[Izulde]

Huh. Nabil Guedioura is showing great training progress, apparently.

@Forest Green (1st)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Stevland Angus
DC Ryan Woodford
DR Samuel Bangura
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Seanan Clucas
ML Claudiu Hoban
MR Max Noble
ST Gianluca Gracco
ST Lewis Taaffe

Injuries and tired people mean we have a less than optimal lineup against the Premier leaders.

44 - Hoban holds to the ball, waiting until he sees Clucas just outside the box for the pass. Our loanee then skims along the box line until he finds a shot he likes, and *BAM*! In it goes for the host nutcrunching goal. 1-0

Wickham slots on for Parmenter, and we're doing great on defense. If we can just keep on to that and maybe get another sneaky score, that'd be awesome.

45 - Noble's knocked but will fight on.

73 - Guedioura on for Gracco, who's having the worst game of his career.

What.a.monstrous.upset.

7.5+
Stevland Angus - 8.1 (MoM)
Seanan Clucas - 8.0
Leon Clowes - 7.9
Samuel Bangura - 7.5

In short, another dominating performance by our backline, and Angus shows that he's still got it.

But it comes as a huge cost. Max Noble is out 6-7 weeks with an injury, further crippling our already shaky right midfield situation. On the bright side, we're up to 2nd in the league. Oh, and get this. Tambeson Eyong's loan expires in a few days, and I don't know who we have left that can play MR for the short-term

Ashley Yeoman continues to impress in training.

vs Woking (18th)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DC Ryan Woodford
DR Brett Solkhon
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Aaron Wickham
ML Callum McNish
MR Tambeson Eyong
ST Gianluca Gracco
ST Lewis Taaffe

We have to get a little creative with the lineup here due to so many injury and rest needs. Three MRs all injured at once and our 4th one due out of loan soon. Just freaking insane.

34 - Keep coming close but nothing doing until Taaffe runs through the entire defense and plants it in. This was a guy I debated on for a long time before signing because my scouts thought he was just okay. The way he's played since claiming a starting spot, though, he's been more than okay. 1-0

38 - And here's the sweet, swinging corner by Taaffe to Sanchez, who punches it on in. 2-0

49 - Parmenter takes a nasty knock. I'll try to keep him on as much as possible, though.

57 - Taaffe plays a terrific ball for Eyong on the far right wing. Our loan healthy MR fetches it and centers it back to Taaffe, and there's our third goal! 3-0 This allows us to switch to a 4-1-2-1-2 setup with Bangura and Yeoman as DC and AMC, and Eyong and Parmenter off the pitch.

79 - they score, but probably too little too late 3-1

Nice win. 8.6 for Sanchez, 8.3 for Sharpe, and 8.8 for our MoM, Taaffe.

But it's another expensive win. Taylor Parmenter, our rock in the defense, is out a month. We're now 2 points behind Forest Green for the lead.

Free transfer and loan deadlines are both in a week.

vs Macclesfield (4th)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Stevland Angus
DC Brett Solkhon
DR Samuel Bangura
DM Seanan Clucas
DM Ryan Woodford
ML Claudiu Hoban
MR Tambeson Eyong
ST Gianluca Gracco
ST Lewis Taaffe

Ugly lineup, I know, but we really didn't have much choice. The transfers and loans we have lined up didn't go through in time for this game.

1 - Yellow for Woodford. Going to be that kind of game, is it?

43 - Yellow for Hoban.

So this has been a pretty ugly, boring game to watch. Feels like we're scraping out a tie here. Luke Dixon goes on for Woodford because we're just that weak right now in terms of depth.

45 - Should've been a goal for them there.

48 - Yellow for Clucas

63 - So does not only Angus flub the easiest goal ever, but we get scored on via the counter. Fuck this noise. 0-1 Yeoman on for Gracco

Total shutdown. Pathetic.

Still, we're halfway through the season, and after 23 games, we have 44 points and sit 4th. Considering we were tabbed to hit the drop in preseason, that's a huge improvement. And not shabby at all considering all the injury woes we've been hit with all at once.