United 1 Northampton 0 - report

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Deadbat

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Late, late drama at the Lane yet again as this time it was unlikely hero Kieran Freeman with the 89th minutes winner at the Kop end to see off a resilient Northampton Town side. As with the previous game United had probably not been quite at their best but they controlled most of the game and the football and finally right at the end the vital goal came. Once again, they had to thank Simon Moore for an excellent save from Northampton’s only meaningful effort on goal from a Matty Taylor free kick but aside from this United had most of the ball but struggled to break down a well organised and resilient Northampton side. The lack of quality in the final third had frustrated the crowd but a bit of quality from Paul Coutts led to the Freeman finish and the almighty roar that came showed what an important goal it was. United went to the top of the league; a position they kept after Bolton’s own late show against a wobbling Scunthorpe side.


United made one change from the win against Oldham as Leon Clarke was rewarded for his impact after he came on in that game; getting the start for Matt Done who dropped to the bench. Louis Reed had a rare outing on the bench also after not being involved much in recent times as Wilder kept up his habit of keeping fringe players involved.


Northampton had former Blades loanee John Joe O’Toole in their starting line up and were of course managed by former Blades skipper Rob Page. They were buoyed by a late win at Oxford on Boxing Day and were backed handily by around 2,000 fans; the biggest away following to come to the Lane this season by some distance.


United began well with Clarke’s knock down leading to Sharp hitting a volley that ended up going wide for a throw in. Fleck then had a shot blocked and another effort crowded out. Northampton though broke well twice in the early stages and Anderson got down the left to put over two dangerous crosses.


Sharp headed over at the back post from a corner and then Coutts forced the first save as his low effort was smothered by Smith who seemed to see the shot late as it went through a number of bodies.


United were not having it their own way and Anderson headed just off target before Richards had a shot well blocked by O’Connell. The home side came back into the ascendancy with the heavily marker Duffy starting to pull the strings. He had a curled effort saved and then another free kick which deflected wide after Sharp was fouled when the referee tried to play advantage. Fleck ran through three men before being crowded out and then two excellent Freeman crosses just evaded the strikers.


Northampton broke out and United cynically brought two players down. After the first advantage from the foul from Fleck, the referee had to stop play after Ebanks Landell chopped down Hoskins and rightly was booked.


The best chance of the first half came when Freeman sent over another great cross but Clarke failed to make contact right in front of goal. He was under heavy pressure from a defender and took a knock in the challenge. It was still a poor miss.


Clarke was deemed fit to continue and had a better effort, a header that flicked wide just before the break. It had been a decent contest that had seen Northampton try and attack when they could but United had still kept the ball well and may have been disappointed with their final ball or choices when well placed.


The second half saw United start on top and Northampton slowly started to sit back deeper and deeper but the home side struggled to break down a stubborn and well organised outfit. Clarke headed wide from a difficult chance and then Sharp played in Freeman but the ball was cleared.


Clarke came off for Lavery on the hour mark as United tried to inject some more movement and pace into their attack. United were now dominating the ball and Northampton were just sitting in two banks but for all the pretty tip tap football, they struggled to get into meaningful areas with poor final crosses from too deep. At times they were guilty of overplaying and tried to go through massed ranks of defenders. Duffy had a shot blocked and then from a Basham ball Sharp’s effort at the far post struck the post before being cleared in the scramble. It was now one way traffic.


Scougall was brought on for Basham as United went to a 4-4-2 with Duffy going wide left and Scougall playing down the right but coming inside when he could. Fleck had a wild effort over the bar and then Lavery showed good footwork to link with Lafferty as United won a corner. The home crowd were now upping the volume as the game entered the final 10 minutes.


Done came on for Lafferty as United threw more attacking threats on – albeit with Done used more out wide. For all the domination, United were almost given a shock when after a foul from Ebanks Landell, Taylor hit a great 30 yard free kick that was heading for the top corner but Moore made a great save flinging himself to his right hand side to push it over the bar. It was Northampton’s only effort of the half but was as good an opportunity as either side had made.


Duffy shot just wide and then Lavery almost forged an opening but had his shot blocked. United continued to throw men forward but at times the play was a bit slow and the final ball continued to be poor.


Northampton made two changes to try and take the sting out of the game further with Richards taking an age to depart the pitch leading to the slow hand clap from the majority of the crowd. It was a 10 man wall United had to get through but as the game ticked towards the end it seemed like Northampton had done enough to get the valuable point until late drama ensued. The clock had reached 89 minutes when a piece of quality down the right-hand side led to the goal.


More patient build up saw the ball switched from left to right and Coutts drove past a defender and almost pushed his own man Ebanks Landell out of the way to carry on his run. He got to almost the by line before sending over an inviting cross. Nyatanga half blocked it but it fell nicely to FREEMAN who smashed the ball home. The billowing of the net was met by the huge roar of the crowd and the Blades players piled on top of the goal scorer at the Kop End.


The referee opted to only play an additional three minutes of stoppage time which started almost immediately after Northampton restarted the game. In this extra time, United nearly scored again. Good work from Lavery who burst forward saw him go past two defenders and after Smith saved his effort Scougall crashed the rebound onto the bar. Sharp used his experience to help the ball into the corner on two occasions and the final whistle came soon after to signal an excellent end to the year for the Blades who moved to the top of the league.


