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COMBRONDE v 3rd XI 15th NOVEMBER 2009
So last night we had two matches - the 1st XI against St Priest and the 2nd XI against Condat Giat Voingt and in both matches the Pionsat sides had been victorious. Here in the driving rain and soaking conditions it would be nice to see the 3rd XI make it 3 out of 3.
This is another stadium with a good view of some interesting surroundings, but not necessarily the scenery as at Briffons or Neuf-Eglise. What we have overlooking the stadium (and make no mistake - this is a proper stadium, not a field) is a flat-topped hill with a nice ring of green bushes around it near the top.
We are right by a very important crossroads here - what today is the N144 between Clermont Ferrand and Montlucon and which 2000 years ago was a major route used by Vercingetorix and his armies from his camp as they chased and were chased by Julius Caesar and the Roman military all around the Auvergne until Vercingetorix stuffed it up Caesar at Gergovie just south of Clermont Ferrand, and a route between the historically-significant town of Aigueperse and the Gorges of the Sioule and Pontaumur. Clearly this road junction was of strategic importance in early times.
Vegetation always grows best and most prolifically where the soil has been disturbed and the deeper the disturbance the better and more prolific the vegetation. And so considering this luxuriant ring of vegetation, the flat-topped hill and the strategic crossroads, the first thing that would enter into anyone's head the moment they saw all of this would be "Neolithic Hill Fort with a deep defensive ditch". In fact if you look to the right-hand edge of the hill near the top you can actually see the relief of the ditch.
And notice the roofs of the houses. A shallow pitch and terracotta tiles, not like here where we have steep pitches and slates. Even though it's only 30 miles south of where I live, Combronde has pretentions more towards the Midi rather than the Combrailles.
But back to the football.
Christophe is playing up front for Pionsat in this match and as he bursts through the centre of the Combronde defence beaming down on the goal they cynically hack him down from behind. If there had been an official referee here that would have been a certain yellow card.
Once he has dusted off the cobwebs he takes the kick himself. It's a beautiful ball righr over the wall and the distance is perfect but the keeper just about manages to get the palm of his hand onto the ball and lift it over the bar.
For the first part of the match it was all Pionsat but Combronde score the opening goal against the run of play.
They break down the inside-left position and get in a shot but Matthieu who is playing in goal today can only palm it out. It falls for a Combronde forward following up who squares it back across goal with Matthieu out of position. This sets up another Combronde forward with a simple tap-in. Matthieu does his best to get back for it but he can't make it.
It gets worse for Pionsat early in the second half as Combronde go 2-0 up. Pionsat's inability to clear their lines and get the ball upfield is omce more evident and they lose possession to Combronde. The defence is far too slow to get back into position and when the ball is crossed in from the right wing, there's an unmarked Combronde forward lurking around in the area who heads in.
There wasn't anything that Matthieu could do about that. How many times have I said now that the defence should get the ball upfield at the earliest opportunity?
While we are on the subject of moving the ball upfield, I was watching Matthieu closely (I used to keep goal in my youth) and I noticed something else. Matthieu has played in goal for the first team and I for one am very grateful for the fact that today he has turned out for the 3rd XI. And so are the other players I suppose - he's the best keeper they are ever likely to have on their side as Damian and Xavier will be the first to admit.
But on a couple of occasions he rolled the ball out to his defenders for them to take upfield. That's not an unreasonable tactic for a first-team defence, or a second team defence for that matter but bearing in mind the fragile nature of the 3rd XI defence and the fact that the team is second-bottom of the lowest league in the pyramid it's pretty much akin to suicide. The best form of defence for the 3rd XI is to whack the ball as far as possible upfield at every opportunity and let the forwards run after it. And the keeper kicking the ball out of his hands is best-placed for that.
It's pretty much "agricultural" football, I know, and brings tears to the eyes of anyone who has ever played for the 1st or 2nd XIs but there really isn't any other solution to take the pressure off the beleauguered Pionsat defence.
Combronde have picked up the rhythm of this game now and are putting a pile of pressure onto the Pionsat defence. It's starting to become one-way traffic as the Pionsat players tire.
There's some good work again down the inside left position and the ball breaks to a Combronde player who gets in a pretty good shot on goal. Matthieu makes a pretty good diving save to get to that. He hangs on to it too, which is just as well with the Combronde no2, totally unmarked, poised to pounce on any spilled ball.
There's nothing at all that Matthieu could do about the next piece of action. Pionsat concede a corner and the Combronde player taking the kick puts a good high ball into the Pionsat area. Another of the Combronde forwards rises unchallenged in the box and puts a good firm header right into the net.
I count four Combronde forwards right in the goalmouth against just one Pionsat defender and the goalkeeper. Where is everyone else that should have been defending the corner? You need a speedy forward with good ball control upfield, two midfielders on the goalposts and everyone else packing the centre of the penalty area defending the kick.
Matthieu had to come for miles out of his goal to chase after a loose ball down in his left-back position. There wasn't anyone else about and he was never ever going to get the ball which he wasn't ever going to get but he was the only person there and I suppose he was trying to put off the attacker or entice him into a long-distance effort.
The Combronde player got to the ball first as expected and looking up, saw Matthieu beaming down upon him. He quite naturally went for the lob over Matthieu's head but one of the Pionsat defenders was for once in the right place at the right time and he managed to head it off the goal line.
That was a good piece of play by the Pionsat defender, showing that the defence really can do it when they put their minds to it. After all of the criticism that I've given them in the past, it's nice to have captured this moment.
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