Young Guns vs. Richmond 15.08.09 (A) - 5:0 (1:0)
After the soccer lesson that the top team of Richmond taught us last week we were up against another Richmond squad today. It was not another Kangaroo’s level team, but we didn’t really know what we were up against. And our chances didn’t really improve in the hours leading up to the start of the game. With Josh and Ryan we had two withdrawals due to sickness and with Nick another one because of other commitments. So we had to quickly recruit on the soccer transfer market to have a t least one sub for the tough task ahead of us. And we found a fantastic replacement in little Tom who has been training with the Young Guns and was flexible enough to join the squad on very short notice.
The forecast was for blue skies and 20 degrees Celsius, perfect conditions. When we got to the famous Kevin Bartlett Reserve though, there was a strong gale blowing in our faces that we had against us in the first half. Another reason why we were a little bit worried was the fact that Richmond on average was some 15 cm taller than our boys. So we knew that we had to be on our toes from the very first second. And we were…
Alex, going into the game with a sore ankle, started in goals with a strong backline around James, Callum, and Moritz in front of him. The midfield and forward line was built around Victor, Corey, skipper Justin, and new recruit Tom. The game started in a very even manner with Richmond, supported by the strong wind, spending most of the time in our half. So we saw ourselves pushed back into defence most of the time in the beginning. But the Guns kept their positions very well, were very concentrated and persistent in their tackles, and so didn’t really allow Richmond dangerous scoring opportunities. The occasional counter-attacks that we ran on the other side were always dangerous. Then after 10 minutes somebody must have realized why Richmond was dominating the opening minutes of the game. They took one player off the pitch without putting a substitute on. We actually were so busy with ourselves that we hadn’t noticed that Richmond had one player more on the field. But we had survived these first ten minutes and all of a sudden saw ourselves more and more in the Richmond half.
Moritz took control of the game in the center of the pitch. Bobby and Callum perfectly covered him with fantastic tagging and tackling. With long goal kicks we put our wingers Victor and Corey more and more into good positions. They carried the ball down the wing dribbling around their defenders as if they weren’t there. The pressure that Corey and Vic put onto Richmond’s defence wore them down so that the first goal for the Guns could not be far away.
And it wasn’t. First year player Justin tanked his way through on the right wing and played a magnificent through ball to debutant Tom. Tom himself didn’t wait for too long. He controlled the ball with a lot of skills, put it into perfect position and kicked the ball with such precision into the right corner that Richmond’s good goalkeeper had no chance to prevent the Guns’ first goal.
From that moment onwards the Young Guns seemed to be in control of the game. However, they were always on alert to close down the opponent’s attackers and make the game very tight already deep in Richmond’s half. Nevertheless, Alex had to put his body on the line on a couple of occasions to keep his clean sheet. Also, we had to clear the ball in dangerous positions after a few corners. But the 1-0 lead for halftime was definitely a well deserved result for our boys.
The usual changes at halftime saw little Tom standing tall in goals, Corey orgnaizing the backline from the engine position with Justin and Victor as strong right and left back. Moritz and Alex started in midfield with James and Callum taking turns up front. Later on we had to make another change after Alex copped another hit with metal studs against his already injured ankle. Brave as he is he finished off the game as goalkeeper with Tom moving up into midfield line again.
The Guns started the second half as if they wanted to kick Richmond off the pitch within only a few minutes. From an extremely strong defence with Justin and Victor always being on top of things and Corey passing the ball cleverly to the wings we started combinations through or midfield that were very pleasant to watch. James was a bit excited in the beginning often trying to finish off attacks with only one touch. Once he got used to controlling the ball and laying it off to the midfielders to the left and right we created plenty of scoring opportunities. With skilful one-two-passes the Guns opened up the game and appeared dangerously in front of Richmond’s goal.
So it was only a matter of time until the boys extended their lead. Alex won a tackle 10 meters in front of goal and the ball rolled in front of Moritz right hammer. One frightening touch with the laces was enough to put the Guns up 2-0. And the 3rd goal shouldn’t wait for long. Tom tanked his way through on the right wing and could only be stopped at the expense of a corner. He took the corner himself, Cal, Bobby, and Corey lined themselves up around the imaginary box. Tom’s corner flew straight onto Corey’s boot who produced a Premier league like drop kick shot into the top right corner of Richmond’s goal. 3-0, and the Guns were now completely on top of things.
