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LEAGUE MATCH
Jorvik Blades 3-2 LRBC
NEW LOW AS LRBC LOSE TO NINE MEN
Ed Jackson reports...
The team was in good spirits and the spirits were heightened on arrival when York confirmed that they only had 9 men for the first half with 2 to join in the second. True to form though preparations were not smooth. Thorpey had a pre-match fitness test and declared himself unable to play, in fact his pain suggested he may be unable to ever walk again. So Frater got the nod for the start. Bad news just before kick off when potential match winner Mike Philpott announced he was carrying a hip injury and may struggle to play. It was agreed that he would start and see how he went on.
Playing down hill, the team started brightly and as was expected enjoyed the lion�s share of possession. What was frustrating though was the absence of a cutting edge in the final third. There was a distinct lack of urgency in and around the edge and good chances were few and far between. The balance of the team was not helped with Philpott pulling a hamstring and being forced to come off. The irony of this was that when he came to the right hand side of the pitch to come off it was like the ball was on a bungy cord attatched to him. He kept on getting the ball passed to him, and couldn�t get off the pitch. On the left he had struggled to see much of it!
York offered little in attack, unsurprising given that they had 2 less players, but surprisingly took the lead. It came like a bolt out of the blue. From around 30 yards out a York player struck a shot powerfully that wind assisted flew past Frater into the top left corner. It was against the run of play but served to emphasise the need to convert your chances. The rest of the half meandered along in a similar vein. Rosty Belibov�s long throws being the main threat, but there was no willingness to get on the end of them. Nick Coleman had a couple of strikes along with Adam Tobin, but the team lacked conviction and belief.
In the second half we now had the wind but were against the slope. Plus, York were soon joined by a tenth player! Carl Murgatroyd was replaced by the fleet footed Nemet Karimi to give us more agility and pace at the back, and a 3-5-2 was the chosen formation with an unusual trio of Turner, Parkinson and Karimi along the back. However two quick goals put us 3-0 down. Karimi and the tenth York player were responsible.
We needed a goal and Jez Jarvis scored his first goal for the club. No celebration or even retrieval of the ball followed; there was more business to conclude. The minutes passed, they were flying by. Parkinson was getting increasingly frustrated in his defensive role, but he was a rock. The second goal followed when Tobin struck confidently passed the keeper with his left boot. A great finish. This should have been the trigger for a grandstand finish, but the team still lacked the composure to bring this.
The game fizzled in the last few minutes. York were dangerous on the counter attack, and by this time had a full complement of players. Players that were man for man far worse than ours. 90 minutes and the team trudged off. All in all it was very poor. On arrival home I went into a dark room and stayed there for many hours. Only Elliot Johnson could appreciate my pain.
LRBC Team: M Frater, D Turner, J Wilson, J Parkinson, C Murgatroyd (N Karimi 45), M Fisher (A Thorpe 70), N Coleman, J Jarvis, M Philpott (M Sattari 20), R Belibov, A Tobin.
LRBC Goals: J Jarvis, A Tobin
LRBC Man of the Match: R Belibov