Preparations for the away game with St Peters were thrown into chaos as someone (who will remain nameless) read the mail incorrectly and thought we were to meet at 9:10am not 8:50am. Fortunately we were able to phone Kristjan and hurry the whole thing along. Disaster averted.
RED team arrived to find Meggetland looking splendid in the September sun. The pitch looked a little tight but plenty of nice grass and with games already raging all around it looked like a great place for a match. The St Peters squad looked huge, probably about 45 players, or maybe a few less but they seemed to have more than enough for a 7-a-side game.
RED team started with Danny in goals - wearing the brand new Sciennes goalie strip (woo-hoo!), Ollie at the back, Jack sitting in front of Ollie, Hector, Ali The Goalie and Kjartan in midfield with Struan lurking around as the striker. Eyvindur and Alex started on the bench.
Kick-off and the RED team were straight up the field. Kjartan fed the ball to Struan, who danced round a couple of defenders and smashed the ball into the net. Nice start. 1-0 RED.
A minute later the ball is back in the St Peters box, a nice turn from Struan sets up Ali who had his shot well saved by the goalie. "This could get interesting..." we thought. 30 seconds later Struan collects on the edge of the area, shoots, great save from the goalie but Kjartan follows up to tap the ball into the net. Super cool finish. 2-0 RED.
This is a whirlwind start but suddenly St Peters cross the halfway line but Danny is out to the edge of the area to pick the ball up. Phew. A quick break upfield sees Ali fire in another shot that is saved. The RED team retreat, the goalie feeds the ball to the defender but he makes the mistake of trying to dribble out. Struan tackles him then calmly rolls the ball past the goalie to make it three! 3-0 RED.
By now the RED team are itching to be involved. Subs roll on and off. Jack has a great break from deep in midfield, exchanges passes with Ali The Goalie (playing in midfield despite the nickname) and fires in a great shot that is saved once again by the excellent St Peters goalie.
Next is was Eyvindur and Alex who combined to then set up Kjartan with a great shot from the edge of the box that crashes in off the post! 4-0 RED.
Danny is out of goals now and Ali The Goalie is in goals. Danny spreads the ball out wide, Struan and Eyvindur play a 1-2, Struan crosses and Hector smashes the ball home. That is the second time this Struan-Hector combination has scored in last couple of weeks! 5-0 RED.
By now the bumper St Peters squad has come into play and the RED team were finding it harder to find their way through midfield against 9 players. Jack found a way though and his excellent shot from the edge of the box gave the keeper no chance. 6-0 RED.
More reinforcements arrive but Alex was coming into his own now in the packed midfield. His ability to ride tackles and keep the ball was proving to be very useful. A quick pass out wide to Kjartan set him off down the wing, the cross was excellent and Jack smashed the ball home. 7-0 RED.
Time for more changes to the formation. Hector, much to his surprise volunteered to go in goals. That new top was proving to be quite a hit! Pity the ref blew for half time before the gloves were properly on!
Half time 7-0 RED.
Wow, some performance from the whole RED squad. Everyone playing their part and taking their chances in front of goal. time for a few more experiments. The second half started with Hector in goals, Jack at the back on his hown, Kjartan as the sitting midfield player, Struan on the right, Ali in the middle, Danny on the left and Ollie as the striker. Yes, the same Ollie that fainted a couple of weeks ago when he found himself in the opposition box with the ball at his feet!
St Peters had a few players on the pitch now and smooth passing was beginning to get tricky. A nice break from Struan down the right resulted in a great cross into the box which Ollie (yes the same Ollie etc., etc.) dispatched with ease. Ollie scored. 8-0 RED.
Struan in goals now. Then Ollie. Was Kjartan in too? Can't recall. Great midfield play from Eyvindur released Danny, who returned the ball to Eyvindur who finished well from close range. 9-0 RED.
Alex in goals now. By now St Peters had their entire squad on the pitch - around 45 players I'd guess - and it was tricky to see the RED team. A final last minute effort from St Peters saw the RED defence troubled for the first time. A fully fledged, genuine, all in stramash developed in the box with flashes of Sciennes yellow goalie top being seen flying around. The ball is cleared. The ball if hoofed back. The goalie blocks. The ball is force forward again. Struan clears it off the line. Shot. Ali blocks it. Shot. Alex flings himself at it. Shot again. Struan clears again. Finally with Alex flying across and knocking Ali into tomorrow in an attempt to keep the ball out the St Peters 45 fly off in celebration as the ball is forced home. 9-1 RED.
The ref, who previously thought he had seen it all, shook his head as he blew for full time. 9-1 RED. What a performance. Both teams deserve credit for the way they kept going and well done to St Peters for grabbing that goal at the end and having one of the best celebrations seen since those Icelandic fishing celebrations!
RED squad : Danny, Ollie, Jack, Hector, Ali, Kjartan, Eyvindur, Struan and Alex.
Monday 27 September 2010
Monday 20 September 2010
MATCH REPORT : BLUE away to Oxgangs, 18th September 2010
Blues impressive early season form continued with a convincing away win to Oxgangs. Our reporter Richard takes up the story...
Blue Team lined with a couple of changes from previous week with Joe and Roddy away and Freddie making his debut. Game kicked off amid chilly conditions despite the sunshine. Blues quickly picked up from where they left off at double hedges with a nerve calming early goal. Murdo played a great ball into space which Hamish latched onto on the right wing. Hamish fired in a lovely cross which the Oxgangs goalie fumbled under pressure and Alex pounced on the loose ball to put blues into the lead. 0-1 BLUE
Blues carried the game to Oxgangs and had a number of other chances. Jude shooting wide, Hamish just missed with a header. The second goal was worth waiting for with the ball breaking to Alex on the left hand edge of the area. His shot found the postage stamp giving the goalie no chance. 0-2 BLUE.
Oxgangs responded but couldn't find anyway past the defence and with Robert and Sam coping with their infrequent forays into the blue half. After one such attack a great counter led to the third blue goal. Alex played the ball to Jude who then passed to Hamish and then continued his run. Hamish returned the ball to Jude who finished coolly. 0-3 BLUE.
At this point in a serious blow mid-field dynamo Murdo had to leave the action due to injury with Freddie replacing him. With only eight players on the day Blues couldn't afford any more casualties.
Next goal was from Hamish after being found from a clever pass by Robert. 0-4 BLUE.
Oxgangs scored just before half time to give them a little encouragement. 1-4 BLUE.
Hamish still had time to bag his second after a throw in from Alex to see the blues going in 1-5 up at half-time.
Half-time team talk was more of the same please. Coll, who had mainly been a spectator in goal, swapped with Freddie.
Second half kicked off and Oxgangs had obviously had the hair dryer treatment as they looked much more purposeful. Freddie was almost immediatley called upon to make a save. Despite their better start Oxgangs went further behind. A good ball from Coll released Hamish. Hamish was bearing in on goal and looked certain to score when his legs were taken from him pretty cynically. Jude stepped up and banged home the pen. 1-6 BLUE.
Oxgangs continued to make a go of it though and started to apply a bit of pressure. For a period blues looked a little shaky. Oxgangs looked certain to score but hit the post and then another shot went narrowlly over the bar. Eventually the pressure told and a ball over the top caught Blues napping. Oxgang forward finished well giving Freddie no chance. 2-6 BLUE
Blues responded immediately and Alex and Hamish combined allowing Hamish to complete his hat-trick. 2-7 BLUE
At this point Blues thought the game was all over and collectively started contemplating what they might like for lunch. Their tea was almost out though as Oxgangs suddenly made a stirring come back and scored two quick goals in succession. 4-7 BLUE
Then to the Blue coaches horror a controversial penalty was awarded against them. It it goes to 7-5 blues could be in for a very rocky last five minutes. However, Oxgangs answer to Chris Waddle (circa 1990) stepped up and puts the ball into the 'stratosphere' (one for the Ed!).
The Blues regain their composure and close out the final few minutes. Freddie make one terrific save from a powerful drive . Final name on the scoresheet is Jude who is put through and rounds the keeper to make the final score 4-8 BLUE.
Another good display with some really excellent passing moves and movement. A slight loss in concentration in the second half but other than that a really good performance from everyone. Tricky test against St Peters coming up but I think we can do well. Well done the boys!
Blue Team lined with a couple of changes from previous week with Joe and Roddy away and Freddie making his debut. Game kicked off amid chilly conditions despite the sunshine. Blues quickly picked up from where they left off at double hedges with a nerve calming early goal. Murdo played a great ball into space which Hamish latched onto on the right wing. Hamish fired in a lovely cross which the Oxgangs goalie fumbled under pressure and Alex pounced on the loose ball to put blues into the lead. 0-1 BLUE
Blues carried the game to Oxgangs and had a number of other chances. Jude shooting wide, Hamish just missed with a header. The second goal was worth waiting for with the ball breaking to Alex on the left hand edge of the area. His shot found the postage stamp giving the goalie no chance. 0-2 BLUE.
Oxgangs responded but couldn't find anyway past the defence and with Robert and Sam coping with their infrequent forays into the blue half. After one such attack a great counter led to the third blue goal. Alex played the ball to Jude who then passed to Hamish and then continued his run. Hamish returned the ball to Jude who finished coolly. 0-3 BLUE.
At this point in a serious blow mid-field dynamo Murdo had to leave the action due to injury with Freddie replacing him. With only eight players on the day Blues couldn't afford any more casualties.
Next goal was from Hamish after being found from a clever pass by Robert. 0-4 BLUE.
Oxgangs scored just before half time to give them a little encouragement. 1-4 BLUE.
Hamish still had time to bag his second after a throw in from Alex to see the blues going in 1-5 up at half-time.
Half-time team talk was more of the same please. Coll, who had mainly been a spectator in goal, swapped with Freddie.
Second half kicked off and Oxgangs had obviously had the hair dryer treatment as they looked much more purposeful. Freddie was almost immediatley called upon to make a save. Despite their better start Oxgangs went further behind. A good ball from Coll released Hamish. Hamish was bearing in on goal and looked certain to score when his legs were taken from him pretty cynically. Jude stepped up and banged home the pen. 1-6 BLUE.
Oxgangs continued to make a go of it though and started to apply a bit of pressure. For a period blues looked a little shaky. Oxgangs looked certain to score but hit the post and then another shot went narrowlly over the bar. Eventually the pressure told and a ball over the top caught Blues napping. Oxgang forward finished well giving Freddie no chance. 2-6 BLUE
Blues responded immediately and Alex and Hamish combined allowing Hamish to complete his hat-trick. 2-7 BLUE
At this point Blues thought the game was all over and collectively started contemplating what they might like for lunch. Their tea was almost out though as Oxgangs suddenly made a stirring come back and scored two quick goals in succession. 4-7 BLUE
Then to the Blue coaches horror a controversial penalty was awarded against them. It it goes to 7-5 blues could be in for a very rocky last five minutes. However, Oxgangs answer to Chris Waddle (circa 1990) stepped up and puts the ball into the 'stratosphere' (one for the Ed!).
The Blues regain their composure and close out the final few minutes. Freddie make one terrific save from a powerful drive . Final name on the scoresheet is Jude who is put through and rounds the keeper to make the final score 4-8 BLUE.
Another good display with some really excellent passing moves and movement. A slight loss in concentration in the second half but other than that a really good performance from everyone. Tricky test against St Peters coming up but I think we can do well. Well done the boys!
MATCH REPORT : RED at home to St Peter's Primary, 18th September 2010...
On Saturday the RED team welcomed the mighty St Peter's Blue team (and their frankly enormous travelling support) to The Meadows Stadium. As ever, the Saturday morning weather was kind and the pitch eventually looked like it could be used for football (one or two issues on Saturday with 'missing' kit, the culprits will be found and dealt with). The game when it started was simply brilliant.
The RED team looked good during the brief warm up. Some nice crisp passing and some excellent goalkeeping from Danny. Surely there would be no first half disaster?
Danny started out in goals, Ollie at the back with Jack sweeping things up in a new role as the sitting-holding-sweeping-in-front-of-the-defence midfield player. Kjartan started in the middle of midfield, Struan on the right and Eyvindur on the left. Ali The Goalie was the striker and Alex A started on the bench but was soon involved.
In the opening few minutes The Mighty St Peter's Primary swarmed forward but the RED defence stayed firm. Jack was relishing his new role, constantly detecting trouble, intercepting and then bringing the ball out from the back. Appears that we have found a solution to our trouble getting the ball up field in a controlled manner.
Struan was playing well on the right, keeping the dangerous MStPP left midfield player very quiet. Kjartan was working really hard, tracking back to help his defence. Eyvindur was as busy as ever, looking to help Ali at every opportunity. Ali had a tough afternoon up front being marked very tightly by the two best defenders we have faced. I'd say that they were the second best defensive pair in the league - the RED defence are obviously the best, no matter who is playing there!
