Chorley were on top for a good period of the first half, finding their colleagues with ease from their back 3, retaining possession better than us and moving it at pace through the lines. While our front 4 were individually working off the ball, they weren't working together effectively and, as such, Chorley had heads up to find passes while we got rushed by their collective off-the-ball play.
A FK found CMW (marked by Bell) on the diagonal and he laid off on the edge of our box. A cheap and pretty unpressured shot was allowed and it deflected past Hinchliffe.
We were still back in the dressing room and needed to wake up to get our game going. This was a Chorley no better than last season's Chorley - in fact, I thought their midfield was as weak as I've seen it but we all know we've too often played to their strengths and not ours.
On that subject,work had clearly gone in on the training pitch to try retain the ball at GKs rather than to hoof it into their 3 CBs. Our CBs would split wide and stay deep looking to get it to feet but Chorley pressed and we couldn't play these balls.
So when Hinchliffe kept having to go long, we really needed to regroup before he kicked! Instead, with us in a horrible defensive shape should we lose the ball, it would go long into their headers of the ball while we were still coming out from our 18 yard line, split open! It took just a header from them to put us in trouble.
I think it was Bell who got a shot off which was spilled badly by their 'keeper (poor game from him) and Rodney followed in the bouncing ball but could only hit the advancing GK.
So.. let's get to something truly special. The equaliser was an incredible team goal at any level of the game. Quite against how we had performed overall, we decided to get the ball down and play at pace. We moved it, and we moved, pretty majestically across the pitch. Suddenly we looked divisions higher than we are and Chorley had no answer. The ball was ultimately squared for a simple finish 2 yards out. We are capable of the sublime and this was just that.
We reverted a little to how we had started and Chorley should have done better from the unopposed shots they were afforded in our box. However, a brilliant and explosive bit of work from Rodney drew a foul (nearing on a potential penalty decision). Tom Walker hit it hard but straight at the 'keeper. Arthur, just as Turnbull had just encouraged the players to do before the kick was taken, was following up for a spill. He slid in and tucked home his first league goal.
Bell got his 2nd of the game after collecting miles away from the Chorley net. He had a little stumble and it looked like he might have missed the chance to run their defender but he didn't give up and brought it back under his control. The subsequent run into the box and finish was superb.
Tom Walker flitted between the player I like (quick, simple and effective play) and the one I don't (over-indulgent nothingness) but he sure gave it a crack for the 4th goal. In acres of space outside the box, he kept good control on it.
Chorley's consolation came in added time when, not for the first time this season, we were asleep for a short corner.
Overall, JG kept a brave shape leaving 2CBs against 2 strikers rather than dropping Keane in and matching shape. While we didn't play well for long periods, we dug deep, worked hard and showed good character to get through difficult moments. Arthur to Bell, there's good prospects for growth in this side and we again saw impact from the subs bench showing a big difference to how things used to be not too long ago when we got nothing from subs. As ever, much more can come from the collective but to be where we are in the league is praiseworthy. Well done, chaps!
