Sportsman's League (Division 2)
Sunday 17 March
Loko 3 vs Wandsworth Wanderers 5
LOKO GET BULLIED INTO SUBMISSION
Muscle. Cool heads. Substitutes. All of these were missing today. With only 11 players and, consequently, no plan B or linesman available, Loko were at a disadvantage right from the start.
From the outset, Wanderers looked testosterone-charged and ready to make mincemeat of Loko. Dominating the midfield and launching attacks down the wings, they took control whilst Loko looked rather passive possibly with the exception of Lawrence and Dave K who were fighting for every ball.
As left-back Kevin swopped places with defensive midfielder Paul after 20 minutes to add more pace to the middle of the park, Wanderers were not able to breach Loko’s defence. But this probably had more to do with their wastefulness and John’s commanding role in goal rather than any splendind Loko rearguard action.
On 32 minutes though, a cross from the left flew past Paul’s head and met the head of their number 10 whose glancing header from the edge of the box found the back of our net.
It now looked like Wandererers were ready for the kill but Loko were not prepared to die just yet. An exchange between the inseparable Portuguese duo saw Gomes pass for Felipe and the latter chip their keeper from the right hand side of their box and restore parity.
The wait for the half time whistle now felt like an eternity as Wanderers were pressing hard and Loko were still visibly struggling.
Half time: Loko 1 vs Wandsworth Wanderers 1
The second half was very much in the same vein as the first one. Wanderers were pushing up front and Loko were unable to capitalise on the sluggish Wanderers defence.
On 55 minutes, a Wanderers counterattack saw a long ball run diagonally past the whole defence and reach their offside number 9 who dribbled past John and shoot towards our goal goal only for Ivan to clear within a yard from his goal. Yet the ref blew his whistle and called a foul – namely John clipping their forward and their captain fired the penalty kick home off the crossbar.
Loko 1 vs Wandsworth Wanderers 2
The turning point came on 65 minutes. Gomes, who had been tracking back found himself in a left back position and made a crossfield pass for Neil who was free on the right. Neil tried to dribble past his marker but got caught in possession and the Wanderers man was now free to face John whom he crucified from 15 yards out.
Loko were suffering and Wandering were moaning to the ref non-stop. Then, in the space of 5 minutes, Loko conceded two more goals from cutbacks originating on the left hand side of our defence.
With a mountain to climb and only honour at stake, Loko now somehow felt free to develop their game. Yet they had to contend with the short, agile and talented Wanderers keeper.
On 78 minutes, a from Dave K bounced off Neil’s goolies onto Felipe who tried to shoot on goal from inside the box and the ball slid past the keeper only for Adil to tap in from 4 yards out.
With 5 minutes to go, another swift move by Adil saw him outfox their keeper as he slotted the ball past his left leg and into the net.
With the wind in their sails, Loko looked like they were in with a chance of scoring again but the clock was ticking ominously and it was a case of too little, too late…
Final score: Loko 3 vs Wandsworth Wanderers 5
Line-up: John - Neil, Ismail, Ivan, Kevin - Paul, Lawrence, Kevin, Felipe - Dave, Gomes - Adil
M.O.M: Dave K fought hard going forward and also defending his patch so the award goes to our captain-for-the-day. Special mention to John, Lawrence and Adil.
Club Secretary Ivan said: "After the game, some of the players were asking questions about today's absentees and felt that we could have won had we been able to field our regular team. But, all things considered, there is no point lamenting what was never going to happen. The 11 players on the pitch today got bullied into submission and lost their way and it was their responsibility to get it right."
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