Match Reports 2002/03
Read about how the teams did in the wekends games, written
be either a player or manager from the team
Stonewall (0) 2 - 1 (0)
Wraysbury
6th November 2004, Premier
Division
We played this lot 2 weeks ago after 120 minutes of football
in the
rain and losing on penalties.. we also conceded a game
to them after
not having enough players one week, so this is a game
we didn't want to
lose... and we didn't !!
The first team merry-go-round continued, players from
last week
missing, those not available last week coming back in..
The only ever present this season Eric had a quiet game
- they didn't
offer too much in attack but when they did Eric was equal
to it,
pulling of one excellent save in the 2nd half.
We matched Wraysbury in the first half, something we haven't
done to
many teams in the first half of a lot of matches this
season.. we had a
good shape throughout the team, the back 4 were tight
and they didn't
really break through.
Just a note to stop the rest of the team from having a
heart attack...
if your going to appeal for offside (and please do) but
don't just stop
with your hand raised hoping the linesman agrees.. even
if your right
you know that the officials aren't always on tip top form...
!
One thing we did lack and have been historically bad at
is
communication throughout the team. We can make our game
a lot easier by
talking to one another, telling your team mates they have
time, or a
man on etc... lets give it a go..
Lance and Rowland dominated in the air at the back, one
clumsy
challenge from Rowland got him booked. JC was filling
in at right back
and had a solid game and Michael Kearney was back on form,
knocking
Wraybury players all over the place.
George and Andy took the wings, both good going forward
and involved
themselves a lot. George had a quiet game by his standards..until
midway though the 2nd half..come to that later...
Darren was with me in the centre... I know the boy wasn't
very well all
week but despite that had a very good game even taking
in the "Taxi for
Lewis" moment of the game :-)
Up front Paul Baker returned to add some guile to the
attack and the
blond bomb-site Rune was with him, working hard as always.
Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half...
we had most of
the pressure though.
2nd half
Gavin and Doug came on early in the 2nd half for Paul
and Rune - George
and Dougie were now up front..
a lack of concentration let them in, their striker was
able to get 3/4
yards of space on the edge of our box - criminal ! - he
played it out
wide and a low cross across the six yard box was tapped
in !
Our response was immediate - and so good to see, almost
from the kick
off we forced our way into their box, their keeper smothered
a shot
from George but the follow up fell to Dougie who finished
well with the
keeper down and a player on the line.
Our winning goal was a peach !!! We worked the ball really
well down
the right hand side, George putting in a perfect cross
from right to
left and there was Dougie, 10 yards out a volley, sweet
as you like
into the bottom right - cue mad celebrations.
Wraysbury had little else to offer after this, we were
pretty
comfortable and had quite a few efforts on goal, which
is very
encouraging !
So 2nd win of the season... lets hope this is the start
of something
good..
Well done boys !!
Team,
Eric, John, Lance, Rowland, Michael, Jorge, Andy, Marc,
Darren, Paul,
Rune - Subs - Doug, Gavin, David
Stonewall Scorer - Doug Edwards - 2
Technicolour (0) 2 - Stonewall 1st's (3) 4
Saturday 25th March 2003
Premier Cup Semi Final
We went into this game in a confident mood. We have turned
in some good performances recently and we wanted to continue
that - and we did.
The pitch was flat - but not much grass to be seen and
it was pretty hard too. We struggled to cope with the
bounce all afternoon.
Saying that, we never looked like being beaten and we
attacked from the off. Iain and Vinny upfront had the
beating of their defence. Although they were very good
in the air at the back.
Midway throught the half Lance got a nasty injury and
the horse had to be replaced. Kim coming on at left wing.
Shaun moving into the middle with Me and Neil switching
to centre half.
In 10 minutes we effectivly won the game with three goals.
The first a shot from Iain from the edge of the box, which
the keeper let in under his body. The second another goal
from Iain came from a long Neil clearance and Iain again
finished well from the edge of the box.
Our third was a sweet move. Shaun winning the ball ( i
know !!!!!!) laying on to Vinny, and he played it into
my path and i hit it low to the keepers right hand side.
We were in control and it stayed like that till half time.
We kept the same team for the second half and continued
the pressure. They got in behind a few times but failed
to hit the target. The goal that gave them some hope came
from a defensive error when we failed to clear the ball
and the striker squared it and his team mate banged it
home.
We then had 10mins of pressure to cope with. Which we
did. Neil doing really well in the air at the back. And
usual suspects Audley, Mike and John battled hard. John
C took a knock on the head which he said would affect
his chances of pulling that evening....that coupled with..no,
im going to be nice.
We had plenty of chances to kill the game, lots of long
shots, Neil hit the bar with a header and Iain had one
cleared off the line. We finally killed the game off when
Clint was brought down in the penalty area. Iain stepped
up and completed his first hatrick of the season. About
time too dad ! John P came on for the last few minutes.
There was still time for them to pull one back when Eric
came and then didn't for a cross - it came off somone
and went in....im not sure who !
It was a good performance. and our third win in a row
lets keep it up !
Details of the cup final will be announced shortly, we
hope for a good turn out from the rest of the club.
Team,
Eric, John C, Lance, Audley, Mike, Clint, Neil, Shaun,
Marc, Iain, Vnny - Kim, John P
Scorers -
Iain Drain - 3
Marc Short -1
Stonewall (0) 4 - Broadfields 1 (0) - by Marc
Short
Saturday 1st March
The Alec Smith Premier Division Cup Quarter Final
We had almost all players available for this game. We
had played Broadfields
2 weeks previous and they had come from 2 goals behind
to beat us 4-2 that
day. We weren't going to let that happen again.
They are a very physical side but we matched them man
for man. Both sides
had chances in the first half on a pitch that was pretty
good ! We tried to move
the ball out to the wings when we could.
In the middle Neil and Andy got stuck in, put in challenges
whenever they
could.
Tony and Lance were playing together at centre half. Little
got by them. John
C was really solid again, and probably turned in his best
performance of the
season.
Clint had to contend with their right winger, and although
outdone for pace,
Clint let him know he was there with a couple of tough
tackles.
We were playing some nice football, our use of the ball
perhaps wasn't all that
smart, the first ball is often the best ball !!
Eric made one blinding save to keep the scores level.
At 0-0 we put together one very good move, It was worked
down left hand
side between Shaun and John, they played into the middle
for Andy. He
pushed it out wide to me. a cross field ball from me got
to Iain and his drive
into the box caused panic and he was hauled down.
Vinny stepped up to take the penalty but put it just over
!
Broadfields scored soon after as we failed to clear our
lines their striker
couldnt miss from 3 yards.
Just before half time a long ball found one of their players
and he was one-
on-one with Eric...he saved with his feet - the game could
have been a lot
different had that gone in.
