Barrow v Forest Green Rovers, match thread

[blumooncrab]

We offer absolutely nothing down the right . It all goes to Newby on the left . Teams just wait for him and crowd him out . We have no effective plan B. Rethink required. Team looks like it is out of ideas .

[farington blue]

I don't like picking out individuals but I've struggled for some time to see what Chester offers.
Not great in the air and no pace.
His legs have definitely gone.

[McMark]

Two individual Cole Stockton strikes aside we offered very little. We are playing a far too deep a line that just invites sides to run at us.and that’s how their goals came about. Credit to FGR they looked the hungrier side and more than deserved the three points we surrendered to them.

[vialli 9]

Midfield was a strange collection..... Plus there seemed to be a ' its only the bottom of the league ' attitude... Once they get that mindset it's virtually impossible to up the game. Very poor from Manager and Players tonight. Must do better.

[blue nige]

We offer absolutely nothing down the right . It all goes to Newby on the left . Teams just wait for him and crowd him out . We have no effective plan B. Rethink required. Team looks like it is out of ideas .

When we played tranmere we had the lad from arsenal at wingback, Stephenson played right wingback and Campbell Spence and Newby played further forward, then you would have Stockton and Whitfield this would be a better balanced team and I would drop Chester for feely!

[Barrow afc 2018]

Midfield was a strange collection..... Plus there seemed to be a ' its only the bottom of the league ' attitude... Once they get that mindset it's virtually impossible to up the game. Very poor from Manager and Players tonight. Must do better.

This 100%, FG did to us what we’ve often done to them, we were more than lucky the embarrassment wasn’t bigger. Well done FG.

[blumooncrab]

[/quote]

When we played tranmere we had the lad from arsenal at wingback, Stephenson played right wingback and Campbell Spence and Newby played further forward, then you would have Stockton and Whitfield this would be a better balanced team and I would drop Chester for feely!
[/quote]

I agree .

[Gazza]

I’ve no idea why White started tonight! We are playing the bottom team in the league and we start with one of the most defensively minded midfielders in the whole league. It’s ok saving players for Salford and Bradford but we had 3 pts there for the taking tonight if we’d had a more attacking line up. Interesting to hear PW say about possibly using other members of the squad on Saturday. Maybe that means Mazeed and Warren coming in and bringing Bellis and Etaluku back from loan (if we can). Not sure where Feeley is?? He’s not featured in the squad since Notts County and we had no defenders on the bench again tonight!! I don’t like players coming straight into the starting 11 when they’ve not been near the squad though!

[Jonty]

When we had the ball they were into us and never stopped running. They fully deserved the win.

[mickmike wilson]

Not a good night for us….I haven’t checked, but when did we last lose 2 consecutive league matches? Mansfield are looking strong, as are Crewe. I think top 3 is beyond us unless we really turn things around, so we need to make sure we finish in the top 7 - that would be a good achievement for the season and a step forward from last season. Fading off, as last season, would be such a disappointment.
We have been poor in the last 2 matches and less convincing since Christmas, but there is still lots to play for. Lots of teams have had good mini runs, so we can do the same.

It's bad enough losing but it's the lack of commitment/ desire that I can't except!

This for me also, Everything was off tonight, Selection, Formation, Weather, Crowd, team, management etc etc
What hurt me the most was they had more fight & desire than we did tonight....Thats not acceptable to me, But that said, REMEMBER we are still flying high & enjoying a terrific season, Hope these back to back losses is the catalyst for change & we rediscover our winning mentality & grab an auto or play off spot.

[HenneysKnee]

Crap that wasn’t it?
Chester was dreadful, but there was a lot who weren’t much better. Very rarely will I question Pete Wild (and easy to say with hindsight ofc) but we always look a worse side when Campbell and Spence aren’t in midfield, and I’m never sure we have a plan B really. Getting far too predictable where the centre backs give the ball to Newby and hope he does something, delivery into the box (from everyone not just Newby) most of the night was crap and easily headed away by Keogh and the number 5, then you end up with 3 strikers just getting in each others way. Me personally I’d like to see Stockton and Telford given a run of games to try and build a partnership, and gives us the massive advantage of having Whitfield to come on against tiring legs.
Probably the biggest disappointment overall was just how much hungrier FGR looked than us, they were sharper to everything, we were very lackadaisical all game really: although I did agree with Wild mentioning the pitch in his post match, it’s really become an issue for us

[mickycarrol]

You mean 32 games - 4 goals this season Telford?

