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DEA Masters 2 Falls to PAC Lowell 6-3
It was great weather to play soccer in, but unfortunately the rain from the previous night was still lurking on Sportsman's Field - to the extent that a couple of small children were almost certainly lost in the quagmire left behind for games later on in the morning. The good news: nobody liked those kids very much anyway..... ;-)
Poor surfaces and challenging playing conditions often act as a natural leveller, but the game eventually turned out to be even more imbalanced than the strange final 3-6 scoreline suggests.
PAC had already demonstrated that they play well as an attacking force in their home game and were again at their best when pushing forward through their classy central midfielders. Lowell initially took the lead twenty minutes into the first half when a home attack broke down high on Bedford's right flank. The ball was swiftly moved upfield where the then overstreteched defence were unable to prevent an unmarked attacker arriving at the far post to sidefoot home.
Within five minutes, Scott Vaughan's sheer persistence (and not a little luck) was able to capitalise on indecision in Lowell's rearguard and, with both teams struggling to deal with the sticky pitch, the halftime score was level at 1-1.
However, Bedford were not playing well either individually or collectively and continued to be second best in winning control of the ball against a team with more drive and edge to their game. Lowell steadily adapted to the difficult conditions and unfortunately it didn't take long for their second goal to come. A firm low cross was shipped to the far edge of the six yard box from the right wing and an attacker was quickest to meet the ball, giving Bedford's keeper no chance. To add injury to insult, Doug had to retire from the game shortly afterwards with a pulled muscle and Dave Crespo gamely took over between the sticks for the remaining thirty minutes. Lucky old Dave, eh?
The usually solid Bedford midfield was soon being run ragged in the mud and within a quarter of an hour the score had ramped up to 5-1 to the vistors: a left footed shot to the bottom corner; a looping header to the right; and a very well struck shot into the top right-hand corner from twenty yards out. There was little Dave or the defence could do under such a barrage: Lowell were simply dictating and playing the game exactly the way they wanted to and Bedford were not a set of happy bunnies.
There was time for a couple of false recoveries with Jimmy McCall scoring an elegant solo goal on a rare breakaway starting from the halfway line and Bassem gamely capitalising on a curious Lowell goalkick either side of a sixth scrambled away goal. The fatal wound had already been inflicted though.
Joe Parrinello adroitly took out an advancing Lowell attacker very late on in the game, only for the ensuing penalty to be saved by Dave seemingly on the edge of his six yard box, but no-one got particularly excited as the destination for the points had already been decided.
For the record: Steve Morgan was decidedly not Ace this week. It could be argued that some of the puddles had a better game so he must really have been totally minging. eh?!
Lowell sit pretty in one of the two promotion spots and Bedford, well, they're one of the two ugly sisters fighting for scraps at the bottom of the table.
If Bedford still aspire to have a Cinderella moment, they'll need to do something with the ball before midnight.....and it's getting late.
" Everyone's entitled to my opinion."
Madonna
DEA Masters 2 v North Reading Cobras 2-2
by: Steve Morgan
Far from simply just having a toot on my trumpet, I'm really quite tempted to bring along a thirty-eight piece brass ensemble this week - although even I have to admit I didn't really do much other than score a couple of totally ace goals. Won't stop me milking it though.
Serves you right for letting me do the write-ups.
Anyway.........
It didn't seem particularly lucky at the time, but I'm sure we're all glad we didn't end up playing in the slushy mess that threw itself at Bedford on Sunday afternoon. It was still more than a bit parky out though and the looming battleship grey clouds reminded at least one of us of the autumnal delights of dear old Blighty.
The game was a mostly even affair from the start and North Reading were obviously well organised, with a couple of controlling midfielders who perhaps lacked raw speed (Hello! This is an over forty league!), but who certainly more than made up for it with ball control, vision and distribution. Reading's goalkeeper was a towering colossus whose confident handling removed most of Bedford's early corner threats with claims extending even beyond the six yard box. Is he allowed to do that?!
However, if the vistors did have a weakness, it appeared to be down the flanks and, after a few ultimately unsuccessful forays, the ball fell to John Speaker on the right edge of the penalty area and he whipped a hard, low and flat cross into the six yard box to the near post. Steve Morgan's diving header was instinctive, but he took the gamble that he could beat any unseen sweeper's foot to the ball and was able to drill the ball low into the corner of the net. If there was any active thinking going on, it might have been along the lines of, "Well, I can't see out of the damn thing anyway, so if I get a kick in the left eye, what's the downside?" He's totally ace, that Steve Morgan.
