#scott rendell

[jackcraiggraphics]

Woking FC Season Statistics Infographic

[prestonponderings-blog-blog]

Blues toil to Gulls shut-out

Wycombe dropped out of the automatic promotion places for the first time since the middle of February following a fortunate point at play-off chasers Torquay.

Shrewsbury's 2-0 victory over local rivals Hereford compounded the disappointment of a fourth consecutive draw for the Blues but in truth it could have been a lot worse.

On another day Torquay could have run amok as we were once again thankful to the heroics of goalkeeper Nikki Bull as well as the woodwork at Plainmoor.

On the face of the performance and the fact that the Gulls are unbeaten in nine at home it is a credible point but I left the stadium thoroughly disappointed that we never took the game by the scruff of the neck.

I have sympathy with Gary Waddock whose 4-5-1 formation was forced upon him by the absences of Jon-Paul Pittman and Stuart Beavon but the lack of ambition and the lack of a credible 'plan B' displayed by a team that is chasing automatic promotion was staggering.

Waddock has always taken pride in the manner that his sides play football the right way and it is that attacking flare that has got us into the competitive position we are. 

However yesterday we were reduced to mindless long passes to Scott Rendell who as capable as he is in front of goal, is never going to be able to dominate the aerial battle against an experienced campaigner like Guy Branston.

I for one raised my eyebrows when I saw Branston included in the League Two team of the year but he was head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch and really gave a lesson in how to defend.

In fairness we certainly played to his strengths by giving him endless heading practice throughout the 90 minutes with the only real blot on his copybook coming through a mix-up with goalkeeper Scott Bevan when the pair both laid claim to awkward aerial ball.

I was also disappointed with the positioning of the full backs throughout the game, particularly Andy Sandell who must have breathed a sigh of relief when wasteful substitute Billy Kee fired wide late on after the former Aldershot man had gone walkabouts.

I know I am often too quick to point out the negatives in a performance but I've witnessed three promotion campaigns fall apart in recent years and this one seems to have the makings of a fourth.

Going out to draw games when you sit one point clear of a cusp of teams vying for your coveted automatic promotion spot is never an option and although Torquay are a very good side at this level they still showed a degree of vulnerability when we put them under rare spells of pressure.

However maybe the fact that we are now chasing the final automatic promotion spot might work in our favour. It is obviously a blow that matters are no longer in our hands but we can take solace from the fact that Shrewsbury have under 48 hours to rest up before entertaining in-form Accrington on Monday, certainly an unenviable task for a side who will now be sub-consciously looking over their shoulder.

I've mentioned in an earlier article that the home games are where the points should be picked up and despite the abject performance against Northampton a week ago my opinion hasn't changed.

A Crewe side with nothing to play for represents an unmissable opportunity for the Blues and I pray to god that we go into the game looking to attack, rather than a nervous display that visibly feels the overbearing pressure of an expectant home crowd.

It's certainly still possible but it just got that little bit harder. Plenty of players in the squad have crossed that promotion line before and I'm hoping they can pull together and do it once more. As all the managers and players say 'there's three cup finals left', time to turn these draws into wins before its too late.

[prestonponderings-blog-blog]

Blues gear up for top of the table clash

It's a case of second versus third this Saturday at Adams Park as Wycombe Wanderers look to cement their place in the automatic promotion places.

The teams served up an absolute feast of football in October with the Blues eventually triumphing 4-3 over their hosts thanks to a late Scott Rendell penalty, contentiously given following a foul on Kevin Betsy.

This decision prompted a quite unjustified outburst by Millers' manager Ronnie Moore, who had managed Betsy during the pair's time together at Oldham.

"Betsy just cheats - doesn't track back, doesn't do anything but picks up the ball and can hurt you. He's destroyed us today - we couldn't cope with the way he was cheating."

'Cheat': Moore barracked Betsy following the late penalty decision at the Don Valley Stadium.

Although the comments seemed to have been born out of frustration from an under-par performance by his side, Moore never offered an apology for his words and they will surely be an added spice to what is already a huge game on Saturday.

However Moore may be happy to hear that Betsy is struggling to recover in time for the match following the knock he took last week against Lincoln.

He may on the other hand have to deal with the pace of the returning Jon-Paul Pittman who could be fit enough to take a place on the bench following his goalscoring return against Burnham on Tuesday.

For me the game is a very tricky one to call. Both sides' form has endured a slight dip in recent weeks with the Millers' travelling south on the back of a shock 2-1 home defeat to Southend, and the Blues only picking up three points out of their last nine.

Strong: The Blues' home form has been built on a strong foundation from the back.

It might be the optimist in me but I really can see the home advantage being too much for Rotherham in this game. Wycombe have shown an ability to grind out results against the top teams at Adams Park in recent months with the game against Gillingham being particularly prominent in my mind.

The Gills went into the game boasting five wins on the bounce and one of the most feared strike-forces in the division in the shape of Adebayo Akinfenwa and Cody McDonald. However they never really seemed to threaten the Blues with the centre back partnership of Dave Winfield and Leon Johnson proving particularly ruthless in stifling the danger.

The same goes for the game with Bury, the visitors were looking for a seventh straight away win and also brought a similarly prolific front pairing of Nicky Ajose and Ryan Lowe. Once again the Blues battled superbly and earned a very credible 1-0 win thanks to a second-half goal.

Dangerman: Adam Le Fondre will be looking to add to his 17 goals this season.

The defence will also have to be at their best tomorrow with lower league predator Adam Le Fondre set to start. The former Rochdale striker may have found goals hard to come by in recent weeks but there is no doubt that he will be singled out as the visitors' main threat.

Unfortunately I will be unable to attend the game tomorrow as I have returned to university following my Christmas break but I will be following every kick from Preston in what is possibly the biggest game of the season so far.

It's going to be a long tough afternoon but I'll be hoping that the Blues can build on last week's win at Sincil Bank and really put themselves in one of the box seats for automatic promotion come May.