Saturday 29th November
vs Town Green Rangers 1-6
Team: Ciaran; Mark, Sam, Joe C, Josh; Cameron, Caleb, Joe
D, Adam; Joe H, Jacob. Subs: Cormac, Louis, Ollie, Tom.
The Rangers’ manager was gracious enough to come over
after the game and acknowledge that the score line flattered his team – the
boys played some good football during this game and the difference ultimately
came down to the effectiveness of the two defences and the strength in depth of
the two squads.
After an even start, when they found most space wide to
the left as Cameron linked up well with Caleb and Joe D to free Joe H, they
went one down after 8 minutes to a freakish goal. Joe D put in a brave block in
the box but the ball appeared to rebound off the forward’s thigh and loop over
Ciarán into the net.
Joe D had earlier created a chance for Cameron that went
just wide and he started another move in the 12th minute, feeding
Joe H on the right. He found Jacob in the box and, as his shot on the turn was
blocked, Joe H continued his run only to see another defender get in the way of
his effort.
The attacking threat wasn’t only on the right: Adam was
winning the ball and linking up well with Jacob as he pulled wide but they fell
further behind after 16 minutes. As Rangers broke away on the left, the ball
across the pitch was beyond Joe C – who looked composed on the ball on his
debut – and the forward nipped in to rifle past Ciarán.
Rangers were holding firm at the back and breaking
quickly – Ciaran dived to take the ball at the forward’s feet from a free kick
punted into the box and at the other end Jacob saw a 24th minute
shot taken by the Rangers’ keeper above his head, after Joe D had again worked
hard to nick the ball on the edge of the box.
The boys were keeping the ball alive in their approach
play but chances were few and far between and they didn’t deserve to be three
down just before the half hour mark, although there was no debating Joe D’s
late tackle in the box: Ciarán went the wrong way for the penalty. Undaunted,
Joe D then popped up in the other penalty area but still the opening wouldn’t
come.
Caleb started another excellent move just before the
break on the right, feeding Jacob who then set up Joe H but his shot was
blocked for a corner, from which Caleb sent a low header across the face of the
goal but nobody could get a touch to turn it in.
Louis and Tom came on in the full back positions for the
second half, replacing Cameron and Josh. Mark kept up the work rate on the
right and they finally got some reward in the 38th minute. Pressure
on the Rangers’ defence finally told and Joe H was brought down in the box. The
keeper got a hand to Jacob’s spot kick but couldn’t keep it out.
Ciarán just beat the Rangers’ forward to another long
punt after 41 minutes, taking a raking to his thigh in the process but was
powerless to stop a dipping volley two minutes later from an acute angle as
Rangers again exploited space behind the full backs.
Pressure on the boys’ defence increased as the game wore
on and they tired on a sticky surface. Ciarán pushed a shot round the post but,
after Jacob had had one ruled out for offside, they were all at sea at the back
to concede a fifth goal from a 50th minute corner.
Cormac replaced Joe H up front for the last quarter and,
with Ollie also now on the left, they continued to push forward to try and get
something from the game. Ollie started a good move that should have brought
a goal, as he got behind the full back and passed on to Jacob. Jacob cut it
back to Cormac who gave it back to him when shooting was the better option and
Jacob’s scuffed shot dribbled wide.
Five minutes from the end, the Rangers’ defender handled
to prevent Cormac’s first time ball from setting Jacob free behind the defence
and, though Caleb’s slip on the free kick highlighted the state of the pitch,
Ollie stopped them from clearing the ball to square to Louis, whose shot was
taken by the keeper.
Ciarán had gone full length to push a long range effort away but,
hampered by thigh and finger injuries, he let a weak shot slip from his grasp moments
before the end and the Rangers’ forward tapped in a sixth goal.
As their manager said, the lucky first goal gave them a
platform and it may well have been a different game if the boys had scored first.
The way they kept it on the floor and worked together to create chances was a
real positive but they still need to get better at keeping hold of the ball
under pressure and competing even more to win it back. They could do no better
than follow Joe D’s example: he covered every blade of grass and was a menace
all over the pitch to more than merit the Man of the Match award, despite
giving away the penalty.
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