Todays game

[The Third Twin]

Horses for courses. It was a day for Gregg to batter them around on a pitch which would churn up, then against tired legs, put kabby on. Remember they played midweek too and looked like they were gone at 3-3

I agree with Joshb. Gregg should have started and knocked their back line about a bit. Kabbi is an impact player, and against tired legs later in he would have been much better used. However, I have to applaud the fight back. They showed character rather than rolling over. In the end, a good point, but I did feel its a case of 2 points lost.

[Crazy Neil]

Like everyone else I thought the two-nil at halftime was harsh on us, they had two shots and their keeper got lucky with one shot that hit elbow then the side netting, another one he was diving for that got deflected and hit stuck a boot our, Hemmings then had a couple of curlers go just wide. Oh and Brad had a decent effort but the keeper made a great save.

 I expected us to come out fighting second half and we did, they got a well-worked third and I turned to the lad and said now we will see what CE can do seeing as he has not been in a position like this before. He changed tactics and as you all said he brought Greg on and we got a rhythm going thought if we could snatch a quick one back there would only be one winner but right at the end we had one cleared off the line with the keeper nowhere.

Top marks to the crowd today, even Spain Road joined in with the clapping and singing, we need to be noisy like that every game

As we talked about the game on the way home I said, had that been AM we would not have fought back like that and kept going all game. Point gained in my eyes, think had someone said before the game that we will get a 3-3 after being 3 down we all would have said yep, but after coming so close to a late winner it did feel like two dropped points.

I had Brad down for MOTM at halftime, he was everywhere and never gave up and fully deserved his brace.

[youngchubby69]

Adam Murray said his players had to learn how to take a punch on the nose, the big difference between him and Craig is that Craig brings in players that he knows can take a punch on the nose and not fall down.
That's is what I think makes CE successful.

[Lee Newell]

Great game to watch, although it was a match were you wonder how we conceded 3 when we were so dominant. Stewart didn't make a save all match but ended up picking the ball out of the net 3 times. Nice to see the defenders looks comfortable to pass the ball back to him.

At 1,2 and 3 nil down the players heads didn't drop and the game plan didn't change as it didn't need to change as we were creating chances. We played some good football going forward with Hemmings and Abbott in particular playing very well in midfield creating chances for Tshimanga and Thompson who worked hard but probably should have put away more of the chances that were created.

Only a couple of down sides really -

We missed Smith up front until him came on. We put a lot of balls into the box in the first half without getting on the end of them. Curzon were also very scrappy and physical, Smith may have been able to match them on the physical side. With the ref reluctant to get his cards out his pocket for the many times Thompson and Tshimanga were shoved of the ball this could have ruined the game. With Tshimanga scoring so many of the bench getting the starting place ahead of Smith was earned but we did miss Smith's presence.

We didn't look particular solid at the back, as them scoring with 3 and not creating much else suggests. We do have Clifton (who was one of our better players in the first few months of season) and McGowan who will likely come back into the back 4 when they return from injury which should help.

All in all though we played very well, great spirit to come back from 0-3 and great match to watch.

[green hats mate]

Short term 2 lost points maybe , but now we know plan A as we have been playing is our best option , i e.
Smith start and Kabby super sub .
Seen no talk of play offs on the thread ,   win next week and it will be the buzz word again .

[Burgh Boy]

Gave Curzon a three goal start and they still couldn't beat us! Brilliant comeback.

[Crazy Neil]

Adam Murray said his players had to learn how to take a punch on the nose, the big difference between him and Craig is that Craig brings in players that he knows can take a punch on the nose and not fall down.
That's is what I think makes CE successful.

Yep, he trusts them and they trust him and want to play for him, big bonus for any team that.

Someone said before kick-off that with the heavy conditions Greg may not have lasted long so maybe that was why Kab was given the start. The manager knows what he is doing, not questioned his decisions once since he took over whereas with AM I used to scratch my head and think WTF?

As Craig said after the game, he just told them to keep playing as they were as the team was doing nothing wrong, the keeper had more jam than Hartleys and at least two saves were made when he just stuck out an arm of leg apart from the one from Brad, that was brill save.

The only downside for me was the first two goals were similar, deep crosses and the right back not getting to the ball first but it got sorted after that

As in previous games when we have fallen behind the team just got more determined and got stuck in, a better ref may have given the pen on Greg but thankfully it was not a decision that cost us a point, had it been 2 - 3 and he waved play on it would have been worse than it was.

The team are showing great character and as Craig said,it could have been easy to say at 3 - 0 it is not our day and just defend on that score but Brad and Anji got the momentum going and the fightback was on.

The crowd were brilliant too in my opinion, could easily have gone sod it at 3  down but they got behind the players and after the first goal we got the noise level increased at 2 - 3 it got even louder and the whole ground got behind the lads, every one of us can see what CE is forming here and when he first came he said win lose or draw he wants the players coming off and the crowd seeing that they gave every ounce of energy they had, that was evident yesterday.
 When they started the time wasting, going to ground for treatment and ref stopping the game (rightly in first half as it was a head injury but never did same for Reece) but the one bit that the ref never punished was when they sent the number 11 from the right all the way to the left as he was about to be subbed then he walked off so bloody slow, that was a yellow card but a points a point so onwards and upwards

 Bring on Leamington

[Tipps End Pilgrim]

Great comeback. Yes, on paper we should have stuffed them but this is football - strange things happen. Hopefully CE will have learnt a thing or two from this game - both positive and negative.

TEP