United – Another performance that saw us better than the opponents. We had more of the ball, had more chances (not many chances all game) and controlled it for nearly the whole contest but they defended well and were well organised. Eventually we got the winner and on the balance of play it was a fair score.


Like Oldham it was frustrating at times as we did not really create too much today but like with Oldham the opponents had a bit of a go and first half had 3 or 4 decent breaks. They were well in the game and looked dangerous on the break. They had two strikers and got men forward but United still had more possession and looked more like scoring I felt but overall it was a good contest.


Second half they really sat back and had two banks of men and it was like attack v defence as it had been many games this year. They asked us to break them down and we struggled to do this. They then nearly had a smash and grab win when they had a great effort from a free kick but other than this they barely had an attack of note second half and it was all United. Sadly, the quality in the final third lacked. The final ball or cross was poor and we did not get enough men in the box at times. We struggled to get it wide and crossed from too deep or tried to play through massed ranks of defence.


At times we tried to score or make the perfect goal instead of getting it wide and getting in crosses or even having a shot when well placed 20-25 yards out. Still much rather see a side trying to keep the ball and prompt and probe and you cannot have it all ways. Frustrating when teams sit in but United have got the results for the most part by being patient and sticking to their principles. They have gradually worn teams down. If we continued to dominate possession and the ball then it is inevitable that chances will come.


There will probably be many more games like this but we do play some better teams who may have more of a go at home I suppose. Northampton opted second half to try and grab a point and play on the break and just wanted to pack the defence and ensure we broke them down. We really struggled to do this and there were not many chances. Finally, we got it wide, a decent cross and we scored. Lavery made a difference with good running and energy and will probably start at Bury as Clarke was poor for me. I felt Sharp worked hard but the midfield was a bit mixed today and I also felt they did not get into the box enough and everything came from deep. It was all to precise and with little movement off the midfield meant it became a bit slow and predictable. We still kept the ball and did not resort to lumping it but I felt we needed to move it a bit quicker to draw them out more.


Still it was a performance where we had 61% of the ball and had 22 shots at goal. We also hit the post and bar and overall it was a deserved win even if we have lacked some of the fluidity of recent weeks. I was a bit disappointed Bolton scored late on as it means it is very tight at the top between the three teams. Scunthorpe don’t seem to have the same form in recent times now they have played some of the better teams and some harder games to come too. Bolton do not seem to be letting up though and they worry me more than Scunny. Beneath that Rochdale and Southend seem to be doing well but even Southend failed to win today. Bradford are fading fast too. I think Millwall may push on but other than that there is not one team you think may make a Barnsley type run. I could be wrong. We should almost certainly finish top 6 and it is just a case if we can keep the run going now to ensure the gap keeps growing but it could end up being a 2 from 3 job like a few years ago. We need to make sure we make those important signings in January to push on with a centre back (EEL or another), a pacey winger to give us something different in games like today and a striker the key targets. We may need another midfielder too. 3 or 4 signings to give us that extra push. Be interesting to see if cash strapped Bolton strengthen and ditto for Scunny who have a fairly rich owner who may gamble with more additions.


Important we now show good away form with 3 of the next 4 away I believe with a tricky one at Bury who have not won for ages (worries me those sort of stats) and then a very tough game at Southend. 4 points from these 2 games would be acceptable and build on an excellent Xmas period (3 wins from 3 games in games we all saw as winnable but we had to win them and we did).
 

Northampton – Felt they were well organised, came with a plan and were tough to break down. First half they had a bit of a go and had 2 or 3 decent breaks with some neat moves down our left and United’s right. They had a few half chances with a few blocks and efforts at goal without any clear shots at Moore. United did have more of the ball but they restricted us to few chances of note and will have been content to let us just have long range shots or a few crosses as the sum of our chances. They kept to a plan and played well on the break. They tried to swarm Duffy and let us have it in our half and only pressed when we got in the final third. They had a few big lads (two centre backs and two centre forwards) to help on set plays and Taylor and O’Toole worked hard to restrict the midfield.

Second half they did not perform as well and as with Oldham on Boxing Day started to tire and sit deeper and deeper. They opted to hold what they had and other than one or two breaks that came to nothing they only had the one really good free kick from Taylor (might have been the best effort on goal from either side despite our control of the ball/game). Other than this they just defended and at times had 10 men behind the ball and asked United to break them down. It reminded me a bit of Going On a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen. It was a case of we cannot get through them, cannot get over them, under them and in the end had to get behind them by going wide! Eventually the good cross came in and we scored. It would have been a heart breaker for them to defend so well and kind of restrict us to few chances and we seemed to have run out of ideas as although we kept the ball, the tippy tappy football did not lead to much.


However, it is inevitable that when a side has so much of the ball and you set your stall out to defend, that chances will come and you know with the amount of balls coming in, one may fall to the opponent who may profit. As with other games we kind of wore them down and I felt they looked quite tired by the end. It was just frustrating it took so long to break them down.


They defended well and kept their shape and organisation all game and did not get pulled apart too much. I felt they did give us gaps to run into but we played it too slowly and often square too much.


They showed enough today to prove why they have beaten some decent teams and been even higher up the league. Currently they are midway and I see no reason why they cannot keep at least that position on that performance. Page has come in and carried on Wilder’s efforts even though they lost a few key men they will be comfortable and will not get sucked into a relegation battle I do not think but may lack bit of quality and squad depth to make a concerted run for the top 6.


