Men's 2s
Captain: Fin MacDonald
Match Reports 08/09
Saturday 22nd November
Grange (A) Lost 4-3
It was a very cold and early start for the return match against Grange at Peffermill. Both sides seemed to be slow out of the blocks but it was Grange who took the lead but it was instantly rubbed out by a Matt Connor back post tap in after great work from Dave Sweetman. The parity didn’t last long with Grange taking the lead after a deflection in the D.
A hit and hope cross by Fin MacDonald was helped into the path of Simon Williams by the Grange keeper and Williams goal-bound effort was stopped by a foot. Craig Paterson dispatched the resultant PF. However there was still more action to come in this ding-dong first half with Grange rattling in at the near post. HT 3-2 to Grange.
A half-time team talk along the lines of keeping it tight at the beginning of the second half was completely ignored with Grange extending their lead almost straight from the whistle! ‘Sonians had a good period of pressure and after a poor return from the short corners in the first half they finally scored one with Colin Irvine slotting home after a good set-up by Sweetman.
Alas ‘Sonians could not get the equaliser their efforts deserved but it was a performance to be proud of.
Man of the Match – Dave Sweetman
Thanks to James Byers for umpiring
Saturday 8th November
Clydesdale (H) W 4-1
This was the 2nd year running that we have faced Clydesdale at ‘home’ away from Tipperlinn and it is proving to be a lucky omen so far! Last year we won at Meadowbank and this year we won out at Currie High School. This season’s win was as much needed as last years as it took us off the bottom of the league!
Sonians had a big squad and this was to become very important as Clydesdale were struggling for numbers and as the game wore on, the fresher squad definitely had the edge. At the start of the game the visitors only had 8 men after a sat-nav malfunction but poor passing and finishing meant that was no score when the lost team-mates arrived. In actual fact the visitors had a glorious chance to take the lead with their 8 man team but blew a 2 on 1 by trying to lob Fedenzuk.
Not long after the full compliment had arrived, Clydesdale took the lead after a deflected free hit found its way to an unmarked striker at the back post who made no mistake. The lead didn’t last long however as Sonians hit back with a poorly hit short corner that perhaps the Clydesdale keeper will want to forget.
Given the poor passing when up against only 8 Sonians slowly started to find their rhythm and a move from Barry Campbell to Fin MacDonald allowed Malcolm Reid to race down the line and crash a ball in for Colin Irvine to tap in at the back post to make it 2-1 at half-time.
Chances were now coming a bit more often for Sonians and the lead was extended when a short corner broke to Irvine who remained composed and lofted the ball high into the net. His hat-trick was sealed late on after a good move from MacDonald and Hogarth again left Irvine with a back post tap in.
Man of the Match – funnily enough, Colin Irvine!
Thanks to Darren Cavaroli for umpiring and also to Richard Booth for umpiring the first half for Clydesdale when they were short on numbers
Saturday 1st Novermber
Edinburgh Uni (A) L 5-2
The 2s are now in desperate need for points after a disappointing defeat at Peffermill. A strong squad of 15 was assembled and we soon needed them all! A sloppy start by Sonians presented the Students’ centre forward with the ball unmarked at the top of the D and he made no mistake. A second from very close to the edge of the D doubled the lead before David Hogarth reduced the deficit shortly before half time.
A stern half time talk seemed to rouse the troops and Sonians equalised, again through Hogarth after a short corner. However Uni replied shortly after, also from a short corner before Sonians lack of discipline cost them dear. 2 yellow cards allowed Uni to score from another short corner and wrapped it up with a few minutes left to make it 5-2.
Man of the Match - David Hogarth
Saturday 25th October
Western Wildcats (H) L 10-0
Lost first half 5-0, lost second half 5-0. Western played very well in awful conditions and Sonians played poorly. Enough said.
Saturday 11th October
EK Avondale (A) Won 4-3
Finally some points on the board! After 4 games that deserved much but with little reward, the victory that we all craved came with one of our poorer displays this season. But who cares, we got the points!
The pace of the game took Sonians by surprise from the off, possibly due to the pitch. Going from the Tipperlinn pitch, which must be one of the slowest, to the East Kilbride pitch which was lightening seemed to catch the 2s napping. EK were crashing the ball long to their strikers and the Sonians midfield left the gaps that were needed to expose the defence to this tactic and it soon led to the opening goal which came from a pass direct from the 16 to the top D to the EK centre forward who neatly tucked under the despairing dive of the Fed in goals.
A bit of pressure led to the equaliser and after a corner was failed to be cleared properly, Craig Paterson swept home at the back post. This should have settled Sonians but they contrived to lose another goal, this time from a cut back from an unopposed wander along the baseline.
Generous distribution of the ball by the EK defence left Fin MacDonald one on one against his opposing skipper in the EK goals. Pre-match hand shakes were forgotten when the keeper whipped his legs away albeit in an attempt to play the ball. Despite claims of a Greg Luganis or a Tom Daley, as Fed said (showing his age!!) the EK umpire awarded a PF that Paterson duly dispatched to equalise. This time Sonians seemed to finally have woken up and shortly after took the lead with an early contender for goal of the season from David Hogarth who picked up a pass on the half way line and then beat a host of EK players before slamming the ball high into the net from the top of the D!
A stern half time talk from Ralphy put Sonians on alert and they dominated from then on in, only to see the lead slip away after another pitch length hit caught them napping and another goal with no-chance for Fedenzuk to stop.
Fortunately the fast break showed Sonians how to do it and shortly after Malcolm Reid ran from his half and cut across the pitch taking it wide in the D and smashing the ball back across the keeper into the bottom corner and the points were heading back along the M8 to Tipperlinn. A great result, if not a great performance!
