The Cup Day.
Rocklands on Remembrance Sunday were hosting Holt in the John Savage Cup with the weather playing its part having a strong cold breeze blowing from right to left together with grey skies. The tea was flowing freely as Luke C’s mum stepped up to the plate and manned the tea bar and a fine cup of tea it was.
Steve gave the lads a team talk in the changing rooms and they assembled for the warm up drills on the pitch. Pete and Kevin were officiating once again and without them we could not even start the game, many thanks and remember to buy them a drink at the end of the season for all the miles they put in. Pete assembled both teams on the circle to remember the fallen who without we may have been playing in the Bundesliga but for the sacrifice of English and Commonwealth men and women we are not. If you ever get the chance to see Menin Gate and the cemeteries of Passendale and just grasp the idea of people from all walks of life and race fought to defend the marching Germans. As you walk down the rows of names who died knowing that some of them were the same age as the lads are now, as quite a few lied about their age to enlist and die or endure the most terrible of conditions. Have we learnt anything from the supposed Great War as a collective race?
Enough history, although they do make great beer there as well and back to the game in hand as Pete blew to mark the minute of silence. The lads got in a huddle and whatever was spoken in the middle stays in the middle but it was a welcome sight as they linked together before breaking away to take their positions on the field. Matty (Petr Cech) in goal facing the back four of Joe S and Luke H at centre back with James on the left and Eliot on the right. Luke C moved up into midfield with Joe T and Steffen outside of him and Nathan on the other side. This left Ewan and Robbie up front and Joe G, Jack and Sam keeping warm waiting to come on.
Holt in green kicked off and Rocklands immediately began to close them down and retrieving the ball with Joe T putting the first shot goal ward testing the keeper. Holt went on the break with the Holt striker being quick footed for a larger guy but Joe S halted his progress averting the early Holt attempt on goal. Matty’s Dad Dave showed he had not lost any of his foot work drills collecting a loose ball with consummate ease, ala Bergkamp?
Holt’s striker was proving a handful but he only had a right foot and wanted to play or turn towards his dominant foot but he always had players outside of him and it was after a loose ball they collected and fired it into the back of the net for the opening goal. It was slightly against the run of play as Rocklands were playing like we know they can a free running fluid game using the ball to do the work.
7 min: Rocklands 0 – 1 Holt.
Matty was called into action shortly afterwards and denied Holt a second goal with a great save. Holt won the corner and struck the ball so well it sailed over into the far corner going just under the bar for the second goal.
8 min: Rocklands 0 - 2 Holt.
Rocklands however to their credit did not lose composure or shape instead continued to play their football their way and with Nathan absolutely terrorising the Holt defence with every run he made making ground at a rapid rate. It was from one of Nathan’s runs that he crossed for Ewan who headed just past the goal. Steffen was also on the rampage on the left and beat his man every time and delivered some peach perfect crosses which Nathan found and hammered a volley across the goal past the far post. The Holt defence really were struggling, being pushed back with the strong bustling runs of Nathan and Steffen.
The midfield of Joe T and Luke C were working well with Luke using his excellent footwork to make space and find his man with the pass. Another strong runner, James collected the ball and weaved his way forward through the Holt players and being a bigger lad they appeared to back off from him but James supplied Luke C with a lovely pass resulting in Luke C shooting just wide of the post. Holt had another corner and Rocklands defended it well firing it out of the danger zone and collected the ball and headed straight back up the field winning a corner which Robbie duly delivered as Robbie can do finding Joe T who headed powerfully but the Holt keeper made a good save to deny Joey the goal. Rocklands were having the majority of possession and shots on goal.
The lads really were putting the game on gas mark 5 playing the football we know they can play. Steff was tripped and awarded a free kick and Joe S stepped up and from distance almost scored but the ball went over the crossbar. Ewan fired another shot in just pushing it wide along with Nathan flying down the right and cutting into the middle and smashing the ball goal ward but the Holt defence were all back defending with everything they had. Sam came on for James and immediately let Steff on the left with the ball at his feet go again slicing the Holt defence up. Luke C with the ball in midfield was playing really well but Holt caught Rocklands on the break but once again Petr Cech came to the rescue with two great saves. Matty has kept Rocklands in so many games and this was no exception. His head did not go down he fought back from the two Holt goals well. Yet another great save from Matty this time punching it clear commanding his area well. Nathan collected the ball and went off heading goal ward running the length of the pitch and with Steffen flying down the other side, the Holt defence were worried again. Nathan fired the shot in and Holt cleared only for Nathan to shoot again and again. The Holt defence were throwing the kitchen sink into defending their goal.
Halftime: Rocklands 0 – 2 Holt.
Rocklands had the majority of possession and shots on goal but it just wasn’t falling for them.
Joe G came on for Luke C who dropped to right back to give Eliot a breather who with Luke H and Joe S had their hands full when Holt broke. Ewan collected and fired his shot but it went wide. But it wasn’t long before Rocklands were back on the attack and Robbie put the ball across low and direct but who was there to meet it and made what was a difficult header look easy, Steff, he bent down and powered the ball past the Holt keeper for a Rocklands well deserved goal.
50 min: Rocklands 1 -2 Holt.
Luke C now at right back broke up another Holt attack with the ball heading towards the Holt goal finding Ewan. Holt cleared and Joe G split the Holt defence with a lovely pass into space with Nathan running onto it. Rocklands were passing into the space to find the runners and Nathan fired the shot just wide of the goal.
Rocklands were awarded a free kick but Holt had their wall in the right place. Luke C overlapped and provided a peach perfect cross for Ewan to head just outside the post. The equalizer was proving difficult with shots just missing the target. Rocklands won another corner and the ball came out for Joe G to side flick the ball just over the bar which resulted in another corner from the other side which Jack put in and it bounced along the top of the crossbar. What do the lads have to do to score?
Matty was called into action from a Holt corner but he scooped the ball from the air with ease. Rocklands went back on the attack again but lost the ball and Holt countered which resulted in a goal again against the run of play.
77 min: Rocklands 1 – 3 Holt.
Joe S had another long distance chance from a free kick and he really does have a great shot from distance but it just floated over the bar. Matty again made a great low reaction save pushing it wide of the post however did he get down to that I don’t know. Joe T again was working his socks off with encouraging words and leadership found himself crossing another low cross and Joe G got low with the header again just brushing the outside of the post.
Pete blew to finish the game and how did a game where Rocklands had the majority of possession and must have been around twenty shots on goal end up on the losing side?
But that wasn’t as important, why? Because Rocklands had played with commitment, composure and shape but more importantly had played for each other encouraging each other at every opportunity. The bro factor was coming back, okay winning would have been the icing on the cake but every mother and father on the side line would prefer the bro factor, playing for each other. Just like the lads on that day in November that fought together, died together and together defeated their enemy and defended their home land.
Steve and the spectators came up with MOM candidates, Luke C outstanding game today, Matty with some fantastic saves keeping us in the game once again, Nathan and Steff for their terrorising of the Holt defence but Steve didn’t want to single out just one instead he said as we all agreed it was a team performance today so you all get MOM for game management but more for the return of the team spirit. From the huddle to the end you were all together and for that we all salute you, Rocklands U16’s. We may not have won the battle today but we had the majority of possession the most shots on target which says we were in the right positions at the right time.
Courage Mon General courage.
