Thetownend.com

This one probably won't be close.

Agreed but McGregor should get a lot of praise. The whole teams work rate today was fantastic

Obviously has to be Smith but really good performances from Minturn (first 70 mins), Kilkenny, Brown, Wright and especially Clarke. We went to pieces when we lost Clarke from the back 3.

Smith obviously gets it for the hat trick

…but…feel the rest of the team deserve some credit for their workman like industrious performances out there in difficult conditions.

I think you’d be hard pressed to single out anyone for playing badly but outside of Smith don’t think you’d be able to single out anyone for playing brilliantly.

Good performance out of position after coming back from an injury from Clarke. Jaxon Brown looked tidy today ‘n all…

I put it into the MDT but do we think the best front 3 is now Smith, Drinan and Glatzel. Smith is the ideal target man with Drinan providing the engine and Glatzel someone a bit different (if he can get his mojo back)

I’d definitely go with Smith & Drinan.
I’d definitely not go with Tshimanga.
Glatzel hasn’t really looked the part. Maybe a run of games in a set XI / formation might help.

Drinan yet again ran non-stop today.
If he could shoot or cross he'd be terrifying to play against.

Agree with all this. Reckon Tshimanga goes back in January. His wage seems to be higher than what we're getting.

He does seem to be well out of favour but could you try McGurk as the other?

Yeah, I wouldn’t be adverse to trying McGurk up there (Holloway might be though)

…Butterworth perhaps? Maybe get more out of Cotterill further forward? Throw young Ameen in? Play me up front?….if none of that works then maybe try Tshimanga again?

If we're playing a front three (and I wouldn't) then at least one needs to be a wide midfielder hybrid. McGurk or Butterworth maybe. Three out and out strikers is so shit.

A great team effort, they all worked their nuts off, Clearly Harry Smith is going to win MOTM though.

One a side note, can somebody learn how to score a penalty

Was it Smith who missed the pen? ... I really can't abide missed pens regardless of the outcome of the game...

Glatzel, he hit the bar

Smith missed at Accrington in the cup game

Just don't understand why he was left out before to be honest

Thought the 3 academy lads all had good games. Clarke proved why he reliable at this level, has to be Smith for me tho.

Can’t not go for Smith after a hat trick and superb performance helping the defence.

Most had a good game. Although Barden looks dodgy. Glatzel’s touch has gone. Drinan off the ball was superb, but on it not so much. Minturn got nervy when Hall came on. The latter was poor imho.

Interesting to see who he picks for the next game instead of Clarke, who is injured again.

Clarke, McGregor and Drinan were all excellent but difficult not to nominate Smith after scoring a hat trick in a 3-1 win.

Smith although Clarke had one of his best games for town.

Great team performance overall

Clearly Smith. Didn't notice at the tone, but Ollie said it was a perfect hatrick, left, right, header

Do we have any idea what Clarke's injury is?

Injury?

Holloway said after the game that we would be without Clarke for the next match. He implied injury, but said nothing more about it.

Presumably could be that he needs rest & can’t play Tuesday night (please 🤞)

he said missing for the next league game, presume he will be suspended

Clarke picked up his 5th yellow of the season yesterday.
So assume it’s a one game ban.

Which is a shame. One of the few players where a suspension isn’t a positive thing.

Aaah. That makes sense. Cheers

May as well have him feature as one of the players we have to start Tuesday then as he gets his rest next Saturday, unfortunately.

Oh, right. I just assumed he'd picked up a knock as I didn't think he'd played enough games to accumulate 5 yellows!

So did I

Impossible to look past Smith for this.

Minturn had a great 1st half but made several nearly costly mistakes in the 2nd half, Kilkenny and Clarke were excellent all game, McGregor regained his confidence too and had a really decent game.

Not really any passengers as such, Drinan did lots of hard graft but with a poor end product, Glatzel wasnt quite sure where he was supposed to be playing but still contributed a few good touches but he looks a shadow of last seasons player so far this season.

I felt Drinan’s end product was ok but all of his attacking end product seemed to end up on his left foot.
He put one cross in that was in a dangerous area - was just unfortunate no one was there & another one from a similar position that just went to the defender.

I dunno if he was ended up left hand side by design or just his work ethic took him there. Mirror his end product so he’s right side on his right foot & you’d probably get better

I'm still not absolutely sure what the front (4?) was - it didn't seem like quite the usual three, more like:

Drinan Glatzel Brown
           Smith

at times. Which is odd.

I thought it was Drinan, Smith, Glatz.

But I dunno!

It was definitely Drinan, Smith & Glatzel.

Brown was in centre mid with Kilkenny.

That was definitely the sensible description of our formation, it just felt like Brown was drifting to AMR and Glatzel more centrally at times. It may have been the weather, I think it's probably best just to take the points and not think too hard about the tactics all things considered. But Drinan was certainly on the left of the set up, which is perhaps a little strange.

I mean it’s entirely possible Browns MO was to stretch the play out wide & it was Glatzels job to drop on when he did.

It’s also entirely possible it wasn’t & it’s just what happened.

We did look long diagonally a lot so maybe it was part of that.

Brown had the legs to press when Smith/Glatz dropped in. Definite game plan