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1st XI v NORD COMBRAILLE 26th SEPTEMBER 2009
We're having a foot-fest tonight in Pionsat. It's the end of September and the temperature has dropped considerably today, but there are two matches this evening. The first match, the 2nd XI against Clermont Portugal, warmed the crowd up with controversy and violence. This match, the second tonight, is the 1st XI against hated local rivals Nord Combraille and the Miners have brought along quite a crowd. There must be 150 people here.
This match ought really to be arranged for the depths of winter where the heat generated by the players and the crowd can be used to best effect. But never mind, here we are.
The match gets under way with a foul committed by a Nord Combraille player. The team hotly debates the decision but I'm not sure why - it looked clear enough to me from here.
But no matter. The free kick is curled beautifully over and round the wall but it ...errr... "fails to trouble the keeper".
The next action was one that I wasn't quick enough to photograph. It was another Pionsat free kick curled into the space between two defenders and looked totally innocuous but a Pionsat player burst into the area in the air like something out of "Swan Lake" and got a foot to the ball that was about 2 metres in the air. He put his attempt wide but it was a lovely move all the same.
Pionsat win another free kick and everyone charges in on the goalkeeper as the kick is taken. But he stands his ground and makes the catch under some considerable pressure.
But I'll tell you what - this is a niggly bad-tempered match and we've had quite a few fouls just recently.
And even as I was dictating, the referee waves the yellow card at the Nord Combraille no4. They have already had what I would call "several dialogues" but that doesn't prevent the no4 putting in a needless shoulder charge on the Pionsat winger to prevent him running after a ball that was going out of play a long way down the field that he would never have reached even if he had gone after it in a minicab. Totally unnecessary.
Meanwhile, the free kicks keep on coming. This one is awarded by the referee for a crunching collision between two players and even though it was give in Pionsat's favour I don't think that I would have given it.
Nico, who seems to have established himself in the 1st XI after starting last season in the 2nd XI, takes the kick from about 35 yards out and it beats absolutely everyone, including the keeper, and bounces off the bar. Nico, and Pionsat were so unlucky there but I suppose that justice was done.
You can see the ref in shot at the bottom of the photo here. He has quite a high-pitched voice and probably the broadest African accent I have ever heard.
He also gets quite emotional and has just waved the yellow card at someone, I've no idea who, as there isn't anyone within 15 yards of where he's standing. Perhaps it might have been the Pionsat no7 who collided into the back of someone but that was miles away down the other end of the field.
There's a big panic in the Pionsat as everyone is caught upfield in the Nord Combraille half. One of the Miners' defenders takes the opportunity to hoof it upfield and there's a chase on between Jan (or it might be Vianney) who plays no5 and one of the Nord Combraille attackers
The Nord Combraille forward gets to the ball first and lets off a shot on the run. François has a good dive for it but the ball is always going wide.
And the referee is at it again. He shows the yellow card to someone else, I've no idea whom and I've no idea why either. I didn't see anything that attracted my interest and I didn't hear anyone say anything either.
I reckon that this ref is pretty close to losing his temper. He's bellowing at all the players especially the Pionsat no10 who may have been the player just booked, and and now at the Nord Combraille no6. Never mind the heat from the players and the crowd. I'll have this ref back here in midwinter, make no mistake.
Meanwhile, back at the football, Pionsat are still on the attack and they had a really good opportunity to take the lead here. It's a corner from the left wing that is put well-in and a Pionsat player gets his head to it but it goes just over the bar.
I've noticed over the last couple of matches that the guy who is taking the corners can on occasion put some really good ones in which really put the defence under pressure and it can only be a matter of time before someone gets on the end of one of them and make it count.
Everything in this match seems to be happening from corners just recently, but for a change we have something that happens from a free kick. And a hotly-dosputed free kick it was too.
I didn't notice who took the kick but anyway it's driven in over the defensive wall. One of the Pionsat forwards puts in a good diving header - you can see his acrobatics - but the ball goes only just wide of the post with everyone at full stretch.
And the Pionsat midfielder may well hold his head in his hands. This was an excellent opportunity for Pionsat to take a well-deserved lead.
And totally against the run of play the Miners score, as indeed you might expect.
The ball is played upfield out of defence and finds its way out to the wing. The winger looks up to see Françcois way off his line and so gives the ball a mighty whack into the air right over his head. It clears Françcois by miles and nestles into the back of the net.
Nord Combraille's lead doesn't last very long at all. In fact almost straight away we have the Pionsat equaliser.
It's yet another foul that leads to another free kick, this one from the left win. It's played hard in and a one-touch from a Pionsat forward knocks it wide into the path of a Pionsat player following up, who drives it in on the run.
No more that Pionsat deserve, I reckon. They've kept up well with the game.
And if that was good, this is even better. Pionsat score an absolutely brilliant goal to take the lead. Nord Combraille are caught messing around with the ball in defence, which makes a change - usually it's Pionsat who do that - and they lose the ball.
Pionsat have about 3 or 4 goes at getting the ball in on goal and finally there's a really good shot from just outside the area that beats the keeper all ends up. He does his best with a really good dive but he cant get to that one, and I doubt if many other keepers could have got to it either.
And at last I've seen a keeper at this level do the right thing at an important moment, having dished out the criticism this last few matches.
There's a loose ball down the wing with a Nord Combraille player in hot pursuit and François dashes out of his goal almost to the touchline to intercept it. Does he try to dribble it around? Does he hoof it upfield with himself way out of position? Not at all. He whacks it right over the stand into the street, giving himself and his defenders plenty of time to get back to his goal.
Obviously a keen follower of my website, François!
And another foul - I've lost count completely o how many this might be. And we have a little bit of "afters" too which the referee, much to my surprise given his performance to date, totally ignores.
The free kick comes into the Pionsat area and in a heart-stopping moment one of the Nord Comnraille forwards gets a totally free header onto the ball. François has to scramble right across his goalmouth after it but the ball just goes wide.
Nord Combraille;s equalising goal I didnt get - well, I would have done had not all of the crowd risen up just as I pressed the shutter.
The ball is driven in from the Nord Combraille right wing and François seems to save it but somehow manages to fumble it between his legs. He has a despairing second attempt to grab at it but can't prevent it from crossing the line.
This really was a desperate shame as Pionsat were doing all right up until then and fully deserved to win.
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