AA1 Match Report v Dunbar (08/05/11)

So anyway on to the game… Away to Dunbar and a 4-0 win.

If you’ve watch the above you’ve heard the line up, not much else needs to be said really, other than it was the performance of the season so far. Away to the league leaders and a 4-0 win. That’s pretty good going by anyone’s standards.

The match started fairly evenly, but we were more than comfortable at the back, and they rarely troubled us. We however, could not get the final ball right, the effort was clearly there, the application wasn’t. That was until around the half hour mark, when we won the ball back in midfield, drove forward where Simba found himself wide on the right. His flicked cross into the box was met by Gay Richie. Fortunately Richie had his Predator shin pads on, on Sunday as he hit (scuffed) a looping, curling, dolly dropping effort from about 15 yards right off his shin into the top corner. Great goal! We weren’t finished there though. Rab justified his selection 2 minutes later with a fantastic 40 yard ball from his position at left back, cutting their defence in two. Batstone was sniffing and ran onto the through ball with the keeper rushing out. There keeper was a touch slow allowing Batstone to touch it past him and finish left footed into an empty net from the edge of the box.

There were mad shouts for offside from their lot, but the 12 year old linesman kept his nerve and the goal stood. Unfortunately the Dunbar boys could not keep their nerve and within a minute they were down to 10 men after a dirty challenge on Chris lead to a second yellow for one of their centre midfielders. From that point the writing was on the wall, and we went in at the break 2-0 up.

The second half was a procession of chances really, we made the extra man count and they couldn’t live with us. Birchy netted on his birthday. An in-swinging corner from Danny was met by Birchy’s head – he planted the ball onto the cross bar and it crossed the line via the back of their keeper. Birchy is claiming it, but the dubious goal committee might have other things to say after they review it. The final goal came from Chris right at the end of the match, a fierce left foot prod from about 8 yard into the front of the net sealed the 4-0 – a great way to open his Barnstoneworth account.

Mick again played well in goal although he was rarely tested after the sending off. He did however, need to be on his toes to make a reflex save from a corner. Diving away to his right he tipped the ball away a la Gordon Banks as it looked certain to cross the line.

That’s about it really, bar one incident…. I’ll not go into it in depth here. But I’m sure Brendan will be delighted to talk you through it at anytime, just ask him. When you do, keep in mind those great misses off yester-year; Ronnie Rosenthal for Liverpool, Kanu from under the crossbar whilst playing for West Brom, I’m sure there’s others. Including Brendan’s from around 3 yards, open goal, no one else around and off it sailed over the bar. To compound his misfortune we were playing in those goal with the rugby post on top! 3 points!