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...)
Wednesday 31 March 2010
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!)
Saturday 20 March 2010
Friday 19 March 2010
FIXTURES : 20th March
BLUE at home to Oxgangs
YELLOW away to South Morningside
BLUE playing in Champions League against Royal High
YELLOW away to South Morningside
BLUE playing in Champions League against Royal High
Monday 15 March 2010
MATCH REPORT : St Peters v RED 13th March
St Peter’s 4 – 3 Sciennes P4 RED
The RED team set off for Saturday morning's away fixture against St Peter's feeling quietly confident. Last week's performance against the Tollcross Giants was really, really encouraging. They started strongly and dominated large parts of the game but just couldn't find that killer touch in front of goal. Well, they couldn't find their way past the Giants giant giant in goals.
This week the RED team were up against St Peters - an elite team selected from the cream of St Peters Primary School. Only the best of the best get a game for St Peters so REDs would need to start the game well, keep the ball and be clinical in front of goal. No matter what - the REDs had to start well and not give themselves their traditional mountain to climb in the second half.
Warm up - everyone looking good. Crisp passing, nice movement, everyone looks to be 'in the zone'. Shooting drill - Danny looks brilliant again, though the wind is making things a little tricky. Last minute team talk reminds everyone of their role - Danny in goals, Sasha and Ollie at the back, Jack, Kjartan and Struan in midfield with Ali the striker. Eyvindur and Abhisar starting on the bench. Right - everyone know what to do? Goalie gets the ball wide to defenders, defenders find your midfield players and don't pass across in-front of goal, midfield players get the ball wide and get the crosses into the box but get back to help your defenders, striker don't stand around hoping the ball will reach you. Ok? Great.
The less said about the first half the better. The RED team started poorly, fell out with each other, defended poorly, midfield didn't help the defence, the midfield and strikers stood about hoping to score, the passing was terrible and no-one would listen to the coaches. The worst RED performance of the year by miles and miles and were it not for some stupendous saves from Danny they would have found themselves more than 4-0 down at half time. 4-0 St Peters.
At half time a sorry looking RED team sipped their drinks and had their first ever half time hair drier treatment from the coaching team. Thankfully the most tactically gifted coaching team in the P4 league had a tactical master plan - "score at least 4 goals". :o)
The REDs started the second half with a more traditional formation. Ali The Goalie in goals, Ollie and Jack providing a no-nonsense approach to defending coupled with superb distribution, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur linking well in midfield with Struan patrolling around up front. With the wind at their backs and Sasha and Abhisar ready for action were we about to witness one of those famous RED comebacks? Surely not.
The first 5 minutes of the second half were quite tight. The REDs soon found their feet though and started to dominate. If nothing else their passing had improved and they really were working as a team. A couple of nice breaks from Danny down the right produced half chances in the middle for Kjartan and Struan. The St Peters goalie looked to be in top form with some fine early saves.
Then a fine period of play from the REDs produced a goal. Ollie snuffed out a St Peters attack and found Kjartan. Kjartan collected the ball and spread play out wide to Danny. Danny took off down the line and sent over a great cross. Struan controlled the ball well and fired it past the goalie. Brilliant goal. 4-1 St Peters.
A word on the defence. Ollie and Jack were simply outstanding. Their tackling was brilliant and they worked unbelievably hard to get the ball from St Peters forwards and then bring it out to their midfielders. We even had Jack overlapping down the wing then making it back to help Ollie if the move broke down. Superb performances from Ollie and Jack.
The REDS were beginning to dominate. Struan fired another chance past the post, Kjartan tried a tricky first time shot from the edge of the box following some great play on the wing from Eyvindur. Danny had a shot blocked on the edge of the box but was working unbelievably hard to get back to help the defence when required.
Some more great play involving Sahsa and Danny led to a series of RED corners. Danny and Kjartan worked one short corner (a training ground move practiced a couple of weeks ago) and this led to a great shot from Kjartan being pushed round the post by the St Peters goalie. The next corner was fired into the box by Danny and in the stramash the ball fell to Eyvindur, his shot being blocked for another corner. Danny again fired it into the box and the ball eventually popped up to Struan at the back post who volleyed in with his left foot. Woo. 4-2 St Peters.
Surely not another mega comeback?
Well, by now the RED coaching team were beginning to dream. The home support were getting very concerned and the pressure from the RED team continued to build. Abhisar, making his debut, was given a special role to pressure the ball all over the pitch. Not an easy task on a big pitch on a windy day but Abhisar was excellent. The St Peters team just couldn't get any possession. Anytime the ball broke to them Abhisar was there trying to get it back, if he failed Jack and Ollie would get the ball, or Sasha would steal it and take off down the wing. Danny and Kjartan were both working unbelievably hard chasing back to help out and were often tidying up following some great tackles from the defenders.
What about Ali the Goalie? Well, as brilliant as the defence was St Peters had three great shots in the second half each of which were saved by Ali. The second save was unbeleivable, a shot deflected off Jack high into the air but Ali threw himself to his left and punched the ball away. A magnificent save that kept the dream comeback on course.
Another flowing move from the RED team. Jack stole the ball and played it wide to Sasha. Sasha played an excellent ball to Kjartan who played the ball through for Struan. Struan stepped inside the defender and smashed a right foot shot into the corner of the net. Great finish. 4-3 St Peters.
Surely not another mega comeback?
