Witton team news: Winger Brad Maylett has been passed fit while, Lee Thompson starts in place of John Lawless who is on the bench along with Mike Moseley.
Team: Smith, Scott, Warner, Pritchard, Booth, Roddy, Maylett, Dunn, Black, Thompson, Lugsden.
Subs: Lawless, Speare, Moseley, Dunne, Schwarz.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 0 WITTON ALBION 1.
Michael Roddy from the penalty spot.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 1 WITTON ALBION 1.
Ashton equaliser from the spot conceded by Greg Smith.
cant believe no starting place for otobo
Half Time Score: ASHTON UNITED 1 WITTON ALBION 1.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 2 WITTON ALBION 1.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 3 WITTON ALBION 1.
Ashton’s third goal from a breakaway.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 4 WITTON ALBION 1.
Latest Score: ASHTON UNITED 5 WITTON ALBION 1.
Full Time Score: ASHTON UNITED 5 WITTON ALBION 1.
No passion, we are going down.
Can’t blame Gary and Lee, at the end of the day they gave us a fighting chance. The damage was already done.
Our defence was all over the place second half.
We should have got a couple of defenders instead of Roddy and Otobo, because except for Paul Booth they are useless most of the time!!
What a load of rubbish!!!
First half we were more than a match for Ashton, indeed arguably the better side. Our pressure led to one penalty and within five minutes we should have had another (more blatant than the first one)!
Second half we were unrecognisable, running out of energy and ideas. Probably the worst defensive 45 minutes since the first half at FCUM. Fair to say that some of this was due to us pressing forward, but we have to learn (and quick) that if you commit men up front than it cannot be at the cost of conceding so easily. The fact they scored five is very flattering to Ashton and more to do with how poorly we defended in the second half.
After their third goal went in our heads dropped and all the confidence of the first half vanished. We forgot how to do the basics, lost all shape and were never likely to do anything other than concede more goals.
The harsh reality is that if we play like that in the next three games we will go down and will deserve to go down. The only disappointing factor in that is that we had done enough to drag ourselves out, only to then throw the opportunity away.
Our away support was fantastic today and they did all they could to encourage the team, however our second half capitulation didn’t give much to shout about (other than negative).
Remarkably we are still in a position with three games to play that it is in our own hands, the question is are we good enough. On our day I think we can go up against any side in this league, but when it counts will we have the bottle. We certainly need to see more focus, concentration and commitment than we did in the second half.
Danny wrote:
[quote]…Can’t blame Gary and Lee, at the end of the day they gave us a fighting chance…
…except for Paul Booth they are useless most of the time…!
[/quote]
It’s Gary and Lee’s team Danny!
It’s not just about the players fault when they lose and the Management’s greatness when they win - you can’t separate the two that easily.
I agree with you that our defending in the second half was awful (and whilst I realise you are founding member of the Paul Booth fan club), Scotty, Pritch and Warner have also had many good games in the last three months.
Defending is not just about the four players at the back, it’s about Maylett and Lawless giving the ball away stupidly when we have pushed our defenders up into the box. Plus there were two or three times when we moved defenders up for set pieces only for the delivery to never to reach them.
The midfield today was poor, Dunn and Roddy had a big job to do with Maylett pushing on so far up the right. The only player that deserved any real credit was Kieran who again worked his socks off.
As much as the defence was an issue (certainly in the second half) we have not scored a goal in open play for about 500 minutes (over 5 league games). The 0-0 scorelines against Whitby and Prescot expose this fact clearly.
I cannot deny we were bad at the back today but it is not just down to the backline that we are in the position we are in!
I seem to remember everytime Nigel Deeley lost a game, it was never his fault. It was down to the budget and we had to give Nige more time, he could do no wrong. Now its down to Gary and Lee I’m sorry but in my view thats unfair.
Gary came in to a team that had lost 9 games on the bounce and sat rock bottom of the league! The only mistake we made was not getting him in earlier and the reason we didn’t because of sentiment towards Nigel from too many fans. For Gary just to give us a fighting chance was enough. But the team Nige had out there already did the damage.
And what about the Pritch fan club??? Booth is actually a quality player and gets credit from me and others because of what he does on the field. Pritch has had his day I think this has to be his last season. No time for sentiment in football, we should have learnt that from giving Nige too much time! B)
Danny my Mrs knows more about football than you, thats not a dig thats the truth, stop blaming Nigel, he stepped in when we were in the shit, new managers bring new players new ideas and new rules, unfortunately that impetus has gone.
True, I dont get down to WP as much as I would like due to other commitments but at 38 I would have made a difference in the Prescot game. The midfield was awful, Maylet has more tricks than a magician but never went past his man, Lawless reminded me of Mickey McGuire out of Shameless and the middle 2 are far to similiar to play in the same team. any back four on the planet will buckle under relentless pressure.
At the end of the day we arent physically big enough, strong enough or financially viable enough at the moment. But we will stay up!!
Absolutely shambolic second half.no midfield meant poor Pritch had to come to half line which left back exposed.What is it with fancy back flip and Ronaldo type fancy footie which Maylett was trying and getting no where.Pritch may have had a bad game not due to him but AWOL midfield.
What a bummer.
And the difference Danny is that Grazzer actually knows what he is talking about!
I think Booth is a good player at this level and has been a good addition but he was guilty in the back past that led to their pen and for their second goal. If you don’t want to take my word for it then ask the manager.
