What a great run of six clean sheet games, a huge achievement. Apart from the Bristol game (who suffer a horrible goal difference) the goal scoring remains a problem, as it has done since the end of December.
The debate about not scoring goals and not getting a striker in that last window are both more pertinent now.
The debate a month ago about “play-offs or promotion by right” is slowly being diluted to “can we make the play-offs” and maybe “can we survive them”.
I believed the front of goal touch by Fryatt and Co. would improve, but I was wrong. Fryatt is a hard worker and seems to put in the effort, but it’s not happening for him, and no-one is consistently stepping up to take the pressure off him. The opportunities are there in spades produced by a skilful set of players, but not being converted.
I believed we should have made a real effort for a proven striker in January and I still do. I don’t believe NB had any intention of signing a striker as he put his faith in the players. Maybe he was just offered Josh King and said “ok”. That’s only an opinion (no evidence) but it fits.
Promotion? Certainly it’s there, it’s much too early to give up on it and we are still in a good position, but unless something changes we can forget it. We have that game in hand but three other teams above us in play-off positions do as well. Maybe we can hang around in 7th, 6th, 7th, 8th etc and make a late run when goals come from somewhere from an injury free squad; stay in the play-offs while in-form, and hey presto. But if we are still scoring spasmodically then the play-offs can be a nightmare. If you miss chances in those matches you don’t get another couple of games to make amends. In the promotion year we averaged something like 1.5 goals a game which was low even in that year. The teams ahead of us are doing that now and have averaged 50% more goals than us, and as many of us have pointed out we are only where we are because of the defence. Long may that rock continue, it’s about our only weapon at the moment.
It’s possible we may get another striker in this loan window, but either Nicky is keeping his cards close to his chest or has no intention of trying. Have we heard any rumours from the KC?
Fully behind Nicky and his staff/squad, I only hope the feelings a lot of us have about an opportunity missed to freshen things up with a couple of new faces in the dressing room, and on the pitch, don’t haunt us come June.