Post by refsworstenemy on Mar 10, 2007 19:20:40 GMT
On Tuesday night when we played Molesey I had trouble deciding on who our best player was. This was for a completely different reason to why I couldn't distinguish a man of the match today.
Very encouraging football today, of a similar standard to that in the Walton Casuals game a few weeks ago.
Chatham were a decent, well organised team and it was good to see Burgess Hill's standard of football dramatically improve since the debacle on Tuesday night.
Aside from taking the lead twice in this game, BHTFC showed the kind of spirit required to stay afloat in this standard of football.
There were a few dodgy moments, and we looked as though we could've conceded a couple of goals due to lack of concentration, but fortune appeared to favour us today.
Some great saves from Andre helped keep the score down as well as a defence which looked a lot more comfortable to be on the pitch. Clarke started well and Soutar looked as comfortable as usual when called on to replace him due to injury. Grice's performance was remarkably better, and despite a fairly quiet contribution to the game, won several vital balls and did well to hamper Chatham's attempts. He certainly was instrumental in the win. The key difference for me was the passing in midfield. Neil Watts was his usual reliable self, and for me is almost up with the likes of Leo Day and Adie Downey in terms of solid midfield performances. He may even be my choice for player of the season, the first time in 12 years where I have voted for the same player 2 seasons in a row.
The game wasn't without a few clumsy tackles and aggressive moments, although I felt the ref blew up a few too many times (in favour of both sides) and stopped some of the flowing football. He also gave a few dubious decisions, and both teams were left a little baffled once or twice. The linesman seemed a little unaware of the concept of offside, but we all know linesmen at this level aren't expected to understand the offside rule.
All in all a good game, and perhaps the standard we should be setting as a minimum each week. I imagine Gary had something to say to the players after Tuesday night, and if he did it seems to have done the trick. He also seemed to inspire the team during the course of the game. It wasn't our best performance ever, like my post might suggest, but when drawn in comparison to Tuesday night's match, it was a huge improvement.
Well done lads.
Very encouraging football today, of a similar standard to that in the Walton Casuals game a few weeks ago.
Chatham were a decent, well organised team and it was good to see Burgess Hill's standard of football dramatically improve since the debacle on Tuesday night.
Aside from taking the lead twice in this game, BHTFC showed the kind of spirit required to stay afloat in this standard of football.
There were a few dodgy moments, and we looked as though we could've conceded a couple of goals due to lack of concentration, but fortune appeared to favour us today.
Some great saves from Andre helped keep the score down as well as a defence which looked a lot more comfortable to be on the pitch. Clarke started well and Soutar looked as comfortable as usual when called on to replace him due to injury. Grice's performance was remarkably better, and despite a fairly quiet contribution to the game, won several vital balls and did well to hamper Chatham's attempts. He certainly was instrumental in the win. The key difference for me was the passing in midfield. Neil Watts was his usual reliable self, and for me is almost up with the likes of Leo Day and Adie Downey in terms of solid midfield performances. He may even be my choice for player of the season, the first time in 12 years where I have voted for the same player 2 seasons in a row.
The game wasn't without a few clumsy tackles and aggressive moments, although I felt the ref blew up a few too many times (in favour of both sides) and stopped some of the flowing football. He also gave a few dubious decisions, and both teams were left a little baffled once or twice. The linesman seemed a little unaware of the concept of offside, but we all know linesmen at this level aren't expected to understand the offside rule.
All in all a good game, and perhaps the standard we should be setting as a minimum each week. I imagine Gary had something to say to the players after Tuesday night, and if he did it seems to have done the trick. He also seemed to inspire the team during the course of the game. It wasn't our best performance ever, like my post might suggest, but when drawn in comparison to Tuesday night's match, it was a huge improvement.
Well done lads.