 | FOOTBALL CLUB |
| FOOTBALL CLUB |
THE FARM
MY LIFESTYLE
ON MY TRAVELS
There are more links at the top and bottom of each page.
These concern the administration of the site, but you should visit them just the same.
SITE SPONSORS
please support them
You can contact me to order a full-size high-quality image.
E si vous voulez commander une image en plein dimensions et á haute qualité
Please if you would like to add anything to the text of each image or to correct an error.
Si vous avez des choses á ajouter, ou vous voudriez corriger quelque chose que j'ai écrit,
2nd XI v AS RIOM PORTUGAL 7th MARCH 2009
We were treated to a foot-fest tonight at Pionsat. We kicked off (if you pardon the pun) with the 2nd XI against AS Riom Portugal. They looked like a big, capable team and were quite impressive in the warm-up.
It made a pleasant change to watch an evening football match in pleasant conditions for a change, especially as it was still light.
One ominous sign was that Pionsat didn't have a keeper and there was a full-back in goal. This goalkeeping crisis is beginning to get desperate.
And Damian has taken the whistle tonight although you can't see him in this pic. He is as pleased as punch with it. At least he won't get his big head in the way of my camera tonight.
Almost the first action of the match is a free kick for Pionsat. It was hotly disputed by Riom, a pattern that was set to go on throughout the match, unfortunately.
The ball in was absolutely beautiful and the keeper does really well to dive bravely at the feet of a Pionsat forward. He needed to hang on to it as well for if he had let it go, it would have been a simple tap-in.
Play was then held up for 30 seconds for a very bizarre incident. Obviously the Riom keeper had forgotten to adjust his dress before leaving and it seemed that the string to his trousers had come undone. This piece of string shows how hard things are for the moment in Riom.
This kind of activity is what your close friends are for. I don't think I have anyone that I would trust to get close enough to me for this kind of thing, although of course many would like to try.
Halfway through the first half Michael puts in an appearance and takes his rightful place in goal. This leads to a major complaint from the Riom linesman, who thinks that you can't substitute the keeper unless he's injured.
But I've seen so many games where this has happened and not just in this league either. One that immediately springs to my mind is a match involving Morton in the Scottish 2nd Division 6 or 7 years ago in the "Hugh Scott" days where Andy Carlin, the young Morton keeper, has a "frank exchange of views" with a group of supporters standing behind his goal and much unpleasantness occurs - on both sides, it has to be said in fairness. At half-time Carlin was withdrawn from the action and the Aussie keeper Stuart Tomlinson entered the fray.
And what would happen if a goalkeeper is sent off? It's always without exception the case that if a keeper is dismissed someone else can take over in goal. I'm wondering if maybe the linesman has his terminology incorrect.
In any case it seems that a club can delay the start of a game for up to 15 minutes to allow for all the team to assemble, as did Sauret Besserve last weekend, so Pionsat could quite simply have asked for the kick-off to be delayed until Michael arrived.
Pionsat are still on the attack and they were awarded a whole series of corners. The no10 was taking those from the far side and his delivery into the box was absolutely superb.
This particular one went soooooo close over the heads of everyone on the goal line but no-one could get their head to it, despite a desperate leap by a Riom defender and a brave attempt by a Pionsat forward. The Riom keeper was however nowhere near it.
We have already had the excellent corners from the no10. This time we had a really long throw-in right into the goalmouth. This put the Riom defence under all kinds of pressure.
Eventually the Riom goalkeeper managed to get behind it and bundle it away from goal but a Pionsat forward had a final touch and it went out for a goal kick. This was definitely a lucky break for Riom as they were under all kinds of pressure.
The next two photographs represent a consecutive sequence of shots in the same action.
There is another really good move down the left wing for Pionsat which leads to a lovely diagonal ball into the penalty area that evades the Riom defender. There's a Pionsat forward loitering in the area with acres of space and he lets loose a really good shot on goal.
The keeper gets down well but he can't collect the ball. he parries it but it breaks out to another Pionsat forward running in. He lets loose a shot but it just goes narrowly wide of the post with the defenders and keeper out of the picture.
I mentioned at the beginning that the Riom team looked big and capable in the warm-up. But they were certainly starting to look shaky as Pionsat piled on the pressure
A short while later we were treated to a moment of comic relief. Once more it concerns the application of the offside rule, that is causing all kinds of confusion between referees and linesmen.
I've noticed when talking to Damian that he seems well-aware of the new procedures and has overruled the Riom linesman on a couple of occasions. And this time, the linesman hurls his flag down in disgust and starts to hurl abuse.
