5th September - Results

[Giggy of Telford]

AFC Telford United 0-0 Mossley AFC

An uninspiring home performance today where we started off well but wasted many good chance. Mossley then scored against the run of the game.....though as you can see at the top of the post it can't have stood, the ref disallowed it for an offside.

It was all Mossley needed though and they livened up a bit while we just slowed down. The game was end to end but neither team got much in the way of clear shots on goal.

After a team talk at half time the players seemed to show a bit of promise again but again sank into a sub-par performance from both sides. From time to time one of the teams would spring into life and go for goal but in almost every situation the ref put a stop to it by giving a free kick.

One thing that struck me is that Mossley are supposedly the Uinbond fair-play award team with not a single booking to their name up to now, we didn't see much of that today with a lot of late challenges and a couple of players quick to fall over. We had several penalty appeals in the game ranging from a very weak one near the start to a player with the ball being plowed down to a blatant hand-ball in the 6-yard box. They did eventually lose their squaky clean reckord for what it's worth with a booking for a very rough tackle.

Right at the end we put a cross into the box, our player is jumping up to head the ball and.....the final whistle blows just before he gets a head to it. Didn't know refs could end the game during a good scoring oportunity.

Overall a pretty poor and dull game which neither side deserved to win. Mossley did seem to be playing for a draw from midway through the 2nd half.

Final Score AFCTU 0-0 MAFC

My MotM: 2) Lee Vaughan, one of our better players on the night, a lively display on the right wing setting up a fair few chances.

[ambersalamander]

sounds a bit rubbish but i was stuck in a SUST committee meeting all evening which was probably even less exciting!

Don't forget, Giggy, that the fair play award was awarded to last season's team. This one is probably completely different.

[Giggy of Telford]

The Unibond decides to give one out every month, Mossley got it by not getting any cards at all.....until now.

Incidently we just got the club of the month awarded today, that seems to be a curse if I remember correctly from the last two seasons, teams always seem to suffer a dip in form when they get it. Luckily the first time we got it we then went on to win the playoffs straight after, hopefully we're immune to it's evil and this was just a blip.

[DazaB_WCFC]

The FA Cup Preliminary Round - Replay
Bromsgrove Rovers 2-0 Eastwood Town

FA Cup Preliminary Round tie number 47 needed to go to a replay after Eastwood Town and Bromsgrove Rovers shared ten goals at Coronation Park on Saturday. From 5-1 down, our neighbours, and Southern League Division one Midlands league leaders – Bromsgrove Rovers forced a replay and remained in the running to win a trip to Ilkeston in the first round of qualifying.

It was to be Bromsgrove’s day again today – but this time no four-goal comeback was needed. Just a clinical finish from Joe Williams and an awful blunder by Alan Lamb was required to send Rovers through. Eastwood however – looked the more dangerous of the two sides and certainly had the better of the early chances. Adam Kerley teed himself up on the edge of the area and volleyed just over from 20 yards and 4 minutes later Paul Mitchell hit a rasping free kick – albeit too close to the ‘keeper signalling the visitors’ intentions. By half time Eastwood had certainly seen more of the ball but Bromsgrove never looked like conceding with ex City captain, Carl Heeley marshalling the back four. Bromsgrove came out for the second half a much better outfit going forward and having won much of the possession duly took the lead with an hour played when Joe Williams fired home from 15 yards. The full back nearly doubled the hosts lead 5 minutes later when he headed a cross over the bar – it looked like it was dipping in! Eastwood surged forward in search for an equaliser forcing numerous free kicks and corners, Deon Meikle’s shot agonisingly wide on 79 minutes being the closest. But it was not to be, Alan Lamb struggled and stumbled while attempting to clear a corner from the Bromsgrove left at the near post eventually bundling the ball over his own goal line to secure the victory for Rovers. It was maybe a little harsh on The Badgers but mistakes like that prove costly at any level. The match ended with an unsavoury incident when Liam McDonald made a high challenge on Paul Mitchell who reacted by lashing out at the Rovers youngster but that shouldn’t sour an absorbing game of football.



And from yesterday

Worcester City Reserves 3-0 AFC Telford United Reserves
Preece and Danks (2) see City ease past Telford. New boy PatrickNoubissie wasparticularly impressive.

[medibot]

Brazil 2 Wales 0

A reasonably deceptive scoreline, a very entertaining match, justifying the £25 ticket if i think really hard about it.

That said, watching Gareth Bale nick the ball of Ronaldinho and other Brazilian stars time and again in the first half was priceless. He's only got 2 caps but if he keeps that up he'll be playing internationals for years.

The first half had both sides playing their best lineups and though Brazil spent marginally more time flashing a few wayward chances about in the Wales half we looked pretty comfortable at the back and created some good stuff going forward. 0-0 at the break was a fair scorline and despite Mr Riley's insistance that niggly fouls were only to be given to teams in yellow i was pretty pleased.

Half-time though, we lost Giggs and Bale, in my opinion the best two players in the first half. The ongoing substitutions screwed us up in the second half, the substitutes weren't as good as the players they replaced (example - we bring on Cotteril, they bring on Robinho, the depth is still lacking if not the quality in the starting eleven) and took a while to settle.

