First match report of the 2014-2015 season and despite my promise to keep up these dispatches, it doesn't bode well that this is being written exactly a week after the game...With that in mind, I make no guarantees about this report being 100% accurate.
Still, the headline says it all. We had chances to win this game but so did the oppo and in the end we were happy for the point.
Starting line-up:
Paige (GK)
Nick (RB), Simon (CB), Ed (CB), Kyle (LB)
JP (CM), Lee (CM), Gary (CM)
Ben (RF), Scott (CF) Gregg (LF)
No less than 4 players making their debuts today with Ed and Nick starting in defence and Jake and Rafa on the bench. The pitch was awful but a least it wasn't chucking it down like it did the first time we were here two years ago. We started well, with Gregg latching onto a cultured route one clearance from Si at the back and rounding the keeper to dispatch our first goal of the new campaign within 5 minutes of it starting. We were playing good football and creating chances but giving away far too many free kicks in dangerous areas. That was to be our undoing later, but first came a corner that we didn't just defend well. Their guy got to the near post far too easily and was able to poke in a volley past Paige.
The free kicks around our penalty area kept coming and eventually we came unstuck when again an opposition player managed to get to a ball in under no pressure to head it across Paige into the far corner.
We had chances with our front three causing the opposition back four lots of problem s with their pace but few clear cut chances. Then just before half time, Nick did some great work in getting hold of the ball from the right back position moving upfield and feeding into Ben who poked it through to Gregg. He hit a speculative low drive which we all thought the keeper had covered, but fortunately for us, the ball spun up and over him and crept over the line.
We deserved to be level at the break but were soon behind after the restart. Again a defensive lapse at the corner allowed their guy an unchecked run in at goal to head in from almost on the goal line. Paige had to make some important stops to keep us within one after that. turning away a fiercely struck volley and then standing up big to deny an attacker when one-on-one. Ed and Si made some great tackles to deny shots at the back, up front the two forwards, Scott and Ben were holding the ball up well but the final shot was lacking enough potency and accuracy to trouble the keeper.
The equaliser finally arrived after an excellent team move where the ball was moved from right to left across the opposition box where Gregg was waiting to bury it high into the far corner for his hat-trick.
There was time for Si to make an absolutely incredible clearance from a cross with the back of his head whilst virtually lying on the goal line but neither side could find the winner.
So a point to the good with the promise of more to come. A decent team performance overall, but much to work on.