At the back Ollie was in fine form, snuffing out any danger and playing the ball to Jack or other midfield players or sensibly taking no chances and playing the ball out. Danny was in excellent form and had a couple of excellent early saves. Alex came on during the first half and was in great form. He was given a specific marking job which really suits his style of play. The MStPP number 6 went from being the most dangerous player on the field to being the quietest (from a footballing point of view, vocally he still had a few things to say!).
As the game raged from end to end it was obvious that a single goal could win this. As the first half neared completion some excellent play for Kjartan and Struan resulted in Alex getting the ball on the edge of the box. A nice trick from Alex and he had broken through the massed defence and smashed the ball off the post. Oh, so, so, so close. HALF TIME 0-0.
So far so good. The MStPP are always very impressive and play some excellent football. Both team were having to work extremely hard to keep the other team at bay. Would anyone manage to break through? Would we have a 0-0? Could anyone break the deadlock?
Second half started with Ali The Goalie starting in goals, Ollie as the sole defender, Jack sweeping behind the midfield, Danny at centre mid, Kjartan on the right, Eyvindur on the left and Struan up front. Alex, still recovering from his first half thunderbolt started on the bench.
The game was becoming slightly more stretched now with gaps beginning to appear in both midfields. Danny was supporting Struan at every opportunity and on a number of occasions either he or Struan were one touch away from breaking free. The MStPP defence was proving to be hard to break down and they somehow always found a touch or a flick to keep the REDs out.
RED pressure was building though and if anything the RED coaching team were feeling more confident of scoring than conceding. Suddenly the MStPP broke up field. The RED midfield were caught out and as more MStPP players broke forward Ollie and Jack were outnumbered. As they struggled to cope with the onslaught the ball broke to the back post where an unmarked St Peters striker left Ali The Goalie with no chance. 0-1 The MStPP.
So cruel. RED faces looked a little disappointed. The RED spirit is too strong to let a single goal put them off. As the RED team swarmed forward in search of the equaliser another MStPP break left the RED defence in trouble. Ali saved superbly from the striker but the ball broke free, Ollie half blocked the rebound but the ball broke free and as Ali threw himself onto the ball the St Peter's midfield player poked the ball over the line. 0-2 MStPP.
Very cruel. The RED faces looked red and very disappointed. However, if there is one thing that the RED team have then it is outstanding team spirit. The midfield suddenly doubled their efforts. Alex was everywhere, tackling like crazy. Eyvindur was full of energy and looking dangerous. Danny was full of running and Kjartan finding team mates with some excellent passing. The MStPP were not finish though and swarmed forward again. However the RED midfield tracked back and picked up their opposite numnbers and broke free with the ball. Eyvindur found Danny with a short pass and suddenly it was Danny and Struan crossing the half way line with only one St Peter defender in sight - "...not so mighty now we thought...". Unfortunately it was their best defender!
Danny flew off down the right. The St Peters defender, we should call him Callum because that is his name, retreated not sure if he should tackle Danny or mark Struan. Somehow he managed to cover then both at the same time! He forced Danny to make a decision - pass to Struan or shoot? With advice raining down on Danny he shaped to shoot, but then dinked the ball up and over Callum perfectly into Struan's path. Struan followed the ball and as it dropped over Callum's head he volleyed it with his right foot into the top corner. Wow. 1-2 MStPP.
Goal. Of. The Season.
Inspired by this brilliance the entire RED team became, er, inspired. Jack was causing the MStPP midfield no end of trouble. His distribution was excellent and his covering back was simply brilliant. Even Ollie was pushing up as the RED team tried for the equaliser. RED forced a series of corners that caused the MStPP team real trouble. First a short corner from Kjartan to Danny caused mayhem in the box. Next a fired cross from Danny flew across the box and Kjartan just failed to meet the ball. Next another short corner resulted in Danny smashing the ball near post where the goalie made an excellent save. The pressure was building.
Another corner was whacked clear and the RED team found themselved stranded up field. The MStPP midfield broke forward and the RED midfield looked tired. Ollie and Jack did their best but being out numbered meant that the MStPP took the chance to end the contest with an excellent finish from the breaking midfield player. 1-3 MStPP.
Shame. Just as we thought it was going to be 2-2 the RED team found themselves 1-3. Game over. Or was it? Once again the RED team took hold in midfield and swarmed forward. Struan slipped past a couple of defenders and fired in a shot that was well saved. Eyvindur had a tiny chance from the edge of the box that he did well to test the goalkeeper with. Danny had a couple of rockets blocked. Kjartan and Jack spread play brilliantly. Alex battled to win control of the ball and always looked strong in posession. Another bout of RED pressure forced another series of corners. The first was fired dangerously by Danny across the area but missed everyone. The second was floated over and Struan collected the ball on the edge of the box, slipped inside two defenders and fired the ball home. 2-3 St Peter's.
Yahoo!
With only minutes to go the game really stretched as REDs tried to force an equaliser. Ali has two superb saves as the RED team abandoned defence in favour of all out attack. Some outstanding MStPP defending saw shots from Danny, Kjartan, Jack and Struan all being blocked. Alex forced his way through a packed midfield but was denied by a last ditch tackle from that Calllum bloke.
Finally the ref blew for full time as the exhausted RED team tried to mount one final attack. FINAL SCORE 2-3 to the MStPP.
What a game! The signs at half time were that one goal would win it - this was true but you really couldn't imagine that there would have been 5 goals in the second half. It was one of the best games RED team have been involved in with both team contributing to a very entertaining match. Both sets of supporters when home happy with their teams.
Well played to the entire RED squad - Ali, Ollie, Jack, Danny, Alex, Kjartan, Eyvindur and Struan.
The RED team looked good during the brief warm up. Some nice crisp passing and some excellent goalkeeping from Danny. Surely there would be no first half disaster?
Danny started out in goals, Ollie at the back with Jack sweeping things up in a new role as the sitting-holding-sweeping-in-front-of-the-defence midfield player. Kjartan started in the middle of midfield, Struan on the right and Eyvindur on the left. Ali The Goalie was the striker and Alex A started on the bench but was soon involved.
In the opening few minutes The Mighty St Peter's Primary swarmed forward but the RED defence stayed firm. Jack was relishing his new role, constantly detecting trouble, intercepting and then bringing the ball out from the back. Appears that we have found a solution to our trouble getting the ball up field in a controlled manner.
Struan was playing well on the right, keeping the dangerous MStPP left midfield player very quiet. Kjartan was working really hard, tracking back to help his defence. Eyvindur was as busy as ever, looking to help Ali at every opportunity. Ali had a tough afternoon up front being marked very tightly by the two best defenders we have faced. I'd say that they were the second best defensive pair in the league - the RED defence are obviously the best, no matter who is playing there!
At the back Ollie was in fine form, snuffing out any danger and playing the ball to Jack or other midfield players or sensibly taking no chances and playing the ball out. Danny was in excellent form and had a couple of excellent early saves. Alex came on during the first half and was in great form. He was given a specific marking job which really suits his style of play. The MStPP number 6 went from being the most dangerous player on the field to being the quietest (from a footballing point of view, vocally he still had a few things to say!).
As the game raged from end to end it was obvious that a single goal could win this. As the first half neared completion some excellent play for Kjartan and Struan resulted in Alex getting the ball on the edge of the box. A nice trick from Alex and he had broken through the massed defence and smashed the ball off the post. Oh, so, so, so close. HALF TIME 0-0.
So far so good. The MStPP are always very impressive and play some excellent football. Both team were having to work extremely hard to keep the other team at bay. Would anyone manage to break through? Would we have a 0-0? Could anyone break the deadlock?
Second half started with Ali The Goalie starting in goals, Ollie as the sole defender, Jack sweeping behind the midfield, Danny at centre mid, Kjartan on the right, Eyvindur on the left and Struan up front. Alex, still recovering from his first half thunderbolt started on the bench.
The game was becoming slightly more stretched now with gaps beginning to appear in both midfields. Danny was supporting Struan at every opportunity and on a number of occasions either he or Struan were one touch away from breaking free. The MStPP defence was proving to be hard to break down and they somehow always found a touch or a flick to keep the REDs out.
RED pressure was building though and if anything the RED coaching team were feeling more confident of scoring than conceding. Suddenly the MStPP broke up field. The RED midfield were caught out and as more MStPP players broke forward Ollie and Jack were outnumbered. As they struggled to cope with the onslaught the ball broke to the back post where an unmarked St Peters striker left Ali The Goalie with no chance. 0-1 The MStPP.
So cruel. RED faces looked a little disappointed. The RED spirit is too strong to let a single goal put them off. As the RED team swarmed forward in search of the equaliser another MStPP break left the RED defence in trouble. Ali saved superbly from the striker but the ball broke free, Ollie half blocked the rebound but the ball broke free and as Ali threw himself onto the ball the St Peter's midfield player poked the ball over the line. 0-2 MStPP.
Very cruel. The RED faces looked red and very disappointed. However, if there is one thing that the RED team have then it is outstanding team spirit. The midfield suddenly doubled their efforts. Alex was everywhere, tackling like crazy. Eyvindur was full of energy and looking dangerous. Danny was full of running and Kjartan finding team mates with some excellent passing. The MStPP were not finish though and swarmed forward again. However the RED midfield tracked back and picked up their opposite numnbers and broke free with the ball. Eyvindur found Danny with a short pass and suddenly it was Danny and Struan crossing the half way line with only one St Peter defender in sight - "...not so mighty now we thought...". Unfortunately it was their best defender!
Danny flew off down the right. The St Peters defender, we should call him Callum because that is his name, retreated not sure if he should tackle Danny or mark Struan. Somehow he managed to cover then both at the same time! He forced Danny to make a decision - pass to Struan or shoot? With advice raining down on Danny he shaped to shoot, but then dinked the ball up and over Callum perfectly into Struan's path. Struan followed the ball and as it dropped over Callum's head he volleyed it with his right foot into the top corner. Wow. 1-2 MStPP.
Goal. Of. The Season.
Inspired by this brilliance the entire RED team became, er, inspired. Jack was causing the MStPP midfield no end of trouble. His distribution was excellent and his covering back was simply brilliant. Even Ollie was pushing up as the RED team tried for the equaliser. RED forced a series of corners that caused the MStPP team real trouble. First a short corner from Kjartan to Danny caused mayhem in the box. Next a fired cross from Danny flew across the box and Kjartan just failed to meet the ball. Next another short corner resulted in Danny smashing the ball near post where the goalie made an excellent save. The pressure was building.
Another corner was whacked clear and the RED team found themselved stranded up field. The MStPP midfield broke forward and the RED midfield looked tired. Ollie and Jack did their best but being out numbered meant that the MStPP took the chance to end the contest with an excellent finish from the breaking midfield player. 1-3 MStPP.
Shame. Just as we thought it was going to be 2-2 the RED team found themselves 1-3. Game over. Or was it? Once again the RED team took hold in midfield and swarmed forward. Struan slipped past a couple of defenders and fired in a shot that was well saved. Eyvindur had a tiny chance from the edge of the box that he did well to test the goalkeeper with. Danny had a couple of rockets blocked. Kjartan and Jack spread play brilliantly. Alex battled to win control of the ball and always looked strong in posession. Another bout of RED pressure forced another series of corners. The first was fired dangerously by Danny across the area but missed everyone. The second was floated over and Struan collected the ball on the edge of the box, slipped inside two defenders and fired the ball home. 2-3 St Peter's.
Yahoo!
With only minutes to go the game really stretched as REDs tried to force an equaliser. Ali has two superb saves as the RED team abandoned defence in favour of all out attack. Some outstanding MStPP defending saw shots from Danny, Kjartan, Jack and Struan all being blocked. Alex forced his way through a packed midfield but was denied by a last ditch tackle from that Calllum bloke.
Finally the ref blew for full time as the exhausted RED team tried to mount one final attack. FINAL SCORE 2-3 to the MStPP.
What a game! The signs at half time were that one goal would win it - this was true but you really couldn't imagine that there would have been 5 goals in the second half. It was one of the best games RED team have been involved in with both team contributing to a very entertaining match. Both sets of supporters when home happy with their teams.
Well played to the entire RED squad - Ali, Ollie, Jack, Danny, Alex, Kjartan, Eyvindur and Struan.
Monday 13 September 2010
MATCH REPORT : RED home to Oxgangs, 11 September 2010...
First home game of the season and someone called Tae-kwon Doegrading caused a RED team shuffle. The first half looked okay though - Ali the Goalie started in goals, Ollie and Jack patrolling around at the back, Kjartan, Danny, Eyvindur in midfield, Struan as the striker and Hector as the sub.