The keeper was a bit bizarre. He did ok with his handling and general keeping (very good kicker of the ball from ground, hands and from back passes) but he had a strange habit of spinning around when he had it before releasing it – like a 360-degree pirouette. I am not even sure if it was a purposeful time wasting habit – it seemed a superstition of some sort. Quite bizarre.


Opponent man of the match : Quite impressed with Matty Taylor who showed what a good left foot he has and made some nice passes. I though the two centre backs were strong and made few mistakes. The lad Zakuani will be missed when he goes to the African Cup of Nations as both he and Nyatanga defended with composure and with resilience. The lad Buchanan was decent at left back too. However, the player that impressed me most was the lad Paul Anderson. He has had a lot of clubs for someone since leaving Liverpool but he is a decent wide player and I felt caused a few problems first half with his strong running and crosses.


Opponent Weak link : Alex Revell. Glad we did not sign him. He looked a poor player and even worse than Clarke. He flicked on a few balls but most of the game his main intention seemed to be to jump into our defender or foul. Looked very immobile and often slowed down some of their better breaks. I thought O’Toole looked very clumsy and his main intention seemed to be to kick Duffy or Coutts!


SUFC Player Ratings –


Moore 7.5/10 – As with the previous game, he did not have much to do but when it mattered he made a great save. It was the only shot on goal they had but the save from Taylor’s free kick was a really good one diving to his right to push it away. Other than that, he had a few crosses come into the box but cannot recall too many shots at goal really. His distribution was mixed with a few looped ones and some flat ones that sometimes found the target and then others was off.


Freeman 7.5/10 – Thought first half they played on him defensively a bit and a few balls inside the channel and down that side saw him exposed a bit. He did lots of good things after this but cannot give him an 8/10 due his languid start – not helped by others not sending danger at times. He struggled and I thought they targeted him played long diagonal balls or ball down that side and he was 2 on 1 a few times. Going the other way, he put 2 or 3 great crosses in and a few were begging to be converted. He is an underrated crosser of the ball. Continued to get forward and keep attacking second half when he barely had to defend but did make one vital tackle when they threatened to break and then of course got in the box (important to get bodies in the box) to score the crucial winner. Showed he can be a good finisher in those positions as he now has 4 goals this season. Might have been our man of the match for those few big moments.


Lafferty 7/10 – Bit mixed. Some lovely pieces of control and touches down the flank and some neat and tidy passes but his end product lacked quality. He put a few decent crosses in but as game went in his crosses often either failed to beat the first man or was overplayed. He is a neat and tidy player who just does the bits and pieces and plays the position well. He is a good athlete and has a very underrated touch but lacks trickery/pace to get past his man and his strength is his passing and movement. Still hope he remains as he has been part of a great run.


Ebanks Landell 6.5/10 – Not totally at his best today. Did win a few headers and tackles (one great tackle near the end when they threatened to break) but he was a bit sloppy in his overall play. Got booked for a crude foul and committed two or three fouls after that which meant he was walking a tightrope. His lack of pace was shown up a few times today and I felt he looked a bit clumsy. Still ended up as an auxiliary right winger again as we attacked at the death! I think he will go back now and despite his performance today I feel he will be a big loss and thus concerned we will get a player that can dominate like he can. His intimidation factor has stopped us being the soft touch was had been.


O’Connell 7.5/10 - For me he is getting better and better each game. A strong and determined performance where he imposed himself on the opponents. Won a lot of headers and tackles and came onto the ball most occasions showing his determination to get it. Showed he can tackle with a few meaty challenges. Only real weaknesses seem to be he lacks a bit of pace and at times his quality on the ball also is lacking a bit and panics a bit when he has to go forward with it. Still a player with the potential to improve. The header at the end when he just took everything out summed up his determination to the cause. Twice he did overrun the ball when he came forward and on one occasion in the first half led to a breakaway chance for them but other than those moments played well.


Basham 7/10 – Thought he well today after a ropey start. A few times early on Anderson caused him and Freeman problems but after a shaky start he got better as the game went on. He showed real composure both in defending and when on the ball as he made good decisions when bringing it out. He got in a number of good interceptions and read the game well. Used it well when he had it and came out when he could. Sacrificed when we put more men forward but he has had two good games over Xmas.


Fleck 6.5/10 – Really mixed. A few times he made some great runs driving at the defence and committing men and showed some good range of passing but also gave it away or lost it in key positions. Also, some woeful shots (35 yards out twice tried to shoot). He looked a bit tired as the game went on and I felt he gave it way twice that could have led to breaks. He is a really good footballer and showed he can run at defenders and cause problems but made poor decisions with final ball today and felt he was not quite at his best. He kept giving it away in daft areas and tried too much. However, as I have alluded to would much rather have players trying to pass it and try things than just kicking it to no one in particular. At times it may lead to things not quite coming off but you kind of have to live with that with players like him and Duffy.


Coutts 7/10 – As with above I feel he has had better games. Maybe had more touches of the ball than any other players (maybe Duffy only other contender) and quarterbacked us again but maybe took too long to make passes and at times he needed 4 or 5 touches which allowed them to get men behind the ball. His actual passing was very consistent rarely giving it away ad playing it short and long but at times as with all guilty of slow chipped passes that slowed it down. Did take a few shots first half today. He kept going and when I felt he might have been struggling a bit (signs of him slowing a bit last 3 or 4 games like he did last season) he came again and his surging run and determination led to the goal with an excellent cross. Proving a key man. They struggled to get the ball off him at times but of course sat back and he could see so much of the ball. Twice he has made crucial late goals with patience and quality.