You seem to completely miss the point that it is not all the responsibility of the back four. Your constant criticism of Pritch is getting boring, you have such a one dimensional view of the game. We win as a team and lose as a team, it’s about the 11 men on the pitch.
The fact you want to bring Nigel back into the situation sums you up. Nigel took up the job against his original decision and did his very best to completely rebuild a squad. The reality is that many of the players that he chose were not good enough and were a let down. The decision to let Nigel go was nothing to do with sentiment, my only point being that we made Nigel a scapegoat for the whole problem. Truth is Jose Mourinho would not have won games for us on the budget and with the squad that we had to assemble in a matter of weeks.
Gary and Lee have both done a very good job since their arrival and deserve a great deal of credit for getting us even into a position where we have a chance. However, the points still remain they have been in charge for the last five league games that we have not scored in and were in charge this afternoon (you can’t blame Nigel for those things).
The current management team has the same problems that the old one had, we are trying to build a side that can compete on a budget we can afford. Neither manager has had much time to do this in. We have used something like 58 players this season, which says a lot. Success will only come through building a side with stability (something we have been unable to work with this season such is the need to find quick fixes in an attempt to stay up). Ironically we have been most stable and won most games since getting stability in our back four, with Booth, Pritch, Scott and Warner. You watch at the end of the season how many times those first three names appear in the ‘Player of the Season’ votes!
One final comment, walking around to the other terrace at half time, an Ashton fan stopped us to ask “where did you get that number 4 from, he’s a cracking player”! If you don’t believe me there were two witnesses.
The point is not about defending Pritch, he’s ugly enough to do that himself. What’s frustrating is when comments made lose all sight of any other factor than it being ‘Pritch’s fault’, ‘Nigel’s fault’, etc. If you do want to single out one man then most of the problem’s we have faced this season are about the p**** who got the sack last week elsewhere.
Danny, Pritch was 1 of the top 3 players in the side that almost won the league for 2 seasons running, now he’s been the best player in a side scrapping to avoid relagation. How on earth can you come on here and criticise him?! People praise Pritch because a) he is a bloody good defender, and b) because he’s been bloody loyal. How about returning some of that loyalty, and keeping your opinions to yourself if you are only going to criticise? It’s not about wrapping him in cotton wool out of sentiment, and as football is a game of opinions then also you are quite entitled to your’s. However in this instance you are very very wrong. I spent yesterday counting up the player of the season votes, and it would certainly seem you are in the minority in your opinion of Pritch. I am not surprised at what Rabbit has said regarding an Ashton fan praising BP, as i was there to witness first hand the Matlock chairman almost falling over himself to praise the big man personally after we played them at WP. How many sponsors give BP the MoM award? You can’t always pass that off as sentiment as on occasion they are not even Witton fans but corporate guests.
Our main problem at the moment is scoring goals. yes we’ve been turned over today, but in the Whitby and Prescott games had we nicked a couple of goals then we’d pretty much be safe now. In the both of those game the back 4 did their job, so have some respect.
Grazzer10 wrote:
[quote]Danny my Mrs knows more about football than you, thats not a dig thats the truth, stop blaming Nigel, he stepped in when we were in the shit, new managers bring new players new ideas and new rules, unfortunately that impetus has gone.
[/quote]
I love people like you Grazzer. Turn up now and then and yet think they know it all.
Note for both of you, Nige did not HAVE to take the job. If he felt he wasn’t up to it he should not have took it on. I like others appreciate his efforts, but the end of the day, it was not good enough! After 9 defeats on the bounce there were still stupid comments from people on here saying he should stay…and I know nothing??
Gary had a completely new team bar 2 or 3 within 3 weeks and our form picked up.
Now it’s not worth dwelling on as Nige is gone.
However, there has been numerous comments from people that Pritch should turn to the coaching side after this season as his best years are certainly behind him.
And Rabbit I don’t want to rain on your parade but whilst you may have heard one person praise our number 4 I have taken 9 or 10 different people to Witton this season who have pointed Pritch out as one of the weaker players rather than the stronger ones.
Yes Robbo, you do have to praise his loyalty, but having been to virtually every game this season, I’ve spotted weaknesses in his game that have cost us (ie being unable to get the ball under control on the ground when a difficult ball comes to him, passing too short and when the ball goes over the top of him a striker will always outpace him to get one on one with the keeper). Whilst he is good in the air and strong in the challenge their are too many teams pulling in strikers with pace that are going to get the better of him.
Its not all down to Pritch whatsoever they are a team but the thing is if a certain player does something wrong everybody is cursing them (ie Greg with the penalty). Then when its Pritch (ie the 4th goal which was even more clumsy)-silence. And its always been like that.
At the end of the day if they need a kick up the arse give them, all of them equally and if so yeah Pritch even more so, at the end of the day he is the one with the armband. He is their to lead the charge.
Grazzer I’ll accept your full of it, but never try and talk down to me again unless your going to grow some balls and do it to my face, ok princess? 
It was very dissappointing today especially second-half. Games turn on decisions and the one Greg made to bring down the Ashton player was IMO crucial. As stated in an earlier post teams win together and lose together but today heads went down too quickly and we paid the price.
Let’s not get at each others throats until we know our fate - I for one have got some comments to make but will wait until the right time to let blast.
I think only Brad game out of todays game with any credit but I’m afraid when we are fighting for survival we can’t have two out and out wingers in the team IMO.
Fantastic support again today.