Stamford 0-4 Doncaster Rovers

Stamford 0-4 Doncaster Rovers

Pre-Season Friendly

Tuesday 16th July 2024

As pre-season games go, this was a pretty steady night for Doncaster Rovers and the difference in quality showed as they eased to a 4-0 win over Stamford.

For some reason, the two halves lasted for an hour (with a quick five-minute gap after 45 minutes in each half) and Jordan Gibson was the best player on the pitch as he scored twice, looked sharp and instinctive with getting his shots off quickly and absolutely shone in the second period when Rovers threatened to run riot.

Stamford aren’t a bad team for Step 3 level. They play in the Southern Premier League (Central Division) being just a bit too far south of the boundary that would put them in the Northern Premier League and it’s a division which consists of teams such as Redditch United, Telford United, AFC Sudbury and Leiston and was won by Needham Market (near Ipswich) last season who bizarrely now go into the National League North, whilst the Daniels finished in 7th position - just three points off the Play-Off spots.

They’ve got some decent players. Harry Vince who wore the No.3 shirt is a player I’ve always admired for his graft, effort and quality on the ball (seen that a few times) stemming as far back to his days at Boston United where he came through the ranks when Adam Murray was manager there, followed by his stint at Matlock Town. Always keeping an eye on his career and good to see him as one of the main men and a big part of what this Stamford team is all about.

Now in his mid-20s, Vinny was named in Stamford first half’s XI and in that spell, it was quite an even contest in all honesty; Rovers looking neat and tidy on the ball at times in the sky blue away kit which looks decent and contrasts well against the black shorts - and showing the quality and movement you’d expect from an EFL team, whereas Stamford had a lot of chances but couldn’t put any away! Where’s the facepalm emoji!

There was just the one goal up to half-time came around a quarter-of-an-hour in when Billy Sharp rolled back the years and scored the exact type of goal he’s made his career from by leaping well inside the six-yard box and heading the ball home from a Luke Molyneux cross.

Thereafter up to the interval, Stamford were decent and performed reasonably well and were unlucky not to get an equaliser to show for their efforts.

Their No.7, who I think was called Jack Holmes and was signed last month from Halesowen Town, and playing on the right-wing gave Jack Senior (at LWB for Donny) a torrid time with the exception of one instance where Senior slid in to nip the ball off his toes. Holmes was direct, loved to take on (and beat) his man and got in-behind on the wing a few times which caused problems but infront of goal the Daniels lacked a cutting edge as chances went begging. Graham Drury clearly wasn’t happy with the finishing when he gathered his team in a huddle at the side of the pitch after 45 minutes because as good as his team might have been playing, he knew they’d squandered too many chances and ought to have been level.

In the second half, things were swapped about entirely.

Rovers fielded a completely different XI which saw Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Jordan Gibson and a few others make their debuts, Stamford shuffled their pack likewise - with one familiar face being Ethan Young who did his YTS scholarship at Scunthorpe United, and pretty much from the outset, Grant McCann’s new-look XI seemed way too strong and a fair scoreline in the end would have been 5-0 or 6-0.

Jordan Gibson immediately looked a major threat on the left; quick-footed, sharp and a bundle of energy and twice within a couple of minutes he struck the post with strikes from outside the box which were purely instinctive.

Eventually when a goal did finally come it was scored by Kyle Hurst who finished well to make it 2-0 and with Rovers well on top, Jordan Gibson then finally got a goal his performance merited when he spun well and finished tidily from inside the box, before then adding another in the final 15 minutes (after the weird mini-break) when Ethan Young’s pass was intercepted and subsequently punished.

On another night in the Lincolnshire sunset, Rovers might have had more as other chances went begging in that second period too but results in pre-season aren’t important, and if Stamford need comfort, they can find it from how they played in that first half - good on the ball, doing decent and more than holding their own, but just needing a better cutting edge when it came to chances.

The big takeaway from the night will be Jordan Gibson’s performance because he looked class and showed a bit of everything you’d want.

Amongst the young lads who featured for Donny, Will Flint looks ‘big’ for his relatively young age (something that will be beneficial to him when it comes to clubs looking at him for loans which will inevitably happen in the next few months) and he competed alright in the first half in a midfield position. He needed more around him in a few instances where things were a bit ‘jagged’ and untidy with turnovers (notably in one instance where George Broadbent won and lost it in the space of 10 seconds) but individually he held his own and did alright. And in the second half, Sam Brown was very neat and tidy on the ball - moved it well, got praise for his performance off his own team-mates (notably Tom Nixon was encouraging him a few times) and when his out-of-possession game marries up with his ability on the ball then he’s going to be an alright player. That’s the bit he has to improve right now. It will come because he’s still right at the young end of the scale and just about to enter the second year of his YT scholarship, so he’s got time on his side - and the more games he gets against senior opposition is where he’ll do most of his learning. So it’s a good game for him to be involved in and if you put 100 games on his name and move 2-3 years down the line, you can see the talent that is there.

