Longy to add match report after he's finished fingering his arse...
After standing over my bathroom sink, shuffling one off with my index staight up my dirt track for 20 mins (memories loft!!) I have decided what I wanted to right!
A solid side put in front of us were absolutely steamrolled by a Teamstats side welcoming back Neil, Danger, Barrett and Al Stanbury in the first half.
Second half was a different story lads. Fcuking about with the ball in areas we shouldn't, stupid tackles in danger areas and goalkeeping errors brought us back down to earth with a huge a bump.
They came out, attacked us early on but never looked like hurting us. We showed great composure on the ball and pressed in the right areas.
Still a little bit of organisation needed from defending throw ins but it was a solid, professional first half lads.
Major incidents were many in the first 45 mins with Barrett and Pagey, re-kindling their left side relationship from the BSM08 game, working well and Chinders and Elvin down the right looked to be working in unison too.
Barrett with a ‘George Best’ style goal to open the scoring really took the wind out of their sails. A long ball forward from the back (me I believe) that Finley managed to get a glancing flick on to fell to the best left winger in the league. He jinked round a couple of players from 40 yards out and then sent another couple in the wrong direction in and around the edge of the box before dinking the ball in to the back of the net past the helpless keeper!
With no real time for them to gather any composure we continued to hit them very hard in key areas. Our back 5 looked solid with good distribution into the right players. Barrett and Chinders eventually swapped flanks to give their fullbacks something different to think about. It worked!
Loft won us a penalty and even though Greenwood should have been on it, Loft confidently stepped up and smashed to the keepers right (slightly) and he guessed the right way. We could all see where the keeper was going, should have seen it son! No more pens for you this season. Luckily Barrett followed in and was hand to make it 2-0.
3rd goal came from the master craftsmen, Mr Greenwood. Luckily he had the protection of 2 solid centre back and a back to form Al and that gave him the freedom to support Loft and Finley (and Barrett, who never entered our half other than when the opposition were taking kick offs). After Finley’s lay off (mis-control more like) the ball found it’s way to Danny (via a touch from their entire back 4) and he rifled it in off the post!
With Chris pushing forward, hunting for the hat trick, he smashed a shot on target that keeper beated away. He thought it would be OK as it fell to Loft but he smashed the follow up in with his left peg. Nice finish, doesn’t make up for the duff pen though.
To finish off on the goal front, I pinged a ball over the top, obviously with immense precision, and the ball fell to Greenwood who dinked his lob into the top left corner, keeper – NO CHANCE!
Then Finley finally made a ‘tackle’ and got booked. He will be dropped for disciplinary reasons!!! Rash tackles started to fly in when we got frustrated but hopefully we know for the coming games that we need to stand up and not go lunging in!
Second half, they had their first real chance with a shot from just inside the box that Longy parried (should he have held it? I don’t think so), sprung up to make the second ball which he really should have been braver and gathered in, instead he tried to smash the leather off it with his right boot and it fell to the long haired melt from Centre mid who was on hand to ping it first time into the empty net.
Their second goal came after an overhit free-kick was mis-judged by Longy, this time spilling an un-challenged cross to the fet of their pony striker! 2 bad errors of judgement lads, for that I apologise!
The rest of the game (other than Chinders’ ridiculous, late challenge) was empty.
Neil and Dom both came on and proved they are more than capable of making the starting line up, pull your socks up lads or you will be dropped!
Joel Leigh, Dan (the potentially new strike sensation), Pad, Stevo, Daz, Abs and Giles (oops, don’t for Coyne as well in December) will all be wanting starting line up places.
First win on the board lads, well done! We deserved it and we just need to shut games out.
Can’t wait for the next big game!!! Get in!