Half time 0-1
We came out with a real determination. Apart from avoiding
relegation,
winning this Cup was the only other thing we could achieve
this season.
Rowland coming on for Clint was our only change.
Tony had to be replace by Mike B after picking up a knock.
And we shufffled
the defence around to accomodate Mikey.
After only 10 minutes second half we were level. Lance
played a great ball
over the top into my path I was in tons of space. I had
to take it on 15 yards or so before slotting past the
keeper.
Goals 2 and 3 followed shortly after. Myslef, Neil and
Andy worked the ball to
Vinny who finished well.
Vinny also got the third with a great finish from outside
the box that flew over
the keepers head.
Broadfields then had a mad 5 mins when 2 of their players
got send off. 1 for
bringing down Vinny when he was through on goal, the other
for swearing at
the ref (i think)
After that there was no really way they could get back
into the game. We had
a couple of chance to score but we had stepped down a
gear. Although our
concentration was maintained. Kim came on for the last
15 minutes for Andy
W and as he did last week caused problems.
Late on in the game, my throw found Neil, who flicked
in onto Vinny, he in
turned played it to Iain and he placed the ball in the
bottom left. His first goal
outside Sydney this season !
It was a very good all round performance. We have Technicolour
in the next
round (15th March) and a real good chance of getting to
the final.
We still have a league game to focus on first though !
Shorty
Team, Eric, Clint, Lance, Tony, Shaun, Andy, Neil, Marc,
Iain, Vinny - Subs,
Mike, Kim, Roland
Scoreres
Marc Short -1
Vinny Fyfield - 2
Iain Drain - 1
Stonewall (0) 0 Willesden (0) 2 - by Marc Short
Saturday 22nd February 2003
League game
This was our first game at Greenford since well before
Sydney - the
pitch looked OK but soon started to churn up.
Willeseden were in 2nd place going into this game, having
won 8 games
in a row and scoring a hat full of goals, but they will
have been
delighted with the 3 points, when we probably had the
better chances
and matched them all the way.
We had players missing again through injury. Kim and John
Payne played
on each wing and both did very well, Kim caused all sorts
of problems
in the first half. JP beat the left back on numerous occasions
too.
Neil and I were playing in centre midfield together, we
had a job
containing the number 8 and the big number 10. But we
did it.
Our back four gave probably their best performance of
the season.
We had 5/6 clear chances to score in the first half, in
the first 5
minutes even. I was guilty of a howler. But we kept at
them and they
were limited to very few chances, Eric did pull off one
blinding save
and noticeably commanded his area very well. Our full
backs John C and
Clint played simple football - what we needed. Good tackles
and giving
the ball early. Lance and Roland were doing the simple
things too,
clearing that ball.
It was 0-0 at half time but we knew we should have been
up. There was
frustration in the dressing room, but it's tough down
the bottom, and
its understandable. Football is a highly charged game.
No changes at half time and we continued to create chances.
We went 1-0 half way through the half. The striker had
got round the
back of Clint and he was brought down, there were few
complaints from
our team. Eric was given no chance with the pen.
There have been times this season when this would have
been the start
of a collapse. But we responded really well. We pushed
forward more,
Neil now pushing further up front to join Iain and Vinny
(Vinny with a
Y apparently !!)
Audley came on for Kim and carried on where he left off.
Causing
problems up the left. You would never guess Audley is
42 would you ?
We picked Willesden apart on several occasions. But failed
to find the
net. (im not going to go into who missed what - not important
now)
With around 10 minutes to we made a mistake at the back.
JC couldn't
get the ball away and their striker got hold of the ball
again the
finish gave Eric little chance.
Even at this point we were still beating Willesden to
the ball. It was
great to see.
One of of best performances of the season will explain
why we were so
disappointed after. But lets takes the good out the game.
Shorty
Team; Eric, John C, Lance, Roland, Clint, John P, Marc,
Neil, Kim,
Iain, Vinny - Sub Audley
League Game Saturday 15th February - By Marc
Short
Broadfields (1)4 Stonewall FC (2) 2
Broadfields 4 - 2 Stonewall FC 2 Saturday 15th February
2003 League Report - I'm writing report and it's still
painful to think about it. We were the better footballing
team and being 2-0 and one stage we should have won this
game. We were almost at full strength, with only Shaun
missing with a bad neck.
We started off really well. Our passing was was excellent.
We got challenges in and they didn't like it. Fighting
amongst each other and fouling us far too often for the
ref's liking. We 1-0 with a cracker of a goal. Some good
work to win the ball in midfield, Iain got hold of the
ball and hit a 30(ish) yard pass over their defence and
right into Tony Mcleod's path. He hit it first time (
i know !!!) and it flew in. We were well on top. Lance
has a chance to score but just failed to connect from
a few yards out. We were caught offside at least a half
dozen times - it saved their sluggish defence. We failed
to really feed off Neil winning the balls in the air.
We were 2-0 with 10 mins to go. Vinnie was fouled outside
the right hand side of their box. I took the free kick
and Rowland got his head to it. With 10 mins till half
time we should have held out. But they got a goal back.
Their big forward got the ball and wasn't really closed
down, He hit it well and caught Deano off his line. It
looked good, but not sure how much of it he meant. Half
time - 2-0 No changes and more of the same. We needed
the next goal. We didn't get it. They switched to 5 in
midfield and we were being overrun - the first 10 mins
of the second half we were still on top. And then it all
went wrong. Another long range effort again found Dean
off his line. 2-2 Andy W had come on for Tony mainly because
Tony wasn't getting much service on the wing. Our clearances
always seemed to fall to one of their players. One of
their last two goals was a real thumper than Dean had
no chance with. I forget the other one. We were failing
to win the 50/50 balls as we did in the first half. Tony
Roberts replaced Clint for the last 15 mins. We had only
1 chance in the second half where Neil headed just over.
A win would have moved us up 4 places including going
above Broadfields. We have to play them for the next 2
weeks.
We know what's coming to us now.
Lets turn it round next week boys!
Shorty
Team, Dean, Clint, Lance, Mike, Rowland, Tony M, Iain,
Marc, John, Vinnie, Neil - Subs Andy, Tony R
Stonewall Scorer's
Rowland Curtis - 1 Tony McLeod - 1
Cup Match Saturday
8th February 2003 by Shaun Daly
Stonewall (0)0 Hanworth Villa (2) 4
This match was played at Hanworth's ground, due to our
pitch still not being playable, and Hanworth choosing
not to play us on Astro-turf. In the end a good decision
for them, as their heavy, boggy, bumpy pitch suited their
physical, fast and aggressive game. That said, on a different
surface the outcome may have been the same!
We started the match with optimism that we could better
the 9-2 defeat at the beginning of the season, though
came under a lot of early pressure that we struggled to
adjust to.
