A Turning Point?

[yeovilgull]

What a great performance last night to come back after such an early blow with the goal and sending off after just 4 mins. My neighbours are always commenting on how thick our walls are and how they never hear a sound from my house. Last nght after four minutes will have severly tested that!!

It`s often been said that when you are on a bad run it takes a bit of luck like an own goal or deflected goal often against the run of play to kick start things. We didn`t see that last night but what we did see was something else going against us very early on that eventually galvanised the players into producing the sort of fight and passion that has been sadly lacking for long time.

Could this be a turning point for us? Will the players have regained self belief and start playing with more confidence?

Will Alan Knill have learnt that there is more to offer outside the 11 he has been sticking with?. How much of his team selection is down to what he has witnessed himself and how much is down to what he has been told about the squad since arriving we will never know. In the last couple of games he has started to change things a bit bringing in Labadie and now Cruise. Hopefully last night will have encouraged him that there is fight and ability in the squad and perhaps if he is a bit braver and plays a more attacking style with a bit more pace starting with Macklin or maybe a loan signing in place of Jarvis that first win could be around the corner.

My biggest worry at the moment is that our next opponets are Southend and although they are on a bit of a wobble they always seem to enjoy playing against us but perhaps given last night`s performance and their own defeat at home it could be as good a time as any to face them.

I felt a bit sorry for Benyon last night having to be sacrificed so early on due to the sending off. Although he hasn`t done anything since returning, ironically the way we seem to have played second half may have created a chance or two for him to put away.

Onwards and Upwards.(Please!!)

[Bloggy]

Perhaps the enforced rest for Benners will do him good? Esp if Howe's toes aren't up to another 90 mins on Saturday!

[AustrianAndyGull]

This game in isolation is NOT a turning point. We will only know if we have reached such a thing AFTER we have won another football match and not until. Yes, last night was a great effort to get a point in such a manner but nothing has changed. We could get battered by Southend and draw/lose at home to Chesterfield and we're back to square one again so i'm still not convinced one bit. We need THAT win and only then can we think of kicking on and passing the 'turning point'. One swallow doesn't make a summer like one point at Dagenham with 10 men doesn't mean we are suddenly a side capable of winning football matches. Sorry to be like this but it's the way i see it. I know what could be around the corner and until that corner is safely negotiated i'm believing nothing.

We'll find out on Saturday or Tuesday i suppose.

[PhilGull]

A turning point? Maybe, as Andy say, we need to see the next 1 or 2 results to know that.
There are lots of positives though, the main one being that we came out after the break and played better, the performance in the second half was an improvement and they kept going until the final whistle. I can't remember the last match when the second half was so positive, I guess AK fine tuned his team talk to perfection last night.
Two away games on the trot could be just what the boys need, if they can go back to Plainmoor with 2 or hopefully 4 points hopefully those certain fans will give them time to score a goal at home before getting on their backs...

*edit. Also, after conceding the second goal their heads didn't drop, they kept going and got the equaliser. I was fully expecting to concede another soft goal but we didn't. This morning I'm feeling so much more positive!

[Lloyder5]

It could be a turning point. It is a great result and something that should help re-build team spirit. However, it should not hide the fact (based on radio commentary and recent home matches), that Mansell and Oastler should be replaced because both give the ball away routinely and that Jarvis should go because he adds nothing. His passing is all about getting rid of the ball, keeping himself out of trouble, he does little for the team.

[SBP]

Maybe too early to suggest its a turning point however a point away from home with our current form and down to 10 men after a few minutes could be extremely important.
What provides me with hope is that Knill firstly made a change at left back which sounded like a positive success with Cruise. Joss L. has come into the middle and appears to have a bit of fight about him and provides us with an extra attacking option from midfield. Also what ever was said at half time actually rallied the troops into a decent fighting performance which has been lacking for some time.
Also Knill has shown an amazing amount of faith in Oastler, lets hope he can repay him and the fans with performances.
Jarvis does not seem comfortable in midfield and with Maklin coming on hopefully that could be enough to Knill mind and start Maklin. Personally i would like to see Maklin up front with Rene. The penny has finally dropped with Maklin.

[Bloggy]

It'll only become a 'turning point' when we can look back and say that it was this game that changed the fortunes of the club! If they go on to pick up some valuable points over the next few games, then indeed it will be considered a turning point. It was thought the draw away at Accy was a turning point... but we then lost at home to Oxford! Let's hope the team can build on last nights result... I really hope they do. #coyy

[Jeff]

Just to point out to those calling for Macklin to start (and I was one of them before last night) - winning the penalty aside he did very little, so I'm not convinced is the answer. Quicker than Jarvo but nowhere near the footballing intelligence.

What we need is Morris back - ok he's not quick either but I think he would suit that role better than Jarvis

[brucie]

To suggest that Macklin should start up front is lunacy . Thers is no evidence that this is a turning point at all. It is unlikely that Macklin would provide ninety minutes - if we were to play him (which is unlikely) we should have Thompson on the bench to replace him. Suggesting we should drop Mansell is equally nonsensical as we only have the likes of Easton and Lathrope to replace him.
A defence consisting of Cruise.Oastler and Macdonald would not actually fill me with much confidence.
I take it that Benyon wil not be allowed to play aganst his parent club on saturday? - so this leaves us with Jarvis again.
It all looks a bit weak to me and those screaming we have turned the corner aare clutching at straws.
Minimum requirement is One win in our next two games followed by a win gainst York.

