Mens 2nd XI Match Report
Luton Town 3rd XI v Potters Bar 2nd XI
12 February 2011 | by Danny Becker
After handsome wins over the past few weeks the team was in good spirits arriving in Luton (if that isn’t a contradiction!). That was until we started looking a little more closely at the 3G pitch that the game was being played on! It looked a little bit like grass, and there was some sand spotted deep down, but we weren’t quite sure how it was going to play, other than very very slowly! We were even more suspicious about the surface when one of the young Luton players actually skated around the pitch as part of a pre match warm up!!
Our own warm up saw us pinging the ball around on a surface that ran true and we initially all seemed happy with it. But oh how things would change…..
Within the first few minutes, Nish made an interception at the back and was fairly surprised (although he managed to fall over in the warm up as well) to find himself flat on his back having slipped over when trying to turn. This was unfortunately the general theme of the match as most players took a tumble at one point or other during the match, with Nish in his trainers looking like he was auditioning for Dancing on Ice.
Still we made a bright start against a Luton side full of youth and just a little experience and within 10 minutes we were 1 – 0 up with Andy Stokes smashing the ball home from 10 yards out with just the keeper to beat.
Sadly that was as good as it got for Bar as we failed to execute our pre match plan of sharp passing and decided that dribbling was the way forward. In hindsight, it is safe to say that dribbling on a pitch so slow that john Yates could take a full bloodied swing at the ball and it may or may not reach the dead ball line at the other end was a bad mistake.
Still we worked hard, Ed Ogborne in particular putting in the effort from a more advanced position than usual, and chances came. None better than on the stroke of half time the opportunity created by Miles Edson bursting into the D down the right crossing for George Nye on the far post. Unfortunately George took the age old adage of putting the ball back in the direction it came from a little too literally, by just missing the goal to his far post.
Possibly the strangest moment of the half was in our D. A speculative long ball from Luton was deflected just outside the D by a Luton forward. The ball looped towards goal, and Dave Summers, unaware as to whether the last touch was within the D saved the “shot” by intentionally heading the ball over the bar – and indeed the protective fencing around the pitch!!
The half time instruction was to execute what we planned originally and get the ball moved around quickly. So dribble we did throughout the second half as well! Luton’s experienced defenders both started playing higher up and pitch causing us more trouble and Luton rightly equalised early in the half with a strong shot from the top of the D which Dave Summers was unlucky not to save, and there was the very real possibility of losing the match.
Things opened up with about 15 minutes to go, John Yates practically camping in the Luton half and our original plan was vindicated as chances flowed from open play and short corners. With 10 minutes to go Andy Stokes found himself through on goal, keeper beaten, when taken down by a Luton defender. Miles stepped up to take the penalty flick, but unfortunately a weak effort was easily saved. With just a couple of minutes left, Stokes was once again clean through only to be unable to guide the ball home with the goal at his mercy, the ball ending up passing just an inch wide of the wrong side of the post. Andy was clearly competing with George for miss of the season at this point!
It could have got a whole lot worse as with the last attack of the game, Luton were awarded a short corner, but solid defending did not allow them to convert and steal the points.
In conclusion, 1 – 1 was probably a fair result, but with the ability we had on the pitch, this really can be considered 2 points dropped.
Final Score: Luton Town 1 - 1 Potters Bar
Goal Scorers: Andy Stokes
Team:
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