Lane Cove West 3 North Sydney Bears 0

23 June 2007, Blackman

Is this as well as we’ve ever played? (Which is not the same, of course, as: is this is good as it gets?)

 

I think it might be. Phil agrees, though conceding that he’s only seen the eight games. Amongst those whose experience runs to hundreds, Eric cites a game when we beat the then mighty (but now defunct) Dalmacia, back in the 1980s, probably.

 

But, in any event, today we were very good.

 

3-0 always brings to mind the 1998 World Cup final, doesn’t it? France 3, Brazil 0. And today, like then, the fancied side were just swept away, by the passion and determination of the opposition (and the home crowd, of course). And the other similarities are uncanny. Zindane scored in the first-half with a left-hand side downwards header. And so did I. Zindane did the same again a bit later. And I didn’t. They were 2-0 up at half-time, and we weren’t. It goes on and on.

 

It’s so long since we last played that we may need reminding that North Sydney Bears were far and away the best team we’d played this year. Before the game began, they were second in the table. (They’re not now!). When they beat us 4-2 in April, the match report included:

 

…they were better than us, more determined; and, yes, they weren’t just Bears, they were grizzly too...

 

 

We’d be hard-pressed to believe that, on the day, they weren’t two goals better than us: they have a lot of skill, and a lot of commitment, and we must only hope that they get promoted. But not before we beat them the second time around!

 

How prescient! See what insight can be found in selective extracts from these pages!

 

And today the game began like last time. They were very nippy up front and we were very lucky not to be a couple down early on. They pinged the ball in from all angles, and a header from a cross came nearest, just passing the far post.

 

But this period of play also had features that we were to display all afternoon: determination – throwing the body in the way if all else failed - and the resolve that now seems to characterize our play.

 

So we emerged from our usual slow start with the score intact. But not our squad: Phil again limped off with the same hamstring problem after yet another promising cameo. (He has now been consigned to the tender fingers of the girls at North Shore Sports Physio).

 

Slowly we came to have the upper hand, and the best chance so far fell to Matt whose fierce shot was on its way to the top left corner when the flying keeper pushed it over. A few more chances led to corners, and we were on the up.

 

Injecting Bob into the game was again crucial. Not long after he came on as sub, he got the ball way out on the right, saw me lurking at the far post, and sent over a beautiful cross. It was just beyond the reach of the scrambling keeper, but right onto my head, and a downwards header was (as ever) the go: 1-0. (Only Bob seemed to spot that the ball may have – well - grazed, my arm on the way down).

 

More shots and good saves from their keeper were the highlights of the rest of the first half. It was by no means all us, but we were certainly worth our lead.

 

During the break we hit on the idea that attack was the best form of defence (we may patent it) and as we kicked off, Mark S said to me: an early goal is what we need. Prescience again, as not more than a minute later, the keeper was beaten, and Mark it was who did the deed. Bob’s through-ball was good, but still left much to do on the right. Despite the attention of a defender and the advancing keeper, Mark got to the ball and lofted it both of them, and into the far corner of the net: 2-0.

 

But there was still ages to go, and it was the next period that won us the game.

 

Jon continued his wonderful no-nonsense sweeping. (He and Ernie are now the only players with a 100% record this season; and OK, they’ve only played 3 games between them!). Steves L & B, Martin and Eric shared the other defensive slots, showed good timing in tackling, and were often able to deliver quality ball up the field.  

 

In mid-field Howard again adapted well and, as always, gave 100% physically and verbally! Brian, like Howard, was mostly playing further forward than usual, and, with John, held back the advancing hordes. Indeed, The Bears were mostly restricted to long-range chances. Not that Tony had an easy clean sheet, by any means: he made several good saves, including a couple when failing to hold on would have been fatal.

 

And then we got what we really needed: a third goal. Bob – I think it was – sent the ball to me out on the left. I got past a defender and to the by-line, and back just outside the area was Matt politely calling for the ball. In the heat of the moment, I forgot that I had just gone ahead of him in the goal-scoring tally, and obliged. Matt thumped it into the top right stanchion: the third goal into a corner of the frame, which was probably the only way we were going to beat their very good keeper.

 

When the French scored their third goal in Paris (can it really be 9 years ago?) it was one of those rare, ecstatic, moments when you know for sure that a game has just been won. But then there were only minutes to go. For us today, there were still about 20 left, and had the Bears got one back, we might have stumbled.

 

So they kept on pressing and we kept on repulsing. But not being repulsive: indeed, the game mostly lacked the grizzliness that our opponents showed last time. Yes, there were small pockets of it (Brian received an offer to rearrange his teeth) but they lacked the institutionalized thuggery of the earlier game. (Apparently their squad has 5 broken bones – that’s one each for 5 players, I think. I wonder how that happened?!).

 

Instead their aggression began to turn on each other, and how lovely it is to see your opponents bickering!

 

To the end, we attacked heartily, and came the closest to scoring again. Mark S’s chase for many a through-ball mostly found the keeper hitting first the ball, then Mark’s ribs. One desperate defensive lunge almost saw an own-goal. And Bob continued to cause havoc: one low cross from the right hand-corner almost made it to me, but the keeper just grabbed it in time.

 

So it was a very happy squad that celebrated a well-deserved and comprehensive win (and, later, the exploits of Peter & James who turned out for the As and scored both of their goals: making it LCW B 5 NSW 0 for the day!).

 

Bob was runaway man-of-the-match once again. Matt was second, and Mark S third. Taking nothing away from these awards, we should also recognize that the defence played really well, too (though we might not go so far as one of their number who confesses: I always vote for defenders!)

 

So now we’re up to 4th (though the team one point below us has a game in hand). We’re just two points from 3rd (the Bears) AND 2nd; and we have a better goal difference than both of them: 13-3 in our last four games certainly helps. In fact, we have the second best goals-for total & goal difference in the league. So we’re sort of 2nd, really!

 

We’re six points from Monash who are top (& have played a game less); but we drew with them first time around, and they didn’t seem as strong as the Bears…!

 

And, so far, in both March (all right: one game!) and June, we have a 100% record, have scored 8 and conceded none! One more game to go in June: against St Michaels (who have won just once, so do be careful!) to start the second half of the season. Then it’ll be July (unless something very odd happens), and downhill to the semis. Which, regrettably, won’t now happen, but we can imagine!

 

Thanks to Jon Prideaux and Nigel Blow for very sensible refereeing, and to Peter for standing in whilst Jon reffed the first half; to Howard & Phil for officiating in the hard-fought 3pm game; and to Tim for the beers, particularly as he didn’t get to play.

 

And to Nigel (again) for arranging the club jackets. Very good they look, too. And they work: 3 wins (9-2) for the club on the day!

 

 

 

MARK BRYANT