| Glen Waverley Soccer Club - Mens Seniors & Reserves |
Round 15 | 24.7.10
| Match Rating
Seniors Reserves
|
Venue: Norman Luth Reserve, somewhere south of the border
Pitch: Not bad actually (clubrooms were less savoury)
Weather: a pleasant day
Canteen: OK,
Crowd: The travelling fans outnumbered the locals
Pitch: Not bad actually (clubrooms were less savoury)
Weather: a pleasant day
Canteen: OK,
Crowd: The travelling fans outnumbered the locals
Reserves
Welcome back folks, hope you had a good week. We were really looking forward
to the short trip down to Noble Park this weekend and couldn't wait to see
what sort of welcome our friends down there would have in store for us.
Political correctness and our own censor prevents us from being too honest
and open about the day, so we'll keep it clean (reasonably).
Right, so what happened.
The reserves were pretty much at full strength. Steve in goal, Tony sweeping
and Kon and Bill G completing the defensive unit. Midfield saw a sick Hoppy
in at defensive mid, Muzz in the middle and Brian just behind the strikers.
Sean had earned his spot in the starting line-up and started wide on the
right, with Yure on the left. Lloyd joined Ozzie up front. Dan was back
after injury and took his place on the bench alongside Theo and Sammy.
So the referee got the game going, not before he'd exchanged cordial
salutations with his good friends around the home team's clubrooms. An early
attack by the home team led to a free-kick which Samelis saved easily. A few
minutes later and the Waverley boys pretty much had the game under control.
A couple of shots from Oz and Lloyd were well saved by the home keeper, with
one cannoning off the post. But the pressure told, and in the 18th minute
Sean sent over a peach of a cross which Ozzie latched onto, to crash home
the first of the day.
The boys in white continued to press, against a pretty robust, but
dis-organised side. Chances fell at regular intervals as a result of the
pressure and Hoppy came closest with a superb header from a corner. Up 'til
now, things had taken their normal course at our level and at a less than
appealing away venue. Some tasty tackles from the home side going unpunished
and some slight touches from our lads being dealt with harshly. Anyway, the
referee had been given plenty of advise from the sidelines, especially when
he made another of his dubious decisions. Maybe it was this that played a
part in the potentially game changing decision when he gave Bill G his
marching orders. Bill had narrowly avoided being cleaned out by a challenge
so late it is still yet to happen, but jumped and fell to the ground. The
referee in his wisdom(?) and best World Cup memory, gave Bill a yellow for
simulation. Bill then decided to unleash a verbal volley and was given a
second yellow for his trouble.
Down to 10 men, the lads had to roll up the sleeves and work doubly hard.
Not content with giving the local lads a helping hand by reducing our
numbers, the ref then let Noble Park score a goal so far offside, it
probably took the linesman by surprise. Making a mistake is one thing, but
blatant cheating is another and this left a bad taste in the mouth. But
again the Waverley boys are proving to be a tough lot and they dont need to
resort to gutter tactics to win a game of football.
Even playing a man down, Muzz and his troops continued to control the game
and played some excellent football. So much so, Ozzie managed to grab his
second and third to put the game out of reach of the locals. Plenty of
mentions for Sean at this stage as he was putting in some brilliant crosses
for the strikers to feed off. Brian also had a solid game in the midfield
and Yure was giving his opposite number a torrid time on his side of the
pitch. Tony also had a good game, but was tiring through illness and was
replaced at halftime by Dan. Hoppy also succumbed to the flu, but Sammy was
a more than capable replacement.
So with time drifting away, Noble Park added a bit of cowardice to their
already sub-standard scruples. Their number 5 kicking Sammy behind play,
earning himself a red card. Sorry, but this is unacceptable at any level and
he deserves all he gets. Final action of the game though was for Noble Park
to grab a totally undeserved and controversial consolation goal. The ball
was spilled by Steve and then the home side player scooped the ball, with
his hands, and slotted it into the net. The ref let the goal stand, earning himself another
free hotdog from his friends in the canteen. The game ended 3-2 to the
visitors, but the score doesn't reflect the difference in class.
Not an epic by any means, but a terrific result nonetheless. To go to such
wonderfully salubrious surroundings and come away with the three points
makes it all so special and the lads deserve enormous credit. To the locals?
Stop cheating, try to play some football and you might just make some
friends and even win some games, or maybe not.
to the short trip down to Noble Park this weekend and couldn't wait to see
what sort of welcome our friends down there would have in store for us.
Political correctness and our own censor prevents us from being too honest
and open about the day, so we'll keep it clean (reasonably).
Right, so what happened.
