Saturday 13th August 2022

[kieran_vale]

Shaping up to be a really good game this. Bolton are very good on set pieces it seems but we’ve given as good as we’ve got in open play.

 

[Bartonyellow]

We are winning 2-0.
I don’t know how I feel about this.
Want the useless prick sacked and this won’t help.
Still time to lose 3-2.

 

[valefan16]

Santos in shocker against Vale part 2

 

[kieran_vale]

That was coming with Santos. He’d had his final warning after getting booked early.

 

[ExeterDan]

Top of the league. I'd have taken that after 2 and a half matches.

 

[kieran_vale]

Good half that was. Bolton excellent on set pieces but not created much outside of that. Be interesting if the one man advantage plays into it for us second half or their options off the bench.

 

[TractorBoys]

Utterly dominant. Best I've seen us play for many a season.

 

[huddsmoose]

Awful half from us. Should've had a couple early on and have looked like the only side playing in the heat since then. Need to improve or Exeter will see out a 1-0 easily

 

[valefan16]

That was coming with Santos. He’d had his final warning after getting booked early.

We’ve targeted him, let him have the ball as the weak link, first yellow is stupid but Smith is a shithouse like that, second straight forward. Done like a kipper by Harrison who looks bright.

Good game though and doesn’t change the threat that they have, we just need to load the box rather than over play it as that’s one issue we’ve been trying to create the perfect opening.

 

[Moomin]

Top of the league

 

[wessy]

This ref sent Santos off last time he had us and it was recinded, sounds like Harrison is a right wimp, Massive miss for us losing Santos. In this heat and a big pitch it's going to be a long half coming up,

 

[valefan16]

This ref sent Santos off last time he had us and it was recinded, sounds like Harrison is a right wimp, Massive miss for us losing Santos. In this heat and a big pitch it's going to be a long half coming up,

It was about the fourth yellow card offence he had committed in fairness! Harrison did him with the turn and dummy.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Been a pretty even half. Clearly Bolton have a couple of decent players, which they should with their budget. Great on corners, caused us problems. They've thrown themselves to the floor a lot and then criticised the ref for not buying it.

I'm genuinely baffled as to what Bolton fans see in Santos. He's a walking disaster every time I've seen him. He was warned by the referee on a yellow card and then proceeded to do the same. He also gave the ball away a couple of times in dangerous areas and generally looks clumsy.
The only thing he has going for him is his size.

We've actually been poor since it went 11 v 10. We need to use the heat to our advantage and drag them about a bit.

 

[thewwfc]

Shrews playing pure grindball, the bus is parked and the only attacking they’re interested in is hitting us on the break.

We’ve had 65% possession which tells you how little Shrews want the ball here, usually we have more like 40. That said Vokes is injured and we have no backup target man, so we’re playing it way more on the deck than usual.

 

[kieran_vale]

Evatt given a red card after the half time whistle according to our Twitter. This is going to be a big thing if we are to pull the result off maintaining our discipline on a day like this. Forrester got himself a yellow just before half time so I’d be thinking of replacing him to avoid the ref evening things up.

 

[valefan16]

Evatt has been sent off at half timr

 

[stevowanderer]

It was about the fourth yellow card offence he had committed in fairness! Harrison did him with the turn and dummy.

The first yellow is inexcusable when he pushed the guy over on the line after being held but how was that second yellow any different to how Bradley is being treated on the right and Dapo? Yet not even a foul was given on Bradley when he turned Hall. The ref has made some poor decisions for both sides but has given us absolutely nothing. Evatt sent off now too.

Was pretty even overall I thought. I feel like we haven’t got out of first gear yet but now with 10 men we may not get out of first gear and will be lucky to get a point. What a save btw from Dapo shot early on. Great tip round the post

 

[kieran_vale]

Forrester subbed off for Massey. Good decision by DC.

 

[Stripes]

Sounds like we weakened towards the end if the half having done very well. Garrick causing us problems.

