Fan Blog: So Where Now the Mighty Gas?

It’s been a topsy turvy few weeks for us Gasheads. How did we contrive to lose that game versus Peterborough? Like many visiting teams Peterborough did not set out with any great ambition. They got a very lucky equaliser after Kelle Roos dropped what seemed to be a very simple cross. Not content with that, Tom Lockyer who has been one of our most consistent players got nudged off the ball for their late winner.

It is still too early in the season to see what affect this has, but this is another game when we should have got at least a point if not three. We have slipped down the table, but this could be reversed if we beat Fleetwood on Tuesday. Let’shope we don’t regret these indiscretions at the end of the season.

Away at Oldham we thought we had turned a corner. For the first time in 9 games we had not conceded a cheap first goal. It was the first time in ages we had kept a clean sheet and the headlines deservedly went to our goalscorers, Charlie Colkett and Jake Clarke-Salter both on loan from Chelsea.

Darrell Clarke gave some interesting insights after Saturday’s game. Like some others I thought the absence of Mildenhall was due to DC’s preference for a “different'”type of keeper. It seems that he is currently struggling with a knee injury although I do not know when this was diagnosed. Will Puddy has returned from a loan spell with an injury. So Roos will maintain his position although DC felt he might have also been responsible for us dropping 2 points at Wycombe. Previous comments in the Evening Post suggest that Roos may be joining us at the end of the season. If he is to be Mildenhall’s long term replacement I hope he is a quick learner.

Darrell Clarke is usually not afraid to change the team before kick off, or even during the course of the game. He has often done this to great effect. But on Saturday this did not work. Rory Gaffney was holding the ball up well and causing a few problems. I was very disappointed that DC chose to bring on Ellis Harrison to replace him. Ellis struggled to get into the game versus a very physical Peterborough side and with a Ref who gave us nothing other than the very obvious penalty that Matty Taylor scored.

I was also confused by DC’s decision to bring on Jermaine Easter rather than Christian Montana or Byron Moore when subbing Ollie Clarke. Yes DC’s decision showed attacking intent, but more chances come when we stretch the opposition and put in meaningful crosses. We should have won the match. Peterborough only had 3 shots on target the whole game, yet secured all 3 points wheras we had 24 attempts to score.

City fans have complained recently that opposition managers have worked out Lee Johnson’s tactics and are able to stop them playing. No-one can accuse DC of sticking to the same old tactical script, but I wonder if the frequent changes cause our team as many problems as the opposition?

Let’s hope that we can get back to our winning ways. We have to play the Creepies in the cup shortly. Now would n’t a nice little cup run improve our mood. Come on you Gas, come on you blues.