⚽Match Thread vs. Halifax Town FC 28.01.23 [NL]

[the_anticlough]

Jacob I think when we play Scott as a centre forward(which isn't often) and Langstaff off him on the shoulder we look capable of scoring goals whilst just tweeking the system.

I think you're right.
Two main goals 1) keeping pace with Wrexham 2) winning a home play-off semi-final
The first will need us to take an attacking approach to rack up wins.
The second would benefit from us being able to create some separation in a game. If Halifax can hold us to a 1-goal margin, then a better 5th place team can too, especially after coming off a QF win. Then it's down to the nerves holding for Slocs, Rawlo, Brinds, etc. to hold a lead. Playing the extra striker in Scott helps us in both scenarios I think. We need to be firmly back in the habit of getting clear wins.
77% possession playing something like 3-6-1? Or go for it with the second goalscorer at the expense of some game control?

[jacobncfc]

I think you're right.
Two main goals 1) keeping pace with Wrexham 2) winning a home play-off semi-final
The first will need us to take an attacking approach to rack up wins.
The second would benefit from us being able to create some separation in a game. If Halifax can hold us to a 1-goal margin, then a better 5th place team can too, especially after coming off a QF win. Then it's down to the nerves holding for Slocs, Rawlo, Brinds, etc. to hold a lead. Playing the extra striker in Scott helps us in both scenarios I think. We need to be firmly back in the habit of getting clear wins.
77% possession playing something like 3-6-1? Or go for it with the second goalscorer at the expense of some game control?

I get what you mean, but I don’t think the two scenarios are really comparable. In the play-offs a team would have to attack us if 1-0 down, which Halifax never bothered doing. I think we could’ve pretty much played who we liked on Saturday and the game would’ve gone as it did they were that negative - we ended with Langstaff, Scott, Ruben and Jones all on the pitch apart from anything else haha.

Agree with whoever above said that we’ve got one place on our team that mostly is going to come down to who LW thinks best suits the opposition we’re playing out of Austin, Scott and now Jones.

[the_anticlough]

I get what you mean, but I don’t think the two scenarios are really comparable. In the play-offs a team would have to attack us if 1-0 down, which Halifax never bothered doing. I think we could’ve pretty much played who we liked on Saturday and the game would’ve gone as it did they were that negative - we ended with Langstaff, Scott, Ruben and Jones all on the pitch apart from anything else haha.

Agree with whoever above said that we’ve got one place on our team that mostly is going to come down to who LW thinks best suits the opposition we’re playing out of Austin, Scott and now Jones.

Not sure you did get what I mean, actually. The two things I was talking about were beating Wrexham to top spot and being ready to win a home semi-final.
You mentioned balance in another post (referring to across the pitch) but my issue when Austin plays ahead of Scott is the balance between defence and attack. If you imagine a perfectly balanced see-saw, I see that toppled to the defensive side as soon as you add that 6th midfielder to the team. We've seemed to struggle for final-third entries in recent games (with the ball being recycled among the back line a lot more) due to a shortage of forward options. I don't mind seeing Ruben drop deep to receive, but it's frustrating to see him turn into space and only have a tightly-marked Maca to hit.

And you'd think that playing two attacking Mids (RR and SA) would see them link up a lot. But I haven't seen much interplay between them. Whereas Ruben and Cedwyn seem to have a good understanding and have linked up well many times this season (don't bother mentioning the pass that RR should have made anybody, that can't represent a half season of combining really well!)

As for Chicks, he has to be accountable for his play whoever plays with him towards that side. And I don't see a Chicks/Austin combo being a difference maker that helps us to keep pace with Wrexham.

[jacobncfc]

Not sure you did get what I mean, actually. The two things I was talking about were beating Wrexham to top spot and being ready to win a home semi-final.
You mentioned balance in another post (referring to across the pitch) but my issue when Austin plays ahead of Scott is the balance between defence and attack. If you imagine a perfectly balanced see-saw, I see that toppled to the defensive side as soon as you add that 6th midfielder to the team. We've seemed to struggle for final-third entries in recent games (with the ball being recycled among the back line a lot more) due to a shortage of forward options. I don't mind seeing Ruben drop deep to receive, but it's frustrating to see him turn into space and only have a tightly-marked Maca to hit.

And you'd think that playing two attacking Mids (RR and SA) would see them link up a lot. But I haven't seen much interplay between them. Whereas Ruben and Cedwyn seem to have a good understanding and have linked up well many times this season (don't bother mentioning the pass that RR should have made anybody, that can't represent a half season of combining really well!)

As for Chicks, he has to be accountable for his play whoever plays with him towards that side. And I don't see a Chicks/Austin combo being a difference maker that helps us to keep pace with Wrexham.

I think the last bit is to do with how Ruben naturally gravitates towards the right side of the pitch for whatever reason, even when he’s playing as a lone number ten, and as so much of our play goes through him it means the ball ends up over there constantly. Rather than anything Chicksen is or isn’t doing. I’d be interested to see it with Jones for Austin soon (imagine we will), as I think he’s somewhere between Austin’s natural midfielder and Scott’s natural striker.