January Report - Too Many Games
After a great run of form last month, we headed into this month with great morale, however this month will see us play the most games we've ever had and it includes a huge tie against Southampton in the FA Cup, it will be tough but I have faith in the lads! Let's see how we did.
Results
As you can see, we lost against Southampton but by a very respectable scoreline considering the are in the BPL. We did exception defensively and even carved out some chances ourselves but Jay Rodriguez steam-rolled our defence and slid the ball under Rob Lainton to knock us out of the competition, unlucky lads.
Rob Lainton
After the loss against Southampton we then faced Kidderminster at home and got back to winning ways. Kidderminster took the lead through a defensive mistake allowing Kristian Scott a free shot at goal which he emphatically put away. However
Solly March got us back on level terms with a rocket of a shot into the top right corner to make it 1-1 and
Euan Smith got the eventual winner as Ryan Hall swung in a deep cross which Euan headed into the bottom of the net! Great comeback!
Euan Smith
Then we travelled to Wimbledon to try and get yet another three points to aid our quest for promotion. Euan Smith was out injured this game and so Zach Clough led the attack.
Ryan Hall scored the first goal as he curled a shot past Etheridge in the Wimbledon goal. Then
Zach Clough got a well deserved goal as he was part of a neat passing play and powerfully finished to make it 2-0 and take home all the possible points back to Edgeley.
Zach Clough
We were back at home for our next league fixture against Torquay.
Cameron Park took the lead for us as he neatly flicked the ball into the bottom left corner to make for a speedy start. They shortly equalised however as Joe Widdowson headed in from a set piece to make the game level at 1-1.
Jake Forster-Caskey put us back in-front as he passed the ball past Poke to make it 2-1 but yet again Torquay equalised as Kyle Miller smashed the ball into the back of the net after some bad marking from a corner. I guess we'll have to settle with a point.
Jake Forster-Caskey
After the draw against Torquay we went to Cheltenham hoping to get back to winning ways and we did so as
Euan Smith got half a yard of space to rifle a shot into the bottom corner after a tight and boring game. It may be just one goal in the game but a win is a win.
Euan Smith
This next game was our best game, a 4-1 thrashing of Plymouth at Edgeley Park. They took the lead as Mark Anderson broke the offside trap and tapped the ball into the back of the next to make it 0-1. However a brace from
Ryan Hall and
Euan Smith completely turned the game on it's head and we earnt yet another three points and increased our goal difference even more with this amazing performance.
Euan Smith
Colchester were next and similar to the Cheltenham game it was even contested with hardly any chances until
Ryan Hall was tackled from behind in the box which Tom Leggett got a straight red card for and the in-form winger calmly placed the ball into the bottom left hand corner to earn us yet another three points.
Ryan Hall
And finally we played Oxford at home which was a very exciting game. They took the lead through James Constable but we shortly equalised through another superb
Solly March goal as he wriggled past two defenders and placed the ball past the keeper. They, however, retook the lead as Dominic Samuel fired in from close range but yet again
Ryan Hall scored an important goal to get us on level terms and
Solly March got his brace as he combined nicely with Euan Smith and tapped the ball into the centre of the net, extraordinary!
Solly March
League Table
TOP OF THE LEAGUE! TOP OF THE LEAGUE! We're doing so well with these results this month and we see ourselves 6 points clear of Plymouth! Let's hope we can focus and wrap up the league title as soon as possible!
Player of the Month
Euan Smith
Euan has been our main source of goals this month and has provided a few assists too! Getting an average rating of 7.52, the young Scottish forward is really impressing and has become a fan favourite. I'm sure Hibs are monitoring his progress well but I'm hoping to get him permanently.
Slater's Thoughts
Another great month, I couldn't have wished for a better one! I wanted 15 points this month but we exceeded my expectations which is very pleasing. Euan has been our star player this month and for the majority of the season, as well as Ryan, they have been great signings! Regarding the league, we are ahead by six points and I really do believe we can achieve promotion. But we need to focus on each game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.
The Month Ahead
We have a less congested month next, with two extremely important games in the JPT Final, as we face Walsall away then back at home. It's our first chance to win silverware which I hope we can achieve. We also have more league fixtures which can edge us closer to promotion.