MAA Premier Division League Match
Team: Rhys, Sheldon Miller, Joe Lewis, Dave Smith, Steve Burton, Andy Creswell, Rocky Bennett-Bull, Josh Slade, Chris Fish, Nick Evans, Dave rantham. Subs (all used): Liam Hill, Fraser Barron, Micky Evans.
If you want to see goals on a Saturday afternoon, come and see Wollo 3rds. Unfortunately, there were far too many shipped in this game for our liking after we'd taken a 2-0 lead and looked set to overwhelm Pinxton in the first half.
With Micky Evans having been away the week before, our Captain subbed up with Andy Creswell (Wollaton Thirds' answer to Dirk Kuyt) demonstrating his versatility by taking up the central midfield spot alongside Rocky, with Fishy and Josh giving us width on both wings. Mark Middleton was still suffering from man flu, so Dave Grantham kept the number 9 shirt and continued his run of form up front after a decent performance against Whatton the week before.
Two weeks before this match we'd won an epic 8-5 cup tie on penos after a 3-3 draw after extra time. Naturally, Pinxton were after a bit of vengence but we were the first to get in the groove as we took the game to them, with some slick passing. Fishy put us 1-0 up with a well taken penalty and we went 2-0 up after Rocky's low and dangerous cross was turned into the net by a Pinxton defender.
If you were a betting man at that point you'd have put your house on the team in blue going on to score a hatful but strange as it was, we lost our heads and the baility to play a 10 yard ball to each other and let Pinxton back into the game and they had a strong 20 minute spell with the wind in which they bagged three goals before half time, showing some good fighting spirit though we were slow to make solid challenges as they carved through our own half.
They hammered another nail into our coffin straight after half time with a fourth and after that we started to bring on the cavalry for Wollo in the shape of Micky Evans for Rocky, Frazer for myself and Liam for Dave and the changes, particularly in midfield and up front, gave us an extra dimension and we started to put Pinxton back on the ropes, bagging a third goal through Nick and then we were awarded a peno when Nick was brought down and Fishy gave the keeper the eyes again to make it 4-4. Cressy was a big catalyst for us, putting in a quality shift in the middle of the park and covering a lot of ground.
We were back in it but despite our constant pressure we couldn't get a winner and in the last few minutes Pinxton broke loose down the middle again and netted the winner. In the whole game they had six shots and scored five goals. We were good with the ball but without it we failed to get enough players behind the ball and that was our undoing.
Man of the Match: Andy Creswell...like Durk Kuyt but with less hair. Never stopped running all game and gave 100% for the cause, challenged solidly for everything.
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