Team: 1. Mike Moore; 2. Peter Jones; 3. Danny Cheetham. 4. Jake Jacobs; 5.
Lee Rainford; 6. Ryan Hewitt; 7. Mark Jackson; 8. Jeff Whittaker; 9. Chris
Moore; 10. Wayne Broadbent; 11. Gareth Chew; 12. Bev Mayall; 13. Lee Clarke;
14. Matt Taylor (Tea Bag); 15. Leland Mayall.

Quote: "......and what are you going to do for an encore.........set fire to
a hospital?" [Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson in 'Bottom']

Report: Sometimes you get what you deserve, sometimes you don't.  On this
occasion, Diggle got a win that no one on the Diggle touchline thought their
side deserved.

As our quote this week suggests, some of Diggle's antics in this match did
make you wonder what they were going to do next to cap their display.

I guess that no side plays well every week, and that sides at our level are
entitled to an off day, because we are geared up to enjoy the game, not
produce mechanical performances week in, week out.  Therefore, this was one
of Diggle's 'off days' - or, at least, we hope so.

Diggle were forced into a raft of team changes from the previous week, but
that doesn't explain this poor showing.  The loss of 4 (yes, four)
recognised left backs also did not help the cause in a very lop-sided
performance.

As early as the second minute of the game Diggle should have been one goal
down as Heywood's Ravenelli-meets-Marcel-Marceau (striker with grey hair and
doesn't seem to talk at all) striker strolled through Diggle's defence, but
the normally deadly striker (compliment, not sarcasm, by the way) managed to
miss with 2 if not 3 attempts on goal from the same movement.  (Well done
Mike Moore in the Diggle goal by the way).

In terms of possession the first half seemed a fairly even affair, but the
lions share of chances on goal clearly went to Heywood. 
This was partly due to some neat play in midfield, releasing runners on
goal; but also due to a ludicrously high defensive line that Diggle seemed
intent on playing.  Such a high line was too much of an invitation to the
Heywood team who took turns in carefully scooping the ball over the Diggle
defence for Heywood players to run on to.

Heywood scored from one of the above-type forays forward (and deservedly
so), but then somehow conspired to miss a further 3 similar chances that
could have put the game totally to bed.   Diggle keeper Mike Moore, again,
took some credit, but the Heywood players should kick themselves for being
so wasteful.

Diggle took their share of territorial control but like drunks at a free
bar, rarely looked in control of their next move.

Not exactly against the run of play, but against the run of chances, Diggle
equalised after 30 minutes with one of their few moments of quality in the
game.  Gareth Chew floated a superb free kick from the halfway line into the
Heywood box where striker Jeff Whittaker had shown good movement to escape
down the side of his marker.  Whittaker controlled the ball deftly, and,
almost in the same movement, flicked the ball into the Heywood net.  Good
goal, very good goal.

As the half was reaching it's climax the Diggle manager showed some
inspirational thinking in swapping the positions of  Wayne Broadbent and
Jake Jacobs - the former pushing wide right, and the latter coming into
middle of midfield.  Within 30 seconds Broadbent had crossed, and Jacobs had
fired home to give Diggle a 2-1 lead.

(The alternative - and probably correct - view of the above is more like
Diggle benefited from about 3 lucky bounces, before the ball found Jacobs
who scuffed his shot into the net, wrong footing the Heywood keeper who
hadn't expected such a jammy shot to beat him).

2-1 at half time.  At half time the players were treated to another critique
from their manager, this time comparing them to a bunch of 14 year olds, who
had spent much of the half complaining about who was failing to do what job
for the team.  Basically, goalkeeper and strikers apart, the whole team had
failed to do a job.  That failure must also go for the Manager by the way -
seeing as it took him 35 minutes to get his defenders to sit 15 yards deeper
to stop being exposed to chipped or punted balls over their heads; and it
took him 30 minutes to tell midfielders to stop taking free kicks from their
own half when defenders could just as good a job in terms of aimlessly
lumping the ball down defenders throats.

Second half and Diggle emerged, galvanised and ready to show their Manager
(and quite a large Diggle crowd) that they could do better.  And, they
lasted.......about 90 seconds before giving away a penalty and letting
Heywood equalise. Poor defending, rather than wonderful attacking play.

For the remainder of the half Diggle, probably, held most of the ball and
territory.  However, apart from the odd flash now and then, they rarely
looked like scoring. In fairness, Diggle kept Heywood at bay for the
majority of the second period and there were no further one-on-one
situations for the away side.

Diggle threw on their 3 subs to try and squeeze out a barely, if at all,
deserved win. 

Ironically, the winner came through Heywood adopting the same bizarre high
line defending that Diggle had shown in the first half. The Heywood defence
was caught on the halfway line, and Diggle sub Lee Clarke was released with
a low pass through the centre of the field.  Clarke got to the edge of the
Heywood box, the Heywood keeper half saved the ball, but the ball squirmed
to the right to find Diggle's Jake Jacobs who had made up half the length of
the field to support Clarke.  Jacobs coolly ran the ball into the Heywood
net before running off to celebrate.

Neither team could believe the goal, mainly because neither side looked like
scoring by that late stage of the game

Heywood mounted a final rally, and they were denied an equaliser in injury
time when Wayne Broadbent was forced to clear the ball off the Diggle line.
The referee - excellent throughout - seemed to play an age of injury time,
but he eventually blew up and Diggle had won.

Heywood couldn't believe their luck.  It was hard on them, as they had
played well through the whole 90 minutes.  Despite their lowly league
position, Heywood played with enthusiasm, were lively, passed it well and
looked committed in the tackle.  Whilst this is not the Heywood side of the
previous few years, it seems doubtful that they will stay at the foot of the
table for long.

Diggle were a shadow of themselves.  Their attitude was poor; their
defensive organisation bizarre; lack of energy was all too clear; lack of
leadership on the field, all too clear by its absence.  Far too many players
were not at the races, so to speak.  Moore in goals played well and Jacobs
(without playing particularly well by his standards) showed the most energy
and desire on the field.

It seemed that skill and judgment deserted a lot of players in this match.

The Manager, for some of the reasons given above, was no bloody better
either - slow to react, unable to address the low standards that some
players think pass for acceptable, and far too tolerant of certain players
wanting to do what they want to do on the field.

On and off the field, we must do better.