To shoot yourself in the foot once might be considered an unlucky accident, shoot yourself in the foot twice and you're starting to look careless, shoot yourself in the foot four times and you must be certifiable. But that's what the Darts did today. Four sloppier goals you're never going to see - at least not in one game by the same side. And after taking the lead with a superb goal after 3 1/2 minutes: surging run to the edge of the box by Eddie, flip on by Jay and there's Cassie to fire home from the L-H corner of the 6-yard box.
But about the goals against? - I hear you cry.
1. Clearance straight down the middle from the GK - headed on either by Guesty or his attacker (not sure which - they were both jumping together) - and the ball falls straight to their No. 11 with not a defender in sight. I would have backed Kessie to save but the shot - hard, high and into the top far corner - was too good. In fact their No 11 gave us - and Lew Watts at No. 2 in particular until he was (belatedly) subbed in the 81st minute - a torrid time all afternoon.
2. Their No. 2 is allowed to run from the half-way line to the edge of the box unchallenged as defenders back off to fire home inside the near post.
3. Corner, flicked on, bundled in at the far post - DESPITE two defenders guarding the post.
4. Ball played into a totally unmarked player in the box who has all the time in the world to put a cross right on his team-mate's toe 5 yards out.
(I did hear talk from someone after the match of handball, but what goal they were talking about, I don't know.)
Our 2nd goal was a penalty for a blatant shove in the back on Jay as he was climbing for a cross somewhere close to the penalty spot . Ryno took the penalty well - firing hard and low into the R-H corner as the GK went the other way.
Our 3rd was as much of a gift as their first: an underpowered header back to the GK is nicked by Cassie, who rounds the keeper to slot home.
Despite the poor goals conceded, we never really deserved much from the game because we were, quite frankly, outplayed all over the pitch. The MP passed better, all along the ground most of the time, content to play possession until the chance of a killer pass was on, and were generally quicker to the ball and willing and able to spread the play all over the park and harried and tackled well. Our three goals flattered us - one being from a bad back pass and the other from a needless foul in the box. And even though we gifted them 4 goals, there's no denying the fact that they had the men in the right place at the right time to finish them off. And we didn't really look any better for the substitutions (Hafner for Green, Briggs for Bruce and Potter for Watts) between the 60th and 80th minutes. Eddie (who was all over the park), Cassie and Jay worked tirelessly, and Cassie was almost in on 2-3 occasions, foiled by a last-ditch tackle each time. Ryno had another one of his infuriating games - lots of possession but no telling crosses or shots and hardly a single attempt at a tackle back. Lew Watts apart, the other 3 members of the back 4 once again did very little wrong indvidually but couldn't get their collective act together when it counted.
I don't know if it was because the play-off chase was over, but the number of away fans didn't look as great as I had expected, and the choir was very quiet in the first half. But give them their due, they sang the hearts out loud and clear in the final 45 minutes.
And so our once so promising seasons ends, not with a bang, but a whimper. Time to lick our wounds and come back stronger in August.
Oh, and congrats to Maidstone on the championship and promotion. We may hate them for what happened 14 years ago - but as several posters have noted, the league tables don't lie.
Poll
0 (0%)
Author
Topic: Metropolitan Police away (Read 20106 times)