Match Report: Loko v Lambeth United

Sunday 14th August 2011

Friendly

Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 v Lambeth United 3

Loko Run Out of Steam - Just!

We started positively against the ten men of Lambeth United as they were waiting for one more player to turn up. Despite our advantage we couldn’t make the pressure tell and convert any of our early chances.

Ironically Loko went ahead when Lambeth had eleven players on the pitch, there was some good build up play between Roger and Rhyce, who then passed the ball through to Terry down the left hand side who beat the defender easily and slotted the ball past the oncoming keeper for a 1-0 lead.

Lambeth started to settle into the match and play some good football but the Loko defence soaked up this pressure with Steve and Chris in particular making some important interceptions.

The Lambeth equaliser was a soft goal with Ivan adjudged to have pulled the shirt of their striker and the referee gave a questionable penalty which they quickly dispatched for the equaliser.

Despite this set back Loko were playing some very good football building from the back, passing through the midfield, down the wings, feeding our strikers.

The Loko pressure was telling and after some good build-up play through the midfield Rich on the right crossed the ball into the box and Terry was there to slot the ball past the Lambeth keeper and Loko went ahead 2-1.

Half Time Loko 2 v Lambeth United 1

There were some changes made at half time but the same 4-3-3 formation kept. Despite being 2-1 up at the break and Loko playing some good football we didn’t take the game to Lambeth and our shape went a bit. This could have been down to fitness the new players getting used to each other.

Loko invited the pressure and the Lambeth midfield started to grow into the game and started to dominate the midfield area. The Loko defence were soaking up the pressure quite easily until an injury to Ivan let a Lambeth midfielder through on goal down the right and he beat Ismail one on one to level the game at 2-2.

Loko made some more changes to try to take the game back to Lambeth, however the Lambeth midfield continued to dominate the middle of the park and kept attacking.  Again the pressure told and their winger beat two of our defenders far too easily and crossed the ball into the box, Chris attempted to clear the ball but was just out of reach and the Lambeth striker converted an exquisite volley to put Lambeth 3-2 up.

This seemed to give Loko a kick up the back side and for the final ten to fifteen minutes it was all Loko with Rich and Terry tormenting their players down the right and Roger very nearly converted a Terry cross which would have been the equaliser.

Loko were in the ascendency and had at least four or five more good attacks but just couldn’t convert their chances.

Final Score Loko 2 v Lambeth United 3

Manager Chris Clarke’s comments:
"Despite losing to a well organised Lambeth team I believe we played some good creative football, played for each other and would have won the game if not for a lack of match fitness and some costly errors at the back.

I firmly believe that if the game had gone on for another ten minutes Loko would have equalised and even got the winner."

Team Line Up

1. Ismail

2. Stefano

3. Ivan

4. Chris

5. Steve (c)

6. Roger

7. Richard

8. Rhyce

9. Michael

10. Terry

11. Eudimar

12. David (Replaced Rhyce 45th Minute)

13. Imants (Replaced Richard 45th Minute)
14. Morris (Replaced Stefano 45th Minute /
Stefano Replaced Ivan 60th Minute)

Goals
Terry (2)
15th Minute - Rhyce played in Tel who rounded the defender and drilled home.
40th Minute - A Rich cross was delightfully finished by Tel in the six yard box.

Man of the Match

Terry - He got two goals and never gave up running and terrorising the Lambeth defence.

Match Report by Chris Clarke.