Rage Online

Blimey, not a single post on Saturday's game? I wasn't there (Jerome) but it's another point on the board, against a well-organised team by all accounts and we keep the momentum going. I'd be interested to read the accounts of anyone who did go. Already it feels like a season where we'll be comfortably mid-table - which is fine by me, as long as we can have a decent FA Cup run and keep playing entertaining stuff.

Looking forward to Bolton next weekend. Hopefully another good away following and a decent day out.

The game was enjoyable without being terribly exciting, I felt. Rather cagey and technical, with not a great deal of incident but some absorbing passing and cut and thrusts. We clearly can't play two wingers and bomb forward the whole time in this league, and Appleton has adjusted the team well to the new context, but it's maybe a bit less fun. Part of me misses Hylton running the length of the pitch to score and minutes later heading over an open goal! Rothwell is never going to excite the crowd in the same way.

At the time, the tactic of Taylor up front on his own seemed odd - especially as it was really not terribly effective. Post-match on RadOx, Appleton explained he had done that to nullify the effect of one of their players who, it then turned out, did not play. That explanation simply made me wonder why Appleton did not change things around earlier.

As Mr Original has said, enjoyable without being exciting. In the first half we had lots of possession and played the ball around well, but did not create anything like enough clear cut chances. With Dunkley's header on 5 minutes, it was one of those 'anywhere but there' efforts. Even with all of our possession, their number 7 kept finding too much space just in front of our back line. And as for the penalty, I could not tell at the time, and still cannot having watched the clip over and over again, whether Edwards was pushed or not. That said, it was clear from his performances last year - confirmed on Saturday - that he is prepared to let some physical stuff go (which, within reason, I like). Maybe a slight touch would be judged a push by other refs but not by him. Who knows...Anything else and I shudder to think how many free kicks he would have given against either Dunkley or their No 9 as they fought out their WWE bout over two 45 minute rounds.

Hemmings looked good when he came on - at which point Johnson seemed to wake up a bit. Maguire was hugely impressive again. What really amazes me is how often, in 50/50 challenges, he comes away with the ball. His control in those situations is immense. As for Eastwood, with the one on one in the first half and the point blank save in the second, he has once again kept us in the game.

I did not think Charlton were too bad, but some of their fans disagree:
https://chrispowellsflatcap.com/2016/09 ... ford-draw/

Whilst your Accrington's, Stevenage, Morecambe, Crawley etc are in League 2 on merit, it is nice to be playing teams who bring a decent away following now.

I thought the standard of football by both teams was good, and Dunkley seems so much calmer and reassured, not panicking into misclearances, but picking a simple pass left or right to his other defenders for them to deal with it.

I was surprised at all the agency stewards, checking tickets before I got to the turnstile, although clearly the message that you can enter the East Stand from either end hadn't been passed on. Apparently this was a clampdown on misuse of concession tickets.