Stallions v Marist: the report (as correct as I can recall)

The track was sticky, rough but ready. Marist looked mean and well kitted out in matching gear. Their training drills and organisation was on display and they looked like a team and a half. Little did we know that that half was going to leave it’s mark later on. The weather had done it’s best to unravel our run but fortunately the elements had abated to give the pitch a few days to go from sodden to tacky. The sun made up for the chill in the air and uncharacteristically the wind was down to a mild swirl.

The tone of the match was set when Marist placed 10 men behind the ball and our defence got to pick their noses while the midfield and forwards played in the muck. From the sideline, we could see how effective Heath and Lloyd were in the middle. The opposition spent much of the time without the pill and chasing their shadows. But for all the forays forward it took about15 minutes before Tom sashayed up the left flank and dropped in a sharp flat cross which was met by Carrick(?) who clipped the ball into the back of the net with ease.

Lloyd steamrolled through the centre of the pitch, all the way to the penalty area. It was a continuation of his strong performance and he faked a pass to me and knocked the ball in behind the last defender. The he muscled in behind, holding me off, to take the shot which was straight at the hapless keeper. It ricocheted off the keepers chest and just beyond the nearby Stallions. Lloyd’s play so far this year really deserves a goal and this was a guilt edged chance so expect him to be fired up again to get off his duck.

Panda made his 2013 appearance and didn’t disappoint. Several solid pieces of play and some tricky bits of skill to stupefy the Marist defence. One such move saw him glide past 2 defenders, left then right only to get his left/right brain muddled and he collapsed in a twisted heap on top of the ball. Still, with some fitness you could imagine yet another attacking option for the Stallions coming to the fore.

It was evident that there were a few too many flicks and hopeful touches rather than firm passes and a lot of possession was squandered, much to Marist’s relief. The consolation was that every time we turned the ball over it came straight back to us and when you have possession of nearly 70% you can afford to lose a bit of it. Gus and Carrick were gainfully employed getting a fair share of the ball but it was difficult to play in the mud and congestion and still be able test the keeper. That said, there was enough heat on the keeper to suggest doubts on his competence. Another run along the baseline from Tom and a cross struck hard into the danger zone resulted in an own goal to the Marist but you could tell Tom would be adding to his Fantasy points tally in this game.

Interestingly, you could count the fleeting attacks by Marist on one hand during the first half yet at least three of them resulted in shots of sorts. Wayward as the shooting was, it did offer a glimmer of potential for them but you couldn’t call it much more than a small sparkle. The best through ball they got was a possible back pass from Paul but ultimately they had little to offer once they hit the final third.  Dan had one high shot to deal with but it was a fairly simple half when all is said and done. It looked likely that the Defence and Midfield were likely to prosper from a clean sheet. Tangi was a colossus in the backline providing real backbone and distribution when the ball appeared in our half.

Though the opposition looked meek in all positions it was their centre midfield threesome that showed some ability. The Argentine looked sharp and skilful but beating our players in his defensive third was never really going to help them much. The two shorter chaps also had some promise but dropping a striker back to the midfield meant that even when they had short periods of possession there was no one to pass it on to as their wide halves disappeared into the ether. I’m sure that Joe and Paul felt lonely out wide with little to do but get cold and bored.

On the turn at halftime, the conversation was pretty positive with a hint of frustration at the scoreboard but it was hard to fault the general play in the slippery conditions. Certainly the endeavour was there and you can’t argue with the relative ease with which the goals came.

The second half saw more play down the right flank with Patrick, Krip and Carrick linking up on numerous occasions along with the odd massive punt from Dan with all moves creating real threats. Gus and Paddy linked up resulting in each of them scoring and assisting the other. Tom also managed to benefit from play on the other flank which saw him cap off another strong performance with yet another goal.

