The_Showstoppa15
Guest
Well to be honest I really wasn't expecting too much today so the result wasn't a surprise.
Well where to start? I saw this as a game of two halves. I thought we were shocking in the first half and the only two players to go in at half time deserving any credit where, in my opinion, Mark Bentley and Mitch Cole. For the two goals, Barrett and Prior seemed to go AWOL and the lad who scored appeared to be unmarked. Guttridge, for me, was doing nothing on the right. Every time Bentley went up to support the front two, Guttridge drifted inside too far so that there was no real threat from us on the right. Wilson and Prior just seemed to hoof the ball upfield whenever they gained possession, and there was no service to Eastwood and Gray, who should have been dropping deep to search for the ball. All in all, a first half of panic, too many headless chicken play and not enough keeping the ball on the deck.
The second half started off better. Blues had a lot more possession and were in control for long periods. The ball was kept down and some nice passing moves were strung together, creating more chances with Eastwood, Bentley and Maher going close. However, still nothing went down the right, until the introduction of Gower. This was a turning point for me. He ran well with the ball, passed well and cut inside when needed, and he played a pivotal role in the build up to Gray's goal. With Cole beginning to look tired, Peanut Lawson was brought on and looked lively. Could have nicked a point at the end if Gray and Bentley hadn't missed two sitters!
So a loss in the first game....not unexpected for me. The first half is best forgotten about, but the second half brought many positives. In addition, let's hope Spinner isn't out for too long!
RATINGS:
Flahavan 7 Made two impressive fingertip saves to keep
Vale at bay and made a good punch when coming for a cross in the first half. Had no chance with the goals.
Jupp 7 Looked good going forward and, apart from a few times when he got caught slow on the turn, was solid defensively.
Wilson 6 Not the best game for the Cheese. Too eager to hoof the ball out of defence, which led to Vale regaining possession straight away. Too many stray passes and missed tackles.
Prior 7 Solid, especially when the ball came over the top. Seemed to go walkabout for both goals, leaving the Vale goalscorer free and needs to keep the ball on the deck more when playing it out.
Barrett 7 Ditto. Dealt well in the air with Paynter, got in some good tackles and seemed solid. Same as Prior for the two goals.
Maher 7 Good game for him. Kept the ball grounded, played some quality chips down the left and slowed play down in the first half when everyone else seemed to be playing panic-football. Should pass the ball back a little less.
Bentley 8 Quality in the first half. Nice, calm passing, powerful on the ball and tough in the tackle. Solid in the second half but missed a sitter at the end. Typical that he should get the first booking of the season.
Guttridge 6 Showed glimpses of quality with through balls and good control. Drifted in far too much and posed no real threat on the right flank. Got dis-possessed a bit too much.
Gray 8 MOM. Never stopped working. Harrowed the Vale centre backs with his speed, held the ball up and layed it off well and scored a fantastic goal. Just rewards for his effort. Would have got a 9 if he'd put away the sitter at the end!
Eastwood 6 Nothing came off today and he didn't seem with it. Dis-possessed far too much, took too long on the ball and had an off-day with the shooting. Hopefully not prepared for the type of oppurtunities he got in front of goal last season. He'll need to put some more effort in as a lot is expected of him.
Cole 7 Would have been an 8 if his crossing was more consistent. Terrorised the Vale right-back with pace, skill and sheer cheekiness. When he put in a good cross, it caused trouble, but he needs to deliver a good final ball a tad more often.
SUBS
Gower 8 Changed the game when he came on for Guttridge. Knew the right times to drift inside, took people on, passed well and put in a few good crosses. Played big role in build-up to goal.
Hunt 6 Didn't have much to do when he came on for the injured Prior as we were in control at that point. Looked solid on the rare occasion that Vale came forward in the final 20 minutes.
Lawson 6 Didn't have much time to shine when he came on for a tired looking Cole, but showed some quality touches and looked good on the ball. Should be able to make the step-up to first-team football.
