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2nd XI v CS TEILHET
20th October 2012
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Tonight at Pionsat the 2nd XI are entertaining Teilhet from the other side of the mountain. Pionsat are desperate for points to claw themselves away from the foot of the table and although on paper the Goatslayers aren't much to write home about, matches against them always seem to be a struggle. Even the year when Pionsat won the league at a canter, Pionsat could only manage a draw
Mind you, looking at the team tonight, we have Michaël continuing in goal; a back four of Jerome, Sébastien, Fabien and Malik with the other Fabien, Valentin, Gregory (and isn't it nice to see him back in action) and Bertrand in midfield, and Jonathan and Vincent up front. On the bench are Kevin, Christophe (another welcome return for him) and the guy from the print shop whose name I still don't know.
You know, this is a pretty strong line-up for the 2nd XI and if they could have these same 14 players every week they wouldn't have too much to worry about.
Yes, but even as I speak, it all goes horribly wrong for Pionsat. despite having the lion's share of the play in the first 15 minutes they somehow manage to fall behind.
During a rare Teilhet attack Pionsat concede a corner and there's a high ball into the area. One of their players has effectively a free header on the ball and scores quite comfortably.
Michaël in the Pionsat goal is furious with the referee. Even from where I'm standing at the other end of the pitch I can hear him arguing that one of the Goatslayers was blocking him on the goal-line and preventing him going for the ball. However the referee in his wisdom is having none of it and the goal is allowed to stand.
Down at the other end five or so minutes later Pionsat win a corner and it's Pionsat's turn to go for the high ball into the opponent's penalty area. Bertrand rises above everyone else with a massive leap and has a free header, but he can't put any direction onto the ball and it goes out for a goal kick.
Nevertheless, it was a pretty spectacular effort, to say the least.
There's some excellent play by Gergory and Vincent, and between them they set Jonathan free in the penalty area. As one of the Teilhet defenders comes across to close him down, Jonathan does the right thing by going for goal, and from about 15 yards out it's an absolute thunderball.
It clangs off the inside of the post with the keeper a distant second, but unfortunately for the team it rolls right across the face of the goal and away to safety. What surprised me though is that Jonathan's shot didn't bring down the woodwork.
However, less than a minute later Pionsat do finally equalise, as they have been threatening to do for quite a while. It's from another corner - another good high ball into the area, and this time I think that it's Fabien who rises higher than everyone else and he makes no mistake, despite the desperate antics of the defender on the goal line.
No wonder the Pionsat players look so pleased. They've worked really hard for that goal and it's no more than they deserve, that's for sure. Pïonsat are playing really well so far in this match - the best I've ever seen them play for a couple of seasons.
Malik has just gone off injured and he's been replaced by the guy from the print shop whose name someone will one day tell me. He performs an impressive piece of magic on the right side of the defence and then plays the ball well forward to Valentin who's also having a good game out there.
He puts in a good hard cross to the centre of the penalty area and Jonathan makes a really good header but once more it goes wide of the post.
After 35 minutes of the game Pionsat finally do take the lead and the Goatslayers can have no complaints because they've been living on borrowed time for much of the game.
It stemmed from a free kick to Pionsat, which I thought rather debatable, which is strange considering that there have been a few crystal-clear free kicks and even a penalty for a foul on Vincent which went totally unpunished.
Anyway, I think that it's Valentin who takes the kick and puts it high into the penalty area once more. It's Bertrand once more who rises well above the defence and this time it's right on target and into the back of the Teilhet net with the keeper nowhere.
And right on the stroke of half-time Pionsat score a third goal. It's a break right down the wing with Jonathan I think, and he puts a cross into the penalty area.
It's Valentin, I think, lurking on the edge of the penalty area who reaches the ball first and has a lovely shot on goal. The keeper manages to get both hands to the ball but it just goes up over his head and into the net.
One other thing that is impressive about this move is that you'll notice where Fabien is standing. Right in front of the goalkeeper, exactly where he should be. If the keeper drops the ball, which is always a possibility at this standard of football, Fabien will be there for the loose ball. This is another one of my pet subjects, as you will have noticed if you have read any of the other match reports.
Another one of my pet subjects is the lack of leadership of both the Pionsat teams. No-one seems to be calling the odds and shouting the instructions (and hurling the abuse) whenever it's necessary. Not today, though. Christophe is over there on the bench bellowing out the instructions to his players and it's certainly giving the team much more of a focus.
Changes at half-time are that Jerome has left the field, with Valentin dropping back to replace him, and Christophe coming on and playing up front, and Kevin on in place of Vincent. Again, I'm not convinced by the changes, as Vincent has been having an excellent game on the left flank and Valentin has been tearing them to shreds down the right.
But one thing that you can't do is to argue with the facts, and almost straight from the start, Pionsat score a fourth goal. It comes from a free kick almost right in front of where I'm standing. The Goatslayers set a wall but that doesn't bother Gregory for an instant. He simply curls the ball right around it.
The ball swings right into the near post and the keeper goes full-length to try to stop it, but there's so much power in the shot that it goes straight between the keeper's arms - not even his hands - and into the net, accompanied by the ribald cheers from the 1st XI players standing in front of the dressing room.
Once again, look at Fabien and Jonathan following up ready for any loose ball. This is so much better from Pionsat.
Two minutes and thirty-six seconds later, Pionsat score n°5. This time it's Christophe to mark his return to the game with a goal. It's a beautiful ball over the top that springs the Teilhet offside trap, and the player on the right wing, which may well have been Fabien, held the ball up really well until support arrived in the shape of Johathan and Christophe.
