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Match Report: Szmodics/Diedhiou spell edges 3-act friendly


Olé

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A pre season friendly in three acts. Act 1 a comfortable experienced defence but with little ability to open up a League One side. Act 2 with Walsh and Szmodics in midfield and Fam up top, a ruthless, incisive threat with a hatful of chances and goals. Act 3 a bit of a mess: third and fourth penalties given away in a week and firing shots into the crowd whenever given a sight of goal.

City gave a run out to 26 players across 2 half hour spells and a final four changes in an increasingly careless close to the game where we managed to surrender our rapid three goal opening to the second half, and finish holding onto a 3-2 win via a scratch side that featured a feisty Taylor Moore, a well marshalled Saikou Janneh, Adelakun firing into the crowd and little real midfield.

The first half was City's first opportunity to  pair multi million centre backs Kalas and Webster, and with Hunt and Rowe offering experience on the flanks, and Pack sitting in midfield with Bakinson, City were solid yet thoroughly spectacular, reliant on the occasional Eliasson cross into an isolated Weimann. Solid but totally forgettable.

In fact full backs Rowe and Hunt were the pick of the bunch with and without the ball and on the midway point of the first period an energetic Hunt, City's best player in the opening 45, went on a barnstorming run in from the right, beating two defenders only to see Wimbledon able to desperately rob the ball as he closed in on an easy finish.

On the half hour Bakinson, amongst City's more influential players - not saying a lot - flashed a rising shot at goal from the edge of the area which was deflected over. Off the right wing corner Webster opened the scoring via a confident header. A lead but scarcely deserved. City made their first changes, O'Dowda replacing Pack, but dropped to left back, Rowe pushing up.

To O'Dowda's credit he actually gave City additional width besides Eliasson and ten minutes before the break they combined well on the left, from the overlap crossing dangerously into the box but just over an onrunning Semenyo, and with no one to turn home at the empty far post. Another reminder of City's lack of forward threat.

But Famara was on and so was Taylor and minutes before the break they made some inroads, Diedhiou off on a combative run through the middle and as space opened up, he fed Hunt out wide on the right who crossed into the middle where Taylor saw a close range header beaten away albeit with the flag then raised for an offside.

At the break more progress from Bakinson threading in O'Dowda and another overlap saw the wantaway winger racing clear in from the left only to flash a low shot past the far post. Before the half another sub, Zak Vyner, would connect with a fierce 30  yard drive from range, just deflected as it threatened their keeper. Tellingly both he and fellow sub Diedhiou would be back.

But in fact while both would help City race into a more comfortable lead after the half time break, it was another newer entrant - summer signing Sammy Szmodics - who made the difference, within seconds from the restart threading a perfect ball out of midfield, leaving Fam with one defender to beat, the striker skipping past a man and slamming a shot into the bottom corner.

Just minutes later it was three as Vyner's deep low cross off the right wing was met by Diedhiou unerringly at the far post - in front of an impressive away end of local and traveling City fans - the oft written off striker again firing home to make it a quick fire brace and 3-0 to the away side. As it turned out more subs curtailed this threat.

But first Taylor Moore cleared off the line before the hour mark from the hosts most dangerous chance - and City before they surrendered to third string players, turned in the best spell of the game led by Walsh and Szmodics. Walsh had a forward pass in mind every time he got the ball and was setting the tempo and spreading the play.

The central midfielder would fire a 25 yard low drive just past the post and soon after Matty Taylor blazed over from close range after good work by Brownhill between the lines. Then the lively Szmodics drove a low visionary pass from deep in midfield which bypassed Fam and nearly got O'Dowda in.  But then Walsh departed injured and City lost their way - more so after Fam left too. 

Momentum shifted and Moore and Vyner got in a mess to concede a third penalty in a week from which Woolacot was sent the wrong way. At the other end City's threat was subsiding and a run by Taylor at the home defence saw him exchange passes before lashing an early shot in at the near post that was beaten away. City would not go close again and at 3-1 were at risk.

With ten to go City gave the ball away in their own half and one of Wimbledon's 11 young subs - all on at once - drilled a fast rising shot at the top corner that Woolacot did well to tip over. City now had Janneh, Edwards and Adelakun on and offered little in return, the latter at particular fault, fed by O'Dowda, he ignored a return pass and turned to make space only to slam a shot wide of the post into the City fans.

