Lane Cove West vs Wahroonga. – 22^nd April 2006

Mark E Simon Jason

Graeme Rich Clive

Dan Wozza Paul

Tom Matt Kye

Nathan Tristan

Perfect conditions and a new strike partnership could not produce a first goal of the season as Lane Cove went down 1-0 to a physical display by their relegation threatened rivals. Wahroonga were obvioulsy looking to take revenge after their pre-season loss to the mighty cove, and came out of the blocks far the stronger team. But the well organised defensive unit of Wozza, Dan, Clive and Rich saw few chances turned goalwards. Possibly the most potent attacking weapon in the first half came from the 60 metre boot of keeping sensation Kye, who continually turned the back four of Wahroonga around. Despite their dominance, Wahroonga could not find the early breakthrough and were lucky not to concede in the two best opportunities in the first half. A well worked free-kick from the left hand touchline by Paul found Marks feet in the box, who turned a deft ball onto the feet of the charging Matt, who powered the drive from close range over the bar. And only a few minutes from the half Matt was set free by a beautiful through ball. Beating the last defender with pace, it was a clear penalty and a straight red as he was brought to ground under a heavy challenge. But, to the dismay of the vocal home crowd, the referee waved play on, begging the question if it was a dive why no yellow was awarded. When the yellow card did arrive, it was not for the dive, but for the protest from the young striker. The second half continued much the same as the first, with Wahroonga dominating but with few real chances. Frustration was beginning to mount for the away side, who obviously felt they deserved to be on the board, and just as the game seemed to fall into a lull, the decisive moment of the match arrived. Although well covered by the defence, the Wahroonga midfielder managed to turn and strike, placing the ball in the near post net with a fabulous strike. With 20 minutes left, Tristan was thrown up front into a three man attack, and the dynamic of the match changed immediately. Tom and Jason, powerful throughout, started to see a lot more of the ball and with Wahroonga failing to control possession, Graeme and Nathan were thrown on in a last ditch attempt to rescue the game for the home side. Alas the firsts could not buy some luck, with some close offside calls and post grazing strikes from the midfield failing to reverse the tie in the coves favour. With the defensive unit starting to look like the real deal it will be intersting to see what formation the manager will experiment with through the mids and up front as the cove continues to look for that elusive goal, and with it the prospect of first points for the season.