12 Angry Men              Sunday 22^nd October 2006

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Josh suffered a reoccurrence of his illness, Spike had been ill over the weekend and Josef didn’t turn up which meant that the ‘B’ team had no subs.  We prayed for no injuries!

 

Game 1 - The line up was:

 

Joby

 

Jack     Callum

 

Dan     Joel     Tom

 

Joe

 

Rolling Sub:  Luke

 

They launched into attack, but it was broken up and Tom surged forward and played Joe through, but Joe stood on the ball and missed it.  Tom won it back and played through Joe again, but his shot was into the side netting.  We win a throw in the left wing corner and threw long.  It was cleared as far as Dan who beat two players and shot.  This was cleared left to where Joe was.  He looked to shoot with his right, but then turned onto his left, losing two defenders as he did and shot powerfully.  The ‘keeper could only parry the ball across goal to where Jack was waiting and he bundled it over the line, and with two in two games at £5 per goal, Mark is getting worried 1-0.  We then committed too many players forward and they broke through with one in on Joby.  He rushed out and made the stop on the edge of the area, but couldn’t quite grab it so another forward poked it past him, past Callum who was off balance and only Jack, on the line, prevented the equaliser.  The clearance wasn’t far enough though and they fired it back in.  Joby managed to parry it down and finally we cleared our lines.  They attacked in numbers again and this time Joby was right on the edge of the area with his challenge, which spun loose so he stuck his foot out again.  This slowed their shot, and again Jack was covering to clear.  From our defending we broke out through Tom and he crossed the halfway line as he was tackled, but he kept possession and got it through to Joe on the right side who hit it on the turn but it flew just over the left side of the crossbar.  A great attack out by Callum got the ball to Luke, who in turn found Joel.  He saw Dan running and played it down the line to him.  Dan crossed the ball as he saw Tom steaming in at the back post, but his cross was cut out.  A bit of pressure led to a throw for us.  Tom threw to Dan who got it back to him.  He cut across from the right towards the middle about 15 yards out and blasted it low and hard 2-0.

 

HALF-TIME : FRYS     2     NICK WANDS     0

 

We attacked again and Tom powered in another shot which the ‘keeper couldn’t hold and Joel followed up to make sure 3-0.  Tom got the ball about 20 yards out and did the same.  Again the ‘keeper could only parry it, again Joel followed up to beat the ‘keeper, but this time there was a player on the line to clear it.  They broke with Callum harrying all the time.  They got the ball and shot as Jack challenged and his block took the sting out of the shot and it flew straight into Joby’s hands.  He kicked long and Tom brought it down and laid it wide to Joe who played in Joel at a very narrow angle and his shot was tipped wide for a corner.  We attacked and Joel hit the ball in the area which the ‘keeper saved for a throw.  It was thrown into the area where it bounced around and finally came to Joel, three yards out with his back to goal and he hooked it high over his head and it dropped in just the right place 4-0.  They attacked and both Luke and Joel combined to clear it to Tom.  He then played a one-two with Joe and as Joe ran for goal Tom shot strongly which was parried but the parry was just a bit too narrow and Joe shot into the side net.  Tom tackled on the halfway line and won the ball as the player fell.  Tom played a lovely ball between the defenders to where Joel was in with his back to goal and he hit it on the turn, past the advancing ‘keeper for his hat-trick 5-0.  We attacked but they broke and we were out-numbered.  They attacked down the left and crossed in to find the player waiting 5-1.  We kicked off and Callum hit it forward to Joe who controlled it on his chest with his back to goal, he let it bounce once and then hit it hard and high on the turn from a good 20 yards and it flew over the ‘keeper’s head and into the goal 6-1.  We won a corner and Joe curled in a peach.  We all ran in as usual and Tom dived, almost horizontal for the ball but just missed it.  It would have been a spectacular goal however.  They attacked and crossed into the area, but Joby was out quickly to grasp it on the edge.  Luke got the ball in our half and passed it forward to Joe.  He turned and played it into the middle to Tom, who beat one player then whacked it hard and low 7-1. 

