1st Team Results
1st Team 1 - 0 Old Salvatorians
Venue: Home
Referee:
The lads did well today in a hard fought win against a very direct side.
We entered the game with a small squad again but a balanced one. The addition of a keeper behind us for the 1st time in a month made a significant difference.
The game started evenly with both sides looking to get in behind the defenses. After about 10 minutes we started getting the ball down and playing. This did not alter Salvatorians game plan partly because they had the wind behind them and secondly due them being a very direct side.
This meant that any turnover of possession inevitably meant a 30/40 yrd ball straight down our 'throats'.
We battled well and had the better chances during the half but was thwarted by last ditch blocks, over hit passes or some poor misses. We went into the interval 0-0. There were a few scary moments when we overplayed at the back and invited pressure on ourselves.
A slight change at half time gave us some fresh legs in what was a very tight game. The wind dropped off too which probably helped us settle down with our passing but obviously let Salvatorians off the hook from a pressure point of view.
Our debutant Alexander Martinat was impressive in midfield alongside the other lads. On a terrible surface and in blustery conditions Alex's link up play and incisive passing created some great opportunities throughout the game.
We had more chances but failed to get the decisive breakthrough. The game got a little more physical and we started bickering a little among ourselves too aswell with the oppos. To Salvatorians credit they also started mixing it up a little and some clever midfield play saw opportunities open up for them.
The breakthrough goal came from a great phase of play where a clipped ball down the wing from the full back went into our wingers feet. He beat his man ran down the wing and cut in. A few options opened up but he had the presence of mind to delay the pass until the best option appeared. Ollie Campbell made a run toward the goal and pull away to the right to create space for himself. The winger saw this opening and slid the ball across the penalty area into Ollie's Campbell's path. Ollie without breaking stride let the ball roll across him and passed the ball into the left hand side of the goal. A very well worked breakthrough and worthy of being a winning effort.
We carried on playing and had more chances but failed to convert the opportunities. The game became a little more direct which had our defence stretched a few times but the lads collectively communicated well and passionately... to ensure we kept things tight at the back.
A much deserved and well earned win today and a great tonic from the last three weeks of dire performances/results.
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