It's a strange feeling coming away from a 0-0 draw with a feeling of relief and relative calmness, but that's exactly how I felt after the final whistle went in the West Midlands on Saturday after a frantic end to what was, on paper, the Spireites' 2nd draw in a row (and 6th without a win).
We've had such a poor run of games lately that a draw and a clean sheet feels like a step in the right direction- especially against a Moors side who historically have caused the Blues problems. That being said I felt most of the problems in the game were in fact created for the side in mid table by the Spireites- time and time again we worked the ball to from side to side, playing overlaps and underlaps in trademark Cook fashion down the wings, but just could not find that final ball.
As a fan, it is maddening to watch. It's worth remembering that for the players it must be even more so. They've endured this run as much as we have, and it felt like as Cook alluded to in the post match, it just had to go in any which way, be it a 25 yard screamer or an own goal off a Moors' shin, and it would be job done and back home with a vital win. But it was not to be.
What do I think we need to do to improve things? I think we all know that the main issues at the minute lie in both boxes. We usually win the midfield battle, but it feels like our defence is exposed due to how often we position our full backs high up the pitch for those overlaps. It's a risk that has paid off in terms of xG, shots on goal etc- but we have not been converting the myriad of chances we've had, which just compounds the pressure on the defence to be absolutely perfect.
I think McCallum will help with the final third problem in the long run- even against Solihull we could see he likes to get involved in the link up play and is always positioned in the middle of the box to be picked out with a cross. He looked visibly frustrated during the game at the lack of quality deliveries, and I couldn't blame him- as the saying goes, feed him and he will score!
As for the defence- I think it's fair to say we have two solid centre halves in Palmer and Grimes, but pace is neithers' strong suit. You could make the argument that positioning the defensive line so high up is leaving a constant risk of a counter attack such as what Aldershot did- or an even more direct one like Notts' opener. But on the flipside, we know Cook plays attacking football, it's in his DNA- and playing this way has won us more games than it has lost us, crucially when we CONVERT OUR CHANCES!
So for me, fix the final ball, be a bit more inventive, and ruthless up front, and score goals that knock the stuffing out of the oppostion, and we know we will start to win again. Tuesday night presents a great opportunity to make it 3 unbeaten and put a bit of pressure on Woking (who lost along with Barnet on Saturday)- as fans we need to stay patient, back the lads, and trust that Cook will coach the players to get back to their brilliant best.
COYB 💙
-Tom A
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