The away support were going absolutely bonkers. Abhisar's on field duties were over now and he was screaming exhausted encouragement from the bench. Still the RED team piled forward, but time was running out fast. Eyvindur set off on a great run down the left which finished with a shot just past the post. Kjartan, Struan and Danny were screaming for the middle but the shot was always the only option for a run of that length! Icelandic for “pass it” anyone?
With time running out Kjartan and Danny linked well again. Danny tricked his way past a couple of defenders and fired in a cracking right foot shot. Oh, just wide...no wait it is in the net. 4-4! We have done it! The away support are now officially in dreamland. Then drama - the ref awards a goal kick! Oh, it went in through the side netting. Oh dear, so close, but we will not let the truth get in the way of a good story, so instead I'll say that it was an outrageous injustice. Still 4-3 St Peters.
Some great midfield play from Eyvindur, Kjartan and Danny resulted in Struan being played in behind the last defender. This was the moment. On the run he steadied himself, took aim,pulled back his right foot and shot...no, a fabulous tackle from St Peters majestic defender Callum Simpson prevents a certain goal. The RED coaching team later suggested that best friends shouldn't be doing that kind of tackle on each other. Agony.
There was just time for one final stramash in the St Peters box involving Jack, Ollie, Struan, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur. With feet, knees and thighs being thrown at the ball St Peters managed to scramble the ball away and the ref brought the game to an end. 4-3 St Peters.
What a game. The RED team showed once again what a fantastic team they can be, fighting back from 4 goals down against one of the best teams in the league and pushing them all the way for an equaliser. Everyone played their part in the second half, concentrating on playing football, passing more and working hard to help each other.
Well done RED squad!
The RED team set off for Saturday morning's away fixture against St Peter's feeling quietly confident. Last week's performance against the Tollcross Giants was really, really encouraging. They started strongly and dominated large parts of the game but just couldn't find that killer touch in front of goal. Well, they couldn't find their way past the Giants giant giant in goals.
This week the RED team were up against St Peters - an elite team selected from the cream of St Peters Primary School. Only the best of the best get a game for St Peters so REDs would need to start the game well, keep the ball and be clinical in front of goal. No matter what - the REDs had to start well and not give themselves their traditional mountain to climb in the second half.
Arty kick off photo!
Warm up - everyone looking good. Crisp passing, nice movement, everyone looks to be 'in the zone'. Shooting drill - Danny looks brilliant again, though the wind is making things a little tricky. Last minute team talk reminds everyone of their role - Danny in goals, Sasha and Ollie at the back, Jack, Kjartan and Struan in midfield with Ali the striker. Eyvindur and Abhisar starting on the bench. Right - everyone know what to do? Goalie gets the ball wide to defenders, defenders find your midfield players and don't pass across in-front of goal, midfield players get the ball wide and get the crosses into the box but get back to help your defenders, striker don't stand around hoping the ball will reach you. Ok? Great.
Danny saves the day!
The less said about the first half the better. The RED team started poorly, fell out with each other, defended poorly, midfield didn't help the defence, the midfield and strikers stood about hoping to score, the passing was terrible and no-one would listen to the coaches. The worst RED performance of the year by miles and miles and were it not for some stupendous saves from Danny they would have found themselves more than 4-0 down at half time. 4-0 St Peters.
Danny saves the day again, and again, and again...
At half time a sorry looking RED team sipped their drinks and had their first ever half time hair drier treatment from the coaching team. Thankfully the most tactically gifted coaching team in the P4 league had a tactical master plan - "score at least 4 goals". :o)
The REDs started the second half with a more traditional formation. Ali The Goalie in goals, Ollie and Jack providing a no-nonsense approach to defending coupled with superb distribution, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur linking well in midfield with Struan patrolling around up front. With the wind at their backs and Sasha and Abhisar ready for action were we about to witness one of those famous RED comebacks? Surely not.
Kjartan with a trademark tackle!
The first 5 minutes of the second half were quite tight. The REDs soon found their feet though and started to dominate. If nothing else their passing had improved and they really were working as a team. A couple of nice breaks from Danny down the right produced half chances in the middle for Kjartan and Struan. The St Peters goalie looked to be in top form with some fine early saves.
Then a fine period of play from the REDs produced a goal. Ollie snuffed out a St Peters attack and found Kjartan. Kjartan collected the ball and spread play out wide to Danny. Danny took off down the line and sent over a great cross. Struan controlled the ball well and fired it past the goalie. Brilliant goal. 4-1 St Peters.
Struan fires home!
A word on the defence. Ollie and Jack were simply outstanding. Their tackling was brilliant and they worked unbelievably hard to get the ball from St Peters forwards and then bring it out to their midfielders. We even had Jack overlapping down the wing then making it back to help Ollie if the move broke down. Superb performances from Ollie and Jack.
The REDS were beginning to dominate. Struan fired another chance past the post, Kjartan tried a tricky first time shot from the edge of the box following some great play on the wing from Eyvindur. Danny had a shot blocked on the edge of the box but was working unbelievably hard to get back to help the defence when required.
Some more great play involving Sahsa and Danny led to a series of RED corners. Danny and Kjartan worked one short corner (a training ground move practiced a couple of weeks ago) and this led to a great shot from Kjartan being pushed round the post by the St Peters goalie. The next corner was fired into the box by Danny and in the stramash the ball fell to Eyvindur, his shot being blocked for another corner. Danny again fired it into the box and the ball eventually popped up to Struan at the back post who volleyed in with his left foot. Woo. 4-2 St Peters.
