Not Too Much Damage Done

[Greenfinch]

Although we lost yesterday, the League table is still open to climb quickly with other teams only a few points above us.We could easily have come home from Lowestoft with 3pts, and at least a point against Alvechurch.So I say to Mark and the players, please don't be too despondent, your day is coming and our luck will turn. You could taste the will to win in the air, dedication to win or what,you can't ask for any more than that,and like the rest of the dedicated fans, we feel your pain.

[ClubAdmin]

We should have done enough to at least get a point. However, Alvechurch showed that they were not going to be easy to break down. Not pretty, but having grabbed the goal they were always looking as though they could grind out the result. They did remind me a bit of the Wimbledon side of the 80s and 90s!

Have now been following Hitchin for over 30 years. What I have noticed as the massive difference from my first 20 years until now is the difference in the loyalty of the supporter base. Truth is, historically, "supporters" would have deserted a sinking ship and yesterday's gate would have been 200 or less in days gone by. The 401 attendance yesterday for a team bottom of the table was quite phenomenal. The loyalty was a total testament to the Hitchin following we now have. Merchandise is still selling online and in the Club Shop in unbelievable amounts, there is still a tremendous positive buzz about the place, and there is the hope that we will soon climb the table.

I really hope that this unbelievable loyalty is rewarded very soon with improved and sustained results. If any supporters deserve it, ours do. If we can get a crowd of over 400 now- imagine if we were competing? Stick with it folks.......and from me a massive thanks to you all.

[Brian Parker]

I thought our football in the first half hour was excellent. We played them off the pitch but they scored with their only attack and we squandered 3 or 4 great chances as well as several half chances. We may have thought our recent problem of not being able to put the ball in the net had passed but it was back with a vengeance yesterday.

We still have to find a method of countering a team that "parks the bus". We are at our best when we are able to draw a team forward and attack the space created at their back. For half an hour this almost worked but then they shut up shop. I also thought that the intensity and effort took its toll because although we continued to attack in the second half we didn't make any chances until we hit the bar in the last minute of added time.

Our lack of aerial power up front continues to be a worry. Goal scoring headers are not easy against tall defenders. To get over the ball and head it down forcefully requires a strong run and jump to have any chance of success. I often feel that our best headers of the ball stand too close to goal at set pieces to manage anything much more than a standing jump, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage. Strong runners from outside the box are going to be harder to pick up and able to finish more powerfully.

Anyway a decent performance that deserved better luck than it got.

[Sky Blue Canary]

Let's see where we are when everyone joins us on played 18.

[Neil]

Some very good points Jackie. They were a shade unlucky against Alvechurch, but it’s clear the team is lacking on many fronts... too easily knocked off the ball, predictable, no punch. No lack of effort, but after 18 games, the predicament is clear. There’s time to put it right, it’s in the clubs own hands at this stage of the season.

[pudgy]

In eighteen league games we've scored seventeen goals. In nine of those (that's half) we haven't scored at all. In October we played six games and scored twice.
Is it that difficult to define the problem, it's been with us all season?
The main aim of the game is to hit the round object, called a football, into the oppositions' net, as often as possible.
So get on and sign a striker or two, or, alternatively, flail around for the rest of the season playing pretty football at the bottom of the table.

[RST]

Hopefully Mark can pick up that elusive striker in a Black Friday sale at Strikers 'R' Us.

Clearly we need to score more goals, but at least we have tightened things up at the other end of the pitch. After the shambolic defeat to Needham Market we had conceded 26 goals in 11 league games. In the following 7 games we have conceded 6 goals, so that is at least one positive from recent games along with the fact that we have, to my eyes, been playing much better (partly no doubt thanks to the Gleeson effect) and the defeat of Leiston showed that on our day we can score goals. Need to do it a bit more often obviously.

Totally agree with your views on the attendances Chris. The 372 v Leiston on a Monday night was quite amazing considering the way things had been going and how great was it to send a surprisingly large crowd home happy for a change!

[ClubAdmin]

Agree with Neil Jackie - you've made some very valid points but also have underlined the realities of where we actually find ourselves.

The football is great, no complaints from anyone. The end results are not. We haven't won an away game, although in my opinion we've generally played better away from home than at home. I just look at two games in particular: Hednesford where we were 2-1 up and Luke Brown hit the post with a one or one which would have put us 3-1 up and out of sight....and last Tuesday at Lowestoft, where the missed penalty would have given us a 3-0 lead and again I don't think we would have blown that.

I'm not sure if it's me, or it was watching Fulham too much last season, but for the most part, particularly away from home, do we set up not to lose rather than to win, particularly when we are winning? We've blown leads in games, including the 2 goal lead last week. Peterborough Sports did similar on Saturday at St.Ives, but they just got upset and scored five more! Like when Stourbridge scored 4 against them, they just scored 8.

As RST says, the defensive side of things is competitive, but goals bring points and results. And in most cases, more than 1 per game is required. As Jackie has said, by my reckoning too we need to be back in the mix by Xmas.

Am looking forward to Stephen Gleeson and JCS playing in the same midfield. That IMHO will strengthen us. Also Steve Cawley is coming back into it and it is good to see his experience helping, albeit in small doses at the moment. With a bit more, we can compete again, and with positive results, we can maintain our great attendances.

We're about 8th or 9th in the division in the attendances, our League position needs to match that at least.