Match Reports
Reserves Pre-Season v Bayside
KPR 1 – Bayside 3
I can’t believe its that time of the year again. Pre-Season. The time when the weather is its hottest, and the running is its furthest.
KPR is always a slow starter when it comes to pre-season. Most of the boys don’t turn up for training because they are hiding from the running, have plain forgotten, or have other commitments early in the new year. On top of this there wasn’t too much time before our first game.
Trainings have only been minimal, and on selected parts of the ground due to ongoing field maintenance, and I think everyone was slightly concerned about how the team would look and perform in its first hit out against a much better prepared side, who were playing in their fourth full trial game. We hadn’t even been able to play on a full field yet.
If you are short on time, you can stop reading now, the scoreline did not reflect the state of the game, and a draw probably would’ve been a fair result.
The make up of the team has varied slightly from last year. The coaches have changed, with the experienced duo of Steven Silvester and Darren Steer holding the reins.
Back from last year is Daniel Watts, David Young, Richie Muir, Kristian Tognini, Lucas Woodbury, and Tim Moore. From Metro 4, the squad has been strengthened with the additions of Logan Drain, Keet White, Des Ward, Arthur Raptis, and Steven Silvester. From previous years Nathan Zimmer (and potentially Dan Fois, and Adrian Bertolla). New blood in the form of Neil, Chris, Seamus, Gerrard, Kieran, David have also been added.
Coach Silvester set up the side in a 4-4-2 formation and asked the team to play nice simple balls using the space and the perfect pitch to their advantage, and for the best part of the half, the team did exactly that, with the culmination of such play seeing Coach Silvester swinging in a ball from deep behind the defence, to be met by the head of Logan Drain into an empty net.
The team was playing fairly cohesively which is an excellent sign for the season ahead, and the only time Bayside looked dangerous was on the free kicks around the box which were expertly saved by Keeper Raptis, until an unlucky deflection went just past his reach to bring the game back to 1-1 at half time.
Kristian “Big Kat” Tognini was unlucky not to find the net with a few close misses and great saves by their keeper and Dan “Whippet” Watts was also unlucky not find find his name on the scorecard.
Just after half time saw the substitutions of a very tired Des “Hasler” Ward, Steve “Coach” Silvester, Arty “Clown Shoes” Raptis, David “Jessica Alba” Young and Chris, and on came some of the new boys, and injured ravaged Tim “Tomahawk” Moore.
Bayside were lucky to get a few goals when match fitness started to play a part, and they were lucky goals as well on top of that, but overall the match was played in good spirits, and we are definitely looking at a 5-0 win at least in the first round of the fixtures.
The 5 weeks and 4 more games until the season proper, this was a very good hitout for the boys, and I’m sure they’ll appear on the right side of the result next time round.
Until next time: Tom O’Hawke out