Another cross fired into the St Peters box
Surely not another mega comeback?
Well, by now the RED coaching team were beginning to dream. The home support were getting very concerned and the pressure from the RED team continued to build. Abhisar, making his debut, was given a special role to pressure the ball all over the pitch. Not an easy task on a big pitch on a windy day but Abhisar was excellent. The St Peters team just couldn't get any possession. Anytime the ball broke to them Abhisar was there trying to get it back, if he failed Jack and Ollie would get the ball, or Sasha would steal it and take off down the wing. Danny and Kjartan were both working unbelievably hard chasing back to help out and were often tidying up following some great tackles from the defenders.
Another storming RED attack starts!
What about Ali the Goalie? Well, as brilliant as the defence was St Peters had three great shots in the second half each of which were saved by Ali. The second save was unbeleivable, a shot deflected off Jack high into the air but Ali threw himself to his left and punched the ball away. A magnificent save that kept the dream comeback on course.
Another flowing move from the RED team. Jack stole the ball and played it wide to Sasha. Sasha played an excellent ball to Kjartan who played the ball through for Struan. Struan stepped inside the defender and smashed a right foot shot into the corner of the net. Great finish. 4-3 St Peters.
Surely not another mega comeback?
The away support were going absolutely bonkers. Abhisar's on field duties were over now and he was screaming exhausted encouragement from the bench. Still the RED team piled forward, but time was running out fast. Eyvindur set off on a great run down the left which finished with a shot just past the post. Kjartan, Struan and Danny were screaming for the middle but the shot was always the only option for a run of that length! Icelandic for “pass it” anyone?
With time running out Kjartan and Danny linked well again. Danny tricked his way past a couple of defenders and fired in a cracking right foot shot. Oh, just wide...no wait it is in the net. 4-4! We have done it! The away support are now officially in dreamland. Then drama - the ref awards a goal kick! Oh, it went in through the side netting. Oh dear, so close, but we will not let the truth get in the way of a good story, so instead I'll say that it was an outrageous injustice. Still 4-3 St Peters.
Some great midfield play from Eyvindur, Kjartan and Danny resulted in Struan being played in behind the last defender. This was the moment. On the run he steadied himself, took aim,pulled back his right foot and shot...no, a fabulous tackle from St Peters majestic defender Callum Simpson prevents a certain goal. The RED coaching team later suggested that best friends shouldn't be doing that kind of tackle on each other. Agony.
There was just time for one final stramash in the St Peters box involving Jack, Ollie, Struan, Danny, Kjartan and Eyvindur. With feet, knees and thighs being thrown at the ball St Peters managed to scramble the ball away and the ref brought the game to an end. 4-3 St Peters.
What a game. The RED team showed once again what a fantastic team they can be, fighting back from 4 goals down against one of the best teams in the league and pushing them all the way for an equaliser. Everyone played their part in the second half, concentrating on playing football, passing more and working hard to help each other.
Well done RED squad!
MATCH REPORT : YELLOW v P3 Squad
The Yellow team had their first match for a while on Saturday under the new management team of Ron and Robin. The match against the entire P3 squad would prove to be very challenging but how would the winter training help the team? How would the new management team cope with the pressure? So many questions - Ron takes up the story...
For the early stages, concentration levels and positional discipline had improved, compared to the pre-winter break "backs to the wall" matches. Joseph & Keir were solid at the back. Matthew & Aiden mixed play up as holding midfielders, and much of the team's creativity came through the centre where Valdi, Owen and Alex A looked composed in possession. The cutting edge was supplied by the box to box surges from Murdo.
Unsurprisingly this was how the Yellows took the lead. Murdo darted in from the right and blasted the ball low into the net, giving their keeper no chance. 1-0 YELLOW.
A period of dominance by the Yellows followed, but two or three good opportunities to extend their lead were not taken, and if it wasn't for some tidy goalkeeping by Amir then the Yellows would not have been ahead at the break.
The second period was a stalemate. Both sides cancelled each other out with little for the spectator to get enthused about. (A bit like watching Liverpool this season then? -Neil)
In final period, the P3s fought back. From an extended spell of pressure, they won several set pieces, and eventually scored a deserved equalizer. 1-1.
While the Yellows may have been tired from having the previous week off, or a little complacent from dominating early stages, they did respond well to this set-back, and nearly nicked a winner at the death. So the game of 3 halves finished 1-1 and a big thanks should be passed to the P3s for a sporting and competitive match.
Bring on the huge local derby against South Morningside next week.
For the early stages, concentration levels and positional discipline had improved, compared to the pre-winter break "backs to the wall" matches. Joseph & Keir were solid at the back. Matthew & Aiden mixed play up as holding midfielders, and much of the team's creativity came through the centre where Valdi, Owen and Alex A looked composed in possession. The cutting edge was supplied by the box to box surges from Murdo.
Unsurprisingly this was how the Yellows took the lead. Murdo darted in from the right and blasted the ball low into the net, giving their keeper no chance. 1-0 YELLOW.
A period of dominance by the Yellows followed, but two or three good opportunities to extend their lead were not taken, and if it wasn't for some tidy goalkeeping by Amir then the Yellows would not have been ahead at the break.