Now there is no place for this on the field with the players, let alone amongst the officials and Damian quite rightly comes over to have a word with him. In fact what Damian said was to the effect that if the linesman doesn't like the decisions he knows where the dressing room is and Damian will be quite happy to referee the match on his own. Which I suppose could be summarised into two words really.
A tad confrontational methinks - I would have been a bit more diplomatic - but Damian is certainly being firm and decisive, something that is sadly lacking with many referees at this level.
It's now the second half and we are treated to two consecutive photos of the same action. You can see the Riom keeper and defender lying on the floor just here. They have just been involved in a collision with each other and are both feeling somewhat winded. And I'm not surprised as it was quite a thump.
Total confusion in the Riom defence as a good ball was played into the centre. No-one shouted for the ball and consequently both the keeper and the central defender went flat-out to clear it. You could see from the photo how far the keeper had come.
I keep saying that I don't know why it is that keepers rush off their line like this. There's no reason for it with a defender or two in attendance and it almost inevitably leads to a catastrophe.
In this case, the ball breaks to a Pionsat forward who sticks a foot out and pokes it towards the goal. A desperate chase by the Riom defender is all in vain and Pionsat take the lead that they have been threatening since about 30 seconds after the start of the match.
Pionsat now have the game well within their stride and are going forward relentlessly without much oposition from the Riom defence.
There's yet another long ball right over the top of the Riom defence that falls perfectly for one of the Pionsat forwards. It lands right at his feet so he volleys towards goal but the keeper gets to it and pushes it wide for another corner.
Once more, we have another couple of consecutive shots representing the same piece of action and it all begins as you might expect with another good move down the flanks from one of the quick Pionsat wingers.
He makes himself some room and puts in a lovely cross to the centre that again falls nicely to a Pionsat forward and he volleys towards goal. However the keeper does well to get down to it and block it ....
... but he can only push it back out and the forward, following up, taps it home for a second goal.
And this leads to controversy. If you look at the Pionsat no12 in the second photo he is standing in what might be an offside position. But as he is not taking part in the action (all the action is on the other side of the goal as you can see) then of course he can't be given offside.
Riom think differently and hotly dispute the goal but Damian is the guy with the whistle and the goal stands, quite correctly in my opinion. But the remarks continue and one of the Riom defenders passes a comment that might have been considered near the knuckle in the fo'c's'le of the whaler.
Damian's reply was that the player making the comment should leave the field immediately and if Riom don't substitute him then Damian would send him off. Common sense prevails and the player is replaced.
But it is all so unnecessary.
This was the best move of the match. There is a really nice hanging cross into the penalty area and three players - the keeper, a defender and a Pionsat forward - all jump together.
There's a clash of heads and as the two Riom players hit the deck the PIonsat forwards puts the ball in the net for a goal.
We are then treated to another argument from the Riom defence as to why it is that Damian has not signalled an offside when the linesman has very clearly flagged. Damian lets the argument continue for a minute or so and then replies somewhat coolly that he has in fact already blown for the foul on the Riom defender.
That shuts them up, but only for a minute or two.
Pionsat score a third goal late in the game and what a super goal it was too. This time it was from another long throw-in over the top of the defence and a Pionsat player ran on from midfield to beat the offside trap and slotted home.
The keeper managed to get his hands to it but he couldn't keep it out.
Riom carried on arguing but I think that it was just for the sake of it. It was clearly onside and no other Pionsat player was interfering with play.
If you look at the last couple of photographs you'll see exactly what the problem was with Riom. Offside or not is totally irrelevant. The central defenders are totally out of the picture and off the pace when it came to the vital moment. If they had been able to keep up with the game they would have been marking these loose Pionsat forwards and the question of offside would never have arisen.
The Riom players were big, physical, argumentative and temperamental, as well as being very combative. But they offered absolutely nothing up front. I can remember Michael diving at the feet of a Riom attacker at some point but even then his goal wasn't really in danger. I can't recall him having anything else to do.
It appears that Pionsat's 2nd XI is now 5 points clear at the top of the league and with a game or two in hand as well. On the basis of the performances I have seen this last few games they are well-worth a crack at the teams in Division 2.
I had a word with the referee of the following match about the offside rule. He is of the opinion that many refs blow far too early. His advice to other refs is to acknowledge every offside signal but wait for the ball to arrive at the player before blowing, so as to clarify exactly which players are "in the game" and whether it is to them that the linesman is referring.
Back to the footy page
Il y a sans doute des francophones qui aimeraient lire cette page en français. Donc vous devez m'aider á á la traduire!
En plus, si vous avez des choses á ajouter,
home page | latest updates | site map | site index
about this site | audience participation | copyright notice | technical issues | accessibility statement | read this | contact me
©