Burton (h)

[Zen Master]

Decent performance overall and deserved winners.

[everbrite]

Comfortable but with no bite. Has either keeper made a save?

Both keepers made some good saves and in fact Thompson kept/protected our lead very well with some brave interceptions. Burton did their best to bully him at corners even so he acquitted himself well. He is only 19yrs  too. You can see how and why Burton have propelled themselves up the league recently. Perhaps today was not their day and basically fell apart after conceding the first goal. They had nobody in the class of Leonard or Hoskins for that matter, Brady choosing to play Leonard further upfield was a belated masterstroke and was only possible due to Sowerby presence and he played well too behind Leonard. Pity Bowie was not amongst scorers but he showed several good touches and in my opinion seemed more effective on the wing! The side did well to recover from two disappointing displays and Brady was right to welcome back the recent injured players. Suddeny things are beginning to look a little better. Well done team and JBrady.
One last comment I thought that Hoskins goal was brilliantly taken and fifth in leading L1 scorers and only 3 behind the top man.

[TPFKA Marvo]

Both keepers made some good saves and in fact Thompson kept/protected our lead very well with some brave interceptions. Burton did their best to bully him at corners even so he acquitted himself well. He is only 19yrs  too, You can see how and why Burton have propelled themselves up the league recently. Perhaps today was not their day and basically fell apart after conceding the first goal. They had nobody in the class of Leonard or Hoskins for that matter, Brady choosing to play Leonard further upfield was a belated masterstroke and was only possible due to Sowerby presence and he played well too behind Leonard. Pity Bowie was not amongst scorers but he showed several good touches and in my opinion seemed more effective on the wing! The side did well to recover from two disappointing displays and Brady was right to welcome back the recent injured players. Suddeny things are beginning to look better. Well done team and JBrady.

My post was made at half-time. I think you'll find neither keeper had made a save at that point. Do you always have to be so misleading when you respond to somebody? Anybody might think it was deliberate.

[Deepcut Cobbler]

My post was made at half-time. I think you'll find neither keeper had made a save at that point. Do you always have to be so misleading when you respond to somebody? Anybody might think it was deliberate.

Agreed, I believe that we scored from our first shot?

[ntfc_kjd]

Second half was really solid. Sowerby was excellent!

I thought Wycombe were a poor side but Burton were the worst team at Sixfields this season in my opinion.
The game didn’t really get out of second gear but a win is a win.

A couple of decent loan signings in Jan & we can have a easy mid table finish…I hope  

[everbrite]

My post was made at half-time. I think you'll find neither keeper had made a save at that point. Do you always have to be so misleading when you respond to somebody? Anybody might think it was deliberate.

Fair point Marvo!

[Observing]

Did I really just read someone say you can see how and why Burton have propelled themselves up league recently? What game were you watching?

They were the worst side we’ve played this season, which is some going considering Wycombe and Cheltenham.

It is one of the only times I can remember where I looked at the opposition and thought, nope wouldn’t like any of their players. Carayol (I think it was) put in one of the worst performances seen at Sixfields.

The positives were from Cobblers. A bit more direct, a bit more bite and a further forward Leonard. Willis, McGowan and Sowerby deserve special mentions.

[everbrite]

Did I really just read someone say you can see how and why Burton have propelled themselves up league recently? What game were you watching?

They were the worst side we’ve played this season, which is some going considering Wycombe and Cheltenham.

It is one of the only times I can remember where I looked at the opposition and thought, nope wouldn’t like any of their players. Carayol (I think it was) put in one of the worst performances seen at Sixfields.

The positives were from Cobblers. A bit more direct, a bit more bite and a further forward Leonard. Willis, McGowan and Sowerby deserve special mentions.

Watching the same game as you....I believe. As for Burton, they matched us first half but that was all. The point is that both Derby and Barrow forum fans thought we were very poor; now you almost begrudge our win today by describing the oppo as the 'worst side seen' ignoring the same fate which befell us very recently.

[Observing]

Watching the same game as you....I believe. As for Burton, they matched us first half but that was all. The point is that both Derby and Barrow forum fans thought we were very poor; now you almost begrudge our win today by describing the oppo as the 'worst side seen' ignoring the same fate which befell us very recently.

Not once did I begrudge our win.

Are you a melon?

[FezNTFC]

A good return to what I consider some of the hallmarks of this squad - grit and professional pride -  and in the end a pretty comfortable 2-0 win.

Putting Pinnock out wide of course had a positive effect and I'm glad to see him back where he belongs, and as others have alluded to, Sowerby makes such a difference when he plays as well.

My main concern following the summer transfer window was that we didn't have a creative attacking midfielder in the middle of the park, and we didn't have a proper target man. Having seen Leonard play further forward today he is certainly the best option we have for that CAM role at the moment, and I think Bowie did a reasonable job as a target man - causing problems for them all afternoon, even if on the ball his decision making still needs some improvement.

