Written by billythekid
Tuesday night after having 22 shots on goal the most in any match bar the same number away against Bristol City, our players could only muster two shots on target, one which gave us the equaliser from Ryan Christie. This was against Peterborough United the team that had been low on confidence and has the worst defensive record in the Championship. AFCB’s next game is the second of the three consecutive home games and our opponents are another struggling club Derby County. This game is on Saturday at 3 pm.
There is tension building between our manager and his players from some elements of our supporters with them booing our team. This will NOT help our relatively young team build their confidence and perform as they did earlier in the season with that great start and our players finding the back of the net, especially Solanke. Getting on their backs will only help our opponents. So let’s get behind our lads from the start on Saturday and hopefully get back to winning ways.
Derby County are third from bottom of the Championship in a relegation place, but it’s a false position for Wayne Rooney’s side results wise. If it wasn’t for the clubs 21 point deduction they would be in 15th position in the table with 45 points and not on 24 points and 5 points behind Reading (who were deducted 6 points) and are just outside the relegation zone.
Before AFCB visited Pride Park the home of Derby County in November of this season, County’s last win was at home against Reading in September. Since the Reading game, County had gone seven games without a win, until they beat AFCB 3-2. Since our game, Derby County at home, have won 6 games, drawn 1 and lost 2. On their travels, the Rams have won 1 game and that was against Stoke City. They have drawn with Fulham and Reading and lost 6, against Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Middlesbrough, Luton Town and Cardiff City. Derby County’s most recent game was a 2-0 home win against fellow strugglers Barnsley in 23rd position.
The last time Derby County visited Dean Court was on the 31st October 2020, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Wayne Rooney was a player at the time and started the game but was substituted after 61 minutes. The Rams took the lead in the 13th minute through Graeme Shinnie and that’s how it stayed until halftime. In the second half Rodrigo Riquelme equalised with nine minutes of normal time to go and that was the last goal of the game.
The Cherries have only played Derby County at home in the league on five occasions and won 1 back in August 1984 in the old Division 3. AFCB have drawn 3 times and lost 1.
In games home and away including one FA Cup game, AFCB have W 2, D 3, L 7.
AFCB v DerbyAFCB Win
Draw
Derby Win
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AFCB Team News
One out and one in. Jefferson Lerma is available again after serving his four-game ban. Philip Billing picked up his tenth yellow card of the season on Tuesday night and will serve a two-match suspension starting with Derby County on Saturday and then Reading, both home games.
AFCB Player To Watch
Ryan Christie was like a busy bee against Peterborough United, he makes our team tick and is always looking for an opening on goal. Exciting player to watch and has been a good signing for our club.
Derby County Team News
Seems they have a full squad to pick from.
Derby County Player To Watch
Tom Lawrence their captain and player who AFCB tried to sign in January, but Derby County refused to sell and Lawrence is out of contract in the Summer. He is top goal scorer with 9 goals and also leads with 5 assists. Lawrence scored two of the goals, (one a penalty) in our away defeat earlier this season. In their last game Ravel Morrison scored their two goals and was MOM.
Other faces to watch are former AFCB goalkeeper Ryan Allsop and Nathan Byrne who was on loan to our club from Spurs.
The Man In Charge
Premier League referee Andrew Madley is the man in charge of this game.
We have to look back to the 2017-18 season to the last time we had him for one of our games and that was away at Watford in the Premier League and home against Wigan in the FA Cup.
Your say…
northstandmark wrote…
I don’t imagine sweeping changes from Parker.
I think the question will be whether we replace Billing with Lerma and go 4-2-3-1 (L.Cook and Lerma as the ‘2’), or keep the 4-1-4-1 and have Marcondes as a more direct Billing swap-out alongside Cantwell. – Join the conversation, click here.
I am not so certain that the crowd were booing against the home side, I was there and actually thought that they were booing against the deliberate game management tactics being utilised by Peterborough. We love our football club and whilst in the latter part of the game their did seem to be a bit of apathy on show, nevertheless the crowd were right behind the players in fact, right up until the final whistle. It was more the delaying tactics by the Posh (not that you could blame them really) to ensure that they at least went home with a point that riled the crowd..!