The Rovers slumped to another defeat at the hand of Sunnyvale under the lights of Mayfield park, this time the score line was 2-1.
It wa a game of poor passing and few chances. The Mayfield South pitch makes it difficult to get any time on the ball. More passes found the touchline then a shirt from both sides. The Rovers started the brighter of the two sides and Sunnyvale were actually under pressure. As the half wore on the Rovers lost their key man in Jose. Once the little spaniard limped out of the game Sunnyvale started to take more control of the match. Their goal was perhaps against the run of play but they are a dangerous side so it was hardly suprising. Nigel had a good effort and was unlucky on another as the ball just ran in between his legs. Brodie supplied him a cross but his bullet header just missed the targedThe older irishmen was full of running. Kieran pushed up to support his fellow countryman as the Rovers continued to battle. With them missing Jose, Eoin, Paulie, Bryce and Colin this was always going to be a tough game.
The second half was even again with neither time having many great chances at goal The Sunnyvale goal came with Little joe scored a cracker of a goal, just at the wrong end. His diving header gave Ben no chance and Sunnvyale had a two goal lead.
Next up Gibbsy got himself a yellow and another yellow leaving the Rovers to battle out the last 20 minutes with 10 players. Of course, this was probably the best period for the Rovers. Nigel glanced in a Brodie cross to make it 2-1 and the Rovers had a few half chances to equalize. The best one following to Cameron. Curt and Jonathan found themselves way up the field almost connected in a fine move inside the Sunnyvale box but it was not to be. Lawton helped with the goal as well. At times the Sunnvyale defense didn't know who to mark!
the game ended up finishing 2-1, but it was not from the lack of effort
MOM: Nigel, did very well in the lone forward role. Perhaps Nigle should be saved for Mayfield South only?
REF; The man in the middle is a complete fool
Quote of the day; To many to chose from in the after match Exocerism
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Rovers 1 Shaheen 1
It has taken this match reporter some time to put pen to paper or hands to the keyboard but with the thanksgiving holiday time was not on my side. Rovers battled Shaheen at Andrew Wilson school last Sunday, 8 days ago and if anyone saw the game they wouldn't believe the outcome. Rovers battered Shaheen for 94 minutes but only failed to gain a point. For times during the match it seemed that this would be a carbon copy of the last time these two sides met, with shaheen getting a 1-0 win, completely against the run of play.
as this weeks Everton v Liverpool game shows, football teams are rewarding for putting the ball in the net. Shaheen taking their only real chance that came their way, with the Rovers squandering at least 11 good opportunities to score. The first great chance came when Eoin played in Bryce, he went easily past their defenders and came into the box. His angle was poor and Brodie was steaming into the box un marked. Bryce went for the shot and it was wide and the pass was on. The rovers kept up the dominace with Shaheen not able to live with Bryce. Brodie robbed the fulll back moments later and played in Bryce who had his shot charged down by the goalie, again his angle was difficult. Another good move from Gibbs to Brodie to Bryce saw the strikers third one on one foiled. Gibbsy had a good shot from distance. Kieran then made a clever in the box only to be completely tripped up, the ref was right on the spot but waived it away. I suppose their was a bit of justice in that decision as a potential Rovers handball in the box by stand in center back Lawton also was turned down by the ref. Nigel hit a free kick over the bar, while Kieran juggled one to himself but the goalie saved reasonably well in this case
Little Joe was doing well at right back however Shaheen's only move of the game came down that side. Their tricky winger played a good ball down their left and the forward crossed the ball with the oustide of his boot to striker who had an easy tap in past Ben. The Rovers couldn't believe. Of course, two players, just like in the last game, celebrated by leaving the field of play.
The Rovers continued to dominate but when into the half 1-0 down.
The second half was more of the same. Shaheen couldn't live with Bryce, his runs taking them right at the goalies mouth, and they were resorted to cruel challenges on him, most of the time he avoided them to find himself one on one with the keeper. Bryce rounded the keeper after Jose played him through but he couldn't pull the back into the empty net. Brodie missed a sitter after a good cross by Kieran, He should have taken another touch and put the ball on his right foot, instead hitting the ball with his weaker left. Brodie again went over the bar moments later and his third attempt, was a weak shot that left the goalie untroubled. Brodie hit the bar with a cross/cum shot that Eoin almost scored from the rebound. Finally the Rovers got the break. A great free kick was floated in to find Nigel on the end of. Nigels got his head on it and placed the ball over the keeper. Jose almost won it when his header hit the post and was cleared off the line. The little Spaniard was in fine form creating as he does best.
Shaheen looked dangerous at times on the counter, the Rovers were so on top, by Jonathan, Curt and Cameron/Joe and Eoin did well to stop any threats.
The Rovers can't wait for the third and final meeting between these clubs.
MOM; Byrce, didn't score but worked so damm hard for the entire match and caused Shaheen so many problems. Honarable mention goes to myself..should have scored but actually played well for a change
Pitch: Size is perfect for the Rovers. not to big and not to small (which is what she said)
Ref: Thin skinned little shit.
as this weeks Everton v Liverpool game shows, football teams are rewarding for putting the ball in the net. Shaheen taking their only real chance that came their way, with the Rovers squandering at least 11 good opportunities to score. The first great chance came when Eoin played in Bryce, he went easily past their defenders and came into the box. His angle was poor and Brodie was steaming into the box un marked. Bryce went for the shot and it was wide and the pass was on. The rovers kept up the dominace with Shaheen not able to live with Bryce. Brodie robbed the fulll back moments later and played in Bryce who had his shot charged down by the goalie, again his angle was difficult. Another good move from Gibbs to Brodie to Bryce saw the strikers third one on one foiled. Gibbsy had a good shot from distance. Kieran then made a clever in the box only to be completely tripped up, the ref was right on the spot but waived it away. I suppose their was a bit of justice in that decision as a potential Rovers handball in the box by stand in center back Lawton also was turned down by the ref. Nigel hit a free kick over the bar, while Kieran juggled one to himself but the goalie saved reasonably well in this case
Little Joe was doing well at right back however Shaheen's only move of the game came down that side. Their tricky winger played a good ball down their left and the forward crossed the ball with the oustide of his boot to striker who had an easy tap in past Ben. The Rovers couldn't believe. Of course, two players, just like in the last game, celebrated by leaving the field of play.
The Rovers continued to dominate but when into the half 1-0 down.
The second half was more of the same. Shaheen couldn't live with Bryce, his runs taking them right at the goalies mouth, and they were resorted to cruel challenges on him, most of the time he avoided them to find himself one on one with the keeper. Bryce rounded the keeper after Jose played him through but he couldn't pull the back into the empty net. Brodie missed a sitter after a good cross by Kieran, He should have taken another touch and put the ball on his right foot, instead hitting the ball with his weaker left. Brodie again went over the bar moments later and his third attempt, was a weak shot that left the goalie untroubled. Brodie hit the bar with a cross/cum shot that Eoin almost scored from the rebound. Finally the Rovers got the break. A great free kick was floated in to find Nigel on the end of. Nigels got his head on it and placed the ball over the keeper. Jose almost won it when his header hit the post and was cleared off the line. The little Spaniard was in fine form creating as he does best.
Shaheen looked dangerous at times on the counter, the Rovers were so on top, by Jonathan, Curt and Cameron/Joe and Eoin did well to stop any threats.
The Rovers can't wait for the third and final meeting between these clubs.
MOM; Byrce, didn't score but worked so damm hard for the entire match and caused Shaheen so many problems. Honarable mention goes to myself..should have scored but actually played well for a change
Pitch: Size is perfect for the Rovers. not to big and not to small (which is what she said)
Ref: Thin skinned little shit.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Rovers 2 Maritimo 1
The preparation for the Rovers v Maritmo match could only be described as poor. The Rovers normal Wednesday training session never happened so it had been a full 7 days before the Rovers had touched a ball. The Gaffer was a last minute scratch due to his son having to go the hospital with a possible case of the swine flu (sounds like a dodgy excuse to me). Jonathan of the Asian persuasion was woken from his REM sleep at 8:22 by the stand in gaffer Brodie.
The Rovers kicked off with 10 players, Paulie joining the action about two minutes into the start of the match. The Rovers had beaten Maritimo 1-0 at their place when Jonathan (Asian) scored a whopper of a free kick and I believe the Rovers thought they might walk this game on a bigger pitch. The match started out that way with the Rovers dominating all of the ball. Paulie first action came straight away as he entered the field to take a corner. His ball was fantastic and it eluded every one and found an un-marked Larson at the back post. Larson did well, he took a touch and hammered it goal ward. Some how the ball hit the top of the cross bar and went away from danger. Paulie hooked the ball back in but the Rovers couldn’t get on the end of it and the danger was gone for the moment.
Maritmo started to get into the game a bit more and a tricky left winger that was full of pace. Joe Calvey was doing a good job on him, not letting him turn and have a run at him but he was always a danger man. Jose, Bryce and Paulie were pushing forward, which left Brodie Larson and Kieran in to hold the midfield, Larson and Kieran did a fine job of holding the center of the park, as that was a brand new central partnership. Jonathan and Jon were doing a great job winning high balls and using the ball as it came down to them. This is an area that has improved so much this year, both of them are footballers first and defenders second. This was very evident when Jon played a fantastic ball to larson down the right side, but his cross just did not get by the first man to the waiting Paulie. Overall Maritimo did not have many chances but did have a few free kicks that were well wide. Brodie and Lawton were having a good deal of joy down the left side, with Bryce the main outlet. Asian Jonathan came on for Brodie with 5 minutes to go in the half and the score ended up 0-0 at half time.
