We agreed to a 15 minute KO delay to allow for late arriving Saints players but we never agreed to the liberties that they were allowed to take in their own penalty area. We were punished for our own level of commitment and competitiveness with the referee wrongly denying at least 3 stonewall penalties that denied us the double figure victory that our play deserved.
For a change we were bright (although not clinical) from the start. In the 2nd minute Andy's pressure created half a chance for Jack but he went to ground as he shot and ballooned it over. In the 4th Andy did the same trick releasing Sam but his underhit cross never got past the first man. In the 7th Olli took a quick short corner, exchanged a 1-2 with Andy and drilled just wide. Two minutes later a slick passing move saw Olli slip Jack in but he cut across the ball and the chance disappeared. A minute later Sam/Josh/Daz combined to create an opening which Olli scuffed and a minute later Andy ballooned one from just yards out.
For 15 minutes we were wasteful in front of goal, spurning several good openings and a better team than Saints might have made us pay. Exactly 15 minutes in all that changed when a driving wide run from Chippy released Daz and then Andy who looked to have given Sam too much to do but Sam's speed of thought and quick feet resulted in a close range chip and a 1-0 scoreline. In the 20th Josh lashed at the ball 15 yards out, from nothing Sam brought the loose ball down on his chest and volleyed on the half turn for 2-0, quality. In the 22nd Glen (very tidy first half) played in Olli and his cross was hit goal bound by Jack, then Josh then Chippy who was denied by the bar - the triple effort underling the pressure we kept Saints under. A minute later Glen played in Andy who seemed to freeze in front of goal. The next 10 minutes saw goal attempts from Sam, Jack, Dazza, Olli and Andy before Dazza was denied by the bar and Josh pounced on the rebound to net from close range for 3-0 - his performance deserved that goal.
Our speed and quality of distribution from the back - Revill/Ryan/Chip/Glen/Joel was brilliant - condensing the play in the top half of the pitch giving the midfield a great platform for creating countless opportunities.
The interval message was to stay focussed, ignore the referee and maintain a high tempo. We did all of that and more in the second half. Neil and Kyle (for Ryan and Glen) settled quickly and we were straight on our game. Three minutes after the restart 11 passes saw an opening sccuffed by Jack and just 2 minutes later 7 passes ended with Dazza's goalbound shot being tipped over by the 'keeper.
In the 55th minute a rapier pass from Sam released Jack who finally found his shooting boots and slotted home for 4-0. A couple of minutes later in the 70th a neat pass from Josh gave Olli an opening for a shot which was well saved but Andy was quickest to the rebound to net from close range for 5-0. A minute after the restart good pressing by Jack saw him nick the ball and play in Andy for a double quick brace. With 15 minutes to go Bowles came in for Joel and he did well on the left (Sam dropping in the hole). In the 77th a lovely ball from Dazza reached Jack who brought it under, opened his body and drove home - (that's better) for 7-0. Josh was brought down in the penalty area but was bizarrely denied a stonewall penalty, seconds later their left back caught the ball in the 6 yard box and unbelievably nothing was given. Almost in frustration a brilliant left sided run from Sam was moved on to Bowles who delivered a quality ball which Dazza converted with ease for 8-0 - punishment given.
The smartest goal came in the dying minutes. A short corner from Olli to Andy led to a slick 1-2 which Olli converted from a tight angle for 9-0 - those two linked up intelligently at times throughout the game.
We can only beat what's in front of us and like last week we made an awkard team look very poor. This game eased us into the League Cup semi with the luxury of a group game to spare - well done. We kept another clean sheet and scored 9 (nine) goals from 6 (six) different players as well as hitting the post, bar and being denied 3 penalties. We had one or two moments of irritation but i was impressed with our overall temprement today and with our ability to play quality football on the floor despite the opposition and circumstances. I like the way we continue to battle and play as a solid unit from Revill at the back through to the top end. We're playing with a lovely mix of steel and skill and it feels like there's more to come. The hard task will be to keep the pot boiling until the (about) 22.00pm on 2nd May.
So many good performances today, Sam & Dazza joint MOM with Sam going in the record books (sorry Dazza!).
