Lets talk about the Bradford City cup game and the Lincoln City league game

[In the box]

McCann got his team selection right , in the second half . We’ve got a bit of an Indian sign on Bradford ( well Gobbo has) . Upwards and upwards !!

[danumdon]

Good to see Hanlan get a full game, his hold up play and distribution improved massively in the second half(as did the whole team) the early effort after a great ball by Mols was missed when he should of got something on it and many would of said that's it for him, so praise that he kept at it and improved throughout, taking his goal very well to boot.

To me he's proved some doubters wrong and kept going, when he gets a run of consecutive games we may well see a far more confident and composed player, and there is a player there.

Well done Brandon.

[scawsby steve]

4 wins on the trot against Bradford. I wish we could play them every week. I heard their fans abusing Jordan again. All they do is fire him up into having a blinder.

I thought Nixon was superb tonight. His cross for Jordan's first was sublime. He seems to be ahead of Sterry right now in returning to full fitness. He starts on Saturday for me.

It's also good to see Luke back on form again.

[NickDRFC]

Much better second half. Hanlan looked much improved and deserves more game time. A lot of people in the summer were saying how good Ajayi was going to be but he’s been terrible and seems to be getting worse; I’d have Yeboah back ahead of him!

Good win in the end and given where we are I wouldn’t mind us having a season of mid table mediocrity along with a cup run or two.

[Lesonthewest]

Far better 2nd half, well done to the team for turning around the game. Less said about the first half the better.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Has Ajay been on loan anywhere else? I think we need to stop getting loans who have next to zero experience it’s been a while since one contributed much from memory.

Unless they cost zero I’d rather Hurst or our own younger players were given a chance. They probably won’t be worse and we stand to actually benefit if the do quite well

[jmt23]

I thought Hanlan was good tonight, I’m not convinced he’s fully fit, and I’m not convinced he’s convinced his ACL injury  is behind him.

He should’ve had two goals tonight, and if he’d not strayed offside a third! Overall pretty good though.

He has an awkward gate and his body is in all sorts of shapes when he tries to shoot - Joe Ironside was very similar, neither are natural strikers of a ball.

[Spud]

Learning from tonight
Ajayi could go back to Spurs now
SB not ready
Gotts better forward but not a Clifton
Close slow better when Broadbent came on
Middleton worst half for him this season
Hanlan better second half after the subs entered the field.
Sterry got 45 mins
Nixon looked good when he came on.
Flint very good 90 mins
McGrath tapered off near the end but had a good game
Senior again steady and defended well.
Molyneux Broadbent and Gibson changed the game.


We will have to be ready for Lincoln who beat a strong Barnsley side tonight

Pretty much bang on.

[DearneValleyRover]

I thought Hanlan was good tonight, I’m not convinced he’s fully fit, and I’m not convinced he’s convinced his ACL injury  is behind him.

He should’ve had two goals tonight, and if he’d not strayed offside a third! Overall pretty good though.

He has an awkward gate and his body is in all sorts of shapes when he tries to shoot - Joe Ironside was very similar, neither are natural strikers of a ball.

The problem with ACL injuries are that they are as much mental as they are physical, you just can’t convince yourself it won’t go again.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Just seen Hanlans goal. It's a good well timed run and a very fine finish. Good through ball too, not sure who got the assist?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Has Ajay been on loan anywhere else? I think we need to stop getting loans who have next to zero experience it’s been a while since one contributed much from memory.

Unless they cost zero I’d rather Hurst or our own younger players were given a chance. They probably won’t be worse and we stand to actually benefit if the do quite well

Tend to agree, it hasn't hugely worked has it?

Herbie kane maybe the last good one at this level?  Kelly and crew did well in league 2 last year to be fair.

[Alan Southstand]

Time to re-assess just what we’ve got, I think. From a wrecking ball of a first half to something resembling a league one side - and not for the first time we’ve been chalk and cheese.

What the hell is wrong?

Whatever it is, I hope we’re learning from it, as the league table doesn’t lie and we’re dropping like a stone. I realise this wasn’t a league game but we wet playing a fairly strong Bradford team.
The stats for the first half were awful but after GM brought the cavalry on - different gravy.

Roll on January.

Oh, and by the way, Joe Ironside scored Tranmere’s winner tonight.

[drfchound]

Just seen Hanlans goal. It's a good well timed run and a very fine finish. Good through ball too, not sure who got the assist?

Broadbents through ball.

[Chris Black come back]

What is our best XI on current form, if fit?


TLT

Maxwell
O'Riordan
Grehan
Sterry

Bailey
Broadbent
Clifton

Molyneux
Sharp
Gibson

[Draytonian III]

That’s ok I’m on at 18/1 for 3-1

Just for a change !!!

[Reg of the Rovers]

Chalk and cheese halves. Much better second, subs made everyone liven up and we could have won with five in the end.

Nixon is a revelation, he’s having a great season. Moly looks back to something like his best, and broadbent made a big difference in the middle when he came on.

Quick mention for Lawlor, never lets us down, big big save first half one v one.

