The return fixture from the last match we played still ended up in a win for the Lions, but we again rode our luck at times and made things difficult for ourselves, especially in the second half.
Line up:
Phil (GK)
Adam (RB), Mike H (CB), Simon (CB), Julian (LB)
JP (CM), Danny (CM), Brett (CM)
Matt P(RF), Lee (CF), Gary (RF)
The weather was by far the best we've had for a game this year and with the lack of rain, the ground was rock hard. We were keen to improve on our performance the last time out against this same team, who passed up too many opportunities to punish them. However, we started off almost as we left off from the last match. The oppo got in an early shot from the edge of the area which I bundled away for a corners and they were seeing far too much of the ball even if they weren't going anywhere fast with it.
That said our first goal came from our first attack. From their corner (I think), the ball broke out to Matt P on the right who took it forward then lobbed a ball over the top, right to left towards Lee. The goalie came out without getting anywhere near the ball and neither did their defender, leaving Lee to guide it into the empty net with ease.
We still weren't having that much possession and they were winning the ball in the midfield. Gary though had a chance from Brett's through ball which he managed to dig out of his feet, but sent it just wide.
All our chances which weren't many seemed to be coming on the counter-attack from their sustained pressure and the second goal followed the pattern. Good play on the right again where Lee this time got onto the end of a ball and slipped it forward for Gary to strike the ball early beyond the keeper's right hand into the far corner.
They came close from another corner when one of their trickier players managed to manoeuvre some space for himself inside the box and got away a shot that I managed to get over the bar. Soon after that though (or maybe it was before - not too good with the timing of events after the game) we scored our third.
Yet again, it came from the right hand side, Matt P got enough on a header to get it up towards Lee, via what was apparently a blatant handball by their defender. Despite the appeals from the Lions, Lee latched onto the ball took it towards the byline where he managed to rifle in a shot past the keeper from an impossible angle.
That goal seemed to settle us and we started playing football and closing down the oppo as we should have been from the start. We had another chance when a cross from Gary went across the face of the goal but Lee was unable to turn it in for his hat-trick. Someone else - Gary? - had a shot palmed away by the keeper after some great passing play.At my end of the pitch, Julian made an important interception to cut out a through ball that would have released their attacker in a one-on-one. The back four did well to limit the oppo strikers to feeding off scraps and we were controlling the game in all areas of the pitch.
The closest the oppo came to a goal was from a free kick a few yards outside the box which was whipped in and met with a solid header from an attacker who was all on his own. I did possibly my best Hollywood save of the season (all that was missing was the light from camera flashbulbs bouncing off my cheesy grin) to keep the shot out, but the ref kind of ruined the moment by giving the player offside anyway.
3-0 up at half time and as Dave said, the only way the oppo could win this is if we let them. Which we promptly almost did.
We hadn't really gotten started when they scored their first goal. The keeper in the first half - tall lanky guy who is probably their best outfield player so don't know why he was in goal - came out for the second and within the first 5 minutes got onto the dreaded long ball over the top and lobbed me as I came rushing out the area. Second time in two matches against the same team that's happened and this was the cue for really tense and nervy second half.
We couldn't seem to get started and passes were going astray, we were getting dispossessed in our own half and the defending was getting less assured. We were getting penned back again and aside from being pretty nifty with his feet, Lanky had a Delapesque throw on him too. The first one he did was right in the six yard box and wasn't cleared first time. I foolishly left my line just as one of their guys popped his head up to flick it up and over me into the goal.
We were really on the back foot and weren't getting too many chances to stretch our lead. Lanky had another lobbing opportunity but this time hit my chest, or rather my hand which was against my chest as I was outside the area. Thought the ref would send me off as I thought that's the letter of the law, but he just gave the free kick without even a yellow card. The wall did its job in that the shot went low towards me rather than over and I just whacked it to safety.
Then another moment of controversy between our teams. A fairly soft shot went in on their goal and their keeper bent over and got his hands around the ball. Kyle followed up and I think had a swipe at the ball to which their goalie took exception and who then kicked Kyle to the ground. Things got a little heated just for that, but then the ref gives a penalty. Cue much arguing from the oppo, during which Brett sprints faster than he has all game to get hold of the ball so as to prevent Lee from taking the spot kick to complete his hat-trick (would have brought him level with Brett in the Golden Boot race).
Eventually the penalty is despatched past the keeper enabling Brett to put to rest the demons of his miss against Chessington Sports earlier this season.
We saw out the rest of the game in no great style, but we got the three points. Chessington Park must be royally sick of us playing distinctly averagely, but still putting four past them. For our part, we simply have to raise our game for the next match against our own nemesis, Woolpack Eagles. We can't play like we have done these past two matches and expect to get any kind of result against them. That said, well done to the guys for another win.
