Match Report
There was an unusual lightness of numbers in the middle of the week for this sixth meeting of the season against Convocation, with two in New Zealand and another in Kitzbühel not helping. Anyway, a good looking 13 (on paper at least) emerged by the weekend and the game looked well set up.
Wisely no-one mentioned the Astroturf jinx before kick off, most players instead trying but failing to clear the high fence behind the goal as part of what some fools would call shooting practice. Anyway, the proof of the football psychology pudding was in its eating and fifteen minutes into the game we had cruised into a comfortable two goal lead. The first came from a surging run and cross from Rushie which was deflected by a Convocation defender into his own net. Even the most generous member of the dubious goals panel would struggle to credit Rushie with this one, but if this one was an own goal (see below in the stats section, it was) it was nothing like the best one of the game. The second came from the success of the high pressing game (I know I keep pretending this is true), Eddie Jones chasing down a seemingly lost cause and the ball breaking to Mornington who made no mistake (not something I have pretended to be true in this fixture).
What could go wrong? Well one thing’s for certain, this team’s uncanny knack to give the ball away in dangerous positions (do we ever give it away in any other type of position?) is not pitch surface dependent, and by half time it was 2-2.
The second half started differently to the first, this time the Vets gave a soft goal away before scoring. At 3-2 down, hard work brought us back into the game. The best chance fell to Eddie Jones, who managed what no-one had managed in the warm-up and unleashed a shot which would have cleared two fences. That, however, was not the moment that changed the game. That glory was hogged all to himself by Harthan, creating his very own James Tarkowski moment (see here) and effectively ending the game as a contest by neatly converting a ball without any apparent danger into the bottom corner. A kindly teammate noted afterwards that there had been an opponent applying pressure from no less than 32 yards away.
The Vets did not give up. The score was brought back to 4-3 quickly when Matty Gray pulled one back, and a dangerous Yates long throw bounced over him moments later (this does not mean the pitch was that bouncy). As players surged forward in search of what would have been a deserved equaliser, gaps at the back became obvious and Simon Holder made it 5-3 to Convocation with the last kick of the game.
Which means we have conceded 5 against them the last 4 times we have played against them.
Pollença next week. Don’t suppose we will struggle to get a team out for that game … can’t wait.