Duffy 7/10 – Maybe one of his poorer games in recent times and he still was one of the stand outs on the field and one of the main threats. First half he prompted and probed with a couple of nice bits of play and a few shots blocked. He continued to show lovely footwork and quick feet but again as with others maybe overplayed a bit today and this again allowed them to get back and we needed to move it quicker. They tried to double team and sometimes triple team him but he was able to find space and keep getting on the ball. His final ball was not as it could be and second half I felt he had a poor spell and did not execute the important pass when well placed.


Clarke 5/10 – He will get criticised a lot I am sure again on forums etc and although he was not great he was not awful. I will concede he was poor though. Did he do enough? Probably not but then he was no worse than Done has in some games. Problem is he does not work as hard as Done and his movement off the ball is poor. He did try I felt and saw a lot of the ball. He held it up a few times ok and won a few headers but often they were looped efforts or to no one in particular. At times, I felt he was hiding behind his man and did not assert himself enough. He missed bad chance when the ball came over (he might have got kicked from behind but still should score). Not surprised he went off. He is better as an impact sub at the moment and I feel Lavery deserves a run now as both Clarke and Done have not really done enough and both been given quite a few games. Biggest issue with Clarke is he is very static and when he had high balls does not dominate like I thought he may with aerial battles. The reality is neither he or Done have quite done enough but like with a Cresswell type in the season we had when Evans kept scoring, it has not hurt us too much. We really ought to upgrade in this area though to keep trying to get better.


Sharp 7.5/10 – First half felt he was quiet (one wild volley early on that went out for a throw) and did not get in the game much but second half he upped his work rate and was able to show good hold up, chasing lost causes, running the channels and making sure the defence did not have an easy time. He ended up leading from the front both as the lead striker and as a captain. Hit the post with an effort and involved in some of the better attacks we had but did not have too many clear chances today. His play at the end when he held up the ball and helped us see time out was excellent.


Subs


Lavery 7.5/10 – Thought he made a real difference when he came on today and looked lively. He showed good pace and was able to penetrate with a few runs at the defence such as the one that led to the Scougall chance. Made sure they were having too turn the other way. We were too static first half but he and an improved Sharp dragged them about more. Showed he is not bad in the air with a few headers too in build up play. Looked to get on the ball and then instantly go at defenders. Did enough today to get a start at Bury.


Scougall – Good call to bring him on as our midfield three we had on do most of their best work in front of the opponents’ defence and not men aside from Duffy always get into the box or ahead of the strikers. Scougall does and twice he got in and nearly scored with a shot hitting the bar and another blocked off. He does find those little pockets and runs behind opposition midfielders.


Done – Brought on as a left back but with option to get forward as we sought the winner. Did get up and down and a few times he nearly got in. At the moment he may end up being a sub rather than a starter. Interesting Wilder said he would not play him as a defender but then did today but then it was a different kind of situation as he was used as an attacker really in a defensive position.


Manager – Wilder 8/10 – Yet again huge credit for us winning the game and the performance which maybe was not totally convincing but enough for the win. Again! He kept making positive changes. He rewarded Clarke with a start and then when this was not quite working, he changed it and gave Lavery a run who made a difference. He kept making positive changes with Scougall on for Basham and going to flat back four and then Done on as a more attacking full back. He was wanting the win and kept putting men on and men in positions to get the win. In the end this positivity paid off against a side that just wanted a draw. In the end justice was kind of done despite us not having tons of chances.


He deserves huge credit for the massive turnaround and it has been quite remarkable. From the end of last season and even the poor start to get us playing like we are and to the top of the league he has been superb and at last we seem so far…to have got a managerial appointment right.


He had to turn at least 5 key things around for me….that being personnel, the attitude of the players (from losing mentality to winners), the fitness, the performances and style of play and of course the results. In 6 months, he is completely on the right track on all fronts. We still have work to be done but is it like night and day from this time last season. The players are working hard, not hiding and we have become the side that is on the attack and the aggressors rather than aa soft touch that let teams walk all over us like last season and seasons past. That change in attitude is the key for me. The pressing and the tackling and work rate have allowed us to then dominate the ball and control games. Yes the final ball and maybe options up top need improving but I am confident CW can make these tweaks to make us even better.


The fact he has amassed over 100 points for two clubs in the calendar year sums it up really. He has been superb for both clubs.


Ref – Darren Drysdale. Thought he had a good game. He tried not to give fouls at the first opportunity and liked it early on when he let 3 or 4 things go both ways. He had no option with some of the bookings with Ebanks Landell booked for a crude foul on the breakaway (you could make argument he might have booked Fleck who made an equally bad foul moments before – no reason he could not have booked both and then Fleck did get rightly booked second half). Ebanks Landell committed a few fouls after this but not quite bad enough or quite persistent enough to get a second yellow. He did not book their left back for a foul exactly the same foul as Fleck’s which smacked of inconsistent really. I am not sure there were any other bookings aside from the two mentioned for us.


