** Match Report WBC v Mossend Sunday 9th November ** There is often a fine line between winning and losing, and it was never more evident than in todays game against Mossend, who came into the match in 2nd place having won their last 5 league games, scoring 19 goals in the process. Mossend knew that to have any realistic chance of winning the league title they would need to take home all 3 points. Although there was very little between the teams for long periods it ultimately came down to discipline and commitment to each other, along with a little bit of extra quality that won the game. Both teams respectfully held a minutes silence for Remembrance Day before kick off. It was clear early on that Mossend knew the importance of the victory, and they started the game well, having the edge slightly in territory, but without seriously threatening the Wishaw goal. The first chance of the game fell Wishaws way after 8 minutes as a free kick was curled into the area from the right hand side which appeared to elude everyone in the centre and allowed Morgan Jones the chance to stab the ball into the net, but the referee adjudged that the ball had taken a nick off a Wishaw player as it went through through the crowd and ruled the goal out for offside. The next chance fell to Nathan Livingstone, who was again ploughing a lone furrow up front himself. After some neat play from Ross Park and Ross Wileman, Nathan was able to get a header on target but couldnt get enough power on the ball to beat the keeper. The next chance fell to Mossend, and was a wake up call for the WBC defence as their striker drifted off his marker and found himself one on one with Jamie Anderson in goal, but Jamie came off his line very quickly and made himself big which caused the striker to rush his shot and slice his shot well wide. The game continued to be a very tight affair, being battled out mostly in midfield, and although Chris Bruce and Cammy Ballantyne were holding their own they were not getting everything their own way, and on the half hour mark Jamie was forced into a very smart save from a long shot. At the other end Wishaw were not able to create too much in the way of opportunities and were forced to shoot from distance too, with Ross Park, Chris Bruce and Connor Bohan all seeing efforts go wide. The closest that Wishaw came to scoring was from a blocked shot from Ross Wileman that looped agonisingly over the cross bar. As the half came to a close it was Wishaw that were marginally getting on top. It seemed that for most of the half WBC had been second to every ball, and were a step off the pace, which caused the defence of Dylan Gibson on the right, Matthew Hillan on the left and skipper Chris MacNeil and Morgan Jones in the middle more problems than they had seen in a long while, but testament to their battling qualities and reading of the game they were able to keep the game goalless at the interval. The second half started with another scare at the wrong end of the pitch, but again Jamie was quick off his line and forced a lack of composure from the Mossend striker who thankfully fired straight at him. The midfield were starting to win their battle of attrition in the centre now though, with Chris Bruce and Cammy Ballantyne seeing more possession and they were able to get their passing game going, constantly finding outlets in Dylan and Matthew who were supporting well and overlapping from full back, and Ross Park who was finding plenty of space on the right wing to run in to. It was Chris Bruce who had the next opportunity, driving forward and striking a shot narrowly wide. The decisive moment of the game arrived after 10 minutes of the half, when Ross Park received another good pass on the right, and he was able to show great pace and skill before delivering a dangerous cross which Nathan challenged their centre half for as it came across the area, and as the ball dropped into space it was Ross Wileman who reacted quickest to fire the ball home into the roof of the net. 1-0. Going behind appeared to unsettle Mossend, who knew their chances for victory had just taken a massive blow. The determination that they had shown up until that point started to spill over into ill discipline, and shortly afterwards Cammy was forced off injured after being fouled by two Mossend players. This brought about the first Wishaw substitution, with Iain Hardie coming on at left back, Matthew moving into the middle of defence and Chris MacNeil filling Cammys role in midfield. The re-shuffle almost caught WBC dithering, as soon after, for the third time, a Mossend player found himself one on one with Jamie, and for the third time failed to capitalise on a gilt edged opportunity. Nathan was next to suffer from a heavy challenge as he chased a ball near the bye line, and after being shoved he fell heavily on his shoulder and was replaced by Ross Paton, who slotted into his usual position in the heart of the defence with Ross Wileman pushing forward. This allowed Chris MacNeil more freedom to roam forward, and he nearly doubled the lead after a goal bound shot was narrowly deflected wide. With 15 mins remaining, Mossend were getting more and more desperate with their efforts, piling more men forward, but they were met with the blue wall of Matthew and Ross Paton who cleared out everything on the ground and in the air, Morgan who was able to cover every ball over the top with his pace, and Dylan and Iain who were extremely solid in all their challenges. Chris Bruce was equally determined in midfield, snuffing out a lot of danger and driving forward with the ball on numerous occasions. With 10 minutes left Wishaw forged out what was very nearly the game winning goal, Ross Park again firing in a great cross from the right which found Ross Wileman on his own in the middle, but unfortunately he was unable to guide the ball home with the goal at his mercy. Ross nearly made up for his miss a minute later after some good play by Chris MacNeil found Connor Bohan on the left, and Connor slid in a great first time ball which Ross stretched to get contact with, and brought a great save from the Mossend keeper. As the game reached its climax, and with defeat staring them in the face, Mossends frustrations came to a head as yet another bad tackle on Iain led to a large scuffle involving most of the players, which led to a Mossend player being sent off for violent conduct. The final few minutes played out without any further incident, and the final whistle came around with Wishaw still looking far more likely to score than concede. This was a game that at times could have gone either way, but all involved should feel a great pride that they were able to withstand all Mossend pressure and efforts to disrupt the game. The defence and goalkeeper were able to keep a clean sheet, and stop a dangerous Mossend strike-force from scoring for the first time this season. The midfield battled throughout, and ended up on top in the second half, forcing their opponents to play long balls, rather than playing through them, and contributed an awful lot of threat at the right end too. The strikers ended up being the difference between the two teams. They were able to take the chances that came their way, rather than squandering them. Another great effort from every single player. Standing together, and keeping their discipline and team spirit and not allowing themselves to let their team mates down when it mattered most. Thats the difference between winning and losing. The victory now opens up a massive gap of 11 points over 2nd place. Virtually kills off all chances of Mossend winning the league. And keeps intact the 100% league record. WBC Played 10. WON 10.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 20:14:44 +0000
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