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On a pleasant spring
evening, a depleted dsw fc side faced occasional table
toppers Tazmanian Devils, looking for a return to
winning ways after consecutive defeats. dsw fc could
only muster six players for the fixture whilst the
Devils had a full complement with a couple of subs
thrown in for good measure.
The early exchanges were
fairly even with dsw fc looking to exploit some space
behind the Devil’s defence
using Adam and Dave’s pace. The first significant
chance, however, fell for the Devil's when their striker
thumped an effort onto the dsw fc crossbar that,
fortunately, rebounded to safety. Apart from this near
miss, dsw fc were looking comfortable at the back but
this illusion was soon to be shattered by two
Devil goals in quick succession. Firstly, a Devil's
break down their left flank brought a smart stop from
Paul but the rebound fell invitingly for their striker
on the edge of the area for a simple tap in. The
Devil’s luck improved further when Dave, taking up an
unfamiliar position on the edge of his own box, decided
to take the ball into the box before clearing it.
Penalty!! Deja vu? The
resulting spot-kick was duly dispatched and dsw fc again
found themselves with a mountain to climb.
dsw fc responded well to
being two down and proceeded to dominate possession and
looked the more likely to score. The pressure finally
told when Gareth’ Roberts precise through ball to the
edge of the area was swept home with aplomb by Dave to
atone for his earlier buffoonery. Game on. At half
time there was a sense that this was a game there to be
won.
dsw fc began the second
half as they had finished the first, bossing possession
and looking the better side. The Devil's seemed content
to sit back on their lead and play on the counter
attack. However, dsw fc failed to convert their
superior possession into goals due to some wayward
finishing and also a string of good saves by the Devil's
keeper. The Devil’s tactics came to fruition midway
through the second half when, from a rare foray forward,
their striker fired low to Paul's left to restore their
two-goal advantage. dsw fc were now well and truly
chasing the game and, although they continued to have
more possession, the Devil's were looking more
threatening on the break and a number of good saves from
Paul kept the scoreline respectable. Sadly, yet another
counter attack yielded a fourth goal to finally put the
nail into the dsw fc coffin. Late efforts from Dave,
Bob and Adam were to no avail as the game ended 4-1.
So the losing streak
continues with a scoreline that flattered the
opposition. Could have been a very different game if
dsw fc had taken the lead but ultimately chasing the
game proved costly. |
