Paisley & District AFL

League Div. 1

Houston AFC v Blackstoun United AFC

0-2

K.O. 2pm Nethercraig Astro Park Referee James Ritchie

This was our second meeting of the season they beat us 2-4 the last time so we knew it was going to be a tough game and we would have to be at our best if we were to get something from this game. But as I said in my previous report the lads were going into this game full of high spirits.

 K.O. 2.02pm for the first five minutes it was a cagy affair. It wasn’t until the sixth minute that things started to happen, Paul put in fine cross but their keeper came out and gathered it easily.

 8 min’s Robert takes an elbow to the head and had to receive treatment, that I think was the only shady part to the game the rest of it went in the good spirit of an amateur football match. The ref not seeing the incident awarded a throw in to us deep in their half. Budda took the throw and picked out Paul who ran to the near post and back headed the ball across the goal mouth where Ryan leaping like a salmon, out jumped the defender and buried it with a solid header 0-1.

What a start.

 A few min’s later Paul laid the ball off into the path of Chrissy who put in a cracking strike the keeper saved he couldn’t hold onto the ball but managed to gather it in at the second attempt.

 16 min’s they have a corner but it’s well dealt with by our defence.

 19 min’s Chrissy bizarrely gets a yellow card for a hand ball in the middle of the park.

 23 min’s some good link up play in the mid-field sets Ryan up for a shot that just goes wide.

A minute later Chrissy gets in another cracking shot once the keeper fails to hold onto the ball.

A minute after that Paul gets in a cracking shot, the keeper fails to hold onto it and it appears to go in and rebound out, there fallows a melee with John Moran and another both trying to get the ball over the line and the keeper performing heroics with a double save before it was finally cleared of the line. I heard a cry that it had crossed the line, the ref ignored the call and from what I’ve heard later from both sets of players it hadn’t crossed the line, so it would seem that the ref got it right. But I have to ask the question how can he see that standing up at the half way line?

 30 min’s we have a free kick it is flighted in to the box they knock it to the side but only as far as Budda who try’s his luck at an over head kick which just goes wide.

 33 min’s an error at the back nearly gave us our second goal, the ball came through the defender headed the ball back to the out rushing keeper but it went past him heading for goal but their defender got back in time to clear the danger.

 36 min’s they get a shot on but it goes wide.

 A minute later Ross gets a yellow for arguing about a shoulder charge.

 They are coming more into the game now up till then we had dominated the game from the point we scored.

 43 min’s they scored but it was rightly chopped off for being off side.

 44 min’s Ryan floats in a free kick but the keeper saves.

 Half Time

 K.O.2.52

2 min’s and Robert get’s in a decent shot that just goes wide.

 10 min’s they get a break and I thought that all our good work was going out the window, but Kane comes out to close the angle and is equal to the effort and with sure hands smothered the danger.

 A minute later Robert is brought down again just outside their box. Budda takes the free kick and with a perfect strike puts it around the wall with a fine bending shot. A pity really, had he not struck it so well it probably would have went straighter and out of the reach of the keeper.

 About this time Mark & Gordon decide to bring Karl on for Gaza who had run himself into the ground. ( this was his first game for us and based on his performance to-day it certainly won’t be his last)(( well done Paul)). The game is becoming more end to end but each other’s attacks were being snuffed out with well marshalled defences on both sides. I thought our defence in particular was outstanding despite it being David’s first game with us. He looks as if he will fit in just fine.

 30 min’s their keeper fouls Karl outside the box and earns himself a yellow card as a result. This time Robert steps up to take the free kick a carbon copy of Budda’s. The keeper gathers to take away the danger.

 33 min’s Kane put out a good punt Ryan gets a head to it and knocks it onto Karl and gets it back to Ryan who shoots just over the bar.

 38 min’s Kane receives a yellow card for I think time wasting??

 40 min’s Kane punts it long and down the middle they nod it back to their keeper we charge in to close him down. The keeper makes a pig’s ear of his clearance. He puts it wide and short Karl is the first to react to the loose ball and puts in a terrific shot to make it 0-2.

 Despite this blow and the shortage of time left to try and retrieve the situation Houston never gave up and tried to put us under pressure but we were able to keep it together. To kill a bit of time Mark brought on another debutant in Stuart Rae and for the last minute he brought on the big gun, GORDON.

 At the end of the day I think that we deserved the win because we wanted it more but much more than that we were the better team on the day.

 All the best to Houston for the rest of the season, in my opinion a fine team.

 The team today was:-

Steven Kane:-rarely challenged today.

Budda:-did what was asked of him, well.

Chrissy:-excellent.

Smudger:-excellent.

David Taylor:-a fine job for his first game.

John Moran:-did what was asked of him, but was much better in the second half.

Ross:-excellent.

Robert:-excellent.

Ryan:-excellent.

Gary McLeod:-a fine performance.

Paul Malaren:-a fine job for his first game and a lot of games ahead of him.

 Used subs were:-

 Karl:-good to see his scoring touch back. It’s amazing what a penalty can do.

Stuart Rae:-didn’t get long enough to show his talent.

Gordon:-as always a big gun. (In saying that his wife refuses to confirm that.)((lol))