Other than that… good to catch up with Ethan Young before kick-off; been way too long and good to see you involved mate, even if it was in Stamford’s more difficult half in the game. Fingers crossed you get the game-time you’ll want this season after the ‘stop-start’ nature of last year and I’ll pop to another game if the opportunity arises at some point during the next 10 months or so.

And when I do next go to a game, I’ll try and avoid tripping up, doing a 3.5 summersault that wouldn’t look out of place at the Olympics and then landing on my knee/tit/chin, because gravity won that argument. And it’s quite painful.

Worksop Town 5-0 Brighouse Town

Worksop Town 5-0 Brighouse Town

Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 13th July 2024

Four games into pre-season and Worksop Town still have a 100% win ratio and have now racked up 19 goals with this latest success being quite a comfortable one against Step 4 outfit Brighouse Town.

On a day when Worksop’s Twitter account very weirdly went kaput not long after the full-time whistle, the Tigers were in good form and played some good football with Dan Bramall bagging his first goals for the club (albeit Jordan Burrow might want to claim one of them), Regan Hutchinson scoring one (and having another impressive game where he again earned my respect), Luke Shiels claiming another, whilst the one in the second half was scored by ‘Terry-I-list’ as he was announced over the PA system.

The star of last Saturday’s win over Barton Town was another Terry-I-list, nicknamed ‘Charlie The Trialist’ once a few fans had figured out his first name. The ‘hat-trick’ in that game will certainly be remembered and an hour before kick-off, Charlie Winfield was unmasked as that particular Terry-I-list - and Worksop’s latest summer signing!

Having watched Chaz plenty of times in the U21s Professional Development League for Barnsley (his previous club) then firstly, he’s a genuinely top class lad and secondly, he’s a quality player and without doubt someone I’ve enjoyed watching the most across ALL the players I’ve seen in that league. He’s sharp, tenacious, has lots of ability, is determined, offers pace and quality, I’m proud to call him a mate and know him, and I couldn’t be happier that he’s earned this move which is an opportunity for him to settle down, establish himself at a decent standard, get game-time and get his career going again after a rough few years.

I did write a blog last week which offers a bit more insight into his background (which you can read here) and I wish him all the luck going forward because he deserves the best - albeit rest assured that when you read this Chaz, I will be giving you stick for the ‘other’ goal in last Saturday’s ‘hat-trick’ for some time to come.

As I also wrote in that blog, Dan Bramall is a good player with bags of pace and ability and when it all clicks for him (as it’s inevitably going to at some point) then he’s going to do very well - you only have to have eyes to see the class in him!

And although Brighouse nearly scored the opener inside the first minute when one of those horribly awkward cross-shots from the right eluded Tommy Taylor and grazed the woodwork, it was none other than Mr Dan Bramall who scored Worksop’s opener as he picked his spot with aplomb and curled the ball home stylishly from the edge of the box with Charlie Winfield claiming the assist thanks to a neat little pass into him. The link-up play down the left flank between Chaz and Dan was decent at times in the first half (they did train together at Barnsley for a season) and that understanding they have with one another might be something that can blossom in the coming months. We shall see.

As the first half wore on, Worksop certainly blossomed. They looked commanding and were on top and before half-time three more goals came. 

Regan Hutchinson reacted quickest after the Brighouse ‘keeper only parried a shot and bravely threw himself towards the ball and headed it in on the rebound to make it 2-0. The third goal was scored by Dan Bramall (just about) with a shot that deflected off Jordan Burrow - one for the dubious goals committee to decide, and right on half-time it was 4-0 as a deep free-kick towards the back-post was recycled back across goal by Hamza Bencherif towards Luke Shiels who had the simplest of conversions from pretty much on the goal-line.

In the second half there proved to be one more goal which the Tigers added to their tally which came on around 70 minutes; a total blockbuster of a strike courtesy of another trialist playing at left-wing-back who unleashed a thunderbolt which flew past the Brighouse ‘keeper who was rooted to the line. And 5-0 it was.

Worksop could have bagged more and in the best of the other chances that came and went, the young lad - No.18 (sadly I don’t know his name) went so close to scoring when the ball dropped perfectly for him inside the box only for the visiting ‘keeper to get in the way and make a save with his foot - and I don’t think the ‘keeper particularly knew much about it when he made the save either. 

