Really good game last night against a much improved GLA side whose average age must have been about half that of the BOC team. As is our want recently, we gave the oppo a 1 - 0 headstart after only a few minutes. Perhaps we put ourselves on the back foot by only fielding 10 players (below average counting from Stu) whilst Molby and Sheedy warmed the bench, but seconds after Sheedy jogged across to his RM berth, the ball was in the back of the net. Mark couldn't quite get enough of their forward's arm to slow him down, and the nippy youngster burnt round the outside of the wily veteran before slotting past Tyson. We equalised with an offside goal. For some reason Sheedy was suddenly in acres of space on the half way line with just the keeper, and Tom, ahead of me. As the prospect of sprinting that distance with the ball was worrying, I opted to pass to Tom who duly collected and cracked the ball home. Almost immediately after that they scored again which Neil comically suggested was off-side too, ha ha.
We equalised again after Phil found The Hoff at the back stick with yet another wayward / hopeful cross: The Hoff duly dispatched a very nice header back across the keeper. Even steven at half time. We got three in the second half without reply, so I suppose that's half a clean sheet. Wayne got the third with another header, again back across the keeper, and again from another hit-and-hope, flukey, mis-hit Intertoto cross. The fourth saw Tom pull the ball back across the six yard line and Zondervan walk onto it with a plum side-foot belter into the roof of the net. The fifth goal was probably the pick of the bunch with our good Lord, Dan, marauding up the left wing from centre half and firing in an in-swinging cross to Tom who cushioned first time into the path of Zondervan who deftly prodded past the advancing GLA keeper. A goal and two assists bags the MOM for Beardsley (to be fair could easily have gone to Zondervan).
Other things to note:
Crossing. Phil puts a bow on it for you every time, excellent service, probably just down to luck. Duncan put a tantaliser into the corridor of uncertainty but no one attacked it. Sheedy pinged one cross-field to Stu because he needed a break from running and didn't want Phil's pass. False 9. Tricky position, but Zamora nails it, selflessly running the channels, leading their defenders a merry dance. He also found himself in several good positions to score, including a volleyed effort that resulted in a throw. As a forward you take solace in being in the right place to miss chances.
Excellent pub attendance, no specialist entertainment in the Latchmere mind.