Joe Calvey asked to be replace so Erik Larson came in at right back with Kieran and Asian Jonathan in the center. Jose moved back to the holding role and this move paid instant dividends. The poor passing that the Rovers displayed in the first half went way and the Rovers got on the front foot. Jose was instrumental in this as was Kieran. Kieran was a touch off the boil in the second half but made up for it with a fine second half display. The Rovers took the lead on something out of nothing. Jon played a high ball over the top that found paulie near the end line. Paulie, at pace, skipped inside a challenge, the next defender was left for dead and paulie’s sweet left footed shot went near post past the keeper. It was a very well taken goal
The moment of the match came from the kick off. With many of the rovers players still celebrating Maritimo’s best player, Rafa hit a shot some 55 yards. Ben was forced to tip this over the top and thank god he was alert to the danger. It was some effort. He rovers had a fantastic chance just 5 minutes later to double the lead. Jon played a ball to Brodie who actually passed it a team mate, Jose fed bryce and bryce chipped the ball into paulie. The big defender went through paulie in the air and won the ball. No one really appealed for pk but the ref gave and up stepped paulie who hammered it high just off the cross bar and over. Game on. With 15 minutes to go Larson came off for Cameron and Brodie came off for Calvey.
This match report had other commitments but what I understand Maritimo scored against the run of play and that the ball should have been cleared a few times but they beat the offside trap with 10 minutes to go. With time ticking down Asian Jonathan picked up a lose ball and played a perfectly weighted ball to Captain fantastic a.k.a Curt Lawton who hammered in a shot from 37 yards (some say 30, some say 40) but either way the celebrations that occurred after the ball rattled the back of the net we memorable. What a great way to win it and it couldn’t have happened to a more consistent Rovers performer and great team mate.
MOM: Lawton, when you score the winner with a few to go you are the MOM
Pitch: huge
Ref: actually not the bad minus Bryce’s yellow card which was a joke
Quote of the day: He stuck his boot up my asshole, Larson to the ref which is what got him booked.
The Rovers kicked off with 10 players, Paulie joining the action about two minutes into the start of the match. The Rovers had beaten Maritimo 1-0 at their place when Jonathan (Asian) scored a whopper of a free kick and I believe the Rovers thought they might walk this game on a bigger pitch. The match started out that way with the Rovers dominating all of the ball. Paulie first action came straight away as he entered the field to take a corner. His ball was fantastic and it eluded every one and found an un-marked Larson at the back post. Larson did well, he took a touch and hammered it goal ward. Some how the ball hit the top of the cross bar and went away from danger. Paulie hooked the ball back in but the Rovers couldn’t get on the end of it and the danger was gone for the moment.
Maritmo started to get into the game a bit more and a tricky left winger that was full of pace. Joe Calvey was doing a good job on him, not letting him turn and have a run at him but he was always a danger man. Jose, Bryce and Paulie were pushing forward, which left Brodie Larson and Kieran in to hold the midfield, Larson and Kieran did a fine job of holding the center of the park, as that was a brand new central partnership. Jonathan and Jon were doing a great job winning high balls and using the ball as it came down to them. This is an area that has improved so much this year, both of them are footballers first and defenders second. This was very evident when Jon played a fantastic ball to larson down the right side, but his cross just did not get by the first man to the waiting Paulie. Overall Maritimo did not have many chances but did have a few free kicks that were well wide. Brodie and Lawton were having a good deal of joy down the left side, with Bryce the main outlet. Asian Jonathan came on for Brodie with 5 minutes to go in the half and the score ended up 0-0 at half time.
Joe Calvey asked to be replace so Erik Larson came in at right back with Kieran and Asian Jonathan in the center. Jose moved back to the holding role and this move paid instant dividends. The poor passing that the Rovers displayed in the first half went way and the Rovers got on the front foot. Jose was instrumental in this as was Kieran. Kieran was a touch off the boil in the second half but made up for it with a fine second half display. The Rovers took the lead on something out of nothing. Jon played a high ball over the top that found paulie near the end line. Paulie, at pace, skipped inside a challenge, the next defender was left for dead and paulie’s sweet left footed shot went near post past the keeper. It was a very well taken goal
The moment of the match came from the kick off. With many of the rovers players still celebrating Maritimo’s best player, Rafa hit a shot some 55 yards. Ben was forced to tip this over the top and thank god he was alert to the danger. It was some effort. He rovers had a fantastic chance just 5 minutes later to double the lead. Jon played a ball to Brodie who actually passed it a team mate, Jose fed bryce and bryce chipped the ball into paulie. The big defender went through paulie in the air and won the ball. No one really appealed for pk but the ref gave and up stepped paulie who hammered it high just off the cross bar and over. Game on. With 15 minutes to go Larson came off for Cameron and Brodie came off for Calvey.
This match report had other commitments but what I understand Maritimo scored against the run of play and that the ball should have been cleared a few times but they beat the offside trap with 10 minutes to go. With time ticking down Asian Jonathan picked up a lose ball and played a perfectly weighted ball to Captain fantastic a.k.a Curt Lawton who hammered in a shot from 37 yards (some say 30, some say 40) but either way the celebrations that occurred after the ball rattled the back of the net we memorable. What a great way to win it and it couldn’t have happened to a more consistent Rovers performer and great team mate.
MOM: Lawton, when you score the winner with a few to go you are the MOM
Pitch: huge
Ref: actually not the bad minus Bryce’s yellow card which was a joke
Quote of the day: He stuck his boot up my asshole, Larson to the ref which is what got him booked.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Rovers 0 SSF 0
Picking out a goal of the year candidate at the Rovers end of the season party will not be to difficult if the season continues in this vain. The survey house that collects the goal of the season data won't need to make a list of all the goals scored as everyone will have committed each goal to memory for there as been so few scored this season.
This weekend result, a 0-0 tussle with SSF showed over the Rover's strength's and weaknesses. The Rover's back 5 was very solid, Joe, Jonathan, Eric and Curt all had very solid defensive games with Ben excelling in the goal with two fantastic saves. The back five was well protected by GIbbs but the Rovers just got not get going offensively. Sure the Rovers created some fantastic opportunities in this match, but on most occasions they failed to get the shot on target. The best chance of the opening exchanges fell to Brodie, who could not score in a brother at the moment. Brodie's cross found the hand of a SSF player and the ref actually got one right as he gave the Rovers a free kick just outside the box. The Rovers actually mixed i tup a bit and let Curt have a shot. His daisy cutter deflected off the wall and it hit the keeper. The bouncing ball fell to Brodie who should have made some contact with the ball but he whiffed. He did regain control and knock it back to Gibbsy's feet who shot over with his shin, the ball taking a horrible bounce on the way. The next Rovers chance fell to Jose, Curt played a perfect ball over the top of the SSF defense. With the goalie charging out Jose only had to lift the ball over the keeper but his left was well wide of the target.
Paulie was introduced after 25 minutes for Nigel and this galvanized the Rovers attack. SSF struggled to live Paulie's movement across the backline. Paulie got the ball down the right side and played a clever ball to Jose. Jose was first to the stop, the SSF defender clattered through Jose's legs, the lino put his flag up..the ref waived play on. Horrific decision from my view point.
SSF were not with out chances. Erik and John made some fantastic challenges while Joe snuffed out a two on one with a fantastic goal saving tackle. Joe is having a good season.
Rovers went into the break 0-0 but were the superior team. The second half did not have the required results as SSF came more into the game and had the better chances. The Rovers best chances were from Paulie's corner's with Jon R missing a great chance on goal with a header. Jose had another good opportunity to play in Paulie but his he held on to it to long. Ben was quick off his line moments later as SSF caught the Rovers on the counter attack, somehow the SSF player passed his shot wide of the target.
With the clock ticking down Brodie held on to the ball far to long again after a 30 yard run..he should have played in the ex-gaffer. Ben then made a fantastic save to tip away a last minute shot. The ref signalled 3 minutes of injury time and two fantastic chances were still ahead. In minute 92 the ref said Curt obstructed a player in the box, awarding a free kick 12 yards from goal,on the side. The chip found an un marked player at the back post, but he whiffed. Brodie played a long ball to Paulie who flicked it over to Bryce. With the clock ticking down Bryce was on the move but the SSF defender made a last second one on one tackle to prevent a clear goal scoring opportunity.
MOM: Ben again, made some fantastic saves and his distribution (minus one kick) was great; honorable mention to Little Joe
Pitch: very poor, bumpy and did not do the Rovers any favors
Ref: the linesman were decent but the ref was shite
This weekend result, a 0-0 tussle with SSF showed over the Rover's strength's and weaknesses. The Rover's back 5 was very solid, Joe, Jonathan, Eric and Curt all had very solid defensive games with Ben excelling in the goal with two fantastic saves. The back five was well protected by GIbbs but the Rovers just got not get going offensively. Sure the Rovers created some fantastic opportunities in this match, but on most occasions they failed to get the shot on target. The best chance of the opening exchanges fell to Brodie, who could not score in a brother at the moment. Brodie's cross found the hand of a SSF player and the ref actually got one right as he gave the Rovers a free kick just outside the box. The Rovers actually mixed i tup a bit and let Curt have a shot. His daisy cutter deflected off the wall and it hit the keeper. The bouncing ball fell to Brodie who should have made some contact with the ball but he whiffed. He did regain control and knock it back to Gibbsy's feet who shot over with his shin, the ball taking a horrible bounce on the way. The next Rovers chance fell to Jose, Curt played a perfect ball over the top of the SSF defense. With the goalie charging out Jose only had to lift the ball over the keeper but his left was well wide of the target.
Paulie was introduced after 25 minutes for Nigel and this galvanized the Rovers attack. SSF struggled to live Paulie's movement across the backline. Paulie got the ball down the right side and played a clever ball to Jose. Jose was first to the stop, the SSF defender clattered through Jose's legs, the lino put his flag up..the ref waived play on. Horrific decision from my view point.
SSF were not with out chances. Erik and John made some fantastic challenges while Joe snuffed out a two on one with a fantastic goal saving tackle. Joe is having a good season.
