The first home game of the season was a fairly uneventful affair, but a more enjoyable one than I had expected. Of the new signings, Eastwood was not seriously tested by City’s opponents and it may take a few games before any judgement can be reached on the loan ‘keeper. Williams made an impressive home debut and looked comfortable in his new surroundings, while Ramsden also played well. O’Leary looked bright and did a good job in midfield, picking the ball up from defenders and looking to start attacking moves (while also being unafraid to “put a foot in” in the centre of midfield). Hanson seems to have made a good start to his City career and put in one very good cross from the left in the first half, while also winning his fair share of headers. Evans came on for Boulding and looks to have the strength that is required of forwards in this division (although his time on the pitch was fairly brief). James O’Brien was not on long enough to make an impact, while Flynn played reasonably well without making a big impression.
City played well in patches and in my opinion bossed the second half. Some good passing football was played, with all outfield players looking quite comfortable on the ball. Brandon showed some nice touches and linked up well with others in attacking situations, improving as the game went on. Boulding (like Flynn) was a bit quiet for my liking (although perhaps they depend on City getting them more of the ball in the right positions), and Thorne led the line well. Luke O’Brien was not at his best today, but made some good runs down the left flank – particularly in the second half – and even a substandard O’Brien performance is better than that produced by many of the players seen in Claret (or Claret and Amber) in recent times. Zesh Rehman was far better than at Notts County (although I am comparing a ‘live’ performance with what I’ve heard and read about his showing in the Midlands on the opening day). Colbeck, like J O’Brien, had insufficient time to impress but looked eager to do so. The best chances were probably those which fell to Peter Thorne and James Hanson, but neither could find the net.
City looked a bit narrow at times, with the two full-backs more likely to take on the defenders and put a cross in than the nominal wide men Hanson and Brandon. They did, though, look solid and play neat football. Given the lowered expectations that a reduced budget and two hefty defeats have brought about, a 0-0 draw – that was pleasing on the eye for the most part – was probably about as good as fans had expected and I for one walked out of Valley Parade after the final whistle in a good mood. Despite the wet and gloomy weather.
It feels like the season started today, and we must continue to play in the manner that we did today – with players going out there to work hard and to play good football as a team rather than as individuals (which was not always the case last season).
GK Eastwood 6
RB Ramsden 7
CB Williams 7
CB Rehman 6
LB O’Brien 6
RM Brandon 6
CM O’Leary 7
CM Flynn 6
LM Hanson 6
CFThorne 6
CF Boulding 6
Subs: Colbeck n/a, Evans 6, J O’Brien n/a.
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