After the Castillas comfortable debut win over Tekkers Slovakia you would have received good odds on Sunday Morning whipping boys causing a shock over Ross Adams men. The big team news before the match was the return of club legend Kenny Ralph after an absence of over a year with the former skipper quoted as saying “despite stepping up a division with Camperdown the hawks were always in my heart and when Evander made the call I just couldn’t say no.” The returns of Bret Morris and Craig Duncan would normally be massive news but on this occasion the homecoming of The man affectionately known as the Ralphster stole all the headlines. With several bodies ruled out through a variety of reasons Adams lined up in a 4-5-1 in a game that eventually kicked off an hour late due to a variety of reasons.
Will
Spider Bret Kenny Silky
Craig Shaun (c) Tzon Kuli Struan
Crazer
The game started off with perhaps the best incident of the match when Will came charging out for a ball and still showing the effects of the previous night’s shenanigans got nowhere near the ball and was lucky to see a defender bail him out. Neither teams settled particularly well but it was clear to see The Castilla were the more comfortable side on the ball with The Occi relying on long balls and a Rory Delap esque throw from one of their players. After around 10 minutes the Castilla grabbed the opener and it was no surprise to anyone who had seen him play before to see that Crazer grabbed the goal finishing a flick on from that ultimate attacking force that is the Boris. Soon after the Castilla made a change as Adams took off Struan after a first 15 minutes of petulance which was in danger of damaging the clubs reputation as a gentleman’s club. This clearly didn’t have an effect on the boys left on the park with Crazer quickly grabbing a 2nd goal with another excellent finish from Shaun’s through ball. Occidental were soon back in the game when a long through ball was defended poorly and the striker finished at the second attempt after Wills initial save. Thomsons didn’t let this affect them and made it 3-1 when an outstanding 50 yard Stevie Gerrard esque pass from big Kuli played in Craig and he made no mistake rounding the keeper to finish, a very good direct goal from the Castilla which had Evander and DT in raptures on the sidelines. Moments before half time it was 3-2 when the occidental winger was allowed to run from his own half without being tracked and he made no mistake with a fine finish, very poor defending from the men in yellow it has to be said.
HT Castilla 3 – 2 Occidental
Ross and Danny reminded the boys at half time of the importance of keeping it tight at the back as well as going forward and told the wingers to try and get wider in order to influence the game more. Minutes after the half the gaffer made a change bringing himself on in the centre of the park for Shaun, moments after the gaffers arrival Thomsons grabbed another goal and this time it was Tzon who netted with a stunning finish across the keeper after a ball from Craig to restore the Castillas 2 goal lead. Going forward the Castilla looked excellent however the deficiencies at the back were showing and when the ball was lost in the middle of the park Occidental again took advantage on the counter attack, the midfield were just as badly at fault as the defence for this goal it has to be said. Struan was given a chance to redeem his earlier misdemeanours when he was given the last 15 minutes of the game and his performance showed the good side to his game with several good runs and chances. By this point the game had developed a training ground theme with the Castilla keeping the ball extremely well without really creating much with the highlight being Will’s dummy on the Occi striker. Towards the end Thomsons grabbed a 5th and it was Tzon again this time connecting well with an excellent Struan delivery, moments later another great ball was flicked on by Tzon and Crazer grabbed his hattrick with a headed effort a massive rarity from fathead. There was still time for Occidental to grab another goal a corner was poorly defended and the Evander was unfortunate enough to turn the ball into his own net, not much the big man could do about it!
Full time Castilla 6 – 4 Occidental
A good run out for the boys however the problems were there for all to see, with John Macaulay, Chav, Mikey, Graeme and many others still to come back into the side there is clear promise of a successful season on the cards for Adams boys. Man of the match went to Crazer for an excellent display of finishing and hold up play from the big man.
