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YC&AC, Sun 21st Jan. With the top in sight, albeit with the Hibs having a game in hand, the YCAC passed up a historic chance to look down on the rest of the TML for the first time at the YCAC yesterday. Some awful defending in the last 20 minutes from the YCAC ruined an otherwise solid if not fluent display and allowed the Swiss to come back from 2-1 down to steal a 2-3 win.
The YCAC dominated periods of the second half and had several clear cut opportunities to extend their lead and later force a draw. James hit the bar with a header from close range and almost scooped in another chance from almost the same position later on, before Matthew had a chance to grab a vital point when he lifted his effort over the bar in the final seconds. Earlier on though, it was the Swiss that made the first breakthrough in a messy first half with few chances. Some fine work down the left brought a corner for the reds and the ball was swung in high in the breeze. Gary claimed it but misjudged the flight of the ball and it fell to an unmarked Swiss to knock in with his head from short range.
At that stage, the YCAC did not look like making any headway against a resolute Swiss defence and the strong breeze and they lost their shape as they tried to come to terms with being 1-0 down. However, whenever you need a man to stand up in a crisis, look no further than Damo. To do this, you should try looking along the touchline, where he is normally to be found nursing a hamstring injury or some other ailment inclined to afflict the elderly sportsman. But, that wasn't the case until about 65 minutes in yesterday. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, and with the Swiss still arguing over the award of the free kick, Damo stepped up and smacked the ball 35 yards over the keeper and into the top right corner of the net.
All square at the break then, and the YCAC began the second half with more purpose and with the wind was at their backs. Before long, a bit of YCAC pressure told and Damo was handed another opportunity from a free kick, this time about 25 yards out. He struck it sweetly and it cannoned off the bar and looped up into the air. Four YCAC players gathered beneath it as the Swiss looked on without reacting, and it was left to Kitajima to nod it home. 2-1 and the YCAC had command of the game save for one moment of controversy as Kirk obstructed Damo from an offside position. The ball was stroked past Gary and was goalbound, but the obstruction issue did not require any analysis from the referee because another Swiss player kindly tapped home the ball from an obviously offside position just before it went over the line.
After surviving that scare, the YCAC were settling down to hold on for the win when a long throw caused confusion in the box. Gary was left exposed as his youthful defence (average age 40.6 years old) fumbled around and allowed a Swiss player to strike the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. Damo then departed for his appointment with the touchline and the Swiss grabbed a winner with about 5 minutes left, one of their blokes rampaging through the tired YCAC defence and knocking it home far too easily for Gary's liking, although the fact that the scorer had carried it a couple of yards a la Michael Jordan was a little upsetting too.
Still, the YCAC should have made more of their second half possession and could well have evened things up had they taken their late chances. As it is, the Swiss have tightened things up at the top and with 5 teams still in with a shout of the title, maybe Sid ought to start looking around for a TV deal.
Report by Gavin Margetson
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