BLUESTONE GO MARCHING ON!!!!
DUFFY
STODDS STOTT(c) SPOORS MCDONALD
HAYES FARRELL JOHNSON TABOUN
GRAINGER BATES
MISSING~ DONKIN , MCDONOUGH & BIRD
WITH A PATHETIC SHOWING LAST WEEK BLUESTONE KNEW SOMTHING HAD TO CHANGE . PAUL STARTED WITH THE FORMATION GOING BACK TO 442 AND PUTTING HIMSELF BACK ON THE SIDELINE WHICH MADE THINGS ALOT BETTER FOR THE TEAM . DUFFY STARTED IN THE STICKS ,STODDS CAME BACK IN FOR VAUDREY AND STOTT MOVED BACK TO STEADY THE BACK 4 FOR INJURED MCDONOUGH ALONG SIDE SPOORS WHO KEPT HIS PLACE , BURNS COULDN'T PLACE DUE TO A "BLISTER" INJURY AND MCDONALD TOOK THE LEFT BACK SPOT AS HE HAD COME BACK FROM AN ANKLE INJURY , FARRELL WAS ON PROTECTING DUTIES ALONG SIDE JOHNSON WHO CAME BACK IN FOR GRAINGER WHO MOVED UP TOPS ALONG SIDE BATES AND HAYES AND TABOUN KEPT THEIR WING POSITIONS.
AS THE WEIRD 9-4 RESULT OF LAST WEEKS GAME AGAINST HUNTERS PLAYING LIKE WE DID ,HOW COULD WE REALLY BE FAVOURITES GOING INTO THIS FIXTURE AGAINST SANDHILLS WHO ON THEIR DAY CAN BEAT ANYONE AND LOOKING BACK ON PREVIOUS MEETINGS , THE 7-0 DEFEAT LAST SEASON IN THE SEMIS OF THE CUP OR ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS WHEN PROBABLY OUR BEST PERFORMANCE OF LAST SEASON AS STRIKER IAN BIRD BROKE HIS DUCK SCORING THE PENALTY AND HIS POWER HEADER AS WE WON 3-2 AT SILSWORTH. WE WERE WARMING UP BEFORE KICK OFF AND WAS A BIT CHILLI AND THE WIND WAS BLOWING DOWN THE BANK AND UNFORTUNATLIY HAD TO GET CHANGED IN THE CARS. WE LOOKED ACROSS AND WERE THINKING WHAT REF WERE WE GETTING THIS WEEK AND IT WAS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES WHO LIKE TO THINK HIM SELF AS A COMEDIAN . SO WITH TEAM LOOKING ALOT STRONGER THEN THE PREVIOUS WEEK WITH STODDS AND MCDONALD BACK IN THE LINEUPS MADE THE TEAM AND THE BACKLINE ALOT STRONGER. WE KNEW WE HAD TO PULL OUR FINGERS OUT IN THIS GAME AS WE’D OF GETTING DISTROYED IF WE TOOK THE PERFORMANCE FROM LAST GAME INTO THIS ONE . FROM THE KICK OFF WE DOMINATED THE GAME FROM START TO FINISH AS SANDHILLS COURT US ON A GOOD DAY. TABOUN THE MAN OF THE FIRST HALF AS HIS PACE YET AGAIN CAUSING PROBLEMS AND WE HAD A GOOD FEW CHANCES EARLY ON FROM CORNERS BUT NOTHING CAME OF THEM. WE MIGHT OF BE ON TOP BUT WE SWITCHED OF SLIGHTLY AS MCDONALD LOOKED TO HAVE THE BALL UNDER CONTROL IN THE BOX BUT COULDN’T GET HOLD OF THE BALL AS IT RAN TO THEIR FORWARD PUT IN AGREAT CHALLENGE AND CAME OUT OF THE BALL BUT REF GAVE HIS DECISION AND POINTED TO THE SPOT FOR PENALTY . WE THORT IT WAS GUNNA BE ONE OF THOSE DAYS WERE WE HAVE NO LOOK WITH REFS BUT HAD TO STAY POSITIVE. THE LAD STEPPED UP AS HE SKYED IT CHRIS WADDLE STYLE. WE KNEW THIS WAS A LET OFF AND THIS LIFTED US EVEN MORE , JOHNSON AND STOTT THE SPIN OF THE TEAM WERE OUTSTANDING ,NOTHING GETTING PAST STOTT AND JOHNSON WINNING EVERYTHING AND STOPPING THIER PLAY MAKER IN THE MIDDLE . HALF AN HOUR GONE THE REF BLEW FOR THEIR KEEPER KICKING THE BALL OUT OF HIS HANDS OUT SIDE THE BOX AS MCDONALD AND GRAINGER STOOD OVER THE BALL AND TRYED