Dorking Wandering
The Dorking Wanderers FC Fans Forum
The first of 3 midweek games in a row as we face newly promoted Dover Athletic on the road tomorrow night. The Whites currently sit 8th in the table on 17 points having played a couple of extra games but are winless in their last five.
Marc announced in his update today that we will be without 8 or 9 players tomorrow which suggests that a few might have picked up injuries on Saturday, including Jason Prior. Impossible to predict a line-up without knowing who else is injured but I assume Camp might be one as he limped off on Saturday.
Predictions:
Dover 0-1 Dorking (Rutherford)
935 att.
Foulkes
Francomb Annesey Storey Norville-Williams
Taylor Moore
Muitt McShane Lewis
Rutherford
Subs: L.Sullivan, Craig, Vincent, T.Sullivan, McManus, Hebert, Straker
You'd have to analyse the various injuries last season and this season to make a fair assessment and comparison.
Carter's knee and Hebert's toe for example are random injuries you cannot legislate for with any amount of strength and conditioning. I would be interested in what is exactly not right with Dan Pybus as we just hear he has has a 'setback', 'another two weeks' and that's that.
No player wants to be injured or unfit of course, they are competitive athletes.
On the positive Annesley is back playing again, 64 minutes last night.
"Why would I leave to join a League Two club? We're going there anyway!" - Marc White
Happy with the point but did not agree with Marc that it was one sided and we dominated. Dover defo had a few chances to win it. The boys that got out on the pitch for Dorking did a great job.
Feel bad for him as I know he's giving his all when he gets a chance, and sitting on the bench most games must be awful, but Tony Craig is so far beyond what is required in our back 3/4 right now and we're in real trouble when he has to play. I think he'd be better off playing CDM than CB in his current state if required.
I thought Josh Taylor was magnificent as others have said and Vincent as well was very impressive. Lewis continues to impress me and Storey has been an absolute god send but my feeling is he needs to play in a back 4 with a younger pacey partner.
If we can get another CM & a striker, maybe two in it will make a real difference. Doubt it will happen but I'd go for young loan players all day here so we dont have so much worry around injury, and they can give us some running legs.
Stats from the game are ridiculous:
Possession: Dover 34% - 66% Dorking
Shots (OT): Dover 17 (7) - 22 (11) Dorking - Most we've conceded this season but second most we've taken
xG: Dover 1.67 - 3.83 Dorking - Highest of the season by far but second most we've conceded
Crosses: Dover 12 - 49 Dorking - Highest of the season
Top Performer (Dorking): Dennon Lewis [8.6] - Pretty sure this would have been Josh Taylor but for some reason he wasn't credited with the assist for the 2nd goal
You'd have to analyse the various injuries last season and this season to make a fair assessment and comparison.
Not going in to the specifics of every injury type but in terms of pure numbers, this is the comparison for the first 12 games of this season and first 12 games of last season:
Last Season - 77 games missed
This Season - 55 games missed
We did have a bigger squad last season so there were more players to actually get injured but the overall numbers at least somewhat suggest that we are doing a better job when it comes to fitness and injury this season. The smaller squad size this season is making it feel just as bad though.
It does also feel like we fade a little bit less late in games this season compared to last. Conceding late goals was a real issue last season where more than 40% of all our goals conceded were in the last 10 mins of matches. This season, albeit still early days, we are only at around 25%.
I think the issue with injuries is that it does feel like it is the same few players who are constantly getting injured. Pybus last started a league game just over a year ago for example, and Francomb is well in to double digits when it comes to total injuries since joining the club.
