STARTING LINEUP...
Durance
Cheeseman
Riley
Templeman
Jameson
White
Black
Mountain
Moore
Wardle
Mantell
SUBS...
Jameson for Hutchinson ‘45
White for Miller ‘60
Wardle for Amos ‘70
GOALS...
1-0 Alexandra (Black ’45)
2-0 Alexandra (Miller ’64)
2-1 Project (’68)
2-2 Project (’71)
2-3 Project (’84)
2-4 Project (’90+1)
MATCH RATINGS...
Durance - 6
Made some good saves and looked confident aerially, could do nothing about the goals he conceded.
Cheeseman - 7
A typically solid performance at right back. Distribution was reliable, and made a positive contribution to the team.
Riley - 8 (Man of the Match)
Inspiring Captain’s performance from the Alexandra Player-Manager, who was always there when called upon to do his defensive duties. led by example. All round a strong and committed performance. Concussed in goalmouth scramble.
Templeman - 7
Dependable as ever, Templeman was strong in the air and even with his distribution to full backs, as well as making crucial clearances. Held his position well.
Jameson - 6
Put in a good shift down the left-side of defense. Took a no nonsense approach, showed strength on the ball, and made life difficult enough for the Project right winger. Subbed.
White - 7
Provided an excellent assist for Alexandra’s first goal. Lovely committed run and dribble down the right and a crisp pass to Black to finish. A strong start from one of the Alex's talismanic players. Subbed.
Black - 8
Swashbuckling performance from the central midfielder as usual. Box to Box, committed, got in the mix, and popped up with a lovely finish for the first goal of the game, slotted neatly between the keeper’s legs.
Paul - 7
A solid competitive debut. Used his strength well. Given time he will settle in to the system – improved as the game went on, and made some excellent challenges showing a physical side to his game.
Moore - 7
Showed flashes of last season’s tenacity and determination. Used his pace effectively when able to. Excellent dribble down the left to set up Miller for Alexandra’s second.
Wardle - 6
Didn’t see enough of the ball to feet to make a positive impact. Work rate and fitness were excellent, and spent most of his time on the pitch closing down the Project Clapham Defence. Subbed.
Mantell - 6
Like Wardle, found himself well shackled by the strength in the Project Clapham backline. Service was limited by Project's tight play but came close with a header in the first half.
SUBSTITUTES...
Hutchison – 8
Came on for Jameson. Did an excellent job shackling the right midfielder and was in the right place at the right time two clear two certain goals off the line.
Miller – 7
Came on for White. Great to see him get his first goal for the club. Worked hard and showed some glimpses of quality.
Amos – 6
Came on for Wardle. A couple of neat touches showed that Amos has the ability, and some good strength on the ball. A good showing
REPORT...
The 2009/2010 season kicked off with something of an anticlimax for the Alexandra boys with a disappointing Derby day defeat to local rivals and CLSL newcomers Project Clapham.
A physical game saw something of a war of attrition between the sides in the opening stages, with both sides coming close. Opportunities were rare, an generally borne out of set pieces, where Project first established themselves, with the Alex soon asserting their League experience and beginning to show signs of the passing game that marked their arrival into the League last year.
In a combative encounter it was the Alex that looked the most threatening in the opening exchanges with Moore and White causing problems down the flanks, Black, and the aptly named Mountain playing a physical game in the centre of the park, and the back line looking as solid is it did in the middle part of last season.However, because of the combative nature of the game and a well-organised Project Clapham backline, opportunities for last season's Top Scroer, Iain Mantell and strike partner Jimmy Wardle were limited. Martin Durance appeared in goal, and made some crucial saves early on.
As the half progressed Alex began to get their foot on the ball a bit more and on the stroke of half time a sweeping counter-attack move involving Wardle, Moore, Black, Mountain, and Cheeseman unleashed the pace of White down the right side, who beat his marker with contemptuous ease to deliver a cross of unerring accuracy to Black, unmarked at the far post. Black kept a cool head to slot neatly between the legs of the oncoming keeper's legs right on the stroke of half time.
Jameson at left full back was replaced by Hutchison at half time, and the Alex came out looking to seal the game, and they established their dominance quickly, seeming to rattle the opposition into giving away unnecessary fouls and tempers threatened to boil over, with goalscorer Rich Black particularly making his physical presence felt.
White picked up a knock and was replaced by a spritely Miller, who looked up for it and focussed from the moment he stepped on the pitch. He quickly made an impact from right midfield as another counter attack of astonishing speed erupted from the Alex defending a Project Clapham corner. Templeman rose to clear with his head, with the ball breaking first to Mountain whose, flick reached Wardle in the centre circle whse deft flick released Moore down the left flank who attacked the full back at speed, skinning him on the outside to dribble the ball to the byline then past one of the centre backs to push a slide-rule pass across the six-yard box to Miller who thundered the ball in from close range.
All looked seemingly well, and the Alex looked set for a stirring opening day victory, but Project rose to to challenge and soon established a foothold from which to mount their comeback. A freekick 10 yards into the Alex's half on the left was delivered dangerously in to the far post, where the Alex defense failed to clear it proerly, the ball bounced around the box eventually to fall to Project's fancy Dan No. 7 whose diving header beat Durance all ends up.
Wardle was subsituted soon after, to be replaced by Matt Amos, rewarded for his goal heroics in the friendly against Clapham Dynamo. Unfortunately, before Amos had chance to settle into his stride, the scores were level after a sweeping counter by Project resulted in a venomous strike from their Andy Johnson-esque striker, which Durance could only parry into the path of the onrushing Right midfielder, who had beaten Hutchison for pace and rifled the ball into the unguarded net.
Project were now in the ascendancy, and as legs began to tire and spirits dipped Project nipped in to add two more before the final whistle, mainly down to some inspired substitions from the Project coach that exploited the impact of both levelling goals coupled with the onset of fatigue within the Clapham ranks.
To lose 4-2 was harsh on the Alex, whose performance merited at least a point, but there were enough positives to take from the game to suppose that this will ultimately be a successful season. A little bit of tweaking here and there coupled with an increase in both fitness and hunger, and a desire to get the ball down and play with it the Alex way should see other results fall their way.
