ROVERS FANZ VIEW COLUMN
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Boos rang out around parts of the Mem on Tuesday night, and it was clear that frustration was the common emotion, having just seen Rovers go down in the record books as the first league club to fail to get into the first round of the Worthington Cup. We were beginning to get on top of Boston when the first goal went in, after a succession of crosses and corners had nearly given us the lead, but one long punt from the goalkeeper Paul Bastock and a split-second mistake from our defence gave their lad Burton a bit of room to carve out a shot - and what a strike it was, a dipping half-volley. The second was perhaps down to another error where we gave them an inch too much space, but once again it was a fantastic strike from Weatherstone, from outside the box. Two great goals. That reminds me of Saturday's Rochdale game, where we were beaten by... two great goals. After last year, Ray Graydon has definitely cut out most of the howlers our defenders were making inside the area, where opponents were arriving unmarked at corners and scoring easy goals. The trouble is, opposing teams are instead trying things outside the 18-yard box, and connecting beautifully with fantastic shots that seem to be flying in. Paul Simpson's perfectly executed effort on the weekend, where he bent the ball around Danny Boxall and Scott Howie with the outside of his left foot, was just an example, and it's starting to get me annoyed. Sure, we have not been blameless at the back so far, but individually performances have been good and it's just the understanding that is still missing at the moment. Tuesday was the first match this season in which Rovers had failed to score, and that shows we are doing things quite well at the other end - never forget the spell last year where we didn't score for nearly seven games! For me, Wayne Carlisle has been our best player in three of the first four outings, with his direct running and faultless delivery from the right wing. Blimey: a winger who can beat a full-back - they do exist! With Mark McKeever making strides on the other flank, we have been creating chances by the bucket-load, but for now they are not going in. Boston keeper Bastock played a blinder in the week, especially in the second half when he tipped away a couple of certain goals at full reach, and having the likes of him to beat every week won't help the cause. My brother-in-law made the point that perhaps the team is too stretched in the middle, especially with two wide men hugging the touchlines. Rob Quinn and Lewis Hogg both like to get forward and join attacks, but this leaves the midfield cover very threadbare when opponents counter-attack. Both Boston goals were scored on the break, while Hull's late equaliser the week before was another one where we were caught out attempting to score at the other end. Maybe the manager needs to employ one of our central players just to sit in the middle of the park and anchor the midfield, to give us that extra protection because we have not kept a clean sheet yet.
Finally, did you know that last season there was another club who lost their first game, before they drew with Hull in their second and then lost 2-1 at home to Rochdale in the third match. Who was it then? Obviously we are very unlikely to rack up over a hundred points, go on a nineteen-game unbeaten run and win ten out of eleven, but the moral of the story is 'look what can happen'. Paul Sturrock kept with largely the same team as they sorted themselves out, and the results eventually came. Evidently, a couple of players are still finding their feet in our team, but at the end of the day, you can always say, "It's better than last year!"
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