The reserves were pretty much at full strength. Steve in goal, Tony sweeping
and Kon and Bill G completing the defensive unit. Midfield saw a sick Hoppy
in at defensive mid, Muzz in the middle and Brian just behind the strikers.
Sean had earned his spot in the starting line-up and started wide on the
right, with Yure on the left. Lloyd joined Ozzie up front. Dan was back
after injury and took his place on the bench alongside Theo and Sammy.
So the referee got the game going, not before he'd exchanged cordial
salutations with his good friends around the home team's clubrooms. An early
attack by the home team led to a free-kick which Samelis saved easily. A few
minutes later and the Waverley boys pretty much had the game under control.
A couple of shots from Oz and Lloyd were well saved by the home keeper, with
one cannoning off the post. But the pressure told, and in the 18th minute
Sean sent over a peach of a cross which Ozzie latched onto, to crash home
the first of the day.
The boys in white continued to press, against a pretty robust, but
dis-organised side. Chances fell at regular intervals as a result of the
pressure and Hoppy came closest with a superb header from a corner. Up 'til
now, things had taken their normal course at our level and at a less than
appealing away venue. Some tasty tackles from the home side going unpunished
and some slight touches from our lads being dealt with harshly. Anyway, the
referee had been given plenty of advise from the sidelines, especially when
he made another of his dubious decisions. Maybe it was this that played a
part in the potentially game changing decision when he gave Bill G his
marching orders. Bill had narrowly avoided being cleaned out by a challenge
so late it is still yet to happen, but jumped and fell to the ground. The
referee in his wisdom(?) and best World Cup memory, gave Bill a yellow for
simulation. Bill then decided to unleash a verbal volley and was given a
second yellow for his trouble.
Down to 10 men, the lads had to roll up the sleeves and work doubly hard.
Not content with giving the local lads a helping hand by reducing our
numbers, the ref then let Noble Park score a goal so far offside, it
probably took the linesman by surprise. Making a mistake is one thing, but
blatant cheating is another and this left a bad taste in the mouth. But
again the Waverley boys are proving to be a tough lot and they dont need to
resort to gutter tactics to win a game of football.
Even playing a man down, Muzz and his troops continued to control the game
and played some excellent football. So much so, Ozzie managed to grab his
second and third to put the game out of reach of the locals. Plenty of
mentions for Sean at this stage as he was putting in some brilliant crosses
for the strikers to feed off. Brian also had a solid game in the midfield
and Yure was giving his opposite number a torrid time on his side of the
pitch. Tony also had a good game, but was tiring through illness and was
replaced at halftime by Dan. Hoppy also succumbed to the flu, but Sammy was
a more than capable replacement.
So with time drifting away, Noble Park added a bit of cowardice to their
already sub-standard scruples. Their number 5 kicking Sammy behind play,
earning himself a red card. Sorry, but this is unacceptable at any level and
he deserves all he gets. Final action of the game though was for Noble Park
to grab a totally undeserved and controversial consolation goal. The ball
was spilled by Steve and then the home side player scooped the ball, with
his hands, and slotted it into the net. The ref let the goal stand, earning himself another
free hotdog from his friends in the canteen. The game ended 3-2 to the
visitors, but the score doesn't reflect the difference in class.
Not an epic by any means, but a terrific result nonetheless. To go to such
wonderfully salubrious surroundings and come away with the three points
makes it all so special and the lads deserve enormous credit. To the locals?
Stop cheating, try to play some football and you might just make some
friends and even win some games, or maybe not.
Seniors
With the reserves belting out their victory chant in the room, sorry,
cubicle, the seniors faced the challenge of trying to get the second win of
the day. Noble Park were one of three teams below us at the start of the
day, so a win would put some daylight between us and the relegation zone.
Tasked with getting the three points were the usual suspects, however there
was one forced change. Met failed an LFT on his calf and he was replaced by
Dean. As always Dean was champing at the bit and was ready to show the coach
what he'd been missing.
Using tradition as his starting point, the referee got the game underway
with a shrill blast on his old "Thunderer", or whatever it is they use these
days. The first chance fell to the visitors within five minutes and pretty
much stayed that way for most of the first half. Noble Park played with 2
men up front and everyone else in or around their box. Kon had so much time
on the ball in the middle of the park, he probably had too many options and
too much space. The Waverley boys dominated so much, that we see from the
match day notes that first Justin, then Micky V both had chances. So when
you see our defenders joining the attacks, you can see how much pressure the
locals were under. Apart from a few close calls late in the half, the Glen
Waverley boys were never really in trouble. Alistair pulled off a couple of
routine saves and Micky V got his head to one shot, conceding a corner in
the process.
So with scores all level at halftime, we began to think a single goal would
be enough, although we were hoping the home side wouldn't be the lucky ones.
