come on get the winner[br][size=1]Posted on: October 13, 2007, 04:46:00 PM[/size][hr]final score 2 each
Just heard Gateshead only got a point too drawing 3-3 after leading 3-1
Funny game It reminded me of a cup tie and between two teams from different leagues,both defences would have given their respective managers food for thought Witton were the better side but Leek scrapped for everything and could have won it in the last few minutes.
I could have a go at a couple of players but its not the time as a point away from home is always acceptable and lets face it we are TOP of the league.
Was alway going to be a difficult game, Leek having just announced a new manager probably came in to the game with a renewed confidence so a draw is probably a fair result for both teams. Still unbeaten since opening day in the league, other results probably in our favour so all in all I am still a happy bunny.
Feel free to disagree, but I think that if we’d done the only sensible thing on that surface, got the ball forward and into the box quickly, if necessary bypassing the midfield, we’d have won. We all knew beforehand that the game would be played on one of, if not the, worst pitches in the league, yet we did not seem to try to adapt our game. Leek essentially played kick and rush, getting the ball into the box asap, and created chances. In contrast, how many times did we lose possession after attempting a series of passes or a dribble only to be thwarted by the random bounce? The pitch was Leek’s most effective defender by a distance! At the end I was glad to take a point, we seemed intent on pressing the self-destruct button at times.
Noting wrong with the pitch it’s being like this since the start off the season. How can you say proffit is the non league’s thierry henry more ade akinbyi ;D ;D and we should have won at the end of the game if it wasn’t for your dodgy keeper. nice v sign by the keeper at the end but that sums him up
6 goals conceded versus 27 goals conceded, who’s the dodgy keeper again???
Dorryl has had his moments this season and I can see him being a useful player to have when your gunning for promotion and playing the best football in the division. Maybe he didn’t quite do it for you because you were rubbish.
says someone who has a half naked wwf wrestler as his avatar, our pitch is half decent and your Leek Town rejects should be used to the pitch anyway so thats no excuse. Dont know how your number 4 is a footballer hes a fat f*****.
You have a council style excuse of a pitch. You rely on very average witton rejects who played about 12 mins between them 4 us. It’s a bit pathetic how you have re-embraced players who were only too happy to **** you off for a big club only to come crawling back when they found out they weren’t good enough. Danylyk for example is a little pu55y who thinks he’s some kind of hard case. Pritchard and Barras have sh1t bigger than that little pr1ck. Only Frickley are saving you from the embarrassment of being the worst team in the league.
Proud of your point? You were celebrating like you had won the league!!! (i’ll let you know how that feels at the end of the season) How much does it hurt that Buxton are better than you?
Given that Leek are currently languishing at the foot of the table, It took two great saves from Kennedy from stopping all the points from going to them. It’s also poor that you are prepared to have a go at players who were not even given a chance at Witton and yet made your side look poor today.
Looking forward to the Wincham Park fixture to earn some more points as is normally the case. Remember the Boxing Day fixture last year?
If you do beat us at WP, you better hope that they start awarding 25 points for a win as that is how many you will need to stay up.
Please show me where, in my posting or in any other on here so far by Albion fans, the pitch has been used as an ‘excuse’.
I think a classic new manager syndrome today. leek appeared to work very hard and put us under a lot of pressure - likewise though you couldn’t say we were not attatcking enough. doz’s header itself should have gone in!
If leek say that is the best they have played all year and they still couldn’t beat us then it must show what a strong side we are.
Like me - I still have reservations about certain players etc but as we now move 5 points clear, I think we should just go with it for now!
Mint cake anyone?
Happy with 1pt in the end - a win could have gone either way.
Mike T - not seen Ken on the terraces - is he OK ?
Leek in never nice nor easy! I thought it was a game of two halves, the first was ours and the second theirs.
My main criticism with the pitch was the length of the grass, it was more suitable for sheep than footballers. There were dandelions growing in the box (FACT) and the quality of the surface at Moss Farm is better (FACT).
I thought Leek’s game plan by and large worked for them. They were physical, strong and determined to not give us time on the ball. They couldn’t beat us at football so they played the game the only way they could and to be fair to them it was a plan that worked. To win this league we need to expect games which are more like ‘dog fights’ on bad pitches (contrast this with the away fixture at Ilkeston)! As soon as winter comes most pitches in this league will be difficult and we need to be clever in the way we play. They sent plenty of balls over the top and used the pace of their forward line to beat our defence, there were too many times when JK was needed to save one-to-one situations.