Those are still the two areas I would look to primarily improve in January, and if we make astute decisions in those positions then I think we could make this season a lot more comfortable than it currently is.

But certainly a step back in the right direction after an alarming couple of performances, and hopefully with more players coming back we can continue that - the challenge now, keeping them fit!

[Welly Cobb]

I thought Willis looked good. Some great tackles. Hoskins ability to score goals from nothing makes me a little bit more worried about our defensive side regardless of numbers inbalance in the squad, because despite Burton being very conservatively set up, they still created a few chances when we were 2-0 up that required a great stop by Thompson, and we are prone to making mistakes at the back. However, Willis seemed pretty capable in a two pairing at centreback, so I'm hoping an extended run will help alleviate that a bit. 

Sowerby pretty much made the chance for the sparkling Leonard shot, two key passes in the build up to take Burton players out of it. He never plays a defence splitting pass, but he keeps it simple and that helped us be in a much better control of the midfield today.

[Worthless Recluse]

Hes out jogging somewhere. 

Jogging on? 

Along Spectacle Lane?

[Winslow Lee]

Watching the same game as you....I believe. As for Burton, they matched us first half but that was all. The point is that both Derby and Barrow forum fans thought we were very poor; now you almost begrudge our win today by describing the oppo as the 'worst side seen' ignoring the same fate which befell us very recently.

I think that’s right, it’s almost irrelevant to talk about how good a team is as success is often far more about consistency. Most teams in the division are capable of beating any other on their day but levels of performance vary wildly throughout the season. The same goes for us and we will have good days and off days and fans need to stop losing their sh1t after a couple of defeats as this season was always going to be a struggle.

[TPFKA Marvo]

I think that’s right, it’s almost irrelevant to talk about how good a team is as success is often far more about consistency. Most teams in the division are capable of beating any other on their day but levels of performance vary wildly throughout the season. The same goes for us and we will have good days and off days and fans need to stop losing their sh1t after a couple of defeats as this season was always going to be a struggle.

It also depends a lot of course of the quality of the opposition.

You're right about expectations. Supporters must realise that after a third of the season has passed we are outside the relegation zone but have got there on the back of just 5 wins out of 16. If we stay as we are (although we all hope to do better) we're only likely to win 9/10 more games out of the remaining 30 matches but that will be enough. It's really about targeting the games we need to win (like Burton) and trying to enjoy the games against the likes of Derby as a free hit. The next few matches are a perfect example. Cambridge we need the 3 points and if we get them, any return from the games against Blackpool and Portsmouth will be a bonus. Then its Fleetwood and Carlisle on the menu, again games we need points from. It's going to be like this for the rest of the season. Sit back, relax and try to enjoy it. It's all about managing expectations.

[west stand oap]

I had to smile at the Burton's manager remark that he "was gutted for our fans because they had turned up in their numbers", yes all 338 of them.

[everbrite]

Not once did I begrudge our win.

Are you a melon?

You observe nothing - your post 126 simply does it’s best to nullify our improved performance after two very poor displays. Fans on opposing forums described us as a very poor side! To make it worse that point flies completely over your head!
amara cucumis

[west stand oap]

Burton fan on div.1 forum says they should have lost 5-0, calls for the manager to be sacked and says it is the worst they have been since JFH.

[everbrite]

It also depends a lot of course of the quality of the opposition.

You're right about expectations. Supporters must realise that after a third of the season has passed we are outside the relegation zone but have got there on the back of just 5 wins out of 16. If we stay as we are (although we all hope to do better) we're only likely to win 9/10 more games out of the remaining 30 matches but that will be enough. It's really about targeting the games we need to win (like Burton) and trying to enjoy the games against the likes of Derby as a free hit. The next few matches are a perfect example. Cambridge we need the 3 points and if we get them, any return from the games against Blackpool and Portsmouth will be a bonus. Then its Fleetwood and Carlisle on the menu, again games we need points from. It's going to be like this for the rest of the season. Sit back, relax and try to enjoy it. It's all about managing expectations.

We can only play against the side in front of us. For me it was apparent that Burton had lost their previous form. Judging by their Managers pitch side second half frustrations that might be a correct assumption? What is apparent some of us on here find it difficult to manage expectations! At times I am no exception! While I am at it, I apologise for posting a misleading reply recently, was confused by the message time/date! Peace be with you!

[Spectacle Lane]

Along Spectacle Lane?

If he/she/they were looking for a football team to impress their higher knowledge of the game upon they might!

[west stand oap]

Burton's good run of form has certainly come to an end as in their last 5 games in all competitions they have not won any and only scored 2 goals.