U's:1 Diamonds:0
For my money, one of the most over-used phrases in football is: “It’s the sign of a good team when you play badly and win.” This assumes that at other times you play well and win – if you play badly all the time and sometimes win that’s surely not the sign of a good team, more a bad one that gets lucky every now and then.
Anyway, I’m waffling now, sorry. It’s just that as I was exiting the Abbey last night I must have overheard three or four people say “sign of a good team blah blah”. JQ is at it as well in his post match comments. We certainly played badly last night - and won obviously - but whether this makes us a good team or not, who knows.
To be fair the match didn’t start badly. With the sporting spotlight of the nation (well, that part of the nation that has Setanta) shining on the Abbey, United began like the proverbial express train, displaying some neat football and encouraging Gleeson and Pitt to get forward at every opportunity. Pitt swung over a couple of dangerous early crosses, one of which was punched away unconvincingly by visiting keeper Paul Nicholls (not the one who used to be in Eastenders).
Unfortunately our good start didn’t produce a goal or even a shot on target, and having weathered the early storm, Rushden got to grips with our tactics, closing down the space and shutting off the supply to the front two. It is easy to see why Diamonds have drawn so many games this season, as they seemed happy to stop us playing and try and occasionally counter using the pace of Simeon Jackson and the strength of Michael Rankine.
The visitors lack of adventure, coupled with a distinct absence of imagination in United’s play, meant it didn’t make for the most watchable contest. LFW put himself about on his return to the team, but struggled to make an impression, while Robinson tried hard as ever but looks increasingly like the new Marcus Richardson. The half time whistle came as a welcome relief from the tedium. Incidentally, the quiz in last nights programme was virtually impossible – surely nobody knows the record number of sendings off in a season...
Usually United start the second half well, but this time it was Rushden who took the initiative, thanks in no small part to the increasingly direct tactics of the hosts. With the ball not sticking up front, it was coming back at the defence at regular intervals. A half chance did come our way when Marv latched onto a flick from big Leo but mis-controlled when clear on goal.
Despite their possession, Rushden didn’t fashion too many opportunities, with the back three dealing comfortably with a succession of diagonal crosses into the box. Danny Potter was called into serious action once, changing direction superbly to make a low save after Martin Fosters shot took a massive deflection on route to goal.
We were crying out for substitutions, and JQ eventually obliged. Reed joined the fray and instantly added a bit of energy to our lacklustre midfield, while the front two were replaced by Boylan and Rendell shortly afterwards. Both new strikers made a positive impact, and suddenly we looked a bit more dynamic going forward. Just three minutes after joining the fray, Boylan latched onto a long clearance from Potter and held the ball up well before finding Gleeson, making a rare foray forward after a largely quiet second half. His cross wasn’t the best, but looped over to the far post where Rendell climbed highest to nod the ball into the net. Nicholls probably should’ve saved it, but could only palm the ball into the side netting. It's hard to see how he's keeping veteran baldie (and all round decent bloke) Paul Bastock out of the side.
Diamonds made a flurry of substitutions of their own, bringing on, amongst others, the dangerous Andy Burgess. But Gleeson stuck to his task well, and didn’t allow the rangy left winger to display any of the skills he used so effectively to tear us apart while playing for Oxford last season. The only really worrying moment came when Jackson escaped down the right channel, but shot wide under pressure from Albrighton.
In fact United should’ve made it 2-0 at the death. Quinton, who looked off the pace throughout, got clear on goal after a great dummy from Boylan. With the keeper at his mercy he tried to tee up Rendell for a tap in, but the pass was behind United’s top scorer and he couldn’t connect properly with the goal gaping. When the ball eventually came back to Reed, his angled shot went over the bar.
So obviously its great to be back to winning ways, especially with a couple of the teams around us dropping points. There’s plenty of room for improvement, particularly in midfield, which disappeared en masse for long periods in the second half. Quinton and Convery are too lightweight to play together, and none of the midfield trio provided adequate support for the front two. Up front, JQ will surely not persist with Robinson against Stafford after both Boylan and Rendell made good late cameos. Marv may be alright as a back up player, but he certainly doesn’t look like the sort of striker who can spearhead a sustained promotion challenge.
