Elite_pie

Pathetic defending throughout, but defending starts from the front. The amount of time and space their midfielders had to take a touch before looking up to pick a pass was a joke. As soon as our midfield got the ball they were snapping at our heels in a flash. Our defence looks crap, but they get very little help from the players in front of them. Last night was a carbon copy of so many home games in recent years - a team with no great talent but who are simply organised and hard working offer much more than we do.

I thought the officials were totally blameless yesterday. The game had to kick off at 3 pm because the pitch was perfectly playable. After 5 minutes puddles started to form, by 10 minutes these were getting worse and turning the game into a farce plus the added risk of injury due to mistimed tackles. Good idea to wait 10 minutes to get a weather update and see if things improved, but it was clear the rain was still coming down faster than it was soaking away. Blame the elements rather than the officials, I don't see what they could have done differently.

I've read that Audel won't be travelling with the squad due to a sickness bug. That might force us into playing a back four with Tootle at right back.

Unfortunately I can only see the home woes continuing, so 1-2 for me. We seem better suited to containing teams away than breaking them down at home. Like us, Orient are doing better away from home, I think they look a decent bet at 9/5.

True, I hope we give them both a very warm welcome. The JS stand is going to look a bit different to the Grimsby game!

A very good point (your analysis as well as the 2-2!). The Grimsby centre backs had a very easy afternoon until Oliver came on, then suddenly they were struggling. We played mainly route one long ball stuff to him, but he got on the end of most of them. He reminded me of Jason Lee a bit - as you say not one for the purists, but very effective. That can go a long way at our level.

For those who can't get down to Meadow Lane this afternoon it appears the game is being shown on live tv in some places, so there will be internet streams available if you know where to look. If anyone has a bet365 account they are showing the game for free, BEIN Sports 11 has also been mentioned.

Hope i'm wrong, but I'm not feeling confident about tomorrow. I have a feeling missed chances and defensive weakness will see an unlucky 1-2 defeat. Att. 6,611 (2,235 fishy fans).

That's bad news in my opinion. I would like to see the competition dominated by B teams. A Wembley final played by two B teams in front of a tiny crowd would surely mean the end of this farce.

There is another way to protest, by contacting the sponsor, the address is [email protected] and I've just sent the following:I wish to object to your sponsorship of the EFL ‘Checkabetrayed’ Trophy. The disgraceful decision to include Premiership ‘B’ teams is despised by a huge majority of lower league fans, and I will be joining them in never using your company again. Please review your connection with this sham of a competition, as it will do your company nothing but harm.If enough people let them know, it might just make them think again.

I understand that both Luton and Wimbledon voted against the changes, and their fans have raised enough to cover the 5K fine that is imposed for not playing first teamers. Both teams made 11 changes so will be fined. Full respect to both of them, to our eternal shame NCFC voted in favour of the inclusion of B teams.

I would normally have attended this game, but after reading opinions from many lower league fans I have decided to join the boycott. My initial thoughts were to attend games against 'real' clubs but boycott any B team fixtures. I've now decided to avoid this shameful experiment completely, even if it means missing out on a trip to Wembley. I had a glance at the betting and all the B teams are favourites. I really hope crowds across the board are minimal, and the later stages are dominated by B teams. The initial concept of this competition was to give the lower leagues a chance of a day at Wembley, if that is denied it should be scrapped.

Incredible! I've just watched the goals on the awful Channel 5 show, and at the end they managed to show LAST WEEK'S table with us in the bottom half!!!

Actually being in the TOP HALF of the table has left me feeling dizzy. Or maybe (Tarquin Beech style) it's the number of cans I've got through since the Stead penalty went in!

The problem is that if he has, it's highly likely that a Premiership club will nick him for peanuts. Another rule change to benefit the big boys and stick two fingers up to the lower leagues.

What was your view of the Noble incident joe, because it must have been very different to mine? Please watch it on the highlights and see if it changes your mind. The ball was nowhere near, the Cambridge player was away, so Noble deliberately kicked him. Deliberately kicking an opponent is a red card offence. The ref had a very easy decision to make and he got it spot on. You will struggle to find a more blatant red card offence anywhere.

The trouble is, you would have expected exactly that sort of reaction at Barnet after the gutless performance at Mansfield. Instead we got yet another tame surrender. These players don't know how to battle.

I'd agree with that. This season is over, so the only thing we can do is look to next, and giving the younger players a taste of the big time is the best way to do it. I can only see a defeat, but a defeat with an inexperienced team showing a bit of pride for the shirt they wear will be easier to take than watching the usual bunch of wasters simply going through the motions.

A total embarrassment. Not one single player emerged with any credit at all. We were desperately poor in all areas, but especially in midfield. Aborah strolled around trying to look fancy and didn't break sweat, Noble was anonymous and Atkinson and Valencic were passengers. I bet we didn't even win 5% of the 50/50 balls in the middle of the park. Our gutless, spineless bunch of wasters made a distinctly moderate team look like world beaters. A thoroughly disgraceful performance.

Decent game, and not the usual end of season stuff where points aren't that vital to either side. We just about deserved it and the goal was quality - great ball from Noble, good composure from Hewitt who looked up and picked out Stead, who finished with aplomb. Good stuff from the back four, but we looked distinctly lightweight in midfield. Several times Hartlepool just strolled through the middle with barely a challenge and a better final ball would have seen us in trouble, but Eddie and Hollis stood firm. At least we can go to Mansfield with a bit of hope.

My player ratings from today: Loach - 7 - Did what he had to do well. Hewitt - 6- Better than his last few games at right back. Edwards - 7 - Stuck to the basics and won everything. Hollis - 8* - Barely put a foot wrong, looks a different player with Eddie alongside. Audel - 7 - Strong in the challenge, got forward at every opportunity. Aborah - 7 - Played a big part in us keeping possession much better. Noble - 6 - A bit out of it at times but produced the bit of quality that decided the game. Atkinson 6 - Covered a lot of ground and battled well. Valencic - 5.5 - Not bad, but struggled to get into the game. Stead - 6 - Offered a target up front. Campbell - 6 - Tried hard, always looking for the ball. McLeod - 5.5 - No real chance to impress. Sharpe - n/a Hardly a vintage performance against a nasty side clearly intent on a 0-0 draw, but we kept going and won the sort of game we have been losing lately. Cooper has certainly got a bit of organisation into the team, still a long way to go but at last things are looking up.

1-1 Att. 4,012

That last paragraph is an excellent summary of our problems. We are such an easy team to score against. Our full backs don't prevent crosses coming in, our central defenders don't offer a challenge when those crosses do come in. The midfield allow opponents to run or even walk past them at will. Further to that, we don't create chances and score any more. Any team that is lacking quality but are organised and hardworking (most in this division) will be too good for us, because organisation and hard work is something we just don't have. We are very, very lucky that D&R and York seem even worse than us.

I've also been impressed by Wildin in the reserve games, but was a bit unsure about throwing him in the deep end to early. However, after watching Hewitt get torn apart by a moderate Exeter side last game I'd now be inclined to give him a go. We have allowed teams to get crosses in far too easily all season, and none of the many combinations we've tried in both full back positions have worked. As soon as we are safe, I would like to see Wildin and Rhys Sharpe given an extended run in the first team with an eye on next season.

Allow me to revel in my moment of glory! Not only did I get the 0-2 score spot on, but my 4,950 attendance prediction was only 102 short of the mark. Next week's lottery numbers available for a small fee!