[selby]

  Drayrtonion, Grehan is well behind Pearson and on last nights showing Flint

[GazLaz]

  Drayrtonion, Grehan is well behind Pearson and on last nights showing Flint

Grehan is a very very good center half. Saying he is behind Flint, after seeing him play against Bradford reserves, is a bold call.

[steve@dcfd]

What we can say our defensive cohort is the strongest part of our squad including the two loan players in Flint and Faulkner.
We can’t say that about any other part of the squad including midfield and attack.This needs to be looked at if we are going to progress back up the league especially in January.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Grehan can’t play fullback for sure. But he’s not let us down when playing centre half.

[selby]

It 's now on to the much more important league game at Lincoln after we surprised ourselves after the most abject first half performance for a long time and an exciting attacking performance against Bradford in the second half, and we come up against a side that were second best in every way except the result at Barnsley.
  If stats won football games Barnsley would have got the win handsomely but Lincoln showed they could win games when not on the ball much and are resilient in defence and have strikers who can live on not a lot of service.
  So a hard game but at least Grant although having a big squad by now must realise quite a few are not up to the job and can concentrate his team selection around players that fit the bill from now on.
  If we play well we have every chance of getting something out of the game.
  And isn't Grehan on international duty?

[GazLaz]

What happened in the Bradford game has absolutely zero baring on what will happen against Lincoln. Its a really tough game against a strong Lincoln team.

[steve@dcfd]

Decisions after last night are not difficult for Grant.
                   
                         TLT

Nixon.     ORiordan.   Pearson.   Senior

               Bailey.        Broadbent

Molyneux.           Clifton.                  Gibson

                           Sharp

Lawlor.   Sterry.   McGrath. 
Close    Gotts.    Middleton.  Hanlan

Maxwell injured so he may not be available
Grehan and Crew on international duty

Maybe he will chance starting Hanlan with Billy impact sub.

It will be a difficult game and we will have to play at our best both attacking and defensively to get anything from this game. We don’t have better players apart from Sterry on the bench to improve the side.

[i_ateallthepies]

On current showing Nixon most certainly is not behind Sterry for selection.  We all know what Sterry brings when he's at his best but he hasn't had time to get going after his terrible injury and shouldn't play ahead of Nixon yet.


RB is the one position in the team where we can genuinely say we have two first-team choices.

[ForsolongaRover]

On current showing Nixon most certainly is not behind Sterry for selection.  We all know what Sterry brings when he's at his best but he hasn't had time to get going after his terrible injury and shouldn't play ahead of Nixon yet.


RB is the one position in the team where we can genuinely say we have two first-team choices.

It is plain that Nixon is worth a place, but the way Sterry works down the right supercharges Molyneux and that's the bonus.

[steve@dcfd]

On current showing Nixon most certainly is not behind Sterry for selection.  We all know what Sterry brings when he's at his best but he hasn't had time to get going after his terrible injury and shouldn't play ahead of Nixon yet.


RB is the one position in the team where we can genuinely say we have two first-team choices.

I did not mean Nixon is behind Sterry but we need Sterry fit aswell for the way our fullbacks play. They appear to be injured both right and left more than any other position.

[ncRover]

Is there a prognosis on Maxwell’s injury?

It’s a worry because Senior normally gets injured eventually too.

[scawsby steve]

  Drayrtonion, Grehan is well behind Pearson and on last nights showing Flint

Grehan is a very very good center half. Saying he is behind Flint, after seeing him play against Bradford reserves, is a bold call.

Sorry, Gaz, but that wasn't Bradford reserves. Apart from the absence of Pointon and a couple of others that was a strongish team.

Cook, Halliday, Lapslie, Wright, Swan, Humphries, and Leigh all figured at some time.

They desperately wanted to beat us last night, for obvious reasons.

[GazLaz]

  Drayrtonion, Grehan is well behind Pearson and on last nights showing Flint

Grehan is a very very good center half. Saying he is behind Flint, after seeing him play against Bradford reserves, is a bold call.

Sorry, Gaz, but that wasn't Bradford reserves. Apart from the absence of Pointon and a couple of others that was a strongish team.

Cook, Halliday, Lapslie, Wright, Swan, Humphries, and Leigh all figured at some time.

They desperately wanted to beat us last night, for obvious reasons.

They are not first choice though are they Steve. Some don’t even make the squad. In the same way Ajayi, Jay, Lawlor, Hanlon, Gotts et so are our reserves. It was their second string.

[scawsby steve]

  Drayrtonion, Grehan is well behind Pearson and on last nights showing Flint

Grehan is a very very good center half. Saying he is behind Flint, after seeing him play against Bradford reserves, is a bold call.

Sorry, Gaz, but that wasn't Bradford reserves. Apart from the absence of Pointon and a couple of others that was a strongish team.

Cook, Halliday, Lapslie, Wright, Swan, Humphries, and Leigh all figured at some time.

They desperately wanted to beat us last night, for obvious reasons.

They are not first choice though are they Steve. Some don’t even make the squad. In the same way Ajayi, Jay, Lawlor, Hanlon, Gotts et so are our reserves. It was their second string.

I don't think there's such a thing as a second string. It's a squad game these days, and is dependant on many factors, such as injuries, fitness, and form.

All of the players I mentioned have played against us in league games over the last 12 months.