Sport MEEK SURRENDER
Goole AFC 0
Carlton Town 1
Just what has been Goole AFC's mindset in recent weeks? A team coasting - yes, I mean coasting - to the end-of-season play-offs meekly surrendered any small lingering hopes on Saturday as they slid to a third successive league defeat in an ignominious end to the campaign, writes Graeme Wilson.
Their chances went with their 6-2 capitulation at Quorn last Wednesday evening and, although this was by no means as poor as that, against Carlton Town at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds, the Vikings appeared to lack the motivation, conviction and the discipline - that word has been used a lot recently - to turn this final home game of the campaign around.
Goole's problems, ironically, started in a 2-1 defeat at Carlton in February and with only three league victories since then, and the absence of key defender Liam Chapman as well, there has been a sad decline in their fortunes.
It would have taken only two more wins to see them into that play-off equation, but that has now gone as they contemplated less than attractive long-distance trips to Colwyn Bay on Tuesday and Saturday's final game at Nantwich to see out the 2007-2008 campaign.
Where will they be next season? It is likely to be in the north section of the UniBond One, which should involve less travelling, but it may well be an even more difficult league, and judging on this season's South teams they have missed a great chance to progress.
Of course there is the question of affordability, and that has to be addressed as well, for if the town's people want a football team to bring publicity and interest to the place, it needs more support.
The latest defeat on Saturday came courtesy of another horrendous defensive error, this time by Ian McLean, who until his 56th minute moment of madness had been excellent once more. But what he was trying to do on the left-hand side of the park when a clearance into Dunhill Road would have served more purpose, simply allowed Phil Bignall the simplest of tasks to convert from Fabian Smith's cross.
And as much as Goole had the possession to be able to rescue something from the game, and only three teams have a worse goals-against record than the Nottinghamshire side, they were able to survive, albeit with several good saves from Alessandro Barcherini, and one or two glaring misses from the Vikings front men.
Danny Buttle provided the most danger down the left-hand side, and one first-half cross looked to be put on a plate for James McDaid at the far post, but somehow the ball was kept out, as were second-half shots from Duncan Bray and Buttle.
Goole's fragile defence was always susceptible to the lively visiting forwards and there were one or two scares throughout, other than Bignall's 56th minute gift, and Craig Parry was reasonably solid, this after having his worst game for the club at Quorn.
At the end it was hard to believe that, instead of anticipating admittedly a tough play-off prospect at, say, Nantwich in ten days' time, three days after their final game in the regular season at the Cheshire club they can now turn their attention to a holiday with time to reflect on how it could all have gone so wrong.
This were mentioned earlier, but it may be far deeper than that.
Published on 24th April 2008 in Sport.
Add to: Digg | del.icio.us | Reddit
Comments
There are currently no comments
Comments are closed for this article.