[SaltergateBorn]

Well....all`s well that ends well, as they say. I must confess, though, that for the first part of that second half I was getting increasingly hot under the collar at our inability to make any headway against a 10- man team. The equalizer was on its way a long time before it actually arrived.

Am I missing something, but when your opponents are a man down doesn`t it make sense to play at a high tempo to get them running around tiring themselves out? Instead we started the second half at walking pace playing as though we were 4 or 5 up and were saving energy for the next game. That`s being a bit negative, I know, and overall I reckon we deserved the win. There were a lot of positives as well.

All credit to Rovers, they really came at us at the start of the second half. Some of their supporters seem to think that they`re already doomed to National League football next season, but I can`t see any chance of that at all myself. I reckon they are much too good for that and will be climbing the table soon. If it wasn`t for a glaring miss they could have been at least level at half-time.

The turning point in the end was obviously the red card. It was a soft one but to my (completely unbiased and impartial, obviously) eyes the ref was right. The defender had a tug at Dobs` shoulder to stop him getting ahead of him for what was a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Okay, he went down easily (as they all do these days), but there was no attempt to play the ball and he was the last man; so it has to be red, not yellow for me. I can understand the Rovers fans not being happy about it, though.

I can`t help but think that last season we would only have taken a point from the game. The really encouraging thing for me was the difference that the subs made when they came on. Suddenly we were moving the ball at speed, we were getting through and behind their defence and could have had a couple more easily. It shows the strength of the squad and gives the management the flexibility to change formation when the situation calls for it.

It was a frustrating game for Lee Bonis, but I reckon that once he breaks his duck we`re going to get a few goals out of him. Even without them, he`s pulling defences around with his running the channels and generally `putting himself about`. As it stands, though, it`s 6 goals scored and 6 different scorers. That`s got to be a good sign.

I`ve just seen the league table. That`s a good sign too, even at this early stage..
Puts my chuntering into perspective, dunnit.

I have looked up the last time we won our first 4 league games in a season, but I`m saying nowt. I reckon we`ll do very well to come away from Priestlands with 3 points and even I`m not prepared to tempt fate to that extent.

[spireitematt]

It was a red. Rule states last man outside the area then it's a straight red. If it's inside the area then it's a yellow and a penalty.

I don't know how Naylor's looping header managed to sneak in. Bristol Rovers had about 3 players stood inside the goalmouth.

Bristol Rovers goal was soft. Keeper tipped it back into the area and Hutchinson just slotted it home. If the keeper had left it then McFadzean would have cleared it as it was heading in his direction and he was stood on the post.

I agree, I think when Bonis gets his first goal league goal then it will give him confidence, it will only be a matter of time till he gets his first goal as he's getting in the right areas and getting opportunities.

We look really good when we have the ball and we go forward. Every play or opportunity looks like it could be a goal.

Gillingham will be tough. I'd take a draw but I think we might edge it by a goal.

[SaltergateBorn]

Would it it have made a difference if it had been inside the area, Matt? I`d have thought that, in those circumstances - a professional foul with no attempt to play the ball and intentionally preventing a goal-scoring opportunity - it would still have been a red.

According to Phil Tooley`s report after the game, we`ve never had a season where the first 7 goals have been scored by 7 different players so I think it`s time for Mr Grigg or Mr Bonis to chip in.

I agree about Rovers` goal. McFadzean was right behind it, so if Hemmings hadn`t reached it he would have cleared it off the line. Frustrating not to get the third clean sheet, but as I said earlier I thought an equaliser was coming if we didn`t get a second and based on the game as a whole I thought they deserved a goal.

On the subject of clean sheets, I didn`t post this before the game because I didn`t want to jinx us. It doesn`t matter now though, so I can. We started the 1987/8 season with 4 clean sheets, although only 3 of them were wins. The sequence was Preston (a) 1-0, Brighton (h) 0-0, Mansfiekl (a) 1-0, Bury (h) 1-0. ( It looks as though we were a bit defensively minded in those days; was John Duncan the manager then? Or was it in Kevin Randall`s time? ) It`s fascinating to think that those 5 teams - including us - were all in the same league back then, considering where they are now. Talk about different trajectories! hAnyone of a nervous disposition may wish to look away now, though, as I`m about to reveal the result of the fifth game (after 4 clean sheets, remember).

We lost. 10-0. At Gillingham!

I remember it well. We were on the IntercIty from Penzance to Paddington on our way back from a family holiday in the Isles of Scilly and i went up to the buffet car for a drink - probably beer, knowing me. i caught a snippet of conversation between a couple of blokes there and heard one of them mention that somebody had got beaten 10-0. I remember thinking "bloody hell, somebody got a real thumping there" but I didn`t catch who it was. I could repeat the words that came out of my mouth when I got home and found out that it was us, but probably best not. The moderators would probably go into meltdown.

I have looked up the last time we won the first 4 games in a season, but I`m not saying any more at this stage. I`ll be very pleasantly surprised if we come away with 3 points tonight (yes, I know I`ve predicted us to win but I just can`t bring myself to do anything else) but I still don`t want to feel guilty about putting the mokkers on us if we don`t. After the game I can, whatever the result tonight.

[spireitematt]

They changed the rule a few years ago where if it was last man outside the area who brings down an opposing player then it's a straight red. If it's last man in the area who brings down an opposing player then it's a yellow card and a penalty. I think they thought it would be unfair to send off a player and give a penalty against the same team. If you are already on a yellow and you're the last man and bring down an opposing player in the box then it's a penalty and a 2nd yellow for the player which results in the player being sent off.

I don't think we'll be conceding 10 goals tonight.

[SaltergateBorn]

Well, there you go. I did not know that. We live and learn, as they say.

I`m not going to say anything about last night`s match as I was out so didn`t see it on the telly. It doesn`t look as though there was much positive to say anyway. Mind you, my son watched it and reckons the ref gave a penalty that was never a penalty in a million years; so that would balance out any controversy about the red card on Saturday, i suppose .I`ll watch the highlights at some point - probably.

[spireitematt]

Well watched the highlights. What can I say, we were out thought, out fought and outplayed. Gillingham looked physical and seemed to play direct and got the ball forward.

The first penalty was definitely a penalty which was brought about because we decided to pass it round the back, giving the ball to their forward who latched on to it only to be brought down by Hemming in the area.

The second penalty was not a penalty and was a blatant dive as he had not been touched.

We scored a well worked goal to pull one back as a consolation.

The 3rd goal that Gillingham scored was poor defending from us. Our centre back pairing somehow managed to get out jumped by a small Gillingham player who somehow managed to head the ball over them and ran on to it and put it in the net.

The 4th Gillingham goal, again we gifted them the ball by playing around in our own half, got muscled off the ball and they just passed it to a forward who tapped it in.

What annoys me is two things.

1. We are playing around with the ball too much in our own half near our goal and then making mistakes or gifting the ball to the opposition giving them an opportunity to score from which they have now done in two games. (Mansfield and Gillingham)

2. When we have the ball around the opposition's box we seem to pass it around and trying to walk it in instead of taking a shot at goal and testing the goalkeeper.