Framlingham Town 18th October 2008

We were back in league action away to Framlingham Town. The conditions were perfect and with so many games going on around us there was a bit of a football festival atmosphere.

A Game

The line up was: Ollie S in goal, Connor S in defence, Jack, Charlie B and Will in midfield and Freddie and Matty up front. Sam and Keiran on the bench.

The first half was a very tight affair with both teams battling well. As expected a lot of the game was played in their half but they hit us several times with long balls on the counter atack. We played a more passing game and again Jack and Freddie linked well down the left. Although we were unable to convert the crosses we were getting closer. Will and Matty worked hard down the right but the final cross was lacking. Charlie as always battled well in the middle and has matured into the central role. Always ready on the edge of the box in an opportunity arises. Connor dealt with striker well but was guilty of jumping in and letting him past on a couple of occassions. Ollie dealt well with the attacks to keep it at 0-0. Connor was replaced by Sam who went on to have his best game in that position for the team. Solid and dependable. Just how we like our defenders to be. As half-time approached Framlingham were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position!!! If you have read the previous reports you'll know that Ollie has been beaten by the last two free kicks! Could it be three in a row?(I'm trying to build the drama) The shot was superbly struck at around chest height, the crowd of players in front of Ollie seemed to part at the last second giving him virtually no time to react. He was able to get his body behind it and batted it away allowing Freddie to launch the ball back up the field. A great piece of defending and a huge sigh of releif all round! The half finished 0-0.
Matty was replaced up front by Keiran. Connor was feeling unwell and was unable to take any further part in the game.
We started the half with a superb passing move and immediately put the home team under pressure. They cleared the ball to almost the half way line where Keiran put in a great tackle and won the ball, he ran forward and passed out to the left to Freddie, who carried it forward and cut it across the edge of the box. Keiran had continued his run and fired it into the bottom corner. 1-0.
From then on we dominated the game but still needed more goals to make the point safe. Charlie took a a superb corner which Jack managed to flick in with a lovely header. 2-0.
A few minutes later Will linked well with Keiran and crossed into the box where Jack banged it in for his second of the day. 3-0.
The goal of the game was from another Superb Charlie Bance corner. It was met by Will who was bombing into the box at speed, he powered the header into the goal to make it 4-0.
This was a good win against a well organised opposition. At half time it could have gone either way. Well done to our lads. We continued to play good passing football and were rewarded in the end with four goals
Man of the match was Jack Moss. His passing and moving was superb and he worked hard up and down the flank. The two goals were just a well deserved bonus.

B Game

The line up was: Cameron in goal, Dan in defence, Curtis, Kyle and Ollie M in midfield, Nat and Charlie W up front. Alex and Jake on the bench.

This was a much more open game than the first. Framlingham had the better of the opening few minutes as our midfield struggled to establish themselves. Dan was the busier defender and had his hands full at times but dealt with it really well. Fram could have scored when they broke loose with a one on one with rookie keeper Cammy. He came flying off his line and paniced the striker into shooting wide. A few minutes later the exact same thing happened, again Cammy forcing the player wide. This seemed wake our other players up and were started to get into our own game. Curtis, Kyle and Ollie started winning tackles in the middle. Nat and Charlie had stuck to their positions well but had hardly seen the ball. Suddenly we were pushing forward. Ollie won the ball with a great tackle and was able to lay it off to Curtis. He played a lovely ball into the box where Kyle managed to control it, turn and blast it past the keeper. 1-0. Against the run of play we were ahead. We pressed forward and started creating chances. Unfortunately the final shot was either scuffed under pressure or unable to get past the mass of bodies in the box as Framlingham defended desperately. Both Nat and Charlie came close to increasing our lead but it was a frustrating day for our strikers. It was during this type of attack that Framlingham managed to punt the ball clear. Dan who had found himself with two men to mark was left stranded as the striker ran towards goal. Cammy came off his line but this time hesitated, as the striker blasted it past him to level the score. 1-1.
A minute later a very similar situation arose and we found ourselves 2-1 down. The striker finished this one high into the goal giving Cammy no chance. 2-1 was the halftime score. Alex and Jake replaced Curtis and Nat.

The second half was spent almost totally in their half. Each time they tried to break free they were met with Dan who was having his best game of the season. Dan has always been a good tackler but today he was not only winning the ball but also passing it well and starting moves giving Framlingham no rest. Framlingham did get a few corners which were struck very well. Cammy dealt with them very well. It was from a corner that Fram got their third goal. Flicked in at the near post 3-1.
After that we pushed forward but with so many men behind the ball it was another frustrating half. Ollie was imposing himself on the right winning crucial tackles and taking players on. We were by far the better team for most of the game but it's goals that count so we lost 3-1.
This was a well fought game, with a little bit of luck and a better final ball we might have got something out of this. The boys however never stopped playing and their heads never went down. This is only our first defeat of the campaign, we mustn't forget we're having a great start to the season. (And on a cup run!!)
Man of the Match today was Dan French. A great battling performance and intelligent use of the ball.
A very special mention goes to Cammy for his heroics in goal. He didn't volunteer for it but took it on the chin and got on with the job. I think he also surprised himself with his performance. I've got a sneaky feeling he enjoyed it more than he's letting on!! (I'm sure Alex hasn't mentioned his clean sheet from a previous game very much!!)