The second period was a stalemate. Both sides cancelled each other out with little for the spectator to get enthused about. (A bit like watching Liverpool this season then? -Neil)
In final period, the P3s fought back. From an extended spell of pressure, they won several set pieces, and eventually scored a deserved equalizer. 1-1.
While the Yellows may have been tired from having the previous week off, or a little complacent from dominating early stages, they did respond well to this set-back, and nearly nicked a winner at the death. So the game of 3 halves finished 1-1 and a big thanks should be passed to the P3s for a sporting and competitive match.
Bring on the huge local derby against South Morningside next week.
MATCH REPORT : BLUE 13th March
Buckstone 3 – 5 Sciennes P4 BLUE
BLUE team made the tricky trip to Buckstone at the weekend. We sent along our chief Travel Correspondent Keith...
Some trouble in finding the venue at Buckstone Howe due to Keith leaving map at home - convoy of cars going through Buckstone looked a bit lost!
Once there, conditions were good for a 9.30 start. The BLUES started with Joseph B as a new goalkeeper, Roddy and Joe S-H in defence, Hamish, Robert and Alex H in midfield and Jude up front. Game was fairly even over the first few minutes with good passing from both sides. In 4 minutes the BLUES took the lead with a good shot from Jude from the right of the box following good play involving Hamish and Robert. 0-1 BLUES.
Sciennes then dominated for most of the half. In the next minute Alex hit the bar with a fierce drive and an effort from Jude on the rebound was deflected wide for a corner. In 6 minutes the BLUES went 2 up with a curling left shot from Alex from wide on the right. 0-2 BLUES.
The goals kept coming. A couple of minutes later we were 3 up with a strong drive from Jude from a central position. 0-3 BLUES.
What a start!
Buckstone increased their resolve thereafter and Joseph had his first real save to make. He also had to face his first corner in 9 minutes but the defence cleared their lines well. We made our first substitutions in 10 minutes with Joe R and Sam coming on for Robert and Jude. It took a while for the BLUE shape to settle after the changes and the game was more even for the rest of the half.
There were chances at both ends but Sciennes had more defending to do. There was good tackling from Roddy and Joe S-H and the midfield also had to fight for possession - Joe R doing one particularly good piece of ball-winning. Buckstone pulled back a goal just before half time. 1-3 BLUES.
We started the second half with Jude and Robert on for Roddy and Hamish. Robert took over in goals with Joseph moving to midfield and Jude in defence. Alex hit the post with a left foot shot early on. A chance for Buckstone was foiled by a great challenge by Jude. The resulting corner was cleared by Joe S-H.
The game was starting to get a bit tighter but 4 minutes in Alex ended a great run, picking up a pass from Joe R and beating 3 defenders before shooting high into the roof of the net (goal of the season for BLUE?). 1-4 BLUE.
The game then had a further spell in midfield with the Sciennes players holding their own before Alex completed his hat trick in 10 minutes following a pass from Joseph and a run down the left he cut inside and shot home. 1-5 BLUE.
Roddy and Hamish came back on for Joe R and Joe S-H. The BLUES had a few more chances but in 12 minutes Buckstone intercepted a pass in midfield and ran through to score. 2-5 BLUE.
A minute later there was a great passing move involving Sam, Hamish and Joseph that ended with a shot from Alex. Another break from Buckstone was cut out by Jude but he gave his goalkeeper some nervous moments by clearing the danger by conceding a corner over the cross-bar from well out of the box! From the corner the ball was cleared but a follow up dangerous low cross from Buckstone was unluckily steered into the net by Hamish. 3-5 BLUE.
That ended the scoring for the day - a great performance from the BLUE team with a final score that slightly flattered Buckstone.
BLUE team made the tricky trip to Buckstone at the weekend. We sent along our chief Travel Correspondent Keith...
Some trouble in finding the venue at Buckstone Howe due to Keith leaving map at home - convoy of cars going through Buckstone looked a bit lost!
Once there, conditions were good for a 9.30 start. The BLUES started with Joseph B as a new goalkeeper, Roddy and Joe S-H in defence, Hamish, Robert and Alex H in midfield and Jude up front. Game was fairly even over the first few minutes with good passing from both sides. In 4 minutes the BLUES took the lead with a good shot from Jude from the right of the box following good play involving Hamish and Robert. 0-1 BLUES.
Joseph Br - what a keeper!
Sciennes then dominated for most of the half. In the next minute Alex hit the bar with a fierce drive and an effort from Jude on the rebound was deflected wide for a corner. In 6 minutes the BLUES went 2 up with a curling left shot from Alex from wide on the right. 0-2 BLUES.
Alex flying down the left!
The goals kept coming. A couple of minutes later we were 3 up with a strong drive from Jude from a central position. 0-3 BLUES.
Jude nearly bursts the net!
What a start!
Buckstone increased their resolve thereafter and Joseph had his first real save to make. He also had to face his first corner in 9 minutes but the defence cleared their lines well. We made our first substitutions in 10 minutes with Joe R and Sam coming on for Robert and Jude. It took a while for the BLUE shape to settle after the changes and the game was more even for the rest of the half.
There were chances at both ends but Sciennes had more defending to do. There was good tackling from Roddy and Joe S-H and the midfield also had to fight for possession - Joe R doing one particularly good piece of ball-winning. Buckstone pulled back a goal just before half time. 1-3 BLUES.
