Still all to play for.
The Crows title hopes were dealt a blow in this game as the visitors did a real "smash and grab" job, scoring the winner late on with only 7 minutes remaining. However, you have to give the players of Croydon FC praise for the tremendous amount of energy and desire they showed in the match not to get beaten. From the first whistle to the last they were compact, organised and full of running, never giving the Crows any real time on the ball and disrupting their rhythm.
It also has to be said that the Crows were not good enough on the night as a collective unit to breakdown such a strong and resolute defence as put up by the Trams and whilst the home side did create chances, when they did break through, they found Ameyaw in the visitors goal in superb form.
it has become a bit of a worry for the Crow's fans that too many chances are going astray at the moment and not being taken. However, I have always said that if you keep creating chances then one day you'll take them and someone will be on the end of a heavy defeat. After all, I'd rather still be creating and missing chances if that's the way it is to be, rather than not creating them at all, that would be of far greater concern to me.
As for the match itself it really followed the pattern of the two previous home matches where the visiting team put up a 9-man barrier and ask us to break them down. Whereas in those other games we've been able to score, last night it was just a step too far and the earlier missed opportunities proved costly in the end.
Crows had new signing John Scarborough making his debut with Barton dropping to the bench which meant that Turner played on the right, Boddy on the left and Scarborough in the centre of a back three. Clarke also returned to the team after a recent knee injury as right wing-back, which meant that Crabb switched from the right to the left-hand side. On the night it would be fair to say that Clarke and Crabb were probably the most effective players and most of the chances created by the Crows usually came from their good work.
The home side started on the front foot and could have taken the lead after 6 minutes but Pearson's effort from just inside the area went inches over the bar with Ameyaw struggling. Carey then had a go in the 9th minute which went way over the bar before the first chance came for the visitors in the 19th minute, Harry Brockman putting a shot in which was easily saved by Ellis in the home goal.
Crabb then had a direct free kick well saved by Ameyaw at the cost of a corner in the 20th minute and the corner, also taken by Crabb came to nothing in the end. Crabb also set up Attwood in the 23rd minute but his effort from the edge of the area just went inches wide of the post.
Further chances came and went for the Crows before they really should have gone ahead. Pearson latched on to a through ball and out-paced his marker, bursting in to the area with only Ameyaw to beat, his first effort was well saved by the stopper as was his follow up effort before Carrington put another follow up effort wide of the upright.
With very little stoppage time to be played and 45 minutes approaching, Walder received a yellow card for an attempted tug on an opposition player as he went past him in the centre-circle. So the break was reached and frustratingly for the Crows it was still 0-0.
The second period followed much the same pattern as the first, Crows attacking, Croydon defending and the ball spending too much time in the air, by-passing the midfield players and area, thus making the game a very fast one but with not too much quality.
Carrington picked up a yellow card for a tackle in the 55th minute before he left the field in the 58th minute to be replaced by Muggeridge in a straight swap for what appeared to be tactical reasons.
With time pressing on and with a need to may be change things Treleaven, returning from injury, replaced Pearson in the 69th minute. The Crows continued to press forward, Croydon continued to defend very well and in the 73rd minute everyone supporting the Crows thought the deadlock had been broken when a Carey effort from the edge of the area was arrowing to the top corner of the goal, to the 'keepers right-hand side. However, the ball was tipped around the post for a corner as Ameyaw made a great diving finger tip save to keep it at 0-0.
Further efforts from Attwood (2) and Treleaven were either saved or went inches wide before a quick break saw the Trams take the lead when the Crows lost the ball in the midfield area with the majority of their players in the attacking third. The Croydon player outpaced the Crows down the left before getting to the bye line and crossing for the unmarked Chin to put in to the net at the back post.
With little time remaining the Crows had a couple of efforts, both either saved or missed by Treleaven and with time rapidly disappearing, the play became a bit disjointed from both teams. Mott, for Croydon, picked up a yellow card in the 90th minute for booting the ball away after a free kick was awarded to the Crows.
In the 90+4th minute the referee blew the final whistle, the Trams quite rightly celebrating their win whilst the Crows huddled together in the centre circle contemplating the lost opportunity of getting three valuable points.
The Crows now move on to play away against the other Croydon, AFC Croydon Athletic FC, on Saturday and may be a change of venue and a desire to keep our unbeaten away record intact will spur the players to once again strive to get the three points and maintain the title challenge.