The winger swung the ball into the area to the far post and Christophe timed his run to perfection, slotting in underneath the keeper.
You know, this is just like the Pionsat 2nd XI from 4 years ago, all of this
Just over a minute later Pionsat score a sixth goal and finally, after all his hard work and effort leading the line up front, Jonathan writes his name on the scoresheet, and deservedly so because this is the best that I've seen him play this evening.
The Teilhet supporters are moaning about the decision but they have no grounds to complain at all because it was a clear penalty. Pionsat, back to playing total football as they played three and four years ago, surge into the Goatslayers' penalty area and Jonathan finds himself in acres of space with the ball, and the goal at his mercy. As he prepares to shoot, he's just kicked off the ball by one of the Goatslayers.
For once in this match, a penalty is awarded and Jonathan makes no mistake from the spot.
90 seconds later (it's marvellous having a timer on the camera) we almost have a seventh goal. Pionsat, still playing total football, send a ball diagonally right over the penalty area with, I think, either Jonathan or Gregory running in on the ball. Whoever it is takes the ball on the volley and the keeper does exceptionally well to stop this one and push it away.
It's a good job that he did too because with one of the Pionsat forwards following up in case the ball comes loose, that could have been a disaster for Teilhet.
However we do have a disaster and it's at the Pionsat end of the field. Out of nothing, the Goatslayers pull one back. Michaël picks up the ball in his own penalty area and kicks it right upfield. It reaches the halfway line where one of the Teilhet players heads it forward.
The ball lands almost at the feet of one of his team mates who simply, without even thinking, lifts it over the head of Michaël, who has not yet made it back to his goal line.
Nevertheless, Pionsat are still pushing forward and almost score a seventh. Jerome I think has a quick breakaway down the left and holds the ball up really well but with no-one around him in a position to help him out, he tries the aerial route over the keeper.
It clears the keeper quite nicely but unfortunately it's just over the bar.
Another one of Malik's enormous long throws finds Jonathan in space. He plays the ball into the area where Gregory is running in, and Gregory hits it on the volley.
His shot cannons off a couple of defenders rather like something in snooker, and eventually goes out for a throw-in on the far side of the field. The Goatslayers can breathe a sigh of relief ...
... but not for long. We have another free kick identical to the one that Gregory took earlier, and he prepares to take this one again.
"If you score this time I'm giving up football for good" calls one of the 1st IX players, and Gregory does his best to oblige, producing a carbon-copy of his previous effort.
The ball hits the keepers arms again but this time it cannons up and onto the crossbar, and then out of play for a corner.
But ... aaarrrggghhhhhh! In a rare foray up the field the Goatslayers pull another goal back. They win a free kick just outside the penalty area. It's up and over the Pionsat wall and although Michaël manages to reach the ball with one hand, it sails into the top corner of the Pionsat net.
I can't believe that after all of this attacking effort from Pionsat that they concede a goal. Or maybe I can - I've seen too many of this kind of match.
Play moves back to where it has been for almost all of the second half - the Teilhet goalmouth. As the minutes tick away Michaël makes a good clearance out of his penalty area which sets Gregory free. He punts the ball right across the face of the goal to Christophe.
Christophe lays the ball off cleverly to Jonathan and his shot on the volley screams over the bar, not missing the goal by very much at all.
Two minutes later and Pionsat still can't find the net for the seventh goal. This one is another excellent ball out of the Pionsat defence that clears the Teilhet defence and Jonathan beats the offside trap to run on to the ball.
He's here in a one-on-one with the Goatslayers' keeper but the keeper does really well to reach that ball with both hands, and he does even better to hang onto the ball as well.
And would you believe it - they go back up the field and score a fourth goal. And this is a controversial moment too, rather like the incident at Cellule the other week .
This time it's another one of the Pionsat players down injured, and that was a crunching clash that took him down. Most people expect the game to be stopped, as it ought to be, to deal with the injury but one of the Goatslayers kicks the ball into the Pionsat net while everyone's attention is elsewhere.
Yes, I'm not impressed by this, but then again, in the same way as these phantom offside claims, the defenders should play to the whistle and play the ball, without depending upon a referee's decision. Referees are notoriously fickle.
So how about that then? Pionsat score 6 goals and twice that many would not have flattered them. Even though he's been out of the game for almost 6 months, Gregory was in a class above most of the other players out there tonight, and Jonathan, with a little better luck, could have had a bag-full of goals. He too gave ample demonstration why he's been picked for the 1st XI in several matches so far.
While it was these two who probably made a major difference, it was interesting to see the effect that this had on the rest of the team. They all put in performances that were much better than they have turned out for quite some time and for the first time in a couple of years the players looked as if they were really enoying themselves instead of merely going through the motions.
Another difference, as I have already said, was in the first half when Christophe was on the bench and bellowing out the odds to the players on the field. In the second half when he came on, of course he quietened down but by then Pionsat were well on top. It would be nice to find someone with a voice like a foghorn and with some kind of tactical notions, who could sit on the bench for 90 minutes
As for the defence, well, a couple of moments of lack of concentration, but then that's been a symptom of Pionsat's defence, both 1st and 2nd XIs for as long as I have been a supporter of the club. Each of the teams would benefit from having a big, dominant, loud-mouthed centre-half to wake up his colleagues when they doze off to sleep;
Anyway, there is at least one team worse than Pionsat in the league, and with this victory Pionsat climb up a couple of places in the table. They just need now to build on this performance for next week.
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