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Well a derby match today, against local rivals Gosport FC Bullets, was always
going to be a hotly contested match, added to this I knew our opponents would be
fired up after we had knocked them out of the cup.
The
match was nothing less than I had expected.
The
Bullets came straight at us on the attack and nearly won a penalty as their
little player darted in and out of our defenders with the ball drawing tackle
after tackle and once in the box looked like he had been brought down but the
ref deemed the ball had been won. Falcons had some good midfield play but we
couldn’t hold the ball up the field and the Bullets were constantly on the
counter attack. From this they caused all sorts of problems for us and soon
scored. I expected Falcons to react but we didn’t, although we started to
create a few attacks we were too slow getting back in numbers, and strength was
not our strong point on the wings, when outnumbered it’s easy to find players in
space which is exactly what our opponents did to get their second.
I felt
at this point that we had really let ourselves down with our play, there had
been some good stuff from our boys, especially with the passing, but we had
struggled when we lost possession.
So three changes were made to add pace and strength with Aaron, James and
Harrison all coming on. The changes worked to hold our opponents back but we
still created very little at this point. A ball in behind but a slightly heavy
touch from James saw a chance fade with the outrushing keeper given the
opportunity to claim first.
Our opponents had a plan in mind to man mark some of our players and we needed
to find a way to counter that. I did feel that the changes had made a
difference mainly as we looked a lot more robust and were getting more of the
ball but we were not really finding the final ball with the only notable chance
being a through ball for brad who was quickly shut out by both centre backs.
Bullets will consider themselves unfortunate after hitting the post and the ball
landing conveniently for Todd in goal to collect.
Half time score Gosport FC 2-0 Gosport Falcons
At 2-0 down I felt the game was certainly not lost, the boys had got into the
match and made it a fair contest. If we could just hold the ball higher up the
pitch then we could possibly create something. Callum was brought back on up top
to hold the ball up.
Well, to be fair the game turned on it’s head a bit, Falcons midfield of Keenan
and Carl were battling really hard, the work rate of these two at the moment
cannot be questioned. The difference was that we started to win the second
balls. We had good play coming down both wings, Harrison was driving forward
with the ball but also getting excellent support from Ryan and playing some
excellent overlaps. The Pace of James B on the right was always a concern for
Bullets, who had moved one of their strongest players onto him, yet he was still
getting round the back.
Bullets were starting to struggle at the back and had their keeper to thank for
some excellent saves. Callum, Harrison, James all having their shots saved
which was so frustrating.
We eventually scored after some good combination play on the edge of the box,
the ball sent wide to Callum who crossed and Brad pulled off his marker to
finish.
Now the Falcons had some belief, we could pull this back, at this point our back
four were defending superbly high up the field. James P again played really well
with some great committed challenges. Playing in the Bullets half we looked
composed. Again, driving runs from our wings looked a threat, and in the middle
we were working hard. I did start to see some tiredness so I decided to take
Carl off.
And
who took his place? I am really pleased to be able to say that just a couple of
weeks after finishing radiotherapy Charlie was back and available for
selection!A real credit to his attitude after going through so much and
returning way earlier than I had ever expected, yet I find myself putting him in
one of the most demanding positions on the pitch.
Falcons continued to play well and the game was very tight, until all of a
sudden Bullets break away and we fail to close a player down who finished in the
bottom corner really well.
Well we're now 3-1 down but 8 minutes to go, Falcons kept battling though,
first a cross from James to the back post saw nobody gamble and the chance went,
then a scramble saw Brad head one goal wards but it lacked power and was
claimed by the keeper, and yet another shot was saved by the keeper from James
shot.
The final whistle went and Bullets were the victors.
Final score Gosport FC Bullets 3-1 Gosport Falcons.
Well I
am obviously disappointed to have lost the match and the points but I felt that
we had played well today, this was a very competitive game and credit should go
to both sets of players. The work rate of the team was really good today as was
some of our passing throughout the team. We created lots of chances today and
were thwarted by an excellent goalkeeping display. That said, we allowed silly
mistakes to give our opponents a head start today and I was disappointed with
that. It was a game where physicality came into play with limited match time
for some, but it’s horses for courses and all the players have a role within the
team. Everyone has different attributes to offer and for me it’s about using
them at the right time.
I keep
mentioning our midfield two but they keep churning out some great performances
at the moment with great work ethic. James P and Ryan, as wingbacks, both
looked good today for the second week running. This for me has opened up our
attacking options more than we have previously been able to do. Harrison and
James both opened up the pitch with good pace and strength today both forwards
and backwards.
I
don’t know what a neutral would make of the game but I think if we can play
like this every week and just get rid of the few silly mistakes then we will be
causing problems for the rest of the season. My plan has been, and always will
be, for this group of players to develop together and progress together and that
will never change. Yes results are important for confidence, but not at the
expense of learning to play good attractive football and developing a team's
attitude. I take greater pride in developing players into good all round
footballers rather than winning trophies, although a bit of silverware (tin
ware) doesn’t go amiss!
We do
however have to remain competitive in every match so team performance over
development is a difficult balance. There can be a thin line between managers
pride and ego and the latter is not why football teams should be run.
We've
still got to play Bullets at home so that’s one to look forward too. In the
meantime we can look forward to some very competitive fixtures to get our teeth
into.
Report by U12's manager, Gary Dawson
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