Match rating v Yeovil

[Mapperleypie]

Never started one of these before so here is my chance to be shot down

Collin - 7 Can’t be held at fault for the goal as the wall seemed to not do it’s job, far better distribution save for a couple of slips on the greasy turf after the rain (one of which was nearly costly)
Hunt - 6 Average, his touch can be wayward at times, the sooner Tootle is back the better
Jones - 7 got lucky with the deflected goal, always looks a threat going forwards didn’t really get tested defensively
Duffy - 7 Solid, has got better as the season has progressed, didn’t really put a foot wrong
Brisley - 7 A brutal game for him with the head wound (lots of head injuries today), has a nice partnership with Duffy
Hewitt - 7 As with Jones possibly got lucky for his goal as his touch before shooting appeared to have been not what he had in mind, he does the basics as a defensive midfielder really well. Surely one of the first names on the team sheet.
Noble - 5 A real off-day, has looked the part of late but this was not one of those afternoons some wayward passes.
Alessandra - 6 Got a goal but is rarely convincing
Virtue 8.5 MOM - when he first came into the team he looked lightweight and not at the races, he has said recently that League Two football is almost a different sport to U23 matches and since his switch to the right has looked excellent, tireless today.
Forte - 8 I said on another Fred it feels like we have signed a new striker, unlucky not to score today. Hit the bar, shot just wide after some great control and chased down a lost cause to win possession whe he had no right to do so - a goal threat all afternoon
Ameobi - 7 Oozes class at times, imagine having him at Notts as a younger player

Stead - 6 Did what Stead does
O’Connor - 6 Put it about, wonder when he will be ready for 90mins
Husin - 6 Perfect time for him when the game is won, nice touches etc

[Elite_Pie]

Just composing this as you posted, but we appear to have seen the same game. Not easy to be objective about because in truth we weren’t that good, but eventually deserved the win because we fought so hard for it. Here are my ratings:

Collin 6.5 – no real saves to make, but confident handling of crosses, good distribution and seemed to be let down by the wall for their goal.
Hunt 6 – did a decent stand in role for Tootle, nothing fancy but showed his experience.
Duffy 7 – did his job, marking and positional sense again good.
Brisley 7 – stood up well to a physical battering and came back for more.
Jones 6 – a mixed performance, better forward than defensively.
Virtue 8* - worked hard and was constantly involved at both ends of the pitch. He seems to be learning all the time and is becoming an integral part of the team.
Noble 5 – nothing seemed to work for him today, a game to forget.
Hewitt 7 – always in the thick of things, and a goal to cap it off.
Allessandra 6 – didn’t do much up to his goal, but looked a threat after it.
Forte 6.5 – looked interested again, didn’t get on the scoresheet but posed a constant threat.
Ameobi 6 – provided the physical presence up front that allowed others to come into play.

Subs (no ratings but a few quick words):

Stead – what was expected, a good option to introduce at that stage.
O’Connor – did well in keeping the team balanced, a bit unlucky not to score.
Husin – a classy little cameo, he has something to offer.

The result was the main thing, and we got what we wanted quite comfortably in the end. The scoreline was a bit flattering but we achieved it through sheer hard work. Yeovil are one of those typical League 2 teams who don’t have a lot, but maximise what they do have. That sort of team has often been too much for us in the past, so my congratulations to Kevin Nolan for already securing a top 7 finish, which could get even better.

A final word on Jonathan Forte. No goals, but another committed performance. I always stay to applaud the players off the pitch after the final whistle when I think I’ve seen 100% effort whatever the result, and today was one of those days. Forte was the last player to leave the pitch, and made his way towards the main stand. He kissed a little girl (I assume it was his daughter) and had a huge smile on his face when he was generously applauded. Please keep it up Johnathan so that I have to issue a grovelling apology at the end of the season.

[navypie]

Never started one of these before so here is my chance to be shot down

Collin - 7 Can’t be held at fault for the goal as the wall seemed to not do it’s job, far better distribution save for a couple of slips on the greasy turf after the rain (one of which was nearly costly)
Hunt - 6 Average, his touch can be wayward at times, the sooner Tootle is back the better
Jones - 7 got lucky with the deflected goal, always looks a threat going forwards didn’t really get tested defensively
Duffy - 7 Solid, has got better as the season has progressed, didn’t really put a foot wrong
Brisley - 7 A brutal game for him with the head wound (lots of head injuries today), has a nice partnership with Duffy
Hewitt - 7 As with Jones possibly got lucky for his goal as his touch before shooting appeared to have been not what he had in mind, he does the basics as a defensive midfielder really well. Surely one of the first names on the team sheet.
Noble - 5 A real off-day, has looked the part of late but this was not one of those afternoons some wayward passes.
Alessandra - 6 Got a goal but is rarely convincing
Virtue 8.5 MOM - when he first came into the team he looked lightweight and not at the races, he has said recently that League Two football is almost a different sport to U23 matches and since his switch to the right has looked excellent, tireless today.
Forte - 8 I said on another Fred it feels like we have signed a new striker, unlucky not to score today. Hit the bar, shot just wide after some great control and chased down a lost cause to win possession whe he had no right to do so - a goal threat all afternoon
Ameobi - 7 Oozes class at times, imagine having him at Notts as a younger player

