shrimper wrote:MRH wrote:Thought we were far and away the better side in the first half. Exeter never really threatened and we looked pretty secure. Despite the sending off early in the second which sometimes galvanises sides, I think the blow for us came with both McLaughlan and Bentley going off. Many see Jimbo as slow and perhaps struggling at league level, but take him out of the team and the defensive strength and organisation suffers.
I'm very disappointed we only came away with a point because the encouraging thing about this game was that Exeter looked like a team that had just come up from the Conference, and we looked like an established league side.
Can't argue with their goal; it was an excellent finish.
Beforehand I'd have been happy with a draw, but in the end disappointed to have failed to capitalise on our general superiority.
But it all bodes well for the future.
What he said. Word for word.
I thought the first half was the best we've played this season and we looked like a very decent side (against a side that IS, judging by results, a decent side).
My only concern for the future is that our performances have been improved - and then further improved - by the addition of two players we may not have in January.
What he said and what he said.
Best performance of the season first half, although helped by a very naive looking Exeter side who gave us bags of space, which arguably we should have capitalised on more and put the game out of reach.
Jimbo's injury forced a re-organisation, which I disagreed with as we lost Ryan McCann and Ryan McGivern as an attacking force (R. McCann looks a far better wing back than a full back) and instead replaced the two of them with Neil Wainwright, who was, to be polite, not as good. After which point we basically threw the game away. All we had to do was hold on to the ball and create space through the extra man instead we gave the ball away over and over again through over-elaboration or just by playing poor football.
Finally, Rene Howe's man of the match surely was some ironic joke? Bar his goal I thought it was poorest performance yet. I lost count of how many times he gave the ball away. He can't shield a ball for more than a second but doesn't seem to know what do with it when it arrives with his back to goal. Diarmuid O'Carroll was far more lively and always willing to try things.
We looked like a really good side first half and something we can keep growing on but like Shrimper says keeping it together the side together will be hard work.