Adelaide Villa V Hahndorf
Visitors Hahndorf rediscovered their fighting spirit against title contenders Adelaide Villa and pushed hard for a late equaliser before time beat them and the hosts took the points with a 2-1 win.
Making the trip down to the inner Western suburbs, Hahndorf welcomed back defenders Todd Newman and Michael Stevens from injury and they slotted beside Tyrone Blunt with Danny Pace between the sticks. Flanking the midfield trio of Stephen Ness, Craig Cottle and the Argentinian Wiz, Martin Moran, were wide players Kyle Eglinton and Paul Charles.
The Magpies started well, matching Villa with their intent as both sides tested the respective goalkeepers early, the uneven surface making some shots unpredictable. Strikers John Lawler and Ash Parr put several attempts on goal that had the Villa ‘keeper stretching while at the other end Pace was kept on his toes by some sharp efforts from the opposing forwards.
Ness was at his fighting best with a clearing tackle as Villa stepped up a gear to put Hahndorf under pressure for a sustained period. However, the Magpie defence stood firm with Blunt, Newman and Stevens foiling Villa’s attacks. Pace found himself the focal point as he repeatedly denied Villa a score with some acrobatic saves, including a one on one chance gifted to the hosts from a defensive lapse.
Hahndorf hit back through Moran, Cottle and Eglinton, the three involved in a flowing move and shot that put the Villa custodian in difficulty but Hahndorf could not find the net. Moran then put Parr through and his cross had Villa scrambling to clear the ball before Lawler could close.
Emerging from half time, Hahndorf continued to challenge Adelaide Villa but suffered a setback when the home team managed to find a way past Pace within ten minutes of the restart. Not deterred, the Magpies battled hard for the ball in midfield with Moran and Cottle showing some deft moves and putting through the hard charging Parr.
With regular coach Peter Cottle off on a European talent spotting tour, Reserves top man Edmundo Palombo took over the senior team duties, working closely with the brains trust of Club captain Matt Norris and Bob Oldham and they began to make some substitutions. Roly Tobar and Andy Craig went on for Lawler and Newman and both players were straight into the action, Tobar making an enterprising run through midfield.
Parr’s attack on the ball and willingness to take on the Villa defenders saw him make inroads into the forward line and he was the Magpies most dangerous forward despite being stopped for some debatable offside decisions. Young Jack Goodfellow was brought on for Charles and made some good forays forward, working well with Moran, Stevens and Cottle
In goal, Pace continued to make some outstanding saves to keep Hahndorf in the game but he was powerless to prevent a second Villa goal after seventy-five minutes. The Magpies dug deep to press forward and were finally rewarded for their efforts when Parr was brought down in the Villa area. Cottle stepped up to bury the penalty into the corner and the game lifted in intensity with ten minutes remaining.
Both teams had opportunities to add to the score with a desperate Hahndorf defence frustrating the Villa attacks and Villa having an obliging linesman to help keep the Magpies at bay. In the final minutes, Moran was cynically brought down to give Hahndorf a last chance at the equaliser. Cottle drifted the free kick in and Craig, challenging the ‘keeper, had his header go just wide of the target.
It was a much improved effort by the Magpies and despite being under defensive pressure for much of the game, they put together some fine moves. Best on the day was the exceptional ‘keeping skills of Pace, with tremendous games from Moran and Stevens. The Magpies will be looking to carry this form into next week when they battle the Adelaide Monarchs at Pine Avenue.
Reserves
The Magpie Reserves put up a brave display before being over run by the top of the table Villa Reserves.
Hahndorf got off to a poor start, conceding a goal within the first ten minutes, defenders Sam Gowan, Wayne Forrester and Matt Medley still adjusting to a new formation and particularly uneven surface when Villa put one past Magpie custodian Nathaniel Brooke. Employing a five man midfield of Ben Wells, Andrew Kenny, Stuart Thomas, Lachlan McQueen and Gus Coulls, Hahndorf made Villa fight for every possession as the Magpies worked their way back into the match.
The action was end to end, with Vin Chow and Jack Goodfellow finding plenty of the ball, but having trouble getting past the experienced Villa defence. Despite Villa getting the better shots on goal, some tremendous saves by Brooke kept the score to one by the end of the half.
In the second stanza, Villa again scored early in the half, when Hahndorf was caught looking at a loose ball in the area before a Villa forward poked it home. The Magpies continued to battle but as the half progressed, Villa made their attacks more telling. Hard work in the midfield resulted in some nice Magpie moves forward but the final shot or pass was not able to impact the score.
Villa returned fire with varied attacks and managed to put a further three goals past a tiring Hahndorf defence. The score may have been more but for some crucial saves by Brooke. Coulls and McQueen tried to lift the Magpies late on but crosses from out wide often fell to the Villa defence and Hahndorf were kept out of the scoring zone.
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