[royalgull]

Well it's better than we had this time yesterday and for the first time in a LONG while we've shown some heart for the fight. That's worth more than a point.

I dunno but there seems to be a lack of acceptance from those that matter that we're in a dogfight, a battle, a scrap whatever tired old cliché you want to use to describe the situation and our performances have mirrored that. Last night was the first time there was a bit of siege mentality, to hell with it and 'giving it a go'. That's what we need.

Delighted to see Cruise play and do well, he's been criminally underused this season and needs a run of games, MacDonald's last full game was in a clean sheet so he was unfortunate to be left out when he was, proven to be the wrong decision so fingers x'd he can do another steady job on Saturday. I'd prefer Leadbitter to Oastler but there we go we can't have it all.

We do still need reinforcements, at the end of the day it was just a draw with Dagenham and Redbridge not Barcelona but then again we'll take any point anyway we can get it at the mo. Turning point? we'll see but finally I feel that there is some hope or light at the end of the tunnel, then again isn't it the disappointment I can take it's the hope that kills you.

Reading that back I think i've used more clichés than Lawro and Townsend put together, sorry about that.

[highweekgull]

I'm glad you're not in the changing room Brucie, we'd be down already if you were the moral support.

You have to build on efforts like last night and therefore take the positives and move forward from that.

That's how teams (whatever the type of business) succeed

COYY

[Yellow4life]

its also great to see we had 15 shots - 10 on target!

[exiledgull]

I thought to myself last night can be a turning point in our season if not a catalyst for us to get some more points under our belt.

I do agree, it seems Knill was being told this player is best etc... and Knill will listen to a certain extent as you would think he would be correct. But Knill has now started to change a few things around, and we are looking better for it. Cruise although shaky at the start improved as the game went on. I think Oastler looks more solid at defending than Leadbitter, however I do feel Leadbitter is the better player, and at the moment we are leaking goals and need to stop that.

I think now is the time to go and get a winger in, instead of Jarvis. Then its just down to the striker, we all know a good striker can instantly change your season around,lets hope we can find him and get them in.

Knill has shown like many Bury fans on here said he has a great eye for a player and it seems after watching Labadie last night he really does have a good eye for a player.

Onwards and Upwards.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I'm glad you're not in the changing room Brucie, we'd be down already if you were the moral support.

You have to build on efforts like last night and therefore take the positives and move forward from that.
That's how teams (whatever the type of business) succeed

COYY

This is true HWG but i think where fans like myself are coming from is that on some occasions this season we've had a really good performance and we've said we can now go on a run and it has never happened. The game after we've invariably drawn or lost and played poorly. Exeter away was a 'turning point' yet we haven't won since, York away 2-0 win was a turning point and we somehow managed to beat Daggers in the home game following and then we thought THIS IS IT! The run is on. The Daggers win was our last one before Exeter and in the 7 games in between we didn't win and chucked games away. As someone said, some thought the Accrington game was the 'turning point' as we stopped the rot but then we were hammered by Oxford and if i may say so, Accrington are so awful it's unreal.

Also we have had many bad results like the Harrogate game where we were expected to come out fighting in the game after - we lost at Barnet 1-0. So i think what i'm saying is that i take nothing for granted. We need to win a game of football in what will be only our seconf win for nearly 4 months. Think about that for a minute, 18 games and nearly 4 months of football and 1 win courtesy of a penalty. How anyone can seriously believe that a 2-2 draw away at Daggers ( who are a poor side by the way ) even with 10 men is a turning point is beyond me. History says this season that we'd be crazy to think this and expect another decent showing in the subsequent game ( Southend ) because it just hasn't happened yet.

All i can say is that last night's performance was getting near to something like what we should be playing more often and if we can build on this performance and confidence then i'd say we would have a faint hope of getting a win at Southend but certainly a half decnt chance of getting a draw. The question is will we? Will we go back to the old ways again and come away with a loss and no shots at goal? That scenario for me is just as likely as us replicating the performance last night and that is why i can't see this as a turning point.

Once we've got the win under our belts then we can start dreaming.

[exiledgull]

Whatever Andy is on I would like to stay well clear of it. Incredibly negative and I am not sure there is any benefit to anyone concerned?

We can sit here and point out things in the past etc, but I do not see were that helps anyone. Not many games left and we just need to stay up, no-one wants us to go down and we can all finger point but doing that now is only negative to all.

Andy no-one is saying the turning point will turn us into Barcelona, but if you think when your 3rd bottom in the league and go 1-0 down and 1 man down within the first 5 minutes, to score 2 goals away from home and draw isnt a really good result then you are beyond me. You managed to even pick faults in the game saying they (are a poor side).They are a poor side but the table suggests they are better than us.

Lets just get behind the team and finger point at the end of the season.