He did try and keep the game flowing although had a tendency to stand in the line of our passing quite a bit. I felt he did his best to hurry up more blatant time wasting and he really should have added more than 3 minutes on at the end (6 subs and a goal and a lot of delaying from the keeper for them) but maybe it was justice that he played less as it was them doing all the delaying and of course scored just before the end! There was one odd moment where one of their players (Richards?) went down and then got up and walked back slowly but was fine but they kicked it out – not sure why we gave it back really as sporting as it was as they kicked it out simply because he was slow getting to his feet and getting back!


Crowd – Another healthy crowd. A bit down on the Boxing Day one especially considering they brought 2,000 fans themselves compared to 600 or so Oldham fans. Still another impressive crowd to get over 24,000 into a League One game. The Northampton fans were quite vocal and also very appreciative of Wilder both before, during and after the game and Wilder reciprocated with a ‘thumbs up’ both before and after the game (he made a real point of going right over to them to applaud them which was good and they gave him a really good reception). As for United’s crowd I felt it was a bit quiet as with the other day. They kept patient and not too many groans ( a few daft get it forward or shoot although you could say United maybe did overplay a bit today but prefer that to what we have seen!) as they could see the massed ranks of Cobblers defenders and their game plan which was frustrating everyone but the noise levels went up as the game approached full time. The roar when the late winner went in was of course very loud and then the crowd helped United over the line as the side professionally saw things out.
 
Cracking report as always.

MOTM was Coutts I thought he looked to move us forwards at every opportunity today after a couple of ropey performances.

Bit of an example for Fleck in that performance who also has gone a little off the boil in the last three games.
 
Cracking report as always.

MOTM was Coutts I thought he looked to move us forwards at every opportunity today after a couple of ropey performances.

Bit of an example for Fleck in that performance who also has gone a little off the boil in the last three games.
Agree entirely. Coutts was outstanding as was Lavery when he came on. Both skillfull, thinking footballers that are a class above.
 
So am I right in saying, that what your saying is, in a nutshell, we fuckin won and we're even fucking TOP!..?????????



Good report though.:)
 
Northampton should be deducted a point for blinding us with those horrible luminous shirts. Another strange thing today was that Duffy twice went on good runs in the first half but the ball didn't keep up with him; it turned out it was going flat and had turned into a pudding.

Deadbat is right about the Cobblers' goalkeeper. He always had to turn around in a circle before he kicked the ball. Weird.
 
Northampton should be deducted a point for blinding us with those horrible luminous shirts. Another strange thing today was that Duffy twice went on good runs in the first half but the ball didn't keep up with him; it turned out it was going flat and had turned into a pudding.

Deadbat is right about the Cobblers' goalkeeper. He always had to turn around in a circle before he kicked the ball. Weird.

And he did a funny think with kicking his feet together.

Since we won, I would say that he wasted time very well, he didn't attract too much attention from the ref or the Kop.
 
huge 3pts today i thought not lucky more fortunate as 1st half both sides seemed to cancel each other out & 2nd half for all pressure, possession, chances we werent a serious threat to northampton Goalie until last 15 min. Id already settled for the 0-0, Although i must have known what was coming because i was only joking pre match we wont get automatic promotion as its too easy. utd historically always like to push fans to within an inch of heart attack before we get any success & there we are getting the winner with probally final kick of normal time
 
The main difference this term is that games that were strung out for long periods we would lose.
We are in afar far better place than we have been for years.
Thanks for the report db.
 
Great report as ever but harsh on EEL thought he had a great game and the clumsy challenge was a taking one for the team challenge.

It's a bit off to applaud that sort of thing, but I did today. It wasn't going to hurt the player and it was exactly the sort of uncompromising defending we didn't do last year. Without it we could well have been 1-0 down.
 

Thought Northampton played good tactics defending in numbers and in the first half they counter attacked in numbers too but in the 2nd half they saw the finish line of getting a great draw at Bramall Lane meaning they say deeper and deeper.

The last 15 minutes of the 2nd half reminded me of the last 15 minutes of the Bury game.
With so much possession in and around their penalty box altho they defended well, it was only a matter of time before the ball would fall for us and we'd have a great chance to score.
It was tough but we definitely deserved the 3 points.

Regards your ratings I'm not sure about the Leon Clarke rating. I'd give him 6.5 as 5 is a bit low. I thought he showed promise today and was busy and involved today but he didn't quite produce. Flattering to deceive.

Also Northampton brought 1,650 and Oldham brought 538.
Meanig there were 22,544 Blades there today and an impressive 25,283 Blades there Boxing Day.
 
Apart from the assist for the goal, what did Coutts do today that's got everyone rating him as having a better game than Fleck and Duffy?
Don't get me wrong I'm a fan of his but didn't think he was anything spectacular today?
 
Excellent report as always Deadbat . Just out of interest, how many beers had you had by the time you finished it? Noticed a few words missing etc.... hahahaha!!!!

Keep up the good work and Happy New Year!
 
Apart from the assist for the goal, what did Coutts do today that's got everyone rating him as having a better game than Fleck and Duffy?

Mainly, he kept looking for the ball.

When we camped in a line 20 yards from their goal, he kept showing for the pass. When he got the ball, if there was nothing on, his quick feet moved it from side to side looking for the opening.

Maybe a couple of times he could have tried to take it forward into the box, but it was solidly packed with their players and he didn't want to lose possession.

He showed patience and guts to keep trying to do the 'right thing'. His passing was good with very few mishit balls (eg compared to Fleck), and he made it very easy for EEL to drive a good low cross in for the winner.