At the close a resurgent hosts got another penalty - the fourth City have conceded in 2 games - a handball low on the right of the box curtailing a Wimbledon cross and allowing them to convert again past Jojo Woolacot. 3-2. At the other end City were now ragged, Adelakun again fired wildly at the City fans and Baker headed a corner past the post after a slick run by Edwards.

And that was it. Hard to gather much from an early warm up but City produced much that'll be familiar: controlling a defensive but ultimately anonymous first half, being rampant for twenty second half minutes bouyed by Szmodics, Diedhiou and Walsh, yet then rounding it all off by reminding us that our strength in depth may be limited when calling on our less favoured players. 

 

Too many players for ratings, so just some stand outs:

Szmodics - energetic and visionary, fluffs the odd pass but the direction and quality is there, some fantastic passes I'm unsure Pack has in him, and plays the game with a speed and purpose that makes me think a) he is better than Kasey Palmer and b) just maybe there is a passable 17/18 era Bobby Reid in him if we get him in space

Diedhiou - as if people have spent the last month talking casually about letting him go and figuring something out. We are so obviously short of finishers as it is, if not for him we may as well not bother up front at all, it is ludicrous to me to even consider  removing his goals and expecting the rest of the unproven options to figure it out

Walsh - yes he is lightweight but it is chalk and cheese between him and Pack, he will have a forward pass ready and in mind all the time, obviously easier opposition but compare the first 30 of each half and it is two styles of football, one laboured and ponderous, the other tempo and incisive

Hunt - thought he looked very good in the first half, he and Rowe were full of energy and drive, and he was making deep runs of the kind he made in his winter purple patch for us last season 

O'Dowda - bit embarrassing for the guy being left on so long like a bit of an after thought and at left back too, but to his credit he got forward well and was always making overlapping runs. Can't see him being with us much longer but you can't accuse him of hiding today.

As for the rest, no time to write anyone off but some of our outsiders for this seasons first team didn't do much to get any closer to it (even if Moore did look particularly up for it) and a lot of today's midfield and forwards - Eliasson, Paterson, Weimann, Semenyo, Brownhill - could and should have done more against this standard too.

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1 hour ago, Olé said:

Diedhiou - as if people have spent the last month talking casually about letting him go and figuring something out. We are so obviously short of finishers as it is, if not for him we may as well not bother up front at all, it is ludicrous to me to even consider  removing his goals and expecting the rest of the unproven options to figure it out

For all his ability to look good in one pre-season game against League 1 opposition, that might not be the best judge of whether he should lead the line for us next season.

Diedhiou gets more stick than he deserves, he’s not a bad Championship striker. What might be worth paying more attention to than a game against AFC Wimbledon is that last season his shot/goal rate was middling at best, and he missed 20 of 27 ‘big’ chances. If we’re going to be a top-six team, we need someone putting away a significantly higher percentage of those chances.

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Excellent stuff. Shame about Walsh getting injured again. Bit injury prone isn't he. LJ says about maybe bringing in a midfielder, and i guess Walsh will be loaned out.

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6 hours ago, Olé said:

Diedhiou - as if people have spent the last month talking casually about letting him go and figuring something out. We are so obviously short of finishers as it is, if not for him we may as well not bother up front at all, it is ludicrous to me to even consider  removing his goals and expecting the rest of the unproven options to figure it out

Great write up as always but this is the standout for me. Absolutely mental that people can be talking about 'snapping their hands off' for an offer for Fam when he's our only accomplished striker and our highest goalscorer for the last two seasons. Madness. We would need at least two lined up ready before I'd even be plugging the fax machine back in!

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Great to have your reports back Ole......you are my go to, above and beyond any other match report.  In fact it's a shame you don't have Gregor McGregorface's job. Looking forward to your reports throughout the coming season.  I think if Walsh was to get on the weights and build his upper body strength he could be a qualiity midfielder, maybe a loan is the answer, but we must not let him be sold, as i think he has a good future?  And Szmoozy could be a gem..........just need that striker added to the mix.

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1 hour ago, Coxy27 said:

I haven't done so myself, but a few minutes in pre-season certainly wouldn't prove anyone right or wrong. Seems like an odd post.

I quote Ole which you dont take as a positive and I do :

Act 2 with Walsh and Szmodics in midfield and Fam up top, a ruthless, incisive threat with a hatful of chances and goals.

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