Hanworth attacked with real pace, and won most 50-50's
to ensure that there were plenty of early chances. The
centre forward had superb close control, the ability to
turn defenders and shoot accurately and fiercely, and
left you wondering what he would be like if he was a bit
fitter!
We succumbed fairly early in the game, a mix-up through
the middle and a possible lack of communication resulting
in a fairly farcical own goal, the first of the afternoon's
two.
The first quarter of the match was really about us coming
to terms with a stronger and better outfit, which took
a while and a few tense exchanges, and even though we've
covered this it will just do us well to remember that
we are on the same side and that there are ways of communicating
that work and motivate, and those that don't! End.
As ever though we looked capable of scoring, with one
particular attack ending in an excellent angled volley
(first time) from two-touch Tony (Janet) that their keeper
got down low to turn away. Janet was pretty upset at the
missed opportunity, he was hoping that the keeper would
go down later......
Unfortunately for us however they scored a second mid-way
through just as we were getting organised, this time a
clever run through onto the corner of the box leaving
Dean in no-man's land as he came out and had the ball
slotted past him.
At 2-0 down we started to get to grips with them, keeping
some shape and breaking up more of the attacks, Lance
firmly winning most of the aerial bombardments and Mike
B getting the ball forward down the left enabling Neil
to start to get the better of their centre back.
Some good Stonewall pressure resulted in some excellent
chances, with Iain doing all the hard work getting through
a packed box and round the keeper, only to take the ball
one step too far and over the line, and Roland mis-hitting
an opportunity from a corner.
So, half-time, 2-0 down but with opportunities to have
something more out if it.
In the second half we performed a little better, with
more of the play but unfortunately not the opportunities
in front of goal. Hanworth are well organised, are very
strong and don't make many mistakes. Thus their defence
were able to set up attack after attack, and they had
plenty of options coming forward. All the same we were
undone from a quick free kick which caught us napping
and left the big centre forward an easy finish, and then
another (this time more unfortunate but still Francis
Benali like) own goal, with Roland heading low past Dean.
He did well to beat the forward to it.
4-0 then the final score, and a few lessons to learn from
a team accomplished at this level, but certainly not any
cause for doom and gloom.
We are the only team to put 2 past them this season, and
could easily have done so again and 3 of our goals can
be considered sloppy.
Thus we are not that far apart, we can be sharper, more
aggressive and stronger, definitely fitter (they train
twice a week),and more confident.
So on to Broadfield, a team we have to play for the next
3 weeks, lets take the positives from this match, eliminate
the mistakes, improve the communication, work on our fitness,
clearances and finishing, and get the points that we need
to stay where we've worked so hard to get!
Team;
Dean, Mike B, Roland, Lance, Clint, John C, Shaun, Marc
(Audley), Tony Mc,
Match
Reports - Team 2
back to top
2nd XI 2 -1 Hounslow Wanderers (Cup
QtrF)
15th March, 2003
Hounslow Wanderers 1
-2 Stonewall Res
Difficult opposition. Difficult conditions. Difficult
pitch. With rib
injuries (Dean) and Lloyd?s foot the size and shape of
Janet?s jewellery
case (and we all know how big that is!) we had a stark
reminder of the pain
and impact of injury (do you like the literary reference
Peter?). Deano
pulled off a match winning save with a handful of minutes
to go, nursing a
handful of broken ribs, and clearly playing in pain. He
says he wants to
play in the semi-final next week and that is a great reflection
of the team
spirit we have.
The mood of the team was upbeat and why shouldn?t it be?
However, it was a
little while ago, since we beat Hounslow 3-0, when we
truly played fluently.
As it was we were back on the narrowest pitch we have
played on this season
and the wind made conditions none too easy. Dennis won
the toss (have a nice
time in New York dearie ? I hope we have the chance for
you to play in a
game where the prize is lifting a cup on your return)
and we opted to play
with the wind.
It was a start where we had most of the control, such
as there was any, but
the ball was being over and under hit and it was difficult
to string passes
together. I recall Mavis hit the post straight from an
excellent corner and
that was the highlight of the first 20 minutes of play.
Steve Colgan was
winning lots of balls in the air and his long throws put
the Hounslow on the
defensive. From one such throw Peter Stark neatly back-headed
the ball
towards goal but the keeper took it. In fact I thought
Peter?s heading good
and Tony Mac?s work rate also impressive on Saturday.
It was the gruesome
twosome who combined effectively for our first goal after
25minutes. Peter
Stark running onto a through ball into the penalty area
shot and forced a
save. Tony Mac following up rammed the ball home. There
was some claim for
off-side from the Hounslow defense but the referee gave
the goal.
We remained pretty much on top for the rest of the half.
Steve Colgan was
replaced by Lloyd at half time and took a well-earned
rest. We were not
ready for Hounslow when they came out of the traps at
us in the second half
that is for sure. Deano made two excellent shot stopping
saves a couple of
minutes into the half as we struggled to realize that
the game had
restarted. It was poor defending thereafter, when the
ball was back-heeled
in our penalty area and not cleared, that led to the corner
and then a well
headed goal by the Hounslow No.10. Yep! We should have
picked up the man who
scored but the corner should never have been conceded
in the first place.
1-1. Game On.
Hounslow then rallied and put on some pressure but they
did not sustain the
challenge. The game returned into the stalemate contest
that it had been
before half time. I withdrew Larry and brought Finney
into play with the
idea of getting more width into the game! (take that as
you will). We had a
few shots on goal but not enough to trouble Hounslow ?
a couple of wasted
free kicks and corners for which their keeper didn?t even
have to move. (I
think some free kick practice on Thursdays wouldn?t go
a miss lads).
I wanted to get Louis onto the pitch but knew that (a)
he was the last sub
and (b) we might face extra time. I decided to make the
change and George,
in his first game since returning from Brazil, made way
for his countryman.
Louis was industrious, as much as he could be, the ball
spent little time in
mid-field and tended to go over it.
It was a cold but clear day but we couldn?t see our way
to securing the
clinching goal. At fulltime a quick turnaround was called
for. Hounslow
troubled us far more on the first occasion we played them
and I knew that
their team was a weaker side. We should have been ahead
but were not.
Seven minutes into extra time Darren Lewis found himself
in the Hounslow
half. He was so forward he needed an oxygen mask (well
at least Janet?s face
pack!) as the ball reached him from a clearance he volleyed
a return that
Pat Cash would have been proud of and the ball, from a
full 35 yards, dipped
over the keeper and into the Hounslow net. Great celebrations
from Stonewall
and I was confident we would keep the clean sheet.
Hounslow didn?t change their formation. They kept a 4:4:2.
I watched and
waited for the change. At half time ? still 2-1 to us;
still a 4:4:2 line
up. I was comfortable with that ? we had, apart from the
10-minute
onslaught, managed to defend against them really well.
