| Glen Waverley Soccer Club - Mens Seniors & Reserves |
Round 17 | 7.8.10
| Match Rating
Seniors Reserves
|
Venue: Greaves Reserve, Dandenong
Pitch: Patchy and bumpy but OK
Weather: Purely belter
Canteen: Friendly staff serving up ripping Kransky snags and Polish grog
(Paul even took his home!)
Crowd: Reasonable turn-out for both teams, but vocal locals won the day.
G'day folks, here we are again, with our version of what happened in Round
17 of our little local football league. Another away trip but this time only
a short trip down Eastlink to Dandenong. First time for many of us at
Greaves Reserve, and it was a surprisingly picturesque setting tucked away
behind the industrial warehouses and factories. The locals gave us a warm
welcome and we were greeted by one of our ex players, which was also
refreshing. So with bonhomie aplenty and a generally all-pervading tranquil
ambience, would this help relax our two teams and see them turn on the
style?
Pitch: Patchy and bumpy but OK
Weather: Purely belter
Canteen: Friendly staff serving up ripping Kransky snags and Polish grog
(Paul even took his home!)
Crowd: Reasonable turn-out for both teams, but vocal locals won the day.
G'day folks, here we are again, with our version of what happened in Round
17 of our little local football league. Another away trip but this time only
a short trip down Eastlink to Dandenong. First time for many of us at
Greaves Reserve, and it was a surprisingly picturesque setting tucked away
behind the industrial warehouses and factories. The locals gave us a warm
welcome and we were greeted by one of our ex players, which was also
refreshing. So with bonhomie aplenty and a generally all-pervading tranquil
ambience, would this help relax our two teams and see them turn on the
style?
Reserves
The reserves, this week, had a few changes to contend with, as Dan was
absent sick and Ozzie, Tony, Pete S and Prashan were all called up for first
team duties. Back came Hoppy, recovering from sorethroatitus, Kon and Brian
both returned from being away and they were joined by Darren from the U18's
who hadn't been away. At least not that we were aware of. The other change
was the reserves were now playing in their change, change strip of green
shirts, black shorts and black socks. Apparently the Polish for white is
red.
Ok, so on with the game. The lads started the game playing up the hill and
were confronted by a fairly sturdy and solid White Star midfield. Enjoying
some early possession, the home side dominated for a while and built up a
few attacks down both flanks. Sam and Sean were mainly on defensive duty as
they had to track back continuously with their respective men. This early
pressure also saw White Star have the lion's share of the chances although
they were mainly restricted to long-range efforts. Steve S did deal
comfortably with any that were on target, but he couldn't do much with the
opening goal of the game. A corner kick wasn't dealt with properly and the
home side attacker pounced to stab a loose ball into the net.
We did have our chances too. Theo was sent clean through, but the ref didn't
help matters by calling offside from 30 metres away. Lloydy had a shot well
saved and Sammy was unlucky as he followed up on a spilled shot. The lads
were dragging themselves back into the match, but suffered a setback as
Murray was sent tumbling in a clumsy challenge. He was left clutching his
shoulder and couldn't carry on. The ref did carry on though as he started
yelling and flapping at Dean the Physio and shouting at Muzz to get off. A
little bit rude and no yellow to the defender. I think he was sniffing out
free Kranskys. That meant an earlier than expected introduction for Darren,
taking Muzz's spot in the midfield.
So half-time came and went without any further incident or addition to the
score, although a quick glance at the rules would see that you are not
allowed to score at halftime. (even if the girlfriend/boyfriend/wife happens
to be in attendance). We were starting to get distracted by the smells
wafting from the barbeque at this stage, but more on that later.
Onto the second half, the visitors took control of the game and basically
dominated for most of the half. A few sporadic attacks late in the half was
pretty much most of what a tiring home side could manage. Unable to contain
the pace of the young Glen Waverley side, it was only a question of time
before the cracks would appear. Superb build up play led to a ball into the
box which hit the defender on the arm, leaving the ref with no option but to
point to the spot. Up stepped Hoppy, er Sean, er Brian to take the penalty
and he slammed it home effortlessly. No amount of effort from then on could
get the winner as everyone it seemed tried their luck - Lloyd, Yure, Theo,
Brian and Stevie all taking pot shots trying to become a hero for the day.
