Man of the Match- Matt Bennett
Goal of the Match- Elton found the bottom corner well to give his team a sniff of a come back
Save of the Match- Alan reacted very well to save a header with a strong right hand
Moment of the Match- Dan’s clanger would grace any football comedy DVD
10 minutes: Junior reds reduced to 10 men due to player not wearing shin pads.
13 minutes: Opportunity for Bexley, Dan knocks the ball onto Elton, who sprints and attempts to cross the ball to Dan but is cleared away.
13 minutes: quick attack, Dan beats the offside trap by can only hit the goalkeeper.
17minutes: Alan clears, Mark heads the ball towards Elton who goes in on the keeper who pointlessly makes an issue of some minimal contact.
18 minutes: Ball splits the defence through the middle, Dan with a good starting position comes out the box and clears the ball away.
21 minutes: Junior Reds free kick in a similar position, flatter ball this time but Dan clears the danger by punching away.
34 minutes: Junior Reds now back to full strength continue to put Bexley under pressure, as a corner leads to a shot over the bar.
38 Minutes: Ball falls to Tom on the edge of the box who slices a right footed shot high and wide.
40 minutes: Dan clean through on goal, scuffs the shot.
44 minutes: Mark wins the ball in defence, brings it up and passes to Elton but ball was too heavy and Alan claims the ball.
45 minutes: Corner meets Laurie’s head to Sean who lays it off to Elton who shoots from the edge of the box and is deflected wide for a corner.
45 2 minutes: Attack by Junior Reds down the left, Sean blatantly hand balls and attempted cross. Free kick leads to easy save.
45 5 minutes: Throw by James Hall is flicked on by Sean but cleared away. Junior Reds counter attack, clear on goal Dan’s save pushed back into danger area, what looked like an easy tap in was prevented by a fantastic effort from James Hall to block the ball. Half time 1-0 Bexley.
47 Minutes: Gomes moment, Dan spills the ball but manages to recover.
50 Minutes: Kev goes in two footed but only concedes a corner. Strangely, ball goes straight into goal from corner, with Dan prevented from claiming by a Junior Reds player, and the defender on the far post non existent. 1-1.
52 Minutes: James Brown bought on for Tom.
53 Minutes: Dan off Kenan on.
60 Minutes: Elton wins a corner of the goalkeeper, which is headed over by Lee.
73 Minutes: Attacker gets in down the Bexley left but volleys well over the bar into the car park.
74 Minutes: Dan makes a hash of another ball as a long clearance from his opposite number bounces over him and is fortunate not to concede a penalty when he collides with the attacker.
80 Minutes: Player splits the defence, Dan caught in no mans land and the player chips the ball over him, 3-1 Junior Reds.
85 Minutes: Header from a cross is well saved by Alan, and a small goal mouth scrambled commenced before it was cleared.
88 Minutes: Mark heads the ball to Elton who hits a long shot into the bottom corner. 3-2 Junior Reds.
89 Minutes: Bexley had Junior Reds rattled and there was a small chance of a comeback. But when a winger crossed form the Bexley left, Lee slid and missed the ball and the ball rebounds off Laurie’s foot and harmlessly into Dan’s hand as the keeper’s bad game was compounded as the ball squirmed through his hands and body into the net in a shocking error.
90 Minutes: Bexley for some reason found some spirit when the game was dead. Sean having been put up front was trough on goal but was unable to unleash his pace in time before a defender caught up with him.
The positives:
· 4 goals as a result of just one defensive mistake, relatively tight defending throughout the game, bad goalkeeping cost us goals today. The back four did well despite another week of constant onslaught and despite some errors, gave their best.
· Bexley did come to life, even though the game was lost and it was a few minutes from the end
· Tackle of the day by James Hall
The Negatives
· Not one individual representing Bexley Athletic showed any leadership qualities today, no movement, commitment or work rate in the final third shown by the second half mainly being played in the Bexley half and only two shots on target away from the goals in 90 minutes.
· Certain individuals appear to be scared of physical contact when playing a contact sport, particularly when heading the ball
· Terrible goalkeeping in the second half directly conceded three goals
· Our two best players Adam, and Steve currently unavailable
· Silence after the game, only a few willing to try to establish the clear problem within the team
· People trying to scapegoat others over pathetic issues to try to deflect from the actual reality
· Using discussions between Sean and Dan at the first goal as an excuse for the poor performance, even though we had barely been out of our half up to the goal and not had 1 shot on target since our own goal
· Worst defensive record in the league
Next week, Plumstead Challenge Cup vs Lessa XI. Result unimportant. Performance very important. No pressure game, clear strategy and tactics need to be outlined as a team before the game. There will be a list of positives and negatives again next week, target make the positives longer and the negatives shorter!
(Anyone disagree with my perception please discuss, report not 100% spell checked)
(Ratings between manager and captain very different, hence mom does not have highest rating)