Occasionally, Deano
had to race out of his 6 yard box to act as sweeper but
had done so well.
Toward the end of the first period of extra time Deano
raced out and was
caught badly by the attacker. Two broken ribs were sustained.
We didn?t know
it at the time. I saw Deano hunching over his shoulder
and realized
something wasn?t quite right. We then had the screaming
Banshee that was
Lloyd Murphy.
Lloyd, in his second game since returning from injury,
had impressed. He
attacked the ball in the manner of Steve Colgan before
him and was one of
the reasons why we were in the lead. In a tackle in our
own penalty area he
went down and stayed down and once the referee had stopped
play (and he did
have a good game I thought) it was clear that Lloyd was
seriously hurt. The
screams, which resulted in a security alert at Heathrow
Airport, put the
wind up the lot of us. It was the ankle, or what remained
of it, that looked
bad. An ambulance was called and Lloyd was carried off.
The game recommenced
but I think it was fair to say there was little more than
the final whistle
to come.
All except the final sting. Hounslow in almost the final
play of the game
attacked and forced a save out of Dean that was ?top-drawer?.
It was low to
his right and he had to dive quickly. He did and the ball
stayed out of the
net. With two sore ribs it must have hurt a bit too. Excellent.
The final whistle. Ambulances. Rushed subs being collected.
There was hardly
enough time to collect our thoughts and realize that we
were in the
semi-final.
It is next week. It is against Haze. It is certainly the
biggest domestic
game I have been involved in since I joined the club.
It is certainly a
season of incident.
If someone, in September 2001, would have turned to me
and pointed out that
all the splits in the 2nd team would be worth it because
you?ll have one
hell of a tournament in Sydney, one hell of a league season
in 2002 and
2003, one hell of a cup run in 2003 and, most importantly,
one hell of a
bunch of players and friends to meet with regularly on
a Saturday afternoon
would I have taken it? What do you think?
That?s were we are and we have a Semi-Final on Saturday.
You don?t have to
win lads but it is rather special when it happens. The
fourths, who took
their first league win of the season on Sunday, will tell
you that. Let?s
hope we can all tell the sponsors that two Stonewall teams
are playing in
cup finals this season. One is a great achievement two
would be excellent.
Onwards and Upwards.
A big thanks to Connie (Florrie) Nightingale (Peter Stark?s
partner) who
rallied marvellously when Lloyd was injured. Even Lloyd,
with painkiller
flooding through his veins, had to laugh when in response
to the paramedic?s
question ?Lloyd are you allergic to anything?? Connie
replied, ?Yes ?
Polyester!? She had obviously not seen his wardrobe.
Team: Dean S, Lawrence C(*), Darren L, Dennis H, Aslie
P, John E, Raphael L,
Steve C(*), Tony Mc(1), Peter S, George dS(*)
Wishing Well 2 – 4 Stonewall Res (Div
3 Cup)
In a good game of football, played in a decent spirit
and refereed pretty
fairly, Stonewall came though a good test. We proved we
can and will dig in
when it is needed – coming from behind twice. We
proved we have a squad
where competition for places is increasing. And we proved
we are fitter in
the last 20 minutes of games.
For once the rain fell at the start of the game –
you have to admit we have
been lucky with the weather this season (cue: March floods)
and we were
bound to start better than last week. I was concerned,
from the off, with
how the midfield was coping however. We weren’t winning
enough headers and
Wishing Well were on top. We were loud and lary in quite
a reversal of what
I had expected –knowing how Wishing Well play –
and it was a symptom of the
fact that we were not being allowed to play how we wanted
and Wishing Well
were creating the better chances. They had a series of
corners and Deano was
involved far more than their keeper. Except for an occasional
piece of good
play (I recall an excellent through pass from John Edwards
to Peter Stark)
we were second best in the first half hour. It was no
surprise that Wishing
Well took the lead when they did. From the half-way line
after a loose piece
of play from Stonewall, on 30mins, Wishing Well cut through
on their left
and we were 1-0 down.
They held the lead for 6 minutes only however. Paul Finney,
with an
excellent outside of the right foot volley, from a Larry
pass inside the
penalty area, levelled the scores. It was probably a little
more than we
deserved but a good finish and we rallied. So did Wishing
Well.
It was a harsh decision I thought. The ball was whipped
in to our penalty
area at speed. It hit Dennis’ s knee and bounced
up to his hand. Penalty.
Like Dennis did it deliberately. Wishing Well scored.
It was half-time. It
was 2-1 to the home team and we were playing away.
The referee had got it wrong on the penalty but had generally
a good game.
The linesman from Wishing Well couldn’t get it right
if he tried. He was
more flag twitchy than a naval cadet on parade day. We
were getting
frustrated. However, he got it wrong again when he kept
his flag down after
Larry had played Tony McLeod in. I thought them offside.
Tony ran on to
score. 2-2. Game on.
Peter Stark made way for Louis F upfront and Deano got
himself booked when
contesting a linesman’s decision. We were getting
more and more into the
game and John Payne almost took us into the lead with
a cracking thirty
yarder which the keeper reacted well to.
A word about the defence (Aslie, Darren, Dennis and Alec).
As a unit they
played very well yesterday and although not seemingly
featuring in this
match report their solid performance kept us in the game.
At 2-2 the game could have gone into extra time. I decided
to bolster the
midfield with fresh legs and replaced Paul Finney and
Larry for Steve Colgan
and Lloyd Murphy. Steve and Lloyd got stuck in from the
off and we did win
more ball thereafter. Louis was able to link well with
Tony too and we
continued to break effectively.
We took the lead, for the first time in the game, in unusual
circumstances.
Alex, from one of our rare corners that we won, hit a
beauty into the near
post and the goal-keeper struggled to keep the ball out
– giving us another
corner. I think Alec can claim an assist as John Payne,
from the resulting
corner on the left, curled a cracker into the top far
corner of the goal.
The keeper was standing too near his near post and could
do nothing as the
ball sailed over his head. Excellent. With little over
10 minutes to go we
had gone 3-2 up.
Wishing Well rallied yet again and pressed more players
forward. We conceded
daft free-kicks. Alec was booked for pulling a player
back and more
worringly giving Wishing Well the opportunity to launch
one into the penalty
area. Dennis was booked for a late tackle which looked
worse than it was
but again it gave the opposition the chance for a set
piece play in our
area. This must be cut out. From once such free-kick a
2 minute scramble in
our penalty area nearly gave me heart failure.
So, Wishing Well were putting on the pressure. We were
breaking. That is how
goal number four came along. In our own half Louis received
the ball from
Tony, so the linesman could not rule for offside, Louis
ran onto to goal
with the Wishing Well left back breathing down his neck.