This was a cup final for Leek, new manager and the fact they were playing the top of the table side, they were playing for some pride in this one. To their credit whilst it was not nice to watch (and a few of their players were lucky to stay on for 90 minutes - Danylyk included), I thought they gave this everything they had got. As I say we need at times to adopt a Plan B, and cut out some of the creative midfield passing. Perhaps we could have used the wings more, Peers, Coo, Brodie, Brownhill maybe stretching the width. Also with The Dozzler’s pace send a few balls over the top for running on to.
All in all I thought a point was fair. Leek’s approach and strength earned them a point. From our own perspective, a point away from home is far from being a bad result - we will not win every game! Forget the number of games played we are 5 points clear at the top (other clubs have to win their games)!!
Very pleased with The Dozzler yesterday, cool finish for the second and good header that was unlucky a few minutes earlier. I would say that he and Cav were the best for us yesterday. I think Crowe looked sharper and therefore perhaps it is time to give Adam a rest from the start on Tuesday (the lad has run his heart out so far and had no luck), might be worth letting him have a night off!
Back to winning ways Tuesday!
UniBond League – Premier Division - Saturday October 13th 2007
LEEK TOWN 2 WITTON ALBION 2 att. 314
TEAM: Kennedy; Coo, Barras, Pritchard, Brownhill (Spearritt 73); Peers, Lloyd, MacPherson, Brodie (Crowe 62); Warlow (Kearney 78), Proffitt.
Man of Match : Mark Peers, n/b Dorryl Proffitt
As has been the case in the last few seasons the Harrison Park clash proved to be a difficult hurdle for Albion to overcome and come the end it was a point won on a heavy pitch that didn’t suit Witton’s normally fluid passing game. Too many times the team over elaborated and were swamped by the sheer exuberance of a set of players looking to satisfy their newly appointed manager, the returning Paul Moore.
Albion opened brightly with Steve Brodie having his shot caught by Matt Cooper followed by a Cavell Coo strike that whistled past the right upright. Jon Kennedy was then tested but produced a great double blocking save to keep his goal intact. On 15 minutes Albion took the lead, a Rob Lloyd free kick was played down the right for Mark Peers, his cross fell to Tony Barras who looked to have scuffed the opportunity, however the ball fell nicely to DAVE MacPHERSON and he produced a low shot that curled inside the far left hand post to silence all the home fans who’d in many past seasons would have celebrated their ex-hero’s goal.
Leek countered and when a free-kick near the right touch-line was awarded in the 21st minute their debutant player Dean Canning rose perfectly to meet Karl Brown’s arrowed centre and produce a back header that left Kennedy flailing. A controversial decision by Manchester referee Ackerman came in the 41st minute, Peers had played Dorryl Proffitt in on goal and as the striker checked Cooper committed himself and looked to have got contact with both player and ball, the man in black though waved play on – so different to the penalty decision at Wincham Park in mid-week. In the dying minutes of the half Proffitt twice came close to regaining Albion the lead. From a Peers’s corner his headed attempt was held by Cooper under the crossbar and then from the tightest of angles he clipped a shot across the goal-line.
Albion, two minutes after the interval, were having to chase the game when a Steve Brannan centre from wide on the right was met by the head of an unchallenged Louis Briscoe. Witton responded with a great ball from Peers and a header from Proffitt that looked destined for goal but only found the base of the left post with the ball again running agonisingly along the goal-line and out of play at the opposite post. The equaliser eventually came in the 64th minute following Cooper making a hash of things when he came to meet Dave Tickle’s sliced attempted clearance. The first attempt on goal as the ball bobbled around the area came from Barras but again the woodwork looked to have saved Town only for DORRYL PROFFITT to at last get the perfect finishing touch from the rebound.
Witton then had to endure long periods of Leek pressure and former Winsford striker Rob Hopley was only denied by brave goal-keeping from Kennedy before Albion’s custodian saved with his feet from Briscoe to ensure a share of the points.
Trust a Rabbit to notice that… ;D
In Tuesday’s programme there were some excellent comments from JV concerning the way we approach games on poor surfaces. He makes a well reasoned and sensible argument for continuing to try to play in our usual style, and although I don’t necessarily fully agree, I can see his point entirely and would fully support him. Even so, there might occasionally be shouts along the lines of ‘Don’t #### about with it at that end’ that slip out!
This was posted on the Leek forum by the manager Paul Moore;
Just thought i would give you fans a little update so far.
I have today spoken to Jim Vince manager of Witton Albion. Jim would like it putting on record that he thought we gave his team a real good game on saturday. We battled against his high flyers, and in his own words could have and maybe should have won it in the last 15 mins. He has stated he thinks our pitch is poor, and really compared to the pitch witton are use to playing on, that is no suprise. He wanted to share his comments, as he did not want you believing this was all down to sour grapes.