Maroons 2 Fernhill 0 Part Two

A win so epic it warrants two match reports. This one, replete with nice atmospherics, from the Hitman

Grim faces, light rain and a grey sky greeted us. Eye to eye there was a steely determination from the 12 maroons.

The first half saw us revisiting some of the great Maroon games last year. Plenty of passes to feet, plenty of people wanting the ball. From a defense view point, both wide backs had the space to push up into wide attack. We looked good going forward with the left flank providing some great moves through Ian, Dave C and Jon S. Gary J (Gay J) and Trev were chiming in beautifully with Yoga Dave. Paul E, sitting in behind, was pouncing on the loose ball and feeding off to eager recipients. For me the turning point was a beautiful step-over by Major Tom. This brought a roar from the crowd on the side line (thanks Whites!) and lifted us up a notch. We had at least 6 great shots on goal. Both Daves went over the top, I slammed one into the near post (yes I was as surprised as anyone to be near enough to have a swing!), Trev hit the top corner with a fantastic long-ranger, before Paul E pounced on a Dave C corner and nodded in. Goalie Pete had very little to do all half.

The mood at half time was bright but we weren’t going to make the mistakes of the last few weeks and back off. Fernhill seemed to come back on with a more aggressive attitude. Challenges were getting nasty. Their bald “wing-nut” stepped up to another level of whining agro. Yoga Dave was taken-out (ref was looking elsewhere), Jon copped a few chops, Philo got a knock to the knee, I ate some dirt a few times. Another great move down the left saw Dave shoot the ball across their goal with Gary J claiming the tap in. We started to lose a bit of shape as the half dragged out and they pushed forward. Some fresh legs may have helped here but we dug deep and battled it out. We’ll all be sore today. They went close on a few occasions, but with a bit of grit we shut them out. Late in the game, a brilliant ball from Paul E found Phil lurking on the right in their box. A quick trap then shot saw the post ringing again. Bad luck Phil.

It was a much improved performance. The addition of Jon and Trev made a great impact. All 4 defenders played 90 min and kept a clean sheet. Captain Paul E was everywhere and played a fantastic holding role. Everyone played well.