We paid for not taking our chances: It’s not often you hear a reference to the Fab Four in a Yeovil Town post-match interview, but I cannot put it any better than Mark Cooper’s: “The lads were saying in there if some of them had six shots at John Lennon today, he’d still be alive.” That was the difference between one point and three points.
The Dartford keeper, Ryan Sandford, deservedly picked up the sponsors’ Man of the Match Award for some outstanding saves, but there are chances where we should not have given him a chance to make them. The opening couple of minutes, you would put your house on Rhys Murphy to find the net when he’s clean through and drags it wide; it’s that type of chances. Yes, we have scored more goals than any other side in the division, but in these games we have to be more ruthless.
Cox was excellent: In the first half at Princes Park, Dartford simply could not live with us (see Conclusion #1 if you’re asking ‘so why was it 1-1 at half-time?‘). Every time we attacked with the pace of Sonny Cox, Murphy and Jordan Young, they were rocking and Cox stood out for me showing a desire to battle alongside his obvious natural pace and talent. The past couple of times I have seen him, he has looked a bit off it but I thought he was a stand-out player in the first half.
In the second half, we stopped doing what was working: Having been so dominant in the first half, we seemed to stop doing the things that were working for us in the second half. Dartford upped their game and credit to them for that, but playing ‘direct’ very quickly proved itself as not working and yet when we got it down and moved it, we looked a greater threat. Don’t agree? Watch our second goal. I am, by the way, aware that (as one fellow fan told me when I remarked) if these players were perfect, they’d be playing higher. But, if we have genuine ambitions to win promotion, we have to be better than the level.
I’m looking at this as a point gained: It’s the old football cliche – is this one point gained or two points dropped? I’m going to look at it as the positive after a game of two halves. How many cliches can I fit in one conclusion?! Of the five teams in the top seven that have gone to Dartford this season, only one (Maidstone United) have left with three points and, although inconsistent, they have some good players (Moussa Diarra at the back is one we’ve come up against many times for Woking – you can’t miss him, he’s a giant!) and other teams will drop points here before the season’s done.
Let’s get back to home comforts: It’s back to Huish Park next weekend for what feels like another big one as third-placed Hampton & Richmond come to town. They have won five of their 13 away games (the third-highest in the division) but let’s not forget we have won nine of our 11 home games and are still unbeaten. Pick up points on the road and get wins at home (Cliche Klaxon), that is what makes title contenders and Hampton will not look forward to coming to Somerset. There’s a crucial Christmas period (oh, there’s another one!) coming up, so let’s make Huish Park an intimidating place for teams to come.
