Freshfield 0-5 Formby Dons
26th January 2003
This performance was in many ways reflective of Freshfield's season thus far. A number of players underperformed and this season is now likely to become one of enormous underachievement. A very successful social evening the night before and a curious and frankly confusing formation did not help matters, but neither of those features come close to explaining or justifying such a lack-lustre performance. Freshfield were comprehensively outplayed by a strong, quick and (sometimes over) physical Dons side, and the scoreline did not flatter the visitors. What should have been a passionate and committed local derby was little more than a damp squib.
Freshfield did play reasonably well for the first ten minutes, and Tommy Smith should have scored when neatly released by an incisive pass from Simon Richards. It seemed like a turning point at the time, but it turned out to be Freshfield's only meaningful attack of the game. Shortly afterwards Damian Nolan gave the ball away on the edge of his own box and Mike Kemp unceremoniously upended the Dons player who tried to capitalise. Dave Seville, in for the mysteriously dropped Power, was left with no chance by Paul Guy's penalty. Minutes later the Dons extended their lead when a tame shot somehow managed to evade Seville's clutches. The game was effectively ended with twenty minutes gone when the Dons went 3-0 up, poor marking again being at the root of Freshfield's malaise.
The second half was, if anything, worse than the first. Freshfield's formation, borne of an admiral desire to attack, left them exposed on the flanks when defending and narrow on the rare event of an attack. The line-up was meant to give Freshfield's more creative players room to express themselves, but instead they found themselves in ill-defined roles and providing neither attacking flair or defensive steel. Time after time the ball was given away, and only when John Armstrong was introduced mid-way through the second half did Freshfield have a player prepared to bring composure to the fray. Damian Nolan and Graeme Davies allowed their frustrations to earn themselves a booking each, but the ease with which the Dons were able to take their lead to 5 prevented the match becoming the bad-tempered affair that it sometimes promised to be. The one good thing to come from the match was the late introduction of Steve Hughes, back after a long lay-off through injury.
This performance again left manager Andy Smith with a difficult problem, namely how to get players capable of so much more to achieve what they are capable of. There are players in the club who can take this side to the higher reaches of the league, but a stranger watching this match would be forgiven for finding that hard to believe.
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Team
Dave Seville |
Subs not used
Manager's Man of the Match
Player's Man of the Match
Supporter's Man of the Match
Attendance |