Something strange is occurring on Saturday (a football match) - Bolton v Lincoln (15:00) H - 1 Oct 2022

[Harry Genshaw]

A comfortable win. We played well. Charles had his best game of the season so far and looked dangerous. Thomasson and Williams continue to dominate the middle. Santos and the entire defense had a good games. Trafford didn't have much to do but concentrated to the end to make that wonderful save. I thought that both Dempsey and Bod looked sharp when they came on. A soft penalty but a penalty nonetheless as Kacha was away and had his shirt pulled. He and Charles are always looking to go down under the slightest touch. Not complaining as its the way strikers now play, but there were a couple of occasions that I thought they could score if they stayed on their feet.

The teams above us keep winning so its important that we also do so. It will be a league with two Divisions within it. Lets keep beating the teams below us and not lose to those above.

Good assessment that icb.

If I had one gripe, it's that we still don't take advantage and bury sides when we're on top. For all the good approach play we aren't creating enough chances for the front two and our attacking play can look ponderous and slow at times.

But feck it. We won and another clean sheets. I'll take that all day.

[officer_dibble]

Not a good spectacle of football.

Thought Kachunga was superb but he really should be scoring, particularly the one he fell over the ball start of the second half. Talk about on a plate. He doesn’t do enough to be in the team for me, JDB needs to be in the line up pronto.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah I think I a very strong performance where we dominated the game but that nagging issue is just we don’t score or look like scoring the goals our play up to the final third deserves.

Still we are defensively sound which is more important than banging hatfuls in as the best defensive records tend to be the teams going up.

Evatt has a problem of balancing out the teams obvious shape and workrate that is clearly best with todays 11 vs having the goalscorers in the side. Kachunga had a superb game but never once would you think he was going to score or even create a clear chance. He did in fairness win the penalty but the job he does is magnificent it’s just frustrating that in the setup now there isn’t really the quality in the final third to take advantage.

Bradley definitely was less effective going forwards today than on other occasions.

MJ and Thomason were outstanding again. Thomason covers every blade. Thought Lee was a little sub par and Dempsey improved us when he came on.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not a good spectacle of football.

Thought Kachunga was superb but he really should be scoring, particularly the one he fell over the ball start of the second half. Talk about on a plate. He doesn’t do enough to be in the team for me, JDB needs to be in the line up pronto.

He was superb but not worth a place? Get what you mean but it’s a problem. He has no goal threat. But I’m not seeing Dapo for example doing that work. Maybe the message to Dapo should be ‘you get back in when you do the work and running Kachunga does’.

Bod will work hard but doesn’t have the same ability as a Kachunga on the press.

[officer_dibble]

Yeah that’s what I thought - get Dapo doing what Kacha does. Or even Sadlier! For me I wouldn’t have Kacha in the side, possibly not even on the bench! He offers so little threat…if he had the chance at the end JDB has he sticks it wide or fluffs it at the keeper.

Anyway…back three decent, against limited threat. Traf was class. Bradley looked fecked…he needs a break at some point. Iredale was fine, but limited going forward. MJ was good, snuffed out a lot of threats again, Thomason was poor first half, better second. Lee will have much better games. Charles looked lovely and Kachunga was great apart from the looking like scoring bit.

[Prufrock]

Bradley has been ill apparently. Looked it.

It's the balance isn't it? Do you take Kacha out, you're not as good box to box but you take more of the fewer chances you create. Or leave him in knowing he isn't going to score many himself but you will be much better front to back?

I'm hopeful Bod is the middle ground. Or Dapo pulls his finger out.

[officer_dibble]

Bod is a championship striker, he’s the tiara to the shirehorse

[TANGODANCER]

Bod is a championship striker, he’s the tiara to the shirehorse

Shhh. Someone might be reading it and with a bit of luck all the lads might be Championship level next season.. .

[Worthy4England]

Complete opposite to last season when we were free-scoring but had a porous defence.

