Sparks 2 Rocks 2 (Bognor win 4-2 on penalties)
Sept 22, 2020 23:33:00 GMT 1
jackswoolyhat likes this
Post by Rattlesnake on Sept 22, 2020 23:33:00 GMT 1
A nice easy midweek trip to leafy Surrey (which I couldn't have managed if working in the office) to a tidy venue with not just a cricket ground but also a boules court, but it was the football which mattered and we got into the hat - just.
We weren't very good in the first half to put it mildly. A lovely diagonal through ball set up the 6th minute opener for which, sadly, Amadou seemed to hesitate coming out to close the angle, and then Harvey lost the ball cheaply on the right wing allowing a South Park player to advance and then lob the ball in from 25 yards out. We huffed and puffed but South Park closed us down quickly throughout, and we didn't have a shot on target before the break. At half time we were out.
Jack's halftime hairdryer treatment, plus an early second half double sub, turned the game round. The hosts still went forward but were consistently wayward with their shots, and it looked like it would be one of those nights when a Rocks shot hit the inside of the post and squirmed across the line and away, and then a relatively easy chance was missed. The lads kept pressing forward and, finally our luck turned when Jordy hit a shot from close range in off the inside of post and bar on the hour. Keaton rifled the ball home with ten to spare and we probably should have won by the time penalties arrived. The second half play was much better but, too many times, there was no-one 'in the hole' to assist with a potentially defence splitting pass.
South Park played good football, giving us a real scare in the process, and should have kept to that, but they were incredibly mouthy, shouting for and moaning at every decision. Arguably the worst culprit was their, erm, larger than life (and nearly his jersey) keeper, who got involved in a 50-50 on the edge of his box and stooped over our injured lad mouthing abuse and causing a fracas. He also deliberately started moaning at the ref during the shootout to try and unnerve our next penalty taker - it worked - but we put more past the chunk in pink than they could past Amadou and we went through.
We weren't very good in the first half to put it mildly. A lovely diagonal through ball set up the 6th minute opener for which, sadly, Amadou seemed to hesitate coming out to close the angle, and then Harvey lost the ball cheaply on the right wing allowing a South Park player to advance and then lob the ball in from 25 yards out. We huffed and puffed but South Park closed us down quickly throughout, and we didn't have a shot on target before the break. At half time we were out.
Jack's halftime hairdryer treatment, plus an early second half double sub, turned the game round. The hosts still went forward but were consistently wayward with their shots, and it looked like it would be one of those nights when a Rocks shot hit the inside of the post and squirmed across the line and away, and then a relatively easy chance was missed. The lads kept pressing forward and, finally our luck turned when Jordy hit a shot from close range in off the inside of post and bar on the hour. Keaton rifled the ball home with ten to spare and we probably should have won by the time penalties arrived. The second half play was much better but, too many times, there was no-one 'in the hole' to assist with a potentially defence splitting pass.
South Park played good football, giving us a real scare in the process, and should have kept to that, but they were incredibly mouthy, shouting for and moaning at every decision. Arguably the worst culprit was their, erm, larger than life (and nearly his jersey) keeper, who got involved in a 50-50 on the edge of his box and stooped over our injured lad mouthing abuse and causing a fracas. He also deliberately started moaning at the ref during the shootout to try and unnerve our next penalty taker - it worked - but we put more past the chunk in pink than they could past Amadou and we went through.
