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Post by localboy86 on Aug 23, 2019 11:44:53 GMT
Back at GGL tomorrow as we kick off the August Bank Holiday weekend against Dover. What with no midweek round this week passing I’m hoping the few more days rest since the fine win at Boreham Wood has meant that some of the walking wounded have rested up this week to be in contention for tomorrow.
I’m expecting a tough game against a Dover side that recruited well in the summer winning 3 of their 5 games played so far, would probably take a point and then 3 on Monday.
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Post by Andy K on Aug 23, 2019 12:25:39 GMT
Odd side Dover - beating Chesterfield (away) and Wrexham at home is no mean feat. But then to lose to a struggling Dagenham side (who had lost 3 of their first 4 without scoring) and an average Torquay side at home.
Their top scorer is our old "friend" from the BW play off, Balanta. Need to keep him quiet.
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markf
Top Performer
Posts: 3,190
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Post by markf on Aug 23, 2019 12:34:03 GMT
I thought Balanta was at Dagenham.
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Post by Andy K on Aug 23, 2019 13:03:46 GMT
I thought Balanta was at Dagenham. Sorry my mistake. Reading the wrong column
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Post by Amber Aleman on Aug 23, 2019 15:45:41 GMT
According to the official preview, Alfie Pavey is their leading scorer with three. Inih Effiong is also likely to be a handful. And they have a couple of useful wide players, including our old friend Ricky Modeste (who's returned after a spell with Billericay).
That said, I'm sure our management team will have done their homework on the Dover threats.
I think this weekend's games will be too soon for Harry to have recovered from his damaged foot, but Aaron Jarvis could be back.
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Post by brisfitboy on Aug 24, 2019 17:18:24 GMT
I thought Dover played every trick in the book aided and abetted by the abysmal officiating of the ref and rec side lino, it was an absolutely disgraceful performance from both a National League side and officials.
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tonyd
1st team Player
Posts: 1,494
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Post by tonyd on Aug 24, 2019 17:37:18 GMT
They took their time as you would expect a visiting team to do when they are in the lead. Sutton would do the same. It’s up to the ref to stop it. This one didn’t.
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Post by halftimet on Aug 24, 2019 17:42:39 GMT
Caught us napping for both goals. Dover look a decent side and snuffed us out second half. We never looked like scoring.
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Post by Del on Aug 24, 2019 17:49:40 GMT
Have to agree that we didn't look like scoring. Need to be a little more creative up front.
Very poor officials but the same for both sides.
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Post by Andy K on Aug 24, 2019 18:54:36 GMT
Have to agree that we didn't look like scoring. Need to be a little more creative up front. Very poor officials but the same for both sides. Agree. No point in moaning about the officials to cover for the fact we were not good enough today. At times it felt like we were still in the 2nd half of last season, even more so in the 2nd half when we started to resort to the lumping the ball aimlessly forward. Both Dover goals were gifts from our defence and from their 2nd until injury time I cant remember us having a decent shot on target. Hopefully today was lessons learnt and we will have days like this. Hopefully not too many because we've already seen this season how good we can be.
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Post by brisfitboy on Aug 24, 2019 19:51:03 GMT
They took their time as you would expect a visiting team to do when they are in the lead. Sutton would do the same. It’s up to the ref to stop it. This one didn’t. I would agree with you to a certain extent but not resorting to those sort of tactics after 10mins being 1 up with 80mins more to play for.
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Post by pinewalker on Aug 24, 2019 19:53:45 GMT
According to the official preview, Alfie Pavey is their leading scorer with three. Inih Effiong is also likely to be a handful. And they have a couple of useful wide players, including our old friend Ricky Modeste (who's returned after a spell with Billericay). That said, I'm sure our management team will have done their homework on the Dover threats. I think this weekend's games will be too soon for Harry to have recovered from his damaged foot, but Aaron Jarvis could be back. Well done AA! Your namechecks were more accurate than Sutton's passing or shooting today. Effiong and Modeste bagged the goals, punishing Sutton errors with a pair of quality strikes. Effiong had the beating of Goodliffe most of the game. We went behind when Davis committed a needless foul two yards from both the touchline and the half way line. A free kick from there spent a long time in the air. U's chose to set the line on the edge of their area, which meant they needed to win a 10 yard dash with Dover's forwards to meet the ball as it dropped. Modeste had gained a clear yard when he met the ball on the volley. No fluke - he proved to be quicker than the Sutton defence several times.
