Matty D
31st August 2004, 13:56
Will the real Brentford please stand up?
After the impressive display against Stockport it was back to the bad old ways at Bristol, largely due to our senior pros’ inability to play two games in a week, and Martin Allen showing City far, far too much respect in sacrificing the left wing so that Somner (Somner!) could do a marking job on Scott Murray.
City had two points before yesterday, with the manager’s head on the line and talk of him having lost the dressing room. Was “run at us all you like, we only came for a point, which we’ll get because you’ll never beat Matt Somner” really the right approach?
With Tabb injured, and Salako rested the other change was Sam Sodje replacing Talbot in the holding role, where he probably did better than expected, although it was noticeable that as soon as Talbot came on, and started winning tackles, every other player on the team instantly improved as well.
The first half was mostly City, with only a Burton header threatening their goal. Nelson tipped over from Murray, and Roberts might have done better when given a run at Nelson by a sloppy defensive header. Half way through the half we slept while City too ka short corner and Wilkshire rifled it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Salako replaced Somner at half-time and Burton had a chance to level the score straight after the restart when the City keeper found him with a scuffed clearance, but he couldn’t hit the target. It was to prove a costly miss as within minutes Dobbo completely mis-hit a crossfield ball and presented Murray with an easy run on goal which he duly finished.
Talbot replaced Dobson soon after, and we went to a back three in search of a route back into the game. For the first time we started to turn the screw, and O’Connor headed in a far post cross. Unfortunately the good work counted for nothing as the ref waved play on with Sodje down after a challenge with Wilkshire, who sprayed the ball out wide and took advantage of Sodje’s injury to run on and hammer the resulting cross home for 3-1.
We knew the game was up, and it was only a matter of how many more City would add. In the end it was just the one, Murray again finding space on the right wing and cutting inside to finish. Another away game, another home side made to look better than they probably are :(
Nelson 6 – little chance with any of the goals, kicking poor again
Dobbo 5 – not alert enough, and sloppy passing
Frampton 4 – all over the place
Fitz 5 – exposed to pacy forwards who were always going to trouble him
Turner 6 – coped a little better, but only just
Sodje 5 – not really his role, but showed some touches on the ball which were decent for a centre back
Hargreaves 6 – tried hard, but we were too busy defending to use him going forward
Somner 4 – never stood a chance
O’Connor 7 – best of a bad bunch, never going to be able to play a proper wing role, but tried to keep the ball and make them work now and then. Goal machine :D
Burton 7 – might have done better with a few efforts, but our main threat
Rankin 6 – starved of service
Salako 7 – we came into the game a bit when he replaced Somner
Talbot 7 – we came into the game some more when he replaced Dobbo
After the impressive display against Stockport it was back to the bad old ways at Bristol, largely due to our senior pros’ inability to play two games in a week, and Martin Allen showing City far, far too much respect in sacrificing the left wing so that Somner (Somner!) could do a marking job on Scott Murray.
City had two points before yesterday, with the manager’s head on the line and talk of him having lost the dressing room. Was “run at us all you like, we only came for a point, which we’ll get because you’ll never beat Matt Somner” really the right approach?
With Tabb injured, and Salako rested the other change was Sam Sodje replacing Talbot in the holding role, where he probably did better than expected, although it was noticeable that as soon as Talbot came on, and started winning tackles, every other player on the team instantly improved as well.
The first half was mostly City, with only a Burton header threatening their goal. Nelson tipped over from Murray, and Roberts might have done better when given a run at Nelson by a sloppy defensive header. Half way through the half we slept while City too ka short corner and Wilkshire rifled it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Salako replaced Somner at half-time and Burton had a chance to level the score straight after the restart when the City keeper found him with a scuffed clearance, but he couldn’t hit the target. It was to prove a costly miss as within minutes Dobbo completely mis-hit a crossfield ball and presented Murray with an easy run on goal which he duly finished.
Talbot replaced Dobson soon after, and we went to a back three in search of a route back into the game. For the first time we started to turn the screw, and O’Connor headed in a far post cross. Unfortunately the good work counted for nothing as the ref waved play on with Sodje down after a challenge with Wilkshire, who sprayed the ball out wide and took advantage of Sodje’s injury to run on and hammer the resulting cross home for 3-1.
We knew the game was up, and it was only a matter of how many more City would add. In the end it was just the one, Murray again finding space on the right wing and cutting inside to finish. Another away game, another home side made to look better than they probably are :(
Nelson 6 – little chance with any of the goals, kicking poor again
Dobbo 5 – not alert enough, and sloppy passing
Frampton 4 – all over the place
Fitz 5 – exposed to pacy forwards who were always going to trouble him
Turner 6 – coped a little better, but only just
Sodje 5 – not really his role, but showed some touches on the ball which were decent for a centre back
Hargreaves 6 – tried hard, but we were too busy defending to use him going forward
Somner 4 – never stood a chance
O’Connor 7 – best of a bad bunch, never going to be able to play a proper wing role, but tried to keep the ball and make them work now and then. Goal machine :D
Burton 7 – might have done better with a few efforts, but our main threat
Rankin 6 – starved of service
Salako 7 – we came into the game a bit when he replaced Somner
Talbot 7 – we came into the game some more when he replaced Dobbo