By MCC
January 28 2006

This game was all decided within six minutes of either side of the break. Those seeking to avoid the half time queues may have avoided the games only real action.

 

STOKE CITY	2
SIDEBE  44'   CHADWICK 48'
WALSALL	1
JAMES 50'

It came as no surprise when  Stoke broke the deadlock in a stale first half only made interesting by the traveling contingent from the Bescot.  They'd forced the play for most of the first half and looked the sharper side. Timm and James weren't starved of good service, and we might as well have played with 9 men because both Wright and McDermott weren't being used effectivly. 

The nature of the goal came as no surprise. We'd cleared a few scrambles before Sidebe hammered the ball through a busy six yard box. The absence of a dominant defensive  figure (Roper) saw this become a hallmark of our defending through out the game. No one knew what to do. No one wanted to take responsibility, attack the ball, win the ball and take care of business with Sidebe. The first stoke goal need never have happend if Oakes had stayed on his line and had faith in his defenders to deal with a routine cross.

The most impressive Stoke player on show was Luke Chadwick,  he put Stoke two up just after the restart. It saw a great run end in a  beautiful curling shot left Oakes with no chance. More than one player can take the blame for the time and space offered to Chadwick. McDermott was no where to be seen, Fox watched him stroll in to the 18 yard box, Gerrard made a mis timed lunge while the only chance Westwood had of stopping the now goal bound run was to clothes line him on the penalty spot. I wish he had. We've had  plenty of penalty practice this week.

Our prompt reply showed just what could happen if we could utilised the big Britannia pitch. A long raking ball from left to right picked out Mark Wright who fired in a cross that Kevin James poked over the line. It was the only notable contribution that Wright made all game. He didn't get any kind of service, and he didn't look interested when he was given the ball to go at defenders. 

McDermott and Wright were replaced by Nicholls and Standing. Both subs went on to have chances that could have sent the game to a replay. Nicholls saw an 18 yard effort rattle of the post, while Standing had a stinging shot deflected wide for a corner. 

The 4-3-3 system in the last 25-30 minutes didn't really work. The more me we saw of Timm on the ball,  the more we looked like scoring. The wider of the three he played, the less he began to see of the ball. Playing young Nicholls out wide also stifled his energy.

On another day we might have nicked a second goal and taken them back down the road to Bescot. This was a spirited second half performance from the Saddlers. McDermott doesn't let look ready, but Nicholls begins to grow in confidence with each appearance. Smith and Leary still look like a half decent partnership, while Madds Timm and Kevin James give us a nice dimension up front, but we still lack a natural finisher, a target man.

 

JJJJJ	GK	OAKES
JJJJJ	RB	PEAD
JJJJJ	LB	FOX
JJJJJ	CB	WESTWOOD
JJJJJ	CB	GERRARD
JJJJJ	LM	MCDERMOTT
JJJJJ	RM	WRIGHT
JJJJJ	CM	SMITH
JJJJJ	CM	LEARY
JJJJJ	FC	TIMM
JJJJJ	FC	JAMES
JJJJJ	RM	STANDING - Sub
JJJJJ	FC	NICHOLLS - Sub