He was one on one
with the keeper and slotted the ball home in one of the
coolest finishes you
would wish to see. Game Over.
Wishing Well are a good side. They were better in defeat
yesterday than on
our previous encounters and generously wished us well
(pun was intended) in
the game against Hounslow. Will we play them again? Well
not this year that
is for sure. Next year? Who knows – the league is
still in our hands.
Team: Dean S, Aslie P, Darren L, Dennis H, Alec R, Paul
F, Larry C, John E,
John P, Peter S, Tony M. Subs: Louis F, Steve C, Lloyd
M.
Saturday 8th Februrary 2003 |
|
North Hayes Accademicals Res 2 -5 Stonewall
Reserves
I guess the measure of a decent side is that results are
generated even if
the side is not playing well. That was what I was hoping
for at half-time in
the game this Saturday. A more convincing performance
in the second half
meant we deserved the win that it said ?on paper? we should
get.
How wrong ?paper predictions? can be! Give credit to North
Hayes. The
opposition came out and played better than us for the
first 15 minutes.
Their centre-forward missed a sitter when he shot wide
in the penalty area ?
completely unmarked ? after ten minutes. When they took
the lead (19mins),
from a spectacular long range shot, it was nothing more
than they deserved.
We were not together and we didn?t look the same team
that had beaten
Hounslow so well but only but a fortnight ago.
Funny that - we weren?t the same team! A number of changes
? mainly forced ?
contributed to our lack-luster start. We still had balance
I thought with
Clive partnering Raph in the middle and John Edwards dropping
to right back,
but we weren?t competing as we needed to, especially in
the air, in
midfield. The frustration felt by everyone in the team
was evident as Dennis
coaxed and cajoled (who said cackle?) players in to giving
more. Well at
least it meant that it wasn?t me shouting for a change!
We had Steve Colgan
playing his 2nd game for the 2nd team too.
As we picked our game up we started to win instead of
concede free kicks
(please note I will be adopting the Optra Index approach
to ?fouls conceded?
by naming and shaming in future). Vinnie, making his debut
for the 2nd team,
won a number of kicks on the right. The second of which,
on 27mins, he
whipped in to the penalty area whereupon John Payne, playing
his best game
for the team for quite some time, half-volleyed the ball
past the Hayes
keeper in a skilful fashion. I don?t think we deserved
to be level but we
were. Ten minutes later we had taken the lead. I had switched
Payney and Kim
just before our first goal (can I claim another assist
? see later?) and it
was Kim who then scored after good work from Vinnie and
Finney on the right.
We were 2-1 in the lead and I was on a promise!
Kim should have increased our lead when 2 minutes before
half-time he found
himself one on one with the keeper who saved. The keeper
made an even better
stop, from the resulting corner, when Vinnie turned and
shot in the penalty
area. So ? 2:1 at half time and we had some talking and
thinking to do.
Straight from the restart we scored. John Payne battled
well down the left
and then threaded an excellent pass through the North
Hayes defense for Mr
Fyfield to run on to. He did so and tucked away the finish.
Excellent. 3-1
was better but it didn?t last too long.
From a needlessly conceded free-kick, on the edge of the
penalty area, the
ball took a deflection from the wall into the path of
an unmarked forward
who didn?t miss this time. Hayes has reduced the deficit
to 1 goal again. It
was an annoying goal to concede.
The referee, for some reason, started to get agitated
as the second half
proceeded and a couple of yellow cards were despatched
to the opposition.
One for a nasty bit of stamping on Raphael and one for
dissent I think. It
was from a free kick that we scored our 4th goal. It was
a quality finish
from Vinnie ? he curled the free lick into the top right
hand corner of the
goal ? and we were back in control.
By now we had started to play better. It wasn?t exactly
flowing football
though we did have a couple of impressive moves. The pitch
was definitely
narrow and not too long (remember the goal keeper kicks!)
but we did pass
the ball better than they. The passing and play continued
as Louis replaced
Kim. Louis played well ? linking with other players particularly
- and
getting stuck in too.
Raphael had a goal disallowed rather harshly and Paul
Finney made way for
Larry in a right midfield like for like swop. This is
where I claim the
assist? in a move starting with Louis on the left, who
tricked his way
through a couple of despairing and diving defenders, and
then fed the ball
wide to the right. Larry met the pass with a thunderous
first time shot (his
first touch) and the ball rocketed past the hapless keeper.
It was simply an
excellent finish.
Rory then replaced Raphael (Achilles injury) and immediately
got involved
into the game with some excellent tackling and passing
down the right side
of the pitch.
The Stonewall goals were all good goals. Top drawer. We
finished strong ?
your fitness was noticeably better than theirs. It might
have been
interesting to see how fit the North Hayes lads would
have been had they
been level or winning with 10 minutes to go but they did
not have that
opportunity.
A good second half performance and one which reflects
the depth of good
players in the squad ? for as I said at the beginning
? we did have one or
two changes in the team this week. Well Done Lads.
P.S. Whilst eating a rather lovely Sunday lunch of Sea
Bass with Green
Lentils, in the company of a stamped upon Frenchman and
his partner, I took
a phone call from Brazil. George wanted to know how you
lot had got on. Like
I bothered him with that detail ? we had other things
to discuss. We are now
5th in the league and visitors to www.mittoo.football.co.uk
might like to
note that Wishing Well?s game didn?t complete when they
played Signcraft on
Saturday. Sounds like a story there! Remember, we still
have the joy of
Wishing Well in the cup to come.
Team: Steve C, John E, Dennis H, Darren L, Aslie P, Paul
F*, Raphael L,
Clive F, Kim F(1), John P(1), Vinnie F(2), Subs: Louis
F, Lawrence C(1),
Rory d?A
3rd XI 0 - 3 Clapton (Cup)
|
|
Sunday March 16th 2003
It was the first match of a gruelling afternoon of football
for the third
team in the cup/league double header against Clapton.
Maybe it was a mixture of different things; first - tactically
i may have
gone wrong from the start; second - too many people had
off games; third -
people did not listen to the team talk before the game
and what i wanted;
fourthly - the run of the ball, and a couple of decisions
went away from us.
Not to take anything away from Clapton, who proved to
be good passers of the
ball as well as good tacklers, but we were the better
side. The scoreline
flattered them. But we also did not do ourselves justice,
and we did not
play the way we have recently. It turned out to be our
heaviest defeat of
the season, and the first time we have not scored since
October.
With two games in mind, I tried to ensure I had good sarting
line-ups for
both matches. Looking back, and hindsight is a wonderful
thing, maybe I
could have played certain positions differently. However,
I do think that
the team I out out in the first match should have won
the game.
