AA8 Match Report v Coogee (10/04/11)

Game 2 – Heffron, on a beautiful balmy Southern Californian Summer day…

Well, after a hard fought game the week earlier, it was hoped that this weeks game would be a bit simpler against Coogee’s AA8 team. Electing to play against the wind in the first half due to a strange and mysterious superstition that developed when big John was a small child apparently. It may not be true, but he has promised that all will be revealed in the next Harry Potter film, make of that what you will..

Anyway, i digress, the teams lined up, although Chris was staggering about a bit after the effects of the night before and turned up 10 minutes before kick off. The opposition on the other hand looked to have escaped from the local pre-school in comparison to the rest of us.

First half with the wind at our backs, we started off ok, more or less holding our own, but the Coogee front line, was not only quick, but they were also rather good. A bit too good as it happened. Their first goal was a simple ball down the line, that was “oh so nearly put out of play” but my legs were literally an inch too short. Their winger crossed the ball to the, offside by 2 feet forward, who finished with aplomb. Doh!

Their second half goal i can’t remember, but then i was still in shock at the speed at which the oppsition were moving around the pitch, especially as we lumbered around looking about as likely to get into the game as i’m likely to win the lottery. Then, just before half time, it happened, and by ‘it’ i mean – we managed to string three or four passes together, in a lovely move that carved open their entire right hand side. Alas our final ball wasn’t as telling as it could have been, and the ‘chance’ came to nothing, and we finished the half 2-0 down.

And that, ladies, was as good as it got for us.

2nd half, into the wind, we’re all shattered, and the Coogee forwards decided they’d have a bit of a goal fest at our expense. Before that happened though, there were two remarkable last ditch challenges that saved two probable goals, there was also another 15 second period where Marcel made 3 great saves one after another, then we finally blocked the fourth follow up shot. Christ, this was a bit of a lesson.

Eventually, the Coogee forward got a bit of his own back, by standing on the defenders foot as a long ball was played through to him, then he was off like a whippet, and buried it (the ball, not the foot), 3-0, Game Set and Match. There was just time for a bit more drama though, as two balls were whipped across the face of goal like rockets just as Marcel was cruelly blinded by lasers from space, and that resulted in another two goals – very very cruel. 4 and 5 nil in quick succession.

Unthinkably, we then got a goal, in a rare moment of attacking prowess, we won a corner, and this was flicked in by Anto for a beauty of a goal, 5-1. As i walked back to the halfway line, i did ponder the possibility of conceding another 3 so we could get some free beer for our efforts, but alas there wasn’t time.

A deserved victory for Coogee, who will surely finish in the top two this year at the very least, and a lot more work for us to do if we have any hope of turning that result around next time we face them. But still, we’re a new team and we worked hard – we really had no choice, and if it hadn’t been for some heroics from Marcel, it could easily have been 8 or 9…a sobering thought indeed, so we had a couple of beers afterwards