Dan Bramall also so nearly got his hat-trick with an effort that caught a deflection and went just wide; a shame he didn’t happen because he played superbly and was a worthy ‘Man Of The Match’ contender to claim a champagne bottle or something had this been a league game, but he can take plenty of confidence from a positive day, adding the end product that he was lacking last Saturday, and showing the exact reasons as to why I rate him so highly.

At the other end, Brighouse themselves had a big chance to get on the score-sheet and claim a consolation when one of their forwards found himself clean through yet somehow dragged his low shot wide of Tommy Taylor’s right-hand post when it looked harder to miss than score. One of those days but the scoreline isn’t too important. It’s pre-season. The league games are the ones which will always matter.

Worksop’s next pre-season outing is on Tuesday against Buxton and it’s going to be fascinating to say how the experience in this Tigers team compares against the inexperience and youth in the Buxton team - albeit as I saw when the Bucks lost at Rossington on Tuesday, they can move and retain the ball really well and their fitness levels ought to be good due to their full-time status.

 

Ossett United 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday U21s

Ossett United 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday U21s

Pre-Season Friendly

Friday 12th July 2024

What a pleasure it was to witness this game - and what a positive start to pre-season for Sheffield Wednesday’s U21s.

On a night when the Owls were dressed as the Netherlands, the young lads showed their own brightness and were really impressive in this 2-0 win at Ossett United. 

It was a good performance; there was a pace, tempo and very good intensity about the Owls’ play for large parts of the night. Ball retention was quite good. Some of the movement was well-rehearsed and adapted perfectly in a game situation and the patterns of play were decent. As a team, the lads looked sharp, effective and loads of different players showed their own individual qualities. There were positives. It was refreshing and the best of all the pre-season games which I’ve watched so far.

And just like the Netherlands earlier this week, Wednesday bagged an early goal when Bruno Fernandes finished low from inside the box and in the opening half-hour, they had more possession and were on top - creating other chances too. Joey Phuthi was exceptional and seemed proper fired up and determined to shine and he caused havoc with his sharp pace, stepovers and trickery and nearly scored in one instance when he flashed a shot wide. Bruno Fernandes also went close with an effort, Sam Bentley got a header on target from a corner, and there was another shot which went just a couple of inches wide of the post.

Ossett got better as the half went on and from 30-40 minutes they had their best spell of the game as Wednesday temporarily looked a bit flustered. A couple of warning-sign shots were put into the side-netting, one big chance was put over the bar after the ball dropped to the striker inside the Owls box following a corner, and in the Sheepicorns’ biggest chance of them all, Jack Hall got down well to smother the ball and make a really good save to ensure his team remained ahead.

At half-time there were loads of substitutions - one of which saw Mackenzie Maltby (class to watch) introduced for Sheffield Wednesday and his intelligent ball over the top to Jay Buchan early in the second half very nearly put him in on goal.

Ossett had their moments but when a second goal in the game finally arrived, it was the Owls who scored it and trialist George Brown appeared to make it 2-0 by toe-poking the ball home from inside the box after Jarvis Thornton (I think) flashed an effort in from the left - difficult to tell exactly what happened as I was stood 80 yards away down at the other end of the pitch and only saw the conversion; not who had the initial shot. So if I’ve got it wrong just call me an idiot!

Thereafter, the Owls stepped things up again and could have had a third goal on a couple of occasions as No.16 (Sutra Kakay) let fly with an effort from distance whilst Joey Phuthi showed more electric pace and technique to burst down the right, beat his man and cut inside before firing over from a tight angle in the latter stages.

And at the other end, Ossett - and a very frustrated Ross Duggan - were nullified by the excellence of Mackenzie Maltby, Cian Flannery, Sam Bentley and others as the boys in orange stood firm to keep a very deserved clean-sheet.

Again, it was a good game - and I can’t speak highly enough of the effort and tempo created in the game because it was of such a high standard. The way the Owls moved the ball, linked things up and played to each other’s best strengths was impressive. The passing, pass-completion rate, and variety of passing itself - including some lovely floated diagonal balls which found people in space and led to openings - was eye-catching. And if the boys play like this every week then they’re going to be good to watch and have a really good season. No doubt about it whatsoever.

There’s still plenty to learn from this performance - and the period from 30-40 minutes where Ossett got on top is an ideal learning curve and something to reflect on, but otherwise, there were plenty of positives on a good night.

Individually amongst the Wednesday ranks…

Jack Hall - Very good save in the first half when he got down well and smothered the ball which proved critical to the outcome. Good handling in the second half when he claimed a corner and a clean-sheet he ought to be proud about. A good night. Well done.

