[Jon B]

A frustrating night and the game was a hard watch.

Last night we were shown what the difference is between a top 4/5 side and a bottom 4/5 side.

Our problems stem from the sacking of Graham Alexander, and since then the club has dropped like a burning moth from a hot lightbulb. This mistake was then compounded by sacking both McCall and Hurst much too early. There’s a common denominator here, of course.

At present I fear the club is locked in a battle to survive both on and off the park. There’s an end to the pandemic in sight, but when will the end to this awful downward spiral come?

I don’t see the point in slating Cox or the players. Yes Cox messed up with the formation last night but we’d have lost however we set up, as Bolton are miles better as a team, and in every area on the park. I actually felt we really matched up quite well in the first half once we got a foot on the ball and arguably we had the two clearest chances. We do seem to be dreadful after re-starts though so whatever is going on at half time needs looking at again. We just didn’t really turn up or the second half.

The squad is very thin and if any of Gillead, KVV and Eisa are missing, we really struggle. Several of our players have given their all over the last ten days and last night was a bridge too far.

I like the way Cox has instilled a team spirit and a willingness to work and battle. There’s enough dung in this league that we shouldn’t be worrying about survival, but anything more than lower mid table is ambitious for this campaign.

I hope the players are able to recover and van Veen is back for next week against Harrogate which will be another hard game. Hopefully that’s the last we’ll see of a 3-4-3 with this limited group of players.

[Jon B]

Howard – 7. Bar one or two poor pieces of distribution he caught and handled the ball really well and was unlucky with the goal.

Rowe- 8. A really fine performance from the young man. Doesn’t look out of place in the first team.

McGahey- 7. Steady, solid, one or two key interventions to block balls being played through.

Onarise- 7. Hard working, decent, building up a good partnership with McGahey.

Brown- 6. Still a little bit off the pace. Some good moments but a few passes going astray. Worked hard though.

Gillead- 7. Stood out in the first half but faded a little when pulled back in the second half to help out at the back.

Spence- 6. Steady but unspectacular.

Beestin -8*. My MOTM. A really determined and hard working shift. Impressive.

KVV- not on long enough to rate. Hallam- 6. Willing but limited. One or two nice flashes but not physical enough when up against the land of the giants.

Loft- 5. Can’t be faulted for effort but really nothing worked out for the lad. Spent the last twenty minutes falling over and looking frustrated.

Eisa- 6. easily marshalled by Morecambe for seventy minutes but crucial to the goal. Such a talent but frustrating to watch at times.

McAtee and Hippolyte had their moments when they came on and did their best. Sadly I don’t think Devarn is good enough for this level but he still has time to prove us wrong.

[Jon B]

Agreed he did really well today, looks very comfortable on the ball and stayed calm under pressure. Good performance.

[Jon B]

Disappointing to concede so late on but a draw was a fair result. We’d really been hanging on in the second half.

I was pleased to see the team working so hard and we did defend well despite one or two heart-in-mouth bad passes out from the back.

However we didn’t have much going forward and it was a bit disjointed between midfield and defence.

Very impressed with Beestin and the centre half pairing today. A few weeks ago the side would have folded up against such a big physical opponent. We really matched them for desire today when the players must have been feeling tired after a hectic round of fixtures.

Looking forward to the game on Tuesday now against a Bolton team that have blown hot and cold this season and are still working out a new identity under a new boss.

The core of the squad is decent. If our better players can stay fit then we’ll be fine. If not, the squad lacks depth and experience.

[Author]

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