The Super Reds travel to Stevenage on Saturday for the second ever meeting between the two clubs in this playoff six pointer.
News from Oakwell is that McCart will miss this one so I will do my line-up based on him being injured and will assume Connell is fit.
First of all this is the team that I think Collins will select:
Roberts
Williams, de Gevigney, Shepherd
Cotter, Phillips, Connell, Kane, Cadden
Cole, McAtee
Given what I have seen over the last few games my team would be slightly different with a slight tweak in formation as well:
Roberts
de Gevigney, Lopata, Shepherd
Williams, Kane, Connell, Cadden
Styles
Cole, McAtee
Stevenage are a physical team and I think we need our most physical defenders in the back three. Williams should play right wing back as he offers much more than O’Keeffe and Cotter. I would also bring Cadden back in at left wing back. The front two pick themselves at the minute.
In midfield I would go slightly different given what I’ve seen the last few games. Connell is our best player so must play in his preferred role but I also think Kane plays better in that deeper role too. He was much better there against Carlisle and the best he has played all season was in the first game of the season against Port Vale. So I would play Kane and Connell as a midfield two with Styles in the number ten behind the two strikers. It had mixed success earlier in the season and if it doesn’t work then you can change back to that double pivot during the game. I do think that if Collins can get this system to work then it has everyone playing where they are better suited. For me, the problems earlier in the season when it didn’t work was due to Russell playing instead of Connell. Connell, if fit, bring an all new dimension to it and I believe it would bring the best out of the players we have.
COYR