Even when the first half finished 1-0 to them - an unlucky
own goal by
Kwokkie trying to clear a cross out and instead flashing
the all passed Ben
- I thought we would win. We played the better football
and saw several
shots get blocked in the first half. It could also have
been very different
if the blatant hand ball on the ground from their player
had been given. It
was clear from out view on the sidelines, but the ref
obviously had his view
obscured. In the second half it seemed that every shot
went directly to the
keeper. Louis, Dan and Martin were all unlcuky - and Martin
had a cracking
volley come off the bar.
We were 2-0 down by then. I know myself from last week
how difficult it is
to referee, and thank you to Jason for doing both matches
for us, but their
forward was a couple of yards offside when he got the
ball nodded to him,
where he then rounded Ben and slotted into an empty net.
I had changed to a back three by then, but it was to no
avail and they were
the ones who scored on the break towards the end.
It was a disappointment to u - as we have set ourselves
high standards over
the last few months. I felt heads went down a few times,
and some people
were quite obviously negative at times during the game
which not only lets
themselves down, but also the team.
It's time to concentrate on the league.
First game team:
Ben P, Dave Rey, Gavin, Michael, Kwokkie, Daryn V, Nigel
C, Musa, Lucas C,
Martin, Louis: subs used: Dan M, Peter N, Rory
3rd XI 2 - 1 Clapton (League) |
|
Sunday 16th March 2003
After the disappointment of the cup match, the squad
lifted themselves and
played very well to win our seventh league match on the
trot.
Tired legs maybe from a few - and their manager changed
8 people - but we
played the better football, created the better chances
- and deservedly won
the league match.
I made several changes from the first game, and our shape
and attitue was
good right from the off. Paul Finney and I both played
and created the
first two clearcut chances. Both were from well delivered
free-kicks from
Finney one onto my foot (which the keeper saved) and one
to my head (which
just cleared the bar). We won everything in the air, and
most of the
football was played in their half. Nigel and Louis worked
well, and our
midfield was solid. In fact an excellent run from Da Miller
for midfield
saw him brought crashing to the floor. I scored the penalty
into the
keeper's right hand corner. 1-0 at half time.
The second half really continued where we left off. Musa
had come on to
play on the left and made some good runs. Martin and Louis
were up front
together and worked well. The defence was tight. However,
they broke
forward and from a cross Rory was judged to have handled
the ball. He had
claims he was pulling away his arm and the ball just hit
him. But their
forward played calmly slotted the penalty to Ben's left.
It is to our credit that we scored within a minute to
restore our lead.
Excellent work from Paul Fin released me down the right.
My first cross
fell to Martin who played the ball back to me. The second
cross just eluded
Louis head. Musa returned the ball. I challeneged with
their keeper, and
the ball fell very nicely to Dan standing three yards
out and he put it in.
Many thanks to Daryn V and Dave R for staying fo the secodn
game and not
getting on - that's why the third team squad is so good
at the moment.
Also thanks to Su and Ilse for their work and support.
We did deserve the scoreline.
So, we now have 27 points with 6 games left. If we win
them all we
defintley finish second - and maybe hope Millbank collapse.
Team:
Ben P, Gavin, Rory, Michael K, Kwokkie, Peter N, Paul
F, Lazza (1), Dan M
(1), Nigel C, Louis: subs used: Musa, Lucas, Martin G
Inter 0 v Wreckers 1 Wreckers 4
v Inter 0 |
|
Sunday 9th March 2003
Seven wins out of seven - six consecutive league wins
- the third team is on
a roll.
Today we played two games due to a build up of cancelled
matches. After
deep negotiations it was decided to play two games of
45 minutes - not to
our satisfaction, but it did not look as if we were going
to do any better.
Also, they were the home team but only turned up with
nine players plus a
ref. It was decided that I would ref, as i had fourteen
other players to
choose from. Again, this was not satisfactory as they
should supply the
ref, and also if they had nine players that was their
fault, but maybe i am
too nice.
Anyway, the first game started well for us. Although they
had ten players
they did battle hard, in particular their central defenders,
the tall guy in
midfield, and the two players up front. But most of the
pressure was ours.
We were creating - and maybe sometimes holding on to the
ball a little too
long. They did break well, and a couple of times we had
to be sharp at the
back. Our attacking play was very good. We had chances.
Martin after
great work from Louis passed the ball past the goalkeeper
only to see a
defender on the line kick away. Martin also created a
great chance himself,
seeing his shot from the right go flashing past the right
upright.
Musa and Lucas were working well in midfield, getting
forward with good
runs, and Nigel too was getting into space. Too many times
our final ball
or shot was too weak. Finally, with about fifteen minutes
to go a cross
came in from the right. It by passed all on the front
post arriving to
Louis on the far post. He controlled it with his chest
and shot towards the
goal. The defender tried to keep it out but it was over
the line. There
was still time for their forward player to break our offside
trap, but from
a good central position he hit the ball straight at Dean,
who was commanding
the whole day.
The first match finished 1-0 to us.
Team: Dean S, Craig C, Michael K, Rory, Kwokkie, Daryn
V, Nigel C, Musa,
Lucas C, Martin, Louis (1) - no subs used.
The second match was again refereed by yours truly. We
started very well,
in fact where we left off. Michael (doing one of his "i've
decided to have
a run up the field" impressions) got on the end of
a ball in the box and the
ball bobbled in. They continued to go forward. I recall
one header that
went over the bar from an excellent cross, and another
shot going wide of
the left hand post from a good position. But we did have
most of the play.
Our positional play however was not pleasing, and we lost
our shape many
times. Against better opposition, and maybe eleven players,
we could have
been found out.
However, it was to be our game - especially for Nigel
C who hit a hattrick.
His first came from good work from Martin hassling their
player off the
ball. Peter reurned the ball across the goal. Nigel made
the shot look
easy into the net - god knows where the keeper had gone
to. Sorry Nigel
cannot remember your second, our the third goal. His hattrick
saw him
bursting through on a good run before burying the ball.
There was still
time for Martin to hit the post, and also have another
effort well saved by
their keeper. Musa made several excellent runs and was
unlucky not to get
on the score sheet, and Peter N was one-on-one with the
keeper at one stage.
Sorry cannot remember all details as i was trying to conterate
on
refereeing.
Everyone played well in boh games - the second won ending
up 4-0.
Team. Dean S, Ben P, Rory, Michael K (1), Dave Rey, Peter
N, Nigel C (3),
Lucas, Musa, Martin, Louis. subs used: Daryn V
many thanks to all of you for turning up, and for the
spirit before, during,
and after the game.
Lazza
xxx
3rd XI 5 - 1 4th XI Match: League |
|
Sunday 2nd March 2003
Another impressive attacking display saw the third team
take their winning
run to five matches, four of which were league games.
This puts us up to
about 4th in the league.
