Gosport Borough

I suppose this might help us a bit on Tuesday http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/football/nonleague/14305202.Gosport_s_promotion_bid_threatened_by_financial_problems/

Well written article.

It would appear that Gosport have a cash flow problem, due mainly to lack of home games, not a trading problem, although that may be hidden.   Their home attendances are very low so how they trade profitably, if they do, like many football clubs, is a mystery.

Not sure they can use lack of home games as a reason since they have played 16 already. Two more than us and several others.

Bad result for us last night, Chelmsford beat B.Stort. 4-1.  Truro match tonight with W.S.M. has been postponed.

As alway it's about what we do and we need to beat teams round us. Plenty of those games coming up.

Chas starts.

No Richards but Watto ok

Fingers crossed tonight!

The stats said we dominated, especially second half, but we can't score.

Both Hayes and Havant got a point so - http://www.flashscores.co.uk/match/KlkYohnR/#standings;table;overall - yikes!

bloody refs spoil games!

Good performance tonight. Denied by some great goalkeeping and a boot here or a knee there blocking shots. The less said about the ref and Gosport's timewasting the better as this was an encouraging team effort. Much improved from some we've seen this season.

Gosport's keeper was one of the best from last season. A real pity his time wasting antics marred a very good player.

Was a good performance especially the second half but we just cannot score.Felt that if we had got the equaliser we may have gone on to win.one of the best goalies in the league but did spoil it with the time wasting.Does anyone know what really happened with the Artus incident? We could have done without loosing him for the next three games.

Looked a very innocuous challenge from the stand, but with the Gosport players screaming in his face for a red card, the ref duly obliged. Yes, we played some good stuff at times but we cannot kill off teams when we are on top and as streetwise a team as Gosport always looked capable of picking us off.
Other results tonight show how precarious our position still is - thank goodness for that late equaliser at Havant.

Really hope we survive this season and Gary Owers can build a stronger team/squad as we need to be a lot stronger in all areas and far more clinical to stay in this league.The pressure of the second half should have resulted in at least a draw tonight.Looking at the bench we had no one capable of coming on and maybe giving us a bit more quality,this I feel we are lacking.All a bit worrying.

Well Paul Williams wrote in his programme notes that the manager may well be looking to bring in more loanees before the deadline at the end of this month. They had better be strikers! Just one match this season (back in August) with more than two goals. If we could get a few clean sheets, the single goals scored would bring wins but with this drought continuing, I can't share Sascha's optimism about a mid table finish.

Gosport were streetwise and played to the weakness of the ref. Having said that if we are to survive we just cannot go on dominating games like we did in the second half and not scoring. It has happened so many times it has gone beyond a hard like story. Richards has had problems and although he did not play last night I don't think he is going to be the answer.
At times last night they just could not contain Andy Watkins but as so often there is no end product. We really need a goalscorer in the mode of a Charlie Griffin or Martin Paul who although does not chase around for 90 minutes has that knack of being in right place at the right time and can finish.

Agree with comrade, the pressure is on to avoid rel***tion.

We do need a tall skilful striker, someone like Sean Canham, who could take the pressure off Pratty, who for some reason is a shadow of his former self when he used to jump like a gazelle to win balls in the air against much taller opponents.

NB:  Why are both Canhams missing from the past players archive and Adam Connolly is still entered as a current player?  (Sorry Yuffers, I appreciate it is time consuming to keep the data updated)

Horrible horrible team that never at any stage demonstrated they were capable of playing football to a play off standard. Their one tactic - to play the ref - worked. He was as weak as pish. I think the linesman on the Poplar side gave up in the end as the decisions appeared to be made by the Gosport players - especially on who should be booked or sent off.

I presume he booked their goalie for time wasting when there was only one minute to go as he was mindful of the report to the FA and wanted to be able to say he had dealt with it. Dealt with it - had he f*ck.

We have seen before that being crude and 'streetwise' is a good route out this league. It is dreadful to witness.

I might avoid this game next season if they are still in our league.

Meanwhile I think the team showed a determination that has been distinctly lacking albeit with a leaky defence. I am not too despondent but we need the chances to fall to Dave Pratt and not Andy Watkins. At least make the goalie work.

I do not think we will get a goalscorer in as a loanee. They might be strikers but they almost never score goals for reasons I've banged on about before.

Fully agree with your last point but not your first! They might not have been attractive to watch, but I'll be very surprised if Gosport don't reach the play offs (unless the taxman plays a part beforehand).

Only George Graham's Maidstone United have scored fewer than us now

comrade powell wrote:Fully agree with your last point but not your first! They might not have been attractive to watch, but I'll be very surprised if Gosport don't reach the play offs (unless the taxman plays a part beforehand).

The operative phrase was 'capable of playing football' in the sense of something elevated above the cultural level of bear baiting.

It is something that has been bothering me for a while now, but while Watkins and McCootie (often rightly) get panned for not scoring Pratt appears to be given a free pass, Watkins has scored 2 in 4 games and secured 4 points from that, Pratt has barely done anything of note this season, has started avoiding trying to get on the end of chances but apparently we want him on the end of everything.

I am not saying Watkins is a better finisher (he isn't, whenever he is one on one I'd expect the keeper to save it) but Pratt has been pretty terrible since Ferriby, and looks devoid of confidence. We aren't sadly talking about the high scoring forward of the two previous seasons anymore.

What about Pratt's great first-half header last night? Also, it was Pratt who made a big difference at Havant a Clueville; it was him who headed on the near-post corner and allowed Andy Watkins to score. Incidentally, last night, with the number of corners we had, we should have tried some more of those near-post corners, as they are much more difficult for the defenders to cope with.

BenE wrote:

comrade powell wrote:Fully agree with your last point but not your first! They might not have been attractive to watch, but I'll be very surprised if Gosport don't reach the play offs (unless the taxman plays a part beforehand).

The operative phrase was 'capable of playing football' in the sense of something elevated above the cultural level of bear baiting.

I think you're being less than generous there. Probably the best keeper I have seen this season, a well organised defence, creative midfield and clinical striker in Bennet. Yes, horrible tactically, but got just what is needed to end in the top five.

Jon_BOA wrote:Pratt has barely done anything of note this season

aside from doing the entire midfield's running for four months

We need a couple of ugly bruisers in the back 4, Taylor is one and we need to replace Batten. Too often we have nice, lightweight ball players when other teams have either athletes or brawn, and too often we lose out.

Noted Pratt wasn't running for the channel balls at Hemel, perhaps feeling his way back or not confident they will be delivered as I felt Artus slightly off his game and there was no one else passing until Chas came on.

Pleasing as it is too read about improved performance and battling, it is the business end of the season and results ever more important. Some big 6 pointers looming. On to Oxford then, below us in the form table, lets hope they don't play as they did back in November at Twerton.