Oxgangs looked pretty good in the early stages. Red team started slowly but Jack and Ollie were solid. Struan had an early shot well saved by hte Oxgangs goalie but a quick break from Oxgangs looked like danger - but Jack tracked back brilliantly and snuffed out the danger.
Some neat work from Kjartan and Eyvindur set Struan free. A cracking shot followed but it was too close to the goalie who saved well. A nice period of play from Red though and they were starting to take control of the game.
Hector came on and was immediately very industrious. A fine pass from Eyvindur setup Struan again who had his shot blocked. Your correspondent then turned to his sub to impart some excellent tactical instruction only for Danny to wheel away on the pitch celebrating! Turns out Struan's shot was saved, then another attempt was parried and finally Danny sorted things out by smashing the rebound past the goalie. 1-0 RED.
Yahoo. Much better start than last week. Lots and lots of effort from everyone and lots of great tracking back to snuff out danger. Some nice play in midfield from Kjartan released Struan out wide. He took on the left back and made it to the by-line before firing in a great cross. Before you could say "Ach, who is that too?" Hector arrived at the back post and smashed the ball home. What a superb goal - nice midfield play, a great cross and a superb run off the ball from Hector and a great finish. 2-0 RED.
Comedy moment followed. Struan was substituted, Ollie replacing him. "Just go upfront for the last few minutes before half time...". Ollie tripped over himself "Upfront?!" he screamed. "You'll be fine..." we tried to reassure him. Moment later the ball breaks to Ollie, who was frankly wandering around upfront in a daze. The ball is fired into him, no-one around but the Oxgangs goalie. Ollie composes himself and very unselfishly lays the ball off to an imaginary right winger when others may actually have shot. "Ok Ollie, just drop back into any other position you want...". "Phew, thanks" came the cheerie reply.
The first half finished with Ollie slotting back into the heart of defence. 2-0 RED.
Second half we had a real change around. Ollie took over in goals, still chuckling about his time as a striker. Kjartan and Eyvindur in defence, Jack, Danny and Struan in midfield and Ali as the striker. Hector finished the first half puffing away so dropped down to the bench for the start of the second half. This new formation started nicely but a quick break from Oxgangs caught the defence pushing up a little too much and the Oxgangs striekr left Ollie with no chance. 2-1 RED.
A nice dribble from Struan released Ali who put in a great cross for Danny who fired the ball just over. So close. Hector and Eyvindur were playing well, bringing the ball out through midfield. Kjartan was enjoying having a little more time on the ball and played some excellent passes through midfield. Jack was having a great time in midfield, breaking forward at every opportunity and tracking back really well.
Some fast breaks from Oxgangs allowed Ollie to demonstrate his excellent positioning and judgement. He was happy to leave anything that obviously wasn't going in and decided to catch things as they rebound off the post or bar. Great strategy. On one memorable occassion an almighty, thunderous shot from the midfield giant whizzed past him and thudded off the bar, bounced down, hit Ollie, rebounded onto the post, was scrambled onto the post again before Ollie calmed everyone down by picking the ball up. Great entertainment for everyone.
Ali dropped into midfield and started to see more of the ball. Some excellent play from Kjartan fed the ball through to Ali who turned and started to gallop forward. "Pass" we shout. "Wide" we yelled. Ali skipped past a couple of Oxgang midfielders. "Out wide" we screamed. Ali looked up and smashed the ball into the net from 25 yards. "Shoot..." we suggested part way through the celebrations. Superb goal. 3-1 RED.
Eyvindur and Kjartan were looking good at the back and playing their way out of trouble. A lucky blocked clearance fell to the Oxgangs striker who left Ollie with no chance. 3-2 RED.
Uh-oh. Two minutes to go. Oxgangs grab the ball in midfield and unleash another thunderous shot. Ollie watches happily as the ball sails over him and thuds against the bar, before catching the rebound. Very cool. Great distribution from Ollie to Kjartan, Kjartan finds Hector, who plays in Danny, who passes to Struan and a snap shot is saved by the Oxgangs goalie. Oh, so close to a great finish just as the ref blows for full time. 3-2 RED.
Great performance, with a few more chances taken in either half it would have been a convincing win, but Oxgangs showed some great touches and forced the game into an exciting finish.
Oxgangs looked pretty good in the early stages. Red team started slowly but Jack and Ollie were solid. Struan had an early shot well saved by hte Oxgangs goalie but a quick break from Oxgangs looked like danger - but Jack tracked back brilliantly and snuffed out the danger.
Some neat work from Kjartan and Eyvindur set Struan free. A cracking shot followed but it was too close to the goalie who saved well. A nice period of play from Red though and they were starting to take control of the game.
Hector came on and was immediately very industrious. A fine pass from Eyvindur setup Struan again who had his shot blocked. Your correspondent then turned to his sub to impart some excellent tactical instruction only for Danny to wheel away on the pitch celebrating! Turns out Struan's shot was saved, then another attempt was parried and finally Danny sorted things out by smashing the rebound past the goalie. 1-0 RED.
Yahoo. Much better start than last week. Lots and lots of effort from everyone and lots of great tracking back to snuff out danger. Some nice play in midfield from Kjartan released Struan out wide. He took on the left back and made it to the by-line before firing in a great cross. Before you could say "Ach, who is that too?" Hector arrived at the back post and smashed the ball home. What a superb goal - nice midfield play, a great cross and a superb run off the ball from Hector and a great finish. 2-0 RED.
Comedy moment followed. Struan was substituted, Ollie replacing him. "Just go upfront for the last few minutes before half time...". Ollie tripped over himself "Upfront?!" he screamed. "You'll be fine..." we tried to reassure him. Moment later the ball breaks to Ollie, who was frankly wandering around upfront in a daze. The ball is fired into him, no-one around but the Oxgangs goalie. Ollie composes himself and very unselfishly lays the ball off to an imaginary right winger when others may actually have shot. "Ok Ollie, just drop back into any other position you want...". "Phew, thanks" came the cheerie reply.
The first half finished with Ollie slotting back into the heart of defence. 2-0 RED.
Second half we had a real change around. Ollie took over in goals, still chuckling about his time as a striker. Kjartan and Eyvindur in defence, Jack, Danny and Struan in midfield and Ali as the striker. Hector finished the first half puffing away so dropped down to the bench for the start of the second half. This new formation started nicely but a quick break from Oxgangs caught the defence pushing up a little too much and the Oxgangs striekr left Ollie with no chance. 2-1 RED.
A nice dribble from Struan released Ali who put in a great cross for Danny who fired the ball just over. So close. Hector and Eyvindur were playing well, bringing the ball out through midfield. Kjartan was enjoying having a little more time on the ball and played some excellent passes through midfield. Jack was having a great time in midfield, breaking forward at every opportunity and tracking back really well.
Some fast breaks from Oxgangs allowed Ollie to demonstrate his excellent positioning and judgement. He was happy to leave anything that obviously wasn't going in and decided to catch things as they rebound off the post or bar. Great strategy. On one memorable occassion an almighty, thunderous shot from the midfield giant whizzed past him and thudded off the bar, bounced down, hit Ollie, rebounded onto the post, was scrambled onto the post again before Ollie calmed everyone down by picking the ball up. Great entertainment for everyone.
Ali dropped into midfield and started to see more of the ball. Some excellent play from Kjartan fed the ball through to Ali who turned and started to gallop forward. "Pass" we shout. "Wide" we yelled. Ali skipped past a couple of Oxgang midfielders. "Out wide" we screamed. Ali looked up and smashed the ball into the net from 25 yards. "Shoot..." we suggested part way through the celebrations. Superb goal. 3-1 RED.
Eyvindur and Kjartan were looking good at the back and playing their way out of trouble. A lucky blocked clearance fell to the Oxgangs striker who left Ollie with no chance. 3-2 RED.
Uh-oh. Two minutes to go. Oxgangs grab the ball in midfield and unleash another thunderous shot. Ollie watches happily as the ball sails over him and thuds against the bar, before catching the rebound. Very cool. Great distribution from Ollie to Kjartan, Kjartan finds Hector, who plays in Danny, who passes to Struan and a snap shot is saved by the Oxgangs goalie. Oh, so close to a great finish just as the ref blows for full time. 3-2 RED.
Great performance, with a few more chances taken in either half it would have been a convincing win, but Oxgangs showed some great touches and forced the game into an exciting finish.
Sunday 12 September 2010
MATCH REPORT : BLUE at Gracemount, 11th September 2010
Match Reporter Richard takes up the story...
So Blues kicked off their season with an exciting game away to Gracemount at Double Hedges. Early rain had given way to a clear blue skies with a brisk breeze. Warm up went well. A few of the Blues players expressed doubts about the veracity of the opposition claims to be in P5 as a couple of them were huge and had obviously spent much of the summer loitering in there parents green houses with their feet in gro-bags. However, Coach Flavours steadied the ship with some well chosen pre-match words of the 'size doesn't matter' sort.
(Ed : veracity? Cool word...)
Pitch had a distinct slope and the Blues started of playing up it and into the wind. If we could hold them in the first half we new we would have the advantage in the second. Gracemount started off well and the first few minutes were played mainly in Blues half. Gracemount tactic was to try and play the ball in behind the defence. However, the wind and the slope was making it difficult for them to judge the pace. After about 5 minutes one such attempt was brilliantly cut out by Robert. He quickly released Alex who scampered off upfield and beat the Gracemount goalie comfortably. 1-0 BLUE
Celebrations were cut short a miute or two later when the Blues failed to clear thier lines and Gracemount forward fired a low shot past Coll to equalize. 1-1
At this point Blues were on the back foot and for a period just could not get out of their own half. Sciennes were limited to the odd counter attack, notably from Alex and Jude who drew good saves from the effective Gracemount goalie. Sciennes were fortunate not to go behind on 15 minutes when a ball over the top saw the Gracemount forward run in on goal. His attempted lob came off the Blues crossbar. As the half wore on Blues came more into and probably should have gone ahead. A goal looked certain during a huge stramash in the Gracemount goals when three or four shots were fired in in quick succesion. The Gracemount goalie was in inspired form though. Gracemount had a good chance to score just before half time but Coll saved well at the near post to deny them the advantage and teams went in 1-1 at half time.
HALF TIME 1-1
So second half kicks of with Blues feeling confident with the wind behind and shooting down the slope. Roddy takes over from Coll in goal after a good performance in defence. Almost straight away Alex catches a Gracemount defender dallying on the ball and fires home with his RIGHT foot to make the score 2-1 to the Blues. 2-1 BLUE
The blues are looking the better team now and are starting to put some passes together. Then out of nowhere a Gracemount midfielder picks up the ball some way out from goal and fires in a speculative shot which dips under the cross-bar leaving Roddy no chance to save. 2-2
All of a sudden the Blues early second half confidence has evaporated and for a minute or two we are looking as secure as Manchester United defending a 2-goal lead going into injury time. Gracemount exert all sorts of pressure but great defensive work by Joe, Sam, Murdo and Roddy helps to prevent Gracemount taking the lead. With the crisis averted Jude has a great shot well saved and then Hamish manages to latch on to a pass and finishes clinically from 8 yards to give the Blues the lead. 3-2 BLUE
Then the best move of the match sees the Blues forwards and midfield exchange five or six passes before the ball came to Alex who sylishly completed his hat-trick with a shot into the corner of the Gracemount net. 4-2 BLUE
Gracemount are deflated now and a sharp interchange of passes releases Hamish who's shot is turned round the post for a corner. The corner leads to Alex's fourth and the Blues fifth of the match. 5-2 BLUE
There is time for one more goal from the Blues. A good turn and shot from Hamish sees the Gracemount goalie pull of a good save but the ball squirms from his hands and Coll is on hand finish it off from close range. 6-2 BLUE
Gracemount manage a consolation before full-time. Final score 6-3 BLUE.
A great performance from every boy and the team as whole against what I thought was a really strong opposition. Stoic defending and counter-attacking in the first half and then some really good passing moves in the second with some great goals. Look forward to seeing more of the same in the coming weeks.
(Ed : stoic? Another cool word...)
Sunday 5 September 2010
MATCH REPORT : RED at Gracemount, 4th September 2010
Followers of the P5 RED team will know from experience that supporting the REDs is not easy. Some things will always be - night follows day, chickens lay eggs, dogs chase cats and RED team like a challenge. At half time on Saturday the RED team gave themselves their biggest challenge to date. What followed was quite incredible. Take a seat and hold on tight...
First game of the season, nice warm up, team looked good. Spoilt for keeping choices today - Danny started in goals, Ollie and Alex A in defence, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield and Ali the Goalie starting as the striker. Things looked great.
