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LEAGUE MATCH
LRBC 8-4 SHIPLEY ST PETERS
LRBC COME OUT ON TOP IN TWELVE GOAL THRILLER
Ed Jackson reports...
As LRBC came out to face St Peter's, several people were heard to say that the St Peter's side looked more like a rugby side due to their kit and sheer size. Men against boys? Or more a case of David and Goliath, the latter turned out to be the case as the game unfolded.
LRBC have made an unhealthy habit of starting games slowly this season and this did not change despite the captain's words before the game. With the wind against them LRBC took on the physical challenge, trying to play football and pass the ball on the floor. Up front they were posing a threat with the blossoming partnership of Burgess and Jackson, and Jonathan Parkinson settling nicely into the right midfield position.
It was though St Peter's who struck first. The ball played up to the edge of the area was seized on and fired into the top corner leaving the acrobatic Thorpe just unable to reach it. The second soon followed, when from a similar position St Peter's smashed home another goal into the top right corner. While both goals were excellent strikes and benefited from the strong wind, there were serious questions being asked about the defence which seemed slow to close the strikes down.
So 2-0 down, slightly against the run of play, LRBC needed to respond. In the past this team may well have gone into its shell but there is a greater spirit among it now. The first reply came when the ball bobbled around in the away teams penalty area under pressure from Parkinson. With the keeper stranded it fell invitingly to Jackson who side footed home into the empty net. His first senior goal of the season.
LRBC were now starting to buzz and soon grabbed the equaliser. A great ball from Parkinson down the right put Jackson in behind the defence and his pinpoint low cross found the charging Burgess for a neat finish. 2-2.
The pressure was kept on, with Walsh and Sykes and the returning Philpott, a substitute for the injured Arash Amindoust, starting to dominate the midfield battle. Up front Burgess was proving ,again, virtually unstoppable and when he picked up the ball on the edge of the box there was only one outcome. There looked to be little shooting chance, but his clever turn, left the defence floundering, and his drilled shot whizzed into the bottom corner.
LRBC were well on song, and their fourth goal came coutesy of Jackson. Burgess played a ball to him on the edge of the box, and controlling on his chest Jackson brought the ball down and stretched to just get enough power to put the ball past the keeper and despairing dive of the retreating defender.
This should have been the end of the game as a contest, but just before half time, St Pater's gave thenself a lifeline. There strong centre forward burst onto a pass drove through the LRBC defence and fired home. Thorpe got a hand to it but was just unable to keep it out.
4-3 at half time, and LRBC had the upper hand. They nearly increased their lead in the early seconds of the second half when Jackson got onto a ball forward passed to Parkinson in the area, but his shot was well parried by the St Peter's goalkeeper.
It was though St Peter's who opened the scoring in the second half when they scored probably the goal of the game. The ball came over from the left on the edge of the box and their striker controlled with his chest, turned and volleyed into the top left corner. This was a great strike at any level.
LRBC had it all to do again, and the goal seemed to galvanise their resolve. Urged on by an increasingly vocal support they took the game to their opponents. There work was rewarded when a long ball from the back was seized on by Burgess. His deft touch took it past the keeper and he then had a simple finish.
The next goal perhaps got the biggest cheer of the day when Burgess used his box of tricks to outwit the home defence and chip the ball over the keeper from the left leaving Parkinson the task of smashing the ball home. Parkinson's first goal of the season, and fully deserved for another tireless performance.
Number seven came from Burgess when he picked up the ball from a Jackson flick and cleverly lifted the ball over the diving keeper. A class finish. At the time LRBC had a slight reshuffle when skipper Carey Jones departed and Parkinson moved to centre half. However the action had not finished.
There was still time for the dependable right back Jarvis to find himself with a great chance from a similar position to Parkinson previously. However, the ball was struck a little too high and crashed against the crossbar, leaving Jarvis to wonder if he would ever score.
The last goal of the game came from Jackson when put through from his strike partner, his shot went under the keeper to hit the back of the net. Although the last goal, there was still time for a booking for Burgess and the St Peter's striker after an unnecessary exchange. At this stage LRBC should have been avoiding any confrontation as the game was already won.
So a convincing victory. The centre halves of Leeds - Thompson and Carey Jones - will have happier days, but the team showed a real team spirit to dig the result out. The challenge now is to take this forward for the next game which will be a stern test for the LRBC team.
LRBC Team: A Thorpe, J Jarvis, A Amindoust (M Philpott 20), T Thomson, G Carey Jones (C Murgatroyd 70), L Walsh, J Parkinson, D Sykes (J Wilson 65), A Trueman, J Burgess, E Jackson.
LRBC Goals: J Burgess 4, E Jackson 3, J Parkinson
LRBC Man of the Match: E Jackson