September 2008 Archives

IT may sound hard to believe, but at one stage Friday's game could have gone either way.
In a game where both sides may have been cautious and guarded, in the first 20 minutes on Friday both ourselves and Caernarfon attacked at every opportunity and as the action swung from one end of the field to the other and at one point I was thinking the score could be 6-5.
The Cofi's will point to the decision of the referee not to give a penalty against Dave Hayes in the opening minutes. From where I was I couldn't be sure it was a penalty but we can point to instances already this season when penalty decisions have gone against us and maybe it was about time our luck changed.
Their sending off obviously helped us but by that point I felt we had control of the game and weathered the early storm which saw Caernarfon crash one against our bar. Maybe the score wouldn't have been five, but there's no doubt in my mind we would have beaten them even with 11 on the pitch.
It was a performance that showed how far we'd come since the Airbus game. When we went ahead in that game there was a bit of a shock about us because it was all so new to us. When we went ahead against Caernarfon, we kicked on and went looking for more goals.
That is what won us so many games last season, that ability to keep attacking and not rest on a lead. Doing so, as we've seen already can be fatal and the rise in standard as meant that we need to stay focussed for the full 90 minutes.

And so to Tuesday night. We need to keep going and go all out for another win. At this stage of the season a couple of wins can hugely improve your league position and another three points will help widen the gap between ourselves and teams near the bottom and suddenly it may not be a case of looking over our shoulders but instead chasing those in front.

THERE can be no understating the importance of our next two games.
They are both crucial as we take on teams at the lower end of the table and attempt to put points on the board and climb up the league.
Both games at home, Caernarfon Friday followed by the re-arranged Cefn Druids fixture on the Tuesday are games we have to believe we can win. For the first time in a while a draw will be seen as a bad result because the momentum we can carry forward from two victories in a short space of time will be invaluable bearing in mind the fixtures lined up in October.
Journeys to Llanelli and Haverfordwest either side of hosting TNS will provide a difficult month but it will be made even more difficult should we not perform in our next two games.
A performance is due from the squad as we've played well in long spells so far this season but bad 20 or 30 minute periods have seen most of our hard work undone. The key to victory on Friday may be in not neccessarily how we attck but how we defend. We're still yet to keep a clean sheet and as a defender thats disappointing.
Last season that was always our base at which to go at teams, being difficult to break down, this term we've maybe gifted too many goals to opposing teams.
By keeping that clean sheet intact, we can give our forwards a chance and not put ourselves under pressure to salvage a game.
As will be the case in our next two fixtures, we will have to go out and win.

Apologies I've been away for a week on holiday.
Before I went I was able to enjoy our three goal comeback against TNS in the League Cup. It was a game in which we found ourselves in the same position we'd been in pre-season games when we had gone on to lose 5-0 and 6-0. This time we were able to respond in the right way and played the way we know we can second half and I doubt a team will come bac from three goals down against the full time outfit.
I was away for our defeat at Port Talbot which was a disappointing result and one the lads will be looking to put right at Newtown.

While I was away I got to enjoy being away for United's defeat to Liverpool and the stale draw against Villareal in the Champions League. Watching the game abroad was difficult hearing the 'unbiased' Andy Gray commentate (if you can call it that) on the match begging Rafa Benitez to bring Torres and Gerrard on. He may as well shouted 'You Beauty!' when Babel bobbled in the winner.
And then after the game listening to the nauseating Jamie Redknapp spout more rubbish. I remember the days when Liverpool beating United was part of the norm.
Liverpool played better than United yes, but had Van Der Sar not had gifted the equaliser I honestly believe United woiuld have won.
But not to be.

A shame Andy Gray doesn't commentate on golf so he can shout at Nick Faldo: "Don't play Poulter!"

(wish I'd have changed that last line looking at it now!)

I HAVEN'T been too engrossed in the transfer saga's which have blighted most of the sporting pages in newspaper this summer, until 11.22pm last night.
I'd been clicking ion to various news sites throughout the day trying to find out whether United would sign there number one transfer target this summer Dimitar Berbatov. As news began to appear on breaking news straplines on web pages telling me that City had a bid accepted, my heart sank. Not because I wanted Berbatov that much, but the thought of being outbid by City was unbearable.
I'd already written a blog damning David Gill and the men behind the reasons Berbatov had not yet signed. But I waited and hoped that things would change, fortunately they did. Watching Sky Sports News you couldn't help be enthralled at the twists and turns as the deadline drew nearer. Reports of Ferguson meeting Berbatov off the blame suggested the urgency and perhaps the desperation in getting him at United. Once at United, you always knew that he was signing.
Then came the images of David Gill faffing around with blinds when I was screaming at the television to just GET HIS CONTRACT SIGNED.
As unusual it may have been to see Berbatov so smiley it was even more so when news of Robinho to City began to filter through.
More on that later...
I watched the minutes tick down knowing there was nothing I could personally do but just sit and wait for Berbatov to be unveiled. Thankfully he was. For a lot more than we should have paid, but signed all the same.

Perhaps the most interesting questions to come from what was a dramatic day were how Robinho can sign for City without a medical and even more bizarrely how the devil did Louis Saha pass any sort of medical examination???

THE test we faced away at TNS on Friday was arguably the most difficult we will face this season.
Trips to the likes of Rhyl and Llanelli may indeed be very tough, but I believe that in those games we will be able to apply ourselves more due to the different playing surface.
On the pitch at TNS it makes 'getting in amongst' the opposition extremely difficult and as a result you're more reliant on keeping your shape and making yourselves hard to breakdown.
The trouble is that TNS prepare for this scenario in training every day and I think all our players, whilst disappointed to lose, took pride in our performance and enjoyed the tough task put in front of us.
TNS moved the ball round exceptionally well and the movement they had going forward was equally as good which will cause every team that goes there problems.
For us, we will look at the game as a learning curve. We defended very well throughout the first half and had we had survived the 'penalty' scare and gone in at half-time at 0-0 it could have been a different outcome.
But its still a defeat and we need to now get back to making ourselves hard to beat and keep picking up points. We've got a home cup tie against Connahs Quay and hopefully we can get back to winning ways ahead of the home clash against Cefn Druids on Friday night in the league.
Saturday saw our neighbours Rhyl hammer Llanelli 5-1 and based on what I saw on Friday night and Saturday, it looks a two horse race between Rhyl and TNS even at this early stage.
I can't see anyone going to TNS and winning, with the pitch and the way they're able to keep the ball on it, I can't see anyone being able to beat them at their ground.