Hackney Carriage for Recreativo! Alex prosper on the marshes.
On a hot and humid day in East London, the resurgent Alex team continued their rich vein of form with a 3-1 victory over Recreativo in what was Hackneys last game of the season and their only loss at home all season.
The Alex got off to a great start when the referee awarded a penalty to the away team after 5 minutes as one of the home defenders handled in his own area. In the race for Golden Boot, The Woodsman stepped up to slot home his 12th of the season - two ahead of Manny T. However, this proved to be the Woodsmans last kick of the game as his hamstring went - on came Jimmy Wardle to settle the nerves of the Alex fans (who obviously didn't fancy the long commute out East, but preferred to watch it online via an illegal Qatari streamed video-link).
The Alex had much of the play in the first quarter of the game, looking confident with their 1-0 lead. However, the humidity and hangovers kicked in and the home team started to threaten more with their lively sideshow bob causing trouble with his pace. The Alex perhaps looked slightly jaded after the momentous event of Samba Day, and the team were quiet, soft in the tackle, wayward with passes and lacking urgency.
Notable highlights of the first half were Riley getting kicked in the face by a flying overhead boot and Jimmy Wardle spraying the ball around nonchanantly and providing some superb set-piece deliveries, providing chances for both centre backs to score. The Alex looked settled in what is now a well-established team and held on to their 1-0 lead at half time interval where El Capitano Richard E Black roused the troops vociferously.
However, the second half started off much as the first had ended. Hackney (not known for their discipline) bombed forward with what was often a 4-2-4 formation. Black took one for the team and slotted in as a 3rd centre back to fend off this forward presssure. With Chrissy-Boy Renouf tucking more infield with Tim Fatigue, the Alex were able to exploit the gaps left by Recreativo's lack of shape.
The Alex's second goal came from Richie Blacks composed play at the back, feeding Tim in the hole, who duly slotted through for Mantell to grab his 11th of the season. A fine team goal.
The home team pulled one back after an equally fine move, and thought they were on their usual comeback. But the Alex had the resolve to fight back and after more fight and bustle from Chris, Tim and Miller, the Avatar was able to swivel and strike the ball into the net for his 12th of the campaign. Can he go on to claim the trophy for a 3rd season in a row when he faces Sloane next week? One to look out for fans...
Manny T tried to grab his hat-trick in the dying moments with a great run down the wing past specks, but found neither the net nor his strike partner miller who was screaming for the ball. But this is not to gloss over what was a great win for the Alex. A hard-fought but thoroughly deserved victory! Gandy was solid in goal all game and despite getting lobbed, pulled off a fine lefthanded save at 2-1 which kept the Alex in the game. Lavery also stopped their star player in the second half with a resilient defensive display and beef, tom and rupert all linked well with Black as a barrier against the potent Hackney strikeforce.
Can anyone stop the Alex in this kind of form? Only Sloane can tell us at the season close next week.