We started the second half with Jude and Robert on for Roddy and Hamish. Robert took over in goals with Joseph moving to midfield and Jude in defence. Alex hit the post with a left foot shot early on. A chance for Buckstone was foiled by a great challenge by Jude. The resulting corner was cleared by Joe S-H.
Jude battles in midfield
The game was starting to get a bit tighter but 4 minutes in Alex ended a great run, picking up a pass from Joe R and beating 3 defenders before shooting high into the roof of the net (goal of the season for BLUE?). 1-4 BLUE.
The game then had a further spell in midfield with the Sciennes players holding their own before Alex completed his hat trick in 10 minutes following a pass from Joseph and a run down the left he cut inside and shot home. 1-5 BLUE.
Alex turn to burst the net!
Roddy and Hamish came back on for Joe R and Joe S-H. The BLUES had a few more chances but in 12 minutes Buckstone intercepted a pass in midfield and ran through to score. 2-5 BLUE.
Joe R busy in midfield
A minute later there was a great passing move involving Sam, Hamish and Joseph that ended with a shot from Alex. Another break from Buckstone was cut out by Jude but he gave his goalkeeper some nervous moments by clearing the danger by conceding a corner over the cross-bar from well out of the box! From the corner the ball was cleared but a follow up dangerous low cross from Buckstone was unluckily steered into the net by Hamish. 3-5 BLUE.
That ended the scoring for the day - a great performance from the BLUE team with a final score that slightly flattered Buckstone.
Blue squad celebrate the victory!
Saturday 13 March 2010
Tuesday 9 March 2010
FIXTURES : Saturday 13th March
RED away to St Peter's at Meggetland, kick-off 9:30am, arrive VH 8:45am.
BLUE away to Buckstone at The Waterboard, kick-off 9:30am, arrive VH 8:45am.
YELLOW home to P3 at The Meadows, kick-off 10:00am, arrive 9:45am.
BLUE away to Buckstone at The Waterboard, kick-off 9:30am, arrive VH 8:45am.
YELLOW home to P3 at The Meadows, kick-off 10:00am, arrive 9:45am.
Saturday 6 March 2010
MATCH REPORT : BLUE 6th March
Bruntsfield 0 - 5 Blue
After a dramatic late call-off (entirely Neil's fault for picking someone who was away for the weekend) Murdo was called into the Blue squad and the tactical masterplan altered. Initial line-up was Roddy (goals), Murdo & Joe S-H (defence), Hamish/Joseph Br/Alex H (midfield), Sam(forward). Amir was sub and Jude arrived just after kick-off after a mix-up on arrangements (we'll blame Neil again but not sure why). With both of the normal Blue goalkeepers unavailable Amir was lined up to be a keeper but a dramatic thumb injury meant he was unable to go in goals. After a period of negotiation Roddy was persuaded to don the gloves and literally 'save the day'.
What drama - late team changes, goal-keeping injuries and late arrivals all before most sensible people have eaten their Saturday morning breakfast. What could possibly go wrong now? Answer - nothing!
As it turned out the Blue goalkeepers had little to do as a feast of attacking football was served up by the Sciennes P4 Blue team - their best performance of the season. After a fairly even opening few minutes, enlivened by a mazy run by Alex down the left wing, the Blues took the lead after 7 minutes. Some good passing on the right between Hamish and Sam ended with the ball reaching Alex who drove home strongly. 0-1 Blue.
From the first goal there was wave after wave of Blue attacks with Jude scoring 2 after coming off the bench - the first volleyed in after a good challenge from Joseph made the space; the second a strong shot which squirmed through the keeper's hands. 0-3 Blue.
What a start!
Sam also scored a good goal as well as sending a rasping drive just over the bar. 0-4 Blue.
This blistering form couldn't go on - could it?
Alex's second goal followed a good pass from Hamish putting him in from the left. 0-5 Blue.
It wasn't all about the forwards though. The Blues defence were commanding with Murdo, Joe and Amir cutting out any danger and starting attacks with good forward passes. Murdo took a hard challenge and had to go off for a while but recovered by half time. Roddy had a fairly quiet time in goal but did make one good save from a strong shot from the right and injured his shoulder in the process. Heroic display all round from the Blues.
Five goals up at half time so Bruntsfield started the second half with an extra player. The second half was much more even as a result and no goals were scored. Jude came close to completing his hat trick when put through by Joseph but after out-stripping the defence his shot beat the keeper but slipped by the left hand post.
Amir, despite the injury, had taken over in goal and had a bit more to do. The closest Bruntsfield came to scoring was a stramash in the box following a corner. Amir saved the first shot but the rebound looked like creeping in...but a spectacular bit of defending from Alex saw the ball being unceremoniously 'hoofed' (technical term) clear. Phew. Oh but wait - Bruntsfield claimed a goal but the referee, Paul, confimed that the whole ball had not crossed the line so no goal was given. Bruntsfield hearts were broken but the clean sheet remained in tact.
Some fairly hard challenges went in as Bruntsfield were keen to get something from the game but the Sciennes midfield and defence were tenacious in holding on to their lead. Murdo, Joe, Joseph, Hamish and Roddy all won important challenges with Alex relieving the pressure with his runs down the left. Sam and Jude also put in some good runs up front.
The Blue team's passing was as good as its been with some good inter-play on show. The game was nearly capped by a fine goal for Hamish but he was unlucky to see a strong right foot drive come down off the cross-bar and bounce on the line - again the referee said no goal. Goal-line technology anyone?