It has to be said that the fourth team fought valiantly
without really
making a clear cut chance. I recall Jim having a shot
from outside the edge
of the area that went wide in the first half, and their
goal came from
confusion at the back with myself flicking the ball on
past Ben for Dave
Stead to volley in from two yards out. Apart from that,
they did hustle and
bustle a lot. Mark looked good for them in midfield, and
Dave Roberts and
Steve Hess cleared a lot at the back. James B for them
kicked well.
But the third team were stronger and our attacking was
very good at times.
It did take a while to break them down. Reduced to only
ten players at the
start, the thirds started with a back three of Craig,
Lazza, and Gavin in
front of ben in goal. Midfield was Daryn, Dan M, Musa,
and Nigel, all of
whom had excellent games, and Martin and Louis ran their
socks of up front.
We had several chances before our first goal. In the end
it was confusion
for them that got us it. A ball came in from the right,
Steve H left it
calling for Mark their keeper, but Louis alert as always
cut in to put the
ball past. 1-0. We relaxed slightly now and the football
flowed. Martin
proved to be the provider, despite having stomach problems
(i am sure i can
come up with a remedy!!). First he passed to Musa who
calmly put in, and
then a couple of minutes later he pushed the ball back
to Nigel who's sweet
shot from outside the area curled into the corner. We
deserved our 3-0
lead. It could have been more on half time when Martin
again unselfishly
passed to myself but my first time shot went wide. It
had been a good team
performance.
The second half was dominated by us. The fourths did battle
hard, and tried
to break through. A couple of defence errors by us nearly
caused trouble,
but Ben was always alert to danger - apart from their
goal which was
probably my fault. The challenges were still fearsome,
as Musa and
Mauritzio would agree with after one crunching 50-50.
We however created chance after chance. Martin got the
goal he deserved
running through one-on-one and putting the ball in. Musa
was fantastic ,
winning header after header. Gavin had a goal disallowed
for offside. Both
Louis and Martin missed when it was easier to score. Dan
M one-on-one with
Mark hit the ball straight at him, and had a couple of
other shots go wide.
There were even a couple of pinball moments. Our fifth
and final goal came
near the end. We had a succesion of corners which Musa
took from the right.
I managed to get my head to one finally with a bullet
header past Mark.
It was a very good game. Many thanks to Dolly for his
magnificent
refereeing, Trevor, Simon H, and others for spectating.
We also watched the
maginifcent reds beat Utd after (sorry Utd supporters
- NOT!!).
Team: Ben, Craig, Lawrence (1), Gavin, Daryn V, Dan M,
Musa (1), Nigel C
(1), Louis (1), Martin (1).
No subs.
Stonewall 3rd XI 6 -0 Xtal Zoo
- Match: Cup |
|
Sunday 16th February
The first time the third team has won three matches on
the trot and their
biggest ever win showed what an impressive season this
team is having.
After having four players drop out in the previous 48
hours, we ended up
with eleven players - ten till Martin arrived after twenty
minutes - but all
eager to play. Thanks go to Dolly for refereeing for me.
Xtal Zoo had a few different players from when we beat
them earlier this
season and it has o be said that they played well at times,
and maybe
deserved to get a goal or two. Ben made two very good
saves in the game,
and a couple of times poor finishing when in good positions
let them down.
However, it must also be said that the scoreline could
have been more, and
did not flatter us at all.
Maybe we did not play as fluidly as we have done in our
previous two games,
but our attacking play at times was very good.
With ten players, i wene for a 3-4-3 start. Gavin, bleach
blond, played in
defence with Craig and Rory on either side. The midfield
was Michael, Dan
M, Musa, and Kwokkie, and i lpayed up front with Louis.
Before the game i stated that we had to be more ruthless
and kill the game
off. Funnily i was guilty of three misses in the first
fifteen minutes that
could have given me a hattrick. A great corner from Michael
saw me head
wide, a penslty was saved after Kwokkie was brought to
the ground like a
dying swan, and a shot went wide. I was not the only guilty
party. Musa
and Dan could both also have got on the scoreline.
Our first goal came from an excellent run by MUsa on the
left side. He ot
past two defenders and slotted the ball past their keeper
(who was their
striker but playing in goal). A cross ball pass by me
was then put in by
Kwokkie running on well from midfield. We were deservedly
two up. Martin
had now arrived. I pushed Michael back into defence alongside
Gavin. Thy
had also pressed well and had got a few corners and as
it was a cup game i
wanted to ensure we kept the upper hand. Musa moved onto
the right side of
midfield, I joined Dan in the midele and Martin moved
up front. Dan Miller
scored our third before half time.
The second half was nearly all us. Yes they had a few
breaks, but we dealt
with things well. Their were a few challenges going in,
and one of their
players was booked. Our goals were well taken. First Martin
burst through
and got round the keeper. He realised he was too wide
for a shot so he
played the ball to Louis and his cross was met by Musa
in front of goal and
he could not miss with his header. Then Musa completed
his attrick bursting
through on the right and buring the ball. Louis got our
sixth with a
cracking shot from outside the area.
We could have had more. Kwokkie nearly got a second but
had his shot saved.
I had a blistering shot come back off the join of post
and bar. Martin
was unlucky not to get a hattrick himself, with a couple
of shots well
saved. I remember one where he almost lobbed their keeper.
With several people missing it was therefore a excellent
result. Again i
think we could have closed down more, and need to be safer
sometimes at the
back.
Team: Ben P, Craig C, Gavin G, Rory, Kwokkie (1), Michael
K, Dan M (1),
Musa (3), Lawrence C, Martin G, Louis F (1)
4th XI 5 - 3 Xtal ZooXtal |
|
Sunday 16/03/03
Result H/T 2-3 F/T 3-5
Result a win for the lennies aka S Club 4 at last
This was a home game for Xtal Zoo so the fours wore the
white and green kit that the third team beat us wearing
in our last game. As this was 'scrapping' at the bottom
of the barrel we needed all the portents we could find.
Madamoiselle Fatlipska read the Tarot in the magic caravan
and the fairy of the whistle card was drawn. Not favourable
in the game itself but because the fee paid for some beers
after we won. Required because these fourth team winners
were withering about the managers choice of Seaview Brut
Rose to toast the first win of the season.
The pattern of play early on was set by some good interpassing
through midfield by the Lennies. Koji’s control of
the ball and movement in tandem with Paul Finney’s
cutting in made chances early on. Under pressure the opposition
rushed a clearance and Koji returned a shot from outside
the box which was deflected to arc over the keeper. 1-0
after under 15 minutes. More pressure - bringing corners,
free kicks but we were caught pushing forward and on the
break they equalised. Simon wasn't given much chance one
on one with their best player - a centre forward with
strange shorts that I would have thought prevented him
running. Still I’m getting old I don’t know
what’s trendy anymore so I’m told. After this
we had more possession and direct from a free kick just
outside the box Paul Finney restored the lead. At 2-1
up we still hadn't learned the lesson and the midfield
pushing up, left a gap and when we failed to score from
our pressure they again got a goal back. Paul Finney was
a problem to them the whole time he was in possession
and took a through ball, battled and slotted home. This
was close to half time 3-2 - still in the lead but not
without room for improvement.
