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NEUF EGLISE v 3rd XI 8th MARCH 2009
If there is a more beautiful setting for a football match than here at Neuf Eglise I would really like to see it. We're quite high up in the Combrailles on the north-west edge of the Massif Central, and the football pitch is on a plateau overlooking a valley that might well be a tributary of the River Sioule.
But this also brings with it a problem for there's a swirling wind blowing from diagonal right to diagonal left and with the pitch sloping down from right to left this match is going to be a lottery in which the wind is going to play a major role.
It certainly upset my recording of this match. every time I switched on the dictaphone a gust of wind would drown out whatever it was that I was dictating.
And once more Pionsat's 3rd XI were without a goalkeeper. It seems like the other players are taking it in turns to play there and today it is Xavier, the centre forward, who has drawn the short straw.
The first goal wasn't long in coming and it was almost all down to the wind. A crossfield ball had the entire defence waiting for it to arrive but it took a wicked swerve in a gust of wind and landed at the feet of a Neuf Eglise forward who was totally unmarked and who probably wasn't expecting the ball to reach him anyway.
Nevertheless, he was the first to react to the ball and gave Xavier absolutely no chance at all.
The second goal came from a tussle on the edge of the Pionsat penalty area. The ball was then played out wide to a winger who crossed back in for the shaven-headed player who had just come on as sub, and who walloped home a simple chance.
One thing that was surprising was that Neuf-Eglise didn't have enough shirts for the subs, and so as replacements were made the subs had to take the shirts of the players who were leaving the field. What with rolling substitutios being allowed at this level, it would have been very confusing for a referee when it came to keeping a record of bookings given out.
And it went from bad to worse at this point. One of the Pionsat defenders sent a suicide backpass back to Xavier who rushed out to kick away.
As you might expect, this would have to be the moment for Xavier to miscue his clearance and the ball rolled to a Neuf-Eglise forward who had the simplest of tap-ins.
When you are already under all kinds of pressure you don't need to be going giving away goals like this.
Pionsat are (unsurprisingly) under all kinds of pressure again and this time Neuf Eglise go rampaging forward with some good play down the right wing.
When the shot comes in, it's good and hard, but a bit too close to Xavier. He manages to get his hands to it and pushes it over the bar for a corner.
Now this is what I call an unequal contest. The Long and The Short and The Tall isn't in it. Bearing in mind that this is village football and you don't get much of a choice of players so you have to go with whatever you have available.
The Neuf-Eglise defender was fair enough on the ground but he didn't get much of a look-in in the aerial battles.
Bit it isn't all that long before Pionsat fall further behind. A free kick from Neuf Eglise is launched into the Pionsat area and it's heading straight for Xavier. But he makes the typical part-time keeper's mistake of waiting for the ball to come on to him instead of going forward to collect it.
This gives a Neuf-Eglise player all the time and space to nip in front and tuck it home for the fourth goal.
And where were the central defenders?
Shortly afterwards, there's a moment of anxiety of another sort. A Neuf-Eglise player tries a shot on goal from point-blank range and he doesn't half whack it. Xavier gets a hand to it, also at point-blank range, to push it away but the force of the shot has Xavier in some pain and I wonder where Pionsat will go from here because he doesn't look at all comfortable.
And for once, fortune smiles down on Pionsat, and they are awarded a penalty for handball. Some, including me, might argue that it was rather harsh as in my opinion it was more a case of "ball to hand" rather than "hand to ball".
But then again I've seen some other clear penalties not awarded and it is after all the referee's decision rather than my opinion that counts. The Pionsat player doesn't miss this opportunity to pull one back.
There's barely time to take the kick-off too before the ref blows for half time. Pionsat win a penalty for handball - you could argue that it was rather harsh as he was not playing the ball with his hand - it hit him rather than him hitting the ball - but no mistake from the spot. Right on the stroke of half time too - barely time to recommence.
A lot happened at half-time
Firstly, we had a change of referee. The far-side linesman takes over the whistle and a new incumbent is found to run the far-side touchline.
Secondly, we have as expected a change of keeper for Pionsat. Xavier comes out to play up front in his usual position and one of the midfielders takes over in goal. I've seen him play there in a previous match and while it would be stretching a point to say that he is a keeper, he has something of a grasp of the basics and is reasonably agile.
Thirdly, and more importantly, the Pionsat coach must have put something in the half-time cuppa and whatever it was, I'd like to have a cup of it.
Pionsat come racing out of the blocks and it looks as if Xavier is trying to win the game all on his own. He's had two good attempts kicked off the line in the first minute, and this one goes just wide of the post.
The Pionsat players are streaming forward and here's another slice of bad luck for the team. Some beautiful play in the centre field from the forwards and Xavier gets off a shot but it goes narrowly wide of the post with the keeper and the defence well beaten.
I tell you what - I wish Xavier would play like this every week. Pionsat would be top of the league.
Remember a short while ago that I was talking about clear penalties not awarded? The Neuf-Eglise defence is thoroughly rattled by now and commits one of the clearest penalties I've ever seen.
I'm standing right by the action and it's a good four feet inside the area but the ref awards a free kick just outside. A shame that, especially as the kick goes for nothing.
I should also add that with having changed ends at half-time Pionsat should now have the wind in their favour. But the wind has of course now dropped. Just as you might expect.
And just as you think that Pionsat are going to pull off an unlikely comeback, they concede a desperately unlucky goal.
There's a realy good shot from a Neuf-Eglise player and the Pionsat keeper gets his hands to it and tries to push it over the bar. It strikes the underside of the bar and bounces against the near post, falling kindly for a Neuf-Eglise player who has the presence of mind to tap home.
Up at the other end, there's another penalty that's as clear as day, and Pionsat pull another back. Two Pionsat players had burst into the area with just one defender to beat. The player with the ball went round the outside of the defender into clear space and squared up to give his colleague the simplest of tap-ins.
Before he could do so, he was ruthlessly scythed down from behind. Unbelievably, the Neuf-Eglise players moaned about the decision. I have no idea why.
But unfortunately there is still time for Neuf-Eglise to score a sixth goal. For some reason one of the central defenders is doubling up at left-back marking the right winger. This latter beats both challenges easily and crosses into the huge gap in the centre of the defence and presents a colleague with another tap-in.
Pionsat's central defence really has to stop this wandering off and instead concentrate more on the game. And one midfielder at least needs to look at what is happening elsewhere on the field and go backwards as well as forwards.
There are just four problem positions in the Pionsat 3rd team, goalkeeper being the most obvious. Some of the midfield and all of the attack were quite impressive at times. Xavier looked at times like he could win the game on his own once he went up front and one or two players could take the step up to the next level with no difficulty.
You might easily cry "goalkeeping error" for many of the goals that the Pionsat 3rd XI has let in this last few weeks, but it's not fair to lay the blame on the keeper. Without a recognised player in that position it looks like the other players are taking it in turns and you can't ask for any more than that. Ironically, it was in the home match against Neuf Eglise back in October that the regular keeper was carried off injured and in that match they also had the luxury of playing Michael (currently keeping goal for the 2nd XI) at centre-forward.
I'd love to know what happened to the guy who went in goal for the second half last week? He would have done a good job for the team if he had been picked in goal every week.
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