And so we are here again, another home defeat this time to part timers Alfreton Town. Before the game I said we could not lose this game if we want to stay up and so it appears we don't. Of course we the fans do, but the lack of performance or even token effort for most of the game seems that the players don't seem too fussed either way.
When you sign players who have played for around 20 different clubs you aren't signing someone who cares about how well their current wage payer does and this seemed all to evident on Saturday. With the second half barely under way it appeared that the heads had already dropped, there was a point when the players were just walking around defending a corner, and a subsequent throw in. This was hugely worrying to me, as it was only one goal and with around forty minutes of the match to play.
It is hard for me to describe the 'football' match, there was very little football played by either side. Alfreton had a game plan, the same plan as when we lost to them in the cup, and we played straight into this. They are a long ball side who sit deep and break, we never put their defence under any pressure and as a result they got their one goal they needed in first half added on time through Jake Moult who ceased on a typical poor clearance from Lincoln's defence.
All the way through the second half we never looked like we would get that equaliser and a win was definitely out of the window, the strikers lacked link up play, preferring the head down run into a cul-de-sac approach, usually into the corner. Subs Taylor and Sheridan gave the side a little more pace, the problems of the side were still evident, the side was too disjointed. Why we couldn't play a left winger down the left instead of a right sided player I will never understand, there was always space to go wide and cross the ball into the box, but every time the wide players cut inside into the waiting defence who crowded them out and cleared the ball. The tactic of crossing the ball into the box really is the most basic and hugely worrying that we could manage that.
McCammon came on for Bore and initially he looked to impose him self and unsettle the Alfreton defence. But we played literally every ball up to his head, included every slowly taken throw in, unsurprisingly Alfreton learned to quickly deal with this and for the final ten minutes he struggled to win anything in the air as he was crowded out. Again our inability to think to do anything different then put it in the air to the 'big lad' was frightening.
As a result we got what we fully deserved, nothing. Alfreton came here with a plan and it was evident from the start that each one of their players knew what was expected. Looking at our players there seemed to be little in the way of instructions or ideas of how to play against Alfreton.
As for Holdsworth blaming the defence for this defeat, I find that hard to take, sure the defence wasn't great but the real problem was in the midfield, there was absolutely no creativity, no service for the strikers in attack and very little cover for the defence. If we are going to play such dire long ball tactics then there really is no point in having a midfield we may as well just play defenders and forwards and hope for the best.
Next up is Bath away, if we lose this then for me Holdsworth with be relieved of his duties. If we win he will get the extra time, but I still fear that we are going one way and barring the clubs below us not picking up enough points we are going to end the season the same as the last. Except this time I don't think it will go down to the final game against Ebbsfleet United.
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