Pre Season Friendlies 21/22 Thread

[Like a Glove]

Beat Taunton 1-0 tonight. Give it to Tom Knowles, that’s going to be our tactics this year.

 

[Stocky]

While listening to us beat Tiverton 3-1, I watched the second half of Stockport v Lincoln on Youtube. Pretty cool of Stockport to offer a free stream. Impressive training ground too. Where was that played?

Stockport look well drilled and strong all over the park. Have to say, though, that second-half Lincoln team was pretty awful and uninterested. Any of that lot expected to start for them in their League One season?

Carrington. It's where the Abu Dhabi Gorton Branch used to train before they built a massive complex at the Etihad. Next door to where Sale Sharks train, hence the rugby posts on the pitch next door.

 

[GTFCfish]

We won 1-0 at Alfreton and apparently McAtee was very good.

 

[DarkSithLord]

We won 1-0 at Alfreton and apparently McAtee was very good.

Apparently? Didnt you buy the stream?

 

[PaulHaddock]

Pretty woeful game of football, probably 3-4 starters not playing and we’re still missing that striker. If we have to play the two kids up front like tonight then we won’t score all season.

 

[GTFCfish]

Apparently? Didnt you buy the stream?

Nope.

 

[AJS]

As mentioned before by ShayWay, 2-1 win for us at Guiseley. Probably could and should have had more goals but most promising performance so far. Our trialists tonight were:

Jesse Debrah
Tyrell Warren
Billy Clarke
Javid Swaby-Neavin
Jamie Cooke
Gerry McDonagh

McDonagh was surprisingly good. Held the ball up, brought others into play and took his goal well. Cooke looks like a real prospect. Think we may end up signing him. Debrah, Clarke and Swaby-Neavin were all steady. The only one who doesn't look good enough for certain is Warren. No Horsfield tonight, not sure if he's injured or the 'itk' guy on our forum maybe got this one wrong. Can only see us signing one of Horsfield/Swaby-Neavin so we may have binned Horsfield off like some other trialists certainly have been.

 

[EnglishRed]

I'm not sure why anyone would but it doesn't stop that Leamington guy, here are the highlights from our last two friendlies if you want to watch them.

 

[EnglishRed]

oh well that went well! looks like I can't post the links.

F*** it

 

[Gladders]

Pretty woeful game of football, probably 3-4 starters not playing and we’re still missing that striker. If we have to play the two kids up front like tonight then we won’t score all season.

Based of what Hurst said afterwards, looks like we may well be starting with the young guys up front

 

[Master D]

Based of what Hurst said afterwards, looks like we may well be starting with the young guys up front

If you didn’t have a top manager at this level I think there’d be uproar at your place over your transfer business so far.

 

[spireite]

oh well that went well! looks like I can't post the links.

F*** it

I bet we've all seen them already anyway mate; I imagine to a man we've got "Wrexham pre season friendly highlights" in our youtube search history

 

[Gladders]

If you didn’t have a top manager at this level I think there’d be uproar at your place over your transfer business so far.

He prioritizes characters and having the right teamwork in the dressing room over just talent, which is what he basically said last night on the search for a striker that it had to be the right character.

Can't complain too much , all his ex players especially the ones that got us promoted last time mention the togetherness from their time here.

But yes our biggest issue so far is not having a proper number 9, could cost us if we don't have somebody who can score, and it's basically what cost us last season especially after Hurst steadied the defence from Jan onwards, stopped us losing but no goalscorer meant too many draws when we needed wins.

 

[EnglishRed]

I bet we've all seen them already anyway mate; I imagine to a man we've got "Wrexham pre season friendly highlights" in our youtube search history

id imagine you have

 

[jacobncfc]

Solihull’s safety advisory group seem to be dragging their heels on saying that away fans are allowed for our friendly there next week. Hopefully this won’t be an issue going into the actual season - I’d be minded to say that any clubs where they’re not allowing it should be playing behind closed doors.

 

[nuffsaid]

Thought we looked very decent against an admittedly well under strength Lincoln team. The biggest stand out for us was the lad we've got on a season long loan from Mcr Utd Will Fish, whilst I don't want to go overboard based on a pre-season friendly he really was quite impressive.

 

[spireite]

Thought we looked very decent against an admittedly well under strength Lincoln team. The biggest stand out for us was the lad we've got on a season long loan from Mcr Utd Will Fish, whilst I don't want to go overboard based on a pre-season friendly he really was quite impressive.

Sounds like he's in the right plaice! Fingers crossed he doesn't flounder when the season starts

 

[nuffsaid]

Sounds like he's in the right plaice! Fingers crossed he doesn't flounder when the season starts

We've also got another young defender called Ethan Pye so they should be able to form a decent combination.

 

[GTFCfish]

Sounds like he's in the right plaice! Fingers crossed he doesn't flounder when the season starts

Eel do well for sure.

