A game of two halves for Old Boys 2

We won the toss and elected to kick off and for the first half that was pretty much as good as it got. Western Springs were first to every ball, won most of the aerial contests and the 50/50’s and dominated the game. Up front Graham and Johnny held the ball up well and showed they would be a handful given the right service but they were fighting a losing battle. In Midfield Pete C, Wrighty, Ants and Steve were being outplayed and sometimes it seemed as if Springs had two extra players on the pitch. Fortunately the back four of Jeff, John Mc, Liam and Mike were resolute and Jim didn’t have a shot to save, a few crosses to deal with but his handling was impeccable. Around the half hour mark we made some changes, on came Coxy, Roy, Marty and Pete T but the pattern of the game remained the same, Western Springs playing some good football until thirty yards from goal where it seemed to break down once they hit our back four. Half time arrived 0 – 0 and to be honest we were lucky to get Nil, the brightest thing about the first half was all the new boots on display from Pete’s traditional black to Steve’s dazzling white to Ants’ lurid fluorescent “ glow in the dark “ lime green ones.

Off we trooped to get a right rollicking from Coxy and deservedly so.
With Coxy’s words still ringing in our ears we started the second half much better and started to get to grips with our opponents. Steve now started to find space on the right, Pete on the left and we started to spread the ball wide and play better football. In the middle Ants had got to grips with his new role and was beginning to win the loose balls whilst Marty was beginning to dominate the midfield. Up front Johnny had nipped off to pick up his pension so Wrighty had moved forward with Graham and the combination of Grahams unselfish running and Wrighty holding the ball up was beginning to pick holes in their defence.

Suddenly their keeper became the busiest man on the field as Steve, Wrighty and Marty all tested him whilst Ants warmed his hands with a rasping drive from the edge of the box. It was a complete reversal of the first half as our midfield now started pouring forward and Wrighty was getting closer and closer with each effort and crosses from Pete C, Coxy and Steve were causing all sorts of problems. Mike now started overlapping and pushing down the right flank whilst Jeff and Pete T were doing the same on the left.
Western Springs threw on their “ big lad “ to try to unsettle our back four and watching him and John Mc challenge each other was just like a revisit to the Big Daddy V Giant Haystacks contests in the 80’s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOF4YRDO6nI

The tactic didn’t work and Liam continued to dominate at the back winning all the contests and being a yard too quick for their front men.
The game was now being played in the Western Springs half and a breakthrough seemed inevitable, it came on the hour mark as we were awarded a free kick just outside the box, up stepped Wrighty and you could see their keeper relax {obviously he had read last week’s report} as he waited for the over the bar effort. Roy touched it to the side and Wrighty hit it low and hard into the corner, the keeper did well to save it but couldn’t hold on and Pete C showed great awareness to pounce and tuck the rebound away. We now had our tails up and the goal seemed to relax everyone, Jim came out of goal because he was bored and Marty took over for the last 20.

Now the football started flowing and Roy, Ants, Coxy and Jim kept the ball moving with some delightful one touch stuff whilst Graham’s movement up front kept creating chances for others. A second goal was on the cards and 10 minutes from time it came as Mike picked up a loose ball on the half way line, beat one man on the outside, came inside the next and then rifled it into the top corner from 35 yards. Game over and in the last 10 both Steve and Jim went close to adding a third. Whilst Johnny started showboating and pulling off some tricks proving that he can still do it at 92.

An abysmal first half and a very good second half, particularly pleasing to keep a clean sheet for the first time this season and against a good side who gave a good account of themselves and played some nice football.

Player of the day goes to Ants Cooke, hard working and some tireless running in midfield.

Many thanks to TD who gave a faultless display as referee and thank you to the members of the over 35/1 team who turned out to support and kept encouraging us even when we were dreadful and thank you to Western Springs for a really tough game played in the right spirit.

Next game – away to Mangere, Centre park 1.00pm ko