Following a 3 week break, our final run in to the start of the new season began today playing a Division 2 team at a neutral ground. A Division 2 team which previously beat us 4-1 only a few weeks ago but are the team improving, are they starting to listen to us when we tell them to play attacking football and be creative ? Lets find out......
The team talk started off well with us asking the players if they were up for it and Jamie saying "I'm knackered and haven't kicked a ball for three weeks, anything could happen today" lol.... As I keep saying, I love this boys honesty but hoped all the players weren't feeling the same.
The whistle blew and we would soon find out, off we went and as is becoming the norm at the minute, we were on top from the start and this was confirmed when Tom cooly placed the ball into the top of the net starting off what was sure to be a great game. 1-0 to Chello.
Could we capitalise on this though and keep the pressure on ? Unfortunately not, next it was 1-1. We were the team on top though and after some great saves by the opposition keeper Connor didn't give him a chance when the ball rebounded back out to him. 2-1 to Chellaston. Shortly after we won a corner and after a deflection from one of the opposition players it was once again in the back of the net making it 3-1 to Chello and I don't think anyone could complain at this point as we were clearly the team having the possession and creating the chances.
With the grass on the pitch being a little long it didn't make for particularly attractive football and mistakes were shore to happen which they did and at half time we went into the break drawing at 3-3. Sometimes football isn't fair and this result so far certainly seemed that way although Archie did score a great goal, unfortunately in the wrong net but at least he got on the score sheet again and being a fellow "red dog", he was quickly let off lol....
The second half was full of mistakes, sloppy football from both teams but goals.... lots of goals. 3-3 quickly became 4-3 to Chello (Jayden), then 4-4, then 5-4 to Chello (Jayden again with my favourite goal of a great bunch with a perfect lob of their keeper), then 5-5 and as time was running out who could make the final "Rocky style" blow.....
Up steps new boy Kian with a perfectly placed and timed goal into the bottom left hand corner and it was great to see him on the score sheet with his first goal for Chellaston. The first of what I am sure to be of many. Final result.... 6-5 to Chellaston.
What.....A.....Game..... and our first win against higher level competition which Im sure everyone who watched the game would agree, was a fair result.
I am giving todays Man of the Match to no other than super striker Connor Johnson. Connor can certainly sometimes be frustrating to watch, certainly to no more so than Brendan of which his views of Connors performance can at times be clearly heard around the pitch but Connor is starting to have this knack of being in the right place at the right time and is now consistently scoring goals which is exactly what his job as a striker is to do. He also took nearly all of todays corners of which there were many and virtually every one was inch perfect and the players around him need to wise up to this as we should be scoring more from these situations with such impressive deliveries. We also told him that as captain, if he was to shout at any players today, it should be positive instruction only and I for one, only ever heard this of him so well done as this was no simple task with quite a few errors through what I believe to be poor pitch conditions.
Onto next weeks game where on paper, it looks to be against slightly easier opposition however we've all heard that before so we need to keep the pressure on. Today we were sloppy at times and the passing was not precise enough which led to leaking silly goals. Next weeks aim is for a clean sheet which I am sure with a few early nights and a higher level of concentration, is achievable.
Great result today which both Brendan and I thoroughly enjoyed, see you all next week.
