Lane Cove
West 2 Northbridge A 4
There goes the unbeaten
record, and in a game that should never have got away. Twice we went two goals
behind, against the run of play, and fought back to halve the difference. But
the third two-goal deficit came with just a few minutes to go, and there was no
way back.
Four changes from the last
game produced a young, fresh-faced team: no-one born earlier than 1950. Perhaps
it was the lack of experience that was our downfall? Or was it the unaccustomed
surface and thicker air of Blackman Lower?
We started well enough, and
had most of the early play. So it was a disappointment, when, after about 10
minutes, we went behind. A corner was cleared to a forward a long way out. His
shot was good, but Tony seemed to have it well under control: twice, in fact;
firstly as it flew at him, then again as he gathered it from the bounce. But it
squirmed away and a prone forward managed to poke it in: 0-1.
But it was early on, we’d
been unlucky, and we were certainly no worse than them. And again we had more
of the next phase of play.
Then after about 25 minutes,
another set-back. A break-away to us, but I lost the ball in their half, trying
to push it through to James when (as is patently obvious as I sit here now) I
should have just circled the wagons until the cavalry arrived. The ball was swept
back. We seemed to have a couple of half-chances to retrieve it, but held off
which was also not wise, as a looping shot sailed over Tony and into the net:
0-2
Then more pressure from us, lots of half chances,
lots of corners. From one, both Peter & John were well-placed at the far
post to nod down & in. But heading is not really a two-person activity, and
their attempts to help each other didn’t really: down it was, but wide, not in.
Next, our first step back: a pass (from Matt? Or John?)
into the area. I stabbed it into the path of James and he thrashed it: much as
he had last week, but this time he was nearer the goal, and the result was a
very satisfactory straining of the net:1-2.
More chances came our way, including a beautifully
flighted cross from Matt, from which my header might well have flown into the
top corner of the net had I been where I thought I was. Buy I wasn’t and it
went wide. But more corners, and more good flowing play had us in good heart at
halftime.
And a good, simple plan we agreed on, too: pass from
the backs to the forwards; the forwards hold it up and give it to the midfield,
and from there it’s only a formality, really, of which of us wants to score.
But something went wrong somewhere. The second half
never really got going. Gone were the flowing moves - from either side - and
the ball seemed to spend a lot of time being retrieved for a throw-in or goal-kick.
Nonetheless, we looked the stronger side, and it’s a
puzzle how we came to lose the second half 2-1, just as we had the first.
Them scoring again had something to do with it, no
doubt. I can’t now remember exactly what happened. Probably it involved one or
both of their two nippy midfielders (Jason, one of them was) but it ended with
the ball (somewhat luckily for them, as I recall) finding its way to an
unmarked forward in front of goal, and he made no mistake: 1-3, and we were two
goals behind again.
Never say die: off we set again, but had more bad
luck: including Matt’s fierce shot being pushed by the keeper onto the post and
away to safety. John also produced a spectacular save from the keeper, though
the shot was probably going just wide.
It was all a bit niggly, and excellent ref, Steve W, saw
the nudging and tripping to which I was being subjected (helped, it must be
said, by commentary from the victim). Peter strode up and hit the free-kick.
The keeper pushed it away to his left, but there was James again to poke it in:
2-3 and everything to play for.
More pressure from us ensued, and 3-3 was the script’s
obvious outcome for this drama. But someone misread their lines. With little
time left on the clock, desperation in our area saw Steve B, on the ground, handle
the ball, scooping it away from a forward and into the hands of Tony (who, no
doubt rightly, thought that it being judged a back-pass was the least of our
problems at that point). Steve W had no choice but to give a penalty, but
spared his namesake a sending-off. Jason was not the one we really wanted to
see now, but he it was who stroked it just inside the left post: 2-4, and
goodnight.
So, we can be happy that we played pretty well but
not with the result.
Howard was man of the match for his strong tackling
and leadership. And it was his birthday (though we won’t ask if the award was
the best present he got). James was only just behind for his two-goal strike,
and John Sneddon’s running and passing and shooting got him third place.
Thanks to Steve W & Paul M for officiating at our
game, and Howard [on his birthday] & Bob for doing so at
We’re still in the top four, oddly enough: being
there at the end of the season is the plan.
MARK BRYANT