Following a very upbeat BSSA meeting the previous night with good positive input from the club. players and our own members, I was pretty optimistic about our long term future and our immediate chances in a game moved forward from Saturday to Friday to accommodate the owners of the ground who had a fixture of their own tonight. More so as the opposition were clearly struggling to stay at second bottom and we for the same position at the top.
I still feel Friday night football is odd and difficult for some to after work and I expected a poor roll up. As there was your actual thunder and rain as I went to pick up JIm that conviction was in no way diminished. We were in early as the BSSA were not only handing out the ever popular "Free Kick", but we were also assisting the club with a fans' survey and soliciting donations towards the whole STRIKERS squad's offer to go bald for the Leukaemia Foundation's "Shave for a Cure" appeal. So we were pretty busy right up until kick off. I did discover that holding a bundle of newsletters in one hand, handing them out with the other and drinking a pseudo-beer from a flimsy plastic cup does require an assistant and my son's girlfriend, Alisha, kindly stood in for the job. When I did get to our usual area it was clear that the Friday/weather thing had had its effect and the stand (including the Banana Army area) was sparsely populated. I dried my seat and was just in time to stand up for the inappropriately played National anthem and the STRIKERS players themselves.
During the game both sides created a good few chances and we played some very good patches where the last touch was just wayward or intercepted and we didn't make that many actual shots on goal. I thought we did a bit better than our usual lethargic first ten minutes. but the opposition still scored the first goal, a magnificent nod into the corner by a defender sending their keeper the wrong way. STRIKERS one Force nil. "How are we going to come back from this? asked our esteemed leader. The STRIKERS exerted the more pressure, but there always seemed a frustrating little break down or a better option, so easy to see from the grandstand, was not taken. At one point, young Drake, not your actual heavyweight, allowed his momentum to knock down Kovacevic, probably the biggest man on the park. The big number 4 immediately leapt upon the prone Drake and appeared to grasp him by the throat and squeeze. The ref appeared properly to take exception to this and waved the yellow card - at Drake!!. For the rest of the half Kovacevic was enthusiastically booed when he touched the ball and there were a few calls of "strangler" and glee when he messed up or was beaten by one of our diminutive lads. Adelaide tended to counter attack well we really needed to convert our clear superiority into a goal. Not long before half time the Force defence was in a shambles within a couple of metres of the goal and a shot/poke was netbound when the last defender jammed the ball between his arm and the post. Penalty!. Fossie knocked it neatly on the carpet wide to the keeper's left. 2-0, and so it was at half time.
You can get a fair idea of the crowd size from the time it takes to buy a drink in the interval. I had time for an intense argument with a complete stranger in the queue, a visit to the virtually empty Gents and back in time to read some of the programme, so I figured we were not well supported last night.
My argument hinged on the fact that if the penalty was given for hand ball, and the offense clearly prevented a goal being scored then the defender should have been sent of. If it was not hand ball, then it was not a penalty. Even GeeDub after the game did not set me clear on this point. The bloke in the queue was adamant that you can earn a penalty in these circumstances with no....err penalty to yourself. Anyone care to comment (if you've waded through this stuff to this point)?
The STRIKERS started the secon' 'alf as they usually do the first and looked lethargic and disjointed for the first 10 to 15 minutes and we could have paid for it if the Force had not been so poor at finishing. Once again "Jason Kearton can't be beaten" rang true, and we gradually reassumed control of the mid-field. It was a funny old game, and we had wondered whether Stuie McLaren's absence from flu would leave that midfield protection a little weaker. Not so, but our cover of Adelaide's left wing was badly organised, both the back and right midfielder both being drawn to the middle leaving a lot of well used space right under where we were sitting. He knocked over some great crosses any one of which could have ended in them scoring.
I'm sorry to say that the two youngsters Drake and McKay, though very lively and excellent defensively. did tend to lose a lot of possession and they will play better then this many times. Kossie eventually subbed them and on came Trajar and our answer to Ole Gunnar - Michael Baird. We were pressing continuously towards the end and we all knew that goal difference was starting to be very important (and the Olympic were 2 nil up at half time). "We're going to score in a minute" was the chant and we did! The best crafted goal of the night nodded in at point blank range. It took me quite a while to realise it was off side. However, following a bit of a scramble, Baird did it again!! 3 -0 and we greedily sang "We want 4" and some very ebullient renditions of "Can we play you every week?". As Lyle, Gee Dub's son remarked it was a hard night for there keeper - an OG, a penalty and a scrambled toe poke.
For once the final whistle came too soon and our lot stayed behind to thank the lads who responded well to their individual songs. We have one for most of them now, though personally I'm having a little problem with Matt McKay's. It was a good night of entertainment before a sadly small gate again. I had asked the guy in the local service station whom I have seen at games, if he was going last night. He said he didn't know it was on. A friend of Jim's who is keen to come didn't because his son was playing in a fixture at the same time. Just a couple of reasons for keen supporters not being there - no doubt there are many more.
The acid test will be next two games, both away, and the first to Olympic. This is definitely a six pointer and we really need this.
I've been checking the woodwork, but can't detect where all those folk will come out from if we make the finals.