August Report - A Solid Start
Our first month back in the Football League is going to be tough due to the competition we are facing. We also have the Capital One Cup First Round to worry about against Blackburn. Hopefully the lads can gel together quickly and really kick-start our season.
Results
Our first game was a long away trip to Torquay who performed very well last season in League 2, and going to their ground will be very tough. We took the lead through our new signing,
Terry Gornell! He broke away from his man and ran at the back four of Torquay, he then cut inside and let loose a powerful shot into the bottom corner! 1-0! We then made it 2-0 after March was tripped in the penalty box and
Danny Gardner kept his cool and slotted away a great penalty! 2-0! However Torquay pushed us and pulled a goal back after Nsiala played a poor pass forward and their striker scored an easy chance. They got the equaliser soon after from a well worked corner and shortly later the referee blew for full-time with us taking a well earnt point back to Edgeley.
Terry Gornell
Next we played Championship side Blackburn at Edgeley Park in the Capital One Cup First Round, and this was a very difficult game due to the difference of quality between both teams. They took the lead early one after some poor defending on our part and Rob Lainton couldn't stop a thunderous strike into the top corner. They scored the second and final goal from a free-kick for the game to end 0-2 with us crashing out the tournament in the First Round, ah well, it gives us a chance to focus on other competitions.
No-one deserved this award
We then played our next home game in the league against AFC Wimbledon, hoping to register our first win of the season, and we did so after a great defensive display. Wimbledon had a lot of pace in their attackers with the most notable player being Cristian Montano, however they were halted time and time again by an amazing defensive display by our back four. They kept pushing and we countered them and won a penalty which
Aristote Nsiala took and smashed the ball into the top corner to registered our first win of the season and get those precious three points.
Aristote Nsiala
Then we travelled to Kidderminster who won the Skrill Premier Play-Offs to get into League 2 with us. We took the lead mid-way through the second half when our new defensive midfielder,
Paulo Jorge, scored a cracking half-volley from a corner routine to make it 1-0. However they hit back instantly after our defenders fell asleep from a short free-kick for them to equalise to end the game 1-1 and yet again we take one point back to Edgeley.
Paulo Jorge
Now for our final away game of August and we'd be facing Plymouth, who are favourites for the Play-Offs. They took the lead through a short corner routine that Luke Young was able to tap the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 to them, however we showed lots of character as our on-loan striker
Euan Smith, put away his first goal of the season as he struck the ball with his left foot on the volley to make it 1-1.
Euan Smith then got his second after an exceptional run followed by a neat touch past the goalkeeper it make it 1-2 to us.
Solly March then got his first goal of the season with a powerful strike into the bottom left corner to make it 1-3 and make it our first away win of the season and take 3 huge points back to Edgeley.
Euan Smith
And finally we were back at home against Cheltenham for the final game of the month. It was an even game right up to the 87th minute, when
Cameron Park beat the offside trap and fired the ball towards the near-post to make it 1-0 and win us the game, though Rob Lainton put in a stunning performance, saving three one-on-ones!
Rob Lainton
League Table
What a start to the season, our first month back in League 2 and we're sat in 3rd place and we were unbeaten. Our defence has been very solid this month and hopefully they'll keep improving for the following months ahead.
Player of the Month
Aristote Nsiala
It's been hard to choose my Player of the Month but Aristote edges it for me because he's not only scored a vital goal this month, he's been really solid in the centre of our defence earning an average rating of 7.16, the highest out of all the players so far! Aristote was at County when Lord was in-charge and he's really progressed as a player these last two seasons.
Slater's Verdict
It's been a solid start for the boys this month, finishing 3rd within the first month is something to be proud of. There has been some stand-out performers already and I hope those who haven't really impressed a lot this month show me why they deserve to have a first team place. Although it's been a great month, we cannot get ahead of ourselves, we've only just begun the season and we need to be disciplined and professional for the rest of the season.
The Month Ahead
We've got some tricky fixtures ahead, with Rotherham and Fleetwood on the agenda, we need to prepare thoroughly and keep disciplined to earn something from these upcoming games.