Collapse sees Active run riot

24^th November

vs Active Soccer 1-8

Team: Ciarán; Adam, Ben, Tom, Elliot; Joe, Josh; Ollie, Lewis, Danny O; Jacob. Sub: Cormac.

This was a dispiriting display on a barely playable pitch – although the terrible surface was the same for both teams, Active Soccer’s more direct tactics allowed them to exploit a heartless second half performance.

Active created a couple of early chances, winning headers from corners, but the boys had started brightly on the attack. Jacob and Josh combined to force a corner, which was wasted as they all attacked the near post.

Joe stood firm to block shots as Active came back at them but the boys were having the better of the early contest. Lewis’s throw set up Josh for a 12^th minute shot which the keeper took at the second attempt  and then Jacob saw his shot taken by the keeper. After 15 minutes, a great cross from Adam was tipped off Jacob’s head and, from a well-worked short corner, Ollie shot over the bar.

Ciarán was unlucky to concede a goal after 17 minutes as the long range shot bounced horribly in front of him and the forward was first to pounce on the rebound off his chest. Two minutes later and the Active lead was doubled as the forward, running onto the ball over the defence, was deemed onside and the Crosby keeper was lobbed.

Josh and Lewis forced saves before half time but the writing was on the wall as the boys folded after the break. Active scored three more in the first ten minutes of the second half as they carved out chances at will.

The indecision all over the pitch constantly left the boys chasing their opponents and, in the 45^th minute, Lewis and Joe combined to upend the forward in the box. They were grateful that the penalty struck a post, as was Ciarán whose feet were stuck in the gluepot of a pitch.

Cormac replaced Danny O for the last quarter but, despite a Lewis header just over the bar from Josh’s corner, they continued to ship goals. An inability to clear a corner in the 48^th minute, followed by indecision from Tom and Ben allowing the forward a free run on goal two minutes later, sent them seven down.

They finally showed what they were capable of after 52 minutes as Lewis robbed the ball in midfield and passed to Josh, whose cross was headed home by Jacob. Then, in the final minute, Active came forward and, with the defence standing off, found it all too easy to wrap up their victory with an eighth goal.

Defeat to a good side is acceptable. However, until the first goal went in, the boys were playing the better football and were as likely to score as Active were. After the first goal, their heads began to drop; after they went further behind just after half time they collapsed and the heart and, to some extent, the desire went out of some of the boys. The value of the work in training may now be more obvious to them than ever after this abject display. Some credit goes to Ollie, taking the Man of the Match award for trying to play some football on a quagmire pitch.