Rovers went into the break 0-0 but were the superior team. The second half did not have the required results as SSF came more into the game and had the better chances. The Rovers best chances were from Paulie's corner's with Jon R missing a great chance on goal with a header. Jose had another good opportunity to play in Paulie but his he held on to it to long. Ben was quick off his line moments later as SSF caught the Rovers on the counter attack, somehow the SSF player passed his shot wide of the target.
With the clock ticking down Brodie held on to the ball far to long again after a 30 yard run..he should have played in the ex-gaffer. Ben then made a fantastic save to tip away a last minute shot. The ref signalled 3 minutes of injury time and two fantastic chances were still ahead. In minute 92 the ref said Curt obstructed a player in the box, awarding a free kick 12 yards from goal,on the side. The chip found an un marked player at the back post, but he whiffed. Brodie played a long ball to Paulie who flicked it over to Bryce. With the clock ticking down Bryce was on the move but the SSF defender made a last second one on one tackle to prevent a clear goal scoring opportunity.
MOM: Ben again, made some fantastic saves and his distribution (minus one kick) was great; honorable mention to Little Joe
Pitch: very poor, bumpy and did not do the Rovers any favors
Ref: the linesman were decent but the ref was shite
Friday, November 6, 2009
Rovers 1 Sporting 4
Super Busy week for this match reporter so forgive the length of this match report. Well that was a pretty enjoyable 4-1 defeat at the hands of the league leaders. Losing is never fun, but the Rovers showed so much determination and with a little bit of finishing skills they could have over turned Sporting.
The Rovers has a fantastic chance to take a shock lead inside of 3 minutes but that chance fell to the wrong person. Bryce beat his man down the left and his cross found the flying 41 one year old legs of Brodie. Brodie, un-marked 7 yards from goal hit the ball on the bouce but it went horribly wide but this was a sign of chances to come. Paulie had a fantastic effort touched over from a free kick. Moments later, after one of the many fouls Jose received, Brodie whipped in a free kick that Bryce almost got on the end of. They simply could not live with the little Spainard. Of course the opening exchanges were not totally one sided. The defense back 4 of Eric, Jonathan, John and Curt were doing a great job of keeping their skilful forwras at bay, when they did aroudn the back Ben was on hand to take the sting out of any shots. Eoin and Mark were hustling them out of the middfield and they were getting very frustrated. colin hit a fantastic effort just before teh break, probably his best shot of the year, however their goalie did well to parry out the shot. Colin got hurt moments later.Their best chance came when their forward found some space going into our box. Curt almost pulled him down but let him go on and he his his shot very wide after ben was closing down his angle. At halftime the score was 0-0 and the Rovers were in.
Moments after the restart the Rovers foudn themselves 1-0 after some very dodgy assistant referee decisions. The Sporting player went down in a heap after tripping himself just outside the box. The assistant ref waived his flag like a mad man. The wrong decision. The ref should have been stronger as he did not blow for it but he gave it. Then as the freee kick was whipped in the ball the ref pointed to the spot as Kieran brought down his man. I didn't see it personally but Kieran said he didn't do much... The pk was scored with ease. 15 minutes later the Rovers found themselves 2-0 down. A fluke deflection off the managers legs avoided Ben and the Rovers under normal circumstances might have been out of it. Eoin got injured and on came Brodie. Calvey replaced the impressive Larson who made the tackle of the first half by sliding his man and geting all the ball. The Rovers started to get back into the match, Paulie was causing them all kinds of problems up top. the Rovers pulled a goal back as Brodie fed Paulie down the right wing. His pull back cross foudn the always running Bryce who had a simple tap in, however Bryce must have made up 15 yards to get to the ball. Brodie missed a glorious chance to play in Cameron,his toe poke shot going horribly wide. Jose tried his luck from distance after skinning 3 of their players, his 20 yard effort hit very wide. Cameron cut in from the left and his shot just went wide. The Rovers were pressing and pressing for the equalizer but they were hit on the break by the killler third goal with 10 to go. Nothing anyone could do..they are a good side and the thread rule pass played in their man who calmly slotted the ball home. The Rovers continued to push for a second and were hit again with just minutes to go by another counter attack goal. 4-1 was not a true reflection on the game.
MOM: Jose, pure class
Ref: he was decent but the AR on the far side is a muppet
Quote of the day. Ref;;;here is the eval form..Brodie...don't bother we all ready know what we are going to write..or something like that
The Rovers has a fantastic chance to take a shock lead inside of 3 minutes but that chance fell to the wrong person. Bryce beat his man down the left and his cross found the flying 41 one year old legs of Brodie. Brodie, un-marked 7 yards from goal hit the ball on the bouce but it went horribly wide but this was a sign of chances to come. Paulie had a fantastic effort touched over from a free kick. Moments later, after one of the many fouls Jose received, Brodie whipped in a free kick that Bryce almost got on the end of. They simply could not live with the little Spainard. Of course the opening exchanges were not totally one sided. The defense back 4 of Eric, Jonathan, John and Curt were doing a great job of keeping their skilful forwras at bay, when they did aroudn the back Ben was on hand to take the sting out of any shots. Eoin and Mark were hustling them out of the middfield and they were getting very frustrated. colin hit a fantastic effort just before teh break, probably his best shot of the year, however their goalie did well to parry out the shot. Colin got hurt moments later.Their best chance came when their forward found some space going into our box. Curt almost pulled him down but let him go on and he his his shot very wide after ben was closing down his angle. At halftime the score was 0-0 and the Rovers were in.
Moments after the restart the Rovers foudn themselves 1-0 after some very dodgy assistant referee decisions. The Sporting player went down in a heap after tripping himself just outside the box. The assistant ref waived his flag like a mad man. The wrong decision. The ref should have been stronger as he did not blow for it but he gave it. Then as the freee kick was whipped in the ball the ref pointed to the spot as Kieran brought down his man. I didn't see it personally but Kieran said he didn't do much... The pk was scored with ease. 15 minutes later the Rovers found themselves 2-0 down. A fluke deflection off the managers legs avoided Ben and the Rovers under normal circumstances might have been out of it. Eoin got injured and on came Brodie. Calvey replaced the impressive Larson who made the tackle of the first half by sliding his man and geting all the ball. The Rovers started to get back into the match, Paulie was causing them all kinds of problems up top. the Rovers pulled a goal back as Brodie fed Paulie down the right wing. His pull back cross foudn the always running Bryce who had a simple tap in, however Bryce must have made up 15 yards to get to the ball. Brodie missed a glorious chance to play in Cameron,his toe poke shot going horribly wide. Jose tried his luck from distance after skinning 3 of their players, his 20 yard effort hit very wide. Cameron cut in from the left and his shot just went wide. The Rovers were pressing and pressing for the equalizer but they were hit on the break by the killler third goal with 10 to go. Nothing anyone could do..they are a good side and the thread rule pass played in their man who calmly slotted the ball home. The Rovers continued to push for a second and were hit again with just minutes to go by another counter attack goal. 4-1 was not a true reflection on the game.
MOM: Jose, pure class
Ref: he was decent but the AR on the far side is a muppet
Quote of the day. Ref;;;here is the eval form..Brodie...don't bother we all ready know what we are going to write..or something like that
Monday, October 19, 2009
Rovers 0 Sunnyvale 3
The Rovers good run of start to the season came to end in a a very difficult match against Sunnyvale. This is Sunnyvale's sixth consecutive win against the Rovers, however the 3-0 score-line did not truly reflect the entire story of the match.
Sunnyvale took their chances and the Rovers did not, all be it with the help of the ref and the assistant referee, and that is what separates winners and losers.
The game started in typical Rovers fashion with the Rovers having an Option A and an Option B lineup waiting on Jonathan to show up on time. The other Jonathan was unlucky that defender Jonathan did show up at 1pm and he was replaced before the start of the match. Colin was another change in the Rovers back line with him getting a start at right back. Bryce kicked off to Brodie who thought he would play it back to Colin to give him an early touch. This early touch almost provided to be a disaster as Colin played the ball square across the Rovers back line and it found a Sunnyvale forward. The break was on but Ben did very well to save. Not a great start to the match. In saying that the Rovers did not drop their heads and competed well in the early periods of the match. Jose was holding the ball up well but clearly the Rovers outlet was to play the ball long to Bryce. Short passes between Jose, Mark, Brodie and Eoin were working well and Eoin's man marking on Nino was also effective. Paulie was isolated on the left flank but when he did get the ball he looked to be a lively option.
Larson was in the middle with Jonathan and they both did a fine job of playing smart balls out of the back. The game was really interesting and was being played at a fast pace, Sunnyvale's passing from the back was exceptional at times. The Ref and assistant reff continued to miss very basic decisions. Gibbsy played in a high ball from a free kick. the Sunnyvlae player headed it out, throw to sunnyvale...many of these went against the Rovers but they kept their heads pretty well. The Rovers had the best chance of the opening 30 minutes when Brodie and Jose had a nice interchange. Brodie played it to Mark who found Bryce down the right flank. Bryce headed the ball to Paulie who only had the goalie to beat. Paulie hit it well but the goalie did well to close down the angle and made a good save. Sunnyvale immediately responded with a string of Corners. during one of the corners Cameron made a nice play as he carried the ball away from the goal. His ball found Paulie who cleverly held the ball up. Paulie turned and played a great 30 yard ball to Colin who flicked the ball down the wing to Bryce who was away. Again, Bryce was away and his speed carried him into a one on one with the goalie. Bryce took his shot well but the goalie made a very smart save. Minutes later, with the half winding down, another series of corners resulted in a the first goal of the match. Nino whipped the ball in with his sweet left foot and was met in the air by one of Sunnyvale's big men. The Rovers went into the half 1-0 down.
