Eastleigh v Dag & Red

[tenacres]

Revenge needed for Boxing Day!

[hantslondoner]

...also needed - some consistency!

Exactly like the last home game - we're still only three points off a playoff place, and several of the teams above us have tough games today, so if we can win....
I think we will.

[tenacres]

Eventful end to the half! 2 from McCallum to get us to back to 2-2.

[kw]

Finished 4-4 PMC hattrick and Harris with the other. I can't be the one who is seriously worried about our defense.  8 goals conceded to Dagenham alone 12 in the last 4. Clearly the 5 back is not working defensively. Also feel dropping Barlow was a weird decision 

[efc21]

2023-24 TEAM SHEET - DAGENHAM REDBRIDGE - ....pdf (174.67 KB)

[boyatthood]

Good entertainment but an odd game. We were utterly dreadful for the first 30 minutes. Not sure how it was 2 v 2 at half time. We never looked in control all afternoon despite leading twice in the second half. Their final goal was a 'worldie' as the youngsters now call it. Amazing strike.

[blackie]

Great entertainment value for the neutral.
However shambolic defensively from EFC and we didn’t wake up until the 40th minute.
No way will we make the PO’s defending like today, 3 cheap goals and despite Effiong’s great strike for their 4th we backed off him and invited the shot.
So lucky we have Macca to bail us out.
Definitely need a defensive rethink before next Saturday.

[Will]

Yeah a strange game. Woeful start, but for the last 15-20 minutes of the first half we showed some great intensity and deserved to get back on level terms. Never really found our rhythm in the second half though, and it always looked like the kind of game where anyone could grab a goal at any time. Felt that Joe misjudged their fourth - a great strike, but he clearly felt it was going over it seemed. We're just too inconsistent to make a genuine run at the playoffs. Also we're really missing Boldewijn and Quigley right now, I can't see us surviving Newport if they remain out.

[hantslondoner]

Not sure what the watching Newport contingent would have made of that!

I found the first half hour absolute dross. We didn't turn up and they had most of the ball and did very little. Really dreadful. After that, manic.
As the rain came they scored two quick goals; the first saw the scorer unmarked, the second was where our defender got his legs tangled up.
They then let Clements run down the left unmarked and he fed Macca, who then pounced on a loose ball to equalise. After the first half hour, then their two goals, I'm sure we were happy to go in 2-2.
More poor defending gave us another goal, then we returned the compliment by not marking Rees for their third. A decent move gave us the lead again, then that strike from distance from Effiong.

Defending from both sides was shocking (thought our two full-backs were OK though) , as said above, good job we've got Macca.
I thought Maguire had an off day (for him), but he's got a lot of credit in the bank and still probably got two assists if we're being generous. Not picking him on him, there were worse...
As said, we're missing Quigley and Boldewijn. Rutherford almost looked to be warming up by himself today before the match, a sad sight.

Results elsewhere didn't really go our way today so we're still 11th, but still three points off the playoffs (indeed, off fifth place).

[davidcharles]

Thought it was entertaining at times but god alive we make things hard for ourselves. Why when we lose on Boxing Day with no one forward minded on the bench do we repeat it, and to make matters worse the bench Barlow who I thought was good on the 26th. So defensive and it showed. We had nothing off the bench and don’t understand why RH doesn’t seem to want to make any changes. It’s the same every game. Cannot spot the right time to change formation of make a substitution. Doesn’t seem to have a Plan B. How can we keep pretty much the same back 5 every match who have shipped 12 goals in the last 4 games. If it were not for McCallum we would be looking at the relegation spot. Saw that Rutherford got on the camera before the match, clearly about as close to the pitch as he is allowed at moment. If not going to play him send him out on loan, or sell him this month, same with Barlow.

[callumefc]

Thank god Daggers main man is Effiong , career summed up by that game today. Can't score from 2 yards out twice yet launches one in like nothing late on

Greatful for the camera now being in the main stand, really clear visuals hope it stays there for good.

Need to get a striker on loan if Quigley rightly stays out of the country if he needs to.

Eastleigh aren't known for stopping ayers leave if they so wish so re Rutherford maybe it was felt the new offer elsewhere was bad for him and the club, he's contracted by the club so has to live by the rules of that