By Red Army
January 10 2021

The reds progress to the 4th round of the FA cup following a 2 – 0 home victory over Keith Hill’s Tranmere Rovers.

Goals from goal machine Helik and a Woodrow penalty was enough to see the reds over the line and get through against a potential banana skin.

Barnsley took the game seriously with Ismael only changing the goalkeeper from what he would consider his first choice eleven.

Tranmere gave Barnsley a few scares but ultimately it was a comfortable enough win for the reds. It is always good to have a cup run in my opinion. I don’t think it distracts from the league and I think winning any type of football match just builds confidence and momentum for the league.

Helik headed home yet another goal. The defender is proving to be a real goal threat for the reds. The cross came from Kane and was pin point for the big defender.

Kane had a mixed game in his audition to be Mowatt’s regular partner in midfield now that James won’t be returning to Oakwell. That is the big question facing Ismael over the next few games and I’m not sure if he will have got his answer after this one.

Kane saw a lot of the ball and at times used it well but also gave away possession quite a lot and at times looked slow and was caught in possession.

His cross for the goal and a few other good passes showed what he is capable of but were there more negatives than positives about his overall contribution to the game? For me the answer is quite possibly a yes.

Too many times he hoofs the ball aimlessly up field looking for that Hollywood ball when a simple and better pass is on.

I think Kane can be a good player for us in time but he should he be the man to be thrust in to the starting line-up at this moment in time?

We do have other options. Could Palmer be the man? I like that he gets tackles in and he has good feet but he has also given the ball away unnecessarily in his last few appearances and it’s his decision making in those situations that needs to improve slightly.

Should Styles move in to midfield? I’ve been a campaigner for this but with the way we play under Ismael I am not sure if I have changed my mind and he would be better at wing back because as he would potentially see more of the ball from wing back and also find himself further forward than he would if he played in midfield. It still could be worth a try and we have Odour, J Williams and potentially the new lad who could come in and play at left wing back.

Woodrow sealed the win with what the commentator described as a soft penalty. Soft or not, it was a penalty to my eyes and any complaints regarding it should be about the Tranmere player who gave the penalty away as Thomas was going nowhere and he didn’t need to commit the foul. I suppose the argument could be that those types of challenges happen all the time and pens aren’t given but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a pen.

My one question over team selection at the moment is why Frieser starts ahead of Adeboyejo. I still fail to see what Frieser brings to the team and Adeboyejo always does a decent job for me whether coming on as a sub or starting. I’m not saying he is the finished article but he certainly brings a lot more to the team that Frieser just with his strength and the fact that he can hold the ball up.

It was good to see the return of Jordan Williams and Toby Sibbick as subs today. I was particularly impressed with Sibbick after so long away from the club and not playing whilst out on loan.

Defensively I feel we have improved no end as a team and now I am also more than happy with the lads we have as back up to come in to that back five in Sibbick, Halme, Odour and Williams.

Back to the bread and butter of the league now and Swansea who showed their experience against us a few weeks ago on their terrible pitch. Hopefully the coaching staff will have learnt from that game and have us well placed to take three points in this one.

COYR