At half time the impressive Paul Finney made way for a
tardy Bill White who went into middle of midfield and
Mark Davies went up front to partner Dave Stead playing
the middle channel. This worked better for a tighter midfield.
Bill White did the job of winning the ball in front of
defence. Koji and Mark linked well and Dave kept battling.
The play was more compressed at the beginning of the half
and the fours were more in control. Zoo were showing signs
of resorting to the long ball. Again around fifteen minutes
into the half we scored. However we were on the break
Koji got onto our clearance and ran it past the keeper
and defender and angled it in. It was impressive how many
fourth team players were following up. The fourth team
defence too was gelling and much more in control. James
Woodman deserves mention for the positive challenges he
made at full back. At four two Simon H was finally allowed
out of goal (the defence almost mutinying against the
coach on that one) for a corner and nearly did a Naimi
arriving late and nearly connecting. We went 5-2 up after
a mazy but unstoppable dribble by koji getting to the
byline taking defenders with him and three teamates with
a sniff of goal into the penalty box for the cut back.
Paul O’connell was third time lucky in line - the
other two not quite reaching it, and he stabbed it home
for his first stonewall goal. Koji’s run deserved
the finish.
They got a third from the penalty spot. We could still
afford another charge by the keeper when we won another
corner and Simon got a touch after their player got it
but it didn't fall kindly for us. It would have been a
flashy ending for a performance that was not only won
by flair from Koji and Finney but with the hard graft
and disciplined play of the rest of the team.
All the team send their best wishes to Mark M who could’nt
be with us for this game but has played a part in building
the team spirit and confidence which gave us the platform
for a win today.
Report jim (not the never ending jug) k
Team. Simon Hampton, James Woodman, Steve Hess, Dave
Roberts ©, Andy Mac, Paul O’connell, Koji N,
Mark Davies, , James Bellis, Dave Stead, Paul Finney (s)
Sub: Bill White used.
Clapton 3 v Stonewall 4th's Lennies
2 |
|
Match Report 16/02/03
Venue: Hackney North Marsh
It was a struggle to get a team of fourth team regulars
so fortunately we were blessed with the appearances of
Steve Hess and Paul Baker and the even more late call
up Boyd and our debutante Lucas.
Without a regular goalie Mark Davies and James Woodman
agreed to a half each between the posts and Mark bravely
took on the first half.
We started 4-4-2 and we started stronger. We won ball
in midfield and pressed. The first shot on goal and corner
were by us.
This was against a team that have won their last four
and beat xtal zoo by over 20 goals. We looked the better
side. It was more impressive than our start against Prince
George. Lucas and Paul were both able to force their way
to the through the ball and hold it up and using individual
skills kept on trying to forge chances. Boyd and Mark
Moore supported through the middle and got back to make
telling challenges if our attacks broke down.
Their forward movement with the ball was good but their
attacks were broken down by the spine of the team and
Mark in gaol made the necessary saves when they did create
a shooting opportunity. They were forced to delay passes
and Dave R and Steve ran the line well leaving them offside
throughout the half.
Near the half hour we had a ten minute period when we
were playing to our strengths winning the ball in centre
midfield and pressuring their defence with balls into
Lucas and particularly Paul ball both on the ground and
the air. They are'nt a tall team especially up front like
some of the other teams in the league. During this purple
patch they were conceding throws and corners and when
the ball came back onto the edge of their penalty area
Paul B had another strike into a busy penalty box one
of their players deflected it in and we were deservedly
one up. After the gaol it was a joy to hear the positive
talk from a fourth team on top of their game.
They came back into the game more after the gaol their
centre backs pushed up a bit and they tried to play the
ball wide more. Mark made a good diving save to keep us
in it. The end of the first half could'nt come soon enough.
When it did we were still one nil up.
Mark D was a victim of his own success I'm sure he had
given us our first first half clean sheet of the season.
no one in the team wanted him to take off the gloves.
It was definitely an impressive debut in goal. Thanks
again Mark for staying in gaol.
It was a vibrant half time and praise was due all round.
BT Rob who had the best half i've seen came off for me
(jim K) and I proceeded to half a mare even by my own
standards. I was thinking of us pressing forward for another
rather than shutting up shop. With the benefit of hindsight...we
would all change those losing lottery numbers....
They had subbed their two weakest players for their strongest,
their coach had told me they were running late. They were
also running everywhere. Dave Roberts and Steve marshalled
the line and caught them offside too many times to mention
but they got away with it a couple of times. They spent
most of the second half in ours. They tried and played
a lot of short crisp passing moves and liked to dummy
passes and turn their marker but they never created a
flowing move to produce a clear chance. Their first goal
came when after possession in our half we could have cleared
the lines but their pressure returned them the ball. Mark
could do nothing to top them scoring.
Theri attacks were breaking down with the determined tackling
of Steve and Dave at the back. So it was the way things
go that thier next goal came on the break. After we had
broke the pressure and were drawn forward for a spell
of pressure they managed to get a man clear in behind
for a change. Our lead been overturned. Our composure
began to slip. Strangely they were not settled either
- I think they expected to be scoring more freely. Their
tackling was becoming more hostile. It was because they
were'nt showing much return for their share of possession
and Lucas and Paul were troubling them whenever we managed
to clear.
Their third came after pressure but it was another case
where we could have cleared more forcefully. From 1-0
up to 3-1 down. Somehow we found some more fight and came
back looking to get into it. We spent time in their half
and forged attacks. There was only about fifteen minutes
to get at least a draw. Paul was'nt given up and forced
some confusion from a throw out by their keeper he squeezed
between goalie and defender and lashed in our second.
Our game raised again and from the left Lucas went on
another angled run and unleashed a stunning drive which
their keeper managed to palm onto the bar. It would have
graced any team if it had gone in. it might also have
brought us a first point. They continued to pressure till
the end but we held on to a one goal deficit.
I would like to thank all the players today. Firstly for
being early with few exceptions. Secondly, I've been struggling
with a bug and perhaps its cos I can't shout that I feel
people listen to my team talks but more than that players
in the team talk to and listen to each other. Its a good
thing to be a part of and I went away from the game feeling
better than I had done yesterday.
Team: Mark Davies, James Woodman, Dave Roberts (c), Steve
Hess, Andy Mcfadden, Michael Lavender, Mark Moore, Boyd
Underwood, Rob McCracken (subbed), Paul Baker, Lucas Camara
: sub - used Jim Kapetanos
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