Queen's v Cove

[BeeJay]

When the Cove goal went in I thought, like many others, that that was it. Two not very good teams but I'll take Queens playing badly and getting three points any game, but please not every game! And well done to Murphy. The game changed when he put Cochrane then Walker on.. Hopefully we've a few back for next week against Annan.

[Fae_the_'briggs]

45 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

And what do you think the reason for it was if it's not down to our lack of numbers? 

This "lack of numbers" is obviously the main reason the team is having to play the way it is but that shouldn't gloss over the unnecessary pressure that players put the team under by failing to do the basics you'd expect from full time footballers. I'm very happy with the win, especially given that we didn't really test Cove until the second half, but are we supposed to overlook the poor parts of our play just because we won?

[19QOS19]

11 minutes ago, Fae_the_'briggs said:

This "lack of numbers" is obviously the main reason the team is having to play the way it is but that shouldn't gloss over the unnecessary pressure that players put the team under by failing to do the basics you'd expect from full time footballers. I'm very happy with the win, especially given that we didn't really test Cove until the second half, but are we supposed to overlook the poor parts of our play just because we won?

I actually can't recall all this pressure we put ourselves under. As I say, we frequently lost it when we went long but it wasn't as if we kept passing it to Cove to then attack. We certainly lost it a couple of times but far more often after going long. 

I've not overlooked anything. I think it's the exact opposite. I think too many folk expected us to be dominating Cove today and are disappointed by the display whereas the game played out pretty much as I expected in regards to possession (with the bonus of us getting a couple of goals). 

Unless we get bodies back for next week expect a similar performance (hopefully a win again). As long as we can get through this awful period and pick some points up along the way I'll be delighted regardless of the means. 

[Nithsdale Wanderer]

2 hours ago, Slipmat said:

Kennedy is so one-footed it is unbelievable! 

JR did alright with it !

[HighlandQueen]

3 hours ago, Monkey Tennis said:

A poor game.

A poor performance.

A good result.

You nailed it. 

[rubber_duck]

Thought a draw to be the fairest outcome, to actually win both surprising and encouraging as it was pretty dire to watch and as previously stated it was a game we’d have lost last session.

Solid enough at the back despite a few hairy moments.  A fit Brydon is crucial to a successful season, he was excellent. Thought Ben Johnstone done well given his lack of experience and his age. Some naive and frustrating moments but there’s a decent player there. Walker deserves a start.

Coves no.10 was a constant menace. Thought they’d nicked a draw at the end, looking forward to seeing the highlights of that. Did Stewart get a hand to it?

 

 

 

[Monkey Tennis]

2 minutes ago, rubber_duck said:

Thought they’d nicked a draw at the end, looking forward to seeing the highlights of that. Did Stewart get a hand to it?

I don't think so.

It was a cracking effort and I thought it was heading in.  An inch of two lower and it would have.

[19QOS19]

7 minutes ago, rubber_duck said:

Coves no.10 was a constant menace. Thought they’d nicked a draw at the end, looking forward to seeing the highlights of that. Did Stewart get a hand to it?

 

No. Was a cracking strike and like MT I initially thought it was going to bounce up and hit the roof of the net. 

There's a matchday Vlog on YouTube from a Geordie who attended yesterday. You can skip to the highlights. Not the best picture quality at times with the zoom but you see all the goals and that chance. 

[Frankie S]

Must admit I headed down to Palmerston on Saturday with a certain degree of trepidation, as despite gaining a decent point on the road at Alloa last week with an injury-ravaged squad, memories of our first matches of the season at Palmerston over the last couple of campaigns (1-4 v Clyde, 3-4 v Alloa) remain traumatic. 

To be honest, our first half showing (defensive grit aside) was poor. We were overrun in midfield, and with nothing sticking up front, Cove dominated. Fortunately for us, their finishing was fairly abject, though they should certainly have had a penalty for handball (good job there’s no VAR in League One). With one cleared off the line, the penalty that wasn’t, and Cove squandering a couple of chances, I don’t think 0-2 would have been an unfair reflection of the first half. Tbh, at times, the squabbling seagulls were more interesting than the game. 

The positives were all in defence. Jack Brydon is a powerhouse - a strong, committed defender who gets his head on the end of everything and, just like against Alloa last week, he was excellent. Douglas was steady too, and kudos to him for getting back and clearing Cove’s goal-bound effort off the line. I really like Hewitt and he did well again yesterday, and his versatility is impressive - switching roles and flanks with ease. MacIntyre generally did quite well too, although he does seem to get caught in possession / give the ball away in a dangerous position at least once every game. I thought Stewart had a solid game in goals again. I’d like to have seen a bit more of Hannah, but no-one in the current defence is playing themselves out of a place, so he might find it hard to force himself into the team.

So, it seems like one department at least is sorted: we have the basis of the best defence I’ve seen at Palmerston for a long time. Given our consistent frailties in that department, that’s a huge step forward.

When we get Dickenson and Lyon back, alongside Cochrane (who, along with Walker, made a huge difference when he came on yesterday), we have the basis of an excellent midfield, but, as we’ve seen with our current injury crisis, the squad depth just isn’t there. Our first choice midfield is probably as good as any in the division, but there’s a big drop off when 2 or 3 of our key players are out. Ross and Johnstone have done ok, but I suspect neither will start when we have our full squad available. Luissint was better yesterday than he was at Alloa, where he didn’t have a good game, but I’m hoping he’s maybe not quite up to full speed yet.

We played much better in the second half, with Cochrane showing his quality in midfield, and Walker adding some much-needed creativity (great cross for Hewitt’s goal). We showed character to come back and score twice after conceding a soft goal, which is something we haven’t seen in recent seasons, so that’s another positive. 