Stead - 6 Did what Stead does
O’Connor - 6 Put it about, wonder when he will be ready for 90mins
Husin - 6 Perfect time for him when the game is won, nice touches etc

Good effort Mapperley, agree with most of your ratings and thoughts. My MOM was Hewitt though, closely followed by Forte. Virtue had a good game and long may he continue to prove me wrong.

[Robertomac]

Other than the Mansfield game, in which he was outstanding, I think Noble has been a total disappointment. He was shocking today and should have been subbed at half time.

Agreed with the ratings above.

[jackal2]

Other than the Mansfield game, in which he was outstanding, I think Noble has been a total disappointment. He was shocking today and should have been subbed at half time.

Agreed with the ratings above.

I can't say Noble has disappointed me, because I've never understood the hype around him. In his first spell he was an average player who took shocking corners and was hot-headed. In his new spell he's an average player who still takes shocking corners and is (perhaps) a little less hot-headed than before but still has the capacity to talk himself into trouble. That really is all he is.

[tarquinbeech]

Never started one of these before so here is my chance to be shot down

Collin - 7 Can’t be held at fault for the goal as the wall seemed to not do it’s job, far better distribution save for a couple of slips on the greasy turf after the rain (one of which was nearly costly)
Hunt - 6 Average, his touch can be wayward at times, the sooner Tootle is back the better
Jones - 7 got lucky with the deflected goal, always looks a threat going forwards didn’t really get tested defensively
Duffy - 7 Solid, has got better as the season has progressed, didn’t really put a foot wrong
Brisley - 7 A brutal game for him with the head wound (lots of head injuries today), has a nice partnership with Duffy
Hewitt - 7 As with Jones possibly got lucky for his goal as his touch before shooting appeared to have been not what he had in mind, he does the basics as a defensive midfielder really well. Surely one of the first names on the team sheet.
Noble - 5 A real off-day, has looked the part of late but this was not one of those afternoons some wayward passes.
Alessandra - 6 Got a goal but is rarely convincing
Virtue 8.5 MOM - when he first came into the team he looked lightweight and not at the races, he has said recently that League Two football is almost a different sport to U23 matches and since his switch to the right has looked excellent, tireless today.
Forte - 8 I said on another Fred it feels like we have signed a new striker, unlucky not to score today. Hit the bar, shot just wide after some great control and chased down a lost cause to win possession whe he had no right to do so - a goal threat all afternoon
Ameobi - 7 Oozes class at times, imagine having him at Notts as a younger player

Stead - 6 Did what Stead does
O’Connor - 6 Put it about, wonder when he will be ready for 90mins
Husin - 6 Perfect time for him when the game is won, nice touches etc

No shooting-down from me.....I agree with the entire post....what is puzzling me is why Noble appears to have completely gone "missing" of late, similar to Grant in the last few matches ......it is mystifying, he had a cracking few matches then nothing, his tackling is still there, almost, but some of his passing is dire, ....it never really affected us today but we might need to sit him on the bench v Grimsby IMO

ps...start a few more Match Ratings threads Mr Mappers

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Never started one of these before so here is my chance to be shot down

Collin - 7 Can’t be held at fault for the goal as the wall seemed to not do it’s job, far better distribution save for a couple of slips on the greasy turf after the rain (one of which was nearly costly)
Hunt - 6 Average, his touch can be wayward at times, the sooner Tootle is back the better
Jones - 7 got lucky with the deflected goal, always looks a threat going forwards didn’t really get tested defensively
Duffy - 7 Solid, has got better as the season has progressed, didn’t really put a foot wrong
Brisley - 7 A brutal game for him with the head wound (lots of head injuries today), has a nice partnership with Duffy
Hewitt - 7 As with Jones possibly got lucky for his goal as his touch before shooting appeared to have been not what he had in mind, he does the basics as a defensive midfielder really well. Surely one of the first names on the team sheet.
Noble - 5 A real off-day, has looked the part of late but this was not one of those afternoons some wayward passes.
Alessandra - 6 Got a goal but is rarely convincing
Virtue 8.5 MOM - when he first came into the team he looked lightweight and not at the races, he has said recently that League Two football is almost a different sport to U23 matches and since his switch to the right has looked excellent, tireless today.
Forte - 8 I said on another Fred it feels like we have signed a new striker, unlucky not to score today. Hit the bar, shot just wide after some great control and chased down a lost cause to win possession whe he had no right to do so - a goal threat all afternoon
Ameobi - 7 Oozes class at times, imagine having him at Notts as a younger player

