|
YC&AC, Sun 21st Jan. Following the previous days’ news of the Hibs having gone down to the BFC, this game was going to be a battle to go top or at least keep pace. Both teams were missing some key players but there was no obvious weakness. The conditions weren’t great with a cold wind making things tough for the keepers as well as keeping a hold of long balls out of the back. Neither team started particularly well with most balls being cleared long only to be picked up by the other side’s flat four in defense. In midfield, JP was being particularly watchful of YCAC’s danger man Antony, while Ogata was offering a nice option and showed great control under pressure with the ball. Up front, the Swiss had Kirk and Mori while the YCAC had two big boys upfront capable of danger, mostly in the air, as Rabid Raffa and Michael made things tough for anyone on the ground.
The first goal came from a corner kick. Aoki had told Kirk to go near post and this seemed to distract Gary and the defense as the ball floated over him and Kirk to an unmarked JP at the far post to head home for a 1-0 lead. This seemed to settle the Swiss down a little and the ball started to move around the bumpy pitch a little better. The best chance came when Aoki put Mori through for a clear 1 on 1 vs. Gary but he snuffed it out well. The Swiss seemed to have the upper hand but another strange call from the referee gave the YCAC a free kick from about 40 yards out. With the wind against him, Damian saw the keeper off his line and struck it quickly and laughingly watched it float over the stumbling keeper into an open goal. 1-1 was how the first half ended. There were questionable calls on both sides but both defenses were firm and there weren’t too may opportunities. The Swiss seemed to connect a little better going forward as Antony was being well marked and there wasn’t much follow through from the other midfielders in terms of creating opportunities for the forwards.
The second period was going to prove a little more physical and more entertaining. Both sides seemed to show a little more intent and the introduction of Tyson (All-American forward that he is) meant more danger. YCAC had a few chances but the best ones seem to come from in swinging free-kicks or corners with the wind causing all sorts of problems for the young Swiss keeper. Going the other way, Ogata started to push forward a bit more in support of the forwards and a few shots resulted. The first goal of the 2nd period unfortunately came from another questionable foul call on Raffa who appeared to have gotten the ball cleanly. Just outside the area, Damian stepped up and lifted the ball over the wall. It bounced off the cross bar and down but with 5 Swiss defenders watching, 4 YCAC players were there and only one was needed to head it past the keeper, 2-1. The Swiss knew that a loss would almost certainly mean the title would be out of their hands so they had to raise their game. Aoki and JP especially deserve credit for raising the bar. Mori and Kirk pressured continuously up front and even Raffa was coming through on corners and broke through for a 1-1 vs. the keeper and looked to have beaten him but Aoki touched it in at the end and surprise! The goal was called back for offsides. If he hadn’t have touched it, it would have gone in anyway but no goal. There was another golden chance missed by Suzuki after a perfect Aoki corner, a header from inside the 6 yard box which was just knocked wide. It was around this time that YCAC’s rock in defense, Damian, went town with a hamstring pull. He was the rock in defense and the initiator going the other way. His loss was big and the game swung right after that. Ogata proved to be the killer. With the YCAC concentrating their efforts on Kirk and Mori, Ogata was finding lots of space just behind them. With 15 minutes to go, he beat 2 players inside the box and side footed by Gary for the equalizer. He found the winner with 6 minutes to go after receiving a nice pass from Watanabe on the left, he beat one defender and shot by Gary at the near post for a 3-2 lead.
The YCAC threw everything forward and had 2 possible efforts in the last few minutes, James Absolom just heading wide and other forward booting over from just inside the box after having been sent through by Gavin. Overall, the game was tough and physical with not much skill shown due to the pitch. The Swiss really had to work hard but probably deserved the win considering the number of opportunities they had. Well played to all and we hope Damian has a speedy recovery.
Report by Cap'n Kirk
|