Ahead of Tuesday’s league match at home to Harborough (7:45 KO), manager Tim Flowers has looked at the fixture, the opposition and Saturday’s match…
We come into tomorrow’s game off the back of a defeat versus Stourbridge – we lost because we couldn’t concentrate and pick up our men from two set pieces in the last 10 minutes. In the previous 80 minutes, we probably shaded the game in terms of possession and territory. We scored a decent goal – a good ball over the back and a good run and finish from Flinty. They weren’t really causing us any problems at all and, if anything, I thought we might have gotten another one.
But we do what we have done habitually over the course of the season – not being able to manage and see out a game into the final stretch; with 10 minutes to go, you just need to be solid and compact and make sure you’re defensively switched on and alert… and we weren’t.
We gave away free kick too easily around our box – we did the same in the defeat to Kettering the week before. If you can’t compete with balls into your box at this level then you’re always going to be up against it because it doesn’t matter how you play, one ball in is always going to cause you problems.
It was a huge slap to not only not win but to get beat right at the end – it’s just a ball into the six yard box from a free kick that we shouldn’t be giving away in the first place. We’re not marking the lad who scored – it’s unforgiveable really and it’s cost us again.
We go into tomorrow’s game against one of the best teams in the league – you would say the title winners would come out of Harborough or Spalding – two teams that are outstanding in different ways. Harborough are big and powerful, and very good at set pieces, with a smattering of good footballers as well as some powerhouses. They’re well organised, with a huge resource behind them. They’ve recruited well, they’re coached well and they’re a good team. It’s a good, up-and-coming set up, Mitch (Austin) is doing a great job, and it’s going to be a really tough game.
But, you see West Ham take something off Man City and Tottenham go to Liverpool and get something – we have to fight and show quality, charisma and fight; if we do, then anything is possible. If you play with energy and commitment, and put yourself on the line, then it’s possible. As I’ve said before, we’re not in a position for free hits – that doesn’t resound with me. We’re not in that position and we have to try and get results on the board.
We’ll go out and attack the game. We know what’s coming – we have to give them something to think about – hopefully we can put out a team and shape which does that.
I can’t really say that the lads aren’t giving it a go – the Alvechurch game being an exception. Other than that match, and Real Bedford away, we’ve been in every game – whether we’ve gotten anything out of them or not.
When you’re playing a team that loses as little as Harborough do, you’ve got to be resilient and not give them easy chances – and that’s what we’ll be looking to do.