Stead - 6 Did what Stead does
O’Connor - 6 Put it about, wonder when he will be ready for 90mins
Husin - 6 Perfect time for him when the game is won, nice touches etc

That’s a good effort and I think you have summed up the performances and ratings spot on in my opinion.

Stand out players for me were Forte and Virtue. These two have really stepped up in recent weeks and are contributing a lot to the team.

Virtue is making a place for himself on the right side of midfield. He battles and tries really hard and gives 100%. When he first came into the side I thought he seemed a bit lightweight but he’s improving and getting better since going onto the right. It would be interesting to see how he would get on with another loan spell in that position next season.

Forte is now like the Forte who came on loan to us in the past. He’s on the top of his game at the moment and his commitment is unquestionable. He is a threat and looks hungry and has the desire. He was unlucky to not get a goal yesterday and his recent goals have kept us in with a shout of automatic places. We are stronger up top with Forte in this form and Ameobi/Stead rotating in my opinion as it allows Collin to release the ball quicker. I hope he keeps this up because it would be a shame to see him leave in the summer.

Today for whatever reason was not a day for Noble or Alessandra. I thought the game passed Noble by. I don’t know whether that is because the ball was bypassing midfield or not. Likewise I felt the same about Allessandra. He did not seem to be involved in the game much up and till his goal, but then came into it a bit. So a bit of an off day for those two in my view.

All the others did what they needed to do. The ball spent a lot of time in the air and it wasn’t one of those totally convincing performances but we did what we did earlier in the season and won through shear hard work and battling. That’s what got us in the automatic promotion places and kept us there for so long.

We played our best football as in passing it and moving on the ground once the game was won. I’d like to see us play more like this in general but at this point in the season it’s just about getting 3 points any way possible.

We could be on the cusp of achieving something special this season. I’m delighted we have secured our place in the playoffs, but still feel we have enough to win the last two games and grab 3rd place. Either way full credit to the players, manager coaches and chairman for giving us a season which has seen us win nearly half of our games and making Meadow Lane a fortress.

[slack_pie]

Looks good to me. A few thoughts:

I thought Collin had a great game. Safe hands, commanded his area, and his distribution was much better.
Hewitt deserved his MotM award - that's four goals for him now. If he can 5+ goals next season, he'll pretty much be the complete midfielder.
Virtue deserves the praise coming his way. He has a great attitude, never stops running, and is always looking to get into attacking positions when we have the ball. His chasing down that ball led to the throw-in that led to the third goal - stuff like that really matters. Well done kid.
An off day for Noble. I wonder if O'Connor would be good for a start soon?
Forte had another good game and looks a totally different player - this was typified by him chasing the defender down and forcing a throw-in. We need more of that. In this form, is he worth another contract? I'm fairly sure he would be on around 15 goals for the season if played regularly, possibly more.
Good to see Husin get some game time, and he showed in a few short minutes just what ability he has. I really hope we see more of him as the guy has so much talent.

[navypie]

I think we should introduce some kind of VAR system for match ratings . Then I could prove I was right and everybody else is wrong!

ps. It's not to late to vote for Tom James as goal of the season is it

[ncfcog]

Looks like most people watched the same game yesterday.

Not been a big fan of Collin but was probably his best game of the season. We finally got to see that ‘weapon’ of his, just as well because his kicking is still a bit dubious but commanded his box well.

Virtue. Add a little bit of pace to his game and there is definitely a good player in the making. He seems a quick learner and really glad to see him coming good at the right time to benefit the end of our season.

Forte. As others have said, like a new signing. Was unlucky not to score again, just hope he can go another 5 games without getting injured.

O’Connor. He just seems a different class when he comes on. Again timing of his return to fitness could be perfect for us.

Noble. Reminds me of a wasp that won’t leave you alone. Always buzzing around and getting in your face, not doing much else but enough to really p1ss you off.

Alessandra. Grabbed a goal but really not at the races today. Could have been playing with 10 men at times.

Hunt. Our resident DJ seemed a bit out of sorts, maybe still mourning the untimely death of fellow DJ Avicci?

Brisley was having a stinker until he got that knock to the head.

Everyone else did their jobs as expected. A good confidence building win, just what the doctor ordered.