By Nathan Jackson
April 9 2007

It was a weekend that near enough guaranteed that City will be in the playoffs in 4 weeks, but are we prepared for them? In this report I discuss the good points that have come out of this weekend, including the return of on-the-ground football, whilst also talking about a bad point, Dany N'Guessan.

This report is based on both of the games over the weekend. Before Saturday afternoon, automatic promotion was still a possibility and 6 points was a must if we were to continue even having a remote possibility of going up without the need for the playoffs. Unfortunately it looks like we’re set for another fun filled trip to the playoffs, but there are plenty of reasons to be positive about the remaining 4 games, then the other 2/3.

 

The main point of optimism is that we have just had two draws against sides that defeated us earlier in the season. Obviously just drawing isn’t exactly a magnificent result but at least we’ve improved in that sense in the last few months, especially when you take into consideration that we could have easily won both of the games at the weekend.

 

The second half against Darlington was a remainder of how we used to play earlier in the season. The passing was intricate and precise, the set pieces were actually half-decent for once, and we actually looked dangerous going forward. I find it no coincidence that we drastically improved once Dany N’Guessan went off the pitch. Once we finally get our full strength team back then we will stand a great chance of winning the playoffs.

 

The on-the-ground football also returned this weekend, strangely (or not so) returning at the same time that Keith Hill waved a red card in the direction of Nat Brown. After that red card there was virtually no hoofing the ball up to the other end of the pitch aimlessly, and we were able to pretty effectively use the wings, hell, even Ryan Amoo looked half dangerous.

 

I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the Playoffs, only a complete collapse by Swindon would give us any chance of catching up to them. As it currently stands, our fellow playoff teams would be MK Dons, Stockport and Shrewsbury, we may have only won one of the 6 games against those sides, but the only game where we deserved not to win was the away game at Stockport. MK Dons were incredibly fortunate to get 4 points out of us and Shrewsbury were incredibly lucky to go away from Sincil Bank with a point.

 

I remain optimistic about our chances in the playoffs as there are very few teams in this division that have actually out-played us this season without us playing badly. On our day we could beat any team, the fact we’ve got 7 points away from home against the top 3 sides says it all. If this squad can get refocused and start performing like we did in the second half at Darlington then we should get the final of the playoffs, with a strong possibility of winning them.

 

There are still one or two small complaints I have about what’s happening at the minute though, the team selection for example. Throughout this season Schofield has changed a team that has been doing well for no reason. I can fully understand resting Frecklington, but to drop Jamie Forrester for Dany N’Guessan is a joke. I’ve been fair on N’Guessan and given him time to judge if I think he’s a good player, and my conclusion is no.

 

Having seen him for the first team and the reserves in recent months, I have yet to see him put in one decent performance, or even show even the slightest glimpse of promise. In the reserves he is often kept “in the pockets” of defenders that are yet to enter adulthood, whereas in the first team you’d have to go into double figures to count how many times he gives the ball away. I hope I’m proved wrong, but I just don’t think N’Guessan is good enough to be in the first team ahead of players like Forrester, especially when you look at the impact Forrester had when he came in.

 

N'Guessan just seems to think that he's better than he is and that makes him play worse. He's very much like Kieran Richardson in that respect, the only difference being that Richardson every once in a while actually does something right.

 

That’s my main gripe really, all the other things are too minor to bring up. So here’s hoping that we can avenge the defeat we suffered at Wrexham earlier in the season and helping send the moaning Welsh into the Conference.