| LANGLEY LORDS IT OVER POSH
Every time the
knives seemed to be sharpened against Holloway the players roll
their sleeves up and grind out a result. Today it was getting the
better of a very poor Peterborough side. A war of attrition rather
than a classic but three welcome points all the same.
The cull expected by the fans
following the hammering at Tranmere didn't happen. Culkin was still
in goal and the back four was still Forbes, Shittu, Carlisle and
play anywhere man Rose. The first change to the line up came with
Bircham replacing Daly on the right alongside Langley, Palmer and
Cook. Brett Angell replaced Furlong to partner Gallen. There were
also welcome returns to the first team squad for Burgess and
Pacquette.
The game got off to a diabolical start
with neither team wanting to do anything with the ball other than
launch it seventy yards at each other. The worst culprit for Rangers
was, as usual, Steve Palmer. Time and again he overlooked the simple
five yard ball to a team mate to smash it at Posh keeper Harrison.
Allied with the fact that he barely got within five yards of the
ball all game when defending this was a pretty poor showing.
Culkin made the first save of the game
when he turned a Bullard effort away to safety. Rangers' first real
effort of note came from Matthew Rose. A terrific move saw the
impressive Cook free Gallen with a perfect through ball and he sent
a low cross fizzing across the box. Rose, on yet another rampaging
burst from left back, met the ball with a firm strike that was
brilliantly saved by Harrison. Rose looked good again following a
dodgy display at Tranmere and we may have another Biggy on our
hands.
The rest of the half was a nothing
affair with both sides showing why they are in such poor runs of
form. The game only sparked into life five minutes before the break
with a sudden burst of activity. David Farrell skipped past Forbes
and smashed a left footer against the outside of Culkin's post. I
can't say whether he had it covered or not but he seemed to be
struggling.
At the other end Kevin Gallen turned
well and fired a shot at goal that took a wicked deflection to leave
Harrison stranded. Luckily for him the ball flew wide but his luck
was to run out from the resulting corner. Langley took the kick from
the left and his perfect delivery was nodded home by Carlisle. It
made a nice change for a set piece to come off as of late they have
been nothing short of diabolical.
Rangers now had their tails up and
could have been further ahead by the break. Steve Palmer had a
header tipped over from another Langley corner and there was another
scramble as Posh managed to hold out for the closing stages.
Despite the lead words needed to be
said at the break as the football on show was absolute crap. Angell
hadn't won a header and Palmer looked lost in the middle. Angell
seemed to respond well to a little gee up and he seemed far more
committed after the break, indeed he was booked for persistent
fouling by picky ref Hall.
It was Peterborough that started the
second half the brighter with Farrell and Clarke both going close
and Terrell Forbes performing heroics at the back stick to deny
Clarke another opportunity.
Angell was starting to cause a few
problems now by winning a lot of headers to feed to onrushing Gallen
and Cook. Cookie in particular was having another stormer and he was
giving the Posh defence a real chasing. He didn't restrict himself
to the left wing either, he was all over the pitch looking for work
and he really looked as though he was playing for a permanent deal.
Angell headed one wide when well
placed and Cookie cracked a thirty yarder over the bar before
Rangers grabbed their second. Langley had a shot deflected wide and
trotted over to take the corner himself. He sent it flying into the
six yard box and Harrison could only fling up an arm and guide it
into his own net. Langley's goal though, despite Angell's best
efforts to say it had hit him on the side of the head!
More chances came Rangers way now as
Angell and Palmer both fired wide. Langley sent a now trademark
freekick goalward and Harrison was forced to turn it over the bar.
Harrison was now being taunted with chants of "Seaman, Seaman" every
time he touched the ball!
The relief of the players at the final
whistle was clear to see and I'm sure Holloway must have been
thankful that he will now remain in gainful employment for at least
another week. We shouldn't get carried away with this victory though
as it was nothing to write home about.
We were the better of two very poor
sides and if we had played anybody vaguely half decent we could have
been on the end of a hammering. Holloway's insistence on playing
Palmer in midfield is beyond a joke. He could quite easily of played
Bircham in the middle with Burgess out wide and that would surely
have given us a far better base in the game. Palmer offered nothing
in and attack and even less in defence and with any other manager he
would be struggling for a place in the reserves. Drop him now
Holloway!
We've got a great chance to beat
Stockport at home on Saturday and we need to take it to remain in
the hunt. Holloway will be hoping we win, or at least don't lose or
doubtless the calls for his head will begin.
simon@qprnet.com |