A fine performance to start the year from the entire squad. Well played to everyone.
After a dramatic late call-off (entirely Neil's fault for picking someone who was away for the weekend) Murdo was called into the Blue squad and the tactical masterplan altered. Initial line-up was Roddy (goals), Murdo & Joe S-H (defence), Hamish/Joseph Br/Alex H (midfield), Sam(forward). Amir was sub and Jude arrived just after kick-off after a mix-up on arrangements (we'll blame Neil again but not sure why). With both of the normal Blue goalkeepers unavailable Amir was lined up to be a keeper but a dramatic thumb injury meant he was unable to go in goals. After a period of negotiation Roddy was persuaded to don the gloves and literally 'save the day'.
What drama - late team changes, goal-keeping injuries and late arrivals all before most sensible people have eaten their Saturday morning breakfast. What could possibly go wrong now? Answer - nothing!
As it turned out the Blue goalkeepers had little to do as a feast of attacking football was served up by the Sciennes P4 Blue team - their best performance of the season. After a fairly even opening few minutes, enlivened by a mazy run by Alex down the left wing, the Blues took the lead after 7 minutes. Some good passing on the right between Hamish and Sam ended with the ball reaching Alex who drove home strongly. 0-1 Blue.
From the first goal there was wave after wave of Blue attacks with Jude scoring 2 after coming off the bench - the first volleyed in after a good challenge from Joseph made the space; the second a strong shot which squirmed through the keeper's hands. 0-3 Blue.
What a start!
Sam also scored a good goal as well as sending a rasping drive just over the bar. 0-4 Blue.
This blistering form couldn't go on - could it?
Alex's second goal followed a good pass from Hamish putting him in from the left. 0-5 Blue.
It wasn't all about the forwards though. The Blues defence were commanding with Murdo, Joe and Amir cutting out any danger and starting attacks with good forward passes. Murdo took a hard challenge and had to go off for a while but recovered by half time. Roddy had a fairly quiet time in goal but did make one good save from a strong shot from the right and injured his shoulder in the process. Heroic display all round from the Blues.
Five goals up at half time so Bruntsfield started the second half with an extra player. The second half was much more even as a result and no goals were scored. Jude came close to completing his hat trick when put through by Joseph but after out-stripping the defence his shot beat the keeper but slipped by the left hand post.
Amir, despite the injury, had taken over in goal and had a bit more to do. The closest Bruntsfield came to scoring was a stramash in the box following a corner. Amir saved the first shot but the rebound looked like creeping in...but a spectacular bit of defending from Alex saw the ball being unceremoniously 'hoofed' (technical term) clear. Phew. Oh but wait - Bruntsfield claimed a goal but the referee, Paul, confimed that the whole ball had not crossed the line so no goal was given. Bruntsfield hearts were broken but the clean sheet remained in tact.
Some fairly hard challenges went in as Bruntsfield were keen to get something from the game but the Sciennes midfield and defence were tenacious in holding on to their lead. Murdo, Joe, Joseph, Hamish and Roddy all won important challenges with Alex relieving the pressure with his runs down the left. Sam and Jude also put in some good runs up front.
The Blue team's passing was as good as its been with some good inter-play on show. The game was nearly capped by a fine goal for Hamish but he was unlucky to see a strong right foot drive come down off the cross-bar and bounce on the line - again the referee said no goal. Goal-line technology anyone?
A fine performance to start the year from the entire squad. Well played to everyone.
MATCH REPORT : RED 6th March
Red 0 - 4 Tollcross Giants
First game of the new year for the Red team and they don't come any harder than the Tollcross Giants P4-P5 team. What a great performance from the Red team though...
Bright and sunny in the Meadows, the snow has cleared and there even appeared to be 14 blades of grass left on the pitch. The pitch - how cruel it turned out to be! After a great warm up, the Red team started brightly. Danny looked brilliant in goals, Ollie and Hector solid as ever at the back, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield with Ali lurking around as striker. Sasha and Alex on the bench but soon to be involved.
After a couple of early midfield scraps the ball breaks to Struan on the right, he tricks his way past a couple of defenders and smashes a shot at goals. The Giants goalie made his first impressive save of the day! The resulting corner is cleared but an excellent tackle from Kjartan set up Ali who scampers clear and smashes another shot on goal. This time the crossbar saves the Giants goal. What a start from Reds and what a difference to their normal approach of letting the other team get an early goal.
The Red defence looked excellent again. Ollie and Hector were battling hard against a couple of genuine Giants. However all too soon Danny was forced to make his first save of the day, diving to his left to spectacularly push the ball round the post for a corner. What a save. Then another as the corner came in and was fired at goals Danny smothered the shot at the near post. What a keeper!
Struan was causing the Giants defence some problems with some tricky runs down the right. A nice cross found Eyvindur supporting Ali in the box brilliantly. A first time shot from Struan's cross by Eyvindur was again brilliantly saved by the Giants goalie.
Sasha and Alex joined the game in midfield to freshen things up a little and allow the starting players a little rest. Ali and Struan combined well in the 11th minute with Ali firing another great shot, which the Giants goalie did well to save. It looked like it might be one of those days!
