City v Hampton

What's the stat on missed pens now?

I know coaches always say taking a penalty is different in a game but surely you just keep practicing until you can stick it in the corner time after time. Fair play to Frankie for taking the responsibility but it looks distinctly like we do not have a designated penalty taker. It really needs sorting as we do not score enough otherwise.
It was yet another game where we wondered how Morgan gets 90 minutes on the pitch. It is getting embarrassing watching how little effort he puts in - especially compared to Nick who was rightly MOM. We are effectively playing with ten men.
Four of whom are central midfielders.
I did not agree with putting Chas at CB as he had demonstrated only too well in the first half that Hampton were just too quick for him. Poor Jack Batten had to do the work for two. Our double barrelled full back did pretty well too considering there was no protection in front of him. And we finished with a full complement of double barrels down the left at the end. Is the new lad a striker?
Hampton were no great shakes but we haven't got enough about us to see off teams on their off days. Where is the creativity in the side?  Who is going to score? Where are decent crosses going to come from? What does Sekani need to do to get a game?
It is all a bit dull.

With Axel going off injured I'm not sure what else could be done other than to move Chas to CB.

I thought we played very well today. We were on top for the first half but when you only score once then it is odds on a side like Hampton will have a better spell in the second half and score, which is what happened.
The lad at left back had a good game and Nick gave his all, deserving man of the match.
Don't see what else GO could have done but put Chas at the back after Axel went off.
As for the penalty this has gone beyond a joke. As I have said before it is obvious when we get a penalty we have no confidence and expect to miss. I saw Brislington v Bristol Manor Farm recently and Manor Farm got 2 penalties and scored both. The lad who took them just put his foot through it and went for the top corner, GO has got to sort this out and install some belief.

Luton Roman wrote:What's the stat on missed pens now?

Since the start of 2014, 11 different outfield players have missed a penalty for City in open play – Stearn, Allen, Pratt, Kington (x2), Artus (x3), Richards, McCootie, Kelly, Murphy, Morgan and Hunter could all crowd around a table at Pizza Hut. During the same time we have scored 25. Tyler Harvey (2/2) and Josh Hutchinson (1/1) are the only players with 100% scoring success rates.

We've been awarded three penalties against Hampton and missed them all, two saves and one hit the bar. It was the fifth fixture running that there was a penalty awarded. Five out of seven have been missed.

My view? Put some height on the thing.

Ashley wrote:With Axel going off injured I'm not sure what else could be done other than to move Chas to CB.

I thought Sekani was on the bench. If he wasn't then GO has left himself with inadequate cover in defence.

He was, but my guess he hasn't played CB for a few years, so putting Chas there appeared the only option. Didn't expect to see Watkins on, though. I'm guessing had Marshall been on the bench he would have been moved to midfield. I thought Watkins had a rare quiet game after he came on.

It is the only option if you insist both your CBs have to be 6 footers. But Hampton posed the danger on the deck.

We had effectively nullified the Hampton midfield in the first half but moving Chas back gave them more room to play in. All in all it was a bad decision.

For me this was the best I've seen the team play this season.  Really deserved to get the three points and people need to remember we are Bath City rather than Bathcelona. As a bonus a good game, for once, when we had more through the gate.

I'm biased and have always liked Nick, so am pleased to see him getting better.  The lad from Oxford (Miles?) has been having some great games and managed to handle the constant attacks against him in the second half.  

Morgan... hmmm.. as a bit older maybe trying too hard to conserve energy, and I'm still not sold on Diablo.

Maybe we need to invest in a sports psychologist for the penalty issue.....

How many chances did Hampton have in the second half? Three? I don't think we were particularly overran with Chas at the back. He's played there more than enough times, often well, so guess they thought it was the best thing to do rather than throw Simpson in at the deep end when he hasn't played much recently, especially centre back. The problem was it resulted in quite a reshuffle elsewhere.

If we perform similarly next week we should win, but our inconsistency has dogged us for so long that I'm not counting on anything. Plus they'll be buoyed by a decent result today.

By signing this new loan forward, I'm assuming Fleetwood's time is up? He scored again for Weymouth today, seems to have found his form.

