Novar Rovers V Smugglers Inn
21-09-2014
Todays games see's the local derby, Novar Rovers against Smugglers Inn at Myers park where both team play there home fixtures.
With Smugglers starting to find their feet in the league and off the back off two wins, the confidence was high amongst all involved. Smugglers have struggled to start games at home but today they got out the blocks quickly.
From back to front the whole team where chasing every ball and playing slick football. They were awarded a freekick after 10 minutes. Linton stepped up to deliever a long ball into the box which was defended well but only to fall to midfeilder Couper who met the ball on the edge off the area and neatly volleyed the ball into the bottom left hand corner. Couper grabbing the opener against his former team. 0-1
It was only 5 minutes later and the lead was doubled. Richardson found some space in the middle off the park and drove on at the defense, he fed the ball down the right to striker Fowle who played a first time ball across the face of the goal for Grieves to stick a toe on to the ball to prod the ball in. 0-2
It was so close to being 3 two minutes later when Fowle tried his luck from the edge off the area but his shot just drifted wide off the post.
The Smugglers were coasting for the first 25 minutes, but they must have started to feel over confident and loose passes crept in to their game. This allowed Novar to find their feet and start to assert their own pressure. The back line of Murphy, Reekie, Linton and Morrison were on top form as everything that was throwing at them, they dealt with comfortably.
The games still looked like smugglers could have went on to score another 2 or 3 but on the 35th minute Novar threw a spanner into the works. They won a corner which was delievered straight on to the head off the attacker and it flew past the keeper White. 1-2
HALF TIME 1-2
The second half kicked off and Novar seemed to have a little more self belief that they could take something from the game. They pushed higher up the park and where closing down the smugglers not allowing them the space to play their football.
The game was scrappy in the second half with both teams not creating many clear cut opportunities but the Smugglers were desperate to try get the 4 goal off the game to try kill of a Novar fight back.
After an initial period of pressure from Novar, Smugglers started to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. A Grieves corners was met by James who nodded the ball down towards goal and was flicked on target by Fowle only for the defender to hook off the line.
Subs where introduced with 30/25 minutes left to play as Fowle, James and Dow made way for Flinn, Duffy and Girwood respectively.
Novars chance to pull level arrived 2 minutes later as the striker found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper, he got his shot away only to see it clip the outside of the post and go wide. Let off for Smugglers who were desperate for another goal or the final whistle.
Smugglers were starting to play the good football again which clearly started to annoy the Novar lads and when Richardson dribbled the ball in the middle of the park was hacked down by Novars midfielder and then came the hand bags and in typical fashion this season Couper found himself in the book.
One last chance for the Smugglers to kill the tie when Duffy delievered a fast ball from the wing on to the head off striker Flinn but he planted his header wide.
FULL TIME 1-2
