Rovers I Match Report

League match
Sunday	2010-05-09	10:45
DJK Fasangarten	4 (2) - 4 (3)	Rovers I
Manager: John Herbert

Re: Sunday 9th May Fasangarten v Rovers I, Azadi v Rovers II
May 10, 2010, 09:27:29 PM by Geoff

IMPLOSION

Lovell

Ruane? Westhead? Sobek

Kraus? Poulton? McArdle? Maloney? Meyer

McGrath? Carey

Rovers I contrived to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat which itself looked like it was going to be snatched from the jaws of victory. All of which makes about as much sense as this fiercely contested mid-table supremacy battle.

In a splendid precursor to the madness that followed, the Rovers emerged from the dressing room in an emergency kit that had been couriered at high speed just minutes beforehand to the ground and promptly conducted a punishing warm-up on a 30 square meter grazing site behind the clubhouse.

On a lovely pitch it was the Rovers that took advantage of the excellent conditions, stroking the ball around and looking to dominate possession. After a one-two with Meyer, Poulton struck an upright from the corner of the box, before a few minutes later clipping in a ball to the back stick where McGrath glanced home a header. Goal two soon followed when Poulton whipped in a free kick for Carey to give it the eyebrows into the corner. Two up and cruising, the gardners were given a way back when Sobek - the man for penalties at both ends of the pitch - slid in to block a shot. Most thought it a fair tackle, the ref disagreed and penalty was duly dispatched.

Not to worry, as the Rovers continued to dominate it was McGrath who restored the two-goal lead with a lovely lofted effort from the edge of the box. A couple of chances for 4-1 went begging and this proved costly as the pheasant gardeners pulled one back on the stroke of half time. A corner was not cleared and one gardener fired in a shot from the edge of the box. Lovell got down to make the save but spillage ensued and a tap in made it 3-2 when really the game should have been more or less over.

Instead, panic started to creep in and the defence began to look a little ropy, struggling to cope with their stereotypically pacy striker. One such moment led to a cross into the box, which Westhead stuck out a leg to intercept, diverting the ball to Lovell. Backpass said the ref. Outrage said the Rovers. And from eight yards the free kick was duly wellied into the top corner.

By then the wheels were well and truly coming off and just a few minutes later a sloppy clearance was dispatched back toward the goal by their troublesome striker. Lovell, catching his foot in a spot of treacle, could only watch as it sailed past him and into the net. Cue garden party.

After much huffing and puffing, and the odd breakaway chance for the hosts, an equaliser duly arrived when McArdle's ball into the area was touched on for McGrath to bundle in at the back stick to make it 4-4. Funny old game.