A brisk start from Gracemount saw RED team under some early pressure. Great tackling from Ollie and nice support play from Kjartan kept things at 0-0 but very poor marking from a throw deep in RED half gives Gracemount a chance which they take. 0-1 GRACEMOUNT
Another poor start from the RED team. More Gracemount pressure and the RED team are hanging on. Danny was busy and pulled of a couple of fine early saves. Suddenly a quick break from Struan sets up Ali, who calmly runs in on goal and fires home. Against the run of play but we like it. 1-1
A nice goal against the run of play, RED team started poorly but quickly got themselves back into the game. No more mega-comebacks required.
Wrong.
Gracemount tore into the RED team, which collapsed, lost its shape and in a blur lost a pile of goals. Six to be exact. 1-6 GRACEMOUNT.
A shellshocked coaching team constantly rearranged the team to try to stem the flow but it was hopeless. Danny moved into midfield to try to shore things up, Ali took over in goals, Sasha joined the action as the tough tackling midfield enforcer, Struan moved upfront but it was utterly hopeless. RED team fell apart.
"You are a wee bit better than the team we played last week", said one local "we score 18 against them but at least you have been in our half a couple of times".
Actually REDs had a couple of chances but the Gracemount goalie was in fine form, saving anything that came his way. Sloppy finishing and poor defending from the RED team saw the half end with Gracemount leading 6-1.
Halftime 1-6 GRACEMOUNT.
At half time the RED coaching team tore into the RED team. At one point Neil might actually have been shouting. Too many players walking around dreaming rather than getting back to help in defence, too many pretending to mark players but not really doing anything, too many players deciding to be strikers, too many problems to list here. One quick roasting later followed by a "come on REDs" huddle and the second half was underway. "We will win the second half..." said Eyvindur with a smile as he trotted onto the pitch.
What REDs needed was a nice early goal and if they got another a 3-6 scoreline wouldn't look too bad. Ali was on goals, Ollie and Sasha at the back, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield and Struan up top as the lone striker. Kick-off and the ball breaks to Struan who flies through the Gracemount midfield, round the last defender and...hits the post! The rebound...oh just past the post. What a chance!
Suddenly the RED team were alive. A minute later great work from Evyindur puts Struan through and this time the ball is in the net and the celebration a simple "COME ON REDs". 2-6 GRACEMOUNT.
Alive and kicking. Sasha was everywhere looking for the ball. Kjartan was working hard and snuffing out danger in midfield. Ollie was looking to bring the ball out sensibly and Eyvindur was a constant threat. Another great passage of play in midfield resulted in Struan having the ball on the edge of the box. A great one-two with Eyvindur and Struan slots the ball home. 3-6 GRACEMOUNT.
That looks a lot better. Alex joins the midfield and is in fine for tackling anything that moves and setting up some dangerous attacks with some strong running. More fine play from Danny and Kjartan sets up Struan who holds off two robust challenges to fire into the net. 4-6 GRACEMOUNT.
This couldn't be another one of those epic fightbacks - could it?
Another wave of RED attacks follow but the Gracemount goalkeeper is in excellent form. Kjratan and Danny have great shots well saved. Eyvindur fires just past the post and Sasha has an effort cleared. Nice pressure from RED team.
A great run from Danny results in a RED corner. A nicely worked move between Danny and Struan results in Struan shooting home from a tight angle. Wow. 5-6 GRACEMOUNT.
It wasn't all one-way. After this whirlwind start to the second half the RED team dipped a little. Ollie was outstanding, tackling, passing and organising the defence. Ali the Goalie had two excellent saves and Kjartan cleared one certain goal - a great reward for working hard in midfield. But suddenly the comeback was over. A great run down the left from Gracemount midfield drew three RED players over to him. An excellent cross then found three free Gracemount players at the back post and the ball was fired home. 5-7 GRACEMOUNT.
The RED team looked disappointed and a little tired. It took a huge effort to get back to one goal down but with time running out that looked to be the winning goal. An exhausted Danny swapped with Ali who looked to give the midfield some renewed energy.
One final effort. Ali played the ball out to Eyvindur who cut inside and passed to Struan. A great run from Kjartan confused the defence, Struan controlled the ball and fired it into the bottom corner. 6-7 GRACEMOUNT.
The referee indicated that we were now in stoppage time (some meaty clearances had rolled miles down the big hill). We needed one more chance - would there be time? Gracemount charged forward. Ollie tackled. Alex cleared it up the pitch to the halfway line. Struan collected the ball, skipped passed the defender and through on goal. Please...oh what a save from the goalie! The rebound? Blocked. The rebound from the rebound? Struan prods it to the edge of the area...and the fast arriving Eyvindur smashes it into the net. 7-7!
(Seven - Seven !)
The ref blows for full time and the RED coaching team sit down exhausted!
A fantastic comeback from the RED team - extremely poor in the first half and unbelievably brilliant in the second! Well done to Ali, Danny, Struan, Kjartan, Alex, Eyvindur, Ollie and Sasha.
But how do we solve the poor first half performances that have become standard for RED team since beginning of P4?
First game of the season, nice warm up, team looked good. Spoilt for keeping choices today - Danny started in goals, Ollie and Alex A in defence, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield and Ali the Goalie starting as the striker. Things looked great.
A brisk start from Gracemount saw RED team under some early pressure. Great tackling from Ollie and nice support play from Kjartan kept things at 0-0 but very poor marking from a throw deep in RED half gives Gracemount a chance which they take. 0-1 GRACEMOUNT
Another poor start from the RED team. More Gracemount pressure and the RED team are hanging on. Danny was busy and pulled of a couple of fine early saves. Suddenly a quick break from Struan sets up Ali, who calmly runs in on goal and fires home. Against the run of play but we like it. 1-1
A nice goal against the run of play, RED team started poorly but quickly got themselves back into the game. No more mega-comebacks required.
Wrong.
Gracemount tore into the RED team, which collapsed, lost its shape and in a blur lost a pile of goals. Six to be exact. 1-6 GRACEMOUNT.
A shellshocked coaching team constantly rearranged the team to try to stem the flow but it was hopeless. Danny moved into midfield to try to shore things up, Ali took over in goals, Sasha joined the action as the tough tackling midfield enforcer, Struan moved upfront but it was utterly hopeless. RED team fell apart.
"You are a wee bit better than the team we played last week", said one local "we score 18 against them but at least you have been in our half a couple of times".
Actually REDs had a couple of chances but the Gracemount goalie was in fine form, saving anything that came his way. Sloppy finishing and poor defending from the RED team saw the half end with Gracemount leading 6-1.
Halftime 1-6 GRACEMOUNT.
At half time the RED coaching team tore into the RED team. At one point Neil might actually have been shouting. Too many players walking around dreaming rather than getting back to help in defence, too many pretending to mark players but not really doing anything, too many players deciding to be strikers, too many problems to list here. One quick roasting later followed by a "come on REDs" huddle and the second half was underway. "We will win the second half..." said Eyvindur with a smile as he trotted onto the pitch.
What REDs needed was a nice early goal and if they got another a 3-6 scoreline wouldn't look too bad. Ali was on goals, Ollie and Sasha at the back, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield and Struan up top as the lone striker. Kick-off and the ball breaks to Struan who flies through the Gracemount midfield, round the last defender and...hits the post! The rebound...oh just past the post. What a chance!
Suddenly the RED team were alive. A minute later great work from Evyindur puts Struan through and this time the ball is in the net and the celebration a simple "COME ON REDs". 2-6 GRACEMOUNT.
Alive and kicking. Sasha was everywhere looking for the ball. Kjartan was working hard and snuffing out danger in midfield. Ollie was looking to bring the ball out sensibly and Eyvindur was a constant threat. Another great passage of play in midfield resulted in Struan having the ball on the edge of the box. A great one-two with Eyvindur and Struan slots the ball home. 3-6 GRACEMOUNT.
That looks a lot better. Alex joins the midfield and is in fine for tackling anything that moves and setting up some dangerous attacks with some strong running. More fine play from Danny and Kjartan sets up Struan who holds off two robust challenges to fire into the net. 4-6 GRACEMOUNT.
This couldn't be another one of those epic fightbacks - could it?
Another wave of RED attacks follow but the Gracemount goalkeeper is in excellent form. Kjratan and Danny have great shots well saved. Eyvindur fires just past the post and Sasha has an effort cleared. Nice pressure from RED team.
A great run from Danny results in a RED corner. A nicely worked move between Danny and Struan results in Struan shooting home from a tight angle. Wow. 5-6 GRACEMOUNT.
It wasn't all one-way. After this whirlwind start to the second half the RED team dipped a little. Ollie was outstanding, tackling, passing and organising the defence. Ali the Goalie had two excellent saves and Kjartan cleared one certain goal - a great reward for working hard in midfield. But suddenly the comeback was over. A great run down the left from Gracemount midfield drew three RED players over to him. An excellent cross then found three free Gracemount players at the back post and the ball was fired home. 5-7 GRACEMOUNT.
The RED team looked disappointed and a little tired. It took a huge effort to get back to one goal down but with time running out that looked to be the winning goal. An exhausted Danny swapped with Ali who looked to give the midfield some renewed energy.
One final effort. Ali played the ball out to Eyvindur who cut inside and passed to Struan. A great run from Kjartan confused the defence, Struan controlled the ball and fired it into the bottom corner. 6-7 GRACEMOUNT.
The referee indicated that we were now in stoppage time (some meaty clearances had rolled miles down the big hill). We needed one more chance - would there be time? Gracemount charged forward. Ollie tackled. Alex cleared it up the pitch to the halfway line. Struan collected the ball, skipped passed the defender and through on goal. Please...oh what a save from the goalie! The rebound? Blocked. The rebound from the rebound? Struan prods it to the edge of the area...and the fast arriving Eyvindur smashes it into the net. 7-7!
(Seven - Seven !)
The ref blows for full time and the RED coaching team sit down exhausted!
A fantastic comeback from the RED team - extremely poor in the first half and unbelievably brilliant in the second! Well done to Ali, Danny, Struan, Kjartan, Alex, Eyvindur, Ollie and Sasha.
But how do we solve the poor first half performances that have become standard for RED team since beginning of P4?
Saturday 4 September 2010
Big Kick-Off...
New season starts today. Only one training session and we are straight into matches - YELLOW at home to South Morningside, RED away to Gracemount but BLUE game dramatically called off.
Here we go again...
Sunday 30 May 2010
Saturday 29 May 2010
FIXTURES : Saturday 29th May
RED at Bruntsfield, ko 9:30am
BLUE at Royal High, ko 9:30am
YELLOW at Meadows v Buckstone, ko 9:45am
BLUE at Royal High, ko 9:30am
YELLOW at Meadows v Buckstone, ko 9:45am
Saturday 22 May 2010
Saturday 15 May 2010
Saturday 8 May 2010
FIXTURE : Saturday 8th May...
Uh-oh. BLUE v RED, kick-off 9:30am.
YELLOW away to Buckstone, kick-off 9:30am.
YELLOW away to Buckstone, kick-off 9:30am.
Saturday 1 May 2010
Sunday 25 April 2010
MATCH REPORT : RED v South Morningside Elite 24th April
Match report version 1, provided by Phil...
With the Dear Leader absent enjoying some rest and hospitality at Cardenden Manor, the sumptuous Raith Rovers facility nestled in rolling bings by the A92, it was left to Comrade Robert and the Reds Committee to rally the troops. But as Neil lounged in his hot tub, the tiny bubbles of his morning champagne just audible above the passing HGVs, surely his thoughts must have strayed to Meggetland...would the Reds be playing champagne soccer, or would they be hoofing about some flat Irn-Bru? The answer bobbled about somewhere in the middle.
The first half opened promisingly enough for the Reds. The 3-2-1 line-up, with Danny starting in goals, was intended to counter the threat of a top South Morningside team, and early on it worked well enough. Danny's presence reassured the defenders, and after snuffing out a couple of attacks from SM, he released a quick ball for Kjartan, who played a tantalising near-breakaway pass for Ali. Surely it would have been 1-0, but then a great piece of skill from SM's Archie, fast becoming the Terror of the Midfield, reminded all it could so easily have been the other way round. When Upfront-on-his-own-Ali hit the side net the crowd sensed something was on its way. Would Neil arrive in a stretch limo and bath robe to issue tactical instructions? No! Ali banged one in after great pressure to put the Reds ahead. 1-0 RED.
As any Reds fan knows, this is not the usual script. How can you have a valiant fightback if you're already 1-0 up? While the Reds were pondering this, SM were beginning to play. Sasha, tackling well and putting himself about, was barged off the ball. Kjartan reacted superbly by pinging one just wide -- 2-0 would have been nice -- but some distracted and half-hearted midfield play gifted SM an equaliser. Boo! 1-1.