Well where to start? I saw this as a game of two halves. I thought we were shocking in the first half and the only two players to go in at half time deserving any credit where, in my opinion, Mark Bentley and Mitch Cole. For the two goals, Barrett and Prior seemed to go AWOL and the lad who scored appeared to be unmarked. Guttridge, for me, was doing nothing on the right. Every time Bentley went up to support the front two, Guttridge drifted inside too far so that there was no real threat from us on the right. Wilson and Prior just seemed to hoof the ball upfield whenever they gained possession, and there was no service to Eastwood and Gray, who should have been dropping deep to search for the ball. All in all, a first half of panic, too many headless chicken play and not enough keeping the ball on the deck.
The second half started off better. Blues had a lot more possession and were in control for long periods. The ball was kept down and some nice passing moves were strung together, creating more chances with Eastwood, Bentley and Maher going close. However, still nothing went down the right, until the introduction of Gower. This was a turning point for me. He ran well with the ball, passed well and cut inside when needed, and he played a pivotal role in the build up to Gray's goal. With Cole beginning to look tired, Peanut Lawson was brought on and looked lively. Could have nicked a point at the end if Gray and Bentley hadn't missed two sitters!
So a loss in the first game....not unexpected for me. The first half is best forgotten about, but the second half brought many positives. In addition, let's hope Spinner isn't out for too long!
RATINGS:
Flahavan 7 Made two impressive fingertip saves to keep
Vale at bay and made a good punch when coming for a cross in the first half. Had no chance with the goals.
Jupp 7 Looked good going forward and, apart from a few times when he got caught slow on the turn, was solid defensively.
Wilson 6 Not the best game for the Cheese. Too eager to hoof the ball out of defence, which led to Vale regaining possession straight away. Too many stray passes and missed tackles.
Prior 7 Solid, especially when the ball came over the top. Seemed to go walkabout for both goals, leaving the Vale goalscorer free and needs to keep the ball on the deck more when playing it out.
Barrett 7 Ditto. Dealt well in the air with Paynter, got in some good tackles and seemed solid. Same as Prior for the two goals.
Maher 7 Good game for him. Kept the ball grounded, played some quality chips down the left and slowed play down in the first half when everyone else seemed to be playing panic-football. Should pass the ball back a little less.
Bentley 8 Quality in the first half. Nice, calm passing, powerful on the ball and tough in the tackle. Solid in the second half but missed a sitter at the end. Typical that he should get the first booking of the season.
Guttridge 6 Showed glimpses of quality with through balls and good control. Drifted in far too much and posed no real threat on the right flank. Got dis-possessed a bit too much.
Gray 8 MOM. Never stopped working. Harrowed the Vale centre backs with his speed, held the ball up and layed it off well and scored a fantastic goal. Just rewards for his effort. Would have got a 9 if he'd put away the sitter at the end!
Eastwood 6 Nothing came off today and he didn't seem with it. Dis-possessed far too much, took too long on the ball and had an off-day with the shooting. Hopefully not prepared for the type of oppurtunities he got in front of goal last season. He'll need to put some more effort in as a lot is expected of him.
Cole 7 Would have been an 8 if his crossing was more consistent. Terrorised the Vale right-back with pace, skill and sheer cheekiness. When he put in a good cross, it caused trouble, but he needs to deliver a good final ball a tad more often.
SUBS
Gower 8 Changed the game when he came on for Guttridge. Knew the right times to drift inside, took people on, passed well and put in a few good crosses. Played big role in build-up to goal.
Hunt 6 Didn't have much to do when he came on for the injured Prior as we were in control at that point. Looked solid on the rare occasion that Vale came forward in the final 20 minutes.
Lawson 6 Didn't have much time to shine when he came on for a tired looking Cole, but showed some quality touches and looked good on the ball. Should be able to make the step-up to first-team football.
