presentation after the game when traditionally the pitch is invaded. Didn't hang around to watch it.

Thought the ref was decent tonight too for a change

Agree with this entirely. Fox the stand out on the night, Taylor and McAtee back in tandem and the usual solid displays by the back four and Clifton. Can’t make my mind up about Holohan but Sousa made a very good case for Max or JMD to start in the play offs.

Emotions? Relief and satisfaction. Well done PH and all the management team and squad.

I thought that was one of Sousa’s better games tonight - particularly first half. The game seemed to pass Holohan by a bit though, I do agree.

Overall I thought it was a decent performance but I did expect more from them.

Fox seems to have a new lease of life. I think he has improved again since his return.

The ref was good again, we have had a few now in the last month.

I know football is a matter of opinions and that’s what keeps our intetest but can anybody please colain to me how the GET can give the same player rating to Mcatee and Sousa. .

Not going to lie, I expected a bit more from Boreham Wood given they had to win to have any hope of the play offs but anyway, about Town.

Didn't look like there was much wrong with McAtee to me. To say Ben Fox has been out for a while, he looked very sharp tonight. Pearson has given Hurst a problem for Sunday and beyond. Smith had another good game.

Notts County away looking likely which should be a great game for neutrals and a nervy one for fans of both teams.

Will it be Dag & Red or Chesterfield that play Halifax or Solihull in the other Quarter Final? Will Stockport bottle it at home to Torquay and make it advantage Wrexham on Sunday?

Dag & Red host Wrexham!

Routine win..Fox stand out player for me. McAtee has that bit of class/swagger, even when not at best - gets us playing. Fantastic break  1st half ending in Taylor hitting post - if that had ended up being a goal it’d have been up there amongst goals of season.

Really impressed with Smith at the back..done a brilliant job since here and played centrally. Sousa though - hate to say it - but disappointing ..just don’t think he’s quite got it..more an impact player for 10 mins off the bench if we needed it. (Just my opinion)

We should have won by more goals but once again we cannot bury the chances. I am hopeful when the chances come along in the playoffs we have been saving them all up and bury the lot.

Pearson was my man of the match - absolutely imperious at the back and I think he has done enough to retain his place in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what team we put out on Sunday. There is a theoretical chance of finishing 5th but I guess the obvious thing to do is rest as many key players as possible.

It's a lottery now and literally anything can happen - and we are in it to win it.

Starting from The back I thought crocombe had a decent game with a couple of good claims for crosses and a decent flying punch. His distribution was quick as usual and a couple of nicely played long passes. Made a decent save too.

I thought Amos and cropper had mediocre games, the crossing was awful, but they dealt with BW defensively so can't complain.

Smith was calm and assured as ever. Pearson very strong in the air and very steady, I think he's given Hurst a decision to make for the play offs. Waterfall is better throughout 90%+ of games, but even when he's on form he drops clangers more often than shaun, as we've recently been reminded. Overall the extra goal threat luke brings would get him the nod from me though.

Foxwas superb again, please rest him on Sunday we need him! He wins so much in the air for a CM, and on the deck seems to come with the ball when he has no right to time and again. Hoolohan was ok, made a few poor choices when on the ball and with opportunities but did fizz in the odd shot nicely. Perhaps needs more game time so one to stay in the side for Sunday?

Clifton was the same as always buzzing about everywhere, showing stamina and pace and gritty tackling, but also misplacing crosses/passes and goal scoring opportunities. Sousa, well he really has gone downhill hasn't he. His final pass, cross or shot is simply woeful every time. He had a ball break to him in the 2nd half were he had the chance for a clear shot from distance and couldn't even trouble the 6 yard box nevermind the goal. I think his main role tonight was to allow JMD not to be risked. We can't go into a playoff game relying on sousa in my opinion.

Taylor and mcatee had moments of linking up nicely. Mcatee showed why he's the difference between us being a decent mid table outfit and a playoff team. Even he, our top scorer, is no natural goal scorer though as tonight showed again in my opinion, when he really should have had at least one more. Obviously taylor is a fantastic lay off player but he does need to offer a bit more in the box too.

Mani and in particular Burgess just coming on in order to protect players really.

Overall I fear we are that bit short of goal threat to win through the playoffs but obviously you never know.

Job done.
Free hit in the play offs. Whatever happens please get behind PH and the boys in the play offs and next season regardless of what league we're in. UTM.

Borehamwood have been playing like that all season and when they were found out they started to drop…they offered nothing in truth.

The goal killed the game for me, great bit of anticipation and a good finish. From then on in it never felt like we wouldn’t win. We should’ve had more goals but we got the all important one.

Their keeper made some good saves so fair play. Thought Fox was great but our final ball was poor, if people are thinking that was one of Sousa’s best games then I think it’s fair to say that he’s probably not very good. Battles and runs, clearly well thought of in the squad but in truth he doesn’t offer much.

We go on to Eastleigh, I expect a few changes ready for the Notts County game…

Decent performance.
Fox brilliant again. I also thought Clifton had a very good game and wonder if he should be played on the right as he was way more creative than Sousa who was lucky to stay on as long as he did. Agreed with the comments about the full backs and Cropper not as good going forward as Efete.
Hoolohan gone off the boil a bit and nowhere near the level of fox. To do any good in the playoffs the5/6 out of 10 performers will need to lift dramatically. Half the team was excellent last night and half lukewarm that will not get us through but all in all a comfortable win

I listened to the game on the radio and a consistent complaint of Tondeur and Croft was the quality of the crosses, they both felt we were getting crosses in but they just weren't going to places that would hurt the opposition. A lot being over hit beyond the far post. And it wasn't just this game, more a general issue.

