A weapon in the armoury for the Blues this season has been their potency from set pieces, with quality deliveries met by good movement and, on occasion, decent finishing to round off the mix.
The Boxing Day Paul Huntington header from a Taylor Charters delivery was the eighth time this campaign that the Blues have netted from a corner routine, with this one all about the flight of the ball and the movement of the player.
“The fact that the players practice it as well, it matters to them,” manager Paul Simpson commented. “It doesn’t just happen, they work at it, both the delivery and the runs, and it was a great header from Hunts.
“He wheeled off round the far post and Taylor picked him out. There were a few other chances from corners and free kicks as well, which could have brought more for us, but that’s me being picky. Let’s save them for another day.
“Putting that one beyond the keeper wasn’t a ploy, because I think he’s a good keeper. It’s always about getting the delivery right and getting players to make runs.
“There are areas of the goals that each of the players has to hit, and Hunts was on the far post for that one. He made sure he peeled into it, and he managed to get on the end of it.
“We had other opportunities from set pieces which I also think we could have made more of, because the deliveries from Taylor and Mox were very good. We looked really organised from set plays at both ends, and that’s half the chance of getting promotion if we keep it up.
“We want to use them to get as many goals at one end, and keep them out at the other, and we won’t be too far away if we achieve that. Set pieces at every level are really that important.”
“We’ve scored a few from them because we’ve got people who can deliver it,” he continued. “If you’ve got the right delivery, and a bit of desire to go and get on the end of things, you’ve got half a chance.
“I think over recent weeks we’ve been a little bit disappointed with how we’ve defended set plays, and it’s a massive part of the game. Even at international level.
“A huge proportion of first goals or match winning goals are scored from set plays, and it’s important that you get it right. Thankfully we’ve got the good deliverers and we’ve got a bit of organisation where people are prepared to get on the end of it.”