I fear we have reached, point where we inevitably weaken, drop off and concede within ten minutes of the restart. Need to change emphasis some how.

 

[stevowanderer]

Been a pretty even half. Clearly Bolton have a couple of decent players, which they should with their budget. Great on corners, caused us problems. They've thrown themselves to the floor a lot and then criticised the ref for not buying it.

I'm genuinely baffled as to what Bolton fans see in Santos. He's a walking disaster every time I've seen him. He was warned by the referee on a yellow card and then proceeded to do the same. He also gave the ball away a couple of times in dangerous areas and generally looks clumsy.
The only thing he has going for him is his size.

We've actually been poor since it went 11 v 10. We need to use the heat to our advantage and drag them about a bit.

Maybe you are his bogey team because most of the time I wouldn’t swap him for any other cb in the league. He went to a whole new level last season in league 1 after we got promoted.

 

[Stripes]

Connor Wickham, get in 1-1

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Connor Wickham, get in 1-1

My stream's ropey as, completely left that out and only seen it on flashscores.

 

[Moomin]

Top of the league

Oops.

Seemed like the goal was coming for Cambridge. Disappointing but we can’t be too downhearted

 

[GeneralLee]

Wow.

Gassy, I don’t know if you were at the game or watching? Happily, that never happened. It may have looked like that at the ground, however you might want to retract that comment if you watch it (rose tinted spectacles aside too!). In reality it was incredibly poor from John Marquis. His continued dramatics across the game and subsequent poor attempts at trying to make ‘contact’ seem convincing/as if something had happened. During the entirety of the game, nothing happened. Much more worryingly, he got away with it and the home support lapped it up. All supporters do, I accept that. It’s the unpleasant side of football and it’s just not a great look.

In summary that was an utterly bland game of football between two incapable sides with little to no quality between the pair of them. My word, that was dull. From an OUFC point of view we look completely blunted as an attacking force right now. We lack pace and real quality in the offensive third. Our fullbacks are weak and we suffer as a consequence. We’ve known about the problems for some time and haven’t addressed them in two-three seasons(?).

The free kick that led to the goal wasn’t a free kick. I’m not entirely sure why it was given, however we defended it less than adequately.

The gamesmanship from Marquis was cringeworthy, as it was from Finlay (I think?). It wasn’t well executed. Some players do it well, however it was so badly timed, managed and generally not convincing it just looked… Bad. Following a couple of Bristol Rovers cringeworthy efforts to top the next, our own Marcus Browne (as much as he is a brilliant footballer at this level) then gave it a bash himself which was equally hideous. It was so blatantly obvious that nobody else from either Rovers of OUFC reacted. Not a good look and completely over the top.

That game could still be going on now and barring a refereeing blunder or a horrible mistake from either side, we’d still be looking for another goal.

0-0 would have been a fair result. Given what we have at our disposal, it’s not panic stations quite yet but we do need to improve and significantly.

 

[valefan16]

Should be winning that but would have taken a point before.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Hard to say too much about the performance given my crap stream but an away point bodes well for avoiding a struggle.

 

[Bartonyellow]

4-4
4-2 up on 90 mins.
Bye bye Jimmy. Thanks for keeping us up 2 years ago - now it’s time to clear your desk and fuck off.

 

[kieran_vale]

Think we looked the more likely to win it as the game went on but overall I’m really pleased with today. Looked like we belonged in L1 there. Funso did a great job in midfield as did Walker when he came on and Mal was excellent at LWB.

Am sure Bolton fans wouldn’t have been pleased with a point before the game but how it went am sure they’ll be ok with it. Very good team themselves and have to say that lad Trafford in goal for them is a real find. Good luck to Bolton.

 

[Stripes]

Sounds like after giving away an own goal the introduction of Connor Wickham lifted the play. We finished strongly managing the heat well. Very happy with that.

 

[valefan16]

Yeah to be fair their keeper was exceptional to get them the point second half. Positive signs after a bad week and more minutes into key players. Get Wilson back and we should push on.