This half proved to be a little more free flowing with Marist making a little more endeavour but in the main, the more they extended forward the more pressure they faced when they lost the ball. We saw more entertaining linking play from the backline with Krip and Joe, Paul and Aaron moving the ball about, largely without fuss. One particular moment comes to mind when the ball was gracefully played about before Aaron tried to thread a pass though the midfield only to lay it onto one of the vertically challenged Marist players. Aaron to his credit saw fit to atone for the pass by attempting a tackle, only to be beaten yet he managed to turn, chase and hack the player down. A yellow card offence. The groans where audible from all quarters, yet asking the ref to send him off seemed most unlikely. The resulting free-kick has seen great interest on the Blog, both from the application of rules (or lack thereof) and the heated exchange that seems to have resulted in the allocation of Pony. I will let the relative inconsistencies of Pony allocation speak for themselves and would suggest that speaking one’s mind pales in comparison to common assault.

Gus made an inspiring move into the Marist goal-box only to be chopped down like an unwanted rats-tail yet the ref was looking elsewhere and the formality of a penalty was lost. The irony was as Gus lay on the ground, on top of the ball, he was called for deliberate handball. A yellow card offense. Gus also collected a beauty of a through ball from Carrick, delightfully played into space, but from 7 yards he blazed the ball past the far post (if only just).

Carrick was also the beneficiary of a lovely piece of play that involved 7 players, stretching the ball from the right side of the defense to the middle, back to the left defense, back across to the rightside. Then a huge cross field ball to Panda's shin back to Paddy (or Tom) who crossed the ball onto Carrick's forehead and it just whisked passed the far post. Simply entertaining classy footy.

By this time the opposition was feeling a bit bitter and vented at most opportunities, be it the ref, the nearest play or a loose leg. By rights they had little to complain about. Yes some of the calls could have gone their way but the result looks to have flattered them, the pitch reigned in the scoreline and the bit of magic by the half pint was perhaps the most gifted individual move in the match. This move saw the little fella collect the ball 10 metres out of the penalty area, jinking and skipping he managed to evade 4 would be defenders, making it to inside the penalty area before opening out and slotting the ball inside the far post. Admittedly the fear of cutting him down perhaps enabled him to get as far as he did but anyone pulling that off deserves some credit. The biggest surprise was that Aaron “the hatchet” was one of those 4 so perhaps 'the earlier injustice was served.

A tricky call as it was a good all round team performance but in the end MVPs do stand out: Tom (3) not for any particular moment more for yet another high performance game. He is often the crucial contributor in the attacking third.  Tangihaere (2) his pure muscle stunted any attack that came his way. It was just the sort of performance we will need this weekend. And Carrick (1) for tireless work up front and some silky passes which will get us goals as the season continues. Stallion: Tom. The Stallion moment was discussed in the pub and hasn't made it to the media as yet. Another contender would have to be Lloyd’s 2 forays from halfway for at least 30 metres, toying with the Marist players with ease. I thought this was pure magic for a midfielder. As for Pony, the selectors chose me, Tim. However hard done by, non attendance at the pub comes at a cost, it’s a lesson. Pony is firstly about fallibility and secondly about avoidance. If you fall into the first category, you need to have an avoidance strategy and that starts by getting your ass down to the pub. And as I get the last word as far as the match report goes I would suggest options Pony is amongst the following options:

1. Tim: for the heated debate over the rules of the game (see Blog)
2. Aaron: for the ferocious attack from behind on the smallest player on the pitch and at the second attempt.
3. Lloyd: choking from 6 yards after a sizzling run of 30 metres instead of passing to a free player or leaving it to a striker.
4. Gus: for choking from 7 yards after Carrick’s beautiful through ball
5. Rauru: for creative umpiring decisions.
6. Rauru: for dismissing the certain penalty when Gus was cut down in the opposition goal box.
7. Panda: as much said in the report above but as he’s not a regular and we need someone to wear the pinks best leave the attire to someone else.

Meanwhile, lets starting thinking about the battle ahead. Based on the games we've had these guys are easily our equals if not a little better on attack. They've leaked more on defense and struggled in a surprising match against Lower Hutt. They did demolish Olympic and Wainui and those results are telling in terms of capability. This is a season defining game. Win it and we have a cushion in case we have a hiccup. Draw it and we stay in the running. Lose and we need to rely on other teams to help us out which does us no favours. The game will be won by solid defense, possession and obviously by scoring. The latter is less important in that we have proven we can be patient and score. This will be a game where we work hard, support each other and we can get the rewards, but we will only achieve this as a focused unit.