Roddy Collins is not one to let players think too highly of themselves and this showed again as new signing Darren Kelly was left out. There was little need to change the partnership of Whitehead and Andrews that had helped Carlisle to two away wins in a week. Mark Summerbell was drafted in for his debut, alongside another new boy John Burns in the middle of the park. It was another afternoon of controversy with a penalty awarded against Carlisle near half-time and a series of bookings which clouded an otherwise warm and sunny afternoon for a crowd of 6.475. United set off like a train and tried to dominate Rovers from the off. Richie Foran, without a goal so far this season was keen to make an early mark and wasted both a left-footed and a headed chance on the left edge of the six-yard box. Later home debutant John Burns had a good effort from 20 yards out on his left foot which keeper Scott Howie did well to get down to. Trevor Molloy missed the best chance of the half when he fired over the bar after some good play by Foran. Rovers had been pretty quiet but close to the interval they got inside the box and suddenly much to the surprise of everyone in the stadium, referee Mr Boyeson blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. A spot of shirt-pulling on Paul Tait was suspected, but there was a prolonged protest and Boyeson booked United's Richie Foran. Tait stepped up and proceeded to fire tamely wide of the left-hand post - one of the poorest penalties I've ever seen. The second half saw a bit more control from United with Brendan McGill coming into the game a lot more. His pace was causing a few problems for a solid Bristol defence and his link up with Molloy early on created a chance which Molloy spurned when Rovers got back to block. McGill produced the best bit of skill in the game mid-way through the half with a neat turn and jink followed by a low shot that scampered wide of Howie's right-hand post. Lee Andrews also managed a good run forward and forced a corner as the crowd got behind the team. Pressure was applied but Bristol held firm, central defender Anwar Uddin particularly impressive. Rovers rallied late in the game as United tired and were pushed back a little. Robert Quinn headed wide from point blank range as they almost stole off with the points. Mr Boyeson had one late booking up his sleeve as he waved another yellow at Stuart Whitehead. Al's verdict: Well it was better than Hartlepool. Two away wins had obviously raised expectations, perhaps unrealistically as the team is still evolving, but this was a solid enough performance with the referee doing his best to spoil it all. Our discipline (still too much backchat!) needs to improve and our finishing is clearly lacking although we created some good openings today. Foran just needs a goal and I'm sure he'll be off and flying. Summerbell looks like he'll be a major influence in midfield and looked pretty competitive too. Andrews is getting back to last year's form and Whitehead is still well on top of his game. Defensively, that's three games without a goal conceded - perhaps the most significant statistic of the day. |
