When you are 2-0 up you have to be disappointed not to see a win through, and sadly we could not manage to hold onto this and ended up drawing 2-2 in the end at MK Dons yesterday but all things considered can we be ‘too unhappy’ with this?
What a start we made!
We came out the traps really well and took the game to MK Dons, which I think surprised them and brought plenty of panic at the back for them with them looking rocky every time we came forward.
Our main problem was we did not force the keeper into enough saves, the story of our season really but from the shots that were on target we scored with both! Speaking of keepers, well their keeper, I am amazed that he was not even shown a yellow, when I reckon a red card would not have been out of the question when he conceded the early penalty…
The own goal was unfortunate, both in terms of how it happened and the timing – just before the break took a little wind out of our sails and also blew some into theirs, Adam Webster was definitely unfortunate, like I say.
It is always easy from the stands, but he did seem to have a bit more time that he thought, although I guess it is a natural reaction as a defender to stick a leg out to try and clear…
I thought we started the 2nd half far too deep, and invited too much pressure on ourselves, like we so often do, and feared we could not hold out against a talented MK Dons side who use the width very well, and if we kept inviting them to do so they would more and more.
‘Maybe’ had we gone in two-up at the break we would not have started quite offensively in the 2nd half as we did?
I must say though that we are looking MUCH better defensively now!
I think Webster is proving a good option at fullback with Lubomir Michalik and Gabor Gyepes forming a cracking central defensive pairing, ‘almost’ good enough and ‘strong enough’ to justify, to a degree, almost sitting back and soaking up pressure.
In all fairness we broke pretty well, quickly and in numbers at times in the 2nd half so it was not 100% backs to the wall defending by any means, perhaps 75-85% though! That was clearly a gameplan, soak up as much as possible and break, with us getting ‘closer’ to being able to pull this off I reckon.
I thought Michalik looked good from the minute he came in recently, but Gypo I was not so sure on but he has grown in stature and looks fairly rock like at the back and is of course chipping in with plenty of goals, that is now 3 in as many games…
Another mention also had to go to Johnny Ertl.
He seems to have strengthened us defensively by coming into a defensive midfield role. To be honest I think he will be very unlucky to drop out the side when Akos Buzsaky comes in, which Buzsaky will but it is (well should not be) by no means certain it will be Ertl coming out…
Yep, I was disappointed we could not see the win through, but had you offered me a 2-2 draw before I would have – as I said prior to it – bitten your hand off, I just wish we had come from two-down instead of letting a two-goal lead slip, but hey ho!
Personally I would say that is the most I have enjoyed a game since Colchester away, which followed on from the cracker to kick-off against Bournemouth, and I also feel that is probably, all things considered, the best we have played since then too with the signs being this team really is starting to gel…
A good trip, good company – meeting up with my sister and her boyfriend was extra special – cracking day, good pub next to the lake, conveniently enough named ‘The Inn by the Lake’ (even if they ran out of Bombardier!) is much more like it!
This is more of what I want more of, sadly the off the field crap continues to rear its ugly head and bring you down just when you start to bring yourself up again!
I want to come away from a game feeling I have had real value for money with everyone giving 100% (Izale McLeod also gets a thumbs up from me as he showed the good sides of his game, also some of the bad with way-wood finishing, but showed he can do this again and also showed he can give that 100% commitment!) and really being up for it. I want to have more of these days where I really enjoy it again, which have been few and far between in recent months…
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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