Sportsman's Field has never been considered a potential surface for PGA tour events and, within five minutes of the first goal, a long Reading clearance was allowed to bounce just to the left about six yards out from the home team's penalty area. The uneven bounce deflected the ball up to Joe Parrinello's hand and it seemed a harsh decision by the referee to award a direct freekick.
Stand-in 'keeper Dave Crespo did everything right in terms of both his and the defensive wall's positioning, but Reading's stand-out midfield player swerved the ball with the outside of his right foot around the wall off the top of the far post into the top corner of the goal. Nothing much you can do in those situations but applaud the skill involved. Oh, and maybe sulk.
The rest of the first half was mostly in Reading's half of midfield, but there were no clearcut chances for either side.
The second half also began as a mostly midfield affair, but there were a couple of nice long range efforts from Scott Vaughan and Jimmy McCall that might well have beaten lesser opposition.
Bedford's defence of Joe, John, Mitch and Sean did a great job of keeping the ball away from Dave's goal, but after an hour they were forced into conceding a second free kick in a broadly similar position to that of Reading's first strike.
This time, the kick was taken by a different player with the inside of their right foot towards the near post, where it fortunately pinged back out after hitting the join of the crossbar and upright.
Sometimes the woodwork is your friend, but this didn't prove to be the case with about ten minutes remaining. Whilst Mitch was involved in a curious WWF tussle on the right side of the field (did you at least get his number, Mitch?!), John Morrim's attempted clearance unfortunately ricocheted back off a second defender into the path of a Reading forward. Dave Crespo advanced and covered the near side, but the ball struck the base of the post only to rebound off Dave's back and squirm into the open net. 2-1 to Reading: Hell and buggerations - we need a hero!
It seemed as if the game was going to slip away, but Bedford reverted to playing to the flanks, with the right side seeming to be the most promising. The Reading left fullback in particular was being, how shall we put it, a little industrial in his challenges and a clumsy lunge on Bassem gave Bedford a freekick at virtually the same location as Reading's first goal. Jim McCall's direct effort was tipped over the bar, but danger was still present from the remnants of the ensuing corner. With the ball on the left side, Jimmy backheaded a nearpost cross on into the six yard box. For once, the Reading goalkeeper did not come out immediately and unmarked Steve Morgan used his right foot to flick the ball out of the air into the goal with the defence looking at each other to assign blame. Have I mentioned Steve Morgan is ace yet?
Before the restart, Bassem managed to talk himself into a yellow with some choice celebratory remarks to Reading's left back (made me laugh, anyway!) and, although Jimmy mcCall did have one final attempt on goal blocked from a tight angle, the game played out with the honours shared.
So, in conclusion, Steve Morgan is flipping ace. And he will continue to be so until someone else writes a match report, eh?!
DEA Bedford Falls Hard to Westford Again
by Steve Morgan:
" Since there was no Steve Morgan, we we played like a bunch of clueless wazzocks and lost heavily. "
DEA Masters on a Roll. Win Second Straight Over Acton-Boxborough 1-0
by Steve Morgan
Yet another early morning Fall game in near-ideal weather conditions on a slick, but otherwise true, Astroturf field in Acton, MA. Player availability (or lack thereof) made for subtle alterations to the line-up and playing style of DEA, but the positive attitude of the previous home game was retained and we looked to take the ball to the home side from the whistle.
Overnight rain meant both teams initially struggled to gauge their passing strength and meaningful goal attempts tended to be mostly from distance. Jimmy McCall had the pick of the early bunch when he clipped a well struck volley off the crossbar from twelve or so yards out to the right side of the opposition's goal and Steve Morgan could and should have done better with a left footed attempt following an intelligent lateral pass struck by Jeff Downing, but he didn't allow the secondary ball to drop to get sufficient power on the ball to seriously trouble the goalkeeper.
