COWHC Men's 3s vs Sunbury and Walton Hawks Men's 4s - 15th October 2016

MoM = Raj with 7 for an outstanding performance putting in some serious legs, passing plays and vital tackling. Honourable mentions to Jack, Hoops, Hutch, Will, Swifty, Steve, and James
DoD = Jack with 7 – swing and a miss on an 2 foot away open goal chance. Mentions to Jay (don't ask me how), Hutch, and James.
First the good news. Well done Dave Harvey and Hugo Manson who, after seriously impressive games and training sessions have been called up to play for the M2s, proving the quality that permeates within the M3s side. Very well deserved lads.
Having come off the back of two easy wins we were about to face our toughest challenge (and likely fellow title contenders) Sunbury and Walton Hawks 4s. We knew from last year that Sunbury are a very well drilled and oiled team with a good mix of experience and youth that can cause trouble. They would be a wounded tiger after Being caught with your pants down and loosing to Goans last week.
At this point I want to thank the cheerleaders from the M2s as they were able to point out 3 or 4 players who they played against last year, with special focus on the very young No.4 whom they mentioned “ripped our team to pieces last year”. This helped us quickly identify the threats and nullify them from the get go.
Having won the toss and opting to take the PB M3s were given a Baptism of fire, as for the first time, were on the receiving end of some High voltage play and quick close down. However calm heads and passing meant we moved the ball around with speed and precision that has helped us to easily win the last two matches. Without Beating around the bush, Croydon quickly got into their half and asked some tough questions of their defence and keeper, with several shots at goal. However some rushed play meant that the early opportunities weren't capitalised on but this goes to show how much we were hounded by a very energetic Sunbury. A point to learn from.
The first half was a fantastic battle of the giants, as both sides pushed and worked to find a chink in the armour of the defence, with M3s looking Hard as rock coming out the stronger team. The deadlock was finally resolved after 18 end to end minutes when a fantastic string of passes ended with James Mulley collecting the ball outside the D ran in through two defenders, hit the shot straight at the keeper who couldn’t clear properly and allowed James to pick the ball back up and slot it past the keeper for the 1st goal of the game. 1-0 Croydon.
From here M3s were the more dominant team for the next 10 minutes with some Big balls being drilled Deep in the hole’s down the lines making several more chances to go further ahead. As the end of the 1st half closed in the younger legs of Sunbury was starting to tell which eventually resulted in a breakaway that meant they were able to get their first real chance at goal which they capitalised on very well. 1-1.
Half time team talk was around keeping our heads and continuing to do what we have done which will result in more shots and opportunities.
The second half was almost identical to the first with Croydon having the better of the half thanks to some great passing and a solid defensive line at the back. Our best, but not only, chance to go ahead came as we pushed down the right side and managed to slot a lovely ball to the back post. Where Big Jack who was wanting to Shoot for thrill was only Shot down in flames as his big windup swing missed the ball. It looked like it would have been damn impressive Jack!
Our pressure in Sunbury’s D resulted in a number of short corners which Will managed to Inject the venom into his dragflicks, one of which ripped the glove of the keeper. I am getting a good feeling for the future.
The game continued as a fantastic battle flowing end to end with Croydon always looking the more dangerous. With the game so close and no team looking to break the deadlock Croydon were besieged from another angle and having to swallow down some hard decisions and even harder tackles. Tempers started to fray when No.111 who Breaking the rules and Spoiling for a fight, had been getting more and more physical, somehow managed to get away with Breaking the rules by lashing out with his foot as Will was suddenly finding himself tangled with No.111 having beaten the player to the ball and looked to go round. Sunbury ball. However we cannot blame the decisions made in the final 15 minutes but it was a major challenge.
Having been run ragged and a lack of proper centre midfield players to hold the team together in the final stages, the youth and energy of Sunbury took its toll on Croydon in the dying 10 minutes allowing Sunbury to get a Smash and grab goal after a break away 2 on 1 situation. 2-1 to Sunbury with 9 minutes to go.
Croydon running on Borrowed time, didn’t go into Meltdown or let their heads drop as they continued to Shake a leg. We wouldn’t Give it up and kept pushing for that elusive goal that was so tantalisingly close most the game. However it was not to come as the final whistle tolled to confirm our first defeat of the season.
Hells bells despite the 2-1 loss feeling like we had been Kicked in the teeth, Croydon kept a Stiff upper lip as we knew we were the better team on the day especially as we were missing our centre midfielders. Lots of positives to take from this games especially how we played for each other and worked our butts off. Had lady luck decided to be kinder we could have walked away 3-1 up at least.
We are a brand new team who are trying to find their stride for the season and boy, if this was how we are only three games in then this performance bodes very well for us, and sends out an ominous message to the league, Are you ready? Croydon and Old Whitgiftians M3s will unleash the Dogs of war and ready to Play Ball? Bring on Epsom!