A short period of pressure from the Giants meant that Ollie and Sasha were busy, but with Danny behind them in fabulous form it looked like this game could actually be quite tight. Suddenly out of nothing the ball broke in behind the Red defence and a couple of Giants forced the ball past Danny. Cruel. 0-1 Giants.
The Giants were beginning to find their feet now and the wee lad with the Celtic top on under his blue bib looked like a great player. Mind you so did the two giant Giants in the midfield, and so did the giant defenders and the goalie was simply outstanding. Even the Giants coaching team looked great with their matching managerial gear. Back to the game...
Another scrap in midfield resulted in Alex breaking forward and playing the ball through to Ali who scampered clear of the defence again but shot narrowly wide. With the first half closing Eyvindur and Sasha played the ball through midfield brilliantly, Kjartan passed it on to Struan who slipped past the last defender and shot...just past the post. Oooh. What a chance! Did the ball take a tiny bobble just as he was about to hit it?
Half-time 0-1 Giants.
The Red team looked really, really great in the first half but were looking slightly weary! The second half started with Danny being replaced by Ali The Goalie in goals. Ollie and Sasha started in defence, Danny, Eyvindur and Kjartan in midfield with Struan up front. Hector and Alex started the second half on the bench. Sasha started off brilliantly, really taking the ball forward from his defensive position and joining up with the midfield. Danny was looking dangerous out wide, but was being closely marked by a couple of Giants. Struan was stretching the defence and making some dangerous runs. An early Struan cross caused havoc in the Giants defence but couldn't be forced home by Eyvindur, Kjartan, Danny or the fast arriving Alex!
Then the turning point. Red team were looking dangerous. The Giants were creaking a little. A fabulous pass from Hector found Struan linking play with midfield. Struan found Danny, who played the ball back to Struan. Struan skipped passed a couple of giants, drew the goalie and slipped the ball across the face of the goal for a tap in. Danny, Kjartan and was it Ollie each waiting to tap it in? 1-1. Wait, no, the ball hits a lump of mud and despite Danny throwing himself at it the ball hops over his foot and trundles along the line! The home support fall to their knees. The move of the match, but no reward because of a lump of mud. The away coaches mutter something about Chris Iwelumo. The home coaches mutter something about bobbles.
Guess what happened then? From what could have / should have / would like to have been 1-1, the Giants stomp up field and fire past a helpless Ali The Goalie. 0-2 Giants.
The Red team look disappointed but stuck together. For the next ten minutes they controlled the game. Alex broke from midfield with the ball and played it through to Kjartan who had his shot well saved. Hector broke forward from the back and played the ball to Danny who shot at the goalie. Struan twisted and turned and had a couple of shots well saved. Eyvindur supported the Struan brilliantly but that final pass, that final bit of luck in front of goal just would not come for the reds. Even Ollie was now pushing forward trying to help his midfield. The Red team spirit was still shining brightly!
As the Red team chased the goal that would spark a come back the Giant always looked dangerous on the break. The Red coach too a risky decision to pack the midfield and leave poor Hector on his own for a period. This works well when the Red team have the ball but dangerous when Giants break. The Red midfield showed great determination to run back and cover. What an effort.
Suddenly a break from Giants saw Ali The Goalie faced by two Giants. First shot was brilliantly saved but the second was forced home despite a couple of desperate tackles from Sasha and Hector. 0-3 Giants.
Still the Red team tried to go forward. By now all the action was in the Giants half. Kjartan had a shot saved, Alex played in Hector who had a great shot cleared. The conditions were being very cruel. Some excellent passing from Red team often found a player in space in front of goal but the connection with the final shot just wasn't there. As time ran out the Red were hit on the break as the Giants completed their scoring with a fine shot from the edge of the box. 0-4 Giants.
But still the Reds would not lie down. With only moments left in the game an excellent run from Kjartan played in Struan. Struan cut inside the last defender and smashed a shot into the top corner. Woo - what a save! The ball breaks back to Struan who fired it in again. Woo - another great save. This time the ball breaks off the goalie and Struan has another go - this time hitting the ball with his throat! Not the best idea and the ball is hacked away as Danny, Kjartan, Eyvindur and Ollie all try to force it home. The ref blows for full time!
What a performance from the Red team. Great play from the entire squad - nice corners, nice passing and just no luck at all in front of goal. The Giants goalie had 5 or 6 stupendous saves that on another day would have been goals. Bring on St Peter's next week!
First game of the new year for the Red team and they don't come any harder than the Tollcross Giants P4-P5 team. What a great performance from the Red team though...
Bright and sunny in the Meadows, the snow has cleared and there even appeared to be 14 blades of grass left on the pitch. The pitch - how cruel it turned out to be! After a great warm up, the Red team started brightly. Danny looked brilliant in goals, Ollie and Hector solid as ever at the back, Struan, Kjartan and Eyvindur in midfield with Ali lurking around as striker. Sasha and Alex on the bench but soon to be involved.
After a couple of early midfield scraps the ball breaks to Struan on the right, he tricks his way past a couple of defenders and smashes a shot at goals. The Giants goalie made his first impressive save of the day! The resulting corner is cleared but an excellent tackle from Kjartan set up Ali who scampers clear and smashes another shot on goal. This time the crossbar saves the Giants goal. What a start from Reds and what a difference to their normal approach of letting the other team get an early goal.
The Red defence looked excellent again. Ollie and Hector were battling hard against a couple of genuine Giants. However all too soon Danny was forced to make his first save of the day, diving to his left to spectacularly push the ball round the post for a corner. What a save. Then another as the corner came in and was fired at goals Danny smothered the shot at the near post. What a keeper!