With roughly twenty-five minutes of the first half played, a ball sent across the Acton goalmouth resulted in an entirely legal 50-50 challenge between the Acton 'keeper and German Dotti. The striker fell awkwardly on his left side and the emergency services were immediately sought as it was clear to all that German was in excrutiating pain. It was first thought that German had dislocated his left shoulder, but it was a break of the humerus, the large upper arm bone. With luck and rest, our left-footed Argentian playmaker should hopefully be well on the road to recovery in a couple of months, but sadly for both him and DEA, his Fall season is over. Get well soon German!
The remainder of the first period was mostly spent in Acton's half, to the extent that Mitch Green was able to make a rare visit to the final third where he got a decent shot off from the edge of the area that fizzed just wide.
The understandable delay to the game and the requirement to stay within our designated time slot resulted in a mutually agreed shortened second half, but time was the only thing really lacking. The defending and tackling by both teams was solid and proactive throughout, but DEA were definitely creating slightly more going forward and long range efforts began to rain into the Acton goal from all directions, but without any obvious clearcut chances.
However, this changed with just over three minutes on the clock. In keeping with the midfield's workrate throughout the game, Doug Wolfe battled to win the ball in the air on the right wing before passing it more centrally to Steve Morgan who, in turn, was able to slip the ball goal-side behind the Acton sweeper. Jim McCall composed himself (the sweeper was desperately trying to swap shirts, shorts, socks, cell numbers and anything else to hand with Jim!) and then calmly slotted the ball home to the right of the onrushing Acton 'keeper who was unable to close his angles in time.
There was still time for Acton to come back, but a well marshalled defence was able to see the remaining time out and secure all three points for the second successive week. The win lifts DEA off the bottom of the table and out of the two relegation places.
The question should now be, "Is promotion out of reach?"
" Progress is not created by contented people."
Frank Tyger
* I am away for the coming game. Anyone else feel like making some bilge up? *
DEA Edges Lowell Alligators 2-1 at Bedford
Well, what a difference a week can make, eh?
The match kicked off late through BURP (the Bedford Urban Renewal Program) confusing the bejeezus out of the GPS controllers for our visitors from South of the border and DEA took the game to the understandably dazed and confused visitors for the first twenty minutes or so.
DEA set plays were particularly threatening, but a combination of scrambled defensive bodies or framework somehow kept the game scoreless until, against the run of play, the ever-combative Jeff Downing was just a tad over-enthusiastic and snappy in a challenge on an Alligator to the edge of Bedford's version of the Everglades. Oops!
The penalty was tidily taken and much of the remainder of the first half was a frustrating affair with Bedford showing poor touch and communication despite usually having both time and space available to exploit. To compound the home team's problems, sweeper Dave Crespo was forced to withdraw after feeling an unwelcome pulling sensation in his groinular regions. We've all been there - not always on a Sunday morning though - so get well soon, mate! ;-)
The first fifteen or so minutes of the second period were both literally and figuratively a continuation of the first half, but then DEA seemed to have a collective "Aha!" moment and a combination of stronger challenges and improved passing and movement gradually started to open up the opposition, providing we avoided the unsporting puddles.
Hard charging Scott Vaughan took a couple of early practice swings, but a third pass threaded between the Alligator's sweeper and left back offered sufficient goal for him to find the inside of the far side netting from the edge of Lowell's penalty area. The game was tied at one a piece with thirteen minutes to go: Game on!
The unexpected late start meant that John Speaker's young charges were arriving in droves for a following game and they soon noticed their valiant Assistant Coach hobbling around purposefully in his stopper role. DEA and John suddenly had a crowd to play for, and play for them they blooming well did.....
....With the roar of spectators and the smell of a possible victory in the air, the home side ratcheted up the pressure on Lowell and, with the clock running down, Joe Parrinello cleverly won a corner on the left wing. Joe sharply delivered a nicely weighted ball to the far post where, I swear, Assistant Coach Speaker must have been close to the level of the crossbar to thunder a bullet header into a welcoming net.
Cue a prepubescent screaming frenzy like you've never heard before. The kids were really quite noisy too. Yay coach!
The remaining three minutes seemed to be long enough to hard-boil an ostrich egg, but Doug Henion and relief sweeper John Morrin proved particularly strong under pressure to ensure DEA deservedly took their first points of the Fall season.
All the DEA players can be more than well pleased with their battling performances today and, dare I say it, maybe they've finally found their Fall mojo?
"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."
Thomas Edison
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