First Half
On the back of a convincing 5-2 win against Made for Ever, a confident Lion Reserves Side faced Redfield Rovers Reserves at Little Stoke Park. A sunny evening, flat pitch & good home support had all the makings of a decent game & hopes of another 3 points were high.
The game started with Lion dominating possession, playing excellent football in the middle of the park. Bunker, Ackroyd & Mo 5 were spraying the ball around, with the visitors chasing shadows. Redfield had begun the match playing with 10 men, awaiting late arrivals (had Araya directed them to Bradley Stoke?) The extra man was telling, as Redfield struggled to get any of the ball in the early stages.
However, despite all the domination, clear cut chances for Lion were few & far between during this period. A sublime cross from Rehad, taken well by Josh Hardie who rounded the keeper but couldn’t find the net from a tight angle, being the only opportunity of note.
Lion were then left ruing their inability to take advantage of the early dominance, as Redfield took the lead completely against the run of play. In one of very few Redfield attacks, their pacey right winger cut in from the right & struck a tidy left footed finish into the far corner. For the second consecutive game Lion found themselves trailing in a game they had been controlling. Redfield’s back up had now arrived, so Lion were going to have pull themselves back into the game against 11 men.
A response was needed & Rehad was the man to step up. Inspired by DJ Haynes ‘Downey’ pre-match playlist that he’d been responsible for, Rehad was found on edge of the box by Josh Hardie & unleashed a postage stamp strike into the top right-hand corner, leaving the Redfield keeper with no chance. It was no more than Lion deserved & the sides went into the break all square.
HT- Lion Res 1 – 1 Redfield Res
Second Half
Slade freshened things up at the break utilising the reserves strength in depth within the squad.
The second half began in the same fashion as the first, with Lion dominating possession but still little to show for their dominance.
Once again, Lions failure to capitalize on their pressure was punished with another Redfield goal against the run of play. A rare moment of indecisiveness in the otherwise solid Lion defence allowed the Redfield striker to get through on goal, & he made no mistake with his finish. Lion were now trailing 2-1 in a game they should have been comfortably winning.
Lion pushed on, attempting to complete a second late comeback win in a matter of days & continued to dominate the game & create the better chances.
Mo hit the post after an excellent mazy run, Dorney hit the bar from one of Haynes rocket like throw ins, Hardie nearly made an immediate impact after being re-introduced only to see his shot cleared off the line & Aymen was unable to keep his effort down when well placed in the centre of the box.
Chances came & went, but Lion were unable to find the elusive equalizer & the game ended in frustrating defeat. There were however lots of positives to take from another performance where Lion has controlled the majority of the game.
FT- Lion Res 1 – 2 Redfield Res
MOM: Mo 5 Looked dangerous throughout in an energetic display & was unlucky not to cap it off with a goal.
Loser: Dan the Goalie Because his Grandad wasn’t there.
Report by Mike Dorney
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