Saturday 2nd October 2010 (4 - 2 WIN vs Newton Spurs 2nds)

Players Ratings:

Kev 7,
Graham 7, Colin 7, James 7, Lee 9
Darren 8, Dan 8, Keiran 8, Craig 7, Dan 8
Luke 8

Subs: Ryan 7, Joe 7, Liam 7

MOM: Lee Randell

Champagne Moment: Milne Brothers: Graham Milne doing his Strictly Dancing impression trying to stay on his feet with absolutely nobody around him. Colin falling flat on his face in front of the management, again with nobody around him.

Report:

Firstly another excellent result that keeps us joint top of the division and the momentum going.

Newton Spurs seemed hyped up for the game, arriving at the ground before 2pm. Maybe this was something to do with Lloyd's mate who has been winding him up all week as to what they were going to do to us.....  

Anyway the game started and it was clear from the whistle what Spur's gameplan was; namely to get stuck in early and leave the foot in when necessary. This they did within the first 10 minutes where a defender went straight through the back of Luke. A shocking challenge that didn't even get a talking to from the ref. Unfortunately this was not the only poor decision by the ref during the match...

When I went over to the other side of the pitch to treat Luke I heard them praising the challenge on the sideline saying to the defender "he (Luke) wouldn't go near you for the rest of the game". How wrong could they be!!!!

After the challenge we started to get a grip on the game and started to play all the football with the midfield controlling things. Spurs weren't able to cope with the pace and runs from Luke and Dan and it was only a matter of time before we broke the deadlock. A lovely throughball from Darren for Dan Lawton to run on to. Unselfishly (or was it poor control) he passed it to Luke who had a one on one with the keeper and fininshed well.

The pattern of the game continued with us totally dominating possession. We continued creating chances but our second goal was somewhat fortunate; Keiran swinging in a corner to the near post and a Spurs defender deflecting the ball into his own net. Sorry Kerian, it's an own goal. We always looked threatening going forward with the Spurs defence all over the place.

However, with a slip of concentration at the back, we let Spurs back in it for a few minutes. A long punt up field left James losing the flight of the ball resulting in him bringing down the attacker at the edge of our box. The free kick was hit straight at the wall but they fired in the rebound which took a deflection leaving Kev stranded. A goal totally against the run of play.

Luckily we didn't panic and our possession of the ball was excellent. Again Luke's movement caused problems and he found himself in the clear with only the keeper to beat, that was until a defender came back with a last ditch foul on the edge of the box that deserved a red card. The defender was lucky and only received a yellow, a decision nobody could understand. Anyway Luke got up, dusted himself down, and fired in an unstoppable free kick in the top right hand corner. Just reward......

At the end of the half we could have made it 4 but Craig was unlucky hitting the post with a header and the keeper producing an excellent save from Craig's follow up.

So 3 1 up at half time. All we needed to do was keep our shape and discipline and we would come away with the 3 points.

To be fair Spurs came out the second half on the front foot and started to win the 50/50's and pick up the loose balls. This coupled with some sloppy play from our side meant we struggled to get a hold on the game.

However, against the run of play it has to be said, we were awarded a penalty after Craig was held back in the box. Mr Reliable (aka Darren) stepped up and dispatched the penalty with ease.

We had to make a change at this point with young Ryan coming on for James who stretched his hamstring in an earlier challenge. This was to be a good test for Ryan with Spurs pushing on and old man "Sharpey" coming on to provide an aerial threat. It wasn't the easiest time to come on, despite the scoreline, and I am pleased to say he coped well with the added pressure. In my humble opinion centre half is Ryan's position and look forward to seeing him play there in the weeks to come.

We had another "stone wall" penalty that was not given after the keeper brought down Luke in the box. Why would he go down after he had rounded the keeper for a tap in when he is on a hat trick?? Another baffling decision....

Spurs were reduced to 10 men after one of their players swore at the ref but did get a goal back near the end of the game after a goalmouth scamble from a corner. I suppose they did deserve some reward for their second half effort.

Fortunately I was able to give both Liam and Joe a run out for the last 15 minutes but these players need more playing time and this will need to be provided by the ressies. Both are good on the ball, turn up to training and deserve a chance. They both have something to offer Corries and we don't want to lose them to other teams.

Finally a special mention must go to Lee Randell. Again he proved what a quality player he is. I don't think he missed one header all game, he reads the game so well and is always comfortable on the ball. Keep it up Lee and look forward to seeing you at training .

A break from the league next week as we are playing Foxhole in the Intermediate Cup. This is not a priority for me this year (I'm sure you've heard this somewhere before) and will provide me with an opportunity to give some players much needed playing time and perhaps look at some others from the ressies.

Anyway a great result and well done to all.   

Corries Ressies 4- Newton United Ressies 10

Official Statement from Corries Ressies

There will be no match report for the game of the 2nd October as the performance was so poor.

However the food provided by Newton United was first class, we had 5 different types of sandwiches, chips, chicken drumsticks and garlic bread.

Match Reports