Adelaide Redblue Eagles v Hahndorf
Hahndorf travelled down to Grange for the 11th round of the South Australian Amateur Soccer League 3rd division, a match against Adelaide Redblue Eagles on the agenda. In difficult conditions, neither side were able to break down their opposition and a scoreless draw was little consolation for the Hahndorf Magpies, who were seeking full points.
Hahndorf went into the match with injury and illness forcing some changes to the previous weeks team but the loss was covered by the inclusion of Matt Medley and Tyrone Blunt from the Reserves. Nathaniel Brooke donned the gloves for the Magpies with Medley, Todd Newman, Captain Matt Norris and the wily fox Wayne Forrester forming the defence.
Kyle Eglinton, Jon Lynn, Steve Noble and John Lawler patrolled the midfield as Hahndorf sought to control the tempo of the match from the start. A blustery wind blowing across the pitch made life difficult for both teams but the surface in general was reasonably good considering the recent rains. Ashley Oosh made the running up front with Blunt playing in the “Cantona role’ just behind, with both keen to put a score on the board.
After an even start, Brooke entered the action with a strong save to his left, stopping a long shot that was headed toward the corner of goal. The Eagles put further pressure on Hahndorf with the defence working hard to keep out the hosts and one challenge left Newman with a twisted knee. The “Black Pearl”, Owen Boyce was brought on to replace Newman and Hahndorf worked their way into attack.
Norris latched onto a corner from Oosh and sent a solid header just wide of the target as the Magpies stepped up their game to keep the Eagles on the back foot. Oosh was involved soon after, drawing Lawler into the game and his lofted cross fell to Eglinton who slipped the ball onto Oosh. Oosh held off a challenge close to goal but losing his balance was unable to get any power behind his shot and the Redblue ‘keeper made a comfortable save.
Hahndorf took their foot off the pedal as half time approached and nearly paid the price, as Brooke smartly saved another long-range shot. Both sides were capable holding possession in the first two thirds of the pitch but the respective defences made shooting opportunities a rarity.
After the break, the Adelaide Redblue Eagles seized the initiative and the defence of Medley, Forrester, Norris and Boyce were put to the test. The lads held firm for the opening minutes and Hahndorf began to get their midfield working. Lynn and Noble closed down the opposition and the Magpies turned up the heat on the Eagles, Blunt, Eglinton and Oosh combining well to force the home ‘keeper into some smart saves.
The Eagles hit back with a free kick on the edge of the area but could not capitalise on the chance and should have done better. Lynn nearly made them pay with a sharp effort that slid wide of the goal and Oosh could not exploit some good build up play by the Magpies when his effort also went astray.
Brooke remained steadfast at the back and had the attacking forays of the Eagles covered, Norris and Forrester chipping in with some timely interceptions. With twenty minutes remaining, Hahndorf opted to put on Mike Lewington in place of Oosh, the bustling forward having run himself into the ground while keeping the Eagles defence under pressure.
Norris almost opened the scoring with a quick free kick that had the ‘keeper scrambling to get to the ball as he was organising his wall. Hahndorf kept the intensity up through Lewington, the big forward stretching the Eagles ‘keeper with a well-directed header after a fine build up through Lynn and Boyce.
At the other end, Brooke made a great save to keep the scorekeeper unemployed as the Eagles made a sharp counter attack. A second free to the Magpies almost brought joy to the visitors, Lynn hitting the defensive wall and Norris driving the rebound hard and low towards goal, but the scorching shot skimmed past the post.
With the minutes winding down, Stuart Thomas entered the game, the senior player hoping to show the young guns how to finish as Hahndorf put on a late period of pressure. However, it was the Redblue Eagles who almost stole the match with a late free kick in a threatening position. Fortunately for the Hahndorf side, the taker of the free went for glory himself and wasted his shot over the bar in what was to be the penultimate kick in the match.
The game was a frustrating one for the Magpies, but their wayward shooting was tempered with good display in defence and they kept a clean sheet. Best on the day was Brooke, producing some outstanding saves, with Oosh and Norris putting in solid performances.
Reserves
The Hahndorf Reserves persisted in a niggly game to run out 3-0 winners on a wind swept Redblue Eagles pitch and kept the top of the table within their sights.
Hahndorf called up James Nicholson from the Super Cs to deputise in goal as veterans Andy Craig and Stuart Thomas took their regular positions in the heart of defence alongside flanking defenders Sam Gowan and the “Italian Maestro”, Edmondo Palombo.
Rupert Lindon, Gary Ledson, Ben “Beninho” Wells and the “Black Pearl”,Owen Boyce held the pivotal midfield positions with striking duo, Mike Lewington and Chris Hyde on the hunt for goals.
The opening minutes were fairly frantic as both side looked to assert their authority in testing conditions. Wells and Gowan exploited the Eagles on the flank, the wind helping to keep the ball toward that side of the ground. Hyde and Lewington worked with Ledson to drive the Magpies forward and created shots on goal but they failed to find the net. A number of Hahndorf corners kept the pressure on the hosts and at one point the Magpies looked to have scored but the ball was hacked off the line.
At the other end, the Hahndorf defence restricted the Eagles to a few hopeful shots that did not trouble Nicholson. Craig and Thomas marshalled the troops as Hahndorf built from the back and the midfield began to dominate.
Minutes from half time, Hahndorf opened the scoring through Boyce. An extended period of pressure saw some good interplay between Wells, Hyde and Ledson to put Boyce in on an acute angle. The Eagles ‘keeper expected a cross and left a huge hole through which an ecstatic Boyce drove the ball into the net.
Resuming from the break, Hahndorf kept the match under control as the opposition began to argue among themselves and concede needless free kicks. A strange piece of play ended a yellow card to an Eagles player after Lindon was wrestled to the ground with the ball out of play. Palombo expanded his range with a searching run to elude three Eagles and forge his way into the box, the final touch not quite matching his intent.
Luke Jones was brought into the match and made his mark ten minutes from time, his throw freeing Hyde and the forward strode into the penalty area. His shot went past the ‘keeper and found late arrival Wells, who blasted in from a full thirty centimetres. Wells celebrated in unique fashion with the corner flag, leaving his teammates with more questions than answers. At two goals down, Eagles tempers flared and they lost a player for a second bookable offence.
Youngsters Kieran Evans and Josh Watson were brought on and minutes from full time they combined to put Ledson through on goal. Ledson made up for all his misses during training to put the game beyond the Redblue eagles, slotting home for Hahndorf to run out comfortable 3-0 winners.
Best on the day was Boyce, getting the opening goal and playing a fine game, along with strong contributions from Wells and Gowan. Next week Hahndorf are at their Pine avenue home, hosting the MA Hawks, a challenge for both teams as this fixture has developed into fiercely contested matches in recent history.
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