Altrincham verdict.

[Birdy]

Originally Posted by Keyser Söze

Cheers Birdy. How did Boden fair?

He was ok. Huffed and puffed alot upfront but didn't really do much. Had no chances and he needs a good partner to link up with. Holroyd was dropping too deep which meant that he wasn't near enough to Boden to supply him with the ball.

[Back of the Kop]

I thought we looked solid enough at the back but set pieces need to be dealt with more effectively or it could be our undoing

Midfield much better than against Warrington but I put that down to the horrific pitch they played on.

Wedgebury is great in the engine room, breaks play up and lets Kelly do his stuff

Little cutting edge upfront........Boden needs a strike partner but I trust Dean is on with it

Overall a comfortable win

[ewloered]

Very steady performance . Wedgebury, Pearson and Kelly were class. A bit worried with the service to the front 2 though. Hopefully Mckreth will make a difference. Also hope Pearson is ok after coming off.

[Kinsey's Legacy]

Very encouraging performance from a more settled line up, with what I would assume is the preferred defensive unit in the second half (Roberts, Smith, Pearson and Jennings). Thought Hurst looked out of sorts at right back in the first half, although he can certainly tackle... just wish he would stop lumping aimless balls forward which caused us to lose possession on numerous occasions!

Very impressed with new midfielders, Wedgbury and Kelly in particular... Carrington also had a good game! Didn't see enough of Wright in the second half, but he did put in one impressive "lung busting" run into the Alty box.

Holroyd looks tidy up front and Boden looked ok, but is certainly not the target man we need to hold up the ball and link play! Rutherford put a few lovely balls into the box, but no one anticipated them.

[1975 red]

Dunn - 7 had little to do but cleanly collected anything that came into the box
Roberts - 7 strong 1st half performance at left back. One crunching tackle on the half way line in the build up to the 1st goal. Played 15 mins or so at right back 2nd half. Will get better when match fit
Hurst - 7 did ok, some strong tackles and played the ball on the ground a bit more, although still too many longer balls pumped forward that certainly frustrated Boden
Pearson - 7 solid enough without being overly tested. Perhaps a little slow in releasing the ball when bringing the ball out of defence
Smith - 7 steady enough
Wedgbury - 9 outstanding. A proper midfielder. He was everywhere. Linked up well with Kelly
Carrington - 7 had a good first half in midfield. Kept things moving and always looked to keep things simple. Less effective when moved to right back in the 2nd half
Kelly - 9 excellent game with flashes of brilliance. Was the best player on the pitch (closely followed by Wedgbury). Great goal and was involved in everything good we did. Has more pace than I had previously thought
Rutherford - 8 good 1st half on the right wing. Beat his man several times and put some good balls into dangerous areas. Looks much fitter
Holroyd - 8 was very impressed with Holroyd. Was busy and looked the most likely to cause the defence problems. Had a few chances and scored a good header 2nd half
Bowden - 6 bit of an off night for Scott. Frustrated by the lack of service 1st half and (at times) lacked effort. Didn't hold the ball up and was easily out muscled by the Alty defenders. Improved in the 2nd half

Subs

Jennings - 7 good going forward and got into some dangerous areas
Smith - 6 didn't see too much of he ball. Played right midfield for most of the half and more central towards the end
Wright- 7 one great run out of nothing and some strong challenges to break up play. A bit loose with his passing at times and needs to improve his control. Still a bit raw
Freeman -6 worked hard without having any clear chances
Marx - 6 played around 15 mins. Did OK

[Red Light]

A far better overall performance - defence solid and not unduly troubled all night - not sure if Dunn really had an on target save to make.
Wedgbury & Kelly very industrious in the middle and linked up well.

Up front Holroyd looked the most effective - he and Boden ran the channels hoping for through balls played from midfield on the floor - putting crosses in from either flank seemed ineffective.

Boden to me looks weak (he's not the biggest striker in the world) and didn't get much change at all from the very tall Alty centre half.

Some nice interacting passing to feet at times and a lot of pace in this team with the likes of Kelly, Rutherford and Holroyd covering much ground. Wedgbury is a star and what I particularly like is if the team or he loses possession he will chase back as if his life depends on it and often regains possession but the whole team seem to be better at closing down the opposition.

A good performance but we lack a clinical cutting edge in the final third. And the problem isn't Holroyd.

Attendance 600 ish.
Balti pies were excellent.
The Moss Lane allotments were in full bloom - beautiful gladioli!
The St John's Ambulance girl was even more beautiful (I considered feigning a sudden serious illness but thought I might miss a goal)
Good luck to Alty - hope they rise back up the leagues soon.

Downside was the pub behind the away end was closed for refurbishment.

[Bryn Tirion]

Originally Posted by Red Light

A far better overall performance - defence solid and not unduly troubled all night - not sure if Dunn really had an on target save to make.
Wedgbury & Kelly very industrious in the middle and linked up well.

Up front Holroyd looked the most effective - he and Boden ran the channels hoping for through balls played from midfield on the floor - putting crosses in from either flank seemed ineffective.

Boden to me looks weak (he's not the biggest striker in the world) and didn't get much change at all from the very tall Alty centre half.

Some nice interacting passing to feet at times and a lot of pace in this team with the likes of Kelly, Rutherford and Holroyd covering much ground. Wedgbury is a star and what I particularly like is if the team or he loses possession he will chase back as if his life depends on it and often regains possession but the whole team seem to be better at closing down the opposition.

A good performance but we lack a clinical cutting edge in the final third. And the problem isn't Holroyd.

Attendance 600 ish.
Balti pies were excellent.
The Moss Lane allotments were in full bloom - beautiful gladioli!
The St John's Ambulance girl was even more beautiful (I considered feigning a sudden serious illness but thought I might miss a goal)
Good luck to Alty - hope they rise back up the leagues soon.

Downside was the pub behind the away end was closed for refurbishment.

Interesting comments from Red Light and 1975 red regarding Boden. Their similar to my thoughts on his performance at Nantwich. I hope it's just a fitness issue and hopefully will be firing on all cylinders on 5th August.

[DoomandGloom]

Originally Posted by Bryn Tirion

Interesting comments from Red Light and 1975 red regarding Boden. Their similar to my thoughts on his performance at Nantwich. I hope it's just a fitness issue and hopefully will be firing on all cylinders on 5th August.

All about personal opinion I guess but he's shown enough glimpses for me to think it's a fitness thing and also about the other players playing the kind of ball that he wants.

[Back of the Kop]

Originally Posted by DoomandGloom

All about personal opinion I guess but he's shown enough glimpses for me to think it's a fitness thing and also about the other players playing the kind of ball that he wants.

I didn't like Boden's body language when the ball was perfectly played into him.

This type of attitude gets your teammates' backs up and there's no need for it as he's hardly Lionel Messi

I'd hope that Keates will have a word and nip it in the bud