For the most part the team talk centered around that fact that we were doing pretty well and that we needed to keep going. The Rovers started off the half pretty well with Colin doing a fine job ion the right side and Bryce over on the left. Jose returned to the top with the tiring Jonathan off again. Colin tried a pot shot from 40 yards then was unlucky to go wide, jose tried one of his famous chips but the distance of 20 yards was just to great for the little Spaniard. One of the turning points came when Colin played in a high ball and the Rovers had men forward. In the tussle for the ball a Sunnyvale caught the ball, with both hands, for a split second and then dropped it. A basketball player would have been proud. The ref waived played on and said later it was "ball to hand" to which I said you mean ball to hands...Muppet.
20 minutes gone in the second half and the game changed for the worse from a Rovers perspective. A Sunnyvale player beat Jonathan and then went inside of Curt. Curt had no choice to pull his shorts, which he did, the player went on and had a great shot which ben saved well. The lino made his only decision of the day signalling for a pk. The ref, even though playing advantage blew back up for the pk which the sunnyvale player slotted home. At this point the game seemed beyond Rovers but Eoin rallied the troops and the Rovers went out to get a goal. Bryce was tripped up after one of Brodie's only good passes of the day, but the ball fell to jose who had his shot saved, it was another call that went against them. Colin had another good shoot that just fizzed past the post, while Curt played in a fantastic cross that just missed mark's head by a hair. Curt was having an inspired time in the second half, getting forwards and back, the only blemish being the 2nd goal but it was hardly his fault. Sunnyvale added to their tally with a scrappy goal the Rovers had a few chances to clear. At 3-0 Curt found himself lucky to be on the pitch has he fouled another played on goal, this time no yellow card was shown and the free kick was just outside of the box.
Sunnyvale are annoyingly good side, with no one more annoying that the first class of a cunt of a left back. Seriously someone needs to do him.
MOM: Ben kept us in the game was some great saves and his kicking/distribution was first class. Honorable mention to Eoin who did a great job on Nino, Bryce for his tireless running and Erik for continuing to play through the pain!
REF: we didnt' get any breaks. i.e see beach ball but at least we didn't argue much
Pitch: AT 41 it's to big at times
Sunnyvale took their chances and the Rovers did not, all be it with the help of the ref and the assistant referee, and that is what separates winners and losers.
The game started in typical Rovers fashion with the Rovers having an Option A and an Option B lineup waiting on Jonathan to show up on time. The other Jonathan was unlucky that defender Jonathan did show up at 1pm and he was replaced before the start of the match. Colin was another change in the Rovers back line with him getting a start at right back. Bryce kicked off to Brodie who thought he would play it back to Colin to give him an early touch. This early touch almost provided to be a disaster as Colin played the ball square across the Rovers back line and it found a Sunnyvale forward. The break was on but Ben did very well to save. Not a great start to the match. In saying that the Rovers did not drop their heads and competed well in the early periods of the match. Jose was holding the ball up well but clearly the Rovers outlet was to play the ball long to Bryce. Short passes between Jose, Mark, Brodie and Eoin were working well and Eoin's man marking on Nino was also effective. Paulie was isolated on the left flank but when he did get the ball he looked to be a lively option.
Larson was in the middle with Jonathan and they both did a fine job of playing smart balls out of the back. The game was really interesting and was being played at a fast pace, Sunnyvale's passing from the back was exceptional at times. The Ref and assistant reff continued to miss very basic decisions. Gibbsy played in a high ball from a free kick. the Sunnyvlae player headed it out, throw to sunnyvale...many of these went against the Rovers but they kept their heads pretty well. The Rovers had the best chance of the opening 30 minutes when Brodie and Jose had a nice interchange. Brodie played it to Mark who found Bryce down the right flank. Bryce headed the ball to Paulie who only had the goalie to beat. Paulie hit it well but the goalie did well to close down the angle and made a good save. Sunnyvale immediately responded with a string of Corners. during one of the corners Cameron made a nice play as he carried the ball away from the goal. His ball found Paulie who cleverly held the ball up. Paulie turned and played a great 30 yard ball to Colin who flicked the ball down the wing to Bryce who was away. Again, Bryce was away and his speed carried him into a one on one with the goalie. Bryce took his shot well but the goalie made a very smart save. Minutes later, with the half winding down, another series of corners resulted in a the first goal of the match. Nino whipped the ball in with his sweet left foot and was met in the air by one of Sunnyvale's big men. The Rovers went into the half 1-0 down.
For the most part the team talk centered around that fact that we were doing pretty well and that we needed to keep going. The Rovers started off the half pretty well with Colin doing a fine job ion the right side and Bryce over on the left. Jose returned to the top with the tiring Jonathan off again. Colin tried a pot shot from 40 yards then was unlucky to go wide, jose tried one of his famous chips but the distance of 20 yards was just to great for the little Spaniard. One of the turning points came when Colin played in a high ball and the Rovers had men forward. In the tussle for the ball a Sunnyvale caught the ball, with both hands, for a split second and then dropped it. A basketball player would have been proud. The ref waived played on and said later it was "ball to hand" to which I said you mean ball to hands...Muppet.
20 minutes gone in the second half and the game changed for the worse from a Rovers perspective. A Sunnyvale player beat Jonathan and then went inside of Curt. Curt had no choice to pull his shorts, which he did, the player went on and had a great shot which ben saved well. The lino made his only decision of the day signalling for a pk. The ref, even though playing advantage blew back up for the pk which the sunnyvale player slotted home. At this point the game seemed beyond Rovers but Eoin rallied the troops and the Rovers went out to get a goal. Bryce was tripped up after one of Brodie's only good passes of the day, but the ball fell to jose who had his shot saved, it was another call that went against them. Colin had another good shoot that just fizzed past the post, while Curt played in a fantastic cross that just missed mark's head by a hair. Curt was having an inspired time in the second half, getting forwards and back, the only blemish being the 2nd goal but it was hardly his fault. Sunnyvale added to their tally with a scrappy goal the Rovers had a few chances to clear. At 3-0 Curt found himself lucky to be on the pitch has he fouled another played on goal, this time no yellow card was shown and the free kick was just outside of the box.
Sunnyvale are annoyingly good side, with no one more annoying that the first class of a cunt of a left back. Seriously someone needs to do him.
MOM: Ben kept us in the game was some great saves and his kicking/distribution was first class. Honorable mention to Eoin who did a great job on Nino, Bryce for his tireless running and Erik for continuing to play through the pain!
REF: we didnt' get any breaks. i.e see beach ball but at least we didn't argue much
Pitch: AT 41 it's to big at times
Friday, October 16, 2009
Trabia 1 Rovers 2
Sunday Night football was back for the Rovers Soccer Club as they battled Trabia FC at 8:15 on the turf at Mayfield Park. The Rovers had won 2 of their first 3 matches and the league seems to be pretty even this year with Sporting seeming to be the best team so far. The rovers needed a result in the match to keep pace with the rest of the league.
The Rovers were missing Jonathan, you most have been very disappointed to have to wait an additional weak to make up for that howler last week, in an otherwise very impressive performance. Joe Calvey was also out with a combination of shin and ciggy splints. Joe giving up his right back slot to the versatile Cameron. In the middle Jon and Erik with Curt flanking them on the left. Across the middle Kieran and the manager started off with Eoin going to bench after showing up two minutes prior to kick off (apparently he forgot to set his alarm for the p.m kick off). Across the middle the spanish jose, with colin and brodie on the flanks. Asian Jonathan was asked to lead the line.
The Rovers started off very strong as the game was played at a frantic pace. This pitch is small so neither time had any time on the ball but the best chance in the opening stages fell to Asian Jonathan who sliced his chance horribly wide, after a clever build up play by Mark and Jose. The Gaffer was winning every challenge in the middle of the park and Colin was heavily involved in the attack with the right wing pretty much being ignored. Jose had many chances to play the ball wide but the little spaniard kept choosing the wrong ball. Jonathan had a chance with a free kick but it struck the wall.
Paulie, who thought the kick of was 8:30,showed up just at kick off at replaced Jonathan up top. Jonathan did well but Paulie's running off the ball changed the game. It was pretty much all one way traffic at this point except when Erik brought down their player 25 yards from goal.The free kick came to nothing but it was a scare for Rovers. Larson was booked for his troubles. The break though came around the 30 minute mark. Eoin had a wide open Brodie on the right but his ball was hit into the air and Brodie headed it on into the danger area. Paulie kept going and the Trabia big defender head the ball past the advancing keeper. The ball was rolling into an empty net but Paulie was on-hand to make sure it had no problems going in. He will never have an easier goal. The Rovers continued to dominate the half with out creating to many chances. Probably the best chance came from well worked short corner between Brodie and Paulie, with the ex manager unlucky to score. The best chance of the half for Trabia is when Jon was judged to have obstructed a Trabia player in the box, the resulting fee kick was headed over the ball from 5 yards. A better header of the ball would have scored
At half-time Brodie and Kieran came off and Jonathan and Colin came back on the flanks. 5 minutes into the half, with Senior Brodie telling Jose to get into the box, the little Spaniard did just that and kidded the big Trabia full back. The tackle came in, the ref was well placed, and the player clipped Jose's feet not getting the ball, a stone wall pk somehow the ref yelled play on. A few moments later the came changed when a clear hand ball by Trabia was not seen, with the Rovers stopping in the middle of the field for a split second. A wonderful through ball was played and the bearded man in the attack took on Ben and took his goal well. Somehow the Rovers had managed to throw away their commanding position.
Brodie and Kieran entered the game with 25 minutes to go and immediately Brodie changed the game with his mouth rather then his boots. Their number 10 did about 3 Ronaldo step overs and Brodie kicked the ball away from him. Brodie commented that he is not going by him and the #10 took exception. He pushed Brodie over 3 different times, with the third one being seen by the Ref. The ref had no hesitation and showed him a straight red card. Trabia was down to 10 men. With 10 to go Jon Regala played a high ball into Brodie's head. His flick on found the always running Paulie. The goalie came out and Paulie went round him. With the goalie out of his goal Paulie brought the ball back onto his left foot and chipped the ball towards the goal. Their was a bit of scramble with Colin claiming the goal but this match reporter did not see who got the final touch so Paulie is getting the goal. The Rovers saw out the last 10 minutes and should have increased their lead with Colin having some great chances to play in Paulie but the final ball did not quite come off. Off the pub at 1015 on a Sunday night with the third win out of four
MOM: The Gaffer..unlucky for Paulie not to get but Mark was excellent minus his ongoing conversation with the ref. His tackling was first rate.
