Ratings:
Foderingham 6/10 – No chance on the goal but came and missed another cross and was the much busier in the first half. He made one routine save but had to make it from Morris but then had a spell where he almost seemed dazed and then you realise, he is not well and tried to struggle on but was not coming for crosses/balls and we could not take no chances. Hopefully he will be back for Tuesday as we are not exactly blessed with keeping over with one out on loan and another injured.
Baldock 6.5/10 – Got well forward first half but his final ball was lacking again and he just crosses it rather than picking out his man. He was harshly booked- just shoulder to shoulder. Then the ref let loads go after that of a similar nature! He defended ok and did what he had to but when he got into good positions going forward did not see much although played Bash in once and set up Norwood so was better 2nd half but was more defending than attacking. He actually did pretty well in that regard and stuck to his task. Maybe he (or McAtee) needs to get out to the man on the cross and also, we let too many crosses come in tonight.
Lowe 5.5/10 – Did not keep to his standards of the previous two home games both attacking and defensively. One wild shot over and a few poor passes going forward where he telegraphed balls. He also was nowhere near tight enough to his man as a barrage of crosses came in. Needs to be much closer and stop the ball coming in. Saw nothing going forward second half at all.
Basham 6.5/10 – Did well with a few clearances and blocks but I also thought we lost a lot of high balls and another day some of those flicks in or cause more problems. The goal he has to see the danger and being the nearest man has to attack it/go on Morris rather than drop back. Egan has to maybe communicate better too to tell him where the danger was? He improved after this and read the game well with a few blocks but they did also get in a few times down the sides.
Norrington Davies 7.5/10 – Our best defender again. Competitive as he did not stand for any nonsense and got stuck in, often on much bigger players. He loves the battle but stuck at it. Going forward he put one good cross in but was not able to get into these attacking areas much. Thought he was one of the few who won his battle most of the night and was first to the ball and made some good tackles/blocks. Been really good the last few games.
Egan 6/10 – I thought he was lucky to get away with a handball – slipping and clumsy as he ran back. After this him and the defence struggled with the high ball and they won a lot of the aerial stuff. He did win the header for the goal but too often the ball forward they won as they picked up the loose bits. We looked way too open down the sides too and meant we often looked at full stretch. I am not sure the others helped by not stopping the crosses coming in constantly.
Norwood 6.5/10 – Started ok but then they pressed and won the ball more and we did not really create much at all. They pressed him and we struggled to get into good areas. He did have the shot that hit Berge and the one just over 2nd half and outside of the goal these were our best efforts but the game seemed to pass him by as it became scrappy and they stopped him having time on the ball. He was ok when he had it but the least, he has been involved since Watford.
McAtee 1/10 – A nightmare 45 minutes. He gave it away early on, slipped and they had a chance. This carried on. Way off the pace as he got outmuscled but worryingly his touch and passing was atrocious. He set them up for their first two attacks and then on the goal he has to react and go to the thrower. Got booked and then committed another foul. His set plays were dreadful save one to Norwood (that gets him his 1 mark!) as he hit his first man on every one – including two in quick succession. Had to come off. I expected far better technically even if he got outmuscled but he has been poor in terms of his touch and passing. If he wants to play, he has to do much, much better. It was like having 10 tonight first half. I do worry that if we are a side going for promotion, we cannot have a young kid learning on the job and as I say he has to contribute. It looked all too much for him today but with any loan at football league level he is going to have games played at a fast pace and physical and is a long way from Premier League u23 football so needs to learn fast.
Berge 4/10 – I thought he was really poor tonight. Never influenced the game at all. He was safe when he had it or took too long and got robbed. Do not recall any runs at them and this is not helped with him being more withdrawn. His best position is further forward but Hecky seems like he wants to accommodate McAtee but if he plays like he did tonight, not only does it mean we have an ineffective player in him but Berge is too being asked to play further back. He improved a bit after Doyle came on and had a few moments but nothing where you thought he has done really well and affected a chance or made something. If teams were looking at him tonight will not have helped him in terms of any move away.
Ndiaye 7/10 – Our best player first half and looked like they were worried about him as he got into good areas, used his body to contort himself and keep possession but had little help. Most of our good play came from his hold up and link play. He made a few half chanced and then was involved second half in the lead up before we scored. He then made one for Norwood but faded after this and was taken off. He does look a great player and I felt technically looked the best footballer on the pitch albeit in fits and bursts.
McBurnie 7.5/10 – Along with Norrington Davies our best player and he just gets my man of the match for his efforts. Tussled and harried and got involved in grappling early (loved the rugby tackle as he had been fouled first!) but in a good way as he put himself around to good effect. He only had one pulled shot wide but he was leading the line well with little service at all. His goal he took superbly and was a fine finish and out of character after so many scuffed/weak efforts. After this continued to work hard but nothing else really dropped for him. Pleased for him as the last few games starting and sub, he has done well.
Subs –
Doyle 6.5/10 – Did ok actually and had the hockey assist for the goal (assist before the assist) and worked hard as we at least had someone who kept it some of the time in that area and also could get back. They still played through us too much in this area and at times he and Norwood did not win the physical stuff but he did alright overall and had one shot near the end. May have to start now with Fleck out and McAtee looking miles off being ready. Rather him and Norwood with Berge more advanced personally than moving people around. Maybe the young lad Arblaster may get a chance too.
Amissah – Played the final 12 mins + 7 and he did ok. Not a good sign when he banged his head on the dug out but took his first cross and with high balls coming in looked fine. Got a big kick on him too. Made the save right at the end which was an expected save but he made it. Hopefully this experience will stand him in good stead.