Since we seemingly can't have both, I'm glad we have got an ultra-solid backline on the whole thos season.

Not sure which I prefer.

I'll take 1-0/2-0 to us every week, over 3-4 to them...

[BWFC_Insane]

Complete opposite to last season when we were free-scoring but had a porous defence.

Since we seemingly can't have both, I'm glad we have got an ultra-solid backline on the whole thos season.

Not sure which I prefer.

I'll take 1-0/2-0 to us every week, over 3-4 to them...

Indeed. Our last two home performances are repeatable as in you can see us doing it repeatedly. Whereas winning 4-3 or needing superb attacking performances tend to be less easy to continually pull off across a season.

Our last two home games we’ve barely let the opponents have a sniff on our goal. That means in theory one goal for us, be it a penalty, a lucky deflection and we win. And as we’ve controlled the games it puts the odds in our favour.

Not that I don’t think we don’t need to sharpen up in the attacking third. Better teams will have more of a say and the league already looks like being 8 or so teams fighting for 6 places so against the likes of Plymouth and SW we’ve already seen what happens if you don’t convert periods of dominance into goals.

If we can crack that then I don’t see anyone stopping us frankly. But that’s a big if still.

[officer_dibble]

That throw in for our second looks really dodgy! Did he have a tenner on 2-0?

[Bruce Rioja]

Soft penalty for us, dive by Kachunga. Foul just outside of the box and then a small bit of shirt pulling in the box. Linesman's given it.

That'll do. Cheers lino!

I think the lino gave it having completely bottled the one before it when our lad was literally wrestled to the ground right in front of him a few minutes before hand.

[DJBlu]

Good result yesterday, most at the top got points so to stay with the pack was excellent.

Keep on grinding them out boys!

P.S. The save at the end to keep the clean sheet was brilliant.

[Worthy4England]

Good result yesterday, most at the top got points so to stay with the pack was excellent.

Keep on grinding them out boys!

P.S. The save at the end to keep the clean sheet was brilliant.

Aye, tight enough in the top half, the GD could be a thing on final day...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

When I saw the HT stats I was surprised by how inert Lincoln were but Evatt said Lincoln surprised us by playing a low-block 5-4-1. So it’s good that we managed to overcome it, even if we can’t keep relying on flukes and pengies.

Another which last year might have been 1-1. Good (and it seems necessary) to keep doing that.

Interested to see the XI on Tuesday at Cheltenham.

[Bruce Rioja]

When I saw the HT stats I was surprised by how inert Lincoln were but Evatt said Lincoln surprised us by playing a low-block 5-4-1. So it’s good that we managed to overcome it, even if we can’t keep relying on flukes and pengies.

Indeed. The guy next to me was bemoaning our balls into the box. To me, Lincoln deserved credit for having several players in the box whenever we came to put it in.

[officer_dibble]

Yeah I thought Lincoln set up well and credit to their manager for that. If they can go and score 6 at Bristol one week and set up to defend like that at one of the top teams they won’t go far wrong.

If it had ended 1-1 (they had a penalty shout second half) finger of blame would have been Kachunga for me. It’s a horrendous miss that one at the start of the second half.

[jmjhb]

Early days of course, but I'd say the top 8 was set already.

[Bruce Rioja]

If it had ended 1-1 (they had a penalty shout second half) finger of blame would have been Kachunga for me. It’s a horrendous miss that one at the start of the second half.

I thought that too until I saw it back. The defender just manages to nick it away from him. Good defending.

[The_Gun]

Good result and it sounds as though we were solid enough.

Slightly disheartening how good this division is again, as we’re not gaining any ground on the top sides. It means pretty much every game against the lesser sides is must win, and games against the top 8 are almost must not lose if we’ve any chance of automatics.

As a side note, I reckon Declan John will leave in January. He’s not even making the bench and Beck could well move ahead of him as reserve lwb.