Gandy
Cheesey Rupert Thompson Ford
Deysey Goodman Woody
Miller Stroud
Mantell
A mild January afternoon on the Common proved a wonderful backdrop to the first Alexandra fixture of 2013. The Christmas break had seen a couple of players gain a pound or two but the excitement of getting back to winning ways masked any fitness concerns the manager had of his players.
Alexandra began on the front foot, putting the bare 11 of Lyric Celtic under a great deal of pressure early on. Deysey was unbeatable in the air and the wingers Miller and Stroud were causing havoc in behind the full backs. And it was from a Deysey run down the left that the opening goal of the game originated. A lovely interchange with Stroud produced a cross that fell to Goodman twelve yards out. He was savagely brought down before a shot could be released and the referee rightly pointed to the spot. The felled player, after some gamesmanship from the Lyric keeper, slotted the ball home to give Alexandra a deserved lead.
Lyric then had a spell of pressure of their own and soon made it quite clear to the Alexandra back four that they were going to have to defend stoutly from set-pieces, seemingly the only weapon in the Lyric’s armoury. After a couple of headers were tipped over the bar acrobatically from Gandy, and more pressure from long throw-ins, the most controversial incident of the match occurred. ‘Goal-line technology’ was trending on twitter and the local man with a dog was scratching his head, but regardless, Lyric had still yet to break the dead-lock. The incident came, unsurprisingly, from a long throw-in and after a half clearance fell to the Lyric midfielder from a seemingly impossible angle the player scooped the ball goal wards. Gandy was on the goal line to collect the shot but the Lyric players and their fan were adamant the whole ball had crossed the line before Gandy had smothered the shot. The goal-line technology debate will run on until 2013 and beyond.
With the Lyric players feeling harshly treated by the official, they were becoming more physical by the minute but Alex rose to the challenge and gave as good as they got. Fordy was a warrior down the left and along with the, much sought-after, centre half pairing gave Lyric nothing but tiny glimpses of goal.
Alex were playing all the nice football and they should have doubled their lead had Goodman reacted quicker to a superb 35 yard effort from Woody, that had the goalkeeper scrambling low to his left. The half-time whistle went and the Alex players were happy with their solid performance, especially with Lyric still livid with the official.
After a slow second half start from both teams, the pivotal moments of the game occurred. After a couple of half chances for Goodman, Mantell and Miller, Lyric threatened from another long throw. The throw, measured at 29 yards by OPTA, was flicked on by the Lyric striker and cannoned off the woodwork, falling kindly for Alexandra to clear. And before the bar had stopped shaking, a lucky ricochet in the middle of the park sent Goodman clear who made no mistake 1 on 1 with the keeper.
After an immediate substitution from the gaffer, the game was put to rest. Safa with almost his first touch of the ball sent a thundering left foot volley high into the corner of the goal. The Lyric keeper could do nothing but parry the ball into the path of the onrushing forward and Miller made no mistake. Despite some Alexandra fans being adamant Miller’s effort was pushed into the goal by the Lyric keeper, the dubious goals panel have awarded Miller with his second goal in as many games.
The other permitted substitutions were made and after a couple of strategic changes, Alexandra were able to take some sting out of the game. Alex were happy to watch their opponents argue with the referee, and each other, and concentrated on seeing the game out. The only small blotch on an otherwise perfect performance from Rupert was a yellow card for kicking the ball away from the opponents. His performance didn’t deserve it, but the referee had clearly been reading his rule book over the Christmas break, he couldn’t have any real complaints.
The game petered out into something resembling a Stoke v West Ham relegation dog fight but Alex didn’t mind. Some great professionalism had won through in the end and some excellent performances from the bench outlined the strength and depth of the Alex squad.
All the pre-match hype had been about Stan, rumoured to be as quick as Walcott and as strong as Drogba, but he was eventually moved out to the left wing in an attempt to give Lyric more success in the Alexandra half. He couldn’t repeat his efforts from the early season fixture between the two teams and spent his game inside the back pockets of the back four.
A much deserved victory for Clapham Alexandra and another superb clean sheet. The third in as many games. The title race continues.
