It was another W for Yeovil Town as a 2-0 win away at Maidenhead United saw them record back-to-back wins for the first time since the start of November. Dave was at York Road to see it unfold and here are his conclusions.
Seven days is a long time in football: Well, it feels very different to this time last week when we were all fearing the worst after our winless run extended beyond two months. It’s easy to mock and say that was an overreaction, but the reality was the defeat to Wealdstone was a low tide mark for the season both in the result and the performance. But, the second half at home to Tamworth on Tuesday night and the entire 90 minutes at Maidenhead proved those tides are rising. I don’t think we’re really doing much different, but the past 135 minutes has seen us offer a lot more going forward and that’s the difference. Things feel a lot more comfortable now and hopefully we can take the momentum we are building in to the coming matches.
All hail the strikers: Who’s the new lad up front?! I joke, but Frank Nouble looked a completely different player to the one I saw at Dagenham & Redbridge just two weeks earlier. This was 90 minutes of hard running, goal-scoring Frank the leader and you love to see it. Whilst the record books may not credit the opening goal to him, he deserved his second in as many games. And, whilst we’re handing out credit, let’s give some to Harvey Greenslade for that finish. It’s not been easy for him having got himself in to the team back at the start of the season, suffering that shoulder injury and then being loaned out to Weston-super-Mare, but the way he took his goal was outstanding. It may not beat Brett McGavin or Sean McGurk for Goal of the Season but it will be pretty close.
Consistency crucial for the cleano: Let’s put this in to the correct context, Maidenhead did not offer much. In the first half they seemed to want to play the role of the away team, pack players behind the ball and hit on the counter, and that takes a lot to get past. In the second half they changed it up and started to push players forward. In the first half we worked hard to get ahead and in the second our defence stood firm and, much like the exact same four players did against Tamworth in midweek, defended everything. We can’t underestimate the value of that consistency in these back-to-back results, only one change (enforced by the absence of James Plant) and it made all the difference for a cleano.
It’s always Sonny: What a re-emergence Sonny Blu Lo-Everton is having. Having wandered in the wilderness for since the end of November, he returned in midweek to good effect and yesterday he was at the heart of a lot that was good going forward. With the back up on Charlie Cooper and Brett McGavin, he is able to show what a talented technician he is with the ball.
Momentum not perfection: Let’s not get too high with the highs, any more than we should not get too low with the lows. The last two matches have delivered that crucial ingredient – momentum. League position is looking a lot healthier (not that it ever looked that unhealthy) than it was seven days ago, but more importantly we are playing with some swagger again. There are tougher tests to come starting with Southend United at home next weekend. Let’s keep on building to the magic 50+ points target and, be under illusion, that would be a very successful season.
I’m not a Mark Cooper fan, but credit where it’s due, I didn’t think we’d get anything at Maidenhead, but watching the highlights, we seemed the better team throughout the game.
Is that you, Mark Cooper?
There’s no substitute for experience so credit to those who have made the difference recently. If we can continue this form into the Southend game and give it everything, there might be something to cheer…again!
I think Sonny is potentially one of the most technically gifted players we have seen in a long time. That hasn’t always been converted into commanding displays on the pitch (and his size doesn’t lend itself to lower league football), but it’s great to see him performing and enjoying himself.