I’d hoped to write more match reports this year, but I’ve been busier than a fact-checker at a Scott Morrison press conference. But when a man in a self-appointed captain’s armband tells me they want another report written, who am I to argue? After the cold early morning showers, the ground was muddy enough to make Pepper Pig happy (obviously the topic of my jokes has changed a bit since I became a dad) but by the time I got to Gormley Park, the sun was out and it was a perfect morning for soccer. Kingborough took the kick off, but the Beach had by far the better of the opening exchanges. With Dover and The Dark Knight aggressively patrolling the midfield, Kingborough initially found it difficult to maintain much possession with their only real threats coming on the wings. By contrast, Beachside were consistently able to move the ball out of defence, with Harry, Gibbo and Simon all getting early looks at the goal. But for all of Beachside’s chances, Kingborough defended well, with the keeper positioning himself effectively and the midfielders working more overtime than George Columbaris’ hospitality workers (and being paid about as well). As the half wore on, Kingorough began to work into the game more, moving the ball with more confidence in defence and finding space in the midfield. However they struggled for much penetration in their attacking half, with Duffman, Gardo and Samwell Tarly (not sure if GoT references are already dated but thought I’d try one more) consistently winning their one on one battles, leaving Bigg Boss in goals very little to do.
A nil-all score at half time didn’t really tell the story of the visiting side’s missed opportunities, but still left plenty of time for a change in luck in the second half. It was enjoyable soccer to play, with a lot of sharp passing from both sides. Despite the slippery conditions, it was a surprisingly clean game too- allowing for the fact that one Kingborough midfielder had busier hands than Donald Trump at a beauty pageant and one Beachside player was Ben Dover. After a casual half time drink the teams returned to the field. After more heated discussions about leadership and positions than a Liberal Party cabinet meeting, Beachside quickly reasserted itself, immediately creating chances and putting Kingborough on the back foot. Bernie is a dominant name in American politics right now, primarily because of his radical ideas for distribution and this was on display again early in the half. It was his corner that was met at the back post by an unmarked Rough Pull’n, who launched himself millimetres off the ground to nod the ball in and give Beachside the lead. This was the start of a brutal ten minutes of Beachside play that made an AFP raid on a journalist look friendly, with Simon doubling the lead from close range shortly after. Ben Dover had been giving a pretty thorough running commentary of the game and evaluation of most people’s (including the referee’s) performances to this point, but he took a break to burst into the midfield. Receiving the ball in tight space, he pirouetted sharply and pushed the ball out to S. McManaman who hit a powerful shot into the corner of the net. The Kingborough keeper was called into action to save again soon after, but the resulting corner was pounced on by Duffman and smacked through a mass of bodies to make it four-nil. Beachside continued to create chances, but Kingborough defended doggedly and stemmed the bleeding for a while. The Bigg Boss came out of goals and was unlucky to be denied by the post after a sublime piece of skill. The Dark Knight also continued to look dangerous, appearing from nowhere and threatening to score the goal he deserved, if not the one he needed. In the final minutes of the game, Bernie’s Klassy flick (see what I did there?) put Simon one-out with the keeper. “Simon says pick it out!” he roared (he didn’t actually say that, but he should have) as his shot buried itself in the back of the net. The final score of five-nil was a fairer reflection of Beachside’s weight of possession, especially in the second half.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
August 2020
Categories |