Sportsmans League Division 3
Lokomotiv Londres FC 0 v Invictus 1
Edged Out Despite Battling Display
Finally we had a week when all thirteen players turned up in time for kick off. We went with a 4-3-3 formation with Ismail in goal, a back four of Morris, Ivan (pictured below), Paul and Stefano, a midfield three of Peggy, Dale and Diego with Marco up front in the centre, James on his right and George on his left. Marton and Michael started on the bench.
The game kicked off and became a midfield scrap from the start with both sides creating little, and Loko were kicking up the slight hill with the wind blowing against them. It was a decent opening period from Loko but despite having three up front it was Invictus that looked more threatening early on.
They nearly got over the top of the defence on a couple of occasions but Paul and then Stefano swept up well, and Ivan was sticking like glue to their captain who continually moaned at the referee, with the referee having to intervene between the pair on numerous occasions.
Invictus should have taken the lead about twenty five minutes in, when Peggy challenged their player from behind in the penalty area and he fell to the ground. The referee thought about it then blew his whistle for the penalty, which was a bit harsh but seems to be the calls we are getting this season.
Their player stepped up but Ismail dived to his left and palmed the ball forward, and Dale was the first to the rebound to hook the ball clear. It was a let off and Loko needed to pick up the pace, which they finally did.
Peggy and James linked up well down the right and played Marco in to the right of the centre backs but he could only drill a strong effort into the sidenetting.
Then Diego and Dale linked up in midfield and the latter played a ball into Marco, kept his run going and was found with a great return pass, he tried to bring the ball down from his chest but the ball just wouldn't come down for him to hit a volley and the defender came across and conceded a corner.
George was having some success up the left hand side and won a free kick outside the box, but Diego's free kick flashed harmlessly wide. It was a solid first half and Ismail, aside from the penalty, had had little else to do.
Half-Time Loko 0 v Invictus 0
At the break Marton came on for George, with Marton joining the midfield three and Diego pushing further forward into the spot vacated by George. The gaffer asked for a higher defensive line as the strong wind should help us try and push them back.
The Railwaymen started the second half relatively well and maintained some pressure in the Invictus half without ever really threatening to creating much. The ball wasn't sticking with the front three and we kept gifting them back possession relatively softly.
They took the lead ten minutes into the half and it was another gift of a goal that we have been conceding all year, the ball was played through behind the defence, Ismail called for the ball but Paul decided to play the ball instead.
He tried to dribble out of defence but was robbed of possession just inside his own penaly area on the right and a ball across the penalty spot was easily tucked into the bottom corner despite Morris handballing on the line.
Loko heads dropped and they had a number of attacks where they could have made their numbers count better. Ismail made a couple of great diving stops to tip the ball around the post, and they also hit the post. Michael came on to replace James up front.
The referee was very inconsistent with his decision making and both Diego and Dale entered the book for deliberating some very dodgy calls. Peggy was also booked for a late tackle in midfield.
Loko had a couple of half chances when Marco got goal side of his defender but on both occasions tried speculative long range shots that were both high and wide. Michael then dribbled in off the left sideline and hit a shot from outside the box that was deflected wide for a corner.
With time running out and seconds left on the clock, Loko had their final chance of the match when Dale won a tackle in midfield, the ball ran to Marco, Dale continued his run and was played through on goal but with the defender catching up with him, he took an early shot from the edge of the area that failed to find the target.
Final Score Loko 0 v Invictus 1
Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"It was a good performance all round from everybody, we were in the game until the end and were unlucky that we didn't take what few chances we had.
There was plenty of battling spirit out there and it was great to see, every single player can walk away with their head held high. If we can cut out the mistakes that seem to plague us from week to week then we may start collecting some more points.
On to next week..."
Team Line Up
1. Ismail
2. Morris
3. Stefano (c)
4. Paul
5. Ivan
6. Dale [Y]
7. Peggy [Y]
8. Diego [Y]
9. James
10. Marco
11. George
12. Marton (Replaced George 45th Minute)
13. Michael (Replaced James 60th Minute)
Man of the Match
Ivan - Everybody played well but I thought Ivan was fantastic, he marshalled their big centre forward really well and disrupted his game and got him moaning about everything.
Special mention to Ismail in goal who was brilliant, and Stefano who covered the back four excellently.
Match Report by Dale Mellor.
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