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CHATELGUYON v 3rd XI - 25th APRIL 2010
The big issues with Pionsat's 3rd XI all boil down to a lack of effective numbers willing to turn out for matches. You can't play with just 9 or 10 players as you will be caught out of position every time and when some of your players aren't as young as they used to be and not as fit as they might be, there's no-one available on the bench to give them a rest.
And so when Pionsat turned up with just 10 players to face Chatelguyon, a team up at the top of the table, I feared the worst. Never mind forebodings - I was having five.
And I was right.
And I have to say it - it looked like Pionsat's heads were down even before the match kicked off and that wasn't a good sign. And as the action unfolded on the pitch it was clear that this was not going to be their day. All of their bad habits that they had worked so hard to eliminate, they all came back in this match.
The first goal (one of many) was due to the old issue of failing to clear a ball out of defence once they win possession. Messing around with it on the edge of the area is a recipe for disaster.
Chatelguyon win the ball back and drive it across goal to an unmarked player with all of the Pionsat defence out of position. It's a simple tap-in at the far post for Chatelguyon to take the lead.
Pionsat's goal is under seige for much of the early part of the match and the defence seems to have this mental blank about getting rid of the ball upfield or out of play. Even conceding a throw-in would give them time to regroup.
Chatelguyon win the ball and break into the area from the inside right position. The forward tries his luck but Damien dives and does well to block it ....
... but with the Pionsat defence out of position yet again the ball bounces free to a Chatelguyon player following up the shot. He drives it into the net with Damien helpless.
But for once luck is on Pionsat's side as the linesman spotted a Chatelguyon player offside and raised his flag.
Pionsat can breathe again - for the moment.
Matthieu loses possession of the ball in midfield when really he ought to have played the ball forward. Chatelguyon break down the left with the Pionsat defence unable to get to the ball and with the defence all out of possession as you can see, it's just another simple tap-in.
That's a shame because for the last 20 minutes Pionsat have been managing to keep the Chatelguyon attack at arms length by a combination of desperate defending and absolutely woeful Chatelguyon shooting.
And it goes from bad to worse. Pionsat's defence all stand around waiting for the offside flag that never game and when they realise that it isnt going to come they give up the chase and watch two attackers with the ball bearing down on Damien.
An easier goal than this you will never ever see and both the young girl from Pionsat and I, sitting in the stand, were wishing that the ground would open up and swallow us. This was ...errr ... embarrassing.
And badger me if we don't have a carbon copy of the third goal just a couple of minutes later? At least the Pionsat defenders try to make up the lost ground but it's all to no avail.
If you remember what I said about the Manzat game a week or two ago with the defence running out of steam with 10 minutes to go, this is precisely what has happened except that instead of conceding two quick goals, they've conceded three. If only there were two defenders on the bench - Fabrice and Jean-Pierre for example, Max and "the other Damien" could be taking a breather now on the bench and none of this would be happening.
The fifth goal is once again from the Pionsat defence not being able to clear the ball away from the penalty area once they have possession.
A Chatelguyon player intercept the ball and breaks clean through the defence. Damien saves the first shot but the rebound falls to another Chatelguyon player following up who lifts it over the top and into the net. We are back with Lord Lucan and Martin Bormann playing in central defence as you can see.
Chatelguyon's 6th goal was without any doubt the best of the bunch so far. Pionsat's defence is tiring desperately now just like in the Manzat game.
They lose possession out on the left wing and the Chatelguyon winger plays the ball inside to the centre-forward who is totally unmarked. He hits a beautiful curler right around Damien and into the far corner of the net.
Pionsat manage to hold themselves together for a few minutes and have been having a good little spell here but they just couldn't keep it up with their tired legs.
A Chatelguyon midfielder intercepts a tired Pionsat pass and Pionsat just can't get the ball back. A couple of nice 1-2s split the defence and Damien's rush forward to put off the Chatelguyon attacker doesn't work. I know I've criticised keepers for rushing off their line but you have to sympathise with Damien in this situation even though he might have been better-advised to stay put.
The Pionsat defence has thoroughly blown up now with just five minutes left on the clock and they can't stay in the game.
The next Chatelguyon attack sees their forwards break through the centre of an exhausted defence and once again Damien is all on his own against the marauding hordes. He's powerless to do anything about the eighth goal and I can sympathise with him.
And in the last minute or so Pionsat finally get onto the front foot and play the ball upfield. With three forwards against two defenders something positive could be on here.
And it's a lovely curler around the keeper, just like Chatelguyon's 6th goal but this one didn't quite curl enough and it goes the wrong side of the post for a goal kick. Nevertheless it's still nice to see Pionsat being positive in the opposition penalty area
And with the clock running down to a conclusion there's another Pionsat attempt on goal. It's a nice long build-up with some good Pionsat play - they manage to hang on to the ball for a few minutes here.
The shot - and an excellent one at that - comes in but it's just over the bar and that is unlucky.
But the Chatelguyon defenders are now arguing amongst themselves here. Clearly Pionsat's last-minute surge has got them rattled even though they are so far in front, and that's a good sign.
And that's not the only "incident" in the game either. One of the Pionsat players, upset with the antics of the Chatelguyon no8, attracts his attention by kicking the ball at him and then goes across for a "friendly chat" with him. And another one of the Pionsat players, upset by the referee's "coaching" of the home team, would like to discuss that issue with him. This is a situation that calls for some restraint, in every sense of the word.
It's nice to see Pionsat showing some passion - that's something that is lacking in the team, but I wish they would save it for the "on-the-ball" moments.
And so we have a right spannering - one that has been on the cards for a while. And from the way that Pionsat approached the game before the kick-off it was always going to be on the cards today. But 10 men can't play against 11, especially when the 11 are up at the top of the table. With no substitutes on the bench, there's no-one to take over from the tired legs of the defence and they just have to play it out. Just like the Manzat game, for 35 minutes each half Pionsat were within a respectable distance of the opposition.
But it isn't really all doom and gloom though. The fourth division is really two divisions in one, with Combronde, Manzat, Beauregard Vendon and Chatelguyon out on their own and with the other six clubs down in the basement slugging it out amongst themselves. Goal difference is the key here. Although Pionsat lost 6-1 to Manzat, Manzat beat Montfermy 14-0 and Marcillat 11-1. As long as Pionsat can keep down to a reasonable limit the goals conceded against the top teams, they stand a chance of keeping off the bottom of the table.
But we've seen in a couple of matches what a full complement of players and an injection of class into the team can do. There isn't much wrong with this Pionsat side that a full complement of players and a specialist goalkeeper couldn't put right. Damien's doing his best, having been thrust into the breach when no-one else would do the job, but he needs a rest.
Now I'm off back to base to catch the second half of the 2nd XI's match against Sayat .
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