Final Catch-Up! Assessment of Player Performance v Reading

[tonyoz]

Sorry if you just opened this! Error on my part. I was just practising formatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the second game I missed while on holiday. I couldn’t leave it out!

An assessment of player performance v Reading 

Each player was judged on the following criteria:

Instance of excellent play                                     *

Instance of decent/good play                              *

Instance of disappointing/poor play                   *

Instance of terrible play                                        *                                                       E&OE

 

Ratings

Raya                   *            *                                                       *                            *

Nyambe            ****     ******                                             ****                      *

Lenihan                           ************                                ***********      **

Mulgrew           **          *********                                      ***                         ***

Bell                     *            *******                                           *****                   *                         

Smallwood₍₄₅₎   *            *******                                             ****                  

Evans₍₇₆₎             *            ******                                               ****

Bennett              ***       *************                                ***                        

Rothwell             ***       ***********                              

Armstrong₍₄₄₎                 ***                                                       **         

Graham                                          ******              ****                         **                       

 

Conway₍₄₄₎        *            ***                                                       *

Samuel_(45)(70)     *            ****                                                     *           

Nuttall₍₇₀₎                        *****                                                   ***** 

 

 Highlights and Lowlights

(A justification for the main ratings above)

 

5.                  Bennett gathers the ball on the wing; Rothwell screams for the ball. Bennett squares the ball just outside the box and Rothwell hits the post. He smashes the rebound over the stand.

 

9.                  Tenacious work by Smallwood wins the ball and allows Armstrong to drive to the edge of the box where he unleashes a shot which the goalie does well to tip round the post. Graham gives the goalie a high-five!

 

11.          Lenihan allows a long ball to bounce off his head and into the box. Raya is slow to get there and Reading score.

 

17.          Lenihan loses out to Baldock who drives into the box. Nyambe seems scared to challenge and Mulgrew’s attempt is powderpuff! The ball bounces around and Lenihan finally clears.

 

24.          Nyambe is out of position and a cross come in from the right. Lenihan and Mulgrew are missing and the Reading man has a free header. Raya makes a great save but the ball falls to Bodvarsson again for a tap in.

 

38.          Bennett wins the ball and feeds Armstrong who charges towards goal. He  is tackled and the ball reaches Rothwell who’s powerful drive is bravely headed over by Moore. Close!

 

45+1      Conway’s corner is poor but the ball eventually finds Smallwood who loops the ball back into the box where Lenihan heads it tamely to the goalkeeper. He could have headed back  across goal where Graham was waiting.

 

46.         Good chase back by Nyambe to win the ball from a Reading man in a dangerous position.

 

46.         Evans wins the ball and chases it to the goal line where he does well to win a corner.

 

50.         Bell slides a ball into the box and Bennett makes a beautiful run. He is brought down. Penalty! Mulgrew smashes it into the centre of the net.

 

60.         Bell allows the winger acres of room to get his cross in but Nyambe makes a goal saving challenge.

 

61.         Samuel in the D lobs a neat ball for Graham to run on to but it’s tight and he flicks over the top. He’s offside anyway.

 

74.         High ball into the box by Nyambe is won by Nuttall under challenge by the goalie. The goalie is out of position and Bennett pops the ball towards goal; the defender, on his knees, saves with his body. Nuttall tries to follow up but he’s a whisker away.

 

74.         Conway takes the resulting corner and Lenihan and Mulgrew challenge. The ball drops to the ground and in the resulting scramble Mulgrew is felled. Another penalty! This time Mulgrew stutters and curls it inside the left hand post.

 

77.         Beautiful curling ball by Nyambe into the box for Bennett to chase, he crosses to Graham but his header is a bit disappointing.

 

81.         Sloppy play from both sides ends up with a dangerous cross into the box. Nyambe clears up nicely.

 

83.         Rothwell slips a lovely ball through to Bennett who lays it off to Conway. His cross is headed just over the bar by Nuttall. Hmm! should he have done better? Probably.

 

83.         Mulgrew messes up his headed clearance in the D….it hits McNulty who gets in a shot but it’s wide. Mulgrew is claiming the ball hit the attackers’s hand. (True!)

 

90+5      Rovers trying to exert pressure. The ball comes to Nyambe on the wing, he miscontrols and Reading attack. It’s dangerous but Nyambe hares back to put a foot in!

 

Ratings

 

Raya                   **********

Nyambe            *************

Lenihan             ******************

Williams           ************************

Bell                    ******************              

Rodwell₍₅₉₎       **********

Rothwell                 *******************

Conway            *****************                

Palmer₍₆₄₎         ***********************

Armstrong       ***************       

Brereton₍₈₂₎        **************

 

 

Reed₍₅₉₎            *****                

Butterw’th₍₆₄₎   ***       

Travis₍₈₂₎          ***       

Edited September 28, 2018 by tonyoz