Take a point all day long . Stockport are a very good team at thsi level and to be fair deserved all three points. They were on top first 20 , we then had a decent spell and they pretty much dominated second half.
Lolos was co trained most of the game but took one of the few chances Stockport allowed him. I would play Lolos up front on his own and pick another midfielder . We were totally over run in the middle and another body in there would help. Orsi for me is just not up to it. He can't hold the ball up lay it off or frankly control it most of the time . He runs around and closes down but other than that we are playing with 10 men. Overall good point from a very tough game.
Definitely take the point after going behind. I felt their goal was coming, so to get back in to the game against a bloody good side speaks volumes for the character of this team.
I know we all wanted a win tonight, but that could be a vital point gained come what May. Cracking finish from Lolos.
Not much in the way of guilt edged chances but overall we have to be pleased with the point. The unbeaten run goes on.
Main thing for me was not to get beaten tonight, which might sound a tad defeatist but it isn’t meant to be. It’s just about the quality and league position of the opposition tonight.
Agree with Westander who said Lolos was poor before his goal. I thought he gave the ball away far too many times and made lots of wrong decisions re when to pass and who to try and pass to.
Then he comes up with an absolute worldly!
That’s why I’d play him from the start every bloody game because he’s always got that random act of brilliance from nowhere in him.
Corey digs us out of a hole yet again with his usual few blinding stops, which actually ends up saving us actual league points time and time again.
Good point and another cracking goal from Lolos. Corey my MOM for some cracking saves.
He is still a real eniģma. Some fantastic saves especially the one that ended up offside and on that basis alone you would be right but then
Such atrocious passing and kicking that had our hearts in our sleeves time and time again A lack of urgency when we were a goal down and he took forever to pass the ball Left looking for air controllers when anything high went across his box
Given that nobody individually played outstandingly its a close call for MOM and I would agree Maguire just about got it
There was also some trouble outside the ground by the road crossing.
Not too surprised, as I was exiting from the north end of the West Stand, behind their coach, a couple of Crawley Town muppets started having a go at me, thinking I was from the away end. Didn’t recognise them, so suspect they are not regulars but they clearly thought they were Billy Big Bollocks looking to cause a bit of agro.
Anyway, back to the game - thought the first half was pretty even and they didn’t look like automatic promotion candidates, but fair play, they turned up the tempo second half and probably should have scored another 1 or 2.
On Lolos, they obviously thought he was our major threat and marked him pretty closely all match, so good to see he persevered and got that bit of space for his goal.
I’ll take a draw all day long like I said before the game.
Had a Wonderful view of Lolos fantastic goal. What a player.
At the end of the game there was a real bit of aggro between Clint Hill and SL.
Didn’t want SL to get a second booking then a dugout ban. Saw Madden getting involved in pushing and shoving as well
Hmm, that would be the same Clint Hill who booted Josh Yorwerth in the back and ran away again when he was down on the ground after being wound up by several Carlisle players a few seasons ago. He is obviously a real hero.
I wondered what our players were so upset about after Stockport scored but having just seen the highlights, Will Wright is clearly shoved to the ground as the corner comes over. One of several things the new EFL ref missed in the second half, including a clear handball in the area at the other end a couple of minutes before. It’s a shame Maguire skied that chance at the end although a draw was maybe a fair result in the end.
Good game can see why Stockport are where they are much like Mansfield. In the first half we played like prime Barcelona with some slick turns and passes, some of the best passing football I’ve seen. Second half they sussed out our tactics and kept putting us under pressure with rapid closing down. Didn’t stop Lolos from letting rip another world class goal. Deserved point against a tough side and the unbeaten run continues.
Yes good point overall but where was the Gordon of last Tuesday - a shell of himself unfortunately. Lolos was absolutely hopeless UNTIL he scored, Darcy was vey quite and Kelly also.
