Having slept on it, eventually, we have to take the positives. Another point and away from home to a team in form wasn’t as bad as it felt last night. Both goals were unlucky, a nasty deflection assisting their first and a deflection on the winner, it happens sometimes.
I waited until our 2nd goal to look at the league table, never again, that made it worse. Although we did look pretty comfortable.
Having been so good so far this season, and getting so far ahead, this team has created an expectation of finishing top, who doesn’t want to finish top?
But let’s remember, the goal of this season is to get out of this crap league. And we are right in the box seat to achieve that. 3rd will do, 13 to go and a favourable run in.
I guess we all see the game differently. I wouldn’t argue about Stirk’s performance, I am a big fan. I thought Jellis was really good again.
We just got a bit unlucky, it was a good team performance. I don’t think Simkin got his shorts dirty before the last 5 minutes, they never really looked like scoring and got more than a stroke of luck, especially their first goal.
A sub in midfield maybe could have helped cos they all looked shot, and maybe a sub after their first goal to slow the game down.
Gutted, but it’s not the end of the world. Keep our heads up and keep performing like the last 3 games, and we should still be fine.
Despite the early goal I always felt they were able to turn us or get in behind us down the flanks a bit to easily. It might not have been clear cut chances but I thought it wore us down.
We were good off set plays. I thought the back three withstood being lumped on by Cheltenham well until they equalised.
I don’t think we can afford to be blase about the lead or what’s left to get over the line. I’d like to think home form will do the job. But I genuinely see a scenario where we fall out the top 3. Purely down to momentum’, mentality and management. All 3 of which deserted us last night and several times since Lowe went. Negative yes, realistic yes, grounded in truth certainly.
MS should have made that sub after the first went in to kill the game.
I think we have to give the opposition a little credit here, they chucked their subs on at 2-0 down and forced us onto the back foot, we should manage the game better and 2-0 up on 90 mins with 4 mins injury time should not ever result in a draw.
There is positives, 4 points from 2 away games imo is a good return and is automatic form, naturally the chasing pack are closing in but as long as we get across the finishing line and get promoted then its job done, if we win the title (would be criminal if we didn’t) then that’s the icing on the cake, let’s stick together and go again Saturday, Bradford have a tricky tie at Salford.
Personally I’m angry about that last night, it was a complete fudge up by both players and management.
They had one way of getting back into the game and that was going long,. We really didn’t deal with it well enough and allowed the 2nd ball to become dangerous.
Also Sadler had to run the clock down with some in game management, completely naive.
Now 3 points last night would really have took the wind out of the chasing pack, absolute cock up sorry!
Out of context it’s a good point, especially considering we didn’t really play anything like we can.
As Ken said, two nasty deflections got them the goals.
Still disappointed about our lack of reinforcements for midfield in January because that’s our engine room, and we are so reliant on Jellis to keep the ball for us in the opposition half when Lakin isn’t playing.
Lipusic, Chang and Wheatley all appear to be complete non-entities - just extended trials maybe
It might just be me but I haven’t really thought all season that we win a lot of headers from the back three. I’m thinking Andy Butler, Tony Barras, even 50p head Derek Mountfield whose headers fired off in all directions, all would win the majority of headers they challenged. Got no stats, or evidence beyond what my eyes I believe are telling me.
Having said that, I thought we were okay up until the 89th minute, then their goal made it all a bit nervy and we needed to be better at managing those last 5 mins, whether that is retaining the ball, time wasting or subs from the bench to interrupt the flow of the game.
The 1st was so jammy. This was the moment. 3 men on the lad about to shoot, 8 of our players in picture, Cheltenham were only ever going to score with good fortune. Yes I suppose Gordon could have been closer to Miller but he probably had one eye on the player to his left.
It’s a real struggle for me to critise us too much with our tactics after Uncs goal. If you’re playing a team who has been pretty toothless for 90 minutes and we are 2 up, I cannot possibly blame us for sitting on that lead.
I’m not saying he had a bad game I just don’t think he was levels above. I agree about a sub though, I was surprised Lakin didn’t come on for one of them.
Making two subs out of five available is a strange decision from Sadler and possibly makes it no wonder we were leggy and had no response at the end .
A quiet and disappointing drive home after what felt like a loss for sure and as some others have said, a bit better game management might have helped.
That said, an overall good performance in a game ruined by an unbelievably bad ref - could not understand many of the decisions he gave to them and some blatant fouls on us he didn’t even blow up for…
If anyone would have offered us 4 points from the last 2 games, I’d have definitely taken that so in context, not a bad few days.
Their home record the past few months has been very good so anyone taking anything from them right now is a good result
I think I commented right from the start that we wasn’t defending the long balls into the box well.
They pressured us straight after we scored, but then we took control. We also struggled at times away to Morecambe with the long looped balls into the box.
I actually don’t think it’s heading ability, we just switch off to often.
Having seen their goals - both of which a mOssiv jamfest of the first order - it happens in football. The timing is wank, but there you go.
Bottlers they clearly aren’t though, I suppose the emotion of the situation can excuse some of the melting and wetting. Been through worse - Tommy Black anyone?
The goals we’re coming, they missed two really good chances before they scored. If it wasn’t for there abysmal finishing we could well have lost that. Our marking concerns me from set pieces, the times they had men over at the back post was worrying. Jamma having to mark 3 at the back post, in the first half i think from a corner Jamma won the header but one of the three dropped back a couple of yards and the ball fell to his feet but again his finishing let him down.
Having slept on last nights game I think I’m more happy that we gained a point in a difficult game than the fact we dropped two. More important that we keep picking up points and don’t lose confidence and I don’t think that draw will lose any given the performance which I think was a good one.
If we win Saturday, last night’s point will be a bloody good one (although it could’ve been far better).
Over the season, we have had our fair share of luck and late rewards. You have to take the rough with the smooth.
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Mat Sadler that was a truly clueless second half from you.
To not freshen up the midfield or full backs who were dead on their feet was so naive.
I think blaming Sadler for not making the changes is a little harsh imho.
All we had to do is keep the damn ball for another away win. I would have brought on Williams after their first goal, that’s where the defense needed bolstering.
I agree with tour comments about Levi being another J Gordon.
Simply came down to two massive deflections the first of which was unbelievably lucky for them how it dropped. Only criticism is for the 2nd you can’t be letting a long throw drop and bounce in the box, have to get a head on it.
Overall a decent performance and a good point. Win on Saturday would make this a very good unbeaten run very much reminiscent of the first half of the season.
