LRFC (2) v (2) Bishops Cleeve
Naunton Park, 18th December 2016
With yet another break between games LRFC could be forgiven for being rusty. That they lined up with 10 players the odds were definitely against them.
What they did was dig in, defend and look to spring attacks on the break. There was much huffing and puffing as fatigue inevitably kicked in. That it was in evidence after, in some cases, 10 minutes was cause for early concern.
Cleeve started the stronger and probably thought they would get a win considering the opposition. What they did well was move from defence to attack quickly but lacked that clinical finish. They did though open the scoring taking the lead with a smart finish as LRFC failed to be decisive when it mattered.
What followed was the LRFC best passage of play. They retained the ball and build play well. The equalising goal from Alf. There was good work from Luca down the left, his left footed cross fell to Jacob inside the 6yd box. His tame shot was right at the keeper who parried for Alf to smash home from close. 1-1.
It would be like this until half time.
Second half and LRFC were playing down the slope. This told as Cleeve struggled to get out of their half. In contrast LRFC were starting to dominate. Cleeve, though, made the extra man count as in defence they blocked and made some great tackles.
Hayden went close after some great control to take down a cross his shot flew over the bar. As the half progressed Cleeve started to expose space behind LRFC with their pacy winger standing out. They took the lead from a break.
The Cleeve striker looked to have been forced to wide only to finish from a tight angle. A very well struck finish.
2-1 but LRFC did not let their heads drop. While the Cleeve players started to show stress, arguing with each other and the ref and the linesman the LRFC players kept theirs and continued to press. The equalising goal came from Ben. Cleeve failed to clear a corner, Ben prodding home when it looked like it might not happen.
2-2 and how the game would finish.
A point was a good result for LRFC, stripped of resources they kept discipline and worked hard. When all around are losing their heads it's important to keep yours. None more so than in the aftermath of Bens booking. He definitely took one for the team there.
When you play with 10 men there will be some excellent performances - Fin caught the eye and played like a leader. The back four were under a lot of pressure and kept firm. Will marshalled them and kept his focus to make some important saves. Ben and George were formidable, their attributes complementing each perfectly. Adam in the other full back position was excellent defensively and showed nice skill to bring the ball out of defence.
In midfield Jacob started slow but grew in stature as the game progressed finishing strong. His close control proving often to be too much for Cleeve midfield who fouled him time and again. Ryan was slamming into tackles and driving on, typical ryan!
Hayden was the MOTM, a performance that saw him show some great touch and vision and but for the referees whistle he might have even got into the score sheet. Confidence is a big part of his game and he should be buoyed by this game.
Alf scored and worked hard, a player that needs games to maintain fitness struggled with recovery but drives the team on. He scored an important goal and was a threat both attack and defence with his head.
Luca was the outlet for the team and made some blistering runs to get beyond the Cleeve defence. He was unlucky not to score himself on a couple of occasions but not taking the shot early gave Cleeve time to reset. While always fast it is easy to run forwards and much harder to track back when your fitness is not what it was.
At the start of the game the LRFC management team was heard to say they would be happy with a point. While they got that they could be forgiven for thinking they could have taken all 3.
A solid performance but they cannot afford to have only 10 players for games to come.
With a break now for Christmas the players should take some time from the parties and mince pies and cheap lager to do some fitness work. There will be sterner tests and while their character is not in question their running power is.
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