They had never been in the game, but you never know - a quick break and
lucky bounce is all it takes in a tight contest. Noble Park started the
second half brightly and saw an early free-kick go narrowly wide, but for
the next 25 minutes the game became end to end. Gaz was getting a battering
in the midfield and the two front lads had limpets for defenders, who stuck
to them like glue. So the game was locked at 0-0 and Alistair denied the
home team the opening goal with a wonderful finger tip save. Was this the
impetus the lads needed? Well it played it's part, but the introduction of
Prashan was the game changing moment. He came on and ran rings around the
Noble Park backline. One mazy run left three players in red on their
collective backsides, but the last guy brought Prashan down in the box. The
ref had no option but to point to the spot and sending off the offending
player. With a calm exterior, and quivering interior, Johnny stepped up and
slammed the ball in to give the boys a 1-0 lead.
The noise from the visiting fans was deafening, and the celebrations on the
bench were not too shabby either. Coming late in the game, Noble Park
pressed to find an equaliser, but our lads were too strong. Indeed Micky P
and then Steve H found time and space to attack but blasted their shots
high, wide and handsome. The minutes ticked by slowly, but the ref still
managed to find 4 or 5 minutes of stoppage time to ensure our victory
celebrations would have to wait. However when the final whistle did blow,
there were sighs of relief as well as cheers in equal measure.
The boys earned their three points and proved once again they are becoming a
very difficult team to beat. A brilliant team effort and one they richly
deserve. It's not easy coming to places like this and getting the results,
both teams, but it makes it very sweet when it does.
Oh, and just a point to note. The referee had his phone, wallet and car keys
nicked from his coat in his changing room during the game. Enough said. PC
prevents more.
See you next week boys. Back at Larpent, a place we all know and love.
cubicle, the seniors faced the challenge of trying to get the second win of
the day. Noble Park were one of three teams below us at the start of the
day, so a win would put some daylight between us and the relegation zone.
Tasked with getting the three points were the usual suspects, however there
was one forced change. Met failed an LFT on his calf and he was replaced by
Dean. As always Dean was champing at the bit and was ready to show the coach
what he'd been missing.
Using tradition as his starting point, the referee got the game underway
with a shrill blast on his old "Thunderer", or whatever it is they use these
days. The first chance fell to the visitors within five minutes and pretty
much stayed that way for most of the first half. Noble Park played with 2
men up front and everyone else in or around their box. Kon had so much time
on the ball in the middle of the park, he probably had too many options and
too much space. The Waverley boys dominated so much, that we see from the
match day notes that first Justin, then Micky V both had chances. So when
you see our defenders joining the attacks, you can see how much pressure the
locals were under. Apart from a few close calls late in the half, the Glen
Waverley boys were never really in trouble. Alistair pulled off a couple of
routine saves and Micky V got his head to one shot, conceding a corner in
the process.
So with scores all level at halftime, we began to think a single goal would
be enough, although we were hoping the home side wouldn't be the lucky ones.
They had never been in the game, but you never know - a quick break and
lucky bounce is all it takes in a tight contest. Noble Park started the
second half brightly and saw an early free-kick go narrowly wide, but for
the next 25 minutes the game became end to end. Gaz was getting a battering
in the midfield and the two front lads had limpets for defenders, who stuck
to them like glue. So the game was locked at 0-0 and Alistair denied the
home team the opening goal with a wonderful finger tip save. Was this the
impetus the lads needed? Well it played it's part, but the introduction of
Prashan was the game changing moment. He came on and ran rings around the
Noble Park backline. One mazy run left three players in red on their
collective backsides, but the last guy brought Prashan down in the box. The
ref had no option but to point to the spot and sending off the offending
player. With a calm exterior, and quivering interior, Johnny stepped up and
slammed the ball in to give the boys a 1-0 lead.
The noise from the visiting fans was deafening, and the celebrations on the
bench were not too shabby either. Coming late in the game, Noble Park
pressed to find an equaliser, but our lads were too strong. Indeed Micky P
and then Steve H found time and space to attack but blasted their shots
high, wide and handsome. The minutes ticked by slowly, but the ref still
managed to find 4 or 5 minutes of stoppage time to ensure our victory
celebrations would have to wait. However when the final whistle did blow,
there were sighs of relief as well as cheers in equal measure.
The boys earned their three points and proved once again they are becoming a
very difficult team to beat. A brilliant team effort and one they richly
deserve. It's not easy coming to places like this and getting the results,
both teams, but it makes it very sweet when it does.
Oh, and just a point to note. The referee had his phone, wallet and car keys
nicked from his coat in his changing room during the game. Enough said. PC
prevents more.
See you next week boys. Back at Larpent, a place we all know and love.
