It’s November, and we’re back with more action from the White Tigers! More league and cup action, plus a few changes to the tactics, some forced, some tinkering.
OXFORD CITY (18TH) VS TRURO CITY (12TH) – VANARAMA NATIONAL SOUTH
We started the month away to struggling Oxford City, and boy did we serve up a game between us. Lewis Guy got us off to a flyer by putting us ahead after only 3 minutes, and doubled our lead on the half hour with a tidy finish into the bottom corner. Winger Rob Sinclair pulled a goal back for Oxford just as the ref put the whistle to his lips to blow for half-time to give the scoreline a closer feel, but we very much had control of the game. Jake Watkins was hooked at half-time to protect a knock he had picked up, and with Lewis Guy on as the Advanced Forward and sub Andrew Neal only really capable of fulfilling that same role, Tyler Harvey was given another chance to show that he could perform to the level I want from him. He came on as a Deep-Lying Forward to create and wreak havoc, and he did just that. 2 minutes after the restart he converted a penalty to restore our 2 goal advantage, and on 61 minutes he expertly brought down a long ball from centre-back Jamie Richards and rounded the keeper to make the score 4-1. Game Over. Well maybe not. Oxford finished the game really strong, and grabbed a couple of late goals, I was nervous, sure, but always confident we had enough to see it out. Elliot Hodge made it 4-2 in the 68th minute, before sub striker Anthony Wright grabbed a 92nd minute strike. 4-3 Truro, and a decent win.
I couldn’t help but be impressed by the way Tyler Harvey really grabbed the Oxford game by the scruff of the neck and got us over the line last time out. He was in the centre of everything good we did in the second half, and his goals were an obvious contribution that saw off the late surge we saw from Oxford. It turns out that the knock that Jake Watkins picked up was a pulled hamstring – 4 to 6 weeks out. It’s a real blow, Jake has been awesome since he came in, he’s our top scorer and our link up man as a supporting target man, we don’t have a back up to that role. Harvey may just have a way back in.
TRURO CITY (10TH) VS DARTFORD (9TH) – VANARAMA NATIONAL SOUTH
Maybe Tyler Harvey really relishes a challenge. I’ve lauded over him since the very start, my first impressions of the squad in pre-season lead me to make this statement:
“Going forward we look stronger, with attacking midfielder Tyler Harvey by far our most impressive player, surely he’s too good for this level.”
With time he may still prove me to be correct, but he’s only now starting to show the form that I believed I would get the whole time. He put us ahead here on 38 minutes, and was neat and tidy, playing the Deep-Lying role again and linking with the midfield really well, especially Cody Cooke in his Mezzala role, the most attacking in my midfield. Our lead lasted until half-time, but was soon wiped out after, with Dartford equalizing though winger Toby Ajala. Jamie Richards bounded forward for a corner on 65 minutes and rose highest to put us back into the lead, and all was looking good, especially after Dartford lost midfielder Lee Noble to a straight red card for a horrible challenge with just 15 minutes left. Just as it looked like we were going to be walking away with another win, disaster struck as Elliot Bradbrook scored in the 92nd minute to deny us the 3 points and give them a share of the spoils.
This was nice to see after the game, it softened the blow of throwing away a win somewhat. I actually wasn’t aware this was a run we were on, I think it’s harder to keep track when we’re only winning half of the games. This actually coincided with the switch to the 3-5-2 as well, which I guess means I’ve done something right. We got a draw in our last game playing the 4-4-2 but I wasn’t happy with how we were playing, and I think we’re doing far better for it now.
HUNGERFORD TOWN (13TH) VS TRURO CITY (11TH) – VANARAMA NATIONAL SOUTH
Bang. There goes the run. We were awful here today, the stats don’t exactly show an even game, but even then I think they flatter us. We were 2-0 down at half-time through a double from Hungerford winger Jack Maloney, and went further behind in the 71st minute when right-back Teddy Bloor popped up after a corner was cleared. We got a goal back through Ben Gerring, but never looked like getting back into the game and it was Hungerford who had the last laugh, adding a fourth with a minute left to play. Hopefully just a blip, the system had been looking good up to this point, I’ll be looking for the boys to bounce back, that’s for damn sure.
I didn’t actually mention this before, but Jordan Copp missed the Hungerford game through injury, I went with Ben Harding out on the left, a role he can play, but I wasn’t a fan. He didn’t impress out there, it limits what he can bring to side and I think the centre of our midfield is far weaker without him. Copp will miss about 3 weeks, so I think a decision needs to be made. It’s either sticking with Harding out on the left and giving Lamont a run of games at CM, or dropping the wide midfielders to wing-backs. My starting full-backs this year, Connor Riley-Lowe on the left and Billy Palfrey on the right don’t have much if any role suitability at wing back, but their stats suggest they could do it. Something to ponder.
While we’re on injuries, Jake Watkins has recovered in double-quick time and is back in training, a good week or wo early. It’s good to have him back, Harvey has played well in his absence but Jake has been sensational since he joined the club.
TRURO CITY VS WALTON CASUALS – FA TROPHY 3RD QUALIFYING ROUND
A cup game against a Regional Divisions side? Surely a chance to mix things up a bit. We did go with the wing-backs, meaning that Aaron Lamont and Danny Racchi miss out, with Connor Riley-Lowe and Billy Palfrey coming in. Palfrey gets the nod over Alawode-Williams due to having a bit of role suitability at wing-back and far superior stamina. We also approached this game with an attacking mentality, to see if we could really force the issue at home in a very winnable game. It worked. 3-0 up inside 17 minutes, a penalty from Tyler Harvey followed by a Lewis Guy double, and we were coasting. Walton did get a goal on the brink of half-time with what turned out to be their only shot on target, but we were very comfortable. Half-time came and I wanted to have a look at the midfield three, River Allen was doing a fine job of sitting, but I felt like the midfield was being bypassed and not creating much. I had already started the game with Harding as the Mezzala, a role usually played by Cody Cooke, and Harding seemed to get far more involved going forward than we had seen from Cooke. I don’t think Cooke is the issue though, more the role of a CM-S, so for the second half I changed it to a Deep-Lying Playmaker, to try to control the game from the centre of the pitch. The game settled down in the second half, Jamie Richards adding a fourth goal from a corner, but we looked dominant and could, and maybe should have scored more. Jake Watkins came on to get 20 minutes into his hamstring and looked okay without doing much, but I definitely got what I wanted from this game.
Into the first round of the FA Trophy we go then, and the draw gives us an away tie against Gloucester City, a team we beat in our second game this season. I think we have a good chance, and again have declined extra-time for the tie, as I still don’t think we have 120 minutes in the tank!
A mixed month, only the one defeat but a really disappointing one, the kind of game that makes you feel like you have taken a couple of steps backwards. The wing-backs may turn out to give us a bit more stability at the back and see an improvement in our game but for now I’m fairly happy, we’re on course for the mid-table finish the board want.
Well that’s it for November, next time we’ll be back with December’s action, make sure you check back in to see how we do over the festive period! Thanks for reading.
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