That fired up Ollie and Jack, who with SM now pressing deeper, both made goal-saving tackles. Hector's trademark determination saw him dispossess SM at key moments, but it was looking ominous. Sure enough on 19 mins, another gifted goal put SM ahead 2-1. They then hit the post and the whistle blew for half-time. 1-2 SM.
Would the fightback materialise in the second half? Hopes were high, with powerhouse Danny out of goals and replaced by Eyvindur, The Legendary Boy Goalie From the Land of Fire and Ice.
New signing Aiden added to the mix, making key tackles in midfield, but from the off the Reds were being outplayed by the Terror of the Midfield and occasionally by A Very Large SM Boy Indeed. AVLSMBI, coming from defence, was finding acres of space to glide through, like lava from an imaginary volcano that closes down international airspace. Many Reds simply stood and watched AVLSMBI, managing only to mutter Eyjafjallajokull! (Wikipedia: citation needed). A popular Icelandic idiom roughly translated as 'Hey ya fat yokel!' Akin to 'well, I never!' or 'Blow me down with a feather!' in English, it is a jocular expression of mild wonder tinged with a hint of slight annoyance -- what a city-dweller having a quiet country picnic might say to a simple sheep farmer whose flock trample over his rug.
But there was one Red who kept his eye on impending danger throughout: Eyvindur, The Legendary Boy Goalie From the Land of Fire and Ice. Some absolutely outstanding saves kept the score down and drew gasps from the crowd, as Reds struggled to find formation or a way through. Such was Eyvindur's performance that an enquiry was made after the game by a scout for Tynecastle boys club.
SM were going for it though, in more ways than one. Ollie was studded high up by The Terror, AVLSMBI was brushing off challenges, and SM were passing it about more confidently. They were always going to score again and they did, three times. 1-5 SM.
A consolation from Danny made the 5-2 loss a bit more respectable. 2-5 SM.
But...but...the goals Reds gave away were mostly free gifts. You know, like "Weekend for Two at Cardenden Manor". Definitely worth keeping and NOT giving away.
Match report v2, provided by Robert...
South Morningside Elite 5 - Sciennes Reds 2
A tough game was in the making with the Reds taking on the cream of South Morningside. To try and contain the expected onslaught the Reds lined up in an unorthodox 3-2-1 formation which initially worked quite well.
To start with, Danny in goals was having a quiet game with the back 3 doing a sterling job of stopping the SM attacks. In fact it was the reds who got first blood when a long ball was played up to Ally who skilfully tucked it away.
Unfortunately that only made SM angry, a bit reminiscent of Brazil after the David Narey toe-poke back in '82. More waves of SM attacks were repelled with Hector chasing down everything that came near him and Olly and Jack containing the flanks.
Eventually the Reds backline was breached but it was a goal that should have been avoided with a ball harmlessly going out was played across the goal. Aiden then came on to make his Reds debut and did well in midfield making some great passes and putting in his fair share of defensive effort. The Reds continued to play well with Ally again coming close after some good work from Kjarten. SM soon made it 2-1 after some clever play left their striker one on one with Danny and he was well beaten by a good strike.
The Reds reorganised themselves with Hector now playing the lone striker. With the Reds pushing forward to get back on level terms they were left a bit exposed at the back and it became 3-1.
Half-time
The second half began with Danny now up front in a more conventional 2-3-1 formation with Sasha being given the role of the utility player and Eyvindur now in goals. The game was still very competitive with chances at both ends.
Danny shot wide and Eyvindur made some very impressive saves but it was another unlucky goal which effectively ended the contest. Eyvindur made a fine save with his feet but the ball broke and SM had an easy tap in. To their credit the Reds didn't put their heads down and continued to play well and were rewarded when Danny slotted home a ball which broke to him after some sustained SM pressure. Unfortunately SM quickly restored their three goal advantage with a well worked goal.
Full-time
Overall it was a fine performance by Sciennes who were probably up against the strongest team in the league. If they can learn to play the ball out from defence the Reds will soon win these games in the future.
With the Dear Leader absent enjoying some rest and hospitality at Cardenden Manor, the sumptuous Raith Rovers facility nestled in rolling bings by the A92, it was left to Comrade Robert and the Reds Committee to rally the troops. But as Neil lounged in his hot tub, the tiny bubbles of his morning champagne just audible above the passing HGVs, surely his thoughts must have strayed to Meggetland...would the Reds be playing champagne soccer, or would they be hoofing about some flat Irn-Bru? The answer bobbled about somewhere in the middle.
The first half opened promisingly enough for the Reds. The 3-2-1 line-up, with Danny starting in goals, was intended to counter the threat of a top South Morningside team, and early on it worked well enough. Danny's presence reassured the defenders, and after snuffing out a couple of attacks from SM, he released a quick ball for Kjartan, who played a tantalising near-breakaway pass for Ali. Surely it would have been 1-0, but then a great piece of skill from SM's Archie, fast becoming the Terror of the Midfield, reminded all it could so easily have been the other way round. When Upfront-on-his-own-Ali hit the side net the crowd sensed something was on its way. Would Neil arrive in a stretch limo and bath robe to issue tactical instructions? No! Ali banged one in after great pressure to put the Reds ahead. 1-0 RED.
As any Reds fan knows, this is not the usual script. How can you have a valiant fightback if you're already 1-0 up? While the Reds were pondering this, SM were beginning to play. Sasha, tackling well and putting himself about, was barged off the ball. Kjartan reacted superbly by pinging one just wide -- 2-0 would have been nice -- but some distracted and half-hearted midfield play gifted SM an equaliser. Boo! 1-1.
That fired up Ollie and Jack, who with SM now pressing deeper, both made goal-saving tackles. Hector's trademark determination saw him dispossess SM at key moments, but it was looking ominous. Sure enough on 19 mins, another gifted goal put SM ahead 2-1. They then hit the post and the whistle blew for half-time. 1-2 SM.
Would the fightback materialise in the second half? Hopes were high, with powerhouse Danny out of goals and replaced by Eyvindur, The Legendary Boy Goalie From the Land of Fire and Ice.
New signing Aiden added to the mix, making key tackles in midfield, but from the off the Reds were being outplayed by the Terror of the Midfield and occasionally by A Very Large SM Boy Indeed. AVLSMBI, coming from defence, was finding acres of space to glide through, like lava from an imaginary volcano that closes down international airspace. Many Reds simply stood and watched AVLSMBI, managing only to mutter Eyjafjallajokull! (Wikipedia: citation needed). A popular Icelandic idiom roughly translated as 'Hey ya fat yokel!' Akin to 'well, I never!' or 'Blow me down with a feather!' in English, it is a jocular expression of mild wonder tinged with a hint of slight annoyance -- what a city-dweller having a quiet country picnic might say to a simple sheep farmer whose flock trample over his rug.
But there was one Red who kept his eye on impending danger throughout: Eyvindur, The Legendary Boy Goalie From the Land of Fire and Ice. Some absolutely outstanding saves kept the score down and drew gasps from the crowd, as Reds struggled to find formation or a way through. Such was Eyvindur's performance that an enquiry was made after the game by a scout for Tynecastle boys club.
SM were going for it though, in more ways than one. Ollie was studded high up by The Terror, AVLSMBI was brushing off challenges, and SM were passing it about more confidently. They were always going to score again and they did, three times. 1-5 SM.
A consolation from Danny made the 5-2 loss a bit more respectable. 2-5 SM.
But...but...the goals Reds gave away were mostly free gifts. You know, like "Weekend for Two at Cardenden Manor". Definitely worth keeping and NOT giving away.
Match report v2, provided by Robert...
South Morningside Elite 5 - Sciennes Reds 2
A tough game was in the making with the Reds taking on the cream of South Morningside. To try and contain the expected onslaught the Reds lined up in an unorthodox 3-2-1 formation which initially worked quite well.
To start with, Danny in goals was having a quiet game with the back 3 doing a sterling job of stopping the SM attacks. In fact it was the reds who got first blood when a long ball was played up to Ally who skilfully tucked it away.
Unfortunately that only made SM angry, a bit reminiscent of Brazil after the David Narey toe-poke back in '82. More waves of SM attacks were repelled with Hector chasing down everything that came near him and Olly and Jack containing the flanks.
Eventually the Reds backline was breached but it was a goal that should have been avoided with a ball harmlessly going out was played across the goal. Aiden then came on to make his Reds debut and did well in midfield making some great passes and putting in his fair share of defensive effort. The Reds continued to play well with Ally again coming close after some good work from Kjarten. SM soon made it 2-1 after some clever play left their striker one on one with Danny and he was well beaten by a good strike.
The Reds reorganised themselves with Hector now playing the lone striker. With the Reds pushing forward to get back on level terms they were left a bit exposed at the back and it became 3-1.
Half-time
The second half began with Danny now up front in a more conventional 2-3-1 formation with Sasha being given the role of the utility player and Eyvindur now in goals. The game was still very competitive with chances at both ends.
Danny shot wide and Eyvindur made some very impressive saves but it was another unlucky goal which effectively ended the contest. Eyvindur made a fine save with his feet but the ball broke and SM had an easy tap in. To their credit the Reds didn't put their heads down and continued to play well and were rewarded when Danny slotted home a ball which broke to him after some sustained SM pressure. Unfortunately SM quickly restored their three goal advantage with a well worked goal.
Full-time
Overall it was a fine performance by Sciennes who were probably up against the strongest team in the league. If they can learn to play the ball out from defence the Reds will soon win these games in the future.
Friday 23 April 2010
FIXTURES : Saturday 24th April
Apologies to the avid viewers of redandbluestrips who have been waiting patiently for news. Fixtures kick off tomorrow 24th April.
RED away to South Morningside Elite
BLUE at home to St Peters Elite
Training at home for everyone else not involved with the RED and BLUE teams this weekend.
Everything starts at 9:30am, enjoy the weekend, Neil will be away so it should be quiet!
RED away to South Morningside Elite
BLUE at home to St Peters Elite
Training at home for everyone else not involved with the RED and BLUE teams this weekend.
Everything starts at 9:30am, enjoy the weekend, Neil will be away so it should be quiet!
Wednesday 31 March 2010
MATCH REPORT : RED v South Morningside 27th March
RED 4 - 0 South Morningside
So here we are. RED against the Old Enemy. The big derby (unless you count Gillespies but we've not come across them yet). Anyway, the Sceinnes record against SM is not very good. Stagefright, poor defending and the very big lad at the back usually stops anything positive from the matches against SM. All this was to change on a bright sunny morning at the end of March.
The squad looked great. Danny started in goals, Jack and Ollie in charge at the back, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield, Ali The Goalie as striker with Sasha and Hector ready for action.
(Now, the rest of the report relies on some notes found in the bottom of a rucksack and scrawled by a demented coach in fits of excitement, so we might need to be creative.)
The RED team were brilliant and we absolutely hammered them! Ok, some detail.
Kjartan started brilliantly and some great passing set him free down the left, where he fired in a cracking shot. Struan then had a shot fizz just past the post. Things were looking good.
Next it was Eyvindur setting up everyone with some excellent passing. Ali was first to benefit and he fired a shot that was well saved. Another cross from Eyvindur resulted in a scramble in the SM box that was eventually hacked clear. Things were looking good.
Suddenly SM broke forward. Uh-oh...great save from Danny though keeps the score level. Even more suddenly RED break forward and Kjaratan has the goalie to beat - oh, great save. Ali takes the corner and fires it across goal, Struan is at the back post and one volley later we have the lead. 1-0 RED.
Yahoo.
Hector and Sahsa are on and playing in just about every position. A great interception from Hector sets up Struan who makes no mistake from the edge of the box. 2-0 RED.
Yahoo.
The ref calls the first half to a close with the RED team dominating and looking to build on their excelletn first half. No sign of the dreaded RED mountain climbing - but can they keep this up?
Answer was almost immediately...yes! Another excellent, excellent pass from Eyvindur sets up Struan who once again fired home. Three goals. 3-0 RED.
Yahoo!
With Danny out of goals and pushing forward to support Struan we now have a period of continuous pressure. Ollie and Jack look brilliant at hte back with Jack bringing the ball forward with ease. A great period of play sees Sasha set up Struan who fires just over. A corner from Danny is floated to the back post where Struan fires over again. Grrrr.
Ali The Goalie was on top form. A couple of half chanced for SM brought the usual athletic saves from ATG. Another break from Eyvindur brings a great save from the SM goalie. Kjartan takes a splendid corner that Sahsa nearly forces home. Hector is once again outstanding in midfield, pressing the ball all over the pictch and distributing the ball carefully. Sasha has an outstnading game too - with some fine tackling and excellent runs into hte opposition box.
Then some excellent play on the right from Danny results in a great ball across the face of goal and Struan prods the ball home. 4-0 RED.
Yahoo!
More pressure from the RED team, with shots being fired in from all angles. Eventually the ref calls time and the RED team celebrate a historic victory over SM.
