So there we all were, at Manor school, waiting for Pride of Shirebrook to arrive, and waiting. Eventually Rob phoned their manager and we found they had set their pitch for us to play there, idiotic. So when they do arrive, we finally get to kick off, over 25 minutes late. So it is agreed with the ref that we will play a shortened game....30 minutes each way.
Zac is playing at centre back, Foxy in the middle and Jack up front and Sam Graney on the right wing. We start well with a lot of good early pressure, Graney manages to burst through the defence a couple of times but both times his pass to Simon is cut out. On 10 minutes, our pressure brought a goal. Ollie latched on to a ball over the top and cut inside, he couldn’t beat the defender and the squirmed out as far as Jack. He played a perfectly weighted ball through to Graney who stuck it in the top right corner of the net, making it look so easy. We were straight back at them from the restart but a Shirebrook pass down our right was thumped in long and high towards the goal. Adam watched it and followed it all the way as it dropped from the sky onto the top of the crossbar....and away. Balls belted high into the air seemed to be Shirebrook’s plan of attack but being a goal down they were started to play aggressively. They got the goal back from a long throw which was flicked on. The striker got in behind our defence and Adam saved his shot superbly, only to see the ball come back off the post and Shirebrook bundle it in.
The tackles from the visitors were getting feistier and the ref was doing nothing to curb their behaviour. The first free kick came on 18 minutes when Elliot was taken out in mid air with a body check. The defender should have been cautioned as Elliot landed in a crumpled heap. The half continued in the same manner with good pressure from us and dirty play from Shirebrook. Foxy battled and dug out a great ball through to Simon on his right foot, he tried to cut inside and the ball was taken off his foot. Our pace going forward was causing them all sorts of problems and just before the break Ollie raced down the left, into the corner. The defender stood his ground and prevented Ollie getting his cross in, Ollie turned brilliantly to come back along the touchline and had his feet swept from under him. No free kick! This was the same player that had pole-axed Elliot and should have been his 2nd yellow card and off you go. But that took us to the interval level at 1-1.
The 2nd half was only half a minute old when Foxy and Graney played 3 or 4 short passes off each other before sending Simon clear. He shot from outside the box, the advancing keeper took the pace away with his legs but the ball made it into the net before the defence could catch it. On 33 minutes Sam Graney set off at pace down the right wing skipped over a sliding tackle, was caught by a 2nd players boot but kept going, he then evaded a studs up slide (which would have been a straight red card in a professional game) before losing out inside the box. The ref pulled it back for the free-kick. Foxy swung the ball in and Sam fired in a cracking volley to make it 3-1.
Dom’s long throws were also causing havoc for Shirebrook and Zac got his head to one on 40 minutes that brought a superb save from the visiting goalie. Two minutes later Ollie chased a ball over the top and ran straight into the keeper, the ball fell to Simon who stuck it into the open net. Shirebrook weren’t happy and perhaps with good reason. Maybe the ref should have given a foul on the goalie, but on the other hand, he had charged out so fast it could have been a penalty. Instead it was 4-1. The Shirebrook team were riled and getting nasty. There were a few fouls given away but nowhere near as many free kicks awarded as there ought to have been.....for both sides.
Shirebrook grabbed a lifeline on 52 minutes. A ball from the right edge of the 6 yard box was redirected into the net with a back heel but the 3 goal cushion was restored two minutes later. Dom’s long throw was headed on by Graney to Jack Wood who volleyed in off a defender on the line. Only for it to be immediately reduced to 2 again as Shirebrook run straight through and fire in from the right hand channel. Almost a carbon copy but on the left hand side with an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net made it 5-4 with just over a minute to go.
There was still time for one final major incident before the whistle. Graney followed a ball over the defence and redirected it towards goal before being taken out with a high boot. I have never seen anyone get a studs-up challenge in his face. Possibly the most sickening and dangerous tackle I have ever witnessed. Again no red card, nor yellow, not even a free-kick. I was on the pitch before the ball had done out for the goal kick. Sam was face down and I was concerned he’d been knocked out. But he rolled over when I asked him to and played out the final few seconds. He ended the game with a cut to his lip, nose and eye from three studs and marks on the side of his face from the other three....and unquestionably, the Man of the Match award.
It was a great all round performance every player did their job and played their position well. Pride of Shirebrook played a dirty game and we didn’t get caught up in it, we kept our cool. You made us proud!
Everyone played well. Foxy, Dom and Ollie were excellent but this was The Sam Graney show.
