Blue
Square Premier - 26th January 2008
At KitKat Crescent - Att 3,092 (313 Aldershot)
Report
Picking up where they left off on Tuesday night, City put league
leaders Aldershot to the sword and utterly dominated an entertaining
game in front of a bumper crowd. Despite being much the better
side, City had to wait until moments from the end to feel comfortable
after a string of chances went begging before Martyn
Woolford's fourth goal in three games made it 2-0 and sealed
the game.
Aldershot started the brighter with a couple of early opportunities,
one from a free-kick given away by Darren
Craddock who cleared the danger away himself and Lewis Chalmers
had Tom Evans scrambling
to his left. From there on, the Shots barely had a.. well, a
shot as Evans became the 3,093rd spectator in the ground. Nikki
Bull in the Aldershot goal had a rather more testing afternoon
and he did well to deny Richard
Brodie after debutant Simon Rusk - in at right wing-back
in place of the injured Ben
Purkiss - had played him in down the right channel. Brodie
wouldn't be denied though, and with just six minutes of the
game gone, he rose highest at the back post to meet Nicky
Wroe's cross after some good work from Woolford in the build-up.
From about an inch out, Brodie couldn't miss to put City 1-0
up.
Bull was brave again to go in at Woolford's feet when the striker
was put clear by Wroe and he did enough to put Brodie off when
well placed, forcing the big front man to take an extra touch
which forced him wide. Rusk and Brodie both had good chances
- Brodie dragging a shot wide and Rusk failing to hit the target
on his weaker foot - but the best chance fell to Anthony
Lloyd. A lovely touch by Woolford put him clear. With perhaps
too much time, a poor first touch saw the opportunity go begging.
City were rampant, though the copybook was blotted slightly
with Craddock's wild lunge on John Grant down by the corner
flag earning him a booking that will see him suspended for next
Saturday's fixture, whoever that may be against.
The second period followed much the same pattern as the first
with Aldershot having a bright opening minute or two before
City picked up the pace and dominated once again. Lloyd almost
atoned for his earlier miss, but his shot across the face of
goal drifted agonisingly wide of the far post. Rusk was enjoying
a superb debut, but his square ball into the box couldn't find
a volunteer to turn it home and Wroe hit a good effort wide
though the ball did bobble a little just before he hit it.
Both sides were playing at a good tempo with barely time to
pause for breath. Even the free-kicks weren't dithered over
and a quick one from Manny
Panther found Lloyd who put Woolford clear and Bull saved
well. At times, the inability to get the second goal - and it
looked for all the world like a second would finish the game
as a contest - was down to a seeming lack of will to shoot.
In one passage, Lloyd, Woolford and Wroe all had opportunities
to at least have a go. Sometimes football can't be perfect.
Sometimes it needs someone to put a foot through it rather than
trying to walk the ball in.
With Brodie having worked himself to a near standstill, Craig
Farrell replaced him and went about causing problems from
the off, chasing down everything and putting defenders under
pressure. Aldershot finally had an effort on goal as substitute
Danny Hylton had a go and City went on the counter. With five-on-one
at one stage, this was surely the time to finish the Shots off,
but Farrell strayed offside to the intense dismay of the crowd.
He made amends with a key role in the goal that settled matters
as he chased a lost cause down into the left corner and picked
out Woolford in the box who smashed it home from six yards.
With the game settled, it was time for the Mo Matadar show.
Having done the first half in all black, causing much confusion
with Aldershot's navy blue change kit, he reappeared for the
second half bedecked in yellow. Though his performance was pretty
good in the main, his dealing with a wrestle between Wroe and
Anthony Straker left many scratching their heads that no card
of any description was issued. That was as nothing compared
to the free-kick awarded to City late in the piece for the offence,
if that's the right word, of David Winfield having lost a boot.
Still, the game was all about City, not the referee. The performance
was as good as City have played at home all season and picked
up from where the excellent showing at Grays left off. Though
the attack was the main focal point, the win was built on a
defence that was meaner than C Montgomery Burns, with all three
of the centre backs excelling, though none more than David
McGurk who was outstanding. "This was our best home
performance" said Colin
Walker after the match, "and it had to be against the
league leaders". With a number of chances missed, there
was always a danger that Aldershot could get back into the game
at 1-0. "I didn't know if missed chances would come back
and haunt us" the boss commented, while also expressing
relief that Shots were so shot shy. "Tom's not been training
much this week, so it was a relief that he wasn't tested so
severely", though credit for that goes to that tight-as-a-drum
defence. Simon Rusk's debut was impressive indeed, especially
at wing-back. "Ben [Purkiss] pulled a thigh muscle and
Simon did well in an alien position. We've now got players who
can play in a couple of positions and the subs are all itching
to get on. It was a magnificent team effort". That's now
13 games under Walker's stewardship with nine wins, four draws
and no defeats. "I love what I'm doing and the response
from the players has been magnificent".
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