#VNL6 vs. AFC Fylde (match-thread)

[Amber Aleman]

Not exactly a flood of comments on this game, but it did finish 0-0.

It was a rather frustrating afternoon for Sutton, and I expect that the 'shots off target' stat in tomorrow's NLP won't make happy reading! We carried most of the threat in the first half-hour, but, despite creating a hatful of openings, barely tested visiting keeper Jay Lynch. The match did open up in the ten minutes before the interval, with both keepers called into action, Lynch beating away a fierce Cadogan shot.

The second half was more even. We did get the ball in the Fylde net, at the third attempt, but Aaron Drinan was denied his first Sutton goal by a linesman's flag. Fylde had a dangerous spell as full time approached, but we came close to scoring in stoppage time when a shot from a corner was saved on the line.

There are positives to take. We're fifth in the table. We've taken a point from the side now in second. We're still unbeaten. And we've kept three clean sheets in six games.

The referee (new to this level, I believe) made some peculiar decisions, which tended to favour the away team. I'm sure that Mr Frake will have something to say about him.

[Del]

When you revisit the six teams we have played so far i believe we have by far had the toughest start in the division.

An average of 2 points per game so far and if we are able to maintain that we won't be far away from being champions.
We do need to score more goals and hopefully they will come against lesser opposition.

I fully expect Fylde to make the playoffs providing they keep Rowe and they defended really well today.

[garethl]

Very good point. To be unbeaten at this stage is exceptional. We lacked a bit of accuracy/quality in the final third but you can’t argue with the efforts. I think we look very good defensively this season, a step up. My MOM was Cloughie, though the official one went to Kenny. Some of our football in the first 25 mins was decent, as we have seen many times you generally need to make those spells count at this level to win games.

Thought their left back was outstanding and a very good reason why we didn’t create as much as we might do ordinarily (Tom was kept very much under control).

[markf]

Some 0-0 draws are a bore others the height of entertainment. Today's was probably somewhere in the middle of that but at least both times tried to play on the deck even if they did cancel each other out a fair jot. Fylde's liveliest players were on their flanks, Cardle (no 11) was tricky and able to carry the ball a long way although U's restricted much of his movement to side ways rather than forward. Danny Rowe, for the second successive visit was kept pretty quiet by Charlie and Skip who again impressed as a centre-back pairing - Cloughie's last ditch second half tackle on their marauding sub (Toure?) was brilliant.

For U's, Josh Taylor was sparky while behind him Kenny D was Sutton's stand out player this afternoon. Ross L took another battering. As my mate said their no 4 couldn't have got much less intimate with him than an amorous lover. He tried to strip Ross of his shirt enough times and as usual the ref saw naff all of any of it (more on him later).

Both 'keepers will be pleased with their afternoon's work. Jamie B made three or four fine stops but the save of the match came when Lynch got down low to get a strong hand to Skip's goal bound downward header. Fantastic save.

Be interesting to see the offside decision that saw Aaron D's effort chalked off but it could only have been Tommy W who had the initial effort from Skip's header as the other efforts, once again brilliantly stopped came from players on the follow up and thus behind the ball and not offside. I bloody hope it was anyway.

Onto the very young looking referee, I assume in his first season at NL level. And that fact is a worry based on this performance. If you can't get the basics right (four times he gave either a goal kick or throw to our visitors when it should have been a corner or our throw, the one after Craig E had made the bye-line in particular was incredible. Having failed there I suspect him being able to use the advantage rule properly was going to be to much to hope for and out of three opportunities in the second half, he got them all wrong. Consistency I suppose but surely something he should have mastered if deemed capable at NL level. At least he got his use of cards right which is more than most we see in the NL, manage. The other issue was his inability to be consistent over pushes. Bola's gets hit hard by their no 3, nothing but later on a less of a nudge by a Sutton player is immediately ceased upon. Refereeing ain't easy but boy these guys heap the pressure on themselves at times.

Still, he didn't spoil a decent match and have an effect on the outcome which was probably just about right.

Six games in and 12 points is a more than decent start. The squad has produced the solid rather than the spectacular although there were some fine moves today that needed finishing off.

Aldershot on Monday a ground we rarely have much fortune at so don't be fooled by their poor start to the season.

[jr]

Quite clearly the ref was being assessed. Why else would he get his spray out to mark the ten yards from our free kick when there wasn’t a Fylde player anywhere near. Quite funny that.

The other decisions were 50/50. Yes it was a corner when Easty went through but the angle was so difficult for the ref, right on the line, that he would have had to guess so a goal kick was the right decision even if he was wrong! He didn’t alter the game but his assistants could have paid more attention to the shirt pulling on Ross especially in the first half. One blatant pen was missed.

