Post by rjdgull on Jan 14, 2012 11:43:22 GMT
With no first team action it has been a quiet week on the forum but good to see a bit of voting still going on, particularly with a lot of it coming in my direction! ;D No idea what got the votes but as I've spent a lot of time in the past year or so working on match pre-views then I am going to select the Macclesfield one as probably the most meaty post that I did in the past week.
After our first double over Plymouth last time out, we have another opportunity to do another double in the return fixture at Macclesfield. There are some similarities with the Plainmoor game in that we again don't have the services of either Bodin or Howe although Macclesfield are a tough nut to crack at home having only lost twice there over the course of the season including on the opening day against Dagenham! I quite enjoyed reading the September match day thread again with the highlight being the Meerkat accurately predicting a Chris McPhee goal! 
;D 
Typically for a mid table side, Macclesfield have won 2, lost 2 and drawn 2 over the last six including a great 2-2 draw against Bolton last weekend and only losing away to Accrington (4-0) and Shrewsbury (1-0). They have had more than their fair share of injuries although Sam Wedgebury and Lewis Chalmers are both recovering from stomach strains so make of that as you will! Top scorer (5) and summer signing Ben Tomlinson has a thigh injury although could play. Since selling Sinclair at the end of August, goals have been hard to come by and having signed Scott Donnelly permanently this month, following a loan spell, they have also signed another striker this week, Ben Mills from Nantwich Town to try and readdress this in-balance.
However, defensively they are very good at home, averaging less than a goal per game conceded with Bolton only the second side to score more than one there this season. On the flip side, there has generally been goals galore between our sides in this fixture with no scoreless draw in 21 meetings!
As for Torquay, it is likely that the same side and formation that took the field against Swindon will play. Since our last fixture, the squad has settled down with Ling finding the best system for our team that is also flexible enough to cater for the loss of one or two players. Seven wins and only one loss in the last ten league games is a great confidence booster and hopefully the performances of Crewe and Plymouth can be replicated as opposed to that of Accrington although at least Howe can't be sent off for this one! ;D
;D 
Typically for a mid table side, Macclesfield have won 2, lost 2 and drawn 2 over the last six including a great 2-2 draw against Bolton last weekend and only losing away to Accrington (4-0) and Shrewsbury (1-0). They have had more than their fair share of injuries although Sam Wedgebury and Lewis Chalmers are both recovering from stomach strains so make of that as you will! Top scorer (5) and summer signing Ben Tomlinson has a thigh injury although could play. Since selling Sinclair at the end of August, goals have been hard to come by and having signed Scott Donnelly permanently this month, following a loan spell, they have also signed another striker this week, Ben Mills from Nantwich Town to try and readdress this in-balance.
However, defensively they are very good at home, averaging less than a goal per game conceded with Bolton only the second side to score more than one there this season. On the flip side, there has generally been goals galore between our sides in this fixture with no scoreless draw in 21 meetings!
As for Torquay, it is likely that the same side and formation that took the field against Swindon will play. Since our last fixture, the squad has settled down with Ling finding the best system for our team that is also flexible enough to cater for the loss of one or two players. Seven wins and only one loss in the last ten league games is a great confidence booster and hopefully the performances of Crewe and Plymouth can be replicated as opposed to that of Accrington although at least Howe can't be sent off for this one! ;D