Given the scale of injuries to key players as we embarked upon our league campaign, I’d have bitten your hand off if offered four points from our first two matches before a ball was kicked. If we can keep squeezing out results, even when not playing particularly well, until we get everyone back (particularly Lyon, who will likely be our key man this year), then we’ll be in a good place.

Really impressed with Peter Murphy so far. His post-match interviews are lucid, calm and measured. He’s positive but also realistic. He seems like a very capable manager and a steady pair of hands. I suspect he’s very good at man management (he gives praise where it’s due and doesn’t single out individuals for criticism), which is quite a contrast from Bartley. The team spirit certainly seems much better this season.

Next week will be a tough game, with Annan carrying their surprisingly good form from the League Cup campaign into the league. Hopefully Dickenson will be back for that one. We still need another option up front, so hoping to see another player come in this week.

[Greenacres]

1 hour ago, Frankie S said:

Must admit I headed down to Palmerston on Saturday with a certain degree of trepidation, as despite gaining a decent point on the road at Alloa last week with an injury-ravaged squad, memories of our first matches of the season at Palmerston over the last couple of campaigns (1-4 v Clyde, 3-4 v Alloa) remain traumatic. 

To be honest, our first half showing (defensive grit aside) was poor. We were overrun in midfield, and with nothing sticking up front, Cove dominated. Fortunately for us, their finishing was fairly abject, though they should certainly have had a penalty for handball (good job there’s no VAR in League One). With one cleared off the line, the penalty that wasn’t, and Cove squandering a couple of chances, I don’t think 0-2 would have been an unfair reflection of the first half. Tbh, at times, the squabbling seagulls were more interesting than the game. 

The positives were all in defence. Jack Brydon is a powerhouse - a strong, committed defender who gets his head on the end of everything and, just like against Alloa last week, he was excellent. Douglas was steady too, and kudos to him for getting back and clearing Cove’s goal-bound effort off the line. I really like Hewitt and he did well again yesterday, and his versatility is impressive - switching roles and flanks with ease. MacIntyre generally did quite well too, although he does seem to get caught in possession / give the ball away in a dangerous position at least once every game. I thought Stewart had a solid game in goals again. I’d like to have seen a bit more of Hannah, but no-one in the current defence is playing themselves out of a place, so he might find it hard to force himself into the team.

So, it seems like one department at least is sorted: we have the basis of the best defence I’ve seen at Palmerston for a long time. Given our consistent frailties in that department, that’s a huge step forward.

When we get Dickenson and Lyon back, alongside Cochrane (who, along with Walker, made a huge difference when he came on yesterday), we have the basis of an excellent midfield, but, as we’ve seen with our current injury crisis, the squad depth just isn’t there. Our first choice midfield is probably as good as any in the division, but there’s a big drop off when 2 or 3 of our key players are out. Ross and Johnstone have done ok, but I suspect neither will start when we have our full squad available. Luissint was better yesterday than he was at Alloa, where he didn’t have a good game, but I’m hoping he’s maybe not quite up to full speed yet.

We played much better in the second half, with Cochrane showing his quality in midfield, and Walker adding some much-needed creativity (great cross for Hewitt’s goal). We showed character to come back and score twice after conceding a soft goal, which is something we haven’t seen in recent seasons, so that’s another positive. 

Given the scale of injuries to key players as we embarked upon our league campaign, I’d have bitten your hand off if offered four points from our first two matches before a ball was kicked. If we can keep squeezing out results, even when not playing particularly well, until we get everyone back (particularly Lyon, who will likely be our key man this year), then we’ll be in a good place.

Really impressed with Peter Murphy so far. His post-match interviews are lucid, calm and measured. He’s positive but also realistic. He seems like a very capable manager and a steady pair of hands. I suspect he’s very good at man management (he gives praise where it’s due and doesn’t single out individuals for criticism), which is quite a contrast from Bartley. The team spirit certainly seems much better this season.

Next week will be a tough game, with Annan carrying their surprisingly good form from the League Cup campaign into the league. Hopefully Dickenson will be back for that one. We still need another option up front, so hoping to see another player come in this week.

Your post is spot on.

If we can  get our 3 key injured players back then we become a different team .

I wish Sandra had asked what stage each injured player is at .

Are we looking at weeks or months .

We need another option up top someone with a bit of pace to get in behind and has a goal threat .

Very difficult to get a player like that as most teams are looking for the same thing .

 

 

[lyle be back]

3 hours ago, Greenacres said:

Your post is spot on.

If we can  get our 3 key injured players back then we become a different team .

I wish Sandra had asked what stage each injured player is at .

Are we looking at weeks or months .

We need another option up top someone with a bit of pace to get in behind and has a goal threat .

Very difficult to get a player like that as most teams are looking for the same thing .

 

 

And big as well. 

[Slipmat]

1 hour ago, lyle be back said:

And big as well. 

Big is so last season.  Pace is the current thing.  

Edited August 11 by Slipmat
removal of unnecessary word

[Watson Nimrod]

10 hours ago, Slipmat said:

Big is so last season.  Pace is the current thing.  

100% agree, without pace and width you just become what Cove have become, a standard generic unrecognisable from any other bottom half L1 club that have zero consistency over a season, can get sucked into relegation or make the playoffs, the margins are tiny in the world of mediocrity. 

[Alex Nesovic's Barmy Army]

13 hours ago, Slipmat said:

Big is so last season.  Pace is the current thing.  

What about experienced, do we still need/want that? It's tough to keep up with the wants of some.