Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Banbury Away On Friday March 29th Kick-Off 3.00pm

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Another view...

....this one from a Chesterfield fan.

Y'know, at some point this season we're gonna endure a game where we have significant possession, create a string of opportunities, but nothing will go in whilst our opponents grab an arguably undeserved victory. Then we can think back to the Hereford game, slowly nod our heads and say "ahhh" with a knowing smile on our faces.

Frankly, the hundred or so visitors yesterday afternoon must've left the ground feeling as though they'd been mugged.

I thought he first half was pretty even, with Hereford looking to play off the big lad up front whilst we adopted a more fluent approach, and it was probably the fact we possessed more nous/extra quality in the final third - allied to a fingertip save from Lee - that made the difference. Certainly if Janos (to name just one of the visiting players that failed to convert) had been more accurate things might've been a great deal different. Two-nil to us, but without really dominating.

Then, the opening fifteen or so minutes of the second half saw us doing our best to hand Hereford at least a share of the spoils. A penalty save (or a poor effort from their chap: you decide), a goal-line clearance, almost constant pressure and a succession of near misses had Town fans sweating, however then we made a rare foray into the opponent's half that saw the ball fall to Whitaker on the edge of the box which he side-footed into the vacant net. Three-nil, hattrick completed, four thousand eight hundred people breathed a huge sigh of relief, and the small band from the West Country shook their heads in disbelief. The visiting players then wilted, Ford's ability to nod in, unmarked, from six yards being symptomatic of that, and we looked good for at least another goal or two. That failed to arrive, though, but I’m sure everyone was more than happy with the result even if it, perhaps, flattered the home side.

If this account appears to detract from a competant, often entertaining performance from Town then I apologise; it's not intended to. It's just that, overall, I felt it was far from the one-sided contest the scoreline suggests. I actually thought there were several huge positives from yesterday's showing: Whitaker once again confirmed what a class player he is; the same can be said of Griffiths; though obviously not yet fully match fit Morgan gave tantalising glimpses of potential; and both Boden and Bowery underlined their ability to contribute, albeit in cameo roles at this juncture. And the greatest positive of all is that we now seem to possess a credible squad that offers genuine competition for places. The Manager deserves a pat-on-the-back.

Other stuff: excellent atmosphere at times, and it really is encouraging to witness kids - and sometimes adults - in the Family Stand making as much noise as the South Stand. Thus far the 'b2net' has actually added to, rather than nullified the crowd reaction: long may this be the case. Furthermore the attendance gives us great hope for the future. It's still the holiday season, with several contributors to this forum admitting they'd be absent for this fixture, yet the gate was just a shade off five grand - probably fifteen hundred up on what we could've expected at Saltergate. Again, long may this continue. On the negative side, though, it's a concern to see a long queue for tickets at five to three on a match day. I'm not gonna point the finger at anyone in particular here, but the simple truth is paying customers will be put off if this continues. And it's no good making pious statements along the lines of 'they've had all week to get one' or 'they should've come sooner': as has been said before, there'll always be those who decide to attend at the last minute and/or aren't fully conversant with the new arrangement - would it really be the end of the World to have just one cash turnstile at each end?