A KNEW SETPEICE AS WE ALWAYS SHOOT FROM FREEKICKS WENT SHORT BUT GRAINGER COULDN’T CONNECT AS SANDHILL SWITCHED OFF. GRAINGER LINKED UP WITH BATES WITH A GREAT TEAM MOVE AS BATES STRUCK FROM A LAYOFF WITH A FINE SAVE FROM THE KEEPER DOWN TO HIS LEFT. IN THE FIRST HALF WE LOOKED GOOD FROM CORNERS WITH TABOUN PUTTING IN SOME GOOD DELIVERIES UNLUCKY ON THEM ALL . SO 0-0 AT HALF TIME THE TEAM WAS ON A HIGH WE KNEW WE WERE ON TOP AND SOME WISE WORDS FROM THE MANAGERS TOLD US THAT THE POINTS WERE THERE FOR THE TAKING. AS WE KICKED BACK OFF WE DIDNT DROP OUR GAME AS IT GOT ALOT BETTER INFACT . 5 MINUTES INTO THE HALF WE TOOK THE LEAD WITH A GREAT TEAM MOVE AS THE BALL CAME TO BATES EDGE OF THE 18 YARD AS AGAIN LINKED UP AND PASSED THE BALL ACROSS TO DANGER GRAINGER AS HE SMARTLY SIDEFOOTED BLUESTONE INTO THE LEAD . WE DIDNT DROP DEEP AFTER TAKING THE LEAD AS WE’D NORMALLY DO IN GAMES WE WANTED MORE. GRAINGER COULD OF GETTING HIS SECOND 10 MINUTES LATER WITH A FIERCE STRIKE BUT INCHES AWAY.THE ONLY WAY SANDHILLS LOOKED LIKE SCORING WAS FROM THEIR KEEPER KICKS AS THE WIND TOOK THE BALL RIGHT DOWN THE FIELD AS DUFFY HAD THEM ALL COVERED . PAUL MADE A CHANGE AS HAYES CAME OFF WHO HAD GRAFTED WELL GETTING UP AND DOWN FOR DONKIN ON THE RIGHT AND THIS BROUGHT STODDS INTO THE GAME MORE AS HE STARTED OVER LAPPING GETTING DOWN THE FLANK , AS STODDS WAS DOING THIS MORE , MCDONALD ON THE OTHER SIDE DONE IT MORE AND THEY COULDN’T HANDLE OUR SHAPE. WE KNEW WE NEEDED ANOTHER GOAL AS IT CAME JUST AFTER AN HOUR , SPOORS PLAYED THE BALL IN THE AIR TO GRAINGER AS HE WAS SHUVED IN THE BACK AS HE RANTED AT THE REF , THE REF HAD ALREADY GAVE IT . ALEX STOOD OVER IT AND TOOK IT WITH HIS LEFT FOOT AS THE BALL FLOATED NICE ON TO JOHNSON’S HEAD TO PUT US 2-0 UP WITH A GOAL HEADING IN THE ROOF OF THE NET WELL DESERVED AS HE WAS PLAYING OUT OF HIS SOCKS . WE WANTED MORE GOALS AS BATES AND DONKIN CAME CLOSE AS DONKIN WAS WEIVING THROUGH THE SANDHILLS DEFENCE. WE KEPT PLUGGING AWAY AND I WAS NOTICING OUR FITNESS WAS LOOKING BETTER THEN THE LAST FEW WEEKS AS WE WOULD HAVE NO STEAM LEFT BY NOW AS WE WERE ALL GRAFTING AND GELING AS UNIT NEAR THE END. SANDHILLS GOT A CONSILATION GOAL FROM A CORNER AS SLACK MARKING WITH A FINE HEADER FOR 2-1. IT REALLY COULD OF BEEN EASILY 2-2 BUT MCDONALD CAME TO THE RESCUE NEAR THE END WITH A LAST DITCH TACKLE AS SPOORS SLIGHTLY GOT COURT OUT BUT HELD TIGHT AND TOOK ALL THE POINTS.
GAMEPOINTERS~ THEIR MISSED PENALTY , JOHNSON THE GENARAL IN MIDFIELD , DUFFY'S HANDLING , TEAMS GRAFT PAYED OFF , STOTT KEEPING BACKLINE IN CHECK AT ALL TIMES , MCDONALD'S LAST DITCH TACKLE & THE SIDELINES POSITIVE ATTITUDE BACKING THE TEAM UP AS WE BEAT THE SANDHILLS IN THE THEIR OWN BACKYARD.
(ODDBALL OF HE WEEK) - THE REF AS HE BLEW HIS WHISTLE HALF WAY THROUGH US ATTACKING THEM FOR DONKIN HAVING HIS LEEDS FESTIVAL BANGLES ON HMMM - :P
(QUOTE OF THE WEEK) - CAME FROM MARK JOHNSON AS HE DESCRIBED NEW SIGNING ADAM BATES AS A "YOUNG MARK HUGHES" LOL!!
