West Pymble B 1, Lane Cove West 4

26 May 2007, Koola 2

Another good day: we’ve now lost only one of our last four (and that defeat is looking more and more a statistical aberration: Greenwich have STILL lost to everyone else and scored only two goals other than their four against us. And we’re still the only team to have taken a point from Monash).

For the fifth time in our seven games, the winning side scored four; and for the second week in a row it was us, coming back from a goal down.

Not since the first day of the season have we scored a game’s opening goal. And the one we conceded today again had at least a touch of preventability. We started slowly, partly perhaps because of a number of uncharacteristically late arrivals, and resultant lack of warming up. The variable nature of the surface didn’t help: the only football pitch we’ve seen with not one, not two, but three cricket pitches on it – one in each goalmouth to complement the more usual one in the centre. And one patch of very long grass, which slowed down players and ball alike. And it was hot again and there were any number of possible other excuses, but really, we should start better than we do.

After some promising early attacks from us, but some scares in defence, their goal came around the 10th minute. Our defence was pushed well up, playing offside, but inviting exactly what happened – the through-ball nicely weighted to put the forward in the clear, but too far out for Tony to intercept. What happened next was a bit like Inzaghi’s second for AC Milan against Liverpool earlier in the week: wide of the keeper, to the right; just maybe too far? But no, ball slipped under the dive, and gently in: 0-1.

Or is James?! After all, he’s the only one of us who played the two good games and not the bad one! (If so, the bad news is that he’s missing three of the next four games).

It would have been hard to predict that this would turn out to be their last real attack of the half and that they would reach half-time happy to be only one goal down.

But now we came alive and spent the rest of the half attacking impressively and aggressively. Having Matt back with us no doubt had a lot to do with it, and Bob and Peter were also again very strong.

And before very long it was back to all-square. A fluent move eventually resulted in the ball being turned back to Peter just outside the area, and his very firm shot ended roughly as last week’s: just inside the left hand post: 1-1.

Just like last week, we could easily now have run in several more first half goals – and probably should have done. We looked constantly dangerous, and the next good chance was when I headed on John’s near-post corner, and Dave at the far post only just failed to get enough on it as it whizzed by.

Then another good goal, again leading from sustained pressure. The ball came back from Pymble’s defence to Matt in the area. Its speed and height made it no easy chance, but Matt’s first-time shot was too quick for the keeper and it was 2-1.

Ernie was now ringing the substitute changes, and half-time saw Bob assigned to sweeper whilst Brian had a well deserved rest. But attacking instincts are hard to deny, and before long Bob was up in Pymble’s area challenging with his characteristic style. Ernie got a bit more agitated than was probably good for him, but no harm was done. Meantime Tim, Howard and Steve B were having strong games at the back, and today again proved that not much beats the firm, early hoof out of defence up to the forwards. Tony (well known for hoofing, himself, in his earlier incarnation as a sweeper) was also busier in the second half and made some brave smothers and another good save: trapping the ball between his legs at the near post.

And only a few minutes later, Bob had a chance to round off a hat-trick so quick that the statisticians would have been reaching for their…statistics. An easier chance fell to him, very near the same spot as goal two. But there were two vital differences. Firstly, there was a defender in close attendance. And secondly, Bob missed the ball completely and ended up sprawled on the ground. But he still had the presence of mind to scramble the ball across to me, in front of the goal, 8 yards out, all alone, keeper to beat. The miss of the season, so far, I was told at half-time: side-footed over the bar – by some distance.

Phil had another battling game, always menacing our opponents and contesting everything.

Mark S, Dave and Matt were very effective, in sharing the striking positions (with me) and we seemed to do particularly well in the air, resulting in lots of headed passes to chase.

So it was fitting that the next goal came from the air: Peter on the right created space to loft in a cross. It seemed to me at first too long, but it was also very high. This gave the time for me to back-pedal from around the penalty spot towards the far post, wondering whether the defenders were anywhere nearby. Apparently not, as I got to it unimpeded. My header was on-target and not really very strong; but strong enough, as it turned out, as the keeper’s effort to get to it was not entirely ept. Probably he was as surprised as I was that I’d got to it at all. 3-1 and we could breathe a bit easier.

But this was not a game for easing off: this was a game to improve the goal diiference. And just as well we did: the next goal, as the day turned out, took us up a place in the table. And another smart goal it was, too. John S had a really strong shot from a way out. The keeper did well to parry it, but there was Mark S, who had followed up from well on-side, to bang a difficult chance straight back in: 4-1 and coasting.

It should really have been five: a good pass from Bob found me in close again, and though I pushed it past a defender the final shot was too weak, and I missed a good chance to score my fourth in three games, and sneak ahead of Matt as top scorer (he has played half as many games as me, though!).

So we settled for 4-1. It moves us to 5th: ahead (only on goals scored) of next week’s opponents, West Pymble A. There’s still a 5 point gap from us to 4th (& 3rd), but lots of games to make it up. Which we will if we keep playing as we did today.

Bob was third in the MOTM voting; Matt second, and Peter a long way clear at the top. But a good all-round team performance as well.

Thanks to Phil’s son for being linesman to start & to Ivan for then taking over; to Peter for being linesman at 3. And thanks, but regrettably also apologies, to Tim for getting the beer & ice supplies, but then finding no-one to help him carry them from the car: another reason for the rest of us to arrive earlier.

MARK BRYANT