Managers Notes : Arguably our best 'Team' performance this season. This is how I know we can play, We absolutely dominated this game and thoroughly deserved to take all 3 points today. I thought the Defence was outstanding Ben, Galin, Marcus and Finley were awesome at the back today, clearing out any danger well before it became an issue. The instructions were 'No Bounce' and they as well as the whole team carried that instruction out.
Ryan returned to the team and on his debut managed to get 3 assists. His performance along with Calum, Sam and Matteusz ensured that Dynamo had no easy way through the midfield. Some superb hard work from Charlie Steine also showed the rest of the team that we defend from the front, but defend all over the pitch. Mason, Joey and Sean also had very good performances today and showed that they are also ready to break into the starting line up.
One of the most pleasing things for me today was the encouragement being shouted by the whole team to each other, instead of shouting negative things they were being positive and shouting encouraging things to their team mate at all times. Believe me this helps build confidence throughout the team.
There were a number of candidates for Man of the Match today however I felt Delroy Antoine was awesome in the CDM role today. He mopped up any danger at the back whilst also providing a huge attacking threat going forward. His endless energy helped the team to limit Dynamo Utd to only a handful of chances at the most. Well played Delroy!.
Keep it up boys and we can finish in the top 2 i'm sure.
Many thanks again to Alex for todays match report:
After training on Friday David asked for a show of commitment in the forthcoming match. He has become increasingly disturbed, myself included, with the apparent disinterest both on the training pitch and in matches. Our season was in danger of imploding and today's game would offer an indication of which direction we might be heading in. He set the team up with a 4-1-4-1 formation, trying a new partnership at the centre of defence-Marcus on the left and Galin right. In front he stationed Delroy who was asked to employ his talents as a shield for those two. He gave a MotM performance. To say the positioning of these three was a resounding success is perhaps excessive due to the standard of the opposition, but they rarely put a foot wrong throughout the match. With Finley producing a fine performance again at left back and Ben doing much the same on the other flank, Lewis must have felt as safe as the Bank of England. His focus was needed throughout despite being a spectator for long spells, and yet he maintained that to a remarkable level. David stretched four men across the pitch, from the left Mateusz, Ryan, Callum and Sam, with Charlie Steine leading the line. Waiting patiently were the subs: Mason, Joey and Sean.
Resplendent in new kit-did you fellows think to thank Carol, because I know she worked hard to obtain the kit for you- it took a minute to win a corner through Callum's endeavours. Ryan was first to the ball but his header flew over the bar. A minute later and Ryan picked his pass perfectly. It was played in front of Charlie Steine who didn't need to break his stride and just calmly slotted the ball home, 0-1. The rest of the half saw Hugin playing all the football. On eight minutes some good play reminiscent of the start of the season, had Mateusz passing to Finley who helped it onto Del. Though the sequence broke down the running off the ball and movement was impressive with Ryan, Callum, and Charlie Steine making decoy runs. After thirteen minutes Charlie Steine finished well but was adjudged offside-this was one of three occasions when the ball found it's way into the Dynamo net but on every occasion the goals were disallowed. A moment later Ryan won the ball and threaded it through to Mateusz, who faced with a one on one, failed to convert. On seventeen minutes we won a free kick for a shirt pull on Mateusz. Finley's kick fell to Charlie Steine who flicked a heel at it and it hit the side netting. In the twenty ninth minute Ryan crossed to the far post but Mateusz was just unable to connect. Largely speaking it was one way traffic.
Despite the litany of chances created by our superior football we were only one goal ahead and in the thirtieth minute a wild pass from our defence saw us defending frantically with Marcus and Lewis scurrying about the six yard box before Galin muscled the ball away. A moment later and the ball was back and Lewis made a fairly comfortable save. Sean came on in the thirty third minute with instructions to hold up play-an element of his game that he does extremely well. Just before the end of the first period Mateusz slipped the ball to Ryan who found Sean. He registered his first goal for the club with a well struck shot which made the net bulge. A moment later and the referee signalled the end of the half. Half Time 0-2.
If the goal in the last minute of the half didn't break the spirit of the opposition, then the one in the first minute of the second half did. Mateusz had possession and made a short pass to Callum. Callum eased the ball to Ryan who clipped the ball forward. The ball was ushered out for a corner. Mateusz sent in an in-swinging ball and Sam rose highest to head our third, 0-3. Dynamo were reeling and a moment later we found the net again. We were cutting them to pieces at this stage. Ben began the move with a throw, Callum dummied and controlled the ball, and he gave a diagonal pass to Sam. Sam and Ryan exchanged passes before Ryan crossed to Mateusz who delivered the coup de grace with a confident strike, 0-4. The opening minutes to the half were jam-packed with incident and a couple of minutes after our fourth Finley clipped a forward in our box and conceded a penalty. Lewis stood no chance as the taker fired a full bloodied shot past him, 1-4. We took the sting out of their hoped for revival by just playing the ball around them. Marcus and Galin snuffed out any individual forward runs that bypassed Delroy. Ben and Sam were solid on our right and Finley and Mateusz did the same on the other side. Meanwhile Callum and Ryan were pulling the strings in the centre. Then Mason and Joey came on. For the next ten minutes we dominated play. Charlie Steine put a good ball into the box; then a while later Galin won the ball with a really hard tackle, and Ryan riffled the side netting with a good shot.
As we entered the final quarter of the game we seemed to lose a little concentration. Substitutions can often partly influence proceedings like this and we were unsettled for a while. In the sixty first minute a snapshot was saved by Lewis with his feet-a good save. Again his concentration levels needed applauding. A few minutes on from here and we had a period of sloppy passing which required Lewis to pull off a reasonable save.
We played our way through the unsteady period and a foul on Joey saw Ryan dink the ball to Sean who knocked the ball home. The goal was disallowed for a foul on the keeper. We had wrested control of the game now and in the seventy fifth minute a run down the right and a great cross by Ryan let Sam meet the ball and crash it home. Once more the goal was disallowed as Sam was seen to control the ball with his arm. They counter attacked a few minutes later and Galin forced the ball for a corner. The inswinger fell to a forward which needed Lewis to swat the ball away. It was curled in but Marcus did his customary 'ball off the line' trick again by heading out from under the angle of post and bar. Ben was still firing up the attack by slotting balls down our right. Time still allowed for Charle Steine to make a run towards goal from the left-a neat shot and the ball squirted between the keepers arms and legs. He had enough presence to grasp the ball before it crossed the line. In the last minute Delroy was fouled. Callum curled over the free kick and though Marcus got to the ball first it came off his shoulder and was cleared upfield. The final whistle and Vikings had a valuable three points in the bag, but more than this they had answered the criticisms from Friday evening. Keep that mentality live and evident in the next training session please gentlemen.
