What we learnt as Archers get into attacking groove to see off Old Gold
Carmarthen travelled to Cyncoed Campus on Tuesday evening to take on last season’s finalists Cardiff Metropolitan in the second round of the Nathaniel MG Cup. Both sides have made slightly disappointing starts to their league campaigns, and were looking to start a potential cup run which would provide momentum for the league.
These are the key takeaway’s from this evening’s game:
Change of formation improves Archers attack
The Students went with a 3-5-2 formation for this game, and it allowed them to cause more problems in the final third. The two wing backs, Rhydian Morgan and Dylan Rees, were afforded space to attack down their respective flanks, and were often found overlapping to provide crosses. This provided an extra threat which the Archers have been missing in previous weeks.
This change of shape meant that, more often than not, there was a player in space between Carmarthen’s midfield and defence. This allowed Met to drive forward quickly and meant that they looked a lot more threatening.
Impressive midfield display allows Met to limit Carmarthen threat
The decision to deploy three central midfielders worked well for the home side. They were able to control most things in the centre of the pitch, meaning that Carmarthen found it difficult to play through them.
Chris Baker put in a typically tenacious performance, and was assisted by Will Evans and Ben Bowler in preventing the away side from asserting any control.
This was a key area in Met’s success last year, they were able to play clever passes in midfield which opened up space in the final third. Tonight’s showing will give them some encouragement heading into the coming weeks.
Signs of encouragement for Old Gold defence
After conceding 14 goals in their seven league games so far, many will have expected Neil Smothers’ side to struggle with a Met side that like to attack.
And whilst the home side were on the front foot for much of the game, they were limited to a handful of notable chances by the Carmarthen defence.
They worked well as a team to track back and stay compact, often forcing the Students to go wide and deliver crosses into the box.
In Luke Bowen and Liam Thomas, they have two strikers that they can rely on to score goals. They will be hoping to shore up their defence in their bid to move up the Welsh Premier League table.
(Featured image: Matthew Lofthouse)
