After the game today, John Trewick spoke to Bulls News and was asked what the thinking was behind the switch to 3-5-2 early in the second half.
"We felt we needed to get more of a hold on Martinez so Andy Williams was brought infield to pick him up and play just off him. We also pushed Trav on a bit and tucked Martyn Giles in a little tighter to make a back three. The change gave us more possession in the centre and allowed us to let Stuart (Fleetwood) come off his marker then turn and run at them with the ball. Stuarts pace is always going to be a problem for defenders and we can use it in a couple of ways. We can sit him on the shoulder of the last defender and try to reach him with balls over the top or by sliding balls through the gaps or alternatively let him fetch the ball then turn and run at them."
I asked John if 3-5-2 was some thing we are likely to see more often. "We have it in our locker as an option and the Gaffer and I have discussed it at length but it will be used when we feel the situation requires it. Part of this game is not letting the opposition know what you are going to do - there is a lot more to preparing for a modern football match than meets the eye. We try to be as thorough as possible and this includes having had Barnet watched today and also watching videos of their recent games. We are adjusting to League football and will, when required, take a cautious approach early in the games. Our approach has worked for two out of the first three games and we will continually look to change and improve our systems. It's all about winning games."
After the game Andy Williams said "I don't think they were as good as we thought they were, they just seemed a very direct side and once we changed our system we found it easier to get the ball down and pass it a bit. In the end we could have had a couple more. Trav had a decent chance but we think he had a friend in the crowd and was trying to get the match ball to them. We're now looking forward to the game at Barnet next Saturday and look at that as an opportunity to earn some more away points."