But it wasn't to be. Honours were even at the end of the day and fair
enough, although the Waverley boys did play some attractive football at
times. A top three spot is still up for grabs for the boys, so still all to
play for.
Now the nostrils were twitching and we were starting to salivate at the
aroma's wafting across the paddock, so off to graze we went. And with
Kransky firmly clenched in mitt, we settled back to watch the senior boys do
their stuff.
absent sick and Ozzie, Tony, Pete S and Prashan were all called up for first
team duties. Back came Hoppy, recovering from sorethroatitus, Kon and Brian
both returned from being away and they were joined by Darren from the U18's
who hadn't been away. At least not that we were aware of. The other change
was the reserves were now playing in their change, change strip of green
shirts, black shorts and black socks. Apparently the Polish for white is
red.
Ok, so on with the game. The lads started the game playing up the hill and
were confronted by a fairly sturdy and solid White Star midfield. Enjoying
some early possession, the home side dominated for a while and built up a
few attacks down both flanks. Sam and Sean were mainly on defensive duty as
they had to track back continuously with their respective men. This early
pressure also saw White Star have the lion's share of the chances although
they were mainly restricted to long-range efforts. Steve S did deal
comfortably with any that were on target, but he couldn't do much with the
opening goal of the game. A corner kick wasn't dealt with properly and the
home side attacker pounced to stab a loose ball into the net.
We did have our chances too. Theo was sent clean through, but the ref didn't
help matters by calling offside from 30 metres away. Lloydy had a shot well
saved and Sammy was unlucky as he followed up on a spilled shot. The lads
were dragging themselves back into the match, but suffered a setback as
Murray was sent tumbling in a clumsy challenge. He was left clutching his
shoulder and couldn't carry on. The ref did carry on though as he started
yelling and flapping at Dean the Physio and shouting at Muzz to get off. A
little bit rude and no yellow to the defender. I think he was sniffing out
free Kranskys. That meant an earlier than expected introduction for Darren,
taking Muzz's spot in the midfield.
So half-time came and went without any further incident or addition to the
score, although a quick glance at the rules would see that you are not
allowed to score at halftime. (even if the girlfriend/boyfriend/wife happens
to be in attendance). We were starting to get distracted by the smells
wafting from the barbeque at this stage, but more on that later.
Onto the second half, the visitors took control of the game and basically
dominated for most of the half. A few sporadic attacks late in the half was
pretty much most of what a tiring home side could manage. Unable to contain
the pace of the young Glen Waverley side, it was only a question of time
before the cracks would appear. Superb build up play led to a ball into the
box which hit the defender on the arm, leaving the ref with no option but to
point to the spot. Up stepped Hoppy, er Sean, er Brian to take the penalty
and he slammed it home effortlessly. No amount of effort from then on could
get the winner as everyone it seemed tried their luck - Lloyd, Yure, Theo,
Brian and Stevie all taking pot shots trying to become a hero for the day.
But it wasn't to be. Honours were even at the end of the day and fair
enough, although the Waverley boys did play some attractive football at
times. A top three spot is still up for grabs for the boys, so still all to
play for.
Now the nostrils were twitching and we were starting to salivate at the
aroma's wafting across the paddock, so off to graze we went. And with
Kransky firmly clenched in mitt, we settled back to watch the senior boys do
their stuff.
Seniors
Playing three games in a week was starting to take it's toll, with Julian
still out and Steven H joining him on the sidelines. Niggling injuries
eventually giving them no option but to sit it out. Hopefully not for too
long though. Pete S kept his place in the side after playing well in the
midweek match. Met was back in the starting line-up joining Deano up front.
The rest of the side was pretty familiar and even the GD32's were now
becoming old friends.
Now I'm not sure what was in those sausages, but they seemed to play havoc
with the space time continuum. Strangely, the seniors game didn't start
until 4:00pm, and for some reason only lasted 45 minutes. X Files stuff
indeed. We're not quite sure what happened to those missing 45 minutes plus
halftime break, but Dr Who or even Dr Whatthef@ck might be able to shed some
light on what happened. Because I sure as hell don't.
