Blues Twos go down 2 -1
Norsemen Reserves got a lesson in mens football this weekend as straight up intensity and basics got the better of them. On top of that, once again we didn't help ourselves by having Saturday morning pullouts and players arriving late to the match. When you have up to 13 other players relying on you each weekend it simply isn't good enough to let them down at the last minute by pulling out or not managing your time properly to get the correct bus and arrive on time! On to the football and we feel we missed a chance this weekend. A hard fought first half heading for a nil all, all changed when the basics of defending weren't adhered to. The initial tackle was a good one, but to then be caught in possession after taking on an opposition player in the defensive third is a defensive no no. To compound that by conceding a penalty is something that is catastrophic for the team and something the player in question will I'm sure learn from. Unfortunately the second goal came through the same channel shortly after and depleted the teams confidence further. It stemmed from no look square balls in midfield and giving the opposition to much respect and time on the ball. The Norsemen defender was isolated without help from his fellow central defender or right back and was easily turned allowing a free strike on goal which the goalkeeper was unable to keep out. 2 - 0 EBOG's at the half. Norsemen came out in the second half with two substitutions being made. They seemed to give Norsemen a bit more purpose and bite up top and helped the Blues Twos retain more possession in better areas of the pitch. A goal which would have placed them firmly back in with a shout was a huge chance when Larry Laniyan was bundled over in the penalty box. The tide was shifting and you could sense the sigh and discouragement when the referee awarded the penalty to Norsemen. The only problem was it was not a penalty but a yellow card for diving. Twenty-two players stood in disbelief. Half felt they just dodged a bullet. Norsemen had no choice but to continue to press and while conceding the odd chance were good for their equalizer when Laniyan bundled the ball home from a free kick. Debate rages about the possibility of it being an own goal but you try taking it off the big man! Unfortunately it was to be the last real chance for Norsemen and we were left ruing a chance missed. We need to learn quickly that concentration and commitment starts at 2pm, an hour before kick off rather than at half time. Next week is Actonians and I feel that if we apply ourselves and work for each other, communicating, responding to communication and working our socks off from minute one, we can go out and get the first 3 points of the season. Stand tall Blue Giants.
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Player player players!
That has been the theme of the early season for Blues Twos and today saw some of them returning giving the team a more solid and settled feel for the first time this season. Twos captain Andy Grant even had the pleasure of calling on 3 subs (prior to kick off at least as one went down in warm ups!). This Intermediate Cup game started brightly with an intensity that both sides were upholding. Norsemen felt comfortable and should have been ahead when Grant fired a header, from a Doug Zucconi free kick, back across the keeper early on. The keeper was up to it on this occasion, saving the first effort and making a brilliant second save from Wayne Bremner on the rebound. At this level and with the respective abilities of both players, Norsemen really should have been 1 nil up. It wasn't long before Norsemen were rewarded though with the seas parting through the Hale End Athletic ranks midway through the first half. Having picked the ball up around the centre circle, Tom Collier strode forward to find firstly the midfield and then defence standing off him before unleashing a 'Bale like' laser into the top right corner. Shortly after however the rust in the Norsemen ranks wore through. An opposition throw deep in Norsemen's half was not set up for quickly enough and Hale End were able to nip down the left flank behind the defence. A searching low driven cross was met by a striker at the front post to tie the scores. A goal that with a little intensity and foresight could easily have been avoided. If the goal conceded was sloppy then the next goal scored was sublime. Starting deep in their own half, Norsemen swept forward through 5 different players before Mark Sarfo hit an unstoppable shot from the edge of the 18 yard box to inside of the left post giving the keeper no chance. No doubt the team goal of the season so far. Half time 2 1 Norsemen. The half time talk was about doing the little things well, communicating, marking, passing. For the most part of the second half this was achieved well and the result seemed to be in their hands. Unfortunately the referee, who was having an otherwise pretty good game, decided he would take the the influence of Norsemen center midfielder Dan Wilkes out of the equation. Both teams were finding decisions made against Wilkes baffling and it certainly affected his ability to dominate the central role through tackling. Entering the last part of the match and the game changed. A diagonal ball over the top was out of Grant's reach and far enough away from keeper JJ to draw him slightly out of position. A very well controlled lob later and the game was tied and headed for extra time. Looking at the goal, Grant will feel disappointed he turned like an ocean-liner and JJ he got drawn into no mans land between player and goal. The final goal of the match came just minutes before the final whistle and had a touch of the unfortunate that has plagued the team so far this season. An Athletic midfielder broke through the midfield after the game had become stretched and fired on goal. Grant got a block on the ball with the ball rebounding into the centre of the 18 yard box. JJ came out to collect in traffic but was unable to collect it cleanly and it was neatly tucked away by the opportunistic striker. A disappointing finish to a game that promised much for Norsemen. The Blues Twos season finally got underway with a dominant win over London Hospitals in the AFA Cup Saturday.
