The aftermath

[pdgifford64]

OK. Yes it hurts. Let me start this thread by congratulating the Gas for their performances over the 2 legs. They did the job last week really and found a superb finish for one of few chances for either side tonight. I thought at times we tried to play on the deck and in truth we looked our most dangerous when we did, but the name of the game is putting the ball in the net. I think we lacked composure in front of goal, shots were scuffed or at times our play was too complicated. But the match was played in the right spirit with a great atmosphere. Enjoy your day out and while i won`t be watching i wish you success on the day. If you can go through the whole comp without conceding a goal it will be a great achievement.

As for us the teams around us continue to do there best to make it easier for us with both Yeovil and Oldham dropping points tonight. The onus really is on GJ and the team to pull out all the stops to gain that automatic slot. S****horpe continue to make a mockery of the ` every team has a bad patch ` comment and its looking more and more likely that 2nd is the objective. On the plus side with all the cups now finished with GJ can concentrate on fielding our strongest side barring injuries and suspensions with the balance of the side no longer being disrupted by players that are cup-tied. Whether we have the players throughout the squad to compete in all positions remains to be seen.

Brooker looks to be getting stronger with every game he plays. I`ll hold my hand up in voicing my doubts as to whether he would be able to recover the form of last season in time for the run in. Fingers crossed he can continue to improve and remains injury free. Noble, IMO, will also have big say in how our season pans out from here on in, which could pose problems for LJ. I havn`t knocked LJ and i`ve no intention of doing so now, but in my opinion GJ is going to have to look seriously at our central midfield. I think DN,IMO, has done enough in the last to few games to be one of the 1st names on the team sheet, but he needs a strong prescence in midfield as LJ did when DN was injured.

The ball, as they say, is well and truly in our court. Automatic promotion is there for the taking and its going to be a great final 13 games of the season. As i said earlier, yes it hurts, but there is a much greater prize on the horizon.

Once again, well done you sagheads. Over 2 matches i think you just about deserved it. Good luck in the final.

PDG