Easter Monday fixtures

[folletto]

Today was a club record equaling 20th clean sheet in a season. Pretty impressive considering we only kept 5 last season. Jones has really turned us into a solid defensive side. At the start of the season the defensive focus really came at the expense of the attack but as the season has gone on we’ve managed to do both

 

[The Terminator]

We really had to dig deep to win that, I actually thought Cambridge played well, tactically they setup as well as you could against a stronger opponent and made life tough for us. Too many times in the last two years we’ve lost games like that or drawn 0-0 because we struggle to find ways to break teams down after having like 70% possession. Today we just about managed to find the patience and breakthrough, although it took a Jamie Donley thunderbolt to win a tight game.

Lavery probably should’ve equalised at the end so we got a bit of luck there, would’ve been a useful player for us to sign but then you see his injury record. If only he’d stayed fit for the Us as mentioned above.

Cambridge like Crawley a weeks ago are going down with some fight, which bodes well for next season.

As for us, it’s a straight shootout with Reading, we have to beat Wycombe next week……

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

I thought Bolton were woeful today. We went for them from the off and were quickly and deservedly 2-0 up. Bolton very shaky at the back. They offered nothing first 25 minutes. To their credit, they came back into it, and the first goal especially, was well worked. Felt a blow to go in at the break 2-2, we missed a number of chances.

Felt 2nd half, Bolton would find a way to grind out a win. We had to weather two storms, first 10 minutes of second half when it felt we were far too casual, with misplaced passes etc. Found out groove again with a great Collins header. The 4th from Hackett, what a well worked free kick, the curve on it, to kiss the post and go in, beautiful. The 2nd wave came afterwards with Etete missing when it felt easier to score, and Wickens producing a cracking save too. After that, we saw the game out with relative ease.

Expected so much more from Bolton, Schmacher has his work cut out.

We're ending the season well, I thought we would struggle against teams up there, but not sure if we are playing with a bit more freedom due to being safe, or change of formation, but we'll give Wrexham a game last home game for sure. If Charlton beat them next weekend, I wouldn't fancy them to come here and get a result last game.

 

[thewwfc]

Expected so much more from Bolton, Schmacher has his work cut out.

After we beat them, he was slating his players for just not looking up for it or getting stuck in.

The only one he seemed happy with was the young academy lad Abimbola who came on for his first senior appearance as a sub against us - who started putting himself about straight away the minute he came on.

He got his first senior start against you today.

A lot of their fans seem to consider the bulk of the current squad as wasters and fancy dans, at least on the basis of comments on their forum.

 

[dannylad01]

Safe. Happy days, Shrewsbury were dog.

Appleton quote after the game "there's a softness about this squad that makes my skin crawl". Not mincing his words. Sounds like he'd bin off as many as he could, but still doesn't know if he's taking charge for next year.

Not much to say about today. Just can't keep gifting teams goals. That's our 5th 4-1 defeat of the season now, and no side that has done it has had to play well. Ainsworth said after the game in December we'd finish above Northampton. So confident of that he did a runner by mid March

 

[Bobbin']

Feel quite embarrassed celebrating at Orient now.

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

Feel quite embarrassed celebrating at Orient now.

You and me both will be cheering them on come the weekend...

 

[denzel ecfc]

Have to say fair play to Stevenage, putting in a shift whereas some teams, like us, appear to be on the beach, players sticking up 2 fingers to 700 travelling fans.
Cant imagine what the scenes were like at the Mem in the second half, pretty toxic I imagine.
I suspect another twist or two yet through.

 

[AdamStag]

We assisted 6 goals yesterday.

We scored 1.

 

[Master D]

We assisted 6 goals yesterday.

We scored 1.

Just unlucky that.

 

[IzzyFook]

Would be nice to make Burton sweat by beating them next week, but there’s no way they won’t get one point from three games...

I'm ancient enough to remember our most infamous f-up when we needed just one point from our last three games to get promoted...and we blew it, so never say never, as they say.

 

[AdamStag]

I'm ancient enough to remember our most infamous f-up when we needed just one point from our last three games to get promoted...and we blew it, so never say never, as they say.

We did something similar 4/5 seasons ago, we achieved the impossible.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Have to say fair play to Stevenage, putting in a shift whereas some teams, like us, appear to be on the beach, players sticking up 2 fingers to 700 travelling fans.
Cant imagine what the scenes were like at the Mem in the second half, pretty toxic I imagine.
I suspect another twist or two yet through.

They didn't have to put a shift in they just had to turn up. Everyone bar us and Shrewsbury seem to be putting up a fight, even the ones at the bottom of the Championship. Everyone has injuries but the long terms losses of Omochere, Martin and Conteh on top of Griffiths getting called back right at the end of the Jan window has finished us. Sotiriou off injured yesterday just to add to the misery

 

[Davidimp]

Proper lively game yesterday, our first win against Bolton since 2020 , against a pretty much youth team. The time before that was February 1985!
I can see why Bolton have let so many goals in
Bit baffled as to why we didn't play this formation/style all season, 5 unbeaten now for us.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Proper lively game yesterday, our first win against Bolton since 2020 , against a pretty much youth team. The time before that was February 1985!
I can see why Bolton have let so many goals in
Bit baffled as to why we didn't play this formation/style all season, 5 unbeaten now for us.

Since winning the mid table cup you guys have really kicked on

 

[Davidimp]

Since winning the mid table cup you guys have really kicked on

Changed formation to 4231 and we've looked a lot better, also playing players in their preferred positions too.
Think we've only lost twice since early March

 

[Casey]

Just noticed Exeter had a player sent off for clapping the ref. Second bookable offence in the 89th minute. I completely missed it at the game. He was off up the tunnel like he was late for his flight. I hope he enjoys his holiday.

You have ask yourself why players even bother. The ref was pretty bad but he was pretty bad both ways (please can we a homer...just once). Have a go at them and you get booked then your just one mistimed challenge from a red and you've just bad mouthed the ref so you ain't getting the benefit of the doubt.

Casey

 

[denzel ecfc]

Just noticed Exeter had a player sent off for clapping the ref. Second bookable offence in the 89th minute. I completely missed it at the game. He was off up the tunnel like he was late for his flight. I hope he enjoys his holiday.

You have ask yourself why players even bother. The ref was pretty bad but he was pretty bad both ways (please can we a homer...just once). Have a go at them and you get booked then your just one mistimed challenge from a red and you've just bad mouthed the ref so you ain't getting the benefit of the doubt.

Casey

Yeah Francis.
Fair enough, but seen lots of players not carded for it. Awful challenge by a Burton player on Friday which should have seen a second yellow, but the ref bottled it.
You can't really complain about the one yesterday

 

[AdamStag]

On the face of it (appreciate without knowing the details) the ref should be applauded for carding the lad for doing it. It’s annoying of course but football needs better standards.