Burundi Eagles V Hahndorf
The first team match between Burundi Eagles and Hahndorf did not take place on Saturday as no official referee turned up to the ground. However, preceding this, an exciting match in the Reserves fixture saw a ten man Hahndorf triumph in the final minutes.
Hahndorf went into the game against the undefeated Burundi Eagles side looking to atone for their dismal performance the previous week. Nathaniel Brooke took his regular place between the posts with the Italian Maestro, Edmondo Palombo , Andy Craig, Stuart Thomas and youngster Matt Medley taking up the defensive roles.
The midfield saw “the Black Pearl”, Owen Boyce and Ben Wells out wide with Tyrone Blunt and Gary Ledson strong in the middle. The forward line boasted of David Grant teamed with the Albino Yeti, Lachlan McQueen.
The opening minutes established the pattern of play, the Eagles keen to push forward but leaving the midfield open. Hahndorf used space intelligently, pushing the ball around and looking to release Grant and McQueen. Several early opportunities fell to the Magpies but they could not get a clear shot on goal.
McQueen was busy chasing everything up front and had two clear chances to open the scoring but found he had left his shooting boots at home. Wells also had a great chance, as he made a late run into the area and collected a pass from McQueen but his shot passed wide of the target.
At the other end, Hahndorf were fairly comfortable in defence, but one lapse allowed the Burundi forward in with only Brooke to beat. The big Magpie ‘keeper closed the angle and beat away the shot, spreading himself well to cover the goal.
Ledson and Blunt were dominating the midfield, putting in the hard tackles and distributing the ball on the wide Angle Park pitch. Hahndorf created several more chances but again their composure in front of goal led their shots astray. They ended the half with the better chances and possession but with the score at parity.
After the break, Hahndorf continued to use the space and made many foraging runs forward, but lacked the finishing detail to trouble the score sheet. Burundi also pushed forward, but were well contained by the Magpies as Brooke held any goal-bound shot.
Hahndorf brought on Luke Jones for McQueen as Hahndorf sought a deserved goal, but it was a strange sending off that nearly undid the Magpies. The referee handed out consecutive yellow cards, one for a foul and then a second for apparently not staying around to get the first yellow.
The sending off gave the home side impetus and they tried to exploit their numerical superiority and pushed forward in waves. This left large spaces for Hahndorf to exploit and they soon had opened up the Eagle defence but were unable to find the finishing touch. An injury to Grant saw him replaced by Kieran Evans and young Josh Watson was also brought on to bolster the defence.
The Hahndorf defence stood firm in the face of repeated Eagles’ attacks, Craig, Palombo, Watson and Medley keeping the hosts to long shots and shutting them down on the edge of the box. Twice Burundi looked to have taken the lead but Brooke was in inspirational form, flinging his body around to deny the goals and allowing the Magpies to scramble the ball away.
The open style of the Eagles gave plenty of chances to Hahndorf but they remained profligate in front of goal, Wells, Boyce and Blunt wasteful with their opportunities. It took until minutes before full time for the winning goal to arrive, Blunt coursing down the flank and putting in a low cross. Jones met the ball at the back post and side-footed into the corner of the net, to the jubilation of the Magpies.
The match ended shortly after and Hahndorf celebrated a deserved victory, the side never giving up during the contest, despite being a man down. Man of the match was Brooke, his form impeccable all day as he dominated the area and kept a clean sheet.
Next week, Hahndorf are at home to the league leading Adelaide Cougars, another top clash that will shape the look of the league table.
Super Cs
The Hahndorf Super Cs maintained the pressure at the top of division 6 with a 2-1 away win against Adelaide FC. The win put the Magpies in second spot, level on points with Adelaide FC but boasting a superior goal difference. Next week the Cs host local rivals Mt Barker at the Pine avenue ground.
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