For me it was a contest between Sharp and Coutts for MoM, but I understand we all see the game in different ways.
 
I thought Sharp and Coutts were poor yesterday, for me JOC motm and the best of the midfield trio Fleck.
 
I interpreted their keeper's "pirouette" as an exaggerated way of checking that there was no attacker lurking behind him Cresswell-style in case he wanted to put the ball on the ground to kick it upfield.

Someone near me suggested that too, unless it was you. I reckoned he was trying to summon fairies from the bottom of the garden.
 
Northampton should be deducted a point for blinding us with those horrible luminous shirts. Another strange thing today was that Duffy twice went on good runs in the first half but the ball didn't keep up with him; it turned out it was going flat and had turned into a pudding.

Deadbat is right about the Cobblers' goalkeeper. He always had to turn around in a circle before he kicked the ball. Weird.

I think the keeper ought to make an appointment with his local GP to get a diabetes test, he seemed very thirsty during that second half having to take a swig of water every three minutes, he must have got through a litre during the second half, fortunately he seemed to have sorted it out by injury time.
 
Northampton – Felt they were well organised, came with a plan and were tough to break down. First half they had a bit of a go and had 2 or 3 decent breaks with some neat moves down our left and United’s right. They had a few half chances with a few blocks and efforts at goal without any clear shots at Moore. United did have more of the ball but they restricted us to few chances of note and will have been content to let us just have long range shots or a few crosses as the sum of our chances. They kept to a plan and played well on the break. They tried to swarm Duffy and let us have it in our half and only pressed when we got in the final third. They had a few big lads (two centre backs and two centre forwards) to help on set plays and Taylor and O’Toole worked hard to restrict the midfield.

Second half they did not perform as well and as with Oldham on Boxing Day started to tire and sit deeper and deeper. They opted to hold what they had and other than one or two breaks that came to nothing they only had the one really good free kick from Taylor (might have been the best effort on goal from either side despite our control of the ball/game). Other than this they just defended and at times had 10 men behind the ball and asked United to break them down. It reminded me a bit of Going On a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen. It was a case of we cannot get through them, cannot get over them, under them and in the end had to get behind them by going wide! Eventually the good cross came in and we scored. It would have been a heart breaker for them to defend so well and kind of restrict us to few chances and we seemed to have run out of ideas as although we kept the ball, the tippy tappy football did not lead to much.


However, it is inevitable that when a side has so much of the ball and you set your stall out to defend, that chances will come and you know with the amount of balls coming in, one may fall to the opponent who may profit. As with other games we kind of wore them down and I felt they looked quite tired by the end. It was just frustrating it took so long to break them down.


They defended well and kept their shape and organisation all game and did not get pulled apart too much. I felt they did give us gaps to run into but we played it too slowly and often square too much.


They showed enough today to prove why they have beaten some decent teams and been even higher up the league. Currently they are midway and I see no reason why they cannot keep at least that position on that performance. Page has come in and carried on Wilder’s efforts even though they lost a few key men they will be comfortable and will not get sucked into a relegation battle I do not think but may lack bit of quality and squad depth to make a concerted run for the top 6.


The keeper was a bit bizarre. He did ok with his handling and general keeping (very good kicker of the ball from ground, hands and from back passes) but he had a strange habit of spinning around when he had it before releasing it – like a 360-degree pirouette. I am not even sure if it was a purposeful time wasting habit – it seemed a superstition of some sort. Quite bizarre.


Opponent man of the match : Quite impressed with Matty Taylor who showed what a good left foot he has and made some nice passes. I though the two centre backs were strong and made few mistakes. The lad Zakuani will be missed when he goes to the African Cup of Nations as both he and Nyatanga defended with composure and with resilience. The lad Buchanan was decent at left back too. However, the player that impressed me most was the lad Paul Anderson. He has had a lot of clubs for someone since leaving Liverpool but he is a decent wide player and I felt caused a few problems first half with his strong running and crosses.


Opponent Weak link : Alex Revell. Glad we did not sign him. He looked a poor player and even worse than Clarke. He flicked on a few balls but most of the game his main intention seemed to be to jump into our defender or foul. Looked very immobile and often slowed down some of their better breaks. I thought O’Toole looked very clumsy and his main intention seemed to be to kick Duffy or Coutts!


SUFC Player Ratings –


Moore 7.5/10 – As with the previous game, he did not have much to do but when it mattered he made a great save. It was the only shot on goal they had but the save from Taylor’s free kick was a really good one diving to his right to push it away. Other than that, he had a few crosses come into the box but cannot recall too many shots at goal really. His distribution was mixed with a few looped ones and some flat ones that sometimes found the target and then others was off.


Freeman 7.5/10 – Thought first half they played on him defensively a bit and a few balls inside the channel and down that side saw him exposed a bit. He did lots of good things after this but cannot give him an 8/10 due his languid start – not helped by others not sending danger at times. He struggled and I thought they targeted him played long diagonal balls or ball down that side and he was 2 on 1 a few times. Going the other way, he put 2 or 3 great crosses in and a few were begging to be converted. He is an underrated crosser of the ball. Continued to get forward and keep attacking second half when he barely had to defend but did make one vital tackle when they threatened to break and then of course got in the box (important to get bodies in the box) to score the crucial winner. Showed he can be a good finisher in those positions as he now has 4 goals this season. Might have been our man of the match for those few big moments.