Well played Cloughie and Kenny D. 2 outstanding performances

[VCLXI]

Quite enjoyed yesterday. Goalless yes but enjoyable nonetheless. I took a friend with me and although he wasn't completely sold enough to buy a season ticket he thought the experience would warrant a return.

Should have won it to be honest. Fylde did have a few chances but in the first half I thought it was only a matter of when Sutton would score. Unfortunately they didn't. Still, 12 points after 6 games and still unbeaten ain't too bad. Reckon we can do an Arsenal?

Sorry my match review isn't great but we all see games differently and anyhow, who can match Trev's report of the Sutton Woman's game?!

Edit: Only 20 quid and an easy train journey for me to Aldershot. Who's going tomorrow?

[markf]

We certainly do see things differently. The club gave the ref 8 out of 10 (based on NLP). With due respect to our "marking team", to get an 8 takes some doing; that performance wasn't.

[VCLXI]

Maybe the 8 given in question is to the lesser extent? As in, 1 would be the best and 10 the worst?

Unfortunately, I doubt that's the case.

[billy]

Some 0-0 draws are a bore others the height of entertainment.

[pinewalker]

Aug 26, 2018 10:44:44 GMT markf said:

We certainly do see things differently. The club gave the ref 8 out of 10 (based on NLP). With due respect to our "marking team", to get an 8 takes some doing; that performance wasn't.

True Mark, and I think you might be in the minority for your refs assessment this week.

I had the great advantage of having the two referees' assessors sitting behind me and one of them dictating into his mobile a running commentary on the decision making. He was also wearing earphones plugged into his computer and appeared, from what he said to his colleague, to be listening to what the refs and assistants were saying on their radio link.

Those assessors did not see as many faults as you did, and from exactly the same angle I didn't either.  I had the cheek - since they had been bending my ear for 90 minutes - to say I thought the ref was much better than the average ref we get and hoped they would give him a decent mark.  We also shared a joke about them coming back to watch Halifax if they wanted to see a ref have a difficult game.

[Del]

I thought the ref was dreadful from where i was standing !

[surreyu]

It really is no surprise we get so many poor referees if the assessors thought he had a good game. His guesswork on throwins and corners was horrific and the lack of advantage right at the end when Harry was running through was appalling

[markf]

I would be in the minority? You should have walked around the ground and listened to the comments being made.

As for the assessors they are all ex refs. It's like the police inspecting the police. Most of them are more concerned with all the team of officials looking as one rather than actually making the right decision. I used to tell the ref dev officer at Surrey fa that every Monday morning. It's like a gentleman's club; once you're in you're in. Why I never joined a local society when I refereed. Went to one and it was all back slapping. A mutual appreciation society.

If he was an 8 we're in trouble. Would have given him 65 out of the tonne myself but then he is young on a fast track and they won't want to disillusion him.

[oohaah]

Aug 26, 2018 18:54:51 GMT pinewalker said:

Aug 26, 2018 10:44:44 GMT markf said:

We certainly do see things differently. The club gave the ref 8 out of 10 (based on NLP). With due respect to our "marking team", to get an 8 takes some doing; that performance wasn't.

True Mark, and I think you might be in the minority for your refs assessment this week.

I had the great advantage of having the two referees' assessors sitting behind me and one of them dictating into his mobile a running commentary on the decision making. He was also wearing earphones plugged into his computer and appeared, from what he said to his colleague, to be listening to what the refs and assistants were saying on their radio link.

Those assessors did not see as many faults as you did, and from exactly the same angle I didn't either.  I had the cheek - since they had been bending my ear for 90 minutes - to say I thought the ref was much better than the average ref we get and hoped they would give him a decent mark.  We also shared a joke about them coming back to watch Halifax if they wanted to see a ref have a difficult game.

I'd like to think you're joking, Pinewalker - please, please, please, tell me you are?

[Andy K]

I'm with the "minority" then. Thought the ref was pretty awful but I think that was secondary to the story of the game and that's actually how good we played against a very decent side. In the first half especially we played with a confidence at home I've not noticed as much since our title winning season. The final product is still a little lacking but their keeper I thought was the difference between 3 points for us and a draw. Credit to our defence too for negating the threat of one of the most potent strike forces in the division.

Unbeaten in 6 with the team playing well together. As delboy said if you look at who we've played too, only Eastleigh have lacked any serious quality and we now have a great chance of getting 3 points at the Rec on Monday at a ground we've not had the best of luck at (although I've never seen us play badly there). History may not be on our side but as we've seen at Ebbsfleet twice in 2018, we can rewrite history.