Square Rangers 3 Watling
Saints 1
Saturday 5th April 2008
Square Rangers gained their first victory over Watling Saints in
this close fought top of the table clash.
It was Watling Saints who stormed out of the blocks putting Square
Rangers under pressure in the early stages. Goalkeeper Jamie produced
an excellent save from close range to deny the visitors’ striker
when put through on a one-on-one, however a little later he could
do nothing from the close range strike which put Watling 0-1 up.
Square Rangers from there on, having weathered the early storm,
started to impose themselves on the game. The passes started coming
from midfield that was able to put the visitors defence on the back
foot and force good pressure of our own. A dangerous corner from
Johnny was half cleared only for Jack to rifle home a volley from
the edge of the area to level the score. The rest of the half saw
little between the two teams and few clear goal scoring opportunities
in front of goal, still with the wind in Square Rangers’ favour
in the second half it was a very satisfying opening 35 minutes.
It was Square Rangers that started the second half the brighter
and this set the tempo for the remainder of the game. The boys worked
the ball well to create space and openings behind the Watling back
four and from one such move Joe was able to fire home from a wide
angle to give Square Rangers a 2-1 lead. The visitors always tried
to probe forward to seek to get back in the game but the Rangers
back four hardly gave anything away with Josh in particular inspiring
at the heart of our defence. As the game entered its last quarter
it became even more stretched and Johnny got his reward for a fine
match by latching on to a long through ball to very coolly lob the
keeper to give Rangers a two goal cushion at 3-1. Rangers were happy
to play out the remainder determined to hold on to the crucial points
that both sides had fought so hard for.
Summary:
It certainly was a case
of Square Rangers getting stronger as the match progressed, which
made Jamie’s save inside the first five minutes all the more
significant. This team has always been capable of playing good football,
however we now have the metal needed to match the physical demands
of the strong sides in the league. Both of these were clearly evident
today in this deserved victory and will hopefully stand us in good
stead for the rest of the season
Player of the match:
Shone in the heart of
an intense midfield battle, and scorer of important equaliser at
a crucial time - Jack Sullivan
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