Lafferty 7/10 – Bit mixed. Some lovely pieces of control and touches down the flank and some neat and tidy passes but his end product lacked quality. He put a few decent crosses in but as game went in his crosses often either failed to beat the first man or was overplayed. He is a neat and tidy player who just does the bits and pieces and plays the position well. He is a good athlete and has a very underrated touch but lacks trickery/pace to get past his man and his strength is his passing and movement. Still hope he remains as he has been part of a great run.


Ebanks Landell 6.5/10 – Not totally at his best today. Did win a few headers and tackles (one great tackle near the end when they threatened to break) but he was a bit sloppy in his overall play. Got booked for a crude foul and committed two or three fouls after that which meant he was walking a tightrope. His lack of pace was shown up a few times today and I felt he looked a bit clumsy. Still ended up as an auxiliary right winger again as we attacked at the death! I think he will go back now and despite his performance today I feel he will be a big loss and thus concerned we will get a player that can dominate like he can. His intimidation factor has stopped us being the soft touch was had been.


O’Connell 7.5/10 - For me he is getting better and better each game. A strong and determined performance where he imposed himself on the opponents. Won a lot of headers and tackles and came onto the ball most occasions showing his determination to get it. Showed he can tackle with a few meaty challenges. Only real weaknesses seem to be he lacks a bit of pace and at times his quality on the ball also is lacking a bit and panics a bit when he has to go forward with it. Still a player with the potential to improve. The header at the end when he just took everything out summed up his determination to the cause. Twice he did overrun the ball when he came forward and on one occasion in the first half led to a breakaway chance for them but other than those moments played well.


Basham 7/10 – Thought he well today after a ropey start. A few times early on Anderson caused him and Freeman problems but after a shaky start he got better as the game went on. He showed real composure both in defending and when on the ball as he made good decisions when bringing it out. He got in a number of good interceptions and read the game well. Used it well when he had it and came out when he could. Sacrificed when we put more men forward but he has had two good games over Xmas.


Fleck 6.5/10 – Really mixed. A few times he made some great runs driving at the defence and committing men and showed some good range of passing but also gave it away or lost it in key positions. Also, some woeful shots (35 yards out twice tried to shoot). He looked a bit tired as the game went on and I felt he gave it way twice that could have led to breaks. He is a really good footballer and showed he can run at defenders and cause problems but made poor decisions with final ball today and felt he was not quite at his best. He kept giving it away in daft areas and tried too much. However, as I have alluded to would much rather have players trying to pass it and try things than just kicking it to no one in particular. At times it may lead to things not quite coming off but you kind of have to live with that with players like him and Duffy.


Coutts 7/10 – As with above I feel he has had better games. Maybe had more touches of the ball than any other players (maybe Duffy only other contender) and quarterbacked us again but maybe took too long to make passes and at times he needed 4 or 5 touches which allowed them to get men behind the ball. His actual passing was very consistent rarely giving it away ad playing it short and long but at times as with all guilty of slow chipped passes that slowed it down. Did take a few shots first half today. He kept going and when I felt he might have been struggling a bit (signs of him slowing a bit last 3 or 4 games like he did last season) he came again and his surging run and determination led to the goal with an excellent cross. Proving a key man. They struggled to get the ball off him at times but of course sat back and he could see so much of the ball. Twice he has made crucial late goals with patience and quality.


Duffy 7/10 – Maybe one of his poorer games in recent times and he still was one of the stand outs on the field and one of the main threats. First half he prompted and probed with a couple of nice bits of play and a few shots blocked. He continued to show lovely footwork and quick feet but again as with others maybe overplayed a bit today and this again allowed them to get back and we needed to move it quicker. They tried to double team and sometimes triple team him but he was able to find space and keep getting on the ball. His final ball was not as it could be and second half I felt he had a poor spell and did not execute the important pass when well placed.


Clarke 5/10 – He will get criticised a lot I am sure again on forums etc and although he was not great he was not awful. I will concede he was poor though. Did he do enough? Probably not but then he was no worse than Done has in some games. Problem is he does not work as hard as Done and his movement off the ball is poor. He did try I felt and saw a lot of the ball. He held it up a few times ok and won a few headers but often they were looped efforts or to no one in particular. At times, I felt he was hiding behind his man and did not assert himself enough. He missed bad chance when the ball came over (he might have got kicked from behind but still should score). Not surprised he went off. He is better as an impact sub at the moment and I feel Lavery deserves a run now as both Clarke and Done have not really done enough and both been given quite a few games. Biggest issue with Clarke is he is very static and when he had high balls does not dominate like I thought he may with aerial battles. The reality is neither he or Done have quite done enough but like with a Cresswell type in the season we had when Evans kept scoring, it has not hurt us too much. We really ought to upgrade in this area though to keep trying to get better.


Sharp 7.5/10 – First half felt he was quiet (one wild volley early on that went out for a throw) and did not get in the game much but second half he upped his work rate and was able to show good hold up, chasing lost causes, running the channels and making sure the defence did not have an easy time. He ended up leading from the front both as the lead striker and as a captain. Hit the post with an effort and involved in some of the better attacks we had but did not have too many clear chances today. His play at the end when he held up the ball and helped us see time out was excellent.