Yahoo!
9 man of the match awards later the RED team help the coaches put away all the goals and tidy up the cones. (Ok, so I made up that last bit...)
So here we are. RED against the Old Enemy. The big derby (unless you count Gillespies but we've not come across them yet). Anyway, the Sceinnes record against SM is not very good. Stagefright, poor defending and the very big lad at the back usually stops anything positive from the matches against SM. All this was to change on a bright sunny morning at the end of March.
The squad looked great. Danny started in goals, Jack and Ollie in charge at the back, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield, Ali The Goalie as striker with Sasha and Hector ready for action.
(Now, the rest of the report relies on some notes found in the bottom of a rucksack and scrawled by a demented coach in fits of excitement, so we might need to be creative.)
The RED team were brilliant and we absolutely hammered them! Ok, some detail.
Kjartan started brilliantly and some great passing set him free down the left, where he fired in a cracking shot. Struan then had a shot fizz just past the post. Things were looking good.
Next it was Eyvindur setting up everyone with some excellent passing. Ali was first to benefit and he fired a shot that was well saved. Another cross from Eyvindur resulted in a scramble in the SM box that was eventually hacked clear. Things were looking good.
Suddenly SM broke forward. Uh-oh...great save from Danny though keeps the score level. Even more suddenly RED break forward and Kjaratan has the goalie to beat - oh, great save. Ali takes the corner and fires it across goal, Struan is at the back post and one volley later we have the lead. 1-0 RED.
Yahoo.
Hector and Sahsa are on and playing in just about every position. A great interception from Hector sets up Struan who makes no mistake from the edge of the box. 2-0 RED.
Yahoo.
The ref calls the first half to a close with the RED team dominating and looking to build on their excelletn first half. No sign of the dreaded RED mountain climbing - but can they keep this up?
Answer was almost immediately...yes! Another excellent, excellent pass from Eyvindur sets up Struan who once again fired home. Three goals. 3-0 RED.
Yahoo!
With Danny out of goals and pushing forward to support Struan we now have a period of continuous pressure. Ollie and Jack look brilliant at hte back with Jack bringing the ball forward with ease. A great period of play sees Sasha set up Struan who fires just over. A corner from Danny is floated to the back post where Struan fires over again. Grrrr.
Ali The Goalie was on top form. A couple of half chanced for SM brought the usual athletic saves from ATG. Another break from Eyvindur brings a great save from the SM goalie. Kjartan takes a splendid corner that Sahsa nearly forces home. Hector is once again outstanding in midfield, pressing the ball all over the pictch and distributing the ball carefully. Sasha has an outstnading game too - with some fine tackling and excellent runs into hte opposition box.
Then some excellent play on the right from Danny results in a great ball across the face of goal and Struan prods the ball home. 4-0 RED.
Yahoo!
More pressure from the RED team, with shots being fired in from all angles. Eventually the ref calls time and the RED team celebrate a historic victory over SM.
Yahoo!
9 man of the match awards later the RED team help the coaches put away all the goals and tidy up the cones. (Ok, so I made up that last bit...)
MATCH REPORT : Buckstone v YELLOW 27th March
Buckstone 2 - 2 Yellows
New manager Ron continues his excellent work with the Yellow squad and some fine reporting too...
Starting positions (8-a-side) were: Goalie - Joe R.; Defence - Joseph Bartlett, Matthew and Valdi; Midfield - Owen, Keir and Aiden; Forward - Alex and Sub - Abhisar.
YELLOWs got off to a flier with a good move up the middle; Alex passed to Owen ('goal machine') who fired a cracking shot high into the net. 0-1 YELLOW.
Buckstone were soon pushing to get back on level terms. This pressure resulted in a throw-in to YELLOWs deep in their own half. A poor throw backwards was intercepted by Buckstone who raced through on goal in numbers to score. 1-1.
Play was up and down the park now, with YELLOWs forcing a corner at one end, followed by Buckstone shooting wide at the other. Abhisar was soon on helping at the back, where Joe R made a couple of fine saves to keep the scores level.
Joseph and Valdi also made some important tackles before Buckstone's big target forward charged down a clearance to score. 2-1 Buckstone.
The half finished as YELLOWs through Keir, Aiden and Matthew tried to supply Alex with the equalizer, but he was crowded out by Buckstone's catenaccio defence.
Half time 2-1 Buckstone.
Second half started as first had finished with chances at both ends. Buckstone hit the post then YELLOWs hit the post. Buckstone went close again, this time Joe (The Goalie) made a superb save, pushing the ball up against the bar before it ricocheted onto the goal line and away to safety. The ref was unsighted but accepted the 4th official's view that it wasn't a goal. Phew!
Not surprisingly, the pace now seemed to slow as play became bogged down in the middle of the park. This stalemate was finally broken when Alex (midfield dynamo) made a surging solo run from midfield, and fired a powerful low left-footed shot past their keeper to make things level (2-2).
In the late stages, both defences had settled and neither team were able to get forward in numbers to make further chances, before the ref blew for full-time.
Thanks to both teams, it was an enjoyable and competitive game.
New manager Ron continues his excellent work with the Yellow squad and some fine reporting too...
Starting positions (8-a-side) were: Goalie - Joe R.; Defence - Joseph Bartlett, Matthew and Valdi; Midfield - Owen, Keir and Aiden; Forward - Alex and Sub - Abhisar.
YELLOWs got off to a flier with a good move up the middle; Alex passed to Owen ('goal machine') who fired a cracking shot high into the net. 0-1 YELLOW.
Buckstone were soon pushing to get back on level terms. This pressure resulted in a throw-in to YELLOWs deep in their own half. A poor throw backwards was intercepted by Buckstone who raced through on goal in numbers to score. 1-1.
Play was up and down the park now, with YELLOWs forcing a corner at one end, followed by Buckstone shooting wide at the other. Abhisar was soon on helping at the back, where Joe R made a couple of fine saves to keep the scores level.
Joseph and Valdi also made some important tackles before Buckstone's big target forward charged down a clearance to score. 2-1 Buckstone.
The half finished as YELLOWs through Keir, Aiden and Matthew tried to supply Alex with the equalizer, but he was crowded out by Buckstone's catenaccio defence.
Half time 2-1 Buckstone.
Second half started as first had finished with chances at both ends. Buckstone hit the post then YELLOWs hit the post. Buckstone went close again, this time Joe (The Goalie) made a superb save, pushing the ball up against the bar before it ricocheted onto the goal line and away to safety. The ref was unsighted but accepted the 4th official's view that it wasn't a goal. Phew!
Not surprisingly, the pace now seemed to slow as play became bogged down in the middle of the park. This stalemate was finally broken when Alex (midfield dynamo) made a surging solo run from midfield, and fired a powerful low left-footed shot past their keeper to make things level (2-2).
In the late stages, both defences had settled and neither team were able to get forward in numbers to make further chances, before the ref blew for full-time.
Thanks to both teams, it was an enjoyable and competitive game.
MATCH REPORT : Tollcross Giants v BLUE 27th March
Tollcross Giants 4 - 2 Blues
Blues took on the might of the Tollcross Giants at Meggetland. Keith takes up the story...
A biting westerly wind at Meggetland on a bright morning. The Tollcross team lived up to their reputation with a P4/5 mix having some big lads. The initial BLUE line up was Joseph (GK), Murdo & Joe (DF) Hamish, Jude & Alex (M-F) and Sam as striker with Coll, Robert & Roddy on the bench.
The game started brightly with good play from both sides, a good run from Sam being the highlight. In 5 minutes a good break started with Alex winning the ball in midfield before passing inside to Jude. Jude carried the ball forward before playing a return pass to Alex who ran in to the box from the left and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper. 0-1 BLUE.
The BLUE defence was doing well at this stage with Murdo and Joe putting in strong tackles and clearing their lines well. A quick throw from Hamish led to a ball being passed from Sam and Jude across to Alex whose cross from the left came off the far post before being put out for a corner. Sam also hit the post shortly afterwards following a good run from Hamish with the Blues well on top at this stage. Tollcross fought back, however, and won a few corners which were well defended before Joseph had his first save to make.
Our 3 substitutions on 10 mins changed the team with Murdo, Joe and Alex going off. We were under a bit of pressure and Joseph made another good save before he was beaten in 12 minutes. 1-1.
Our defence was struggling to cope with the Tollcross forwards and Roddy and Robert made some brave tackles but we were finding it harder to get out of our half. We did get forward again with Hamish having a good shot well saved following a pass from Jude.
Shortly afterwards Joseph had another save to make and Tollcross were dominating. Joseph was beaten by a very strong shot into the top right corner. 2-1 GIANTS.
We went in at half time 1-2 down but had hopes that with the wind behind it could be turned around.
Col took over in goal for H2 with Hamish, Sam and Joseph going onto the subs bench. Col was quickly into action and made a good save early on. Alex was fed a pass down the left wing by Robert and went on a great run beating 3 defenders before unleasing a strong drive that the keeper did well to turn round the post. The corner was cleared but we were more in the game and soon forced another corner following good play by Joe and Jude. From this one Tollcross broke quickly and some quick passing left our defence exposed. An initial block by Roddy fell to another Tollcross striker and was struck home. 3-1 GIANTS.
Tollcross now had their tails up and despite some strong tackling by Robert, Roddy and Murdo a nother goal followed a couple of minutes later. This was another shot from well out which hit the left hand post and rolled along the line and went just over the line off the right hand post before Col could get to it. 4-1 GIANTS.
Although 4-1 down we still felt well in the game and the last 12 minutes saw some sustained pressure from Sciennes. Jude hit the bar with a great right foot shot. There was also one strong shot from Hamish which the keeper could only half block and went behind him. Joseph and Sam were on to it in a flash but the ball spun off Joseph just wide.
Tollcross were still very fast and dangerous on the break and Coll made another fine save, Another run from Alex led to a shot deflected wide but we were getting little joy from our many corners. Another Tollcross break was foiled by a great interception by Murdo supported by Joe.
It looked as if we were going to get no more reward for our efforts but in the last minute a ggod tackle, run and shot from Hamish was parried by the keeper and Joseph calmy put away the rebound. 4-2 GIANTS.
The ref called time shortly afterwards. A creditable performance against a big, strong team. Having 3 subs to change probably disrupted the shape of the team a bit.
Blues took on the might of the Tollcross Giants at Meggetland. Keith takes up the story...
A biting westerly wind at Meggetland on a bright morning. The Tollcross team lived up to their reputation with a P4/5 mix having some big lads. The initial BLUE line up was Joseph (GK), Murdo & Joe (DF) Hamish, Jude & Alex (M-F) and Sam as striker with Coll, Robert & Roddy on the bench.
The game started brightly with good play from both sides, a good run from Sam being the highlight. In 5 minutes a good break started with Alex winning the ball in midfield before passing inside to Jude. Jude carried the ball forward before playing a return pass to Alex who ran in to the box from the left and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper. 0-1 BLUE.
The BLUE defence was doing well at this stage with Murdo and Joe putting in strong tackles and clearing their lines well. A quick throw from Hamish led to a ball being passed from Sam and Jude across to Alex whose cross from the left came off the far post before being put out for a corner. Sam also hit the post shortly afterwards following a good run from Hamish with the Blues well on top at this stage. Tollcross fought back, however, and won a few corners which were well defended before Joseph had his first save to make.
Our 3 substitutions on 10 mins changed the team with Murdo, Joe and Alex going off. We were under a bit of pressure and Joseph made another good save before he was beaten in 12 minutes. 1-1.
Our defence was struggling to cope with the Tollcross forwards and Roddy and Robert made some brave tackles but we were finding it harder to get out of our half. We did get forward again with Hamish having a good shot well saved following a pass from Jude.
Shortly afterwards Joseph had another save to make and Tollcross were dominating. Joseph was beaten by a very strong shot into the top right corner. 2-1 GIANTS.
We went in at half time 1-2 down but had hopes that with the wind behind it could be turned around.
Col took over in goal for H2 with Hamish, Sam and Joseph going onto the subs bench. Col was quickly into action and made a good save early on. Alex was fed a pass down the left wing by Robert and went on a great run beating 3 defenders before unleasing a strong drive that the keeper did well to turn round the post. The corner was cleared but we were more in the game and soon forced another corner following good play by Joe and Jude. From this one Tollcross broke quickly and some quick passing left our defence exposed. An initial block by Roddy fell to another Tollcross striker and was struck home. 3-1 GIANTS.
Tollcross now had their tails up and despite some strong tackling by Robert, Roddy and Murdo a nother goal followed a couple of minutes later. This was another shot from well out which hit the left hand post and rolled along the line and went just over the line off the right hand post before Col could get to it. 4-1 GIANTS.
