Mossops 2 – 0 Clements Athletic

Obviously a two nil defeat isn’t what anyone wanted, but we should be proud of our performance which was characterised by a level of determination and effort that has been missing at times in recent weeks.  We’re still not playing great football, but with no consistency in team selection – we just about scrapped the bare eleven again this week – it really is no surprise that we are not really ‘clicking’ when players are having to play in different positions every week.  The situation was so bad that Sharpy had to go out and buy some new boots.  They seemed to do the trick though, as he had a really good game despite battling Mossops’s defence on his own for much of the game.

Subs: -

We started the season with five centre backs, but only one of them was available for this game.  Fortunately Neil returned just in time, and impressed in his first game for Clements in this position.  His organisational and vocal skills were key in us more than holding our own in the first half.  In fact, if Dale (2)’s rasping drive had dipped a bit more rather than hitting the post, or Ryan hadn’t been given off-side by the referee, we may have gone into the break with a lead.  The offside issue was a contentious one; a Mossop’s player ran the Clements line because we had no one to do it (there was no way Milesy was going to), but because he didn’t want to give offsides against his own team the referee instructed both linesmen to just award throw ins.  It would have really helped if the referee had told the rest of us!

The offside debacle contributed to the first goal we conceded in the first half, as the player looked to be offside when the ball was played across the box.  Nothing was given, so Eye-Ball had to intervene, but his interception ended up being a perfect assist for the Mossop’s striker, who had bags of time and space to slot the ball into the net: 1-0.

Mossops’s record shows that they are a hard team to score against, and their keeper obviously plays a big part in this as he snuffed out a lot of our attacks in a period when we dominated and created the best chances.  Harry had a well struck effort saved when he guided the ball into the far corner, and also had a header cleared off the line from one of Ryan’s many dangerous corners. 

As we pressed for an equaliser, it wasn’t surprising that we got caught out, with Eye-Ball giving possession away high up the pitch.  Credit to Mossops though, who were deadly clinical to break and finish the chance from their own half: 2-0.

We may have lost the match, but the spread of votes for MoTM was an indication of how well we played as a team.  In the end Robin just edged it, having once again led by example from the back, not only in terms of the countless balls he won but also showing the youngsters how you should conduct yourself in the face of some poor refereeing.  One lad who definitely needs to take a few leafs out of Robin’s book is H, who once again completely lost the plot, which is a real shame as he was surely a contender for MoTM.  Still, at least you can’t accuse him of being ageist, as this time it was a more experienced referee who felt H’s frustration.  I won’t write down here what he said, as I wouldn’t want to risk conflicting with the referee’s notebook, but needless to say our two centre halves may have been a little offended. Ironically, with only one league game now to go there is only one man who can equal H for the overall DoTD award, and that is the man whose referee bashing role H seems to be trying to inherit. I expect that both H and Sharpy will be on their very best behaviour in the last game!

Enjoy next week’s friendly and let’s make sure we play the last 90 minutes of the season with smiles on our faces!

Eye-Ball

Greyhound 3 - 1 Clements Athletic

This match showcased the good, the bad and the ugly of Clements Athletic.  The bad was a lacklustre first half performance in which we were nowhere near matching the fight, determination and hunger of our opponents, who were obviously intent on gaining revenge for the thrashing we handed them in the reverse fixture.  We could argue that the opening goal (certainly not intended to drop into the far corner from a free kick) was a bit lucky, and that being caught on the break for the third goal was a consequence of having to commit more men forward as we tried to get back into the game, but the truth of the matter is that we were pretty awful and deserved to be three nil down at half time.

Sub: Harry

The good was how we responded to this in the second half.  It was refreshing that there was no finger pointing at half time, but a consensus that we needed to forget about the score line and use the 45 minutes left in the match to regain a bit of pride.  This we certainly did, as every player went into the tackles a bit harder, chased a lot further and showed a desire to help out their team mates by showing for the ball.  We only managed to claw back one goal, but it was a good one, which saw Liam chest the ball at the far post and finish high into the net following a fine cross from Batty.  We created enough chances in the second half to at least get a point from the game, but credit to Greyhound for defending bravely and to their keeper who had an assured performance.