Anyway, the game got under way and the Waverley boys got into their stride
quickly. Johnny was seeing the ball early and was spraying passes out wide
at every opportunity. Dean and Met were just starting to build up an
understanding but Met succumbed to a bout of cramp and was replaced midway
through the game. The lads didn't appear to be under pressure, so it was a
surprise when White Star took the lead against the run of play. A smart ball
out wide and a quick attack resulted in a corner. With a little subterfuge,
the home side contrived to play the ball into the box and into the back of
the net, without too much intervention from the confused defenders.
Not letting their heads drop, Johnny and his boys took up the challenge and
exerted pressure on the White Star goal. It was left to our new goal-scoring
sensation Dean to get the boys back in the game as he snaffled up a half
chance which fell his way in the box. Having only 45 minutes to play was a
bonus to the lads after the fixture build up, but they still needed the
fresh legs of Tony, Ozzie and Prashan to keep the pressure on White Star.
The local team did have a couple of very good players and it took Alistair
at his imperious best to keep them at bay. Some of his saves were of the
highest quality, but to their credit the White Star players knew they'd met
their match.
As with the first game, honours were shared at the final whistle. But wait,
what's this? OK, so we were only being fooled. Of course there was a first
half, and we would be doing White Star a disservice by not mentioning it,
since they totally outplayed their tired and jaded visitors. Not using the
three games in a week as an excuse, the lads are not pro-athletes and can
hardly be expected to turn it on week-in/week-out. White Star deserved the
result, but our lads deserve some credit for their second half fight.
Roll on next week, when they can get back on the winners trail against
Manningham, and put some clear air between themselves and the relegation
zone. Still 18 points to play for lads, lets head for 7th and make it a
season to remember, even if we forget the odd 45 minutes or so.
still out and Steven H joining him on the sidelines. Niggling injuries
eventually giving them no option but to sit it out. Hopefully not for too
long though. Pete S kept his place in the side after playing well in the
midweek match. Met was back in the starting line-up joining Deano up front.
The rest of the side was pretty familiar and even the GD32's were now
becoming old friends.
Now I'm not sure what was in those sausages, but they seemed to play havoc
with the space time continuum. Strangely, the seniors game didn't start
until 4:00pm, and for some reason only lasted 45 minutes. X Files stuff
indeed. We're not quite sure what happened to those missing 45 minutes plus
halftime break, but Dr Who or even Dr Whatthef@ck might be able to shed some
light on what happened. Because I sure as hell don't.
Anyway, the game got under way and the Waverley boys got into their stride
quickly. Johnny was seeing the ball early and was spraying passes out wide
at every opportunity. Dean and Met were just starting to build up an
understanding but Met succumbed to a bout of cramp and was replaced midway
through the game. The lads didn't appear to be under pressure, so it was a
surprise when White Star took the lead against the run of play. A smart ball
out wide and a quick attack resulted in a corner. With a little subterfuge,
the home side contrived to play the ball into the box and into the back of
the net, without too much intervention from the confused defenders.
Not letting their heads drop, Johnny and his boys took up the challenge and
exerted pressure on the White Star goal. It was left to our new goal-scoring
sensation Dean to get the boys back in the game as he snaffled up a half
chance which fell his way in the box. Having only 45 minutes to play was a
bonus to the lads after the fixture build up, but they still needed the
fresh legs of Tony, Ozzie and Prashan to keep the pressure on White Star.
The local team did have a couple of very good players and it took Alistair
at his imperious best to keep them at bay. Some of his saves were of the
highest quality, but to their credit the White Star players knew they'd met
their match.
As with the first game, honours were shared at the final whistle. But wait,
what's this? OK, so we were only being fooled. Of course there was a first
half, and we would be doing White Star a disservice by not mentioning it,
since they totally outplayed their tired and jaded visitors. Not using the
three games in a week as an excuse, the lads are not pro-athletes and can
hardly be expected to turn it on week-in/week-out. White Star deserved the
result, but our lads deserve some credit for their second half fight.
Roll on next week, when they can get back on the winners trail against
Manningham, and put some clear air between themselves and the relegation
zone. Still 18 points to play for lads, lets head for 7th and make it a
season to remember, even if we forget the odd 45 minutes or so.
