stub⋅born
Pronunciation [stuhb-ern]
Adjective
1 unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving:
2. fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute:
3. obstinately maintained, as a course of action: a stubborn resistance
If there is one word to describe the Alex’s 4th consecutive win, then stubborn has to be it. In the face of a barrage of second half pressure, the Alex stood tall, moving to third in the table after having produced more defensive heroics than in the last half of Zulu,.
The game opened brightly, Lyric looked dangerous from set pieces, especially deploying the dastardly long throw in. A lethal weapon when you are playing on a pitch so narrow you can spit across. A good opportunity was cleared manfully off the line by Mountain who was a dominant force in the air all game. Though lacking possession the Alex were the more dangerous team on the break missing a couple of chances before Mantell opened the scoring with a trademark cool finish from a flowing team move. Miller doing fantastically well to set up his strike partner from what looked like a lost cause. Though he’ll loath the fact that Iain now goes 3 clear in the quest for golden boot.
Lyric are physical team, but while the Alex of yesteryear may have folded against such bullying, the boys gave as good as they got, eventually resulting in Cheesman picking up a yellow card towards the end of the 1st half.
Going in at half time one up was a result, Lyric had looked the more lively team in the first half and looked more keen to win the game. The second half began as the first had finished with more Lyric pressure, but for all their possession they created few chances. Their long ball game dealt with comfortably by the increasingly assured duo of Riley and Templeman at the back. When the Alex did get the ball down they were able to carve through the Lyric team with ease. The second goal came controversially with Miller being brought down somewhere around the edge of the box needlessly by a Lyric defender. The ref pointed to the spot, Mountain stepped up and stroked home his 5th of the season (in only 7 appearances).
30 minutes were left to hold out and it was a tall order as Lyric kept booting the ball into dangerous positions. There were about 5 off the line clearances. Memorably one from Hallé that looked destined to float in direct from a corner. Lyric eventually got a reward for their hard work when about their 20th corner of the game was scrambled across the line.
Nerves were frayed and nails bitten but the Alex hung on bravely, with an old school ‘thou shall not pass’ defensive performance. We have genuinely become a team that are very hard to beat, and winning hopefully is becoming a habit. Next up, back to Regents Park against a resurgent Hackney side. Sod Valentines Day, if they truly love you they will understand that another 3 points cements 3rd.
