TT BLOG
Dom Roman
@DomRoman
8 OUT OF 9 WOULD BE MORE THAN FINE!
Having won 7 out of their last 8 games and gathered momentum and good vibes along the way, the Gulls travel to 10th placed Hemel in Hertfordshire looking to bag another 3 points. The last 3 games have been much more like it, and much of that is down to Gary Johnson finding a settled line-up and tactics that put emphasis on getting the ball down and hurting teams with sharp passing and movement. Opposition teams would rather us use long balls and try to arm wrestle our way through, so this more progressive style should always be favoured over hit and hope. Continue to balance it off with work rate and intensity, and the Gulls good run should continue.
THE LINE-UP
It may well be a case of Mark Halstead and Shaun Donnellan moving straight back into the line-up on Saturday in place of Rhys Lovett and Ryan Hanson. Shaun Donnellan hasn’t really got going this season, and this could be down to ‘The Don’ being switched from CB to MF to FB. He remains a decent utility man to have around, a jack of all trades and a master of none, Shaun frustrates with his decision making at times but is still our best option at right back (a position that we have so often struggled to fill with quality over the years). Apart from those 2 changes the rest of the line-up from Wimborne (a) will probably remained unchanged and rightly so. Lewis Collins is the one back up player who is gently knocking on the door, but it feels like the impact sub role suits him at the moment and at Hemel he could well have a big part to play.
THE OPPOSITION
Brad Quinton’s Hemel Hempstead team have been Pools coupon specialists in recent games, drawing 4 out of their last NLS fixtures. whilst there have been only 17 goals scored overall in their 9 games (9 for, 8 against). This is a team used to tight matches, and with a win over Chelmsford this month and a draw at Worthing, this could well be a tough afternoon for the Gulls on the Tudors’ Vauxhall Road 3G pitch. It would be no surprise if the game remains very close until the final stages, and United’s extra quality and fitness eventually finds a way to take 3 points back on the coach to Devon. If we’re going to win the NLS in 23/24 then overcoming hurdles like this is what it’s all about.
LOOKING FOR GOALS
One of the good things about the last two games is that different players other than the strikers have stepped up and chipped in with goals, including a first of the season last Saturday for Tom Lapslie who is currently bang on form buzzing around the strikers. But you would expect two players of the quality of Bradley Ash and Aaron Jarvis to find the target again soon after some misfires, and Vauxhall Road could be that place. There’s been some surprising misses from both, but the positive news is that they are A) getting chances, B) working hard for their team mates and that C) United still won the games. I’m predicting a predictable 2-1 to the Gulls and a 5th goal of the season for Jarvis, Come on you Yellows!