Although 4-1 down we still felt well in the game and the last 12 minutes saw some sustained pressure from Sciennes. Jude hit the bar with a great right foot shot. There was also one strong shot from Hamish which the keeper could only half block and went behind him. Joseph and Sam were on to it in a flash but the ball spun off Joseph just wide.
Tollcross were still very fast and dangerous on the break and Coll made another fine save, Another run from Alex led to a shot deflected wide but we were getting little joy from our many corners. Another Tollcross break was foiled by a great interception by Murdo supported by Joe.
It looked as if we were going to get no more reward for our efforts but in the last minute a ggod tackle, run and shot from Hamish was parried by the keeper and Joseph calmy put away the rebound. 4-2 GIANTS.
The ref called time shortly afterwards. A creditable performance against a big, strong team. Having 3 subs to change probably disrupted the shape of the team a bit.
Wednesday 24 March 2010
MATCH REPORT : BLUE v Oxgangs 20th March
Blue 2 - 0 Oxgangs
Another strong performance from the Blues on a cool but clear morning, Keith takes up the story...
The initial BLUE line up was Joseph (GK), Murdo & Robert (DF) Hamish, Jude & Alex (M-F) and Sam as striker with Joet & Roddy on the bench. We came up against a keeper in incredible form and this was a game that could have been won by a much greater margin.
The Sciennes passing was much improved and a string of good moves were put together before half time. Joseph didn't have a huge amount to do in goal but dealt well with any danger. Alex hit the post twice in the first half and the Oxgangs keeper made 6 or 7 excellent saves from Hamish, Alex, Jude and Sam. The keeper defended corners well and we also had a few shots off target and some deflected for corners.
Remarkably the first half ended 0-0.For the second half Roddy took over in goal and he had a save to make early in the half which he got down well to. We then went back on the attack and had 2 corners in quick succession but the danger was cleared.
Shortly afterwards the keeper was beaten by Jude but the ball was cleared off the line by a defender. Oxgangs then had a brief spell of pressure and won a corner but Robert made a good clearance finding Murdo in midfield.
For a spell the game got bogged down in midfield as Oxgangs tried to get a foothold. Midway through the half there was great play by Joseph showing a lot of strength to beat 2 men and find Alex with a nice pass. Alex' snapshot was touched onto the crossbar by the keeper.
In the end the keeper was unlucky to be beaten by an own goal. The clearance was picked up by Jude and his shot was parried by the keeper but went in off a defender. 1-0 BLUE.
A few minutes later another good shot by Jude was parried with Murdo unlucky to see his follow up go wide. There was then good play from Sam who recovered to win the ball back after being tackled and made a good run before finding Hamish who shot just wide.
There was then another shot by Murdo turned round the post by the keeper. Following the corner a shot from Alex was saved and the rebound from Hamish was deflected wide for another corner. The pressure was mounting and the Oxgangs frustration was highlighted by a slightly cynical trip on Alex which led to a red card (a bit harsh, but their ref was sure!).
With Oxgangs down to 6 men we piled on the pressure to seal the victory. A great run by Hamish out of defence released Alex in the centre and he carried the ball into the Oxgangs half on the left before making a cross-field pass to Murdo on the right. Murdo centered for Hamish, who'd continued his run forward, to shoot and it was touched wide. The corner was cleared but was picked up by Robert who slipped a pass to Alex who unleashed an unstoppable shot in the top right corner. 2-0 BLUE.
The 2-0 scoreline put a fairer reflection on the result but the Oxgangs goalie deserved the Man of the Match award.
Another strong performance from the Blues on a cool but clear morning, Keith takes up the story...
The initial BLUE line up was Joseph (GK), Murdo & Robert (DF) Hamish, Jude & Alex (M-F) and Sam as striker with Joet & Roddy on the bench. We came up against a keeper in incredible form and this was a game that could have been won by a much greater margin.
The Sciennes passing was much improved and a string of good moves were put together before half time. Joseph didn't have a huge amount to do in goal but dealt well with any danger. Alex hit the post twice in the first half and the Oxgangs keeper made 6 or 7 excellent saves from Hamish, Alex, Jude and Sam. The keeper defended corners well and we also had a few shots off target and some deflected for corners.
Remarkably the first half ended 0-0.For the second half Roddy took over in goal and he had a save to make early in the half which he got down well to. We then went back on the attack and had 2 corners in quick succession but the danger was cleared.
Shortly afterwards the keeper was beaten by Jude but the ball was cleared off the line by a defender. Oxgangs then had a brief spell of pressure and won a corner but Robert made a good clearance finding Murdo in midfield.
For a spell the game got bogged down in midfield as Oxgangs tried to get a foothold. Midway through the half there was great play by Joseph showing a lot of strength to beat 2 men and find Alex with a nice pass. Alex' snapshot was touched onto the crossbar by the keeper.
In the end the keeper was unlucky to be beaten by an own goal. The clearance was picked up by Jude and his shot was parried by the keeper but went in off a defender. 1-0 BLUE.
A few minutes later another good shot by Jude was parried with Murdo unlucky to see his follow up go wide. There was then good play from Sam who recovered to win the ball back after being tackled and made a good run before finding Hamish who shot just wide.
There was then another shot by Murdo turned round the post by the keeper. Following the corner a shot from Alex was saved and the rebound from Hamish was deflected wide for another corner. The pressure was mounting and the Oxgangs frustration was highlighted by a slightly cynical trip on Alex which led to a red card (a bit harsh, but their ref was sure!).
With Oxgangs down to 6 men we piled on the pressure to seal the victory. A great run by Hamish out of defence released Alex in the centre and he carried the ball into the Oxgangs half on the left before making a cross-field pass to Murdo on the right. Murdo centered for Hamish, who'd continued his run forward, to shoot and it was touched wide. The corner was cleared but was picked up by Robert who slipped a pass to Alex who unleashed an unstoppable shot in the top right corner. 2-0 BLUE.
The 2-0 scoreline put a fairer reflection on the result but the Oxgangs goalie deserved the Man of the Match award.
MATCH REPORT : South Morningside v YELLOW 20th March
South Morningside 1-0 Yellow
The YELLOW team started this away fixture with: Amir in goal, Keir and Joe at the back, Alex, Valdi and Aiden in the middle, Coll as the lone target man up front, and Abhisar, Matthew and Owen on the bench.
From kick-off the opposition were stronger, keeping the YELLOW team under pressure during the early stages. For the away support, it recalled ominously some of YELLOW’s reversals earlier in the season. Fortunately, the boys had other ideas. For all their territorial dominance, SM had only two half chances: a shot into the side netting and another smothered by Amir.
Joe and Keir defended superbly but were also ably supported by their team-mates, who all tracked back to help out. Substitutions were made to introduce fresh legs; one was forced following a blatant foul on Valdi where the referee inexplicably waved play on.
As the half progressed, the YELLOW team’s confidence rose and they were now winning more and more possession. Coll and Alex in particular made good runs, taking play further up the park.
Apart from an attempt from Alex that squirmed wide, the YELLOW team failed to really test SM’s goalie before the ref blew for half-time.
During the break, emboldened by the team’s improvement late on in the first half, the YELLOW’s coaching staff made a major team reshuffle.
The second half got underway, with play flowing end to end. It was blindingly obvious that the half-time shake-up wasn’t working. The YELLOW team’s defence had drifted out of position. Robust instructions from the sidelines failed to fix the problem quickly and the inevitable followed.
SM forwards found themselves plenty of space in front of YELLOW’s goal, but still had to scramble the ball over the line to take the lead. 1-0 South Morningside.
YELLOW’s heads went down, but not for long as they fought to get back into the match. Following some good build-up play, Coll created 3 half chances making the home defence look shaky.
The YELLOW team pushed forward looking for the equalizer. The ball broke to Alex who burst into the SM box only to be chopped down from behind. Strangely the ref missed what appeared a stone-wall penalty.
SM now brought down the shutters and was intent on holding onto its slender lead. In spite of some pressure, YELLOWs couldn’t find a way through and the ref whistled for full-time.
So, it’s a hard one to take: 1-0 defeat to a well matched team in a local derby. It was a good team performance by the YELLOWs, probably hindered by the poor communications following the half-time reshuffle. Hopefully a lesson learned; one for the coaches to get right next time.
Well played Yellow Team!
The YELLOW team started this away fixture with: Amir in goal, Keir and Joe at the back, Alex, Valdi and Aiden in the middle, Coll as the lone target man up front, and Abhisar, Matthew and Owen on the bench.
Yellow Team given early instructions to pull their shorts up!
From kick-off the opposition were stronger, keeping the YELLOW team under pressure during the early stages. For the away support, it recalled ominously some of YELLOW’s reversals earlier in the season. Fortunately, the boys had other ideas. For all their territorial dominance, SM had only two half chances: a shot into the side netting and another smothered by Amir.
Joe and Keir defended superbly but were also ably supported by their team-mates, who all tracked back to help out. Substitutions were made to introduce fresh legs; one was forced following a blatant foul on Valdi where the referee inexplicably waved play on.
Some stout defending from Abhisar and Aiden (if they have stripes leave them alone Aiden!)
As the half progressed, the YELLOW team’s confidence rose and they were now winning more and more possession. Coll and Alex in particular made good runs, taking play further up the park.
Alex bursts through the SM midfield!
Apart from an attempt from Alex that squirmed wide, the YELLOW team failed to really test SM’s goalie before the ref blew for half-time.
During the break, emboldened by the team’s improvement late on in the first half, the YELLOW’s coaching staff made a major team reshuffle.
Abhisar strolls through midfield wearing shin guards the Evyindur way!
The second half got underway, with play flowing end to end. It was blindingly obvious that the half-time shake-up wasn’t working. The YELLOW team’s defence had drifted out of position. Robust instructions from the sidelines failed to fix the problem quickly and the inevitable followed.
Away support, management team and sub watch the action!
(Director of Football Keith passes on his knowledge and offers an early vote of confidence)
SM forwards found themselves plenty of space in front of YELLOW’s goal, but still had to scramble the ball over the line to take the lead. 1-0 South Morningside.
Action shots : despite a great effort from Coll the SM shot finds its way into the Yellow net!
YELLOW’s heads went down, but not for long as they fought to get back into the match. Following some good build-up play, Coll created 3 half chances making the home defence look shaky.
Coll causes havoc in the SM box with some great wing play!
The YELLOW team pushed forward looking for the equalizer. The ball broke to Alex who burst into the SM box only to be chopped down from behind. Strangely the ref missed what appeared a stone-wall penalty.
Owen The Goalie demonstrates how much pressure the SM defence were under!
So, it’s a hard one to take: 1-0 defeat to a well matched team in a local derby. It was a good team performance by the YELLOWs, probably hindered by the poor communications following the half-time reshuffle. Hopefully a lesson learned; one for the coaches to get right next time.
Back L-R : Coll, Aiden, Keir, Alex, Matthew, Valdi (nice bandana), Abhisar, Joe.
Front : Amir
Well played Yellow Team!
FIXTURES : Saturday 27th March
YELLOW at home to Buckstone
BLUE away to Tollcross Giants
RED at home to South Morningside
BLUE away to Tollcross Giants
RED at home to South Morningside
MATCH REPORT : Royal High v RED 20th March
So the RED team, still licking their wounds from the match against the Giants and St Peters Elite, found themselves playing in Europe on Saturday. they played a team from a completely different league, far from home with no scouting report to assist. How would this adventure pan out?
First things first. The directions from Neil were quite simply stupendous. They were "Straight through Jocks Lodge, past Morrisons, turn right at Iceland (not Iceland but Iceland), Royal High pitch is on your right". So quite why Eyvindur and Kjartan found themselves driving along Ferry Road is beyond us all - but not Google maps. With the pre-match warm up thrown into all kinds of confusion it is no wonder that the RED team traditionally start slowly.
With under a minute on the clock the RED team take the lead - a great run from Danny down the right, a fantastic cross into the middle and Struan smashes the ball home. 0-1 RED.
Ok, ok, so maybe the little detour actually helped the RED team?
Back to the match - the RED team started with Jack in goals this week, Hector and Ollie providing the defensive line, Eyvindur the Explorer, Kjartan the Adventurer and 'On Time' Danny in midfield with Struan wandering around near the other goal. Sasha started on the bench but was soon flying around the pitch looking for action!
A nice start from the traditionally slow starting RED team was quickly followed by 14 minutes of constant RED pressure. Poor Jack had nothing to do. First a nice run from Struan down the left produced a great save from the Royal High goalie. Then a cracking corner from Danny found Struan who volleyed the cross only for the Royal High goalie to make another excellent save. Then a fantastic tackle from Kjartan was followed up with a great pass to Struan, who crossed for Danny to test the goalie with a great shot.
Wow - constant RED pressure.
