BNU vs. Victoria University, Saturday 9th August 2014 3.30pm, Wakefield #2 This week saw us take on Victoria University at the home of football Wakefield Park. We have turned Wakefield into something of a fortress this season, winning all of our home games so far. We were well rested after the bye weekend with several of the lads stepping up in training, showing they had studied the game plan and had the ability to execute it. The game plan called for a high tempo start and we were immediately on the front foot. We settled into our rhythm right from the 1st whistle and had Uni sitting deeper and deeper. Ben Purser had an early opportunity as he found space on the right hand side, hitting a driven shot agonizingly wide of the left hand post. The speed at which we were moving the ball and the sharpness of our off the ball movement was the best its been all season. Our ability to play one and two touch football was causing Uni all sorts of problems. Surely it was just a matter of time until we would score. We thought we had the go ahead goal as Ben Keat rolled off his marker to be left one on one with the keeper, which he dispatched with ease, only to be called back for offside by the referee. Keat would have his moment in the 26th minute as he expertly created space for himself inside the area to place a tidy left footed finish into the bottom corner. 1-nil BNU and thoroughly deserved. By this stage we were camped out in Unis half with them left to only try and catch us on the break. Centre-backs Phil Elcome and Damian Gurnick were having none of this as they won everything in the air and showed great composure with the ball at their feet. With such a quality squad, there are positive selection headaches each and every week. The starting XI were showing skill and desire to prove they had earned their places. Such is the culture within this team, the lads on the bench hadnt dropped their heads, in fact, they were raucous in their support for their team-mates. That raucous support hit new volumes in the 35th minute, as a wonderful one touch move involving Keat, Blake Weston (who had been moved into midfield for this game) and Elliot Riley (who was enjoying his best game for the 1st team) found Purser in space on the right hand side. Purser drove with speed to the byline, got his head up and delivered a fantastic ball leaving Paul Clune to tap in unmarked to cap off a wonderful team goal. 2-nil BNU. We must still have been celebrating the goal, as we approached half time, things became a little sloppy and presented Uni with an opportunity to hit back. A fine save from Adam Glover denying them a goal against the run of play. The message at the break was about our desire to put in a 90 minute performance and be relentless in our pursuit of goals. Uni were playing very narrow and we wanted to exploit their weaknesses by getting the ball into wide areas earlier. Michael Ridd, who was enjoying his first league start, was causing Uni trouble with his diminutive style and Weston was enjoying his new role in front of the back four delivering quality ball and showing immense strength in the tackle. We took a while to get going in the 2nd half as Uni looked to push forward, trying to take advantage of our slow start. However the defensive unit were excellent today, showing discipline of shape and effective communication to ensure our solidarity in the defensive third. With our 2 goal lead still in tact, we re-discovered our rhythm and were rewarded in the 60th minute as Clune raced away to score his 2nd with another clinical finish. 3-nil BNU. With the result all but secure, we went in search of more goals, introducing Tim Smith and Aaron Langlands into the game. Uni were still a threat on the break and we were punished in the 72nd minute when we stood off the Uni player, allowing him to drive into the area and despite Glover getting a hand to the shot, the ball eventually ended up in the back of the net. 3-1 BNU. Unis goal bought a certain edge to our play as we cranked up the ball speed in an attempt to punish them for ruining our clean sheet. The strong and effective Langlands is always a handful for opposition defences and it was he who was fouled inside the area. The referee pointing straight to the spot. Clune confidently placed the ball and despite the keepers best effort to put him off, slammed the ball into the top right hand corner to secure his hat-trick. 4-1 BNU. As the final whistle blew, the lads were pleased with what was a dominant performance. While we had not capitalised on several missed chances, the football we had played in the opening hour in particular was the best its been all season. The ball speed, off the ball movement and option taking was absolutely superb. This was a complete team performance, with everyone stepping up and showing that hard work and training does payoff. Man of the Match honours going to hat-trick hero Paul Clune. While we are pleased with the result and more importantly the way we played, we know the job is far from done. Miramar next Sunday will be a feisty encounter where we simply can not afford to drop any points. 2pm, Dave Farrington Park. We look forward to seeing you all there. Thanks to all those who came out to support us and congratulations to the Reserves who secured promotion with a 9-2 thrashing of Eastbourne. Cheers Dene
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 04:57:09 +0000
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