Joe Emery - Ratty and effective. A steady first half performance and then some really good contributions in the second half, including shielding the ball very well under pressure near the corner flag and showing a nice little undertone of tenacity within his game. A good trait and had a lovely first touch too which I saw on a few occasions. Liked it.

Reece Johnson - Steady again, pushed high and got into some great positions on the left-hand side - including when he received a diagonal pass not long before the half-time whistle. I was stood on the opposite side of the pitch to where he was playing so hard to comment too much but he didn’t particularly do anything wrong.

Sam Bentley - Didn’t look out of place whatsoever and generally had a good first 45 minutes, before coming on and playing the last 20-25 minutes. The highlight was a nutmeg near the dugouts but on 3-4 occasions he showed his reading of the game by nipping in to win the ball in good areas and stop dangerous situations from developing. Not a bad night. Cleared his lines well. Kept a clean-sheet and I appreciate the qualities he has to offer. Good performance and I hope Wednesday offer him a deal because he adds something to this team!

Cian Flannery - Took corners from the right in the first half (interesting) and also switched a fantastic floated ball out wide to Emery early in the second half. Good distribution and did well and involved in the clean-sheet. Good player.

Jarvis Thornton - Wore the No.6 shirt and a steady performance. Had the shot (I think) which led to the second goal although I might be wrong, but competed well and played his role. Involved in some good bits of link-up play, moved well and tidy in possession.

Joey Phuthi - Was exceptional in the first 20 minutes with his absolutely RAPID pace, teased and tormented his man by running at him - doing step-overs galore and causing problems with his quick-thinking and nimble movement. It was delightful to watch and probably the best I’ve EVER seen him play because every team appreciates a player who gets at their man by being so direct and dangerous. And if he does this in games when a team is needing to get the ball high up the pitch to protect what they have and carries the ball 40-50 yards, it’ll help a team so much. Will be disappointed he didn’t score (end product is something to work on) as he got himself into some fantastic positions but if he maintains this performance level every week then he’s going to get noticed very quickly.

Jay Buchan - A good game. Looked sharp on his feet in midfield; passed well and involved in plenty of moves and looks to have filled out a bit too which should help his game and it helped him compete physically. Shielded the ball well in a few instances (so put that physicality into practice which was a good trait), added quality and made a good run which Mackenzie Maltby spotted with the ball over the top early in the second half. Showed a lot of confidence in the work he did and was impressive in midfield. Also on left-sided corners with his right-foot.

George Brown - On trial and scored the second goal which he’ll be buzzing about. Dropped back to win the ball inside his own half not long after half-time which was a good contribution, dropped back to defend when Ossett had set-pieces and posed a threat upfront with his height and presence. Bits to work on but alright game and looked a useful player who I’d be happy to watch again. Seen worse; seen better - but the biggest point is he has something about him.

Bruno Fernandes - Good, pace and technique. Nimble, nifty and will be delighted to have got the first goal. Dropped back brilliantly to win the ball just before the interval and used his turn of pace/acceleration to bring it away under pressure.

Favour Onukwuli - Had a shot within the first 60 seconds and very similar to Joey Phuthi, used his pace effectively on a few instances to be direct and get at his opponent and cause problems down the left-hand side. Technique was good, touch was decent and a good showing and when the end product comes, he’ll be even better. Ability is there for certain.

Mackenzie Maltby - Came on at half-time and was impressive from the outset. Almost immediately won his first header which set the tone for a very good 45 minutes and loads of positive elements to his game. Big physique, was quick and sharp on his feet and physically competed with Ross Duggan; plenty of grappling (could tell he loved that aspect by the mutual admiration and handshake at the final whistle) and he handled it well - including one incident where the Ossett striker just bounced off him. He showed strength, passed the ball positively and moved it well, various good passes on the floor and two separate floated 50-yard balls to feet at different points which were spot on. Showed a certain intelligence and just looked SOLID in the backline with lots of little bits of organising, talking and leading when and where it was needed. All noticeable. Really impressive and a very, very good player who I appreciate watching so much as there’s so many good characteristics to his game. Can’t speak positively enough about him.

Sutra Kakay - Had a couple of shots - including a long-range one in the second half which the ‘keeper grabbed at the second attempt and posed a threat. Involved in some good moves and added a bit of quality. Will be good to watch him again.

There were a few other players involved - Finley Hunt, Jack Swailes and Dom Weston were all named on the team-sheet and featured at some point. Apologies for not writing about you lads (if you read this) as the ‘Roll On, Roll Off’ style subs made it difficult to keep track of exactly who was on the pitch and when, etc, but I will be at other pre-season games so I’ll get to watch you at some point.

But all in all, a good night - positive, refreshing and nice to watch. Keep it up!