 

FULL-TIME : FRYS     7     NICK WANDS     1

 

 

Game 2 - The line up was:

 

Jamie

 

Sam B     Mark

 

Jim     Sam K     Max

 

Chilly

 

We attacked but it went wide.  Their ‘keeper took it from the right hand side as we looked and it reached the halfway line where Sam K was waiting.  He hit it first time towards the left of the goal just like his goal against the Juniors last season, and we took the lead 1-0.  They attacked but Mark dispossessed them and got it to Max.  He passed towards Chilly and Sam, and Chilly took the ball one way whilst Sam drew some defenders the other.  Chilly found Jim wide in space.  He ran in on goal but his shot was saved by the ‘keeper.  The ball came into the area to Chilly whose touch took it past a defender and he then crossed towards Max, but it was just too fast and it went out for a throw.  Max passed the ball to Chilly who took it past two players, but he was crowded out as he entered the area.  We took a long shot which hit their defender and went back at us and they were through.  Mark harried them and forced the early shot which Jamie held well low to his right.  We won a free kick wide right on the halfway line.  Sam B went to power it at goal but slipped as he hit it and it bobbled a few yards forward.  Sam K chased out to win it, cut inside and shot.  The shot wasn’t very hard, but I think Jim was blocking the ‘keeper’s sight because he moved out of the way just in time and the ‘keeper was wrong-footed and it rolled into the net 2-0.  The ball was played into the left wing where Chilly went and won it.  He passed it back out to Max who turned inwards but then played a reverse pass back to Chilly who was suddenly in a lot of space.  He passed across to Jim and ran at goal.  Jim leathered it back across the ‘keeper but Chilly had got in, and although the ball was going in,got the last touch right on the line 3-0. 

 

HALF-TIME : FRYS     3     NICK WANDS     0

 

They took a big throw into our area and the shot was parried by Jamie and as their attacker went to shoot at the back post, Jim slid in with the important tackle.  The corner came in to the near post and two of our defenders saw each other and hesitated, allowing their attacker to react and prod it home with Jamie unsighted 3-1.  Sam K ran all the way down the left wing, right to line and cut it back to Jim who took a touch but it wouldn’t fall in time and his shot went just over.  Their ‘keeper took the kick and it came to Sam K 20 yards out.  He controlled it and thundered it back and it hit the crossbar and bounced down on the line and out.  They had a throw near their area, and again from about 20 yards Sam K leathered it but it went just over.  Their ‘keeper took a big drop kick and we all missed it leaving their striker through, but Jamie saved his shot well.  From a throw Chilly threw to Sam K and he returned the ball.  Chilly ran down the line and Sam found him with the ball, and he crossed high.  Max challenged the ‘keeper as he went for it and came out better to just tap it into the goal 4-1.  The ball was played forward to Chilly who beat three players and shot, only to see his shot stopped on the line.  We then had a moment where we got it into the box and Chilly, Sam B, Max and Sam K were passing it to each other without anyone of them taking the shot, but still keeping possession in the area as if they were trying to score the perfect ‘Arsenal’ goal.  Finally they managed to clear it.  We took the subsequent throw and it came to Sam B 12 yards out who powered it low and hard but it came back off of the post.  They had a corner and had pushed dangerously forward leaving Chilly halfway in the half, with no one near him.  We challenged for the ball as it came in and then had three or four attempts to get it to him as they raced back.  Sam K finally did and Chilly, clear in on goal just touched it to the side of the ‘keeper and it was in 5-1.  Chilly got it wide left and played it down the line to Max.  Max crossed it to where Sam K was and he got a touch to it to get it to Jim who blasted low and hard, but unfortunately just wide of the left post.

 

FULL-TIME : FRYS     5     NICK WANDS     1

 

 

OVERALL RESULT : FRYS     12     NICK WANDS     2

 

Afterthoughts…………………………………………………

What a thoroughly professional performance!  Just as with the Saltford game we harried them in possession and then turned on the heat to create chance after chance.  They too created chances in both games, but the difference was in the final touches.  The first half of the ‘B’ team game was possibly the finest passing display that I have seen from our team, as time and time again we sliced them open with quick two-touch passing.  Long may this continue!