U18 Boys Dev beat Eastcote 3-1
Match report: by Saj Saha
Goals: Alex Christie (3)
After a 6-0 loss against Eastcote earlier in the season Joergen decided it was time to change things up. Bolstered with a few performance players we would be playing a “hybrid” zonal/man marking combination which by the end of the team talk was in fact just a zonal press. But this was not all; Jai and Alex were co-captains…
Getting pitch side Alex immediately took it upon himself as half captain to start ordering players to forget their shin pads and start warming up. We warmed up well (or at least better than Eastcote with a bare eleven trundling around the D).
Whistle goes…
First ten we charged at them repeatedly with a filthy display of hands from Toby on the left flank. Eastcote themselves started slow but building momentum they broke through our zonal midfield with one runner making it all the way to our D. A square pass to their centre forward who awkwardly placed in the goal left Dan in goal no chance and the goal scorer proceeded to run toward the would be corner flag football style. Where was the tactical f…. – I think the EH coaching book calls it “Delay” – from the high centre back?
Responding quickly we won a short but no injector was in sight. Guy stepped up, enabling Alex to drag flick towards the far corner, the lineman got a stick to it, the ball went about 30 feet in the air …. and over the line. A goal is a goal.
Winning another short only a few minutes later, Cory steps up to inject (I had started to work on my nomination for this match report – a tactical green for not getting 5). Alex again, this time with 3x the pace and boom, we were 2-1 up.
Half time and Joergen informs us that that their coach wanted the A-teamers to not all be on at once – something we hadn’t really done anyway. Also no half time speech without his tactics board: use the corners and baseline of the pitch and keep it to two touch.
Continuing strong we won another short within two minutes. Alex, clearly getting the hang of it, decided to show that he can go for the other corner as well and 3-1 to the boys in white (this time). But wait… some vicious claims were made I had injected with double movement. After consulting with his umpiring colleague though the goal rightly stood.
With the game more or less decided, Sohan, having won a fine PC, was informed instead that he had allegedly barged his 2x bigger defender and that he would have 2 mins on the sideline to think about it. With the rising tension, I saw my chance to secure the award of writing the match report and with no Scott in the team I decided to be the hotheaded player and see how quickly I could get sent off. After someone audibly went straight through Aryan’s stick, I saw my opportunity and after a “dangerous” sweep which I was later informed was the reason for my card I cleanly jabbed the ball off his stick (and dropped him with a shoulder barge) and was sent off with a yellow.
The 10 men worked hard for the next five and after some soothing therapeutic words from Joergen I made my way back onto the pitch and the team calmly saw out the rest of the game winning an unconverted short in the last few seconds. Shaking hands some unflattering words were offered to one of ours but a would be car park brawl was quickly diffused by the (other) umpire and his wise words of “just walk away, it’s not worth it” as well as the oppo’s coach.
Everyone happy with the result we almost unanimously gave Alex mom for three shorts scored out of 4 and unanimously gave me dod for something or other.
Highlights:
– co-captain hattrick
– Kieran passing it first time straight off the sideline and wearing his red shirt under his white
– Sohan being “too physical”