CITY v SHEPSHED DYNAMO, 30th MARCH 2019

[Tim Munslow]

Well, that developed into quite a game! Thought City deserved the three points for the way the ran Shepshed ragged in the last half-hour, but when you consider Sam Gilder not only saved the penalty but made an almost impossible save from Jordan Wilson's looping shot, then I suppose we have to be thankful for the draw.

The two players who stood out for me were Liam Lockett (ran his heart out) and - when he came on - "Special K" (Attoumani) whose best performance in a City shirt that was.  He was outstanding and didn't put a foot wrong: why doesn't he always play like that? He must be a "shoe-in" to start the next game surely?

As for the referee: it was obvious from early on we were all to be subjected to a symphony on the whistle.  He was terrible, but what can we expect at this level?

[The sound and the fury]

That save from Sam Gilder from the lob deserves to be shown on telly, it was that good. He had almost no chance of getting there but somehow did, tremendous agility. Thought Special K was different gravy today, man of the match for me despite only being on the pitch for half the game. We had the chances to win it, but so did they, ended up a great game to watch after a crap first half. Learned one thing today, Ethan Moran isn't quite ready for that sort of role just yet, his decision making isn't there yet. Batesy and Lemon linked up really well though.

[alwaysnextyear]

A draw was probably a fair result although either side could have nicked it. Dreadful first half from us with the highlight being looking repeatedly at the magnificent banner ! Second half we were transformed by Attoumani who put himself about in midfield and played with lots of drive and energy, and by Lemon coming on up front. He holds the ball up far better than Harrison and makes better runs down the channels anticipating the ball arriving, rather than chasing after it once it's been kicked. Bates came on for a cameo last 15 minutes and also showed plenty of quality and movement. I said in a match report weeks ago that Lemon and Bates play well together and should be given an extended run starting the game as a pair. I live in hope that today's efforts might have caught the manager's eye, and that he will give them a go together. Liam Lockett again showed a lot of promise, and would become a better player if he had more players on his wavelength.

However, how we played Tyler Weir as a left sided mid field player for the first half was beyond me. Tyler gives his best, but he can't go outside the full back with his left foot, so just cuts inside narrowing the pitch. Tyler must have played 300 plus games as an overlapping right back, and that is his position. Best for him and the team.

Tim is right about the ref. Most of them at this level, as are most of the players I hasten to add, are just not that good. However the players just don't seem to have the nous to quickly work out a poor ref unlike the crowd ! Therefore petty dissent has to be left to the opposition, and English's brainless dismissal doesn't reflect well on him or the team discipline. An attendance of 301 was pretty good on the day.

[jupu]

Nice to see some positive reaction to what was a decent 45 minutes. Let's not forget that we were once again served up the same uninspiring football in the first half that we have witnessed in so many home games this season. That's now one home win in the league in five months.

[Tim Munslow]

Just thought I'd stick a post on here to highlight Shepshed's remarkable start to this season, even if they are now in a separate league to us (United Counties League Premier).

They've won all ten of their games, scoring 32 goals in the process, and have YET to concede a goal! Some record.

[Tim Munslow]

And now our likely opponents in the next round of the Vase IF we were to beat Dunkirk on Wednesday night: they've now actually conceded a goal!

[Tim Munslow]

Sure enough they ARE our opponents, having beaten Cadbury Athletic 4-1 last night.