Our third and final pre-season game looked a tougher proposition on paper than it turned out to be.
The game was played as a mark of respect to Lower Street's long serving manager who succumbed to cancer very recently and to raise some modest but needed funds for their nominated cancer charity. The other underlying object of the game was for both sides to move closer to match fitness as the season approaches.
We started brightly and our 2 early goals killed the game as a contest. Lower Street struggled to get to grips with our movement on and off the ball and were often found arguing amongst themselves which was a pity as they had the nucleus of a side capable of testing us - although in truth we had a couple of more gears in reserve which were never needed.
The game gave another chance for PeeVee and Grey to find their match legs and for Billy to get some playing time on the other side of the sheets - each put in a good shift and did very well.
The ease of the victory created its own problems for us as there was never any real pressure on us to up our game and at times we were far too casual all around the pitch. Its difficult to be critical given the scoreline but i will be. We were far too wasteful in front of goal. That casual approach to converting good openings into goals and the general lack of clinical merciless finishing should not be allowed to creep into any performance or there's a danger of that poor approach reappearing in tight games when we really need the odd goal to dig out a win. This game could and should have been double figures at half time.
At times we were also too casual in general play, we conceded valuable possession with poor passes or badly conceived attempts to force a pass or an opening. Balls were chipped or lofted when simple balls to feet were clearly available options, balls were consistently driven at or through players - we should be passing TO each other not AT each other. Too many times players failed to turn out and open their body and as a result good off the ball running by team mates was unseen or ignored and was frustratingly wasted.
At the back we were often very good with the back three (whoever they were at the time) exploiting the time and space to move the ball across and between them but again too often it seemed easier to repeat the play rather than to find or create the angles to progress out from the back and we were not quite crisp enough in leaving their pressing players the wrong side of the ball and moving the ball to and through the midfield.
The final negative was that at times in the game we were just not quick enough to deliver or move the ball or we were too quick to get rid of the ball with a blind one touch. The 1 and 2 touch short sided games we play at training are to force you to play with your head up - to know more or less what you will do before you receive the ball and what your team mates might do. On 4 occassions i saw Josh lay a simple pass and carry on his run for 30 yards (he wasnt the only one) - not only was the ball not delivered but his run wasnt even seen with the player(s) in possession then being closed down after running out of options. This is physically and mentally draining. On the other side there were countless times when we lost or conceded possession not because of a poor pass - which is part of the game - but because the ball was played first time in an aimless way without any real intent to find a player. We should be a lot better than that.
When we were good though we were very very good. Our communication was first class and very positive - this puts the opposition under immense pressure as they realise immediately that we are Team and not a bunch of individuals. At times we were very fluid with lovely quick, direct interchange of the ball and positions. We were far more compact than last week often finding 3 or 4 players attacking the box but we were never really over exposed as team mates covered and filled in the gaps - thats great team work. We were quick and ready to acknowledge our mistakes - whatever your role in the team is, that lack of fear of criticism from team mates only comes from confidence in each other and that's a great platform to be entering the premiership from. The balance is also shifting in how we react to difficult situations. Ollie was fouled, last season its both hands in the air appealling, this game it was regained balance a continued run, a shot and a goal - it wont always end that way but lets start out expecting nothing (coz thats what we'll get) and doing it all ourselves.
After two very hard games against very good clubs this was a good way to end our short pre-season programme.