Once again player availability was an issue, with a number of favours having to be called in to field a starting eleven. Injuries, work commitments and other factors are continuing to make it a challenging start for the team and once again Norsemen were only able to begin the match with the bare eleven as they waited on late arrivals to bolster the squad during the match. Norsemen got off to a strong start and it wasn't long before the scoring was opened. Some neat work down the left flank from Tom Collier resulted in a nicely weighted pass for Dan Williams to finish and set Norsemen on their way. The joy for Williams quickly turned to despair however as he suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury and was forced from the field barely 15 minutes into the contest. Without any substitutes at this stage, Norsemen were forced into playing with 10 men until reinforcements arrived just after half time. With only 10 men Norsemen were still looking the stronger of the two teams, with Roey Hunt and Stevie Morgan dominating the midfield battles allowing the Blues to dictate the game. The second goal came from an unlikely source though on the breakaway. Having defended a corner, Thenesh Naathen found himself charging forward and set free behind the opposition defense from a perfectly timed through ball. He duly rounded the keeper to open his senior Norsemen account. Norsemen were in control but the boat started rocking a little at this stage. Having 10 men was beginning to take its toll with injuries to Collier and Andy Grant hampering their efforts and fatigue setting in across the park. As if by design, Matt Rogers turned up not long after the half to give Norsemen the full complement, allowing first team manager James Owen some respite when shifted from right back to up front. Tajohn Brissett was next to turn up and gave the team the unusual luxury of having a substitute! Norsemen were becoming more and more dominant at this stage and were rewarded when Ollie Lewis broke free in the left side of the box to score. His first effort was well saved but he made no mistake with the second and was good reward for his efforts across the day. Two games, two goals and some very tired legs earned his post match beer. The loudest cheers of the day came shortly after when more good work from Collier was finished with a delicate touch from Owen, much to the disappointment of the onlooking first team captain who no doubt didn't hear the end of it in the bar that evening! Finishing touches were applied by Grant heading home from close range from a Morgan corner. At 5 nil, he has scored more important goals but the relief was there to see after going last season scoreless. A soft goal was conceded late but the job was long done by this stage. After a very difficult start in the league this cup win hopefully proves to be the tonic the Blues need to jump-start the season. Another cup match awaits next week before the job begins in climbing the league table. The Reserves under the new leadership of Andy Grant took to the field on the Grocers Far pitch with 3 or 4 new members together with some of the stalwarts who continue to turn out for this great club.
Norsemen had the much better or the early play creating good chances and were very unfortunate not to take an early lead. However, after such good opportunities it was Lloyds who got themselves in front mid-way through the first half, only to extend their lead with a superb strike following some poor defensive play. Norsemen continued to create chances and were unfortunate not to get back into the game before the break. HT = 0 – 2 Lloyds extended their lead early in the second half, but Norsemen continued to create chances and got their reward after 60 minutes from a Collier free kick. Yet again, some poor defending let Lloyds back in and continue to extend the lead again. Even more poor work in defence led to Lloyds eventually running out 1 – 5 winners in a game that was never worthy of that scoreline. The game was marred by the Red Card shown to Muz Karakas following an over zealous challenge late in the game. All in all a disappointing afternoon for the Reserves, but some encouraging performances from the new members. |
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October 2019
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