Depleted Reserves Suffer First Loss
Posted: 28 July, 2008
| Bentleigh Greens | 3 | — | 0 | Langwarrin |
Round 16: Bentleigh Greens v Langwarrin — 20 July, 2008
It was finally time for the first versus second showdown this week. The unbeaten Langy against Bentleigh Greens in what was billed to be one of the games of the season.
Unfortunately due to the senior's suspension and injuries concerns the boys would have to do without the big man Caffrey, mercurial midfielder Adam and star defender Scud: all had been promoted to the first team.
So the line-up looked something like this. Skelly with the gloves. In defence: Sean Smith, Brent and Alex Mackie. Thrown across the midfield were Fammo, Kev, Burgo, Joe and Hayden which left Pete and Mitch up front. The bench looked like Nick Thomas, Danny Biondo, James Cullen, Liam George and Dylan Kilner who had been brought up from the 18's for his second match with the ressies this year.
Bentleigh on the other hand had all there players to choose from and then some. We would later find that they had three seniors in their starting 11 so the boys certainly had there work cut out for them.
Straight from the kick-off this was the case. It was immediately evident that Bentleigh had come to attack, throwing two up front and having three or four running forward through the middle of the park. The first 10 minutes were a containment job for Langy with Kev running himself ragged to try win the ball, all of which was done with a dodgy knee.
But it wasn't enough to prevent the opening goal. A ball was swung in from their right winger, Skelly came and tried to punch but didn't get enough on it, the ball landing around the penalty spot for there striker to lob it over everyone and into the back of the net. 1-0 to the Greens. Not long after it was 2.
A Langy attack broke down when the ball was given away, releasing one of their midfielders. He took the ball from inside his own half and ran with it all the way to the 18 yard box, playing it to the feet of one of his strikers. The midfielder kept running when his marker stopped, the ball was played to him completing the 1-2 which left him little to do but roll it past Skelly. 2-0 and it was looking ominous for the league leaders.
That was it for the first half, Langy yet to test the opposition keeper and coach Skelly with a bit to do at the break. He would of course be helped by Ian Mackie's expert opinion which the boys look forward to in anticipation every week.
But even that couldn't stop the boys from going 3 down soon after the restart. A free-kick was whipped in from the left this time, the ball flicked on at the near post and again a midfielder lost there marker, leaving him to finish into an open net.
So it was time for some changes. Mitch off for Danny, Burgo for Liam and Joe for young Kilner. This seemed to spark some life into Langy; suddenly we were going forward for the first time in the match. It was great to see young Kilner get stuck-in from the moment he came on, and it was from one of his tackles the dispossessed the Greens' in midfield, the ball landing to Fammo. The winger turned and ran with it, playing it to the Peter's feet who played a lovely toe-poke pass back to Fam and finally Langy had there first shot of the match. Unfortunately the young Italian couldn't get any power on it, but it was good to see Langy attacking.
Next it was Kev playing a ball through the middle of the park, Biondo receiving it and running past two defenders, one-on-one with the keeper, he hits it but sadly it was straight at the man with the gloves who gets down low to make a save. The ball ricochets out to the on-coming Kev who scuff's his shot wide. Unlucky boys!
Then it was Hayden who decided to get in the action, taking it past his man and passing it to Pete. The striker looked up and crosses it to Fam, the winger dummying it past one, loads up to hit and just has the ball taken off his toe at the last moment. Again it was so close.
But it just wasn't to be Langy's day as once again Kilner dispossess' his opponent and players it to Pete who turns and hits it from 30yards. The shot looked to be on target until it was deflected out for a corner by a Green's defender. So that's how it finished, 3-0 to Bentleigh who were far superior on the day, but well done to the lads who never gave up and worked themselves into the game near the end. As the coach said after the match, it just makes you hungrier for next week, and with some players coming back into the squad it should be a cracker next week against Clifton Hill. Hope to see you all there.
Team: Skelly, S.Smith, B.Smith, Mackie, Famularo, Shippers, Burgess (George 75), McAlister, Iline (Kilner 70), Blake(Biondo 60), Ferguson
Unused Sub: Thomas, Cullen