Brewster – One run where he won a corner and then another where he took a shot but it was weak. At the moment McBurnie offers far more to the team than him but sure he will get minutes with Sharp out. Those saying he was going to score lots of goals and be our leading scorer though – I struggle to see anything to convince me they are going to be right sadly as he looks a player that will play now and again but McBurnie and Ndiaye (and Khadra) done far more to claim the shirts ahead of him.
Ahmedhodzic – Not on for long. Won one header and clearance as his height was useful with balls coming into the box.
Manager: Heckingbottom 6/10 – Thought he picked the wrong team with McAtee preferred to Doyle that upset the balance of the team – as it did against Sunderland. We then have Berge further back and all of a sudden, it’s only Ndiaye they have to worry about. I think it would have been brave and may have knocked his confidence but I would have made the change first half. We wasted a half with how we set up and played and it was like having 10 men (that sounds harsh but that is how bad McAtee was- Berge was not much better either!). He changed it and we improved but then at 1-1 they got the initiative but with Wes struggling probably was hesitant to change too much at that stage. I thought we would have been much higher up the field after we equalised and looked the more likely but they did really and that was poor. The approach away from home is quite timid and we are looking to just stay in games rather than win them or take the game to teams with some of the quality we have. He needs to change the approach and mentality of the side or we are not going to win many away with the way we set up and attack teams.
Luton – Jones has done a super job. Always comes across as fiercely loyal to his team and club after games and sometimes to the point of being a bit chipper or irritating (his post match interview was a bit nauseating – he does not talk about the defending a long time after the offside) but you cannot knock what he has done there. With a vastly inferior budget to most at this level, to get them to the playoffs and competing around the top again so far this year, you have to salute him. They have made some smart additions and gone for players from lower leagues or ones that he knows will suit the system and the likes of Woodrow and Morris add to a squad that only lost Naismith from last season. They have plenty of experience and can see them being around the playoffs again this season. They are quite direct and play to their strengths but so what? They have a number of muscular strikers who are quite mobile for their size and a fair few very underrated players that don’t get the acclaim many do at other clubs. Like the lad Campbell in midfield and Adebayo is always a real handful up top.
The Freeman signing, I am not convinced by – he is a player that I am not sure had the fitness/focus to be a top player and maybe he does better when he is a big fish in a small pond. I also do not buy his recent talk about managers not fancying him as we had three at the Lane and none of them played him (when he was fit and he often wasn’t). We had lots of issues in midfield the last few years and if he had got himself fit and lost weight, he would have got more chances. Clearly all three managers saw the same. He was given a great chance to play for a big club at a higher level and did get opportunities but not sure he took them. So that’s on him not United. He also went to Forest at a lower level and was poor there – another big club that he could/should thrive at if he has the consistency and quality. Like with Burke, Robinson, Mousset and McBurnie (last two at least contributed first season) he was just a poor signing from Wilder but I was largely in favour when we did sign him. He did ok tonight but not sure he is a player I think we let go in any way really.
The game against United we saw why they are so effective. They don’t have a lot of the ball but do look dangerous when they get it forward. The front lads are strong and a handful. They scored a goal from a cross and put a number of good balls in with tall lads and played it down the channels well too. It is percentage stuff and quite limited but effective and clearly works. They did work hard off the ball though and won a lot of loose things and got around us. They made it really hard for us to keep the ball for any period and got it into good areas to force us back. Today they really got stuck in and worked for what they got. Will be disappointed to concede but after this they responded well and will say they maybe looked the more likely even though they did not have lots of clear chances but were forcing us back.
Reckon their approach, fitness and how they play will get them easily half way and maybe they might be around the top 6 again but their squad depth and quality might see them come up just short this season but the fact they would be anywhere near is testament to the team and Jones.
Opponent Man of the Match – Freeman for all my words above did quite well and Adebayo is always a handful. Morris also scored and was a nuisance but the lad in the middle of the park Campbell I really like and whenever I saw him last season seemed a stand out. Gets stuck in, good on the ball and good both ways. Think he may go on to better things.
Opponent Weak link – Thought Burke was clumsy for a player that is rated and seemed to resort to just grabbing McBurnie rather than trying to defend. I thought Lockyer struggled with trickery of Ndiaye. Just wished we could get them better service or more help to worry them even more.
Referee/Officials – David Webb. Refereed us for the second time already this season after being in charge in the League Cup at West Brom. He was involved quite a bit last season and sent off opponents in the games against Derby at home and Preston away before missing an incredibly blatant red card at Stoke towards the end of the season. He also did Swansea in the 4-0 win so seems to get a fair bit of our games!
Thought he was garbage tonight. He was so inconsistent and seemed to favour them with a lot of the 50-50 stuff. So far behind the play and guessed the Baldock foul and booking (was not even a foul) and then he lets wrestling and grappling (both teams) go. Just no idea what he would let go and what he would give as fouls. He booked four of ours but none of their games somehow? I agree with the Ndiaye one (stupid kicking it away and not retreating) and McAtee’s was fine but McBurnie did he go into the crowd – not sure he did?
Jones was moaning about an offside at the end in a way OTT interview on the goal (Berge was off to be fair) but if it was it was a long time before the period when we did score and that was onside – it had gone out for a corner before this? He was then going on about imaginary fouls – after the ref had let so much go he could not then give these!
He seemed to disregard some of the nasty stuff they dished out too – really bad tackle from Berry on Ndiaye and a few others where some how they escaped bookings (the double hand ball at the end!) after booting Doyle too in the chest!
It was offside taking away my red and white bias but as I say the goal came after this. He wound me up the ref tonight more than he should but was just guessing things and as I say wildly inconsistent with what he deemed to be excessive physical contact.
