Green shoots
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 10:01 am
Four points from two away games can't be sniffed at. I'm happier with last night's point at Pompey than I was at scraping past an awful Wigan side at the weekend.
On Saturday our passing and thinking was poor, and we kept giving the ball away or making the wrong decision. The big positive is that we created chances and got the win, but we still contrived to almost throw it away against non-league standard opponents.
Yesterday we just seemed much more mentally switched on, like we knew what to do when in possession. Too often this season we have been ponderous on the ball, and easily snuffed out by the opposition. But last night we really worried Portsmouth for decent periods. We still looked a bit shaky when they had the ball - our defence still has a way to go before they will reassure me. But they had more protection from midfield - Gorrin particularly stepped up his game compared to recent performances. And Eastwood was a commanding presence behind them, which was good to see after his dodginess at Wigan.
I hope Robinson has finally seen the light regarding Sean Clare, though I can't believe it's taken him so long to see what we all could after a game and a half. Good to see the subs making a real impact too (Taylor aside, who, despite being our top scorer, hasn't really got into his stride yet and his frustration is evident).
Anyway, last night has convinced me that there can be more to this campaign than a relegation fight - our strongest all-round performance of the season so far imo.
On Saturday our passing and thinking was poor, and we kept giving the ball away or making the wrong decision. The big positive is that we created chances and got the win, but we still contrived to almost throw it away against non-league standard opponents.
Yesterday we just seemed much more mentally switched on, like we knew what to do when in possession. Too often this season we have been ponderous on the ball, and easily snuffed out by the opposition. But last night we really worried Portsmouth for decent periods. We still looked a bit shaky when they had the ball - our defence still has a way to go before they will reassure me. But they had more protection from midfield - Gorrin particularly stepped up his game compared to recent performances. And Eastwood was a commanding presence behind them, which was good to see after his dodginess at Wigan.
I hope Robinson has finally seen the light regarding Sean Clare, though I can't believe it's taken him so long to see what we all could after a game and a half. Good to see the subs making a real impact too (Taylor aside, who, despite being our top scorer, hasn't really got into his stride yet and his frustration is evident).
Anyway, last night has convinced me that there can be more to this campaign than a relegation fight - our strongest all-round performance of the season so far imo.