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So 2 wins and 2 clean sheets. Great start.
Reading was about high tempo and on our smaller pitch it's a perfect way of getting about teams, forcing mistakes & causing them problems. Scowen was a very important ingredient who was excellent at breaking up any counter attacks from Reading as a result of us making them have to play on the counter attack. My concerns are that against better sides we need to take more of the chances we created as really Washington should have picked a corner for his first chance and then scored the one on one. Freeman should also have scored his chance, Luongo was unlucky hitting the post. Sylla's second half header was a little high when it reached him so I can forgive him that chance. The score should have been 4 or 5-0 though & against better sides they may have scored before we did after missing chances or equalised when we didn't double our lead until the second half.
Northampton started the game the better side last night and for 15 minutes reminded me of us against Reading. Our change in personnel apart from Onouha and Freeman meant we were a completely different side and one that clearly isn't as good as the Reading starting 11. We grew into the game and Sylla's hold up play meant we got up the pitch and started to take over the game and over the 90 minutes edged out the game and again really should have scored 2-3 more goals. Overall 1-0 was a fair result though.
Things I find myself taking into account as we go forward and questions to put out to the fan base really:
1) How will we cope on a bigger pitch when we play away, do we prepare for it in the same way?
2) For those that went to both games do you think Furlong's far better attacking play down the right warrants him a place instead of Perch? If so, from an attacking sense, do you think from a defensive point of view it could cause us problems?
3) How can the coaching staff eliminate our captain making 1 horrendous mistake EVERY game? Apart from these mistakes he's been very good though!
4) Thoughts on Matt Smith as I for one can't see any benefit of having him even on the bench when we have a fit Sylla, Washington and Mackie
Reading was about high tempo and on our smaller pitch it's a perfect way of getting about teams, forcing mistakes & causing them problems. Scowen was a very important ingredient who was excellent at breaking up any counter attacks from Reading as a result of us making them have to play on the counter attack. My concerns are that against better sides we need to take more of the chances we created as really Washington should have picked a corner for his first chance and then scored the one on one. Freeman should also have scored his chance, Luongo was unlucky hitting the post. Sylla's second half header was a little high when it reached him so I can forgive him that chance. The score should have been 4 or 5-0 though & against better sides they may have scored before we did after missing chances or equalised when we didn't double our lead until the second half.
Northampton started the game the better side last night and for 15 minutes reminded me of us against Reading. Our change in personnel apart from Onouha and Freeman meant we were a completely different side and one that clearly isn't as good as the Reading starting 11. We grew into the game and Sylla's hold up play meant we got up the pitch and started to take over the game and over the 90 minutes edged out the game and again really should have scored 2-3 more goals. Overall 1-0 was a fair result though.
Things I find myself taking into account as we go forward and questions to put out to the fan base really:
1) How will we cope on a bigger pitch when we play away, do we prepare for it in the same way?
2) For those that went to both games do you think Furlong's far better attacking play down the right warrants him a place instead of Perch? If so, from an attacking sense, do you think from a defensive point of view it could cause us problems?
3) How can the coaching staff eliminate our captain making 1 horrendous mistake EVERY game? Apart from these mistakes he's been very good though!
4) Thoughts on Matt Smith as I for one can't see any benefit of having him even on the bench when we have a fit Sylla, Washington and Mackie
Different story as we found to our cost in the prem.
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