A frosty start to this morning with the first tinges of Winter showing. However, by the time the team arrived in Costessey the sun was out and shining brightly with the pitch completely thawed.
Rocklands lined up with a 433 formation with Anthony and Eliot operating as wingers either side of Marc. Louis was operating in behind the striker from midfield, with Ewan and Joseph Gyde in holding roles. A slight change at the back with Joseph Thompson coming in at left back and Jo Spoerry, Charlie and Luke completing the back four. Matty in goal as usual.
Rocklands started brightly and soon broke clear from the defence. It didn't take long before the first goal, with Anthony drilling a shot into the bottom left corner from just outside the area. Costessey were operating a high line defensively and Rocklands threatened to get in behind on several occasions, only to be pulled back by the linesman's flag for offside. Eventually however, a delicate chip through by Jo Thompson sent Anthony clear and he clipped it to the right of the onrushing 'keeper for 2-0. There then came a flurry of chances, with Eliot having a couple of shots saved by the Costessey 'keeper.
Anthony was a threat cutting inside from the wing and driving into the box, but unfortunately had to withdraw with an injury. Reece came on and combined with Marc and Eliot on a couple of occasions.....all three players spurning 1-on-1 chances. On one occasion, all three burst forward with only the keeper to beat, only to drive it straight at him!
Costessey were not offering much threat going forwards and Charlie and Jo Spoerry dealt comfortably with the high balls. Luke and Jo T had licence to get forward and overlapped effectively on several occasions. It all became very congested in the middle of the park, there were some attempts to put a foot on the ball and play it but too often the team seemed over-eager to lob it forward instead of spreading play wider.
Matty dealt well with the one threat from Costessey by coming out very quickly to clear the ball over the top. Marc again went through 1on1 but the ball was deflected wide by the keeper for a corner. A short corner by Rocklands was eventually crossed into the far post, where Ewan had time to control, side-step and tap it home. 3-0
The remainder of the first half was on occasions, shooting practice with the Costessey keeper making several good stops. But there was a sense that Rocklands should have been out of sight going into the second half.
The second half saw a few changes with Sam and Ryan coming on. Sam slotted into his usual left back position and Ryan was operating on the right. Rocklands kept looking for the straight ball over the top, instead of spreading play and did not get the goals their complete domination of possession deserved. Ryan showed great determination in the tackle and tried to step up the pace. The team kept hold of the ball well, but too often were casual in their finishing. Too many flicks and tricks instead of playing the easy ball.
Midway through the half, Reece rounded the keeper only to fire into the side netting. Several more 1 on 1's missed. Ewan kept probing and played one Ozil-like pass settign Reece free again, but the finish wasn't there.
It finished 3-0. Credit must go to Costessey who battled to the end and never lost heart - we wish them the best for the remainder of the season.
For Rocklands, this was a casual performance and really should have been double-figures in goals. Let's hope the boys find their shooting boots for the coming games. On the positive side, Matty looked sharp despite not having much to do and the defence really did look calm and composed. Charlie in particular marshalled the line well. Finally, the boys dealt incredibly well with a number of questionable offside decisions and kept plugging away without getting frustrated. Keep the Respect up boys!
One more game before Christmas - best of luck!