Subs


Lavery 7.5/10 – Thought he made a real difference when he came on today and looked lively. He showed good pace and was able to penetrate with a few runs at the defence such as the one that led to the Scougall chance. Made sure they were having too turn the other way. We were too static first half but he and an improved Sharp dragged them about more. Showed he is not bad in the air with a few headers too in build up play. Looked to get on the ball and then instantly go at defenders. Did enough today to get a start at Bury.


Scougall – Good call to bring him on as our midfield three we had on do most of their best work in front of the opponents’ defence and not men aside from Duffy always get into the box or ahead of the strikers. Scougall does and twice he got in and nearly scored with a shot hitting the bar and another blocked off. He does find those little pockets and runs behind opposition midfielders.


Done – Brought on as a left back but with option to get forward as we sought the winner. Did get up and down and a few times he nearly got in. At the moment he may end up being a sub rather than a starter. Interesting Wilder said he would not play him as a defender but then did today but then it was a different kind of situation as he was used as an attacker really in a defensive position.


Manager – Wilder 8/10 – Yet again huge credit for us winning the game and the performance which maybe was not totally convincing but enough for the win. Again! He kept making positive changes. He rewarded Clarke with a start and then when this was not quite working, he changed it and gave Lavery a run who made a difference. He kept making positive changes with Scougall on for Basham and going to flat back four and then Done on as a more attacking full back. He was wanting the win and kept putting men on and men in positions to get the win. In the end this positivity paid off against a side that just wanted a draw. In the end justice was kind of done despite us not having tons of chances.


He deserves huge credit for the massive turnaround and it has been quite remarkable. From the end of last season and even the poor start to get us playing like we are and to the top of the league he has been superb and at last we seem so far…to have got a managerial appointment right.


He had to turn at least 5 key things around for me….that being personnel, the attitude of the players (from losing mentality to winners), the fitness, the performances and style of play and of course the results. In 6 months, he is completely on the right track on all fronts. We still have work to be done but is it like night and day from this time last season. The players are working hard, not hiding and we have become the side that is on the attack and the aggressors rather than aa soft touch that let teams walk all over us like last season and seasons past. That change in attitude is the key for me. The pressing and the tackling and work rate have allowed us to then dominate the ball and control games. Yes the final ball and maybe options up top need improving but I am confident CW can make these tweaks to make us even better.


The fact he has amassed over 100 points for two clubs in the calendar year sums it up really. He has been superb for both clubs.


Ref – Darren Drysdale. Thought he had a good game. He tried not to give fouls at the first opportunity and liked it early on when he let 3 or 4 things go both ways. He had no option with some of the bookings with Ebanks Landell booked for a crude foul on the breakaway (you could make argument he might have booked Fleck who made an equally bad foul moments before – no reason he could not have booked both and then Fleck did get rightly booked second half). Ebanks Landell committed a few fouls after this but not quite bad enough or quite persistent enough to get a second yellow. He did not book their left back for a foul exactly the same foul as Fleck’s which smacked of inconsistent really. I am not sure there were any other bookings aside from the two mentioned for us.


He did try and keep the game flowing although had a tendency to stand in the line of our passing quite a bit. I felt he did his best to hurry up more blatant time wasting and he really should have added more than 3 minutes on at the end (6 subs and a goal and a lot of delaying from the keeper for them) but maybe it was justice that he played less as it was them doing all the delaying and of course scored just before the end! There was one odd moment where one of their players (Richards?) went down and then got up and walked back slowly but was fine but they kicked it out – not sure why we gave it back really as sporting as it was as they kicked it out simply because he was slow getting to his feet and getting back!


Crowd – Another healthy crowd. A bit down on the Boxing Day one especially considering they brought 2,000 fans themselves compared to 600 or so Oldham fans. Still another impressive crowd to get over 24,000 into a League One game. The Northampton fans were quite vocal and also very appreciative of Wilder both before, during and after the game and Wilder reciprocated with a ‘thumbs up’ both before and after the game (he made a real point of going right over to them to applaud them which was good and they gave him a really good reception). As for United’s crowd I felt it was a bit quiet as with the other day. They kept patient and not too many groans ( a few daft get it forward or shoot although you could say United maybe did overplay a bit today but prefer that to what we have seen!) as they could see the massed ranks of Cobblers defenders and their game plan which was frustrating everyone but the noise levels went up as the game approached full time. The roar when the late winner went in was of course very loud and then the crowd helped United over the line as the side professionally saw things out.

Once again an excellent effort.

THIS SITE WOULD BE FOR THE WORSE WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ROY (with his pre and post match work)

All the best fella.

UTB
 
15 wins in the last 20
and we are still looking at how we are failing in certain areas
if we get 15 wins in the next 22 we will have 95 points and promotion
so we are doing something right
but you can always improve on things , something CW and AK, will cwak on with in the JTW
 
pretty much spot on but i thought all of the holy trinity were a bit under par today.. JoC mom for me
 
Ten minutes from time Wilder called over Coutts and told him to push on further upfield. I'd love to see him play further forward more, in fact when Duffy is unavailable why not play him there?

I did think Coutts and Fleck started brightly and gradually got less adventurous thereafter right until the last 20 minutes.

Coutts would be far more valuable in advanced midfield even the "No.10". He is a dominant player and demands the ball a lot from his colleagues. I lost count of how many times he demanded the ball and actually slowed our attack down.

It worked out OK yesterday but if we hadn't got the double rebound off the defenders for the goal we might well all be saying we were far too patient and slow in our build-ups; we didn't so we can't really say that can we? We were though!!
 

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