Next it was a fantastic double save from the Royal High goalie - Struan shoots, saved, Struan hits the rebound, saved. Another fine tackle from Sasha in midfield sets up Danny, who plays a superb pass into Hector who then glides past a couple of defenders and smashes the ball at goal. Another great save from the Royal High goalie. "I can see this finishing 0-1" predicted Neil.
Royal High get the ball in midfield and break forward. A superb shot from their dangerous number 9 flies past Jack. 1-1.
How did that happen? Literally 15 minutes of constant RED pressure and it is 1-1. Oh dear. Undaunted the RED team storm forward. Kjartan collects the ball on the edge of the Royal High box, turns and smashes the ball high into the Royal High net. What a finish! 1-2 RED.
Next it was Eyvindur's turn to show some brilliance. Collecting a ball from a great short pass from Ollie he sets off on a trademark run. "Framhjá boltanum" shouts Neil. Ignoring such mediocre advice Eyvindur weaved his way through the Royal High midfield and then the defence before smashing the ball high into the...oh, off the cross bar! So close. "Fara sjálfur" reminded Neil.
Another Royal High break, but Ollie and Hector snuff out the danger. The ball breaks on the edge of the box to the dangerous RH number 9 who takes aim but fires wide. Disaster. The ball hits Sasha and spins high over Jack into the net! How cruel, two shots, only one on target, yet it is 2-2!
Another bout of RED pressure begins. A genuine stramash in the box results in Struan hitting the bar. Then a fantastic cross from Struan couldn't quite be forced home by Danny, Kjartan or Eyvindur. Finally Ollie, playing in midfield now, finds some space on the edge of the box and fires a dangerous looking shot just over the bar.
A long punt from Royal High breaks on the edge of the box. Ollie clears the danger. Struan plays the ball back to Ollie - but is short with his pass. the Royal High forwards are onto it in a flash and they whack the ball high into the net. 3-2 Royal High.
Unbelievable! The RED team are clearly rattled now and for the next few minutes have to weather a storm as Royal High look to kill the game. Some stout defending from Sasha, Hector and Ollie keep the RED team in the game. Jack is forced into a couple of great saves as the RED team look to get to half time without the loss of any further goals.
With seconds remaining in the half RH force a corner. Everyone marking? Yes. Everyone watching the ball and not the players? Yes. The ball flies through the RED box, the RED defence watch as three or four or maybe even five RH forwards prod at the ball and poor Jack is helpless to stop another goal. 4-2 Royal High.
The ref blows for half-time. Oh dear. That was the first bad goal of the day. The RED team look sorry for themselves as the brilliant RED coaching team get to work. A quick reminder from various coaches and the RED team have a new plan - score at least 2 in the second half. Excellent.
With the plan still fresh in their ears the RED team start the second half with a real purpose. A break from Kjartan found Danny, a great pass from Danny found Struan, Struan fired in a great shot that was blocked for a corner. Better.
The corner is cleared, the RH strikers were clearly hiding in the bushes and find themselves on their own bearing down on the new goalie - Eyvindur. One shot later and it is 5-2 Royal High.
We really didn't deserve that. A quick reshuffle was Ollie slot back into defence for a bit and Jack come out wide on the left, and Kjartan into defence with strict instructions to get forward. A couple of minute later some great play in midfield from Sasha set up Danny on the edge of the box. A nice bit of skill allowed him to find a little space...an excellent right foot shot from Danny. 5-3 Royal High.
(Note to Danny - need to work on that celebration, probably works best when the grass is wet...)
Another famous RED team comeback was stirring. Jack was looking dangerous. Some great play from Hector in midfield found Jack. Jack stepped inside from his position wide on the left and smashes a great right foot shot high into the net. What a cracking goal. 5-4 Royal High.
It was not all one way traffic. As the RED team pushed forward Royal High always looked dangerous in attack (and their wee number 9 looks dangerous everytime he 'tackled' an opponent - but that is another story). Some great tracking back from Danny saved a certain goal with an excellent tackle on the edge of the box but the ref saw things differently and awarded a free kick! The standard of Scottish refereering - dearie me.
What followed next was outstanding. The Royal High coach has clearly worked some magic on the training ground - a magnificent free kick routine caused all sorts of trouble for the RED defence and the resulting shot was a certain goal...until Eyvindur threw himself across goal and tipped it onto the cross bar. What an incredible save. The comeback is still on!
Once more the RED pressure began to build. A great shot from Struan was blocked. An excellent attempt from Danny was well saved. A little bit of skill from Jack inside the box produced half, no a quarter of a chance, but Jack curled the ball round two defenders and inside the far post. What a goal. 5-5.
Another magnificent comeback is complete! The RED team looked a little weary though and found the last couple of minutes tough. As the away support were calling for the final whistle the exhausted RED defence battled to clear the ball. Some confusion - surely a free-kick? No, play on! The Royal High winger hits the cross and the striker, once again surely hiding in the bushes, pops up at the back post to tap it home. 6-5 Royal High.
With zero seconds left on the clock the RED coaching team throw caution to the wind and line up with one goalie, one defender and everyone else as strikers. Two of the five RED team strikers kick off and pass back to the midfield - ah, there is no midfield - the Royal High forwards are onto it in a flash and swarm forwards. Shot. 7-5 Royal High, and the ref brings the game to an end.
Red faces for RED coaching team. A tricky game against tough opposition is lost. A little slack defending and poor helping out from the midfield spoiled a mainly great performance, but the strikers have also to accept that they have got to put their chances away. Some robust challenges seemed to put the RED team off their game a little but they have learned from that and won't worry about it so much the next time. All in all an excellent team performance.
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(Apologies for the lack of action shots - RED team don't have an official photographer but are preparing a package for the BLUE team photographer!)
First things first. The directions from Neil were quite simply stupendous. They were "Straight through Jocks Lodge, past Morrisons, turn right at Iceland (not Iceland but Iceland), Royal High pitch is on your right". So quite why Eyvindur and Kjartan found themselves driving along Ferry Road is beyond us all - but not Google maps. With the pre-match warm up thrown into all kinds of confusion it is no wonder that the RED team traditionally start slowly.
With under a minute on the clock the RED team take the lead - a great run from Danny down the right, a fantastic cross into the middle and Struan smashes the ball home. 0-1 RED.
Ok, ok, so maybe the little detour actually helped the RED team?
Back to the match - the RED team started with Jack in goals this week, Hector and Ollie providing the defensive line, Eyvindur the Explorer, Kjartan the Adventurer and 'On Time' Danny in midfield with Struan wandering around near the other goal. Sasha started on the bench but was soon flying around the pitch looking for action!
A nice start from the traditionally slow starting RED team was quickly followed by 14 minutes of constant RED pressure. Poor Jack had nothing to do. First a nice run from Struan down the left produced a great save from the Royal High goalie. Then a cracking corner from Danny found Struan who volleyed the cross only for the Royal High goalie to make another excellent save. Then a fantastic tackle from Kjartan was followed up with a great pass to Struan, who crossed for Danny to test the goalie with a great shot.
Wow - constant RED pressure.
Next it was a fantastic double save from the Royal High goalie - Struan shoots, saved, Struan hits the rebound, saved. Another fine tackle from Sasha in midfield sets up Danny, who plays a superb pass into Hector who then glides past a couple of defenders and smashes the ball at goal. Another great save from the Royal High goalie. "I can see this finishing 0-1" predicted Neil.
Royal High get the ball in midfield and break forward. A superb shot from their dangerous number 9 flies past Jack. 1-1.
How did that happen? Literally 15 minutes of constant RED pressure and it is 1-1. Oh dear. Undaunted the RED team storm forward. Kjartan collects the ball on the edge of the Royal High box, turns and smashes the ball high into the Royal High net. What a finish! 1-2 RED.
Next it was Eyvindur's turn to show some brilliance. Collecting a ball from a great short pass from Ollie he sets off on a trademark run. "Framhjá boltanum" shouts Neil. Ignoring such mediocre advice Eyvindur weaved his way through the Royal High midfield and then the defence before smashing the ball high into the...oh, off the cross bar! So close. "Fara sjálfur" reminded Neil.
Another Royal High break, but Ollie and Hector snuff out the danger. The ball breaks on the edge of the box to the dangerous RH number 9 who takes aim but fires wide. Disaster. The ball hits Sasha and spins high over Jack into the net! How cruel, two shots, only one on target, yet it is 2-2!
Another bout of RED pressure begins. A genuine stramash in the box results in Struan hitting the bar. Then a fantastic cross from Struan couldn't quite be forced home by Danny, Kjartan or Eyvindur. Finally Ollie, playing in midfield now, finds some space on the edge of the box and fires a dangerous looking shot just over the bar.
A long punt from Royal High breaks on the edge of the box. Ollie clears the danger. Struan plays the ball back to Ollie - but is short with his pass. the Royal High forwards are onto it in a flash and they whack the ball high into the net. 3-2 Royal High.
Unbelievable! The RED team are clearly rattled now and for the next few minutes have to weather a storm as Royal High look to kill the game. Some stout defending from Sasha, Hector and Ollie keep the RED team in the game. Jack is forced into a couple of great saves as the RED team look to get to half time without the loss of any further goals.
With seconds remaining in the half RH force a corner. Everyone marking? Yes. Everyone watching the ball and not the players? Yes. The ball flies through the RED box, the RED defence watch as three or four or maybe even five RH forwards prod at the ball and poor Jack is helpless to stop another goal. 4-2 Royal High.
The ref blows for half-time. Oh dear. That was the first bad goal of the day. The RED team look sorry for themselves as the brilliant RED coaching team get to work. A quick reminder from various coaches and the RED team have a new plan - score at least 2 in the second half. Excellent.
With the plan still fresh in their ears the RED team start the second half with a real purpose. A break from Kjartan found Danny, a great pass from Danny found Struan, Struan fired in a great shot that was blocked for a corner. Better.
The corner is cleared, the RH strikers were clearly hiding in the bushes and find themselves on their own bearing down on the new goalie - Eyvindur. One shot later and it is 5-2 Royal High.
We really didn't deserve that. A quick reshuffle was Ollie slot back into defence for a bit and Jack come out wide on the left, and Kjartan into defence with strict instructions to get forward. A couple of minute later some great play in midfield from Sasha set up Danny on the edge of the box. A nice bit of skill allowed him to find a little space...an excellent right foot shot from Danny. 5-3 Royal High.
(Note to Danny - need to work on that celebration, probably works best when the grass is wet...)
Another famous RED team comeback was stirring. Jack was looking dangerous. Some great play from Hector in midfield found Jack. Jack stepped inside from his position wide on the left and smashes a great right foot shot high into the net. What a cracking goal. 5-4 Royal High.
It was not all one way traffic. As the RED team pushed forward Royal High always looked dangerous in attack (and their wee number 9 looks dangerous everytime he 'tackled' an opponent - but that is another story). Some great tracking back from Danny saved a certain goal with an excellent tackle on the edge of the box but the ref saw things differently and awarded a free kick! The standard of Scottish refereering - dearie me.
What followed next was outstanding. The Royal High coach has clearly worked some magic on the training ground - a magnificent free kick routine caused all sorts of trouble for the RED defence and the resulting shot was a certain goal...until Eyvindur threw himself across goal and tipped it onto the cross bar. What an incredible save. The comeback is still on!
Once more the RED pressure began to build. A great shot from Struan was blocked. An excellent attempt from Danny was well saved. A little bit of skill from Jack inside the box produced half, no a quarter of a chance, but Jack curled the ball round two defenders and inside the far post. What a goal. 5-5.
Another magnificent comeback is complete! The RED team looked a little weary though and found the last couple of minutes tough. As the away support were calling for the final whistle the exhausted RED defence battled to clear the ball. Some confusion - surely a free-kick? No, play on! The Royal High winger hits the cross and the striker, once again surely hiding in the bushes, pops up at the back post to tap it home. 6-5 Royal High.
With zero seconds left on the clock the RED coaching team throw caution to the wind and line up with one goalie, one defender and everyone else as strikers. Two of the five RED team strikers kick off and pass back to the midfield - ah, there is no midfield - the Royal High forwards are onto it in a flash and swarm forwards. Shot. 7-5 Royal High, and the ref brings the game to an end.
Red faces for RED coaching team. A tricky game against tough opposition is lost. A little slack defending and poor helping out from the midfield spoiled a mainly great performance, but the strikers have also to accept that they have got to put their chances away. Some robust challenges seemed to put the RED team off their game a little but they have learned from that and won't worry about it so much the next time. All in all an excellent team performance.
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RED TEAM : back - Kjartan, Ollie, Danny, Sasha ; front - Hector, Eyvindur, Jack, Struan
(Apologies for the lack of action shots - RED team don't have an official photographer but are preparing a package for the BLUE team photographer!)
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