If the weather conditions are ok and The Pilot Field is playable we will face the current nr 14 in the league table: Merstham.
They played like us 26 games and in their last two home games the results were quite remarkable: After winning 5-0 against Eastbourne they lost against Chipstead 1-4.
Let's hope the game is on so a few dutch Hastings supporters can come over !
Perhaps the Dutch supporters could bring some of their massive water pumps with them! What was the score at half time the last time we played Mertsham in the FA Trophy?
Pitch was playable and surprisingly firm this morning. The pitch was spiked the other day and has obviously had an effect. Forecast isn't great for today but the feeling is we should be ok.
As I said on a previous post we will need a hand to fork the pitch and help clear a bit of storm damage that's occurred over the last couple of days. If anyone can spare an hour or two from 11 o'clock your help would be very much appreciated?
Fingers crossed we get this one on, I know I'm getting withdrawal symptoms now.
Dan, the club are asking for help to get the pitch playable from 11, and the pitch inspection is at 11. Do we assume from that that help is no longer required.
Just heard from the ground staff. At the moment the pitch has passed so game is on subject to no more heavy rain. Thanks for offers of help but none needed now.
1 Josh Pelling
2 Josh Jirbandey
3 Sam Cruttwell
4 Tim Olorunda
5 Ben Judge
6 Sean Kelly
7 Danny Ellis
8 Sam Adams
9 Frankie Sawyer
10 Trevor McCreadie
11 Tom Vickers
Subs:
12 Kenny Pogue
14 Andy Henson
15 Tom O'Connor
16 Bailo Camara
17 Josh Oyinsan
2-2 Full time. I've got to admit to being a bit disappointed at the result. Could have done with all 3 points and would have had them but for the post in the dying seconds, even if on balance it was questionable whether we deserved to win it.
Disagree with both points made so far I'm afraid. Firstly Merstham are not s**t! I have seen them home and away this season and they are one of the best sides i have seen. They hammered us at theirs and should have done the same today. And also questions Hamilton's point that it was questionable that we deserved the win. Really? I would guess Merstham must be thinking how they didn't win comfortably. Forget about Sam hitting the post in the last minute, all that would have done was paper over the cracks of another very poor performance.
The match report could read just as every other one this season. Started well, early goal, backed off, Opponents get back in to it, eventually go in a goal up. Another rousing half time speech, the players don't turn up, can't pass a ball 5 yards, no cutting edge from midfield, full backs poor, hang on for a lucky point. Anyone disagree?
The only difference i can see so far between John's team and Terry's team is that Terry has a couple of better players, end of story. Are the performances any better? have they in fact got worse?
Very disappointing today all round. Thought Frankie looked very sharp and given time the partnership with McCreadie should be very dangerous. Midfield non existent apart from Tom's first half performance but any chance someone could tell him its a game of 2 halves. In my opinion he is our best player and i would love to see him in the middle. if we are playing poor he just seems to drift out of the game. And defensively we looked a complete shambles. Not often we can say that about the middle 2 and they can be excused for an off day but again the full backs!! that position is clearly jinxed now as even Josh looked a novice.
And finally, just repeating what most of the fans were saying behind the goal 2nd half, why do we go ultra defensive every time we take a lead? On at least 3 occasions in the 2nd half we broke away and had just 1 player in the box. I just don't get it anymore and just cannot see any improvements on the pitch. Thoroughly peed off again!
-- Edited by johnw on Saturday 15th of February 2014 07:29:54 PM
Deja vu in terms of performance.
Certainly nothing to suggest that we are really any better than any of these mid table teams and, it has to be said, Mertsham posed the greater goal threat all afternoon.
Thought young Sam did well at full back, rather better than Josh to be honest, but not too many individual performances worthy of note. Frankie looked sharp but Trevor had another anonymous game.
I think it was never going to be a great spectacle as the conditions were far from easy and players regularly struggled on the very slippery top....so let's hope for better conditions and an improved showing in the next two home games.
agree John with all you say. i think we are to negative at home and tempo is never high enough and want to see players down wings getting good crosses in. in this league defenders i see can not deal with this kind of attack but second half today it was hit and hope football and pitch not great but ball was still run well so no excuse performance no better or worse than maggs. think sawyer and pogue would be better combo up top. defence was slow to think today and cost us goals. on this performance as been case all season we need to improve to get to playoff.
I know we are only 3 games in to the new management but I have been really surprised by the teams picked and tactics used. Really thought Terry would want to put his own stamp on things but the same players are playing in the same positions and the tactics seem to be the same as Maggs. we need to try something different as the football has gone stale and boring, crowds are dropping and we all want to see us winning with a bit of style and swagger. I think Terry has done well in getting Frankie back but a playmaker and full back are still required and a bit of pace at the back would not go a miss. Or perhaps an out and out winger and move Vickers inside. Perhaps we could have another go at Tom Chapman down at Ramsgate. I know he turned us down earlier in the season in the hope for higher grade footy, but I see he is still there. Whatever we do, as Peter says, we must inject some pace and tempo in to our game. We must be one of most unattractive teams in the league to watch this season.
JJ at fullback, you've got to be joking. Cruttwell is not a fullback either, decent wide midfield. Did well to get a point against a side that were better than us.