REF: Two mind boggling restarts and a clear missed pk but he got the red card correct
pitch. fast and small.
Quote of the day: Larson, "we are regular ambassadors of good will"
The Rovers were missing Jonathan, you most have been very disappointed to have to wait an additional weak to make up for that howler last week, in an otherwise very impressive performance. Joe Calvey was also out with a combination of shin and ciggy splints. Joe giving up his right back slot to the versatile Cameron. In the middle Jon and Erik with Curt flanking them on the left. Across the middle Kieran and the manager started off with Eoin going to bench after showing up two minutes prior to kick off (apparently he forgot to set his alarm for the p.m kick off). Across the middle the spanish jose, with colin and brodie on the flanks. Asian Jonathan was asked to lead the line.
The Rovers started off very strong as the game was played at a frantic pace. This pitch is small so neither time had any time on the ball but the best chance in the opening stages fell to Asian Jonathan who sliced his chance horribly wide, after a clever build up play by Mark and Jose. The Gaffer was winning every challenge in the middle of the park and Colin was heavily involved in the attack with the right wing pretty much being ignored. Jose had many chances to play the ball wide but the little spaniard kept choosing the wrong ball. Jonathan had a chance with a free kick but it struck the wall.
Paulie, who thought the kick of was 8:30,showed up just at kick off at replaced Jonathan up top. Jonathan did well but Paulie's running off the ball changed the game. It was pretty much all one way traffic at this point except when Erik brought down their player 25 yards from goal.The free kick came to nothing but it was a scare for Rovers. Larson was booked for his troubles. The break though came around the 30 minute mark. Eoin had a wide open Brodie on the right but his ball was hit into the air and Brodie headed it on into the danger area. Paulie kept going and the Trabia big defender head the ball past the advancing keeper. The ball was rolling into an empty net but Paulie was on-hand to make sure it had no problems going in. He will never have an easier goal. The Rovers continued to dominate the half with out creating to many chances. Probably the best chance came from well worked short corner between Brodie and Paulie, with the ex manager unlucky to score. The best chance of the half for Trabia is when Jon was judged to have obstructed a Trabia player in the box, the resulting fee kick was headed over the ball from 5 yards. A better header of the ball would have scored
At half-time Brodie and Kieran came off and Jonathan and Colin came back on the flanks. 5 minutes into the half, with Senior Brodie telling Jose to get into the box, the little Spaniard did just that and kidded the big Trabia full back. The tackle came in, the ref was well placed, and the player clipped Jose's feet not getting the ball, a stone wall pk somehow the ref yelled play on. A few moments later the came changed when a clear hand ball by Trabia was not seen, with the Rovers stopping in the middle of the field for a split second. A wonderful through ball was played and the bearded man in the attack took on Ben and took his goal well. Somehow the Rovers had managed to throw away their commanding position.
Brodie and Kieran entered the game with 25 minutes to go and immediately Brodie changed the game with his mouth rather then his boots. Their number 10 did about 3 Ronaldo step overs and Brodie kicked the ball away from him. Brodie commented that he is not going by him and the #10 took exception. He pushed Brodie over 3 different times, with the third one being seen by the Ref. The ref had no hesitation and showed him a straight red card. Trabia was down to 10 men. With 10 to go Jon Regala played a high ball into Brodie's head. His flick on found the always running Paulie. The goalie came out and Paulie went round him. With the goalie out of his goal Paulie brought the ball back onto his left foot and chipped the ball towards the goal. Their was a bit of scramble with Colin claiming the goal but this match reporter did not see who got the final touch so Paulie is getting the goal. The Rovers saw out the last 10 minutes and should have increased their lead with Colin having some great chances to play in Paulie but the final ball did not quite come off. Off the pub at 1015 on a Sunday night with the third win out of four
MOM: The Gaffer..unlucky for Paulie not to get but Mark was excellent minus his ongoing conversation with the ref. His tackling was first rate.
REF: Two mind boggling restarts and a clear missed pk but he got the red card correct
pitch. fast and small.
Quote of the day: Larson, "we are regular ambassadors of good will"
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Rovers 0 Shaheen 1
The Rovers Soccer Club took on the Premier Leagues new boys Shaheen in a much anticipated match up. The Rovers were off to their best start since the 1989-90 season when they went 3 consecutive games with out defeat. The Rovers felt that if they could win this game the "promotion" word would start to gain momentum with the supporters and management. The Rovers were buoyed by the news that Erik Larson was returning from injury and that Gibbsy was missing from today's action because of his a birthday party.
Jonathan (ze Lan) was also a late no show, while Nigel was suffering a reoccurrence of a reoccurrence of a former calf injury. Defender Jonathan made a surprise appearance two minutes from kick off to secure the back-line. Stand in manager Paulie originally lined up with an aggressive 3 4 3 lineup as it looked like Shaheen would only start the match with 8 players. As the ref continued to delay kick off for reasons only known to himself two more players joined and we went back to our standard lineup. Shaheen eventually did have 11 players midway through the first half.
The three out of the four best chances from this match fell to Shaheen but if they kept a possession statistic in the PSL the Rovers dominated all of the ball and all of the territory advantage. The majority of the game was played in the Shaheen half but you don't get rewarded for having the ball in soccer, You get rewarded for putting the ball in the back of the net and currently the Rovers are struggling to do that, with just 3 goals in 3 games.
Shaheen were away inside of the first 6 minutes after one of the Rovers only defensive mistakes of the day but Ben did very well in a one on one situation and the balance of play shifted again to the Rovers. Jose was back to his magnificent best as he was finding acres of room playing behind the lines. Eoin and Kieran were snuffing out the play and finding the wide men with authority. Bryce as having some luck getting the ball and they were struggling to cope with his base. Brodie has a shot that was wide with his left foot after a clever square ball by Colin found him. Colin also drifted to the far post but did not anticipated the missed ball and it went out for a throw in. The Rovers were having all the ball but were struggling to get men forward in the box. Jose was puling the strings but only Bryce and Brodie or Bryce and Colin were forward enough at times and Saheen dealt with the danger pretty comfortably it must be said.
Little Joe was having a great game at right back but the ciggies caught up with him and he needed a break at half time to be replaced by Larson. Brodie also came off for Paulie. More of the same continued with the Rovers having the ball. Colin was awarded a free kick and his shot was closed down by the wall, however the ball spun over the goalies head and Jon seemed certain to score. He was pushed in the back but the ball was cleared off the line and the ref took no action. Bryce was felled in the box moments later and the ref put his whistle in his mouth and again waived away claims. Jon won the header at the back post but missed the target, the big man admitting afterwards he should have scored. Brodie and Kieran had shots from distance that went over and Colin had a fantastic chance to shot from 10 yards but he tried to put the ball on his right foot and his shot was charged down.
The game seemed to going for a 0-0 draw when the ball squirmed through Jonathan's league straight to the Shaheen attacker. He still had a lot of work to do but this time he converted on his one on one chance and Shaeen took the lead against the run of play. In the celebrations a Shaheen player left the field of play which the ref warned him about. Before the kick off the ref took the yellow card out of his pocket..as he did the player said you are not going to send me off for that..so the ref took at his book, realized he had already booked the player and put his card back in his pocket. Surely one of the most comical season by the otherwise decent referee. Their players spent a lot of time on the ground, rolling around in agony, perhaps they had watched Brodie the week prior against Maritimo or Drogba that morning against Liverpool, but for the most part the game was played in a decent spirit.
The Rovers need to improve their goal-scoring exploits if they are going to end their wait for promotion.
MOM: Ben, made two fantastic saves, one in the first few minutes and one after a pile driver shot by little Iniesta, closely followed by the magnificent Spaniard who was sorely missed at the end of the game
REF: Booked Kieran for a nothing tackle but yet their players away with constant dissent and our players away with some hard tackles (see Chris and Paulie). somehow didn't send theplayer off, see above and let the Jon incident in the goal go unpunished. However all that being said, kept up with play well and his assistances were good
Pitch: Big, but the weather was better
Jonathan (ze Lan) was also a late no show, while Nigel was suffering a reoccurrence of a reoccurrence of a former calf injury. Defender Jonathan made a surprise appearance two minutes from kick off to secure the back-line. Stand in manager Paulie originally lined up with an aggressive 3 4 3 lineup as it looked like Shaheen would only start the match with 8 players. As the ref continued to delay kick off for reasons only known to himself two more players joined and we went back to our standard lineup. Shaheen eventually did have 11 players midway through the first half.
The three out of the four best chances from this match fell to Shaheen but if they kept a possession statistic in the PSL the Rovers dominated all of the ball and all of the territory advantage. The majority of the game was played in the Shaheen half but you don't get rewarded for having the ball in soccer, You get rewarded for putting the ball in the back of the net and currently the Rovers are struggling to do that, with just 3 goals in 3 games.
Shaheen were away inside of the first 6 minutes after one of the Rovers only defensive mistakes of the day but Ben did very well in a one on one situation and the balance of play shifted again to the Rovers. Jose was back to his magnificent best as he was finding acres of room playing behind the lines. Eoin and Kieran were snuffing out the play and finding the wide men with authority. Bryce as having some luck getting the ball and they were struggling to cope with his base. Brodie has a shot that was wide with his left foot after a clever square ball by Colin found him. Colin also drifted to the far post but did not anticipated the missed ball and it went out for a throw in. The Rovers were having all the ball but were struggling to get men forward in the box. Jose was puling the strings but only Bryce and Brodie or Bryce and Colin were forward enough at times and Saheen dealt with the danger pretty comfortably it must be said.
