After a miserable Division 1 campaign, the Lions signed off the season as they started it - with a closely contested win that had us hanging on for dear life at the end of a game that had everything: great team goals, awful goalkeeping errors and shocking referee decisions. The clinical finishing and little bit of luck in front of goal that have been absent for the vast majority of the season decided to put in an appearance for our last game, just to tease us with a glimpse of what our season could have looked like. By the same token, the defensive frailties that have been a constant over the last seven months reared their ugly head yet again, not helped by the conceding of some silly free kicks around the area and dodgy goalkeeping on the end of them.
The game brought together two teams with very similar records for the season at one end of the pitch, (lowest and next lowest goals scored in the division) and wildly dissimilar records at the other. Whereas the Lions have conceded a division-high 44 goals, the Ravens have given up a ridiculously miserly 15, the lowest in both divisions. With that kind of defence, only scoring 20 goals still gets you level on points at the top and Ravens must have looked at this game as not just a must-win but should-win, with us having nothing to play for except getting to double figures in points.
Yet as we have done often this season, we started the game better much than our opponents. In a first half low on chances at either end, we kept the ball well and worked Ravens' defence hard, if not their keeper. We had some neat build up play at times between Harry M, Ben in the midfield and Max and Nick up front but we weren't getting many shots away and nothing to really trouble their keeper. At the other end, Ravens' got in a couple of efforts straight at the keeper, but Nath, Harry Mac and Ed did a good job containing their tricky forwards and wingers. With the ball bouncing long on the hard ground, both teams found it difficult to get on the end of long passes and the more measured build play up broke down in the face of stubborn defences.
The first half was going very much how you would expect it to go between the two lowest scoring teams in the division but two free kicks within minutes of each other sparked the game to a bit of life. The first came from Ben being fouled on just outside the left of their penalty area. Harry M had already had a go with a free kick that cleared the bar. This time he got the ball under it, but also pretty much straight at the keeper. Not sure what the keeper did or didn't do, but he certainly didn't deal with it and suddenly we were a goal up.
The second free-kick came a few minutes later with their player being sandwiched at some speed a few yards outside the area on our left by Nick S and Max tracking back at pace. Although somewhat accidental, they did completely take the Ravens player out, to the point that he had to leave the field. It took some time for all that to be sorted, during which we seemed to be more concerned with discussing the foul than preparing for the free kick. As they say, failure to prepare is to prepare to fail, and when the free-kick did come in, 3 Ravens players had unmarked runs at goal. Parried the first effort from one, only for it to fall to the next, who stuck it away for the equaliser.
It was really only collective lapse by the team in that first half and the game was evenly balanced. We knew Ravens had to go for the win and we had nothing to lose, so we set out for the last 45 minutes of the season to play our football and enjoy ourselves. That combination was probably why the second half was such a goal-fest.
We took the lead again through Ben getting down the left and turning their defender in preparation to shoot, only to be hacked down by said defender. Harry won the loose ball and drilled in a low shot past the keeper for his second of the game.
We then went further ahead through a goal that truly deserves the "Team Move" description. Nath intercepted a pass on the edge of our box and drove down the centre of the pitch past the halfway line, offloading the ball to his right where it was eventually picked up by Max. He fed this through to Ben who lifted it past the oncoming keeper to complete a stunning counter-attack.
Nick H added a fourth after more good play by Max on the right. Although a defender managed to get a foot onto the ball as he made his way into the box, the ball broke to Nick H who calmly slotted it home to put us 3 goals up.
It was only the second time we'd scored 4 in a game all season and we really should have seen the game out from there, but with around 20 minutes to go, neither the scoring nor the Ravens were done by a long shot. Having been the hero minutes before, Nick H made a proper striker's defensive tackle on the edge of our box, when he clattered into a Ravens attacker to give away dangerous free kick virtually in line with the penalty spot.
Have to say, the wall wasn't great, due to some confusion over who was actually in the wall (at one point there were two walls) and then where it should be, but the actual free kick wasn't even that good. It was low, not that hard and right at yours truly in goal. The one thing I can offer up in my defence was that it bounced on the truly rubbish patch of knobbly bare ground just before it reached me, but a spill is a spill and this one cost us another goal as the oppo players followed it up for another tap-in.
Their third goal was never a goal for a number of reasons. From a corner there was a bit of a scramble on the goal line during which a Ravens player gave the ball a little underarm nudge to control the ball (think Henry against Republic of Ireland in qualifier some years back). The ref would have been hard-pressed to see it to be honest, quick as it was, but to add insult to injury, the ball was eventually hacked clear only for the ref to blow for a goal. For the ref to be blind to the hand-ball was one thing but to then see the goal cross the line when even Ravens players didn't shout for it was another. Can only think that he mistook the net bulging for the ball when it was actually one of our players falling into to make the clearance.
Massive sense of injustice for the rest of the game and with our lead fast disappearing, Ravens were putting the hurry-up on us at every opportunity. Max got himself a booking and then our hearts were in mouths when moments later, he took out an oppo player on the edge of our area. "Last chance" said the ref, keeping his card in his pocket and Max on the field.
Time was running out for Ravens though and we were still dangerous going forward, winning a corner late on to relieve some of the pressure. Harry opted to find Nick S on the edge of the box with it and our stalwart wing-back controlled it neatly then turned the pressing defender this way and that, teasing us all with a feint to shoot with his weaker right before arrowing a low left-footed shot into the opposite corner.
There was still time for one last butter fingers moment from our keeper when he failed to hold onto a low cross-shot that was converted by an oncoming attacker. However, that was to be the final blow in the second half goal-fest that ended our season on a high and effectively ended the title hopes of Kingston Ravens. We may never have been in the title race this season, but we sure had a massive say in it at the last, scoring 5 goals for the first time to ensure that we took the win despite conceding 4 for the umpteenth time. Well done to Harry M, Ben, Nick H and Nick S with the goals, Max for his tireless running and staying on the pitch, Ed, Nath and Harry Mac for their excellent defensive work, Calvin for holding the ball on the right and tracking back, Boan for shielding the defence and linking the play with the forwards, Joe for his work in midfield during the second half and Scott for being able to contribute a 20 minute cameo at the end.
So the Lions end the season as we started it - a win by the odd goal in an entertaining game. There was a heck of a lot of s*** in between those two victories but we played some great football along the way and made it through to the end of the season. And to paraphrase some guy from up north, next season, we go again.
For yours truly though, this is my last match report just as it was my last game for the Lions, having come to the decision that it's time to move on and let the next generation take over. Hope these reports have kept somebody entertained and informed over the years and I'm sure there will be many more to come from whoever steps up to take the website reins for next season and beyond. There's still the awards to put up, but I've written my last Match report headline.
Cheers.
Phil A.
