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| Woking 1 Morecambe 1: 19th August 2006 Scorers Football can be cruel sometimes. Oh so cruel. To say the Cards deserved the three points today is perhaps pushing it a little but they almost did. The football wasn't fantastic but there were signs that it's going to get better. There was a more precise and controlled feel about the probes forward today. Promising moves that you felt could end up in goal, possibly. There was a purpose about it. While it's true that the decision making was not spot on in the final 3rd and that we launched the long ball too often there was at least a willingness to try and play football on the ground. This all came about in the second half mind you, the first a dull affair between two sides who didn't show any urgency in scoring. There was not really one notable chance that I can remember. Morecambe forced MacDonald to make an important header, with Shwan out of his goal following a mix up in defence, to stop a free header at an open goal and a neat clipped ball over the top saw Danny Carlton advance down the left side of the penalty area but he hit his effort way over. The Cards had several through balls run just that little bit too far and wasted two free kicks one being pounded into the wall by Karl Murray and another curled wide by Gary Mac. Murray started incidentally, though not in central midfield but out on the right wing with Fergie moving to the left due to Liam's injury. It didn't work. McAllister was isolated and left chasing hopeful balls throughout the first half as well as trying to win balls pumped at him high in the sky. When we finally did get men forward in the second half he was already out on his feet. The three in midfield seemed to get in each other's way a lot of the time. Shola wanting to sit and hold while Smith wanted to play defensive midfield and the two men ultimately supposed to get forward in Smith and Berquez had a complete lack of pace about them in terms of bombing into the box. Murray did his best on the right but seemed to want to play inside too much and this gave us a lack of width. Morecambe looked happy with a point from the moment they kicked off and kept the ball well but without putting any real pressure on the Woking defence. Steve Ferguson broke away throwing his body in the way of the ball and bundled his way through one-on-one, he got there just before the keeper' got round him and tried to find McAllister in the box but his cross was deflected and ended up agonisingly dropping onto the roof of the net for a corner. Minutes later and Macca2 got clear on the left side of the area and hammered an effort at goal but miscued it much to his and the crowds despair. Morecambe were forced on the back foot further and to be fair defended very well, not giving away much at all but it was the Cards that were on top. Little Goma Lambu was introduced as Ferguson went off injured and immediately beat his man and tried to sling in a cross, winning a corner. As the 90 minutes were up it was his break down the right that started the all-important move and when eventually a ball was clipped in Berquez chased after it. He chased down the defender, robbed him and laid it back for local boy Guiseppe Sole to take aim and blast it high into the net past a sea of bodies and the keeper' who did get a touch. His celebration showed absolute delight as he raced alongside the KRE screaming, it was great to see and most of the crowd were off after him. It looked like a stronger second half performance had stolen the win with a last gasp strike but there was to be an even later goal in added injury time. MacDonald had plenty of time to clear but the ball hit a bobble and he scuffed his clearance to David McNiven who curled a lovely strike past Shwan Jalal and into the back of the net to leave the Cards players and fans gutted. Three games gone and still no win but things were better today. I'm still not sure about this 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation and the cautiousness we seem to employ when attacking but in the second half there were signs that we were trying to get forward and to get the ball on the ground. I would have liked to seen Lambu or Sole on earlier and would like to think that one of them will start next week. Lots of work still to do, but better today. It needs to be though with crowds of 1222. Hardly surprising really… Woking (4-5-1):
Jalal; Jackson, El-Salahi, MacDonald, Bunce; Oyedele, Berquez, Smith (Sole 72), Ferguson (Lambu 79), Murray; McAllister.
Man of the Match: Craig McAllister Moment of the Match: Guiseppe Sole's celebration in front of the KRE. Attendance: 1222 |
