BK supplied the assist for our equaliser...
MK
Eastbourne (h) - 28/02/26
Terrible first half. Yet again we're not learning any lessons. Still trying to get it forward quickly in the hope that players up front can "do something with it".
At times we have up to four forwards up against their back line all trying to do this exact same thing. It got so predictable that their defenders knew exactly what was coming, so just nipped in front of our forwards and said "thank you very much". And if you've got everybody in a forward line trying to do this you've got nobody there to mop it up anyway. Midfield is non-existent. And I'm not blaming Deadfield or Frimpong for this. They're not in the plan. They're just being bypassed.
In the second half I think somebody had a word and it improved somewhat.
Vaz was excellent all game long. And Kiernan frightened them when he eventually came on because, guess what, he picked up the ball in between the lines and ran at them.
So yes, ended much better than we started. But who is sending them out to play the way we played in that first half? It doesn't work.
At times we have up to four forwards up against their back line all trying to do this exact same thing. It got so predictable that their defenders knew exactly what was coming, so just nipped in front of our forwards and said "thank you very much". And if you've got everybody in a forward line trying to do this you've got nobody there to mop it up anyway. Midfield is non-existent. And I'm not blaming Deadfield or Frimpong for this. They're not in the plan. They're just being bypassed.
In the second half I think somebody had a word and it improved somewhat.
Vaz was excellent all game long. And Kiernan frightened them when he eventually came on because, guess what, he picked up the ball in between the lines and ran at them.
So yes, ended much better than we started. But who is sending them out to play the way we played in that first half? It doesn't work.
Despite the importance of the game, we simply didn't turn up until the second half and then, having got the equaliser and with all the momentum in our favour, gave Eastbourne another soft goal from their only attack. From the kick off Eastbourne looked the hungrier of the two sides and Dewhurst needed to make a couple of sharp saves before we were cut open down our right giving Burgess an easy finish from a cut back, 12 mins gone. We barely mustered an attack for the rest of the half, the game descending into stoppage after stoppage as Eastbourne broke up any rhythm we might have built. In truth we had nothing up front with Ashford and Kretzschmar barely in the game and only Vaz showing any desire to take the game to the opposition. We sat deep and allowed Eastbourne too much time on the ball. The second period started much the same but Eastbourne were clearly tiring and were content to sit tight on their lead. Long ball after long ball was pumped up front but nothing came of it. Quite what Ashford brings to the side escapes me. The only time we got the ball wide was when sub Kiernan got to the line and floated a great cross for Kretzschmar to head home. The momentum was all in Hampton's favour and we had a couple of good chances to finish them off with Silva blazing over the bar from close range being the one that got away, Inevitably, Eastbourne took their one and only chance with 84 minutes gone. For all our possession we simply failed to test their keeper. I can't remember him having to make any saves of any note. In all a very poor performance and an even worse result.
I didn't see the two good wins at Hemel and Bath but from the recent home games we seem to have no obvious patterns of play, unless just hitting it long is the plan. Everything goes down the middle and virtually no width. Vaz was our most dangerous player because he carried the ball forward with pace breaking the lines but it usually just ended in a foul.
I didn't see the two good wins at Hemel and Bath but from the recent home games we seem to have no obvious patterns of play, unless just hitting it long is the plan. Everything goes down the middle and virtually no width. Vaz was our most dangerous player because he carried the ball forward with pace breaking the lines but it usually just ended in a foul.