TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom discusses the game at Plainmoor

COMPLACENT GULLS

When you’ve won two games on the spin and the opposition are a modest 19th in the league, and coming to your ground on the back of a very poor run of form, there is always a danger of complacency and Paul Wotton discussed the poor mindset of his players in the post match interview. You must respect each and every opposition in the same way, and be ready for a battle, otherwise the other team can cause you problems – Salisbury FC certainly did that and more. The Gulls looked unprepared for the away team to take the game to them, and were fortunate to take the lead, before being pegged back. Although they gathered themselves somewhat in the second half, it was a mostly abject performance on a night of high expectation at Plainmoor, and PW would have been fully frustrated with his team…I know I was.

KEY MOMENT – ZANZALA GOAL

IMPRESSIVE SALISBURY

Whilst United were sloppy, lethargic and indecisive, Salisbury were very much the opposite. Energetic, quick and purposeful in their play, they surprised me with their quality and positivity on the ball. They were unafraid to push players forward and often had 4 or 5 men in attacking areas during the first half, giving the normally authoritative Dreyer and Dyer all kinds of problems that they struggled to solve. So whilst the Gulls deserve criticism, the away team deserve the credit for their evening’s work and I can imagine there was some disappointment afterwards in only grabbing one point from their trip down to Devon. They certainly had the chances to grab all three.

KEY MOMENT – SALISBURY 1ST GOAL

JAY OUT WIDE

It wasn’t Matt Jay’s best game for the Gulls, he had a couple of long range efforts that briefly concerned their goalkeeper, but in the main struggled to get into the action and find time on the ball. He was used primarily out wide and spent too much time running back into defensive areas for me. Apart from Jordan Young, he’s our classiest player going forward and clever enough to play behind the striker and make things happen, so it was a little surprising that PW didn’t move him over at any point. Tactically the manager will need to be right on the money against Dorking, and getting the best from Matt Jay should be near the top of his list.

KEY MOMENT – SALISBURY 2ND GOAL

LIGHT IN MIDFIELD

The midfield has been a talking point for most of the season, and as Salisbury seized on loose ball after loose ball, once again we struggled to get a foothold in this important area. It feels like we’ve stocked up fully on attacking midfielders/wingers this season, but are missing that one leader with physical presence in midfield that helps us become a properly good team. On Tuesday night Dan Hayfield was barely in the game, whilst WJD and Lirak Hasani did get more involved, but struggled to stamp their authority on a frisky Salisbury team. Oscar Threlkeld did okay when called upon, but Salisbury had tired and dropped deeper by then, so his job was easier at that point. Maybe the right players haven’t been available (or affordable), and I’m sure it’s an area where Paul Wotton will focus on during the summer, but the failure to strengthen the midfield is costing us in games like these.