TRANENT HIT FOR SIX

Tranent Colts 4 - 6 MYS Blue Stripes (14Mar09)

We travelled to Tranent for our 2nd game of the season and were faced with another windy day, the only saving grace this week being the wind was across the pitch rather than behind, thereby offering no real advantage to either team.

However we could not blame the elements as Tranent quickly got into their stride, over-ran us in midfield and took the lead courtesy of a great shot past Cameron. This shook us into action and we gradually started to get into the game with some good link up play between Jason and Ben and Keiron and Ben. Our pressure quickly brought an equaliser from Jason collecting the ball in midfield and then beautifully disguising a reverse left foot pass into Ben who struck it first time past the keeper. Shortly afterwards Ben was able to intercept a clearance from their goalie and run on and finish to put us in the lead. We were now looking good with Scott and Ethan providing the defensive platform for Keiron, Jason and Lennon to take complete control of the game and allow Ben every opportunity to add to his already impressive goal tally for the season. Just before the end of the first period and just after Jason and Ben had shot wide, we scored a great team goal which started with Cameron feeding Ethan who in turn found Lennon. He carried the ball forward then picked out Ben who drilled home from just outside the safety zone to allow us to finish the first period 1-3. Another hat-trick for Ben, but more importantly we showed great character in coming back from losing an early goal.

We made some changes going into the 2nd quarter which saw Brendan and Jamie assume the defensive responsibilities and Owain replace Lennon. We also switched Cameron and Jason, however the changes did nothing to loosen our grip on the game and quickly Ben was able to add number 4, courtesy of Jamie robbing their defender and playing a great pass into Ben’s path for him to finish with style. We were creating lots of chances, the next one being a good pass from Brendan into Ben with his quick shot being deflected for a corner. Brendan and Jamie were showing that they were just as effective as Scott and Ethan and they were linking well as a defensive partnership and able to hold Tranent at bay. The midfield three of Keiron, Cameron and Owain were also linking well and it was Owain’s persistence which enabled him to rob the defender and play the ball to Ben who today only had eyes for goal and it was another great strike which took the score to 1-5. Shortly before the end of the 2nd quarter, Jamie set up Owain who hit a shot just over the bar.

More changes at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, but this time it really seemed to affect us. We seemed to take a long time to settle and as a result we quickly lost a soft goal with the ball being played through our midfield very easily and Scott and Ethan being over-ran. Despite a couple of great saves from Jamie, one in particular when he tipped the ball over the bar, we lost another goal when once again we seemed to be outnumbered in midfield and defence. It wasn’t obvious at the time what changes Tranent had made, suffice to say they were proving to be a real handful and whether we had become a bit complacent, they were clearly the team in the ascendancy and before long we lost another goal to take the score to 4-5.

The break couldn’t come quickly enough as it allowed us to re-group, make some further changes and break Tranent’s rhythm. We reintroduced Keiron, Cameron and Ben with Owain going in goal and whilst we were still living dangerously at the back, we were able to compete much better around the pitch. For the first time in what felt like a long while, we created a chance when Ben turned provider with Cameron shooting just wide. We continued to play the game in their half and it wasn’t long after we swapped Jason for Lennon, that Ben controlled a long pass from Jamie and played the ball into Jason who seemed to strike the ball with the outside of his right foot with his shot deceiving the keeper who probably thought the ball was going past but it sneaked just inside his right hand post. This gave us some breathing space again and allowed us to play out the rest of the game quite comfortably.

It is quite satisfying to see that when we are asked the question, we have the mental strength to respond and we clearly showed that we wanted to win the game. There is still much room for improvement particularly with our passing game, however I have to give them all a lot of credit for defeating a very capable Tranent team.

Finally, many thanks for the fantastic support and positive encouragement given to the all the players by our parents, which for the Blue Stripes is normal and I fully expect our behaviour to be rewarded with a spot in the last four of the Fair Play Cup.

Teamsheet: Cameron, Scott, Ethan, Keiron, Jason, Lennon, Ben, Brendan, Owain & Jamie

Goalscorers: Ben (5) & Jason