Stalybridge

...that must've been a totally disastrous 2nd half! Plenty of team changes again. Anyone that went tell us more please?

Bad performances becoming all too frequent, in fact I can't remember a good one. Going through the motions is a phrase that comes to mind.

Five conceded away against Warrington and Stalybridge , four against Alty and Halesowen. Our away form is certainly a worry.

City started brightly creating several chances taking the lead from a corner early on, could see stalybridge beginning to get frustrated as the half went on, they equalised with a good finish, ball cleared from a corner and struck back in well from the edge of the area from an equaliser. Conditions got worse as the half went on. Took the lead again just before half time on the break through Sam Bailey. From the start of the second half the pitch conditions got worse and we struggled to adapt unlike them, created nothing all half except for a chance by Tam at the back end of the half that was well blocked and sent behind, every time they went forward they looked like the could do something, the finish from their number 7 a particular highlight although the pitch helped him get into a shooting position . From what I have seen in recent weeks playing Williams up front by himself hasn't worked and it didn't work today with kilifin either although he didn't get great service, part of me thinks that with the awful conditions in the second half having a big lad up top to lump it to and try and bully there centre halfs would have been more successful than trying to play it on the ground in the centre of the pitch as we tried for much of the half. Not convinced by the goalkeeper either last few games, gives me the same unnerving feeling that I get watching mignolet at Liverpool. Well deserved loss in summary

Apologies our first game from a free kick on the left not a corner as I said above

A disappointing Christmas haul of four points from four games. Having looked at these games before Christmas, I was fairly confident we could get ten points and move nearer the playoff places but 25 goals conceded in 12 away games is not going to get us anywhere near and our home form is now suffering as well. On current form a mid table finish looks likely . The strategy of trying to defend in depth and counter attack in away games is obviously not working . With only one up front we are always going to be under pressure and it looks like our defence can't cope.

As someone who witnessed the full horror I shall recount my thoughts. Weather conditions were really testing it was so wet I didn't move from behind the one goal watching six of the seven goals from yards away. First half pretty even but every time we broke it looked like we would score . 2.1 HT was a touch flattering . Second half conditions seemed to get even worse , They seemed to relish this and in midfield we got over run , their second free header well taken keeper no chance , third a good strike but again nowhere near enough pressure , Fourth short back pass shambles of a goal and the one that killed us off . Fifth close range weak effort through keepers legs poor stuff.
Overall pretty bleak they just seemed to want it more they, were not as good as Workington and not as organised as Hednesford ( in some ways an even worse game!) . A performance that the decent travelling support didn't deserve .

I was happy to get home.

You'd think after the 20th time in 5 minutes we tried to play the ball along the deck only for the ball to get stuck in the water/mud we'd fucking learn. No, apparently.