Moore - 7 - did very well, commanded his area perfectly which meant the defence could sit a little bit higher. Kicking was decent on the whole, let’s hope this is his standard.
Dabo - 6 - seemed to really struggle in the first half, but much improved in the second half. Still doesn’t look 100% fit and seemed to make an indication that his muscle was tight towards the 80th minute.
McFadzean - 7 - think there’s a bit of recency bias going on, because he also didn’t cover himself in glory in the first half with a horrendous misplaced pass and getting beat for pace on numerous occasions. Improved immeasurably in the second half and, of course, got the winner.
Hyam - 6 - rotten first half, and clear indication as to why we need a LCB. Passing and positioning both off, but saw an improvement in the second half when he moved to RCB.
Dacosta - 5 - I like the guy, but he’s like an untrained puppy. Runs all over the shop and far too enthusiastic, which severely hampered our shape. Looked ok when on the ball but don’t really want to see him more than 10 times this season.
Sheaf - 6 - first half he was weak, as was the rest of the team. Sloppy at times in possession. Started to get into the game in the second half and showed his passing range. Unlucky not to score.
Hamer - 6 - needs to work on his composure and ball retention. Towards the end of the game he was stamping his authority on things which is very much his style, but consistency is missing. Positioning also needs to be better out of possession.
Maatsen - 5 - wasn’t overly impressed with his performance; positionally he seemed an improvement on McCallum (in terms of what you’d expect from a wing back) but too often sloppy with the ball. Will put that down to a lack of cohesion given he’s only been here a week or so.
O’Hare - 8 - usual industrious self, usual erratic decision making, but it worked. Always backs himself and you can see how that lifts the team when it comes off.
Waghorn - 5 - wasn’t really involved at all. Expect he will improve as the team starts to take consistent shape.
Gyokeres - 7 - took up some decent positions, but not great with the ball…aside from slamming it into the net. Looked better than he did last season but still work to do.
Rose - 7 - solid defensive performance, and much better on the ball than what had come before. Starting to look like the defender we saw in the title-winning season.
Jones - 7 - looked like he could work as a LWB. He’s always tended to track back and was a more reliable outlet than Maatsen. Just great to see him back in general, performance was a bonus.
Walker - 7 - occupied their back line in a way Waghorn didn’t and seemed to create more space for Gyokeres and O’Hare to operate in. Beggars belief he isn’t starting considering he was last season’s top scorer.
