YOU wait for ages for a home game and when one finally comes around, we got that (a 2-2 draw with Whitby). To say Tuesday was a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. Poor performance, poor result and a crowd that won’t go far to help the club’s financial situation.
Sadly, it could have been so different.
The slow start was disappointing but understandable. After three and a half weeks without a competitive game, it was always going to be hard to get going. That said, Whitby have been almost as inactive as us over recent weeks; they didn’t seem to have any problem with the start.
After a couple of good clean sheets, the manner in which we conceded the opening goal was concerning. Goalscorer Matty Waters was able to get his header away almost unchallenged. I suspect Ron Atkinson will be writing to Kevin Burgess to inform him that his membership in the ‘Wide Awake Club’ has been suspended.
Despite Whitby having some good possession in the opening stages, I thought we responded well to the goal and soon took control of the game. Stephen Thompson’s goal was a fabulous strike. Considering the diminutive wide man usually likes to knock the leather off the ball, there was a wonderful calmness to his controlled finish.
Taking the lead through Terry Galbraith’s header, I thought we had ridden the storm of lethargy and we were turning the screws. Towards the end of the first half, Whitby were starting to look like a boxer sagging back on to the ropes. They looked like a side that had a capitulation in them. It felt like a matter of how many goals rather than points.
We started the second half as we ended the first. In fact, I thought we looked better. Whitby looked like they were struggling to get out of their half during the first ten minutes. It was starting to look a lot like the game at Mickleover Sports; lots of hard pressing, good movement and plenty of pace.
With the above in mind, why on earth would you change that? And yet, that’s exactly what Martin Gray did.
Now, I guess Nathan Cartman probably won’t put his performance in his top ten, but he was linking up well with his team-mates, Lee Gaskell in particular, and was integral to the way we were playing. And yet, by 8.55pm, he was trudging off the field to be replaced by Graeme Armstrong.
That change impacted everything. Armstrong is an excellent player but he is not a like for like replacement for Cartman. He doesn’t have the pace or movement of the Halifax-based forward and that soon told in the way our attacking approach changed. Balls to feet almost immediately became long balls. All of a sudden, a dubious Whitby defence were delighted in facing a more manageable threat.
As the game went on, the equaliser felt more and more inevitable. Ultimately, it was deserved. However, I can’t help but feel frustrated that we made a poor side look far better than they were and that on a night where Salford City dropped points, we couldn’t take advantage.
After a couple of really good performances at Hyde and Blyth, Tuesday’s game has really brought us back down to earth with a bump. With some tough games coming up in February, there’s no room for performances like the last 30 minutes of Tuesday. There’s also no room for Martin Gray to go all ‘Tinker Man 2.0’ before games are secured.
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