Jamie's sweeper-keeper style invites a lob, and it is only surprising that it does not happen more often. Whatever Butler was anticipating - while standing 7 yards off his line as Effiong and a defender duelled for control of a Dover forward pass - did not happen. At the moment the Dover striker got his foot to the ball, our keeper was not obstructing any part of the goal. But it was another quality strike. So for that matter was Skip's thumping free kick after Milsom dummied to take it. An oddity - three good goals in an otherwise forgettable game.
Was it just Barden missing fror the first time? I am not sure, because I think Eastmond and Beautyman have a Lampard/Gerrard effect on each other when the play in midfield together, whereas they make perfect replacements for each other. Other disappointments today concern MG's preferred home tactic of getting the ball wide to the wingers, and for them to put in quality crosses. In this game neither winger managed to do that.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Aug 24, 2019 20:31:49 GMT
Our first defeat of the season. Perhaps of more concern is that it was 16 March when we last won a league game at home.
One thing I didn't get right was Harry missing this match. It seems that his foot injury had been misdiagnosed as a fresh fracture. So he came back into the starting line-up today in place of Jon Barden. Otherwise it was the same starting XI as at Boreham Wood.
Harry it was who had our best chances in open play, but he was unable to beat visiting keeper Worgan. Jamie Butler kept us in the game at the other end. Dover comfortably won the corner count.
As at Eastleigh, both sides scored from first-half free kicks. Unlike at Eastleigh, the free kicks were very different. Modeste was allowed too much space to volley in Dover's from the second ball. JC's direct equaliser was beautifully executed.
The first five minutes of the second half illustrated the two sides of Jamie B's sweeper-keeper role. First he punted the ball upfield from an advanced position, setting up a Sutton attack that came close to giving us a 2-1 lead from a goalmouth scramble. But Dover then counter-attacked and, with Jamie well off his line, Effiong lobbed in what proved to be their winner.
After that we looked rather tired in the sapping heat. Even with Tommy W and Aaron Jarvis brought on we couldn't find the vital spark. Dale Bennett went off after taking a nasty knock, and may be a doubt for Monday.
We're now eighth.
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Post by os on Aug 24, 2019 21:38:10 GMT
Thought we were poor today, maybe matched Dover in the 1st half, but nowhere to be seen in the 2nd aside from that scramble at the start which lead to their winning goal. Our defending from set pieces still remains poor, although we got away with a lot of corners, almost every header was won by a player in blue. We didn't get down the channels, we played mostly diagonal balls to defenders who had aerial supremacy, and simply ran out of ideas.
Despite Dover's time wasting antics and the officials inability to deal with it, Dover had us pretty much in their pocket once they went 2-1 up. As for the time wasting, yes all teams do it, so no complaint about that from them but that is what officials are there for. It became clear that he was going to keep his cards in his pocket unless there was a murder which simply gave the green light for Dover to push the bar further and further. Very poor officiating which did not affect the result.
Need to look at this home form. # One last thing Ricky Modeste, 1st time back at GGL since he basically ended Will Spetch's career - Shame he didn't fall down a hole.
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Post by baboonfish on Aug 24, 2019 22:35:43 GMT
According to the official preview, Alfie Pavey is their leading scorer with three. Inih Effiong is also likely to be a handful. And they have a couple of useful wide players, including our old friend Ricky Modeste (who's returned after a spell with Billericay). That said, I'm sure our management team will have done their homework on the Dover threats. I think this weekend's games will be too soon for Harry to have recovered from his damaged foot, but Aaron Jarvis could be back. Was it just Barden missing fror the first time? I am not sure, because I think Eastmond and Beautyman have a Lampard/Gerrard effect on each other when the play in midfield together, whereas they make perfect replacements for each other. Other disappointments today concern MG's preferred home tactic of getting the ball wide to the wingers, and for them to put in quality crosses. In this game neither winger managed to do that.
Agree barden was sorely missed today. He's not anything special but he's a proper holding mid and Davis easty and Harry all need that foil. For me that winning goal, which utterly deflated us after so nearly going ahead, wouldn't have happened with our number 4 on the pitch. Had to be modeste didn't it? Utter cnut, and ever since they undeservedly sneaked into this division Dover have made their mark on it by being extremely unpleasant to play against with a combination of gamesmanship and physicality. Dover at home is rapidly becoming the equal of eastleigh away as one to avoid. Attendances seem to be majorly down, early start to the season playing a part? Officials today were barely fit to referee a Sunday league game and I disagree they had no impact on the outcome. Utter disgrace
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