Unless you are looking for a reason to be critical then moving Chas to centre back was a perfectly reasonable decision though I agree losing Axel played a major part in Hampton looking the better side in the second half. Sekani is clearly cover at full-back (either side) with Chas first up if we need a replacement centre-back.

It appeared to me that as soon as we won the penalty Frankie was the nominated taker. He immediately grabbed the ball, so how do we know that they haven't been practicing them every training session and Frankie has been smacking them all in. I was obviously focusing on him but the report says he went down the middle so I assume he just didn't get the elevation he wanted. Poor, I agree, but not a lot Owers can do apart from run on himself and take it ... and I suspect the referee may not allow that.

That aside I though it was another reasonable performance against one of the better sides in the division and a draw was probably the right result. Since the woeful Welling performance we are looking much harder to beat so hopefully a few wins aren't too far off, especially when you look at our next three opponents.

The penalty reminded me of Stuart Pearce's effort in Italia 90. Nothing wrong with going down the middle, but if the keeper doesn't fully commit one way, you're in trouble.

Today was one of those matches where we looked good for the 1-0 lead but you always knew that, if we didn't get a second, the opposition would go up a get an equaliser. However, in these situations, we don't normally get a penalty handed to us on a plate and we blew that. There is definitely something psychological going on with us and penalties. Harvey is successful as he has the arrogance of youth - demonstrated by his wonder goal. The thing is that, on today's evidence, Morgan can get penalty calls but the one legitimate one today wasn't the one that was given.

I agree that Miles Welch-Hayes (come on, all we have to do is look on the website for his name) played well - an attacking full-back more than defending perhaps. I also think that Chas was possibly the best option to take over from Axel even if it didn't look that great with 20-20 hindsight. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans didn't do much to really stand out but his first touch was a blocked shot so maybe he is a shoot-on-sight player which we need.

Enjoyed today. Worth the trip.

Great first half hour. Played with intent.

I was sure Frankie would win it for us.

Need to practice pens more.

Surely the almost 4 month league win drought at home will end next week.

I agree, Pete, that was the most entertaining home game for some months.
As for the penalty, interesting that Gary went down the tunnel rather than watch! If he thought he was a jinx, he's not. For me the penalty taker should be Chas - the best striker of the ball in the squad. Maybe we took pity on Hampton, as the foul looked like it was committed outside the area, while their free kick in the first half could well have been a penalty.

comrade powell wrote: For me the penalty taker should be Chas.

You obviously didn't see the Potters Bar shoot out!

Looked like Axel landed pretty nastily on the bottom of his spine just before we scored, surprised he lasted til half time, boy's an hard'un. Sensible choice to put Hemmings in the back four considering he's already spent half the season there.
As for the penalty that should have been a free kick a yard outside the box, whoever takes them from now on please just smash it with all your might towards a top corner. Shut your eyes if you have to. I can accept two or three a season going over if you give them some bleddy welly, but this constant side footed nonsense without even opening your body to deceive the keeper is nothing short of utterly pathetic.
As for the non penalty when Marvin was allegedly tugged down, come on. Yet to watch it back but on first impression it was standard Marvin, linking an arm with the defender and pulling him down on top of himself.

Edit. (Had a pint) Aye, the first Marvin penalty appeal in the first half as mentioned above, no chance mate. The one where he was tugged back, aye, forgot that one but aye, pen.

LB wrote:

comrade powell wrote: For me the penalty taker should be Chas.

You obviously didn't see the Potters Bar shoot out!

Selective memory! But I also saw that free kick in the trophy replay with Dover - no keeper could keep a shot like that out from a few yards.

Marc Monitor wrote:I also think that Chas was possibly the best option to take over from Axel

I must admit that I don't like Chas at centre half as he is too slow. That is always a liability against lively strikers. But I thought we controlled the midfield first half and hardly gave them a sniff. I thought it was a mistake to disrupt that effectiveness and so it proved. I think if Hampton had been on song we would have lost.

Josh Hutchinson must be feeling a bit pissed off, seems he's dropped behind the new loanee in the pecking order, I've always been impressed by his contribution when he's got on. Other than that, decent game, only the confidence in front of goal missing.

It could be worse - Fulham missed their SEVENTH penalty of the season yesterday, by five different takers, with Chris Martin missing one in their last two fixtures.

Reading saw one saved in the same game. They should have let Liam Kelly take it.