Bramhall Rangers 7 Antony Wilde 12
"In Scotland there is no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes" - shouty, sweary, bearded, haggis muncher Billy Connelly.
Mother Nature had decided this Thursday would be the day she would unleash the elements on the country and nearly had an impact on the Rangers game against top of the table Anthony Wilde (a lot of thought has gone into that name!).
The early KO was a bonus and the Rangers were up to strength. Rascle, Pie, Nev, Shiz, Peter and Belly were all confirmed. Mini also pencilled in was conspicuous ion his absence in the run up to KO. The freak weather meant that central Manchester was at a standstill. No trains were running and the buses were stuck in gridlock. It was unlikely Mini would make the 19:00 game despite leaving work at 16:15!
After walking to Longsight and the 8th Wonder of the World that is McTucky’s, Mini was able to get on a passing 192 bus for a ride to town. Ever supportive Charlotte was able to give Mini a lift from town to the game. Fortunately the KO was delayed as the ref was also late so Mini was able to make the whole game, much to his delight.
Rangers started brightly and were neck and neck with Wilde for the majority of the first half. Peter was playing well and shooting on sight. He notched with a powerful drive, and Mini finished into the roof of the net for a goal a piece. Wilde were confident on the ball and fashioned decent chances. Belly was using his net-minder technique to great effect and his knees must be grazed and bleeding like Rocky Balboa’s melting face. When Belly couldn’t make the save the woodwork came to Bramhall’s rescue, a couple of efforts pinging back off the post and crossbar.
Pie was looking good on the ball, one of his best games for a while and worked the flanks well. Some smashing footwork opened up a self made chance, and whilst the angle was tighter than the noose around Saddam’s neck Pie was able to smash the ball home for his 5th of the campaign (55 total). A decent return.
Nev and Rascle were solid at the back, and used their brute to try to dominate the quick feet of the Wilde attackers. A good rotation system kept the players on their toes and despite trailing at half time by 7-4 (IIRC) Rangers were still in the game. Peter and Mini were having one of their better games for a while in terms of linking up. Peter was strong on the ball and clinical with his finishing.
The second half was a better defensive display from the Rangers, frustrating Wilde with good tracking and close marking. Rangers forced their goalkeeper into rushed throws and more risky attempts at starting the attacks. Mini was able to lay on Peter for a finish as tidy as you will see.
Despite being top of the league, Wilde were not dominating the game maybe as much as they would have liked. Nev, Rascle and Shiz were growing in confidence and popping up in the attacking third. Nev had a tame effort saved by the keeper and Russ was looking to open his account but the ball never fell right. Shiz had a great opportunity to score when in acres of space on the edge of the area, central with only the keeper to beat. Maybe too much time combined with a lack of confidence meant his effort was saved by the keeper and the danger was cleared. The drought goes on.
Coming off the bench, Mini made an immediate impact when the ball ricocheted through the defence and he was able to slot the ball through the keeper’s legs for number 16 of the season. Peter, who is hitting scoring form, also added a couple more to take his tally to 16 also. There has not been a Golden Boot Race this close since winter 05 when Mini and Peter were separated by 5 goals at the end of the season. Peter’s goals this week took him on to 130 in total for the blues, a mere 100 behind Mini:)
The game finished and Rangers could be happy with their showing against Wilde. The main thing was to improve on the performance of the previous week, which they managed to do without fail. A final word goes to the ref, who was superb and let the game flow. It was a good game to play in and for once at Powerleague I was not loathed to shake the hand of the opposition or referee.
Final score: Bramhall Rangers 7 Anthony Wilde 12
Goals: Peter (4), Mini (2), Pie (1)
Shiz goal watch - 10
Peter suicide dance - 1
Mother Nature had decided this Thursday would be the day she would unleash the elements on the country and nearly had an impact on the Rangers game against top of the table Anthony Wilde (a lot of thought has gone into that name!).