Little Joe was having a great game at right back but the ciggies caught up with him and he needed a break at half time to be replaced by Larson. Brodie also came off for Paulie. More of the same continued with the Rovers having the ball. Colin was awarded a free kick and his shot was closed down by the wall, however the ball spun over the goalies head and Jon seemed certain to score. He was pushed in the back but the ball was cleared off the line and the ref took no action. Bryce was felled in the box moments later and the ref put his whistle in his mouth and again waived away claims. Jon won the header at the back post but missed the target, the big man admitting afterwards he should have scored. Brodie and Kieran had shots from distance that went over and Colin had a fantastic chance to shot from 10 yards but he tried to put the ball on his right foot and his shot was charged down.
The game seemed to going for a 0-0 draw when the ball squirmed through Jonathan's league straight to the Shaheen attacker. He still had a lot of work to do but this time he converted on his one on one chance and Shaeen took the lead against the run of play. In the celebrations a Shaheen player left the field of play which the ref warned him about. Before the kick off the ref took the yellow card out of his pocket..as he did the player said you are not going to send me off for that..so the ref took at his book, realized he had already booked the player and put his card back in his pocket. Surely one of the most comical season by the otherwise decent referee. Their players spent a lot of time on the ground, rolling around in agony, perhaps they had watched Brodie the week prior against Maritimo or Drogba that morning against Liverpool, but for the most part the game was played in a decent spirit.
The Rovers need to improve their goal-scoring exploits if they are going to end their wait for promotion.
MOM: Ben, made two fantastic saves, one in the first few minutes and one after a pile driver shot by little Iniesta, closely followed by the magnificent Spaniard who was sorely missed at the end of the game
REF: Booked Kieran for a nothing tackle but yet their players away with constant dissent and our players away with some hard tackles (see Chris and Paulie). somehow didn't send theplayer off, see above and let the Jon incident in the goal go unpunished. However all that being said, kept up with play well and his assistances were good
Pitch: Big, but the weather was better
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Maritimo 0 Rovers 1
Apparently the schedule makers consult Manager Gibbsy prior to making the PSL schedule, a bit like in the Premier League with Ferguson having a look before they are announced, as the Rovers couldn’t have asked for a better first two games to the season with Maritimo the second game of the season.
Now Martimo are not mugs but the Rovers have had their number in recent seasons. The game kicked off at 12 noon under the blistering hot sun. Game time kickoff tempature must have been near 95 degrees. The Rovers started off in a dominant mood. Last year’s new player of the season, Jon Regala returned from international duty in place of the injured Larson at the heart of the Rovers defense. He was joined by Paulie who is a bit of jack of all trades. Joe Calvey made his second start for Rovers at right back, surely he will be looking for a new contract next season if this continues. Captain Lawton was in his usual left back slot. The rest of the team was composed of Brodie, Gibbsy, Eoin and new dad Colin, with Bryce up top alongside the “hole” player Jose.
The Rovers were all over them in the opening stages. With Manager Gibbsy going close twice, once with a pile driver of an effort that the goalie did well to push around the post. The entire first twenty minutes were played in the Maritimo half, except on one occasion when Paulie lost possession on a throw in. Maritmo were away but Paulie didn’t give up the chase and closed his man down. The Rovers won a free kick 35 years from goal on minute 20 and the ball was floated in by Gibbsy to Brodie’s head. The header was in..but somehow the goalie managed to tip it round the post. In the resulting corner Brodie should have done much better in a goal mouth scramble but his shot was over the top.
The Rovers pressure continued when Gibbsy lofted in another ball and he found Colin at the back post. Colin found himself all alone but didn’t connect with the ball. I think Colin was thinking about sucking his thumb in the goal celebration rather then connecting with the ball. Maritimo couldn’t deal with Bryce’s pace down the middle and long balls were being won by him everytime. Jon returned to the heart of the defense with Kieran coming in to replace a fierce Joe Calvey.
Paulie was booked in the first half and the Rovers came off the field in disbelief that the score was still 0-0. The second half was more of the same. Bryce had 3 great chances to score but his shots were well saved by the goalie. He had a fantastic pull back that Kieran smashed over the ball. The game was getting a bit picky at time with Brodie’s shennigangs not helping his team mates. Finally the break though came with Bryce was fouled clean through on goal. Normally this ref is very good, however this was not a good day for him. It was possibly a red card challenge as a last man, and surely a yellow card, but he did neither. New boy Jonathan curled in a beauty that beat the keeper. The Rovers should and could have gone on to score more goals. During this period Ben was called into action for one of the first times and he made an excellent save to deny the advancing Maritimo player. Eoin and Mark were destroying their build up play, with Eoin having a seemingly endless supply of energy in the middle of the park. Lawton made 3 crunching tackls in succession during this period that seemed to fire up the troops to finish the game strong. Apparently Colin missed a goal during this period however this match reporter did not see the incident as he was to busy arguing with the ref or opposing players.
Maritimo then got up to their usual antics and had a player sent off for a kick out on Paulie. Once they went down to 10 men the Rovers felt a bit more comfortable however they did have some nervy moments. Jonthan, Jon, Curt and Joe were on hand to repel all of these efforts.
MOM: So hard to pick a man of the match. Eoin deserves a mention for his all action display in the middle of the park Curt also was faultless all day. It really is a toss up between Jon and Jonthan and I can’t really pick between them so I’m giving them co man of the match awards
REF: Normally the best ref in the PSL had one of his worst days. He was quick to play advantage but never went to back to warm their players. Missed some very key moments in the game (the sending off) he had to rely on his clueless assistant ref who had no idea about the offside law.
Pitch: Hard as a rock in place and grass to long in others.
Quote of the day: Calvey to Brodie in the pub. "You go down quicker then bambi's mother"
Now Martimo are not mugs but the Rovers have had their number in recent seasons. The game kicked off at 12 noon under the blistering hot sun. Game time kickoff tempature must have been near 95 degrees. The Rovers started off in a dominant mood. Last year’s new player of the season, Jon Regala returned from international duty in place of the injured Larson at the heart of the Rovers defense. He was joined by Paulie who is a bit of jack of all trades. Joe Calvey made his second start for Rovers at right back, surely he will be looking for a new contract next season if this continues. Captain Lawton was in his usual left back slot. The rest of the team was composed of Brodie, Gibbsy, Eoin and new dad Colin, with Bryce up top alongside the “hole” player Jose.
The Rovers were all over them in the opening stages. With Manager Gibbsy going close twice, once with a pile driver of an effort that the goalie did well to push around the post. The entire first twenty minutes were played in the Maritimo half, except on one occasion when Paulie lost possession on a throw in. Maritmo were away but Paulie didn’t give up the chase and closed his man down. The Rovers won a free kick 35 years from goal on minute 20 and the ball was floated in by Gibbsy to Brodie’s head. The header was in..but somehow the goalie managed to tip it round the post. In the resulting corner Brodie should have done much better in a goal mouth scramble but his shot was over the top.
The Rovers pressure continued when Gibbsy lofted in another ball and he found Colin at the back post. Colin found himself all alone but didn’t connect with the ball. I think Colin was thinking about sucking his thumb in the goal celebration rather then connecting with the ball. Maritimo couldn’t deal with Bryce’s pace down the middle and long balls were being won by him everytime. Jon returned to the heart of the defense with Kieran coming in to replace a fierce Joe Calvey.
Paulie was booked in the first half and the Rovers came off the field in disbelief that the score was still 0-0. The second half was more of the same. Bryce had 3 great chances to score but his shots were well saved by the goalie. He had a fantastic pull back that Kieran smashed over the ball. The game was getting a bit picky at time with Brodie’s shennigangs not helping his team mates. Finally the break though came with Bryce was fouled clean through on goal. Normally this ref is very good, however this was not a good day for him. It was possibly a red card challenge as a last man, and surely a yellow card, but he did neither. New boy Jonathan curled in a beauty that beat the keeper. The Rovers should and could have gone on to score more goals. During this period Ben was called into action for one of the first times and he made an excellent save to deny the advancing Maritimo player. Eoin and Mark were destroying their build up play, with Eoin having a seemingly endless supply of energy in the middle of the park. Lawton made 3 crunching tackls in succession during this period that seemed to fire up the troops to finish the game strong. Apparently Colin missed a goal during this period however this match reporter did not see the incident as he was to busy arguing with the ref or opposing players.
Maritimo then got up to their usual antics and had a player sent off for a kick out on Paulie. Once they went down to 10 men the Rovers felt a bit more comfortable however they did have some nervy moments. Jonthan, Jon, Curt and Joe were on hand to repel all of these efforts.
MOM: So hard to pick a man of the match. Eoin deserves a mention for his all action display in the middle of the park Curt also was faultless all day. It really is a toss up between Jon and Jonthan and I can’t really pick between them so I’m giving them co man of the match awards
REF: Normally the best ref in the PSL had one of his worst days. He was quick to play advantage but never went to back to warm their players. Missed some very key moments in the game (the sending off) he had to rely on his clueless assistant ref who had no idea about the offside law.
Pitch: Hard as a rock in place and grass to long in others.
Quote of the day: Calvey to Brodie in the pub. "You go down quicker then bambi's mother"
Monday, September 28, 2009
Rovers 2 SSF 1
The Rovers pre-season was a bit patchy to say the least. Trainings were fast and furious with Rovers players returning to full training in late July with full training going in early August. Scrimmages in the blistering heat against Mexican sides gave the gaffer an opportunity to look at his returning crop of players along with some new faces.
During one of the training sessions, the gaffer felt that the “Rovers were only 6 new players away from greatness” and that he was scouring the Peninsula looking for the magic 6. The Rovers ended up making 4 new additions to the squad and all four featured on the Rovers first match of the season against SSF.
