Shay McCartan's brilliant free kick

At the start of the season he was injured and, along with Ismael, Patrick and Paudie, sat at a table in the NW corner signing autographs for the kids before the first home game.

Said to him he’d have a part to play for us and would love to see one of his screamers again! Nice to see him score that belter off the bench. I seem to remember him scoring an important goal off the bench at home too? Exeter was it? Think we won 2-1?

He’s a good player at this level and hope to see more of him if he stays fit.

 

Shay is also a good example of a player returning and contributing having been previously out of favour.

When on loan at Lincoln he said at the time he was happy to stay there - Just as Doyle has said RE Swindon. Truth is, all players would say the same in their positions in teams in contention at the top. It doesn’t mean they’ll sulk and cause trouble once recalled, no matter what soundbites they give out on loan.

Shay has been unlucky with injuries but nobody can knock his effort when he’s played. Be the same with Doyle.

 

Agree McCarten has potential but he must be
consistent and own the shirt.At this level he
Should stand out and be a source for goals
from set pieces and shots from around the box.

 

Don't understand why he doesn't start and have Connolly out wide. Connolly much more effective on the wing and McCartan in his usual position with a good set piece in his locker surely would make us more of a goal threat going forward? Don't get Bowyer's reluctance to play players in their correct positions?

 

I thought McCarten made a real difference when he came on against Swindon. He played the attacking midfielder/second striker really well, got close to Vaughan and had one really good flick on header to send Vaughan through, showed some good touches and moved the ball quickly at times. To top it off he scored a great free kick and got us a point.

If we want to persist with one out and out striker in a 433/4231 then it would make sense to start him as he offers much more support to Vaughan and more attacking intent than the starting midfield 3 on Saturday.

 

Swindon game was his best out of the 3 appearances even without the goal, made a few decent runs and glad to see him get inbetween the defence and midfield where i feel he can do the most damage to the opposition, against Mansfield and Morecambe he looked like he was playing as a cm and even as a holding midfielder at times with him going so deep.
If Doyle was to be recalled it will be interesting to see how much McCartan wants to fight for his place if he stays as he'll probably be back down to 4th choice striker.

 

Better angle of it here

 

Agree with all the posts on this thread. I would like him playing in between midfield and forward line. Sounds like he is improving with minutes on the field. He will be brimming with confidence. Don’t waste that!!

 

So Doyle comes back... Donaldson returns from injury... Vaughan is our top scorer...

I think Shay is going to struggle to get into our side, but I think he needs to become a regular off the bench to say the least.

 

What a difference a free kick makes, in the Morecambe game he was hopeless and fans were happy when he was taken off.
I'm happy he scored and would like to see him get more game time but hes a player who you see the best of in a more attack minded team.

 

Well I will quote what Bowyer has said, each and every player has to show they want to keep their shirt and place in the team. If Shay has come into form then I most certainly want him on the pitch. At this level free kicks are numerous and might well be a happy hunting ground. What I don’t want to see is him sat on the bench whilst our best striker is struggling to score. I think Vaughan has suffered with the system that Bowyer is playing. Most certainly at home we need a more attacking option and Shay may well be the answer.

 

I have never thought of Shay as a striker. To me he's an attacking mid or a number 10.

 

lets not pretend that shay has not been disappointing since he's been with us. Credit where it'd due, was a great free kick, but he has found it difficult for the most part.

 

He has, but he struggled for fitness and couldn't make the step up to League One.

He had a good year out on loan at Lincoln in League Two and showed that his form for Accrington wasn't a fluke - he's a good League Two player.

Injuries haven't helped him this year and he's struggled to get a consistent run in the side, but he can be an asset for us at this level. Especially when we win so many set pieces. Vaughan is streetwise and Donaldson used to draw so many fouls when charging forward. If we can get Shay on those set pieces it should improve our output. Can he take a good corner? Palmer and Reeves are poor at them IMO.

 

Got to admit the Clinton Morrison clip from Sky is brilliant.

 

Brilliant!

 

That Morrison clip is superb