We could easily have made the changes at least 10 minutes earlier but hey I really am not complaining but the bar has raised if we are to make the playoffs and a point here tonight was something I would have taken before the match but if only........
Bit harsh there. The whole team were average to poor for about 75 minutes (Forster the honourable exception), until they woke up and remembered what they were meant to be doing. Corey was immense in goal again, but his kicking was woeful. Never mind, as long as he keeps making those saves.....
Lolos wasn't hopeless, he always tries, even if it doesn't work. The team didn't make the most of Gordon on the wing, everything was going through Forster, who was brilliant, but still quite raw. Think we have a real gem there.
Not sure what Tsaroulla has done to deserve to be benched so often. He's always one of our better performers, makes things happen, can attack, can shoot on target.... I'm worried we will lose him in the summer.
Tough game, made tougher by Stockport pressing hard throughout the game. Stockport are a very good team and it showed. They had clearly done their homework and managed to keep our better players quiet with Lolos in particular being marked closely. As a result of their high press we were forced to go long from Corey for most of the game and we found it hard to find space in the midfield.
We did far better in the wide areas, with Kellen and in particular Harry Forster having good games. The Stockport number 3 Touray really should have been booked (at least) for two very late challenges on Kellen in the space of a few minutes.
The first half was nervy and cautious. Not many clear cut chances but we had the better of the possession and the better chances when they came. The defence left Stockport with few efforts on goal and most of those led to routine saves by Corey. The defence was outstanding throughout. Joy had a tougher time than he has had lately playing against a real League Two forward, who was strong and wiley but he coped very well and had a great game. Laurence Maguire had a good game as well and although Will Wright played well, he was hesitant at times, both in his distribution and his decision making.
Early on we had a few good chances, with Maguire missing a free header, which looked easier to score.
In the midfield, Jeremy was a little lost, a little too slow in thought and movement, he looked as if he was struggling. Darcy was everywhere as always and had to cover for him numerous times. Jay was also everywhere and I thought was one of our better players - he does a lot of unheralded work breaking up attacks and his positioning off the ball was outstanding.
Up front Orsi stuck at it and had one superb chance which their keeper did well to knock away. Lolos was, well, Lolos. He gives so much, even when he is tightly marked - he had three Stockport players around him every time he had the ball. He is irrepressible though and although he could not play his usual expansive game, he worked hard and kept at it.
The second half was very different. They changed shape and really took the game to us. We struggled to get out of our own half for the first 15-20 minutes. They had a number of decent chances and Corey pulled off one outstanding save as the ball came across the box to the far post. There was also one big moment. Their number 8, Camps, who was probably their best player, kept driving forward and worked a one on one with Corey on the right hand side. Instead of shooting, he opted to square the ball and it was easily intercepted by our player.
Their goal was disappointing. Will Wright was clearly pushed as the ball came across from a corner and as a result, their player had an unopposed header at the back post.
Stockport made some strange substitutions - they took off their most potent attacking players and brought on defenders, presumably to hold the lead. A little odd as they had been nullifying us in the second half. We then had a lot more space in front of us and took the game to them.
We buzzed around their box and had a number of half chances then Orsi turned the ball into Lolos' path, he took one touch to take it into the area and unleashed an unstoppable thunderbolt into the top corner! Cue scenes!
We had one last chance when Maguire picked up a knock down in the area but blasted it well over.
There was also a string penalty claim for us that wasn't given.
Did we deserve the draw? Arguably but the Stockport fans will feel they did enough to win and they have a strong point. All credit to the players though, they kept at it, chasing shadows at times but they kept doing the right things - kept the right shape, kept the right mindset throughout the game and came away with a credible point that felt like a win at the end.
Stockport were one of the best teams we have played this season and to get a fighting draw in such a tight, hard fought game was fantastic.
Man of the Match - Harry Forster, Joy, Laurence Maguire and Jay Williams were all strong contenders but Harry Forster deserved it for another non-stop, all action, lung-bursting game.