A great performance in our penultimate game of the season wasn't enough to get any points from an entertaining encounter with our fellow promoted side and co-users of Long Ditton Rec pitch 3. The game was distinguished by some cracking goals from both sides and a draw would have been a fair result, but in the end a couple of strikes It from their returning star forward edged it in Albion's favour.
It had been one win apiece this season before the game, but there was no doubting who was having the better campaign in Division 1. We had spent all week scrambling for players and Scott Bennett - who'd actually left the Lions for Saturday football (fortunately, he was still signed up from the pre-season) - kindly volunteered to help us out. We still started the game with only 10 though, with only the promise of Nick H on his way to help us out at some point. Albion on the other hand, had an absolute shedload of players.
There's the old cliche about how it's harder to play against 10 men but with the circumstances and recent form against us, the team really did find a level of performance that had been sorely lacking in the past few months. The outfield players collectively made up for the 1 man deficit with fantastic energy on and off the ball. Max was everywhere down the right, Tom made some great attacking runs down that flank, Ben drove the play from midfield, Boan protected the back three in his holding role, Nick S provided an energetic outlet on the left and the back 3 of Nath, Harry Mac and Mike got in timely interceptions and challenges to keep Albion at bay. Up top, the "Hold-up" king lived up to his nickname as time after time Scott protected the ball with his back to goal and got Max and Ben involved in the attacking third.
For the first 20 minutes or so, Albion were reduced to hopeful through balls that harmlessly overran and they were getting frustrated that for all the pretty football they were playing, they weren't registering any shots. OK, we weren't exactly peppering their goal either, but we looked just as capable and we were the ones to actually take the lead. It was some great work by Ben, who turned their defender this way then that before passing him and advancing into the left side of the area,. They must have heard the whack on Ben's foot from said defender on the next pitch, it was that loud and there was no argument when the ref pointed to the spot.
With no Harry M around, there was no arguing either about the taker for the spot-kick and Ben dispatched it firmly into the left corner with the keeper diving right.
Well deserved and indicative of how well we'd matched Albion despite their numerical advantage. They continued to test our defence though and eventually got their breakthrough, coming down our left with the attacker opting to square a short pass to his fellow player. His first time shot on the run was just out of reach and their relief at getting back on terms was evident.
It looked like we were going to hold out all square until half time but Nick S got caught a few yards outside our area when he got crowded out by two attackers. Once the Albion player turned to goal, he unleashed an absolute rocket that was as powerful as it was accurate, a rising drive that barely grazed one fingertip before finding the roof of the net.
Despite that sucker punch just before the break, we knew we'd played well and we just needed to keep it together in the second half. Albion had scored from their only two shots and they weren't playing us off the park, so it was a matter of keeping our focus and energy levels up. And Nick H finally turned up in the interval, though we still had to play the first five minutes of the second half without him.
Albion had an early chance that I managed to block but they did go further ahead when their midfielder managed to curl a shot round a couple of bodies just inside my left post. Our heads didn't go down though as they might have done in recent weeks and we got it back to one, when Scott slipped a lovely diagonal ball into the path of Ben who coolly round the keeper and passed it into the net.
Ben made a great run down to the left byline and cut inside only to see his goalbound shot cannon off the heels of one of our own players who had been rushing in expecting the pull back. Couldn't see who it was at the time and have decided not to ask for the identity... We did level the score not long after that and in quite spectacular style. Max lofted a ball down the right wing and Nick H met it first time on the half-volley to send it arcing over the keeper into the goal. The man does not do tap-ins and probably locked in the first couple of spots for goal of the season...
It could have gone either way at that point. Mike made a great goal line clearance, they had a shot come off the post and I managed to parried a shot away from danger. The goal to break the deadlock came from a corner during which Albion made a loud claim for handball which may have momentarily distracted our guys but we couldn't do much about the volley from just inside the box that looped over both myself and Nick S on the goal line.
Max had a great chance to equalise but after his driving run down the left and across the six yard box his low shot was diverted away from goal by the keeper's outstretched legs. Scott got a shot away that their keeper was lucky to see come off his arm then the near post, but a second goal by the same guy who got their fourth sealed the game for them.
A team performance to be proud of considering the circumstances, with Mike and Max the standouts in their areas of the pitch. One last game to go against Kingston Ravens who are challenging for the title. If we can get a full squad down for that, playing like we did today, then who's to say that we can't upset the odds and bow out of this season on a high?
