A frustrating start for Langwarrin – Macleod Fuming!
Posted: 23 April, 2007
| Westgate | 1 | — | 0 | Langwarrin |
Round 2: Westgate v Langwarrin — 21 April, 2007
Controversy marred Langy’s opening to the season and a vociferous Gus Macleod was seething after the first team went down 1-0 to Westgate at Ardeer Reserve last Saturday.
With a few minutes to go and Langy pressing hard for an equaliser, Chris Quinn was shoved to the ground inside the opposition area as he jostled for position to attack a set piece. The referee eventually approached a linesman who pointed out which Westgate player had infringed. The ref singled out the player, booked him, but failed to award a penalty in what proved to be a costly oversight.
After the final whistle, Westgate’s No 7 was in Brian MacNicol’s face and was in full cry as he unleashed his trash-talking repertoire. Macleod was incensed by this and reminded the Westgate player that him and his teammates still had to come to our neck of the woods.
With Elliot Brooks and Darren McClenaghan sidelined, former Halifax Town and Eccleshill United striker Karl Cochrane switched to sweeper with Quin and Matt Hakvoort in central defensive positions. Shane Tagliaferro, MacNichol, Adam Poole, Thomas Ahmadzai, and Darko Djuric were in midfield with Ben Caffrey partnered in attack by Tim Paton, signed the previous week from Heidelberg.
Caffrey’s close ball control produced our most dangerous move of the first half when he turned his defender in the 18th minute and chipped a great ball to the back post. Westgate only partially cleared it and the ball fell again to Caffrey. Again he jinked his way past his man and this time drove the ball across the goalface low and hard. It was begging to be hit but no-one could get onto the end of it. Four minutes later Paton looked to be through but a defender pressured him and the chance went begging.
Westgate started to pressure us and surprisingly started winning balls in the air inside our penalty box. The danger signals were flashing and the home side hit the front in the 38th minute. We again were exposed at the back and our failure to clear forced Chris Jones to challenge for a 50-50 ball. Jones got a hand to the ball but it ricocheted back to a Westgate player who drilled it in from close range.
Two minutes later Caffrey was brought down just outside the area but the opportunity was wasted when MacNichol’s free kick went straight to the Westgate keeper.
In the 44th minute Westgate players and supporters were celebrating what they thought was a second goal. A high ball was played toward the back post. Jones called for it but didn’t attack the ball with any confidence and although it ended up in the back of the net, the ref ruled that Jones had been infringed. Then just a minute later a Westgate forward was free at the back post but headed over. The half-time whistle saw Langy staring down the barrel.
Early in the second half Langy was forced into a last ditch clearance and the signs were looking ominous. We started looking for Quinny in the air from set pieces and his heading ability started to give the home side cause for concern. In the 65th minute a Quinn header resulted in a goalline clearance and the home team started to look a bit jittery. That said, Langy failed to create clearcut chances even though we were threatening from set pieces.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Caffrey and Paton made way for Stevie Vernon and Ali Memedovski and right on the 75th minute mark a MacNichol free kick saw Quinn rise high at the far post only to head over.
Ian Callaghan replaced Djuric and joined in the aerial bombardment. By now Cochrane had been thrown forward as we searched desperately for an equaliser. In the 82nd minute Callaghan won a header at the back post and the ball fell to Cochrane who couldn’t turn it in. It was to be our last good chance of the match.
POSTSCRIPT: There was a minute’s silence before the game for Westgate’s president who had died a week earlier and the father of a senior player who had died the night before.