I would have thought that this should be pretty easy to fix on the training ground. Get the guys who deliver most crosses (and free kicks) to hit a small target and get them to repeat it until it's muscle memory. In games that small target becomes Taylor, Pearson, Waterfall etc

As hard as Clifton works, his left foot crossing was poor. I know it is his  'wrong' foot but it must be a frustration for those arriving in the box.

Quoted from smokey111

As hard as Clifton works, his left foot crossing was poor. I know it is his  'wrong' foot but it must be a frustration for those arriving in the box.

it was worse than poor last night, overhit every single one

Quoted from Hagrid

it was worse than poor last night, overhit every single one

Yeah, I was being generous!!!

He got one right - the cross to the near post for Taylor's effort which hit the outside of the post. Others were certainly overhit, but then you could say that about the crosses from lots of players on either side!

Clifton does a good job out on the left but it's just the lack of control with his left foot which makes him less effective. Perfectly understandable, however. We've always got plenty of right-sided wingers so he's not likely to play on that side so filling in decently on the left is the best we can hope for.

Fair point but at least clifton burst through and made some crosses, more than sousa did really in terms of creating anything...

Yeah, Sousa was really poor. I hope he plays next game and finds some form because, if not, on that performance, we'd be better off giving Wright a try, unlikely though he is to complete a game.

Willing to concede this one because I’m definitely in the minority but I thought Sousa was ok first half last night before just more of what we’ve been used to from him in the second.

First half I thought he kept the ball well in some tight spaces and tried to get at his man a couple of times. I can’t remember him giving the ball away much. Lacked intelligence though when it came to making runs off the ball definitely.

Second half though was just what he’d been up to all season really. Just rash in every sense when it came to the final third apart from one good cross which should have been converted.

For me it was just a Sousa performance rather than a bad Sousa performance.

As for Clifton, I think it was harsh to moan and groan when he put in a poor cross on his left foot, because he’s not left footed? Running at full speed whilst being chased and trying to curl a cross in with your wrong foot isn’t easy. He plays the role on the left even though it isn’t natural to him and he does it as well as can be expected. Clifton needs balls playing inside the full back and centre half to run on to and cut in - if he gets that wrong then I can understand the moaning. But not stuff on the outside.

As poor as his crossing was, Clifton got in and behind their defence a fair few times.  Which is more than Sousa did for pretty much the whole game, the aforementioned cross for Clifton the exception.

Clifton on the left isn't really playing with a winger.  He's not going to do the job of a proper winger and won't deliver the crosses you would expect, certainly not on his weaker side.  But what he does do is add work-rate and, in theory, the option for the left-back to push forward a bit more.  Amos was quieter than he has been of late which showed with our lack of threat down the left.  

Agree, again, on the Holohan point.  He's quickly disappointing me.  Clearly a player in there and he shows glimpses but he's anonymous at the minute.  

Fox and McAtee the stand out performers but Smith just oozes class.  If we can get him back on loan next season, regardless of what league we're in, it'll be a very good piece of business.

Crocombe made some very smart saves and commanded his area perfectly.  Distribution was spot on, especially with quick releases to set McAtee on the counter a couple of times.

Quoted from diehardmariner

As poor as his crossing was, Clifton got in and behind their defence a fair few times.  Which is more than Sousa did for pretty much the whole game, the aforementioned cross for Clifton the exception.

Clifton on the left isn't really playing with a winger.  He's not going to do the job of a proper winger and won't deliver the crosses you would expect, certainly not on his weaker side.  But what he does do is add work-rate and, in theory, the option for the left-back to push forward a bit more.  Amos was quieter than he has been of late which showed with our lack of threat down the left.  

Agree, again, on the Holohan point.  He's quickly disappointing me.  Clearly a player in there and he shows glimpses but he's anonymous at the minute.  

Fox and McAtee the stand out performers but Smith just oozes class.  If we can get him back on loan next season, regardless of what league we're in, it'll be a very good piece of business.

Crocombe made some very smart saves and commanded his area perfectly.  Distribution was spot on, especially with quick releases to set McAtee on the counter a couple of times.

strange one isnt it, i'd say since the Stockport game- despite Scoring, he's been pretty poor

Fair point was made around me last night that he's yet to have had a settled partner in midfield, added to that the system has tweaked here and there between a straight two up top and McAtee working in between.

Probably would expect an experienced player to cope with that situation but it can't help.  

He's definitely got something about him.  Having come into the team having not played much prior, perhaps it's just fatigue and a bit of rest until the play-off games might be what's needed.

Holohan may have been quiet last night but I don't think he was poor.
J.Jones on the other hand was shocking when I saw him play (admittedly I wasn't at Chesterfield).

As others have said, Fox was excellent. Thought he owned the middle of the park.

Smith really has a good presence about him for a young lad and has been very good for us (aside from when he's been asked to play right back - which should never happen again).

Important save from Crocombe and loved some of his distribution.

Some of the link up play from Taylor was sublime.

can’t believe how good Pearson was , did not miss a thing , he reads the game so well , his positioning overcomes his lack of pace , love his ‘ body on the line ‘ attitude , a hero . I prefer him and Smith as the pairing . 1-0 makes it sound closer than it was , BW where poor in a game they had to win ..  Lottery of playoffs now , on our day we can beat anybody , either way I’ve enjoyed my Saturdays this season and look forward  to going to the games again … good luck lads ▪️▫️▪️▫️