Sportsmans League Division 3
Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 v Greyhound 5
Gifted Goals & Misses Not A Good Mix
The scoreline does not do justice to what was a relatively positive performance from Loko this cold but sunny Sunday in October. The team played some good passing football but could not convert enough of the numerous chances they created and gave away some sloppy goals to gift the points to Greyhound.
Loko started on the front foot and started passing the ball around really well. Terry and James were giving us good width and twice he put balls in the box and first Roger then Dave could only head wide when in a good position. Shortly after Dave jinked past two challenges on the edge of the box but couldn't get a shot away and then Vincent had a shot blocked by the defender.
The goal came with twenty five minutes gone when DALE (pictured above) picked up the ball in the middle of the park, turned his man and hit a shot from thirty yards that took a slight deflection off a defender and found the top corner to give Loko the lead. The chances kept coming and it was one way traffic, Roger found Dale on the right wing and he curled a ball behind the defence for Terry whose shot was deflected wide for a corner. Then from a corner, the ball fell for Chris who hooked a shot onto the crossbar and over.
It had been a strong start but then Loko switched off and the rest of the half belonged to Greyhound, they won a corner and swung it in, Gary shouted, the defenders stopped and Gary didn't get there with the deflected ball landing nicely for an easy six yard strike.
Unfortunately, Loko heads went and the team started to make mistakes, Aaron should have shielded the ball out for a goal kick but the defender got round him too easily and with the striker going nowhere he was pulled back and a penalty was given. They picked out the bottom corner and Gary didn't stand a chance.
Dale almost scored again when he managed to get past three players in midfield and drill another shot from thirty yards a few inches over the bar.
However, the mistakes continued, they won a free kick just in our half, hoofed in a highball which Gary couldn't deal with and the ball was palmed straight to their player for a tap in. In the space of ten minutes we had gone from being comfortably in charge and 1-0 up to 3-1 down.
The half was completed when they played a few passes in midfield, and slipped a ball behind Aaron at full back, James didn't track their wide man and the ball hit the net for the fourth time in fifteen minutes.
Half-Time Loko 1 v Greyhound 4
Ivan swapped with Stefano at half-time with Aaron going to right back and Ivan on the left, Dale said that we had played some good stuff but individual errors were costing us yet again, let's get out their and get at them early and hard.
Loko started quite well again and spent a considerable amount of time in the second half pressing in and around their penalty area. Greyhound set up for the counter attack and looked dangerous on the breakaway on numerous occasions, with Loko now throwing men forward the game was very open.
George replaced James then Morris replaced Aaron within five minutes of each other and Loko kept trying to take the game to Greyhound. Terry was twice played in behind the full back by Dale, the first time he couldn't get their ahead of the defender and the second time he got their ahead of the keeper and tried to lob him but the keeper saved it without really knowing how.
George and Vincent linked well in midfield and the ball was played into Roger who turned the defender and had a clear sight of goal but could only pull the ball wide. Greyhound also created some chances and on one particular counter attack they hit the post and the ball deflected away, they then forced Gary into two good saves low to his right.
They scored another soft goal when the ball found their midfielder completely unmarked just outside the area and he hit a low shot towards the bottom corner that should have been stopped by a defender or saved by Gary, but neither reacted and the score went to 5-1.
Fair play to the lads, they continued attacking and in spells created some good chances, Dave and Terry both got in the box and were taken out, with legitimate claims for penalties but nothing was forthcoming from the referee, then Roger got into the box on the angle but pulled his shot into the side netting.
The second Loko goal did come when Roger played DAVE in down the left side of the box, he took on his man and curled a shot into the far bottom corner, from just inside the byeline for a very good goal from an acute angle.
Dale could have had another when the keeper dropped the ball and picked it up again resulting in an indirect free kick, the gaffer hit a drive which one of the eleven on the line blocked then the rebound was also driven and cleared on the line for a second time.
On another day, with less mistakes and much much better finishing the result could have been so different.
Final Score Loko 2 v Greyhound 5
Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"Another lesson learned this week, we cannot have spells during a game when we lose concentration like we did in that twenty minute spell before half time. We had controlled the first twenty five minutes then gave away a goalmouth scramble, a silly penalty and a flap at a cross by Gary and we cannot keep coming back in games.
The communication was better but can still be improved and we have to start listening now and laying off the ball when we get in their area, so many times we could have pulled it back for on rushing players but we were too selfish. Talk and listen in future.
On to the next game and let's start by doing the basics."
Team Line Up
1. Gary
2. Stefano
3. Aaron
4. Chris
5. Steve (c)
6. Vincent
7. Terry
8. Dale
9. Dave
10. Roger
11. James
12. Ivan (Replaced Stefano 45th Minute)
13. George (Replaced James 50th Minute)
14. Morris (Replaced Aaron 55th Minute)
Goals
Dale (1)
20th Minute - Thirty yard strike with a slight deflection off the defender into the top corner.
Dave (1)
75th Minute - Skinned his man on the byline and curled into the far corner.
Man of the Match
Terry - Had a great game out wide and gave us plenty of width, put in some excellent crosses and kept tracking back to support Stefano, Aaron then Morris. George gets a mention for an excellent cameo in the second half, getting better with each game.
Match Report by Dale Mellor.
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