‘The Edge’ - Home vs Ashurst Wood Junior October 3, 2008
Posted by editor in : Matches , trackbackSome say, he could fix the credit crunch, and just bought some team from up north as he’s worth a few quid, all we know is that he provides anonymous match reports and calls himself ‘The Edge’…
Well here we are again, Ronaldo stayed, Berbatov went, Robinho went, but he wasn’t sure where, and didn’t really care as it was for buckets of cash. And whilst all this was going on there were changes afoot in the land of Grasshoppers U12’s as well, with Nice ‘n’ Crispy taking on the management of the team and pulling in Andy C to assist with the training. Fergus’s dad is a Management Consultant but it hasn’t worked at Newcastle so his undoubted talents will remain largely ignored by the board of the U12’s as well.
So with the toil of pre-season out of the way it was evident that the new managers were active in the transfer window with a few new faces being welcomed into the fold. We wish them well!
With the new season comes new aspirations and expectations as we are hoping to kick on from last season and make our mark in the top tier of local U12 football. I will, availability allowing, be here on the touchline ranting about were it all went wrong hopefully much less than I wax lyrical about sublime team performances and moments of genius as the beautiful game unfolds before my eyes.
I will at this stage make it clear that I will endeavour to be fair in my praise and criticism. I mean no offence so please do not take any. If you don’t like what I write please feel free not to read. This will hopefully avoid any unintentional offence. So if you are sitting comfortably then I’ll begin…….
GRASSHOPPERS 2 – 1 ASHURSTWOOD
Who would have thought that last season’s theme of extreme conditions would have an influence on the view from the edge so early on in the season. But with the first game of the season abandoned due to tropical storms sweeping across the UK it was only last week that proceedings kicked off proper.
So having beaten all the snakes out of the lush grass that had obviously flourished in the additional rain, it was the shrill blast of the referees whistle that got things going at last. And whilst it wasn’t always pretty, starting the campaign with a win can’t be complained about and against a team we’ve never beaten before either.
The 2-1 result flattered the opposition given that we controlled the game to a large extent. It has to be said though that sometimes poor decision making and a reluctance to move the ball had the effect of frustrating attacks and prevented us making the most of our possession.
There were the usual constants in the solid defence who will play a big part in the success of the team this year. They’re often the unsung hero’s of a win who don’t always get the opportunity to grab the headlines.
This week it was the midfield which appeared to me to be the area where play tended to get frustrated with the ball being overplayed in tight areas when large spaces were sometimes available to be exploited. At times a simple square ball would have opened up the opposition, for those not accustomed to football speak a square ball is a pass that is played sideways across the pitch, its not the shape of the actual ball. DOH!. This isn’t always the fault of the man on the ball as everyone has a gob on them and can contribute to the team by making the ball player aware of the options available by telling him - LOUDLY. So even if you haven’t got the ball, you’re still involved and have a role to play. Communication is a big part of the game and an area where there can be a collective improvement.
A bright start had seen a nice shot from Josh in the 8th minute saved well by their keeper, not to be outdone Jarv was keen to put the broken arm behind him and get on the score sheet early, a thunderous shot from outside the box just going wide in the 14th minute. Chances came thick and fast and Regan was keen to get in on the action, Josh set the ball up but again we couldn’t find the back of the net. We didn’t have to wait much longer, Josh laid off a great ball for Toby "Ice Man" Aldred to slot away, 20 minutes gone 1-0 the hoppers. Further chances went begging but Ashurst Wood held out till half time.
It was an all action start to the second half with a great break from Fergus in the second minute, clean through on goal with only the onrushing keeper to beat…resulted in what can only be described as a complete hash. Freddie then got in on the act with a shot in the 9th minute but it came to Josh to show everyone how it should be done, a thundering left foot volley flew in, 14 minutes gone 2-0. Further chances came for Jarv in the 19th and 21st minutes, he read the ball well from a goal kick, intercepted and shot the ball back only for it to skin over the bar. Jake, a new signing from the summer, nearly got a debut goal late on but just shot into the well placed keeper. With 5 minutes to go Ashust Wood scored and put us on the rack for the remainder of the game but we held out to start the season with a win.
So well done lads a great start. There is room for improvement and with hard work, concentration and effort on the training pitch coupled with application and commitment in matches there’s no reason why we can’t challenge for the honours again this season.
Apologies in advance as I won’t be here to cover the Jarvis Brook match next week, but in the unfaltering words of Captain Mannering, “Let’s stick it up them!”
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?