Reply To: Lynn’s King

[MK Iron]

In our remaining away games apart from Spennymoor and South Sheilds there is a fair chance that all the other teams will have seen Curzon, Buxton and Kings Lynn demonstrate the way to beat us and set up accordingly.

Even Spennymoor and South Shields might do the same given the spanking they both received when setting up to take us on at GP.

Our midfield 3 are all very good footballers in their very different ways but none are “scrappers”. Scales has a bit of an edge but is more likely to win a card than a tackle.

In the away games we have lost and drawn they have been against (at least) a midfield 4 that have tackled and harried and generally stopped our 3 from playing. This stops the quality service the 2 wide forwards rely on to create openings. They become ineffective because neither Law or Smith are guys that fight for and win possession from poor quality passes or long ball clearances.

This in turn leaves the central striker fighting a loan battle which is not Whitehall or Elliott’s forte.

For me we need to add a defensive sitter in midfield to even up the numbers. Shrimpton likes a tackle and a scrap so would be my choice. Sacrifice Smith and Law and play Elliott up front with Whitehall.

Denton and Barrows should be looking to provide width and crosses for the front two and pushing opposition full backs or wing backs to defend. The centre backs are usually dealing with a single striker so should be fine particularly wit a sitting midfielder in front of them.

Less pretty and pure but more pragmatic at this level for away games against the “middling” teams.

A bit too old school 4-4-2 for Jimmy?
Call it an inverted diamond to jazz it up a bit and get on with beating some of these poorer sides away from home. We can probably risk the home set up against the Darlington and Bishop Stortford end of things but we are not going to blow away half decent NLN teams playing their “Cup finals”.