“Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly”
goes the song and by heck did it blow and by heck it was to
play a decisive part in this game as Thrapston entertained
the undefeated league leaders Rockingham Forest just a week
after losing out to them in the cup – revenge is a dish
best served up a week later (so we hoped).
Not a great start to the game, as just as the whistle is
applied to Johnny Wiz’s lips Tyrone Love was taken ill,
so a quick reshuffle of the pack and on comes Ross Munro.
So Rockingham playing with the advantages of both the wind
and the slope, quickly established a stranglehold on the game
going 3 up in the first 15 minutes as Thrapston defended tepidly
without conviction. Thrapston were barely able to get the
ball out of their own box, never mind own half and when they
did get possession played schoolyard rules football –
boot it anywhere which was normally straight back to Rockingham.
In truth we all feared a real drubbing was to be handed out
Credit to the players as they did awaken from their docility
(aided by management rants – we do not want to go there
honest) and began to play some football. Ryan Wright threw
Thrapston a lifeline with a 20-yard ‘screamer’
as Thrapston displayed some confidence and strung passes together.
But alas this was to little avail as another defensive lapse
allowed Rockingham a 4th goal on the stroke of half time;
the defence stopped as the ball was apparently out of play
and as defenders appealed Rockingham were romping the ball
in the net.
So the come back kings of Thrapston had a tall mountain to
climb in the second half (a wind assisted mountain) and just
like the previous week in the cup, Thrapston picked up their
game and made a real match of it. Substitute Graeme Wright
bobbled one in with his left and within 3 minutes Ryan Caller
nonchalantly slammed in another – with a score of 3-4
and 20 minutes left it was most definitely game on.
Thrapston tried their best to draw level which left gaps
in what was not the most water tight of defences, and with
5 minutes left Rockingham broke swiftly, scored and put enough
daylight between the teams to secure the win.
Cameron Glynn hit the post from a corner on the stoke of
full time but in truth Thrapston lost to the better and stronger
team on the day and without playing anywhere near the football
they are capable of, again showed they can compete with the
best – the first time Rockingham have conceded 3 goals
this season.
In truth this was a disappointing performance; the headline
score and balance of the game suggests it was close? The second
half was exciting because just as last week in the cup, we
felt we had a chance of getting something from the match.
Objectively we defended poorly as a unit and paid the ultimate
price – players must be able to tackle, compete, think,
anticipate, react …… and above all “want
to”. I am afraid today there were too many passengers
against a team that takes no prisoners.
Parents Player of the Match: Cameron Glynn
Mathew Hansord, Harry Doubleday, Liam Carter, Cameron Glynn,
David Morton, Ross Munro, William Morrison, John Davies, Alex
Barlow, Ryan Wright, Ryan Caller, Tyrone Love (withdrawn at
starters line), Graeme Wright, Ben Durrant
|
