Asterix Reds 0 - 1 Mancis United (SSLKL Premier Division)

We went into this match full of confidence having won a game we probably didn't deserve to last week and with Mancis struggling to get their season going. 

We started poorly, allowing Mancis too much time on the ball. This allowed them to pick their passes and they really tore us to shreds. Some last gasp defending and a couple of saves from Alan (in his last competitive game for Asterix after 8 seasons) meant we were able to maintain the 0-0 scoreline. Eventually however our luck ran out as Mancis' striker latched onto a backpass which failed to reach Al, 1-0 Mancis. The goal was dubious as the striker appeared to take out Alan as he lifted the ball over his head. Still we couldn't complain about being 1 down.

We continued to play poorly until half-time and I was disappointed to see more of the arguing between players that we saw last week. We really have to eliminate this from our game, we all know that it doesn't help anyone to play better. We need to praise and encourage our teammates much more. 

At half-time we brought Dave Jones onto the right wing and this seemed to tighten us up a bit in midfield. For the first 20 minutes of the second half we really controlled the game and I really felt we could go on and get a win. We kept the ball much better and started to play a few more simple, short passes. We utilized our wide players much better and had a few good crosses into the box. However, not enough players supporting the two front men meant we didn't have enough bodies in the box to attack the ball. 

After 20 minutes we began to make a few more mistakes again. This was partly due to the ref who up until then had had a pretty good game. Stefan made a great tackle at one point only to be told it was dangerous and the small matter of fact that he had won the ball wasn't an issue to the referee. We then felt aggrieved 3 minutes later when Stu was carved down inside the penalty box by a very similar looking tackle – apparently this one wasn't considered dangerous. This started Stu off in a "Quirkie like" rage which he took out on me 5 minutes later when I took him off! 

For the next 10 minutes both teams cancelled each other out with no real chances being created. With 5 minutes to go we were awarded a penalty after the officials held an enquiry and decided the foul WAS inside the box. Terry stepped up but unfortunately the keeper made a solid save to his right. We pushed on in the last 5 and put Mancis under some pressure but never really created another good chance. 

All in all it was a very disappointing result. I feel Mancis were there for the taking yesterday and I thought we deserved a point after our display in the second half. All we can do now is forget about that game and concentrate on giving Alan, Tony and Stefan the send off they deserve on Friday night.