Struan was causing the Giants defence some problems with some tricky runs down the right. A nice cross found Eyvindur supporting Ali in the box brilliantly. A first time shot from Struan's cross by Eyvindur was again brilliantly saved by the Giants goalie.
Sasha and Alex joined the game in midfield to freshen things up a little and allow the starting players a little rest. Ali and Struan combined well in the 11th minute with Ali firing another great shot, which the Giants goalie did well to save. It looked like it might be one of those days!
A short period of pressure from the Giants meant that Ollie and Sasha were busy, but with Danny behind them in fabulous form it looked like this game could actually be quite tight. Suddenly out of nothing the ball broke in behind the Red defence and a couple of Giants forced the ball past Danny. Cruel. 0-1 Giants.
The Giants were beginning to find their feet now and the wee lad with the Celtic top on under his blue bib looked like a great player. Mind you so did the two giant Giants in the midfield, and so did the giant defenders and the goalie was simply outstanding. Even the Giants coaching team looked great with their matching managerial gear. Back to the game...
Another scrap in midfield resulted in Alex breaking forward and playing the ball through to Ali who scampered clear of the defence again but shot narrowly wide. With the first half closing Eyvindur and Sasha played the ball through midfield brilliantly, Kjartan passed it on to Struan who slipped past the last defender and shot...just past the post. Oooh. What a chance! Did the ball take a tiny bobble just as he was about to hit it?
Half-time 0-1 Giants.
The Red team looked really, really great in the first half but were looking slightly weary! The second half started with Danny being replaced by Ali The Goalie in goals. Ollie and Sasha started in defence, Danny, Eyvindur and Kjartan in midfield with Struan up front. Hector and Alex started the second half on the bench. Sasha started off brilliantly, really taking the ball forward from his defensive position and joining up with the midfield. Danny was looking dangerous out wide, but was being closely marked by a couple of Giants. Struan was stretching the defence and making some dangerous runs. An early Struan cross caused havoc in the Giants defence but couldn't be forced home by Eyvindur, Kjartan, Danny or the fast arriving Alex!
Then the turning point. Red team were looking dangerous. The Giants were creaking a little. A fabulous pass from Hector found Struan linking play with midfield. Struan found Danny, who played the ball back to Struan. Struan skipped passed a couple of giants, drew the goalie and slipped the ball across the face of the goal for a tap in. Danny, Kjartan and was it Ollie each waiting to tap it in? 1-1. Wait, no, the ball hits a lump of mud and despite Danny throwing himself at it the ball hops over his foot and trundles along the line! The home support fall to their knees. The move of the match, but no reward because of a lump of mud. The away coaches mutter something about Chris Iwelumo. The home coaches mutter something about bobbles.
Guess what happened then? From what could have / should have / would like to have been 1-1, the Giants stomp up field and fire past a helpless Ali The Goalie. 0-2 Giants.
The Red team look disappointed but stuck together. For the next ten minutes they controlled the game. Alex broke from midfield with the ball and played it through to Kjartan who had his shot well saved. Hector broke forward from the back and played the ball to Danny who shot at the goalie. Struan twisted and turned and had a couple of shots well saved. Eyvindur supported the Struan brilliantly but that final pass, that final bit of luck in front of goal just would not come for the reds. Even Ollie was now pushing forward trying to help his midfield. The Red team spirit was still shining brightly!
As the Red team chased the goal that would spark a come back the Giant always looked dangerous on the break. The Red coach too a risky decision to pack the midfield and leave poor Hector on his own for a period. This works well when the Red team have the ball but dangerous when Giants break. The Red midfield showed great determination to run back and cover. What an effort.
Suddenly a break from Giants saw Ali The Goalie faced by two Giants. First shot was brilliantly saved but the second was forced home despite a couple of desperate tackles from Sasha and Hector. 0-3 Giants.
Still the Red team tried to go forward. By now all the action was in the Giants half. Kjartan had a shot saved, Alex played in Hector who had a great shot cleared. The conditions were being very cruel. Some excellent passing from Red team often found a player in space in front of goal but the connection with the final shot just wasn't there. As time ran out the Red were hit on the break as the Giants completed their scoring with a fine shot from the edge of the box. 0-4 Giants.
But still the Reds would not lie down. With only moments left in the game an excellent run from Kjartan played in Struan. Struan cut inside the last defender and smashed a shot into the top corner. Woo - what a save! The ball breaks back to Struan who fired it in again. Woo - another great save. This time the ball breaks off the goalie and Struan has another go - this time hitting the ball with his throat! Not the best idea and the ball is hacked away as Danny, Kjartan, Eyvindur and Ollie all try to force it home. The ref blows for full time!
What a performance from the Red team. Great play from the entire squad - nice corners, nice passing and just no luck at all in front of goal. The Giants goalie had 5 or 6 stupendous saves that on another day would have been goals. Bring on St Peter's next week!
Friday 5 March 2010
2010 Starts Tomorrow!
FIXTURES : Saturday 6th March
RED at home to Tollcross Giants (P4-P5)
BLUE away to Bruntsfield
YELLOW no match, no training, long lie, really, really, really sorry.
BLUE away to Bruntsfield
YELLOW no match, no training, long lie, really, really, really sorry.
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