So in-keeping with this spirit, this is going to be one of my weaker match reports as I don't really want to write it.
Fortunately there was no hard feelings from Sharpy's ill chosen words and the following line up still looked pretty strong to me.
subs: Luke, Chris, Alex, Joe
The opposition were top of Div 2, and had enjoyed an unbeaten season the previous year, so were obviously not a bad side. However, it soon became apparent that this was going to be a hard game not to win, as we had more than enough to win the game. Having the pressure of winning removed did have some positive effects, with the Clements players wearing permanent smiles and playing with a freedom that comes with knowing any errors will not result in receiving an ear-full. We definitely still played to win, and this attitude was epitomised by Eye-Ball who raced back to make a last ditch tackle and put the ball out for a corner when the striker was clear through on goal. The tackle had to be perfectly timed, as anything else would have surely resulted in a red card.
H was also playing out of his skin following his return to the starting eleven, and it was a real blow to see him have to be helped off following a nasty looking impact on the knee. Hopefully the time off whilst H has a minor op will give ample time for recovery so that he is raring to go in January.
The game was fairly evenly balanced (Robin even balanced the injury count by forcing Sparks's striker off following a fair but firm challenge), and it just so happened that Sparks made the first breakthrough when Clements failed to clear the ball from a corner and it was squeezed home through a crowded area: 0-1.
The response to going behind was spot on, and almost instantaneous. Sharpy and little brother Ryan had already been linking up really well on the left, and a little exchange of passes was finished with Sharpy lifting the ball into Dale, who was deadly from 8 yards out: 1-1.
We arguably created the better chances to take the lead both at the end of the first half, and the start of the second half. Sharpy in particular was making a nuisance of himself, and may have opened his account for the season if he had been a bit quicker to pull the trigger on a couple of occasions. Liam also had the beating of the left full back, and made some excellent advances into the opposition penalty area. At the other end Webby was excellent in goal, and deservedly earned a number of MoTM nominations.
Webby could do nothing about the goal that gave Sparks the lead when the replacement striker turned inside onto his right foot and hit the ball with minimum power, but perfect accuracy into the far corner: 1-2.
You would have thought this was the ideal situation: we lose the game 2-1 so Sharpy gets the result we want whilst we've still played well, enjoyed the game and made the opposition work hard for their victory. However, it was a nervy ending as we created a number of good opportunities to equalise with Dale being denied on more than one occasion by the dimensions of the goal and the acrobatics of the goal keeper. Extra time would have proven a little embarrassing for Sharpy, as it would have meant finishing with ten men as he had already used all three substitutes and Dale needed to leave at 90 minutes to get to work. Fortunately we managed to hold out for the defeat, and were able to warmly congratulate our opponents on their progress to the next round.
The MoTM vote was dominated by defenders, with Eye-Ball just coming out on top. It is difficult for me to self-assess why this was, but I imagine it was for volume of tackles, generally being a pain in the backside any time the opposition tried to mount an attack, and even getting a shot (albeit a tame one) on target from inside the box in the first half. It could also be because we lost, as the only other time I have received this accolade is the only other time we have lost this season. Oh well, at least the dark cloud of defeat has a silver lining for me.
Eye-Ball
Next game: Sunday 14th December @ home v Staines United.
Goal scoring chart:
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