Last week's game: work in progress

From the desk of Mr Andrew Thornes:

It's always disappointing to lose, although there were lots of plusses from last Thursday's game. I really don't think 4-0 was an accurate reflection of the game, for, with a little luck, and better finishing, we could easily have got something out of the game. Considering we were playing in a new formation for the first time I thought we all did exceptional well, particularly in the second half, when some of the football we played was very easy on the eye and pretty penetrative. I thought lots of players stood out - Luis, Barry and Phil C immediately spring to mind, but there were others - and it was great to see everybody applying themselves in an effort to get to grips with our new way of playing. I hope we can keep this level of intensity up over the next few weeks, as it's a system that I think, given the personnel we have, could work very well for us. Only time will tell I guess.

On a personal level I was very happy to see Joe finally get back on the pitch after an extended period out with a pretty serious injury. I might be wrong but I think next week will be the first time in a very long time that we will have nobody lounging around on the proverbial 'treatment table' . Long may that continue, even if it means greater selection headaches!

Another piece of team news, which some of you may not be aware of: Lee has decided to hang up his keepers gloves and no longer wishes to be thought of as the Accies main man between the sticks. This will impact the club in at least two ways, both of which I think will be positive. Firstly, until we get another regular keeper the job will be shared out between a pool of players. Several players have already volunteered to take a turn in goal, which is much appreciated. For the time being I'll therefore be picking the keeper on a week by week basis, always giving the lucky/unlucky player as much notice as possible. I think not having a regular keeper will make our squad more adaptable and give everyone a better perspective on the job other players do for the team, which is never a bad thing.

The second consequence of this change will be to intensify the competition for places, particularly in the defence, as I'm certain Lee will be as much of an asset on the field as he has been in goal. I therefore expect his presence to raise the levels of all the players around him and, with luck, have a knock-on effect throughout the whole team.

All of these changes I think are pretty exciting, and will, at the very least, shake things up a little. They will also give us all a new set of challenges at a time when maybe some of our play has become a little stale and predictable. It must be stressed that our play should continue to centre around quick, short passing; informative, concise communication and a well-organised 'default' defensive postion. Therefore, if we stay focused and remain patient, mainly so that the new formation has a chance to bed in, I think interesting times lay ahead for the Accies, not least with the fast approaching Anglo-Dutch encounter. Anyway I'm always happy to discuss any ideas which might improve the Accies - so long as it doesn't start with the phrase: "You should retire!!!!" - so please feel free to speak to me, preferably after the game.

Up The Accies!!!!!!