Erik Larson, “Jonathan” (he is Brazilian so he only has one name), Chris Butcher and Cameron all made their full Rovers debut in a game that was played in the heat of De Anza. At kick off the temp on the filed must have been near 100 and the Rovers started on the back foot. For some reason the passing that was their the previous week escaped them. It was no surprise that the Rovers found themselves behind after a stonewall pk after Jose handled the ball in the box. Quite what Jose was doing in our box is anyone’s guess. The pk was converted with aplomb and the Rovers found themselves behind.
That was about it for SSF for the rest of the half. The Rovers dominated proceedings from this point on with the back four of Joe, Erik, Jonathan and new captain Lawton doing a great job of stopping the attacks. Paulie came in the middle of the field and his work rate really helped the side. The Rovers won a free kick just outside the box after Jose was fouled. Nigel and Paulie were keen to take it but the left footer won out and his weak effort struck the wall. In the clearance the ball dropped to the Irishman who was about 35 yards from goal. He went through the defense beating about 4 players on his way and slipped the ball around the advancing keeper. It was 1-1 to Rovers and they were on top.
Moments later Brodie hit the post from 22 yards with a fine chip that had the goalie beat but not the post. Bryce also went close but his shot just hit the post. The Gaffer threw on Jonathan to hold the ball up in the middle of the field (and hold it up, and hold it up, and hold it up) and it was hustle which earned the Rovers a spot kick. Jonathan was bundled over going for a bull and the ref had no choice. Up stepped a very confident Nigel Thomas who calmly slotted the ball to close to the keeper but Gaffer Gibbs (who was enjoying a fine game in the middle) slotted in the rebound. The Rovers should and could have added to their lead after fine build up play by Jose and Paulie but the Jose “shot” was scuffed.
The second half started and the Rovers were under some pressure. The Rovers had to make some last ditch tackles but a goal seemed inevitable after the ball fell to the SSF forward with only Ben to beat. Ben dove at the players feet making a fine stop and Jonathan blocked the rebound.
During the last 15 minutes the Rovers started to regain their composure and should have gone ahead further when Jose played in Brodie who’s shot was hit over the bar. New boy Chris butcher also hit a venomous shot that the goalie did well to save. Jose had a few chances himself to score but never could get the ball on target.
The drama continued with SSF going down in the box in the last seconds. It could have gone either way but it would have been very harsh on the Rovers.
MOM: Paulie, excellent all round display, great goal and work rate
Ref: Did ok but not much to do. Supported well by his assistants
Weather: HotNew Boys: Minus Jonathans shorts and socks pretty impressive stuff all round from the dynamic duo
During one of the training sessions, the gaffer felt that the “Rovers were only 6 new players away from greatness” and that he was scouring the Peninsula looking for the magic 6. The Rovers ended up making 4 new additions to the squad and all four featured on the Rovers first match of the season against SSF.
Erik Larson, “Jonathan” (he is Brazilian so he only has one name), Chris Butcher and Cameron all made their full Rovers debut in a game that was played in the heat of De Anza. At kick off the temp on the filed must have been near 100 and the Rovers started on the back foot. For some reason the passing that was their the previous week escaped them. It was no surprise that the Rovers found themselves behind after a stonewall pk after Jose handled the ball in the box. Quite what Jose was doing in our box is anyone’s guess. The pk was converted with aplomb and the Rovers found themselves behind.
That was about it for SSF for the rest of the half. The Rovers dominated proceedings from this point on with the back four of Joe, Erik, Jonathan and new captain Lawton doing a great job of stopping the attacks. Paulie came in the middle of the field and his work rate really helped the side. The Rovers won a free kick just outside the box after Jose was fouled. Nigel and Paulie were keen to take it but the left footer won out and his weak effort struck the wall. In the clearance the ball dropped to the Irishman who was about 35 yards from goal. He went through the defense beating about 4 players on his way and slipped the ball around the advancing keeper. It was 1-1 to Rovers and they were on top.
Moments later Brodie hit the post from 22 yards with a fine chip that had the goalie beat but not the post. Bryce also went close but his shot just hit the post. The Gaffer threw on Jonathan to hold the ball up in the middle of the field (and hold it up, and hold it up, and hold it up) and it was hustle which earned the Rovers a spot kick. Jonathan was bundled over going for a bull and the ref had no choice. Up stepped a very confident Nigel Thomas who calmly slotted the ball to close to the keeper but Gaffer Gibbs (who was enjoying a fine game in the middle) slotted in the rebound. The Rovers should and could have added to their lead after fine build up play by Jose and Paulie but the Jose “shot” was scuffed.
The second half started and the Rovers were under some pressure. The Rovers had to make some last ditch tackles but a goal seemed inevitable after the ball fell to the SSF forward with only Ben to beat. Ben dove at the players feet making a fine stop and Jonathan blocked the rebound.
During the last 15 minutes the Rovers started to regain their composure and should have gone ahead further when Jose played in Brodie who’s shot was hit over the bar. New boy Chris butcher also hit a venomous shot that the goalie did well to save. Jose had a few chances himself to score but never could get the ball on target.
The drama continued with SSF going down in the box in the last seconds. It could have gone either way but it would have been very harsh on the Rovers.
MOM: Paulie, excellent all round display, great goal and work rate
Ref: Did ok but not much to do. Supported well by his assistants
Weather: HotNew Boys: Minus Jonathans shorts and socks pretty impressive stuff all round from the dynamic duo
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Extended season Game 3
The Rovers ended the season on a winning note and at the same time playing one of the worst half of footie ever seen. The first half was simply awful. I dont' think we had more then 2 passes together the entire half. No one could control the ball. Missed placed passes were going directly to their players or out of bounds. Everyone was guility of this and it was contaigous. In saying that the rovers did have some great chances to score. With big jon having a great headed chance (probably the first time he has connected with his head and not scored) and nigel headed wide at the near post. Really the less said about the first half the better.
The gaffer made some tactial changes at halftime putting paulie out wide on the right and moving brodie to the middle. If nothing else this provided the width that was needed as paulie is always willing to around the outside of the full backs. This allowed Brodie the ability to help Mark and Eoin put their foot on the game. Slowly the Rovers managed to take control. At 0-0 the tide of the game was saved when ben made his save of the season diving full length to keep the ball out after the ball was struck sweetly from the top of the box. Ben's kicking was also superb.
Olly had two or three good chances to score that on others days he would have burried.
Finally the break though came in when paulie cut inside the full back and was hacked clear. Claims of they got the ball were shouted..they couldn't have been talking about the match ball as they were near it. The second goal came after good work found paulie un-marked at the back post and his right footed shoot was tapped into the corner. A good win to end the season on.
MOM: gibbsy. Had a great game in the middle of the park with close mention to Paulie and Ben
The gaffer made some tactial changes at halftime putting paulie out wide on the right and moving brodie to the middle. If nothing else this provided the width that was needed as paulie is always willing to around the outside of the full backs. This allowed Brodie the ability to help Mark and Eoin put their foot on the game. Slowly the Rovers managed to take control. At 0-0 the tide of the game was saved when ben made his save of the season diving full length to keep the ball out after the ball was struck sweetly from the top of the box. Ben's kicking was also superb.
Olly had two or three good chances to score that on others days he would have burried.
Finally the break though came in when paulie cut inside the full back and was hacked clear. Claims of they got the ball were shouted..they couldn't have been talking about the match ball as they were near it. The second goal came after good work found paulie un-marked at the back post and his right footed shoot was tapped into the corner. A good win to end the season on.
MOM: gibbsy. Had a great game in the middle of the park with close mention to Paulie and Ben
Extended Season Game 2
This was a much better game of football then the previous meeting between the two clubs. Much of the un-needed banter was gone from this match and football was the winner on this day. Of course Sunnyvale continued to ask for yellow and red cards at every opportunity and that little mug with the stupid goatee is still the biggest prick in the PSL with his lame attempt to stamp on Kieran late in the match. I hope one day I get to referee a game he plays in. He might not last past the kick off.
Sunnyvale deserved their 3-1 victory in this game after two stunning goals but them in front in the first half. The Rovers were battling all the way after a good move at 0-0 between Brodie and Bryce saw Bryce's square ball in a good position but Olly could not quite pounce. A moment of brilliance later Olly's curling effort went just wide.
Sunnyvale's Nino was awarded a free kick and his vicious drive from 25 yards hit the side neeting. It was some effort and in my opinion the goal of the season. 10 minutes later he was allowed to much space outside the Rovers area and his shot hit the post and went in.
At halftime the Rovers just decided to try and have some fun and fun they did have after Bryce collected the bal just inside his own half and went on a run of 55 yards beating 3 players along the way. His calm finished showed that Bryce is not all speed. Paulie had a half chance to equalize moments later but his shot was just over. The rovers and sunnyvale were still battling and the game changed on a non cal. The otherwise good referee tony, missed an obvious foul on ben as their player went in on him hard, studs up. Tony waived play on and they scored. At 3-1 the game was beyond the Rovers and minus the late stamp by numbnuts the game was played in a decent spirit.
MOM
Ben
Sunnyvale deserved their 3-1 victory in this game after two stunning goals but them in front in the first half. The Rovers were battling all the way after a good move at 0-0 between Brodie and Bryce saw Bryce's square ball in a good position but Olly could not quite pounce. A moment of brilliance later Olly's curling effort went just wide.
Sunnyvale's Nino was awarded a free kick and his vicious drive from 25 yards hit the side neeting. It was some effort and in my opinion the goal of the season. 10 minutes later he was allowed to much space outside the Rovers area and his shot hit the post and went in.
At halftime the Rovers just decided to try and have some fun and fun they did have after Bryce collected the bal just inside his own half and went on a run of 55 yards beating 3 players along the way. His calm finished showed that Bryce is not all speed. Paulie had a half chance to equalize moments later but his shot was just over. The rovers and sunnyvale were still battling and the game changed on a non cal. The otherwise good referee tony, missed an obvious foul on ben as their player went in on him hard, studs up. Tony waived play on and they scored. At 3-1 the game was beyond the Rovers and minus the late stamp by numbnuts the game was played in a decent spirit.
