Match Reports
Canale Cup 1st Rd v Park Ridge
Starting Line-Up:
Dale, Piers, Allan, Steve V, Owen, Danny, Luke, Pauric, Lachlan, Kevin, Kieran
Subs:
Christian, Julz, Benny, Arty (no game)
The opening round of the Premier Cup and in many ways a second start to the pre-season following disappointing results in the Bayside tournament. Two 2-1 losses which could easily have been reversed had left a little bit of a sour taste in the mouth of the boys.
In all truth, the cup means very little, but win, lose or draw, the important thing was to respond well to the losses by giving a strong performance. Fitness would definitely be a challenge, we had only had one training session in the sun and all our games had been played at night. So a 30+ Brisbane afternoon would go a way to challenging our potential for the season, against one of the better sides in the league. Last season had brought two epic games against Park ridge, KPR winning both games after trailing by 3 and 4 goals at half time. The absence of talismanic striker and all-round ginger nut Josh ‘Clifford’ O’Grady, and Kenny “Wee Man” Dowdall meant that the depths of the squad would be tested.
There was a relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room and coach Tharenou let the boys know that a win wasn’t important but the chance to build some fitness and play for positions was the key to the day.
Park Ridge certainly looked threatening from the outset, despite the loss of last seasons 2nd top league goalscorer from their squad, they still looked very confident. The back 4 passing the ball around fluently and the fast winger (no.2) creating a lot of havoc. This changed the shape of the team, with the midfield having to drop deeper to counter the passing game which they were flourishing with. After a tense 20 minutes with a few close calls in our box we got a lucky break. Luke won the ball well on the right and passed inside to Boyband, Boyband laid a first time ball through to Kieran who cooly took a couple of touches before stroking the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. After a long dry spell from Kieran he was back in the goals. 1-0 to the boys. This suddenly changed the Park Ridge game plan and panic set in. Long balls started to get lofted in rather than the slow and purposeful attack which had put KPR on the back foot. Chances were being created but it made the defensive effort easier, and it was only due to a moment of misunderstanding which led to the equalising goal. No names mentioned but the result was a run-in on Dale’s goal, who was powerless to stop the shot. 1-1. Within a few minutes though, all was forgotten as Dale unleashed another one of his monstrous kicks to send Kieran through on goal. Their big defender mis-judged it completely and Kieran skipped through and buried his second, the kid was on fire, 2-1. To walk in at halftime after being on the backfoot for much of the half felt sneaky but in some ways deserved. As long as you hit the target you have a chance.
A change at halftime saw Benny come on for Lachlan on the right, and from the start of the half Benny was into the action getting his first taste of football at KPR. It was down the right that the decisive 3rd goal came about with Kieran collecting a quick throw-in before running the ball to the bye-line and swinging over a delicious cross to be met by a great run and salmon-like jump by Luke, his perfect leap beating the keeper and defender to the ball and crossing the line to offer a 3-1 scoreline and his first goal for KPR. Boyband left the pitch shortly after to be replaced by the great hulking frame of Bolton’s finest Christian. The game slowed down with KPR clearly feeling the effects of it’s first summertime outing and also the pressure of the fan’s expectations J.
Park Ridge attacked and chances were created and wasted. Some great cover tackles and hounding by recent scouse import Allan prevented any clearcut opportunities with the sliding defence of Mssrs. Vershcoyle and Euler snuffing out each attack as they arrived.
Owen made way to rapturous applause from the bench as Julz Mcnamee graced the field, vested with the job of ‘taking out the fast kiddy on the right’. Clearly the arrival of Julz sent shivers down the spines of Park Ridge, the fast no. 2 and also the medical team at the Mater, as he was promptly substituted. Probably a wise move in the long run. There were a couple more chances from both sides, with Kieran almost grabbing a fantastic hat trick, but the boys clung on to the 3-1 victory and news that Bayside await them in next weekends match.
Despite being under the pump for periods in the game the defence held solid, the midfield managed to contain the threat posed by some handy players, and the ability to finish chances when they arrived paved the way for a great win. Confidence should be high for the season ahead. Signs are good.