Thanks to Malcolm and Gordon for umpiring
Man of the Match – Simon Williams
Saturday 4th October
Kelburne 2s (A) Lost 3-1
In this fixture last year we turned up with 9 players and got thumped 22-0. We took 11 this time round and the difference is there for all to see in the score line!!
It was a fairly defensive start with Kelburne putting ‘Sonians under pressure from the off but the defence was well organised by Keith ‘Sieve’ Smith and he always let those in front of him know where they should be. Chances were always going to be at a premium given the dominance of possession by Kelburne but a fast break saw Malcolm Reid slip the ball to Fin MacDonald before being pole-axed by the Kelburne keeper. A hasty whistle awarded a short corner as MacDonald tapped in un-apposed! Fair play to the umpire who admitted that when he replayed it in his head he could have awarded a goal but he had already blown. Maybe he had seen MacDonald play before and doubted his ability from this range!!
Kelburne took the lead from a short corner and added to it with a deflection into the roof of the net from a free-hit. Whether it was a Kelburne stick or a ‘Sonian foot that deflected the ball remained a topic for debate right back along the M8 on the journey home. But the goal stood and it was 2-0 to the hosts at half time.
‘Sonians were keen to keep it tight for as long as possible but a slick move to the base-line and a deep cutback meant the 2 was soon turned into a 3 goal lead. At this time it looked as though the floodgates may open but ‘Sonians deserve great credit for keeping their heads. Amazing tackling from James Bailey and Niall Carter and the tireless running of Charles Harley, Craig Paterson and Simon Williams in midfield created a formidable barrier for Kelburne to break down. Even when they did get through Sieve was on hand to block them.
As the game wore on ‘Sonians attempted a few attacks on the break and eventually they had success. Reid held the ball until perfectly the right time and then released to the top of the D but obviously thought he was playing with Hogie or Rapid Ally as there was no chance of MacDonald reaching it! However this was enough to fool the Kelburne keeper to come racing out to the top of the D and MacDonald let it run past him and finished from a tight angle. The goal was a just reward for the whole team who had worked so hard. Here’s to turning the performances into points from next week on!!
Thanks to Kelburne for providing both umpires, much appreciated.
Man of the Match – James Bailey
Saturday 27th September
Inverleith B (H) Lost 2-1
A last minute goal by Inverleith robbed the 2s of a deserved point after a hard fought encounter at Tipperlinn. A goal from Craig Paterson was scant consolation for the effort put in, with a 2-1 defeat meaning they are left with still no points after 3 games.
Thanks to Ozzie Lobbo for umpiring.
Man of the Match - Craig Paterson
Saturday 20th September
Stirling Uni (A) Lost 3-2
It was an incredibly disappointing result given the amount of chances we missed.
A slow start allowed the students, ‘fresh’ from Fresher’s Week to take the lead after 10 minutes that Sonians had dominated. A breakaway led to a great point-blank save from Wayne Ratley in the sticks but he was powerless to prevent the follow up effort.
Continued pressure finally paid off when Finlay MacDonald tapped in from close range after the Uni keeper struggled with a shot from man of the match Duncan Riddell. The schoolboy had an excellent game on the right of midfield with the Uni defenders handing out some harsh treatment that would have surely seen some cards being produced by stronger umpires.
The domination finally showed on the scoreboard when MacDonald tapped in his second from his usual distance after a great run and shot from Dave Sweetman hit the keeper on the helmet and landed on a plate! Unfortunately when the second half started and David Hogarth put another chance on a plate for MacDonald, this time he swiped and missed completely with the keeper flapping.
Sonians were up against it when Gordon Balfour was left in a heap on the floor and clearly dazed after an accidental clash. He was then told by the umpire that ‘it wasn’t sore’ enough for him to stop play and that he thought he was play-acting. This allowed the students to take advantage from the resultant long corner to make it 2-2. Gordon then had to have a spell on the sidelines to regain his vision, and Uni scored to take the lead from a short-corner when we were down to 10 men.
Sonians were only back to full capacity for a short time after Balfour’s return to the pitch as James Bailey took a horrible knock to the knee with ten to go. The walking wounded that were left fought for a deserved equaliser but it was not to be. The lesson learned should be we need to take as many of our chances as possible but at least the chances are being made.
Man of the Match – Duncan Riddell
Saturday 13th September
Grange (H) - Lost 3-1
Playing Grange in the first game of the season was always going to be tough and with no subs the prospects looked bleak. The performance that followed was extremely pleasing in the circumstances.
The conditions on the heavily sanded pitch was hard for both teams at the start with lots of under-hit passes and poor control but once folk worked out you really have to thump the ball the game improved. The pitch worked in Sonians favour as Grange failed to get the ball further than a yard from their first 3 short corners! Unfortunately Sonians continued to concede corners and Grange eventually worked out how to get it out of the ‘D’ and converted a slick routine to go 1 up.
A kick out by Alex Fedenzuk started a quick attack that saw Matt Connor and Craig Barrie combine to feed in Charles Harley who neatly slotted below the advancing keeper to level the game. It was well deserved despite Grange having the majority of the play.
The second half started with more dominance of possession by Grange and the deservedly regained the lead after a cut back led to a back post tap-in. Sonians battled back and the longer the score stayed at 2-1 the more shaky Grange appeared. Good saves from Fedenzuk and resolute defending kept the score down and only a missed chance at the back post with 5 to go prevented an unlikely point staying at Tipperlinn. Grange seemed stirred by the realisation that they had almost blown it and rattled in a 3d shortly before the end.
All in all an impressive performance and the effort shown by all bodes well for the season.
Thanks to John Watkins for umpiring.
Man of the Match - Matt Connor
To read Grange's version of event, click here