Man of the Match: Mark Albrighton – Could’ve been any of the back three really, but the skipper edges it as his return to the side made such a massive difference.
Anyway, I’m waffling now, sorry. It’s just that as I was exiting the Abbey last night I must have overheard three or four people say “sign of a good team blah blah”. JQ is at it as well in his post match comments. We certainly played badly last night - and won obviously - but whether this makes us a good team or not, who knows.
To be fair the match didn’t start badly. With the sporting spotlight of the nation (well, that part of the nation that has Setanta) shining on the Abbey, United began like the proverbial express train, displaying some neat football and encouraging Gleeson and Pitt to get forward at every opportunity. Pitt swung over a couple of dangerous early crosses, one of which was punched away unconvincingly by visiting keeper Paul Nicholls (not the one who used to be in Eastenders).
Unfortunately our good start didn’t produce a goal or even a shot on target, and having weathered the early storm, Rushden got to grips with our tactics, closing down the space and shutting off the supply to the front two. It is easy to see why Diamonds have drawn so many games this season, as they seemed happy to stop us playing and try and occasionally counter using the pace of Simeon Jackson and the strength of Michael Rankine.
The visitors lack of adventure, coupled with a distinct absence of imagination in United’s play, meant it didn’t make for the most watchable contest. LFW put himself about on his return to the team, but struggled to make an impression, while Robinson tried hard as ever but looks increasingly like the new Marcus Richardson. The half time whistle came as a welcome relief from the tedium. Incidentally, the quiz in last nights programme was virtually impossible – surely nobody knows the record number of sendings off in a season...
Usually United start the second half well, but this time it was Rushden who took the initiative, thanks in no small part to the increasingly direct tactics of the hosts. With the ball not sticking up front, it was coming back at the defence at regular intervals. A half chance did come our way when Marv latched onto a flick from big Leo but mis-controlled when clear on goal.
Despite their possession, Rushden didn’t fashion too many opportunities, with the back three dealing comfortably with a succession of diagonal crosses into the box. Danny Potter was called into serious action once, changing direction superbly to make a low save after Martin Fosters shot took a massive deflection on route to goal.
We were crying out for substitutions, and JQ eventually obliged. Reed joined the fray and instantly added a bit of energy to our lacklustre midfield, while the front two were replaced by Boylan and Rendell shortly afterwards. Both new strikers made a positive impact, and suddenly we looked a bit more dynamic going forward. Just three minutes after joining the fray, Boylan latched onto a long clearance from Potter and held the ball up well before finding Gleeson, making a rare foray forward after a largely quiet second half. His cross wasn’t the best, but looped over to the far post where Rendell climbed highest to nod the ball into the net. Nicholls probably should’ve saved it, but could only palm the ball into the side netting. It's hard to see how he's keeping veteran baldie (and all round decent bloke) Paul Bastock out of the side.
Diamonds made a flurry of substitutions of their own, bringing on, amongst others, the dangerous Andy Burgess. But Gleeson stuck to his task well, and didn’t allow the rangy left winger to display any of the skills he used so effectively to tear us apart while playing for Oxford last season. The only really worrying moment came when Jackson escaped down the right channel, but shot wide under pressure from Albrighton.
In fact United should’ve made it 2-0 at the death. Quinton, who looked off the pace throughout, got clear on goal after a great dummy from Boylan. With the keeper at his mercy he tried to tee up Rendell for a tap in, but the pass was behind United’s top scorer and he couldn’t connect properly with the goal gaping. When the ball eventually came back to Reed, his angled shot went over the bar.
So obviously its great to be back to winning ways, especially with a couple of the teams around us dropping points. There’s plenty of room for improvement, particularly in midfield, which disappeared en masse for long periods in the second half. Quinton and Convery are too lightweight to play together, and none of the midfield trio provided adequate support for the front two. Up front, JQ will surely not persist with Robinson against Stafford after both Boylan and Rendell made good late cameos. Marv may be alright as a back up player, but he certainly doesn’t look like the sort of striker who can spearhead a sustained promotion challenge.
Man of the Match: Mark Albrighton – Could’ve been any of the back three really, but the skipper edges it as his return to the side made such a massive difference.
Quote of the match: “He has big eyes and big ears” – JQ on Josh Coulson in his programme notes. Makes him sound like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. 
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