As we all know tomorrows game is massive and is going to be a very tough with not a lot in it. So, tomorrow, more so than ever, it is going to be very important whose scores the first goal. These are our records when scoring or conceding the first goal: When scoring first: Saints have scored first in 26 of our games. In these 26 games we have accumulated 70 points. Won 22 Drawn 4 Lost 0 (2.69 points per game) Reading have scored first in 21 of their games. In these 21 games they have accumulated 58 points. Won 19 Drawn 1 Lost 1 (2.76 points per game) When conceding first Saints have conceded first in 15 of our games. In these 15 games we have accumulated 11 points. Won 2 Drawn 5 Lost 8 (0.73 points per game) Reading have conceded first in 19 of their games. In these 19 games they have accumulated 22 points. Won 6 Drawn 4 Lost 9. (1.15 points per games) As the stats show, we both have brilliant records when scoring the first goal. We have accumulated more points than them but they have a better points per game average. So it is very balanced. However, when conceding the first goal it is a different story. When this happens we do not do well at all. We have only won two games in which we have conceded the first goal. Reading, on the other hand, have conceded first four more times than us but have gone on to win 6 games of those games, accumulating double the amount of points we have and with a much better points per game average. Overall, these stats favour Reading. They do extremely well when going ahead and are capable of turning games around. While we too do extremly well when scoring the first goal but struggle to turn games around when the opposition scores the first goal. Conclusion: We need to score the first goal!
I bang on about this before every game...score first and score early, but apparently don't let Reading score second because that favours them as well!! So also keep a clean sheet...sorted.
We turned it around against them after they scored first, & we didn't exactly play that well. Looking back, that was a big result.
You've got to love Dave Merrington. The bloke who sits next to me at SMS always listens on his headphones and always informs me when Dave gives such advice. I try to relay the message to Nigel on the touchline but he never looks my way!!!
Two of those four times where we scored first but didn't win we're against Pompey. Those two games, perhaps because of the passion of the occasion, we didn't pass the ball around the back once we has the lead in our normal fashion. This means the opposition has to push out leaving the gaps behind to exploit. I hope we score first and then keep the ball. Composure under fire will do the trick.
While we're on stats, we have actually won those games that we have scored last in and the other team have failed to score before or after our first and last goals.
