Moving On Up

Will it be cantering home to win by ten lengths come the end of the season – or is the French butcher of relegation waiting in the wings?

In one way Saturday’s win was ideal really. Torpey and Carruthers both on target again to show that we can do it right. Then two late goals to remind us that we’re not out of the woods yet. Once again we have problems late on in the match, this must be either fitness, concentration or a combination of the two. Take out the last ten minutes of matches and where would we be? We’d have won 3-0 on Saturday to record our second away win of the season after Exeter. And we’d have beaten Bristol Rovers. We’d have four more points and our goal difference would be four better. We’d be fifth and well up with the leaders. Now what is done is done and overall things are on the up but there must be something we can do to tighten things up in future.

I have another suggestion for increasing our strike rate, especially at home. Laws should tell Tommy Evans to take more chances with quick throw outs. Tommy is in great form and if I were a keeper I would take my full six seconds each time, if a quick throw goes wrong you end up looking silly after all. Why bother when you can kick it upfield and Torpey will get to it and make something useful of it? That’s a sensible strategy if you’re playing the percentages. But I think Laws should tell Tommy to take more chances with quick throws and reassure him that if one does go wrong – well he was just obeying orders wasn’t he. Glanford Park is such a small pitch that a throw to the feet of any of Beagrie, Dawson, Brough, Graves, Sparrow or Garcia means we’re soon scampering into their half while they’re still jogging back and deciding whose turn it is to mark Torps. Just a thought but it could pay dividends. So let’s take a few chances - except not in the last ten minutes obviously.

So, Shrewsbury next. Over at the Evening Telegraph they will already have the mock-ups ready for Monday’s headline. If we beat them – Taming of the Shrews. If we lose or draw – Tamed by the Shrews. According to John Cleese there are three rules of comedy. 1. No puns 2. No puns and 3. No puns. He would soon be shown the door at the Telegraph.

Their (or rather, Bob Steel's) addiction to puns is total. When a new player comes most of us want to know who he is, where he has played, what his pedigree is. For the Telegraph only one thing matters – how well his name can be worked into headlines. As a result Sean Constable (Constable arrests Bury’s progress etc) was a far better signing than say Batistuta or Ronaldo would ever be. Although obviously if they turned up we’d at least give them a half.