One Goal, Another Day, Another Cup.....
" Attack wins games, but Defense wins competitions "
The Surrey cup is the F.A Cup of Sunday League football ( In Surrey ) With 80 teams taking part consisting of four rounds plus quarters, semis and a final, the likely hood of winning these tournaments is very slim. However as FA Cup tournaments in the past have shown, you just never know....
For Loko, today was just another cup game, and as past performances have shown in cup competitions, we generally do quite well. With only the one loss against our name this season which came in our first game, Matt decided to go with a familiar starting line up and formation.
We started the game very strong restricting Epsom to playing in their own half. Following on from last weeks debut man of the match performance, Mackie was straight into this game. He fought for the ball and run into space, played a lovely 1-2 with hayden and found himself one on one with the keeper with the keeper going to ground to retrieve the ball suspiciously close to giving away a penalty. This was followed up with a powerful header over the bar from a great cross from the left from James T.
Epsom did start to put passes together and pushed forward. They were young and quite fit and used the wings effectively, however, our defense is currently in no mood to be conceiving goals! We have footballers in defense not just ageing tall blokes who can win a header. Scott and Gary must of won more headers today than any other player on the field by a long way! and as mentioned, we don't just win headers in defense we now play the ball out, go long, pass to another defender or even steal 30-40 yards going forward. This defensive confidence breads confidence throughout the team. It gives space to Lee and Matt and enables Mackie to push further up to support the forward. Mason not only tackles and battles well at right back but pushes forward at every opportunity and can deliver a fantastic cross from the right at any point.
James T, enjoying some return to form, despite his knee troubles, broke following an Epsom corner and run a long way out wide taking two defenders with him, he then squared the ball perfectly to Hayden who had run the length of the pitch to keep up, but his decision to take a touch was not the right one, and on reflection should of hit it first time on the edge of the box but instead found himself with two defenders around him and his pass back out to James fizzled out a promising attack.
Minutes later, this time Mackie on the right, crossed a teasing ball along the goal line that five years ago Hayden would of got too from running on to, but a desperate lunge at the ball was still a few cm short of contact. The chances were coming!
Epsom started to get their game together, they pushed on and broke through on a few occasions with Gary and Neil sweeping up any lose balls that were not long enough to reach Tony, the ones that did, Tony comfortably cleaned up and re distributed up field. An Epsom free kick on the edge of our box deflected of Dave's Well built wall, fell to an Epsom player in an offside position that Danny on the Line Flagged well for, so the proceeding Finish into our net, was correctly disallowed.
Half Time 0-0
With the game evenly balanced no changes were made at half time. We didn't lose as much focus as we usually do at the start of the second half with Lee M taking on the majority of the team from kick off as he made his way to the Epsom area. We continued to press as did Epsom. Gary winning headers for a laugh powerfully cleared to Hayden who went forward and held the ball to release Scott who's swirling cross / shot in slow motion made its way towards the hands of the upward looking Epsom keeper. Mackie decided the keeper needed company and stood still in front and underneath him as the ball hit his Back / neck and fell into the net. Everyone went quite and looked at the ref as did the ref as he looked at the Epsom linesman who was the only player on their team that was saw no infringement hence the goal stood! 1-0
Epsom started to really put the pressure on for an equalizer. Danny T on for James up top, restructured our personnel slightly but kept the formation the same. They pushed down our right side consistently threatening. they crossed a lot of balls, they passed a lot of balls and weaved around out area but with no end product as our Defense stood tall and strong. We managed to break on a couple of occasions with Danny T having a header just over the bar, Mackie with a powerful shot outside the box really well saved by their keeper, Dave F With a shot from the edge of the box just blocked and Hayden with a shot into the side netting, coming down the right. But the majority of the last 15 minutes saw Loko defend, at times too desperately, as we panicked and scuffed clearances and didn't clear when we should off etc. But we held on.
Full Time
Loko 1-0 Epsom Albion
Weekly Three Questions
Did we deserve to win today? Evenly balanced game, but we did win, so Yes!
Did we put it in today? Overall, Yes
Man Of The Match?
Another team performance today with in particular the Defensive four having a great game with Tony keeping a clean sheet. But this weeks Man of the Match award goes to the old guard of Loko, the most capped player in Sunday League Football History, Gary Mustoe. Lead from the back with a dominant and confident defensive display.
Final Thoughts
Positives and negatives to take from today's game.
Positives: We won! simple as that, you cant ask for much more than winning. Our set up feels good at the moment, with everyone knowing their roles and performing them well, even if that means they are not noticed within the game the work rate is there, why change a winning formula unless forced to?
Negatives: I don't think i have ever witnessed the ball bounce so many times in the center of the park with no one near it. Sunday league is renown for certain phrases and comments with a common one being " First's and Seconds " we need to make sure, ultimately, we win the first's and then concentrate on the seconds. A team of under 25 year old's may have skills energy and pace to run around us, but we have strength, muscle and experience to not let them get on the ball or when they do to take them off it.
Another cup run could be on the cards. Back to the league next week with current form looking good.
Current Form
LDWW
Quote Of The Week
" Work hard in silence, let success make the noise "
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