Five Conclusions: FC Halifax Town 3 Yeovil Town 2

Life after Mark Cooper began in West Yorkshire for the Glovers, but despite fighting back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 at FC Halifax Town, Yeovil Town came away empty handed.

Gloverscast Ben was in attendance at The Shay and here are his Five Conclusions.

Confidence and mentality.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this group of players is good enough to win games of football at this level, plenty of them too.

But, from 3-0 up to lose 4-3 at home to Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday and to fight back from a half-time sucker punch to lead 2-1 away at Halifax, and AGAIN come away with nothing has to sting.

Five goals scored in two games, but zero points returned.

Now, there was lots to like about the performance, you’ll read about some of those in a moment, but my overriding feeling is that we let a point (at least) fall by the way side.

In crucial moments, in the final 15 minutes, we don’t seem to be able to wrestle back control and dictate the play.

Who can be the one to put their foot on the ball and take charge, to be the quarter-back and let everyone else around them know it’s going to be okay, because they’re in charge? 

Find that quarter-back and we wont just be looking to control those key moments, but really turn the screw.

Harvey Greenslade and his missing match ball.

He was the first to admit it in his post-match interview, but he really should be taking home a nice new shiny football to play with.

I was really impressed with everything HG21 did on Saturday, ok, nearly everything.

I loved how he hung onto the central defender’s shoulder and spun off to create room, he can arch a run across the back line like the best of them at this level, his hold up play was good, his linking, particularly with Josh Sims was lovely and 100% deserved his goal.

But, he snatched at an early volley opportunity, he missed a chance to gamble from a Pendleton cross, had a one-one-one which bobbled the wrong way and slipped over after chopping the ball back onto his left foot with the whites of the ‘keepers eyes in his sights.

In a game of fine margins, these moments count and on another day, we’re out of sight by half time and Greenslade has a nice new shiny football for his collection.

The subs made a difference

Halifax had some real game changers to bring off the substitutes’ bench and they really shone when they came on after an hour.

Will Harris and Angelo Capello had half-an-hour to go at Yeovil and they totally changed the game. Capello, who isn’t an out and out left-back gave our right side all kinds of problems whilst Harris was a real handful and he and David Kawa were a really lively duo in attack.

Our subs, weren’t quite as impactful. I don’t think Tahvon Campbell was really suited to his wider role and Aaron Jarvis was deployed as something of a battering ram. Finn Cousin-Dawson was a make shift right back in place of Bryon Pendleton when he limped off.

I think that just shows the fragility of the depth, no obvious replacement for either full back or even the centre of midfield in case of emergency on the bench and I think FC-D is better than playing the role of the universal square peg for whichever round whole needs filling.

It would have been harsh to throw Ben Wodskou in, maybe, and Kyle Ferguson’s time will come, but we lacked that different option on the bench. Halifax didn’t; another fine margin that favoured the home side.

Overall, it was much better than we have seen of late.

Some of the things I enjoyed. Josh Sims dancing down the right whipping crosses in, Luke McCormick absolutely flying into tackles and travelling with the ball, Alex Whittle and Byron Pendleton with chalk on their boots forever being a proper outlet for an attacking pass.

There’s the link up play between the ‘bank of tens’ and there’s players not being afraid to try something, even if it doesn’t always come off. Aaron Jarvis hitting the post in the dying seconds, a McGavin free kick whistling just over a top bin and Junior Morias pumping his legs for 40 yards to chase down a 95th minute breakaway. 

We had a right go, and on another day, maybe with a bit more finesse and final quality, we win that game 3-2. 

There was an ‘easy’ out for the team today to defend and try and stifle a decent enough side but we didn’t, we rolled the dice and maybe found ourselves a little open.

But, so what? There was a sense that because it was entertaining, and at times brilliant, if one of those fine margin games goes the other way, so be it. 

Solihull is a glorious chance to get back to winning ways.

If the Halifax game showed that we can play with a bit of style, Solihull looks like a game for substance. 

The only team in the division without a win to their name – they lost 2-1 at home to Southend United in Saturday’s early game – and with 12 goals conceded, there’s a chance for more goalmouth action.

That’s the challenge now, against what will be a hugely physical side, can we find that quality to get out noses in front and stay there?

Can we control a big side in the aerial battles and make sure we stop the crosses coming in?

Can we find someone to replace Pendleton at right back if his injury in severe enough to not be able to feature on Tuesday? Can we find someone to play the role of midfield general? 

Let’s take the green shoots of the performance on the very green surface at The Shay and turn them into the perfect combination of style and substance.