There was plenty more that epitomised the good, including the commitment of Webby, who soldiered through the game on one leg, the miles and miles of running put in by the Chapin brothers, who really set the standard, and the respect each man showed to his fellow team mates, which was reflected in the wide spread of votes for MoTM.  This award was deservedly won on this occasion, for the first time (and ironically on the week that the gaffer was absent) by Batty, who actually announced prior to the match that he wouldn’t be paying his subs this week because he would be winning the MoTM award.  True to his word, Batty was involved in all our best moves in the second half, and his quality and range of delivery really shone through.  More of the same next week please!

So that just leaves the ugly: step forward Harry Judge.  His arrival at the match was unexpected, but perfectly timed as we were temporarily reduced to ten men because of a painful looking injury to Alex’s ankle, incurred when he attempted to change direction to chase the ball.  He says he heard a pop, which doesn’t sound good, and it was a blow to lose another player just as the squad had been significantly strengthened by the welcome return of Big Rob.   The referee agreed to let H come on, despite not being named as a substitute, which is a decision he probably regretted for the subsequent 75 minutes.  Now the referee made some poor decisions, but nobody felt the injustice of the whistle more than H, whose temperature was raised to boiling point on more than one occasion.  If his angry outbursts weren’t enough to win DoTD on their own, throwing an empty bottle in the direction of the referee at the end of the match sealed it; and Mother’s day is usually such a good day for young Mr Arthur.

So we now down to two games left, and they are going to be tough.  After an amazing start to the season, it looks like we might be finishing comfortably mid table.  However, these two games should be an opportunity to prove that we can be as good as we were early season.  As our second half performance in this match showed, there is always something play for.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

 

Clements Athletic 0 – 3 Mossops

Three second half goals separated these two sides in a game in which the home side were seriously below par, and the away side showed the better quality and greater desire.  The result can’t be argued with, and should serve as a wake-up call that we can’t expect to get anything from games in this league without giving 100% for 90 minutes.

The squad was pretty bare again for this game, but we still managed to put out a side which included one lame keeper being replaced by another, as Foggy went in goal despite a dodgy thigh.  One significant absentee was our assigned referee, and former manager Alec proved the depths he will sink to for £35 by agreeing to referee the game.  Although for that money I think he should definitely have worn the little black number Eye-Ball had dug out for the occasion.  As it happened, Alec was saved from this thankless task by the last minute appointment of a replacement referee (praise to the league for a change), and instead he ended up running the line for nothing!

Mossops seemed to cope better with the traditional Blackshots cross wind, which was blowing particularly strongly on this occasion.  Clements had very little of the ball, which is an exhausting approach to playing football.  Despite this we made it to half time with the scores at nil – nil thanks to a few fantastic saves from Foggy, including one tip over the bar when the striker shot from 12 yards.  These heroics were performed despite not being able to kick the ball, and relying on players dropping deep or on long throws.  Some last ditch defending, including a header off the line from Eye-Ball, also contributed to us keeping a clean sheet for the first 45 minutes.

It wasn’t all one way traffic, and we looked particularly dangerous from set pieces with the defenders getting in on the action at both ends of the pitch.  The keepers really defined this outcome, and the Mossops number 1 also showed his quality by denying Robin’s powerful header from Dale’s throw, which was destined for the top corner, with a fine one handed save.  Brian also came close, but could only head over from Dale’s corner, and Liam was also denied by a fine save when he swivelled and shot from 8 yards.

Whether it was the effort of chasing the ball in the first half I don’t know, but it all went completely to pot in the second half.  I don’t really remember us creating a decent chance, and we conceded three sloppy goals (which included assists for Foggy and Eye-Ball).  Alex shocked us all last time out by finally getting some dirt on him as a result of a well-executed slide challenge.  However, one swallow doesn’t made a summer and his attempt this time out resulted in a penalty being conceded.  This earned him the DoTD award (another first) despite the Mossops spot kick taker firing high and wide.

Man of the match rightly went to Foggy, who refused to go off despite hardly being able to walk and put in a fantastic display of grit, determination and commitment which was a lesson to us all.

It is always worth looking on the bright side, and this was our last home game of the season so no more putting up the goals!  Thank you everyone for your considerable efforts on this front; it makes a huge difference to not be frantically erecting the goals 10 minutes before kick-off.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 15th March Away v Greyhound

Goal scoring chart