A Half of Two Halves
Sandgate 4 GPR 2
As we went into what may well be our closing game of the season, tensions were high for Sandgate. Their title was on the line, whereas the mighty Salads were playing for a top half finish. Incredible, really, given we were guaranteed to have won more games than we lost, but such is life in the lower leagues. But the lads rose to the occasion and almost snatched a victory away from the league leaders, save for a 5 minute battery that unfairly reflected how close the game had been.
Credit where it’s due, the pitch surface was the nicest we’d played on all year. Usually you have to account for mudslides, a bit of hilliness and the occasional pothole at this level, but on a glorious sunny day it felt like the perfect stage. Before kick off, we spoke as a unit of how proud we were of our progress and how much we had shifted over the last 9 months. We’d dealt with injury crises, months without a game, and personal agony. Through it all, we were there, firmly in every game. Well, almost every game. It was a sobering reminder that we were only going forward.
The convergence of these two factors quickly showed their colours as the game kicked off. Sandgate were more comfortable in possession at the back, but we played with directness and purpose. Yannick, Cal and Robin were dictating our forward manoeuvres, while Doug and Joel were finding pockets of space to receive the ball in attack. In defence, Julian and Jack were knocking back attacks while Prince and Adam marshalled the wings superbly in performances deserving of a MOTM award. We were struggling to win to win the physical duels, but this all changed when Dan S came on. Within a minute, he had sent one of the opposition flying, which set the tone for the rest of the game. I don’t think I saw him lose a single duel.
The rest of the half was back and forth, with both sides going close. The spectre of the first fixture loomed as, with seconds of the half left, it looked like we might concede. That was until some heroic defending and a brilliant instinctive save from Oli got the ball to safety and us all square going into the break. We were feeling good and the lads knew they were in it to win it. A quick water break, and on the game went. 5 minutes in, Dan S forced his way into the box, only to be tackled by the defender. But the ball spilled and Joel was there to pick it up, set himself, and fire it into the net to open the scoring. After that, we grew in confidence. Doug, Gavin and Dan S were controlling the play going forward, the latter seemingly beginning everything with some clever link up play.
However, it was Joel’s direct approach and pace did it in for Sandgate’s defence. Fifteen minutes after the first goal, he broke through on the counter, and slipped the ball between the defenders for Rory to run onto and provide a calm, composed finish that has been his trademark for so long now. The whistle blew for the second water break with us firmly on top and looking good. On return to the pitch, however, Sandgate decided to go all out and scored three quick goals on the spin. It may have been more if not for some fantastic saves from Oli, including a finger-tipped effort onto the post. However, when they went in for their fourth having been played offside, linesman Adam raised his flag at the speed of an inter-city train, despite being adamant that it was offside. Needless to say, the ref wasn’t convinced.
Overall it was a brilliant performance dented by an unstoppable wave of attacking prowess that have brought Sandgate to the heights they are at in the first place. Full credit goes to them as they search for a league title. As for the Salads, we put it down to a victory that we decided to give to them as a gift in their hopes of lifting the trophy. But what a great account we gave ourselves for all of our momentum. I can’t wait to have a rest now, but I’m going to be chomping at the bit soon enough and get back into it. Everyone at the club should be proud, and ready to go again next season where our aims will be set even higher. COME ON YOU SALAAAAAADS!
MOTM 🤌 = Adam was phenomenal and gets the nod, but any of the back four probably deserved it. Dan S and Joel also deserve a mention for their attacking performances.
DOTD 💀 = Adam. Great player, questionable linesman.