It didn't help that a rather obvious elbow in the face at the start of the half went miraculously unnoticed by the English officials who seemed happier flashing cheesy grins at the camera and making small talk with Brazillians than anything that might resemble refereeing.

Unfortunately while the subs settled and sorted themselves Brazil scored twice to give the game a slightly flattering 2-0 scoreline. 1-1 would've been a fairer result and probably would've been the case if we'd played all the way through with the starting eleven.

The goals came from an unstoppable drive from the debutant left back when he fell into the most space a Brazillian had had all night and let rip and a brilliantly worked and equally unstoppble header from Vagner Love just as Wales were settling and causing problems again. A touch more class proving the difference.

We still looked strong and deserved a goal but it never came, Sam Ricketts blowing the best chance, scuffing wide when the consistently noisy Welsh corner of the ground was eagerly expecting him to slot home and finish another good move.

It wasn't to be though and the game ended with Wales looking strong and convincing until the disruptive run of substitutions.

Happily i spotted my photographer mate from the non-league four nations so i ended the evening chatting merrily and plotting further adventure over a pint having battled our way past some Brazil fans who suddenly decided that they would make some noise Brazillian style (think drums, flags, whistles and blocking the high road) having been surprisingly subdued during the game.

Git of a journey home though. Stuck in the sh*thole that is Croydon faffing around for non existant buses and wading through 10 (yes ten) police cars and dozens of officers in the town centre. Nice.

Interesting facts:

- Brazillian football fans cannot catch, not one ball that entered the crowd in warm ups or games was caught first time.

- You forget how small some players actually are when you've only seen them on the telly before.

- I sing the sh*ttest attempt at the national anthem ever, luckily i was flanked on three sides by loud welsh speaking men so managed to get away with it

- Tottenham stewards cannot rugby tackle pitch invaders properly

- Ronaldinho gets cheered for being Ronaldinho, his mere presence gets cheers, sod whether he has actually done anything or not. He is also a dirty f*ck, something you don't notice till you get as close as i was and see the clever little kicks and pushes and niggly fouls.

[malxscfc]

First question. If you're looking lively, and are drawing with the World's Greatest Footballing Nation (when only a... er... tinpot nation yourself :, why do you take off your 2 best players at Half Time?
What had they done wrong, and how was the team to be 'improved' by making these Subs?

Second question. Did you have any of these nightmare problems about getting in? On 606 last night they were all complaining that it took until nearly HT to get to their seats.

Third question. Will I ever be forgiven for that clumsy slight on Welsh Football....?

[bh]

Sutton Res 7 - Corinthian Cas res 0...........at least the ressies can win!

What happened at the meeting last night then sal?

[medibot]

Malx, we took the two best players off cos we always were going to. Toshack said before the game everybody would get a run. which meant most of the team got subbed.

I got into the ground no problem. I bought a ticket online before and turned up in time for it not to be a problem.

[Giggy of Telford]

dazab1wcfc said:

Worcester City Reserves 3-0 AFC Telford United Reserves
Preece and Danks (2) see City ease past Telford. New boy PatrickNoubissie wasparticularly impressive.

Didn't see the game but our team featured a fair few trialists, apparently our defenders Jones and Woodvine played well for us.

We've got the club captain Steve Pope (who's not currently playing because of an injury from our game with Shr*wsbury managing the reserves. He reckons we played well considering half the team had never met each other.

[davetscfc]

malxscfc said:

First question. If you're looking lively, and are drawing with the World's Greatest Footballing Nation (when only a... er... tinpot nation yourself :, why do you take off your 2 best players at Half Time?
What had they done wrong, and how was the team to be 'improved' by making these Subs?

To keep their club managers happy I think. George Burley is already concerned about Gareth Bale being over-played.

www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=7411

[martello]

medibot said:

Git of a journey home though. Stuck in the sh*thole that is Croydon faffing around for non existant buses

You have issues with buses don't you Nick! ;D

[ambersalamander]

Especially Eastbourne ones hey?

bh said:

Sutton Res 7 - Corinthian Cas res 0...........at least the ressies can win!

What happened at the meeting last night then sal?

Nothing exciting, don't worry!

7-0? I was at the ground and I'm sure it was only 3-0!

[malxscfc]

medibot said:

Malx, we took the two best players off cos we always were going to. Toshack said before the game everybody would get a run. which meant most of the team got subbed.

I got into the ground no problem. I bought a ticket online before and turned up in time for it not to be a problem.

Q1: Yeah, but if you're beating BRAZIL 0-0 at HT you surely don't muck about? I mean, when's the next time Wales might beat the golden boys?
Not in my lifetime. And probably not in yours......

I guess the fact you didn't address it also answers my 'Third Question'.

[emochris]

FA Cup Replay's for NL teams...

Ryton FC 0-2 Newcastle Benfield Bay Plastics
Flixton FC 3-0 Hebburn Town FC
Rossendale 2-1 Consett

[peekay]

Gotta love a club with Plastics in it's name. ;D