18 Nov 2007: Patcham 0:4 Grasshoppers November 19, 2007
Posted by editor in : Uncategorized , trackbackAfter the excellent performance last week, where we thrashed a good Hailsham side, we were due for a wake up call, playing a team which is currently fourth in the Sussex Premier league- at least three leagues above us. It was bitterly cold, the wind was howling a gale and our chances did not look good. It was like watching Brazil in the
Someone forgot to tell all this to the boys though, so they went out and performed as they usually do, with skill, flair and courage and they made a very good side look extremely ordinary. This was a great game of football, with both teams doing their best to play passing football on the ground. In terms of chances, I reckon it was roughly even at about 30 each, but while they had an excellent keeper, who made some terrific saves, we had Danny the boy mountain, who had clearly decided that he was going to help his Mum with the laundry and make sure his sheets were the cleanest.
Cian deserved (but didn’t get) the Man of the Match award just for winning the toss and choosing to change ends so we played with the hurricane at our backs in the first half. This was a huge advantage, so long as we could make it count- which we did. For those who weren’t there, we reached half time 3-0 up, and it will give you an idea of how strong the wind was that no one thought that the game was remotely over at that point! But the spirit carried through into the second half and we played brilliantly into the wind, keeping the ball low and pushing it wide whenever possible.
The defence was magnificent throughout. I lost count of the number of last ditch tackles made by Nick and Thomas, playing against two big strong strikers, who were not afraid of getting stuck in. The full backs also did their jobs brilliantly. We take Max for granted- he’s always in the right place, never misses a tackle and very rarely gives the ball away once he has won it. But I now find myself in new territory, having to use the words discipline and
The midfield was even better than the defence, which believe me is saying something. Tom and Robert stretched things wide and covered an enormous amount of ground both going forward and defending. Harry gave his typically understated performance in the middle, not seeming to try too hard, but somehow never more than about 5 yards from the ball. It’s a great quality to be able to make it look so easy. And Cian was immense, winning tackles against boys twice his size, distributing well, putting precise balls through for the strikers, following up and of course hitting the post. Twice. Again.
All four of the midfielders won their personal battles and never gave an inch, despite some occasional rough treatment, most notably when Tom was hacked down and Cian was clattered from behind, both in the penalty area. The most charitable reading was that the ref was obviously feeling sorry for Patcham by this point! They were involved in everything the team did, and there was lots to admire in some of the passing and movement.
The strikers were OK I suppose. Oskar did a few good things and Connor forgot to be offside occasionally. At one point Oskar did a dying swan impression which Ronaldo would have been proud of. I suppose he had been kung-fu kicked in the stomach, but quite frankly he needs to improve his diving if he is ever going to play for United. Not only did Connor forget to be offside, but he also rediscovered how to play up front, with several strong runs and some excellent finishing, which made this his best performance of the season by some way. The whole team did so well that it was very difficult to decide who to take off, but Taylor and Mike did well when they came on in the second half. I thought I saw
Goals for Connor (3) and Tom, but this really was a great team performance. Honourable mentions this week for everyone. There isn’t a single player who could be criticized this week for attitude, effort or performance. If we have to single people out, then the four midfielders must get special mention, but MoM this week was without question Danny in goal. A clean sheet against that team in those conditions was a great achievement and there were at least two saves at 0-0, which he had no right to make and which changed the course of the game. There was also of course the heart stopping moment when he decided he could catch a high ball without jumping and it looked like it was going over him and in- but like everything else yesterday, he was right, we were wrong and he caught it! The CRAP award goes to Connor. Now you might think it’s harsh that the hat-trick hero gets the CRAP award on the day he puts in his best performance of the season, but other than Cian and his penchant for woodwork, he’s the only candidate. One of his goals was the most embarrassing toe-poke finish I have ever seen, and in the second half, faced with a 50/50 challenge that boys half his size were flying into, he turned his back and some say they heard a little girlie squeal. But that was probably his Mum.
Every boy who played in this match should be proud of themselves. Certainly all the parents, grandparents and sundry sad hangers on (like JP) were immensely proud of the way the team played. I will make a prediction now- that if we play like this for the rest of the season, we will win the league, the cup, the interleague, the FA Cup, Champions League, World Cup and Nobel Prize. Roll on next week- I can’t wait for the next installment.
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