Great to see the team winning again, and playing some decent football. I appreciate it was against Yeovil, but you can only beat who's in front of you on the day. My thoughts are below:
Chris Ramsey: Great mixture of Experience and youth in the starting XI. We've sent out better teams in the cup that have played with less desire and lost these sort of games in the past. It was refreshing to see players pressing and not letting Yeovil take to much time on the ball.
Green: A mere spectator in the first half, although if you were at the game, you probably heard the fellow in the stands praising him throughout the 45 minutes. Great concentration to make 2 important saves in the second half. One when we were really under the cosh at 2-0 and the other towards the very end of the game.
Perch: Started slowly, got ran ragged slightly in the first half by the Yeovil No.10, he was probably glad the lad didn't return for the 2nd half. Improved in the 2nd half, but a lot of Yeovil's most threatening moments still came down our right. Hopefully the 90 minutes will help.
Hall: Seemed really composed on the ball, (Played very safe in the opening 25 minutes) I lost count of the times he passed sideways to the Chief. He missed very little in the air (bar one mix up with the Chief.) ANd was on hand to cover on a few occasions also. Was unlucky not to score with a header from a corner that looked destined for the top corner, only for it to be agonizingly cleared off the line at the very last moment. Will be good to see how he fares against better opposition but we have cause for optimism.
Chief: You know exactly what you get with the Chief. Making his 100th appearance for the R's/ Not afraid to put his head on the ball. So much so that he had a 'Terry Butcher' look going on after a clash of heads. Got himself on the score sheet. After initially getting his feet muddled he rifled it into the roof of the net, kissing the crossbar on the way.
Kpekwa: Solid display, has a bit of pace about him. In the first half himself and Philips were too close together, improved in the second half when Philips pushed further on.
Dougherty: A few misplaced passes early on, but grew as the game went on. Has an eye for a pass and worked well as part of a midfield 3 along with Gladwin and Gobern.
Gobern: Willing runner and always quick to press. 2 semi chances one which went harmlessly over the bar, the other defected out for a corner. Was out on his feet after about 70 mins, so maybe his substitution could have come sooner.
Gladwin: Strong, loves to dribble. Link up play could be slightly better, doesn't always look up to see the pass but was always on hand to offer support to Poulter. Very much of the Mackie ilk. Should get a few goals for us this season.
JET: Great feet and pace for a big man. A few silky interchanges made for some exciting viewing. Got on the score sheet which should give some confidence moving forward. Also going to be our Delap for the season. The boys got a cannon for an arm!
Phillips: Didn't look much like a £10 million pound man. But unlocked the key to the Yeovil defense on a few occasions. I get that he likes to cut inside from the left but his best performances for us at the back end of last season came from the right hand side and putting the ball into the box. Good set- piece delivery.
Polter: (MOM) Never gave the Yeovil back line a moments rest. Showed great strength throughout. Out muscled the Yeovil defense for his first goal for the Rs and finished with aplomb. Tired towards the end when through on goal. Decided to take another touch instead of hit it first time and was eventually crowded out. Well on his way to becoming a fan favourite.
If Austin stays it's a real shame that we don't have a formation that Polter and Austin could play in together. Polter is the perfect foil for Austin and I honestly believe he'd get goals in abundance playing off the shoulder. They really would compliment each other perfectly.
For any fans that drove to the game, hope you all manage to navigate your way home via the diversion. It added a solid hour to our Journey home.......Totally worth it to see us finally win in the cup. Next stop, Wembley!
Chris Ramsey: Great mixture of Experience and youth in the starting XI. We've sent out better teams in the cup that have played with less desire and lost these sort of games in the past. It was refreshing to see players pressing and not letting Yeovil take to much time on the ball.
Green: A mere spectator in the first half, although if you were at the game, you probably heard the fellow in the stands praising him throughout the 45 minutes. Great concentration to make 2 important saves in the second half. One when we were really under the cosh at 2-0 and the other towards the very end of the game.
Perch: Started slowly, got ran ragged slightly in the first half by the Yeovil No.10, he was probably glad the lad didn't return for the 2nd half. Improved in the 2nd half, but a lot of Yeovil's most threatening moments still came down our right. Hopefully the 90 minutes will help.
Hall: Seemed really composed on the ball, (Played very safe in the opening 25 minutes) I lost count of the times he passed sideways to the Chief. He missed very little in the air (bar one mix up with the Chief.) ANd was on hand to cover on a few occasions also. Was unlucky not to score with a header from a corner that looked destined for the top corner, only for it to be agonizingly cleared off the line at the very last moment. Will be good to see how he fares against better opposition but we have cause for optimism.
Chief: You know exactly what you get with the Chief. Making his 100th appearance for the R's/ Not afraid to put his head on the ball. So much so that he had a 'Terry Butcher' look going on after a clash of heads. Got himself on the score sheet. After initially getting his feet muddled he rifled it into the roof of the net, kissing the crossbar on the way.
Kpekwa: Solid display, has a bit of pace about him. In the first half himself and Philips were too close together, improved in the second half when Philips pushed further on.
Dougherty: A few misplaced passes early on, but grew as the game went on. Has an eye for a pass and worked well as part of a midfield 3 along with Gladwin and Gobern.
Gobern: Willing runner and always quick to press. 2 semi chances one which went harmlessly over the bar, the other defected out for a corner. Was out on his feet after about 70 mins, so maybe his substitution could have come sooner.
Gladwin: Strong, loves to dribble. Link up play could be slightly better, doesn't always look up to see the pass but was always on hand to offer support to Poulter. Very much of the Mackie ilk. Should get a few goals for us this season.
JET: Great feet and pace for a big man. A few silky interchanges made for some exciting viewing. Got on the score sheet which should give some confidence moving forward. Also going to be our Delap for the season. The boys got a cannon for an arm!
Phillips: Didn't look much like a £10 million pound man. But unlocked the key to the Yeovil defense on a few occasions. I get that he likes to cut inside from the left but his best performances for us at the back end of last season came from the right hand side and putting the ball into the box. Good set- piece delivery.
Polter: (MOM) Never gave the Yeovil back line a moments rest. Showed great strength throughout. Out muscled the Yeovil defense for his first goal for the Rs and finished with aplomb. Tired towards the end when through on goal. Decided to take another touch instead of hit it first time and was eventually crowded out. Well on his way to becoming a fan favourite.
If Austin stays it's a real shame that we don't have a formation that Polter and Austin could play in together. Polter is the perfect foil for Austin and I honestly believe he'd get goals in abundance playing off the shoulder. They really would compliment each other perfectly.
For any fans that drove to the game, hope you all manage to navigate your way home via the diversion. It added a solid hour to our Journey home.......Totally worth it to see us finally win in the cup. Next stop, Wembley!