 

[CaliforniaGull]

As we all know, football campaigns are won and lost in preseason. It is an undisputed fact that whatever happens in friendlies mirrors what eventually happens in the league. As every club's preseason is virtually identical and easily compared, it's almost a wonder why we even bother with the actual season!

Therefore, we can get a window into the future by compiling all the results into a league table. Rest fears, I have done so, in order for everyone to just get on with their lives and not worry about where their team might finish. Behold, the final 21/22 National League table, ordered by PPG and goal difference of friendlies already completed:

	P	W	D	L	G	A	GD	PTS	PPG
Dagenham	5	5	0	0	25	3	22	15	3
Wrexham	2	2	0	0	9	0	9	6	3
Stockport	3	3	0	0	8	0	8	9	3
Bromley	6	4	2	0	18	4	14	14	2.33
Solihull Moors	3	2	1	0	4	2	2	7	2.33
Weymouth	4	3	0	1	19	7	12	9	2.25
Torquay	4	3	0	1	8	4	4	9	2.25
Notts County	4	3	0	1	6	3	3	9	2.25
Aldershot	5	3	2	0	13	9	4	11	2.2
Dover*	5	4	0	1	12	4	8	12	2.13*
King's Lynn	5	3	1	1	12	4	8	10	2
Altrincham	6	4	0	2	13	7	6	12	2
Grimsby	5	3	0	2	6	4	2	9	1.8
Boreham Wood	6	3	1	2	12	7	5	10	1.67
Eastleigh	3	1	2	0	6	4	2	5	1.67
Wealdstone	4	1	3	0	8	5	3	6	1.5
Chesterfield	4	2	0	2	7	6	1	6	1.5
Woking	4	2	0	2	4	3	1	6	1.5
Yeovil	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	3	1.5
Maidenhead	3	1	1	1	8	3	5	4	1.33
Southend	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4	1.33
FC Halifax	3	1	1	1	2	4	-2	4	1.33
Barnet	6	2	1	3	8	9	-1	7	1.17

*Dover deducted 12 points, so I took 0.273 off their PPG tally

If the table didn't get utterly annihilated by formatting, I'll update it again when all the preseason games are completed for a more accurate picture. Also, let me know if I've missed any 6-0 wins against Coggleshall Town or whatnot that didn't show up on Google.

 

[EnglishRed]

Weve actually played 3 games and lost the first one 1-0 (Burnley U23s)

 

[John Still]

And here we are getting out pre season trophy last night

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

Add a 1-0 win against Brighton u23s to Stockport’s.

 

[John Still]

That trophy is a real one, borough cup won again last night in a 4-1 win at Barking another easy win but not as clinical as previous games and with a second team bar 3 starters.

 

[jacobncfc]

Continuing our ongoing York City friendly nightmare, losing to them for the third pre-season in a row, with a friendly defeat before the ghost play-offs in 2020 to add to that as well I think.

Form of Sam Slocombe is a bit of a worry, at fault for all three goals today really to add to the one against Derby last week..

 

[doveranddover]

Beat Watford yoof 4-1 last night
& won 4-0 at Tonbridge this afternoon
7 win out 8 in PSF's
cue dismal failure in the league?

 

[DarkSithLord]

Rounded off our pre season with a commanding 4-1 win over a Kings Lynn side which on that evidence will struggle next year badly

 

[Optipez]

Continuing our ongoing York City friendly nightmare, losing to them for the third pre-season in a row, with a friendly defeat before the ghost play-offs in 2020 to add to that as well I think.

Form of Sam Slocombe is a bit of a worry, at fault for all three goals today really to add to the one against Derby last week..

He's not good enough. Brooks should have been on at half time to let him know he's got competition.
We should have tried to sign Ross who'll end up being no 1 at Stockport.
Not at all sure about Taylor and think we'll have to play three proper centre midfielders or we're going to get regularly caught out on the break.
Lump on York for promotion of you fancy a racing certainty of a bet.

 

[jacobncfc]

He's not good enough. Brooks should have been on at half time to let him know he's got competition.
We should have tried to sign Ross who'll end up being no 1 at Stockport.
Not at all sure about Taylor and think we'll have to play three proper centre midfielders or we're going to get regularly caught out on the break.
Lump on York for promotion of you fancy a racing certainty of a bet.

I’ve been impressed by Taylor, seems to be splitting opinion already. Roberts was unplayable at times today but yeah, playing him as a genuine central midfielder is a bit wild.

I can’t see Burchnall changing now, mind. Our games are going to largely be extremely open and entertaining, but to get away with it we need to be a lot more clinical than we have been the last couple of friendlies, and for Slocombe to stop making basic errors.

 

[OneDecentLester]

Beat Tamworth 3-1 today, not watched it but another 2 goals for Rowe who’s been in good form in pre season

Any blues comment on any of the trialist, I saw we had 3 or 4 involved