The Vale won their second game of the season with a well fought 4-3 win over Bewdley Olympic.
The Vale manager rotated the side a bit for this game, and decided eventually on a lineup of Bomo, Scottie, Logie, Silk (smashed obviously), Jim, Cookie, Dave D, Gerry, Luke, Kie and Sam with Ed, Ry and Chuff on the bench.
The opposition were clearly in disarray (usually it's us!) at the start and were scrambling around to try and get a team out. In the end they had 10 players at kick off and the game began. The Vale started well and actually tried to pass it around in the first half hour, we created some chances and looked dangerous. We were still trying to force it too much, and tried a few too many flicks, but were clearly on top in the game. Compared to the chances we missed in the second half (more about that to come!), the chances we failed to put away in the first half weren't in any way sitters, but we should have probably scored before we finally did. We took the lead as Luke/Sam played the ball to each other, the ball hit the arm of the defender and Luke then smashed it in...unfortunately the ref decided to disallow the goal to give us a pen! Thankfully Sam stepped up and just about beat the keeper! Then as time ticked away in the first half we decided to shoot ourselves in the foot. From a freekick (which I may have given away...I gave away so many I can't remember) the ball came into our box, Silk should have cleared but didn't get enough on it, then as the ball dropped Logie, Gerry and someone else didn't quite put their player under enough pressure and he squeezed the ball into the bottom corner. Halftime 1-1.
After a rousing halftime speech the Vale came out second half and were fairly rubbish the first 5 minutes. I can't remember the order of goals but it went from 1-1 to 2-2 as we again failed to clear our lines. Our goal came as Gerry played in Sam who knocked in his second. I think they went 3-2 up. I can't remember the goal but I'm assuming we all fucked up somehow. Then Luke broke forward with the ball on the left hand side and played in the on-rushing Gerry who beautifully placed the ball into the corner past the keeper. We got the fourth when their keeper tried to dribble round Sam, who took the ball off him and completed his hattrick from about 1 yard out. All through the second half we managed to miss roughly 80 chances. Sam should have scored at least 6, Luke should have got a hattrick, Ed should have scored 2, Silk should have scored 2, even Dave Delivers should have got at least 1....we have to improve our finishing lads, at the rate I'm pulling my hair out because of it, I'll look like Chuff before Christmas!
A good 3 points, and well fought for, but we made it hard on ourselves when we failed to do some basic stuff. We still need to keep the ball better, and not look to go forward at 100mph all the time (we are allowed to pass backwards lads!) and we clearly need to be more clinical in front of goal. It's great that we create so many chances, but against better sides we'll be punished if we don't increase our goals/chances ratio.
As the greatest manager who ever lived, Bob Paisley, once said "If you're in the penalty area and don't know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we'll discuss the options later."
Next week we have Clarkes at home, a decent chance to win back-to-back games...but if we're going to do that we have to go up another level guys!
MISC NOTES:
Dave Delivers tried a shot from the halfway line....and got it slightly wrong.
Dave Delivers decided to give Bomo a bouncing backpass....which Bomo cleared well...but Bomo wasn't particularly happy with DD!
Dave Delivers should have scored in the last minute but poked the ball agonisingly wide.
Dave Delivers got hit in the mouth in the first half and went down, though apparently with "a girly scream" and "a theatrical fall".
Dave Delivers played an amazing backheel flick over his head (which Kie then should have scored from!) which apparanetly prompted someone on the side to say "Fucking hell, I didn't know he had that in him!", and someone else to say "I'm not sure he meant it!"
(Why are all these about me?!)
