DBFC 3 – 2 KCC Cavaliers
Venue: Kings Park Sports Ground Pitch N0. 1
Date: Monday 20th September 2021
Kick-off: 21:00 hrs.
Squad: Ricky, Tita, Morse, Mane, Kieran, Zanskar, James, Darius, Crommy, Makito, Sam, Nick, Charlie and Wai
Scorers: Crommy, Zanskar and Nick.
It was a struggle this week to pull a squad together and hence 5 players were making their season debut; Wai, James, Zanskar, Charlie and Mane. Other commitments and illness took their toll on many other players. Darius needs a mention for coming even though he was earlier in bed feeling sick.
So at the pitch it was Morse and Crommy that got the pre-match minds and bodies set and Gaffer Gaz ran through the starting line-up, leaving 3 on the bench. Those 3 subs were down to 2 subs after 20 minutes when Mane pulled up with a hamstring.
To the match; KCC started strongly, pressing forward with young fast lads passing the ball well and putting the DBFC defence under pressure, especially down their left flank. It was from here that KCC got the opening goal, at 10 minutes in, off the boot of ex-DBFC player Roy Man, when he dribbled through and cut inside the DBFC left back on the edge of the 18 yard box to fire a shot goal bound. The shot caught the foot of an attempted block, causing the ball to spin up and dip over the dive of Ricky. KCC 1-0 up.
DBFC started settling into the game with their defence handling the continuing pressing forward by KCC. That pressing resulted in KCC being stretched in midfield and it was here that DBFC, through Zanskar and James, took advantage in threading passes through to Crommy and Makito playing forward and Darius and Sam on the wings. At about 25 minutes gone of the 1st half, a ball out to Darius was played inside to Crommy, in the middle of the KCC half, he turned his marker and cut further inside to lots of space before letting loose a shot from 28 yards out that went into the top left corner of the KCC goal with pinpoint accuracy. It was a great goal to put DBFC level at 1-1 and that is how it stayed at half time, despite DBFC taking the upper hand in the game for the last 15 minutes of that first half.
The second half started with the line-up that finished the 1st half (Mane was replaced with Charlie at left back after 20 mins and Nick came on at centre-mid for James after 30 mins) leaving Wai and James on the bench. Charlie swapped with Sam from left back to left-mid.
DBFC started the second half brightly and although the DBFC defence continued to work hard to cope with the continued pressing by KCC’s youthful fast team, it was DBFC that was slightly with the upper hand. A long ball from Tita, over the top of the KCC left back, found Darius to pull the ball neatly out of flight and turn inside of the left back, only to be tripped and the free kick given just outside the KCC 18 yard box. Zanskar stepped up and curled a low drive around the KCC wall into the bottom left corner out of reach or the diving KCC keeper. It was another great goal on about 10 minutes into the second half to put DBFC 2-1 up.
Shortly after this goal Charlie took an elbow into the face to bust his nose. Wai came on to that left mid position while Gaffer Gaz was reassessing a game plan. With 25 minutes left of the second half Kieran came off and Wai moved to his familiar right back role and James came back on into centre-mid with Nick moving out to the left-mid position.
The game ebbed and flowed but DBFC was playing with true grit and spirit and the players all working very hard for each other. It was about half way through the second half when a long ball over the top into the DBFC 18 yard box was chased by a KCC player with Tita covering. Tita got his body between the player and the ball and the KCC player pushed into the back of Tita to send them tumbling. The referee (incredibly wrong) gave a penalty and the KCC player sent Ricky diving the wrong way to make the game poised at 2-2. It must be mentioned that 10 minutes later Tita made a tackle in the area that did seem to be a penalty but the referee didn’t give it, so as they say, it is all swings and roundabouts in the bigger picture.
DBFC continued to work hard and look for the winner as was the KCC Cavaliers. With 15 minutes left Crommy came off and a recovered Charlie came on to go at left-mid and Nick moving into Crommy’s position to partner Makito up top. Young Nick was working his socks off and him and Makito causing problems in the KCC defence with their constant chasing down and closing. With 10 minutes left James got cramp and needed to come off. Charlie moved into centre-mid and Kieran came back on to play at left-mid. The reshuffle seemed to energise DBFC a bit and a through ball forward was collected and poked through by Makito for Nick to chase after and get to the ball just before the out-rushing KCC keeper. Nick’s out-stretched leg spiked the ball up over the keeper and into the roof of the net to make it 3-2 to DBFC.
KCC pressed for an equalizer but DBFC held firm in defence and midfield and always looked threatening on the break. This was a very good game that could have gone either way but in the Gaffer’s opinion, the spirit and fight and togetherness shown by the DBFC team this night deserved the win.
MOM: Everyone on the team deserves a shout for this but it was Zanskar playing in mid-field with skill and none-stop running and scoring a great free kick that gets the Gaffer’s shout.
DOD: Awal for not showing up and forgetting to message Gaffer Gaz so early action could be taken. He had not recovered after playing Sunday for his HKFA team.
