Match Review

22nd October 2000 Burton Joyce 6 v 2 Gedling AFC
Scorers: Anthony Kefer(2), James Bird(2), Oliver Woodward, Mathew Powroznyk

Having made hard work of an evenly-contested first half, BJ Under 9's finally returned to winning ways in what turned out to be a convincing win against Gedling AFC. For some reason, BJ always start slowly at home, and this match was no exception. The omens weren't good when Gedling scored with their first attack; Wiklo taking advantage of a comedy of errors in the BJ defence that saw Tom Parkinson, Mathew Powroznyk and Chris Jackson all failing to clear the danger. Gedling's unorthodox formation, with all 6 outfield players attacking and defending seemed to be baffling the normally disciplined BJ midfield, and both James Bird and Oliver Woodward were constantly caught out of position. After a couple of efforts had been cleared off the line, however, BJ managed to fashion an equaliser, with Sam Smith beating 3 players before finding the unmarked Anthony Kefer in space. Anthony duly despatched his 8th goal of the season, and the home fans breathed a sigh of relief and expected normal service to be resumed. However, within 2 minutes Gedling were back in front, when Tom Parkinson's goal kick failed to find its intended target, and Wiklo gratefully drove home his second goal. BJ began to start playing football, although the long grass was not helping their usual passing and running game, with Sam Smith struggling to make progress with the ball at his feet.
BR> James Bird came to the rescue 5 minutes before halftime. Following a series of blocked efforts on the Gedling goal, the ball fell to James' feet, who beat one defender before chipping the ball over a host of players into the far corner. The first half finished with an incident that may one-day appear on "what happened next?" Having beaten a couple of defenders, Sam Smith sprinted towards the Gedling goal with only the keeper to beat. As he took aim, however, the referee decided to blow his whistle for half time - the ball was in the net as the whistle finished, but the goal was disallowed. Only the ref. saw the funny side, although the bizarre decision cost him points on the match report!
BR> Following a frank discussion at half-time, in which BJ were reminded of some of the basics that are normally taken for granted, (like marking), the home team quickly established a lead, with James Bird once again chipping the keeper with a replica of his first goal. This seemed to give BJ confidence, and Oliver Woodward burst through the Gedling defence to make it 4 with a strong shot into the corner. An uncharacteristic error by Chris Jackson nearly let in Wiklo for his hat trick, and only a smart reflex save by his best friend, Tom Parkinson, saved his blushes. Niels Hart entered the fray to add some stability to the defence, and Chris Jackson pushed forward to play a cameo role in midfield, his favoured position. BJ were now well on top. A fantastic free kick by Mathew Powroznyk was headed off the line, before Anthony Kefer added the 5th with a real 'poachers' goal. Mathew Powroznyk completed the scoring when his corner took a slight deflection off the unlucky Gedling keeper and squeezed in at the near post.

Verdict : Following our worst performance of the season in the first half, the boys ran out easy winners, and were well in control at the end.

Manager's Comment : "The lads responded to their half time ticking off in the best possible way, by raising their game whilst continuing to play their passing game. Despite gaining several new grey hairs, I was thrilled with the result and the second half performance."

Performance of the Week : Anthony Kefer - for his sharpness in front of goal, and his ability to learn from the Friday night coaching, when he has been encouraged to hold up the ball in the opposition's half. The Alan Shearer of the YEL!

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