‘The Edge’ - Away Double Header vs Crowborough Athletic April 21, 2008
Posted by editor in : Matches , trackbackSome say, he was driving James Bond’s Aston Martin near Lake Garda and won a Bafta, all we know is that he provides anonymous match reports and calls himself ‘The Edge’…
Well that was a bit more like it, as the saying goes “revenge is a dish best served cold”, and cold it certainly was for an away “double header” on what felt like a November morning, at least the forecast rain had held off! Having already lost two games Crowborough really needed wins to keep their league chances alive, could there be any more incentive for a full hoppers team to avenge that 7-1 cup loss, and try to put their own challenge back on track…
We had a good number of away supporters as usual (thanks, its great to see) including our very own cowboy posse, half of which had come back early from holiday in Spain to cheer us on. On a pitch where playing in space was easy given that it was big enough to necessitate the back four using mobile phones to communicate with each other and every short pass being equal to the normal long ball! We came away with two good results against opposition who had turned us over 7-1 earlier in the season (albeit if you read the report for that match the result wasn’t a fair reflection of the game.) Double headers are notorious for the second game not living up to the expectations of the first and so it was today. But, it was a more positive performance and one that has led me to get the face paints ready, the wig’s looking good and I’ve been practising my juggling, so the rest is up to you!
I’ve been to the hardware shop this week and bought an enormous spoon as I am about to indulge in a large slice of humble pie. I’ve been feeling a bit bad about the rants I’ve been going off on, and fear that I could be turning into an Arsene Winger, complaining about everything and everyone. But no, this week I’ve been a bit of a ‘stato’ and had a look at the picture for the season as a whole. And whilst I’ve had the occasional fluster, bluster and boot of the odd tea cup, the reading has been very encouraging. And for that I am about to praise you all.
So if you’re all sitting comfortably, I will begin.
Out of twenty matches played this season, so far, in all competitions, we’ve won 12, lost 5 and drawn 3. We’ve scored 77 goals and conceded 32 giving a goal difference of +45, we’ve also kept a clean sheet on four separate occasions. What I believe this shows is a level of consistency that until now has gone largely unnoticed as I’ve wielded my pen, or more accurately the worn out my index finger, and been quite negative about performances and attitude. At the time I’ve always written it as I’ve felt it, but now on reflection I think it is fair to say that it has been a largely impressive season, so well done team (so far!).
Anyway onto the football, which given all the excitement has given me a touch of the ’senior moments’ as some of the details escape me! However, we kicked off uphill, in a 4-5-1 formation and with some good passing and strong tackling we got into the game quickly and started to apply the pressure. Following a scramble for the ball just inside the Crowborough penalty area, Tommy used his strength to win the ball and shoot through a number of legs to put us 1-0 up after 9 minutes. A stunned Crowborough failed to respond and two minutes later Jarvis put us 2-0 up with another one of his great strikes into the top corner of the net. Further chances followed and the hoppers had the upper hand until the 18th minute when a long range shot from Crowborough clawed them back to 2-1 just before half time. Thoughts of the previous week ran through the mind but after a quick halftime break and switch to 4-3-3 the hoppers were clearly having none of it, a second goal for Tommy in the 1st minute and one for Toby in the 4th put us 4-1 up. The result never looked in doubt and was sealed four minutes from time with a well earned goal from Freddie. It was a good performance from front to back with everyone giving their all, talking, passing and working for each other, including the unused subs who had shouted encouragement from the sidelines through the game. One down one to go…
A 10 minute break saw the return of the coaches fruit and veg stall with bananas handed out and washed down by energy drinks, all in prep for game two. Again we started uphill and continued to apply pressure making a number of chances. In the 13th minute Jarvis broke down the right and crossed a fabulous ball from near the corner flag which Toby duly smashed into the top left of the net, 1-0. At the start of the second half the game was poised at 1-0, we weren’t looking quite as convincing as the shape had been lost and were very narrow, both teams created a number of chances with the hoppers shading it but not managing to find the net, you could feel the pressure mounting. With 10 minutes to go Crowborough slid a ball into our penalty area, Matt got back to beat Henry to it but with his back to the pitch and to huge shouts from the sidelines panicked thinking a boro player was behind him and tried a left foot clearance (or maybe slipped on a carelessly discarded banana skin….) only to see the ball sail into the net, 1-1. As sure as missed open goals or penalties, these happen to the best of them, its an occupational hazard for a defender or keeper but football is won and lost as a team, so chin up Matt, as all men know…."its easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission". With 10 to go we still created enough chances to win it with William breaking down the right, some good attacking throw ins from Matt and Freddie and Toby both breaking through the middle. But it never quite happened and you could clearly see the two games had taken their toll on both teams with tiredness visible in a number of players, final score 1-1.
It was a great performance from all the squad, and special mention for Fergus who got home early from his holiday and played a big part for the team. As I said at the start you’ve come a long way this season, thanks to your hard work and the dedication of your coaches and helpers, its also clear that there’s a lot more to come from this team in the future.
With two games to go you can rightly finish the season on a high, well done boys, keep it up.
Don’t forget this week the Grasshoppers Managers, Coaches and Dad’s FC is taking on a Wealden FC equivalent. Kick off is at 7.30 pm at Wealden FC’s ground behind the Raj Dut Restaurant (are they paying for advertising for this mention?) Please come along and lend your support as you witness some old fools rolling back the years, knee supports and girdles. There will be some familiar flushed faces in the team so take this opportunity to come along and shout at those who spend their Saturday’s shouting at you.
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