Is that Telford's fault or is it down to the way we play? How many decent chances can you remember him missing? He's feeding off scraps. We've got possibly the best strike pairing in the division on paper in Telford and Stockton but I doubt they'll score 10 between them between now and the end of the season.

We've done fantastically well to be where we are, but we just don't create chances.

100% correct, we barely create anything and our decent run has been built on a solid defence which has totally gone awol also meaning we’re looking terrible. Conceding at one end and creating nowt at the other. Let’s face it our goal tonight came from a FGR error not anything creative from us.

[Barrow Lad New]

The return of an old Barrow tradition- losing against the bottom team at home. Apart from Stockton’s superbly taken long-range goal and another Stockton shot which crashed against the crossbar, it was a bad day at the office for Barrow. The ball stuck to FGR players like glue and they fully deserved their win. Conversely, we seemed to struggle to string more than a couple of passes together for much of the evening.

Rovers’ winning margin could have been even greater but for Farman and also a last-ditch defensive clearance. When we did get close to the goal, our efforts were either well blocked or put wide from close range.

Things might have been different if a dangerous Whitfield cross quarter of an hour in had been turned in, or Foley hadn’t shot wide from close range two minutes later following a Newby corner. This might have snuffed out a growing confidence from the visitors which resulted in their 21st minute opener. Their ability to break quickly and incisively resulted in a dangerous cross from Dabo which was turned in by McAllister.

We never controlled the game to any degree after that setback but then, out of nowhere, Stockton was gifted the ball 30 yards out and blazed over the keeper for an equaliser. This superb effort and his later bar-rattling shot earned him Man of the Match.

Three minutes later, Rovers nearly took the lead again when Osadebe was through on goal, only a sliding clearance from Worrall coming to the rescue. Farman also saved twice as we lived dangerously.

Dabo was booked for a foul on Newby in the 41st minute and the first half finished 1-1.

No changes were made at half time and little changed with Forest Green Rovers’ confident controlling of the game. Five minutes in, McAllister saw yellow for another foul on Newby but Whitfield’s free kick was saved.

Eleven minutes in we allowed Rovers too much space and Osadebe took advantage, firing in from just inside the area.

A triple change for Barrow just after the hour did little to change things, Campbell, Spence and Acquah coming on for White, Foley and Whitfield. Seconds after play resumed, Gotts fouled Dabo and Farman made a fine reaction save from a Doidge header following the free kick.

In the 69th minute, a Newby header flashed wide of the right post from close range, another sign it was not to be our night.

Five minutes later, Stephenson replaced Worrall.

In the 77th minute, receiving a ball from Canavan, Stockton unleashed a 25-yard effort which crashed against the crossbar. So near and yet so far again!

Farman saved from Stevens before Telford came on for Gotts in a final 79th minute throw of the dice.

However, the visitors were still mounting good attacks and, in the 81st minute a ball from Stevens to McAllister forced another good save from Farman.

Forest Green then made their first change of the evening as Stevens was replaced by Bunker. McCann was then cautioned and Omotoye came on for McAllister.

In the 86th minute a tame Campbell shot was easily saved as time ebbed further away to rescue a point. Two minutes later, Campbell was booked for a foul on Omotoye. From the free kick, an Osadebe shot went wide.

Added time saw Johnson come on for Doidge and Farman pumping kicks forward in vain. One of those nights!

Attendance was 3,029 including 69 visiting fans.

[behind the goals]

Well Pete you truly fcuked up tonight dropping Campbell and Spence from the starting line-up look forward to your reason, about time to give Newby a rest another weak challenge resulting in a goal been conceded get Whitfield back on the wing, give Telford the chance to partner Stockton, we moan about our forwards but let's be honest we create nothing for them. It's been a poor start to the 2nd half of the season it will have to change or we can forget about the playoffs, you must start your best team stop mucking about with team selection.FGR deserved to win tonight.

[tictactoe]

Too slow, too predictable, absolutely awful. Only Stockton and Gotts on it tonight imo.

Said it last match and I’ll say it again, this sitting back and not challenging for the ball and letting teams have as much time/space they want is not working.

Accept a defeat if the boys have played well and competed but tonight was hard to watch.