‘The Edge’ - Away League Match vs Langton Green February 11, 2008
Posted by editor in : Matches , trackbackSome say, he won a BAFTA and that they know who he really is, all we know is that he provides anonymous match reports and calls himself ‘The Edge’…
There have been some extreme conditions to test the resolve of the team this season and this week was no different, with ropes and karabiners required to scale and descend the slopes of the Langton Green pitch. With the sun shining however the lads put in a big performance, to match the big pitch and big goals.
Andy Colman was welcomed back like a long lost son, though it was noted that the ref controlled the game from the opposite side of the field. And a good job he did, despite the frequent interjections of his flip flopped assistant who seemed intent on raising his flag more often than Lord Nelson.
With all that said however the match itself was a good hard fought encounter, with the final 1 – 1 scoreline being a fair result for both teams who battled hard, played good football and a showed the competitiveness, grit and determination required if they want to progress.
With the home side playing up hill in the first half the Grasshoppers were slow to try and maximise on their advantage, they made a bright start with an early shot from Josh saved by the keeper shortly followed by a header from Fergus. It was just after this that they found themselves one down after a strong run trough the middle from a Langton Green striker, who made no mistake on his finishing by getting a quick shot away to score. It was also a bit of a lesson to our strikers, in that that’s what strikers are meant to do ie. strike the ball with a view to scoring, instead of dancing around and getting caught on the ball when trying to dribble it into the back of the net, a bit like Arsenal last season! Maybe we need to sign up Adebayor then.
In going 1 down and losing Crispy very early on it looked like the writing was on the wall, but all credit to the lads who were unrattled and settled down to play some of the passing football that they are capable of.
I usually try and give everyone a mention but today the majority of the column inches have to be reserved for Jarvis and Fergus, who without doubt set the standard for the rest to follow, both in terms of effort and application with a tireless and fearless performance from beginning to end. Indeed it was the deadly duo who combined to bring the scores level with Fergus rising like a salmon to meet a perfectly flighted corner from Jarvis to head home from close range.
Indeed, the Grasshoppers always looked dangerous from their set pieces and Langton Green had been given a couple of early warnings when Fergus had a previous header saved and Tommy had been cruelly denied following a fantastic late run and thundering strike, both efforts coming from Jarvis corners.
Half time saw the lads head off into the changing room to get roped up for their hike up the hill in the second half. It also saw a change of shape with Richard dropping five into the midfield to cancel the advantage of the hill, leaving Toby "the bandage" up front to run the line.
The midfield did on occasions sit very deep and with Toby ‘the bandage’ on the shoulder of Langton Green’s last man, there were several occasions when ‘the bandage’ was stood in a different post code to the rest of his team, have I said it was a big pitch. This meant that it was difficult to hit them on the break as by the time the time the lads had established finger and toe holds for their ascent the impetus was often lost.
On the occasion that they did break free ‘Old Flip Flop’ and his flag were sure to frustrate things further with Jarvis, Josh and ‘the bandage’ all getting caught (or at least flagged) offside on more than one occasion.
A nagging injury put paid to the struggling ‘bandage’ who had tried hard early in the second half and with Callum feeling the effects of the steep gradient and rarified air at the top of the hill, William and Patrick came into the foray.
With about ten minutes to go Richard was being defibrillated as Tommy and Henry caused a few heart stopping moments when their communication broke down, as Tommy shielded the ball for Henry to come and collect, Henry remained rooted to the spot and seemed to stare as though he was reading a Czechoslovakian instruction manual for the assembly of a bedside table, that hill was just too steep.
Despite the coronary moment Henry really pulled it out of the bag with a last minute save, the equal of any he’s made this season and one which secured the draw. To end the match a hero isn’t a bad thing and Henry certainly was a hero there.
This was a well fought out draw and was a point gained rather than two points lost. The past couple of weeks have shown that the lads have the character, ability and talent to do well in this league so let’s see it continue on the training pitch as well as on match days, well done lads!
Comments»
Dear “Edge”
I would like to thank you for making my evenings so much more entertaining (please note that I don’t get out much!). As ‘press officer’ I have been taking a great interest in your reports, and would like to congratulate you on your excellent work.
Thank you for the time and effort you put in to writing these report.