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“THE
DEN” – Match Report |
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Game 15 Brookvale Grahams Reserve (Rescheduled) |
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First Grade – Tiger Pride Score: 1-1 Goal Scorer(s):
Dave Sutherland ’65 Match Report: Game
two of a tough double-header weekend saw us match up against league leaders
Brookvale. After beating second placed Manly Vale the previous day, taking
points off Brookvale would make for a great weekend. Coincidently,
Brookvale’s only loss this season was against us so the boys were keen
to take it to ‘em again. It seemed like deja-vue as we
found ourselves under the pump in the first period just like the previous two
games. Brookvale were coming at us and we were unable to hold onto possession
for any length of time. Consequently we defended for sustained periods and
were lucky not to go a goal down after a shot by Steve Richies
from just outside the box shaved the left hand upright. It wasn’t long
after that Brookvale scored, when a cross to danger man Stuart Cleary,
wasn’t cleared properly and fell into the path of ex-Tiger’s
player Ross Etherington who slotted the ball home
into the top left corner. Even though we defended for extensive periods, Brookvale
didn’t have any other clear cut chances in the first period. We managed
to contain Stuart Cleary on set plays with Ash doing a fantastic job by
helping out to double team him on corners and throw-ins. Our midfield also
worked extremely hard against an impressive midfield and battled for every
ball with determination. We did however; create some good chances in the first half
while playing with a strong breeze behind us. Rich Cuthbert, before being
subbed after colliding with Birdman and getting 7 stiches in his chin, had a
good opportunity at the far post but put his shot high and wide. Ashley found
some space, overlapped on the left, but fluffed his shot wide with his
non-favoured left foot. The best chance came from a free kick after a
Brookvale handball which was adjudged to be just inches outside the box. Joerg stepped up and cracked the free-kick managing to
avoid the wall but the keeper made an outstanding save low and to his left.
The rebound was almost tapped in but Brookvale managed to get to the ball first
and clear from danger. We settled down a bit more in the second period but were
still struggling to string consecutive passes together with simple passes
going astray. Leachy, who replaced Rich in the first half, was having a good
battle with Sam Panetta out wide, and Townsy and
Pommy did a mountain of work in the middle just as they’d done the
previous day. The second half was another tough grind but we were
rewarded with an equaliser off a corner when a loose ball was picked up by
Ash in the box. He dummied, cut back inside then played a precision ball to Sutho, who struck the ball first time from an acute
angle. To everyone’s delight, the ball hit the inside of the far post
and went into the back of the net. We started to tire late in the game, so the two
Nick’s (Rainey and Dillenbeck) came on to freshen things up. We were under the pump once again in
the last few minutes when a succession of corners saw Benny punch clear and Townsy head off the line on two separate occasions. We
managed to keep Brookie out and hang on for a tough
but satisfying 1-1 draw. All in all a great comeback weekend and 4 points against
the top two teams after the disappointment of the previous week. Something to
be proud of for all involved. Man of the Match: Ashley Mathieson (now equal with Pommie in the MoM stakes) Reserve Grade – Vital Victory Score: 1-0 Goal Scorer(s): Nick
Dillenbeck ’15 Match Report: Crunch
time for Reggies as they came up against a very competitive Brookvale team.
After the first round, we probably rated Brookvale as the toughest opposition
we’ve played which belied their position on the table. The boys started well for the second time in two days and
troubled the Brookvale defence early on. Nick Rainey used his paced to get
in-front of the opposition sweeper when chasing a long ball but was dragged
down from behind. To everyone’s amazement no free-kick was awarded. In
spite of this we scored not long after as Nick Dillenbeck
used his gangly frame and height to outjump the defence, arched his back and
buried the header into the back of the net. The fast Brookvale attack used their pace we’ll in
the first period to get in behind our defence and created some nervous
moments for the coaching staff. Some nice interplay cut our defence in half
but fortunately the final pass found and offside player and the resultant
goal was disallowed. Several balls were played over the top but Lenny covered
exceptionally well at sweeper to thwart any attacking raids. Oggy was playing one of his best games
of the season and dominated in the air in the difficult, windy conditions.
Kane also improves with every game and attackers are finding it extremely
difficult to get past his size 18 boot. He’s fast earning the
reputation as “The Boot Mark II”. Large shoes to fill though!
(Apologies to all for the tacky attempt at humour). Dill almost had two in the first half after rounding an
opponent in the box, but his shot from a tight angle only managed to ricochet
off the near upright. The boys scrambled for the rebound but couldn’t
get a clear shot on goal. We played with the breeze in the second stanza but
it’s always tough to play downwind as the ball tends to get carried
away from the front men and allows the opposition keeper the clean up without
much fuss. All credit goes to our defence and keeper once again as we
kept another clean sheet. We had our luck in the final minutes when Brookvale
were awarded a penalty. Fortunately, an instant replay of Alan Hunter’s
penalty the previous day saw the shot pulled wide of goals and the boys hung
on for a vital 1-0 victory against quality opposition. Well done lads. Another important step towards putting
ourselves in a winning position for the title. Man of the Match: Adrian Ogg |
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