 | 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,
PONTAUMUR v 1st XI CUP MATCH- 4th OCTOBER 2009
Now talk about forebodings (and five bodings as well). I'd seem Pontaumur's 2nd XI totally flatten Pionsat's 3rd XI and Pontaumur's 1st XI knock Pionsat's 1st XI out of the league cup last season. And keen followers of these pages will have seen Pontaumur's 1st XI follow on this season by giving Pionsat's 2nd XI a right good spanking a couple of weeks ago. So I went off to Pontaumur this afternoon full of trepidation, I can tell you. I can't believe I'm back here so soon
The first thing that happened was even before the kick-off. Someone graoned when they saw the referee. Now you know me - I don't pay any attention at all to gossip and quite rightly so, but someone amongst the Pionsat supporters recounted a story concerning this referee and a match that had taken place just recently.
This was Pionsat's only match this weekend so it was something of a hybrid team that took the field. And I wished them luck - they were going to need it.
The opening few minutes saw Pionsat have the lion's share of the play and take the game to Pontaumur. This was reassuring - by this time the other week the 2nd XI were already three goals down
Nevertheless at a crucial moment Pionsat lose the ball and there's a break upfield by Pontaumur. Pionsat have some difficulty defending this ball and there's some play on the edge of the penalty area.
The ball breaks out to the wide right position where a Pontaumur attacker reaches it first. He puts in a good hard shot but it goes harmlessly across the face of the goal.
And although there wasn't much action in the first half, we did manage a goal. And unfortunately it was in favour of Pontaumur.
The Pontaumur winger puts a high ball into the Pionsat area and the Pionsat centre-half leaps tp head it away. Unfortunatey he mistimes his jump and it skims off the top of his head, landing nicely at the feet of a Pontaumur forward who is standing in acres of space just inside the penalty area. There isn't much that François can do in this position. He puts in a despairing dive but the Pontaumur forward slides the ball in underneath his body. Thank you very much!
Just in case you are wondering or are a little confused, this is indeed the same photot as the one above, but cropped in a slightly different position.
You can see the Pionsat defender in this pic holding his head in his hands. This tells its own story about the goal that Pontaumur just scored. Pionsat are prone to commit these defensive errors, caused simply due to lack of concentration, and they almost inevitably pay the price. And I'm not singling any one particular person out for criticism - they all do it.
We still have time for some more action before we adjourn to the Pie Hut.
It's another Pontaumur attack and they struggle down the inside-right position. It was like something out of a Rugby League match - the ball takes ages to travel the length of the field. There were lots of tackles, people flying in for the ball, all kinds of things like that. And eventually Pontaumur manage to work the ball into a shooting position but the ball goes just wide of the post.
The first photo of the second half is the second goal for Pontaumur. It was a break down the left wing with the Pionsat central defence all out of position. The ball is played right across the goalmouth to the right wing and this draws the remaining defenders over to that side of the field.
Now that the entire defence has been intelligently drawn out of position the ball is played back into the centre and an unmarked forward has the simplest of tasks to volley it into the net.
Considering that this was early October, the temperature was unseasonably warm and the players on the field were feeling the heat.
The sun was shining right into the eyes of the subs and the trainer over by the subs' benches and you can see the sartorial elegance that some of those were obliged to adopt. This player is one of the Ancient Egyptians on the subs' bench and I am told that he has received international recognition, having represented the Pharoah Islands.
Matches against Pontaumur always seem to have some element of controversy in them, and this one is no exception.
Pontaumur score a third goal from a penalty which was awarded when a Pionsat player had put his hands up to prevent a point-blank shot hitting him in the face. That was what I call an extremely harsh decision. How the referee could have awarded this is a total mystery - it was clear as day what had happened. Even the Pontaumur supporters were amazed and expressed something of their astonishment.
This incident led to all kinds of total mayhem with an amount of hurling of abuse that I haven't heard for ages. The referee reacts by booking the ... errr .... Pontaumur goalkeeper, and he has to run the whole length of the field to do this. I've no real idea what caused the explosion or why the Pontaumur keeper, down in his goalmouth miles away from the play, should have become involved. Neither do I know what he said or did that merited more of a yellow card than anything else going on where all the action was.
Still, a penalty he gave and a goal it was. And it was pretty pointless arguing about it.
Seconds later, he booked the Poinsat no14 and made a right pantomime of this.
"I warned you about this in the first half" he said, to the player who had only just come onto the field as a substitute. So the no14 is booked and as he trots away the referee shouts after him "No14 - turn round so I can see the number on your back" - probably the funniest thing I have ever heard a referee utter on the field of play.
"But it's no14" says the bewildered no14
"turn round" insists the referee.
Pionsat now have a spell of sustained pressure as they desperately look to pull themselves back into the game.
Thomas dribbles his way into the area past two or three of Pontaumur defenders and lets loose a shot at goal. The Pontaumur keeper sticks out a leg and just about gets to the ball. It soars up into the air and the Pontaumur defence manages to clear it to safety.
Pionsat were unlucky there. The goal was definitely on.
Quite late on in the game we have a fourth goal. Pionsat try to play the offside trap against a Pontaumur breakaway and fail miserably leaving François all on his own against two Pontaumur attacker who have strolled with the ball through the open door. François rushes out of his goal more in hope than expectation and the result is a foregone conclusion.
But playing the offside trap is a dangerous game at this level of football and I don't know why so many sides try it. You are relying on
I was distracted for Pontaumur's fifth goal. They broke downfield and one of the forwards got a good shot on goal from close range. François made a desperate attempt at a save and palmed it out but the loose ball was intercepted by a Pontaumur forward who had a simple tap-in into the net.
Well, 5-0 is better that 8-1 the other week I suppose, but it's still not all that impressive. Pionsat can play good football when they are allowed to bu it doesn't seem to happen against Pontaumur, who seem to be Pionsat's bogey club. This is a big physical side who bully and intimidate a smaller and less-physical opposition. And these moments of lack of concentration don't seem to help Pionsat's cause much either. Add to that a really harsh penalty and that about sums it up.
At least the weather was nice.
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
©