We know only too well how damaging draws can be, the 19 draws under Ross was no more rewarding mathematically than 6 wins, 1 draw and 12 defeats. It’s seems an age ago, it is in fact a pandemic and 3 gaffers ago, but when we drew our first game of last season 1-1 vs Oxford, it was only 1 game, we hadn’t lost, but it felt like the end of the world because we were so scarred by the damage that 1-1 draws had previously inflicted, we all have things in our past we’ve left behind… it just felt like we were drifting back to misery.

Yesterday was different, we didn’t do enough to win the game, if anything Lincoln will rue missing the better chances towards the end of the game? It’s getting very exciting now, I was actually encouraged by how decent Lincoln were, as they have both Hull and Peterborough to play in the run in. A few weeks ago Peterborough looked nailed on as Champions, I wrongly commented in the blog yesterday that they looked home and hosed, I’d seen they were winning 2-0 at bottom of the table Rochdale and assumed they’d won! They have 1 win in 4, they have a history of gassing promotion, their arses will be Chewing Caramels as we enter the closing weeks of the season.

The game at Peterborough is looking massive, there’s lots of footie before then, they go to an effective Blackpool on Tuesday while our lads will be ligging in a Spa, getting pissed and getting their haircut, we also have Barton’s Bristol and Oxford to negotiate before then. But…. there’s no hiding from the fact that Peterborough Away is looking huge, if we win our next 2, (which we should), it dilutes the importance of the Peterborough game, as I’ve said before, heading into big games needing to avoid defeat is hugely advantageous to needing to win? Just as the season under Ross had almost perfect symmetry, with the 2-1, 1-2 start to finish vs Charlton, the trip to Peterborough has a feel of redemption, the defensive disasterclass vs Coventry hurt us, but the late goal conceded at Peterborough was the real momentum breaker.

Rest and Recuperation…

Yes I know that footballers are paid well, yes it’s just a game, yes it’s hard working in a proper job etc…. but the Lads will benefit from no game in midweek, they looked leggy 2nd half yesterday. It’s only a short break, but in relative terms it’s a decent rest, 6 days off when you’ve just played 3 games in 6 days at different corners of the country is a proper break. We’ve had a big few weeks of games every 3 days, long trips, heavy pitches, emotion of Wembley etc, I don’t know what I’m going to do midweek, (I’ll probably watch Blackpool vs Peterborough online), but it’s definitely a positive not to have a game.

“Scientific Data Analysis – Areas of Opportunity #2”

Having yesterday sorted out how to stop nearly conceding goals when we have a corner, I’ll now look at the 2nd of the highlighted Areas of Opportunity;

• Stop being so crap at corners, to be fair we’ve improved a bit lately, but I’d wager over half of our corners are utter rubbish. It amazes me how a professional footballer can fail to beat the first man, hopelessly over hit it etc, but we see it every game. I’ve only played Sunday Morning football, but even then you’d get pelters for a shit corner, (it’s also actually one of the few situations where you can compare pub football with pro football, in that it’s a dead ball with a target area). I can’t be bothered to check, but Wyke must have scored more headers than anyone in the pro game this season? Sanderson is also big and good in the air, corners should be a huge Area of Opportunity.
• The Solution, practice taking corners. Pro footballers can intentionally hit the bar from 12 yards, they can pick a spot for a penalty, if we practice more there’s no reason to be so shite at corners. It seems to be vital to footballers to position the ball to the absolute mm as regards the edge of the little triangle where they take the corner from, then they miss the intended target by 5 yards – surely it’s inexcusable to be so bad, so often from a dead ball situation?
• The Science, as always it’s easier said than done, and needs expert analysis. Instead of practising corners with players, ask Charlie and Dion where they want the ball, and then get Aiden or whoever to take corners aiming at the precise of the aforementioned area, I suspect we’ve got some cut outs at the Training Ground, but if not, a big stick with a bucket on the top is fine. The corner taker has 10 attempts and has to hit the head of the cut out or the bucket 4 times, if this isn’t achieved, the sequence of 10 starts again. I’m guessing training finishes about 2pm? Start this drill at 1pm, if they achieve it by 1.10pm so be it, they can take themselves off to Costa Coffee and get on Instagram early, but….. they stay til it’s achieved with a cut off point of 3pm, realistically if they haven’t managed it by then they shouldn’t be taking corners? Not only will this improve accuracy, it will breed positive habits and build positive muscle memory.
  

Feels like a long time til the next game, but it’ll be here soon enough. All still feels very positive, we have every chance of finishing in the top 2, there’s good draws and bad draws, yesterday was a good draw for the boys, onwards and upwards – FTM