Although the game went very well moving forward they did not give up their positions in the back and so successfully kept the ball away from our own goal. We had a few tight situations to overcome, but the boys in the back and also Alex were always in control. Richmond got more and more frustrated even to the extent that some elbows and even fists came up higher than they should be. But our boys did not let themselves down to that level but rather reacted in a rather professional way – with great soccer skills.
There were quite a few more good plays that could be talked about here, but let’s limit it to 2 more highlights: Goals number 4 and 5 for the Guns. The fourth was again assisted by Tom who placed a throw straight onto Mozza’s right foot again. What follows form that we all know. The next move after that is usually the goalkeeper getting the ball from the back of the net again. And so it was. Bang, 4-0.
And to top things even late in the game it was again Moritz who unleashed a shot from a bouncing ball from our own half, from some 22m. The ball flew high into the left corner sealing our win with a convincing 5-0 which definitely makes it worthwhile to put a few words forward about the real stars of the game:
Al: With already 3 players down it was great to see that Alex bit his teeth and swallowed the pain going through his injured ankle. He was so important in goals giving our backline the security and confidence they needed to keep another clean sheet. He definitely deserved the man of the match award today which probably lies in the category of “bravery award”.
Bobby: There is one word that describes his game the best: Passion! And he has lots of it. Today he perfectly managed to both use but also control this passion in a manner that let him play one of his best games in the Young Guns jersey. As defender he kept his positions 98% of the time and won so many tackles that I stopped counting at some stage. As forward he shone with great lay-offs to Moritz, Tom, and Callum who all came very close to goal with Bobby’s great support.
Cal: Like Bobby Callum also won more than 90% of his one-on-one contests. When the going gets tough it is great to know to have kids like cal in your team because you know that they will stand tall in the contest. Was it with head. Knee, or foot, Cal always got some part of his body in to frustrate Richmond’s attackers. His highlight as midfielder/forward certainly was the corner that he almost curled into the goal, only to be stopped by this back post that tipped the ball out intot eh field again.
Mozza: There is only one word that describes his performance today: Superb! Ornaginzing the backline brilliantly in the 1st half, he moved into midfield after the break. And that certainly was bad news for Richmond. It was not only his 3 cracker goals that made his performance so enjoyable to watch. It was more the game-opening passes to his fellow midfielders and forwards that underlined his well advanced soccer skills.
Cozza: What a win for our team Corey was. Being a first year player he is one of the big engines in our game. He already displays excellent ball and tactical skills. In midfield before the break he was the cause for a lot of trouble in Richmond’s backline. And how you should defend in soccer he showed us all after the break when he confidently organized our backline. His goal after a corner with a fine drop kick shot was one of these unforgettable moments in such an U9 season.
Vic: Leg speed, tackling force, and a ripper left foot are Victor’s trademark credentials. The left wing was all his in the first half when Richmond even tried to put 2 defenders (unsuccessfully) against him. It was great to see that he kept his calm and sticked to his positive attitude when it got a bit rougher today. He is just to quick for all the other boys in that competition to get him out of his game. Another great team performance by our Speedy Gonzales.
Justin: He won the toss as skipper for our team today and made the wise decision to kick into the wind first which eventually left us with a big advantage after the break. With his confidence sky-rocketing he more and more turns into an important contributor for our game. The way he prepared our first goal was simply awesome. A quick tackle, a precise pass into open space, and through was Tom our forward to open up the scoring for our team.
Tom: Last not least we have to say a few words about our new recruit, Tom. He already displayed good skill in many training sessions we have had this year. But he definitely topped the highest expectations we could have when he finally got his first cap for the Guns today. One brilliant goal and 2 clean assists should make his performance an unforgettable one for both himself as well as the many supporters on the sideline.
Yes, the Guns bounced back with a convincing win in Richmond. We are now on 98 goals for the season. If we can reach the 100 goal mark next week is at least questionable as we will be facing another Kangaroo’s league team with the Bulleen Lions. The normal fixture would give us another bye round, but thanks to our hardworking manager we will now have another chance to test our skills against the crème de la crème of junior soccer. We’re all looking forward to another highlight of our already very exciting season.
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