The early KO was a bonus and the Rangers were up to strength. Rascle, Pie, Nev, Shiz, Peter and Belly were all confirmed. Mini also pencilled in was conspicuous ion his absence in the run up to KO. The freak weather meant that central Manchester was at a standstill. No trains were running and the buses were stuck in gridlock. It was unlikely Mini would make the 19:00 game despite leaving work at 16:15!
After walking to Longsight and the 8th Wonder of the World that is McTucky’s, Mini was able to get on a passing 192 bus for a ride to town. Ever supportive Charlotte was able to give Mini a lift from town to the game. Fortunately the KO was delayed as the ref was also late so Mini was able to make the whole game, much to his delight.
Rangers started brightly and were neck and neck with Wilde for the majority of the first half. Peter was playing well and shooting on sight. He notched with a powerful drive, and Mini finished into the roof of the net for a goal a piece. Wilde were confident on the ball and fashioned decent chances. Belly was using his net-minder technique to great effect and his knees must be grazed and bleeding like Rocky Balboa’s melting face. When Belly couldn’t make the save the woodwork came to Bramhall’s rescue, a couple of efforts pinging back off the post and crossbar.
Pie was looking good on the ball, one of his best games for a while and worked the flanks well. Some smashing footwork opened up a self made chance, and whilst the angle was tighter than the noose around Saddam’s neck Pie was able to smash the ball home for his 5th of the campaign (55 total). A decent return.
Nev and Rascle were solid at the back, and used their brute to try to dominate the quick feet of the Wilde attackers. A good rotation system kept the players on their toes and despite trailing at half time by 7-4 (IIRC) Rangers were still in the game. Peter and Mini were having one of their better games for a while in terms of linking up. Peter was strong on the ball and clinical with his finishing.
The second half was a better defensive display from the Rangers, frustrating Wilde with good tracking and close marking. Rangers forced their goalkeeper into rushed throws and more risky attempts at starting the attacks. Mini was able to lay on Peter for a finish as tidy as you will see.
Despite being top of the league, Wilde were not dominating the game maybe as much as they would have liked. Nev, Rascle and Shiz were growing in confidence and popping up in the attacking third. Nev had a tame effort saved by the keeper and Russ was looking to open his account but the ball never fell right. Shiz had a great opportunity to score when in acres of space on the edge of the area, central with only the keeper to beat. Maybe too much time combined with a lack of confidence meant his effort was saved by the keeper and the danger was cleared. The drought goes on.
Coming off the bench, Mini made an immediate impact when the ball ricocheted through the defence and he was able to slot the ball through the keeper’s legs for number 16 of the season. Peter, who is hitting scoring form, also added a couple more to take his tally to 16 also. There has not been a Golden Boot Race this close since winter 05 when Mini and Peter were separated by 5 goals at the end of the season. Peter’s goals this week took him on to 130 in total for the blues, a mere 100 behind Mini:)
The game finished and Rangers could be happy with their showing against Wilde. The main thing was to improve on the performance of the previous week, which they managed to do without fail. A final word goes to the ref, who was superb and let the game flow. It was a good game to play in and for once at Powerleague I was not loathed to shake the hand of the opposition or referee.
Final score: Bramhall Rangers 7 Anthony Wilde 12
Goals: Peter (4), Mini (2), Pie (1)
Shiz goal watch - 10
Peter suicide dance - 1
2 Comments:
Well done everyone and sepecially Mini for a great match report. Even tho we did not get the victory I think we played well and showed that at time we were in control on the play.
I thought we suffered twice from abysmal substitution awareness, that we were all guilty of. The first cockup was when we got into the situation where both Mini and Big Pete came off, leaving us a team of Nev, Russ, John and me onfield. What a disaster that was! The first wave of the attack was soaked up well, but then there was no real outlet. At least two goals were conceded
The second was the reverse later in the second half, when Nev and myself were on the sidelines. Luckily during this period Belch played out of his skin as the shots rained in.
We all have to do better at balancing the team and looking a little deeper at who should be going off when. I'm as guilty as the next person. This match was a real awakening for me though on this issue.
Overall good game though. Can't understand why they are top?
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