MOM
Ben
Extended Season Game 1
The Hoppers must have been shaking in their boots when the draw was made in the first ever Champions League Peninsula Soccer League cup. When they saw the Rovers Soccer Club come up as their first game, knowing that they had scored 8 last year, and had two 6-0 victories over the same side I’m sure they were having regular team meeting on how to overcome the Rovers.
That being said the Rovers actually started brightly in the first 20 minutes of this match. The Hoppers lined up with 10 players for this period and the Rovers dominated the proceedings. Recent signing, Ian Grivosti from Liverpool was placed in a unfamiliar role of left midfield. He was actually asked to defend a bit which was hard work for a player that likes to “gamble” in attack. The Rovers were finding space behind the Hoppers back line as Grivo was caught offiside twice in early succession, once after a nice ball by Brodie and the second one after a clever flick from Byrce. Bryce also hit a fantastic shot that hit the post while Olly’s free kick was well held by the goalie even though Ian gave him a kick for having the adeucity to hang onto the ball.
Once the Hoppers 11th man showed up the game started to change and the Hoppers quickly got out in front with a well worked call down the middle. Ben was given no chance. Ben continued his fine form however saving on a couple of one on one situations that kept Rovers in reach. The second goal game in as the Hoppers were just to quick for the Rovers. At this point, with the game going to halftime 2-0 was a respectful score-line. Then as the Hoppers player was on goal he clearly handled the ball, recovered and slotted the ball home. Only the ref did not see it, but wait, he actually had seen it. He told our defense that he did handle the ball but it was not intentional, which frankly is a stupid comment. What handball is intentional.
The Rovers battled in the second half for about 25 minutes but once the 4th goal went in the floodgates opened. It was 7 or 8 by the time all was said and done.
That being said the Rovers actually started brightly in the first 20 minutes of this match. The Hoppers lined up with 10 players for this period and the Rovers dominated the proceedings. Recent signing, Ian Grivosti from Liverpool was placed in a unfamiliar role of left midfield. He was actually asked to defend a bit which was hard work for a player that likes to “gamble” in attack. The Rovers were finding space behind the Hoppers back line as Grivo was caught offiside twice in early succession, once after a nice ball by Brodie and the second one after a clever flick from Byrce. Bryce also hit a fantastic shot that hit the post while Olly’s free kick was well held by the goalie even though Ian gave him a kick for having the adeucity to hang onto the ball.
Once the Hoppers 11th man showed up the game started to change and the Hoppers quickly got out in front with a well worked call down the middle. Ben was given no chance. Ben continued his fine form however saving on a couple of one on one situations that kept Rovers in reach. The second goal game in as the Hoppers were just to quick for the Rovers. At this point, with the game going to halftime 2-0 was a respectful score-line. Then as the Hoppers player was on goal he clearly handled the ball, recovered and slotted the ball home. Only the ref did not see it, but wait, he actually had seen it. He told our defense that he did handle the ball but it was not intentional, which frankly is a stupid comment. What handball is intentional.
The Rovers battled in the second half for about 25 minutes but once the 4th goal went in the floodgates opened. It was 7 or 8 by the time all was said and done.
Maritimo 2 Rovers 3
How the Rovers ended up barely winning this game is one of the modern mystery's of football. The Rovers started out firmly in control, dominating a team they have had a great deal of success in over the past few season. The Rovers attacking line up of Bryce and Olly were causing Maritimo problems. Lawton was doing a fine job of stopping the play with Matty dominate in the air.
The first goal game after a great cross from Eoin found Paulie clear. Paulie made no mistake from the ground as Maritimo cried foul but if anything Paulie was taking out. Kieran found Jon at the back post to head home. Our new boy is sure good in the air. The game looked beyond Maritimo as the rovers went into the half winning 2-0 and cruising.
All of a suddent he momentum changed and the Rovers found themselves in a game. Maritimo came out of the half with guns blazing and had the Rovers back peddling. the first goal was a bit of fluck after the Rovers failed to clear a free- kick. At 2-1 the Rovers were crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball but they dont' have this player at the moment. 10 minutes later the score was 2-2 and it looked like one winner in it and that was Maritimo. The gaffer went back to the starting line up and after a great ball by Big Joe found Brodie down the wing. His speed took him to the by-line and his perfect cross went to bryce who made no mistake from a few yards out. Maritimo had a fantastic chance to level the score at 3-3 at the death, but Ben did very well to parry the shot out wide.
MOM Byrce
The first goal game after a great cross from Eoin found Paulie clear. Paulie made no mistake from the ground as Maritimo cried foul but if anything Paulie was taking out. Kieran found Jon at the back post to head home. Our new boy is sure good in the air. The game looked beyond Maritimo as the rovers went into the half winning 2-0 and cruising.
All of a suddent he momentum changed and the Rovers found themselves in a game. Maritimo came out of the half with guns blazing and had the Rovers back peddling. the first goal was a bit of fluck after the Rovers failed to clear a free- kick. At 2-1 the Rovers were crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball but they dont' have this player at the moment. 10 minutes later the score was 2-2 and it looked like one winner in it and that was Maritimo. The gaffer went back to the starting line up and after a great ball by Big Joe found Brodie down the wing. His speed took him to the by-line and his perfect cross went to bryce who made no mistake from a few yards out. Maritimo had a fantastic chance to level the score at 3-3 at the death, but Ben did very well to parry the shot out wide.
MOM Byrce
Monday, February 2, 2009
Rovers 2 dV8 4
The Rovers started out in an a 4 2 3 1 formation as they were hopeful of getting some goals against DV8 on Sunday. The game started at 9am however on the first day of Feb the weather was warm. By 11am the temp must have reached 65 degrees which was quite incredible really.
The Rovers started out by dominating the first 15 minutes of play with out seriously threatening the goal. Lots of possession and first to every 50/50 ball was causing dv8 panic. From their sides you could hear the manager asking their players to hold on to the ball rather then give it straight back to us. Byrce was doing his usual stuff not giving the defenders one minute on the ball and his work rate was outstanding. Kurt and Mark were knocking balls out wide while Jose was neat in control. While having all of the ball the Rovers never really looked like scoring to be fair. Of course the break though came at the other end of the pitch. This was the first time dv8 had been in the Rovers half. A high ball was hit over the top of Paulie and a moments hesitation caused by a slip cost the Rovers dearly. The ball put him under pressure and the Dv8 player took it wide in the box skipping by Jonathan. Paulie had another bite at him and this time brought him to ground with the grace of Lucas Levia. Dv8 made no mistake from the spot, Ben’s first action to pick the ball out of his net.
Per usual the Rovers heads dropped and the next goal was scored a few moments later. A long ball over Eoin was superb. The dv8 player cut in and played a square ball who couldn’t miss from a few yards. Paulie was replaced by Matty and apparently the lineup changed to 5 3 2. Mark came off for break to be replaced by Kieran. Brodie was replaced on minute 40 for Nav while Nigel and Olly came in with only a few minutes to go for Bryce and Jose. The Rovers went into the break trailing 2-0.
Overall it was not a bad performance at this point.
The Rovers found themselves down 3-0 just minutes after the restart. A dv8 player took a dive…the ref ignored the obvious foul and their play took Georgio into the box who hammered it past Ben. The game was over after Ben’s only mistake of the day cost the Rovers a goal when he failed to catch a shot and the ball fell to the dv8 player. Ben had a good game otherwise in first game between the sticks. The Rovers continued to give the ball away but on occasions did move the ball well with Nav showing some good moves down the right hand side.
Big Joe got the Rovers a consolation goal with Olly adding a second consolation goal after a touch was ruled a back-pass by the otherwise decent referee.
MOM: Jon (tall one). Another solid display at the back and had one of our best shots in the first half.
The Rovers started out by dominating the first 15 minutes of play with out seriously threatening the goal. Lots of possession and first to every 50/50 ball was causing dv8 panic. From their sides you could hear the manager asking their players to hold on to the ball rather then give it straight back to us. Byrce was doing his usual stuff not giving the defenders one minute on the ball and his work rate was outstanding. Kurt and Mark were knocking balls out wide while Jose was neat in control. While having all of the ball the Rovers never really looked like scoring to be fair. Of course the break though came at the other end of the pitch. This was the first time dv8 had been in the Rovers half. A high ball was hit over the top of Paulie and a moments hesitation caused by a slip cost the Rovers dearly. The ball put him under pressure and the Dv8 player took it wide in the box skipping by Jonathan. Paulie had another bite at him and this time brought him to ground with the grace of Lucas Levia. Dv8 made no mistake from the spot, Ben’s first action to pick the ball out of his net.
Per usual the Rovers heads dropped and the next goal was scored a few moments later. A long ball over Eoin was superb. The dv8 player cut in and played a square ball who couldn’t miss from a few yards. Paulie was replaced by Matty and apparently the lineup changed to 5 3 2. Mark came off for break to be replaced by Kieran. Brodie was replaced on minute 40 for Nav while Nigel and Olly came in with only a few minutes to go for Bryce and Jose. The Rovers went into the break trailing 2-0.
Overall it was not a bad performance at this point.
The Rovers found themselves down 3-0 just minutes after the restart. A dv8 player took a dive…the ref ignored the obvious foul and their play took Georgio into the box who hammered it past Ben. The game was over after Ben’s only mistake of the day cost the Rovers a goal when he failed to catch a shot and the ball fell to the dv8 player. Ben had a good game otherwise in first game between the sticks. The Rovers continued to give the ball away but on occasions did move the ball well with Nav showing some good moves down the right hand side.
Big Joe got the Rovers a consolation goal with Olly adding a second consolation goal after a touch was ruled a back-pass by the otherwise decent referee.
MOM: Jon (tall one). Another solid display at the back and had one of our best shots in the first half.
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