3rd straight win puts Redolence in middle tier

Report

The official halfway point of the season arrived with the final game for both sides in this single league setting. With both sides evenly matched on paper, the victors would be certain to land in the new Division 2, and the losers most likely in Division 3 once the league splits up in the next week. A frosty greenlands greeted the teams, and it looked likely to be a game called off due to the severe frost. Amazingly, the refs decided the pitch would defrost in time and the game was moved to pitch 4 (all other games at the venue were called off).

A healthy squad saw the return of Luka from injury, and Sproz back after missing the previous match. The lateness of (a hungover) Crouchy forced one defensive change, with Ant in at CB. Sproz came into an otherwise unchanged side.

Going uphill in the first half it was clear that the challenging conditions would impact the entire game- the frozen pitch giving everyone plenty to think about. It was a scrappy start all around but it was Swan who adapted quickest, looking lively down the wing and pinging in several teasing crosses. Redolence were a little panicky on the ball, and were very quiet, which led to a chaotic few minutes before they settled down.

Swan had a couple of half chances, and looked comfortable, but against the run of play Redolence took the lead. Sproz was pushing play down the left, and some hustling from The Machine who then flicked the ball on to Tim began a neat 1-2-3 combination exchange. Tim then held off his man with his back to goal and popped the ball out to Woody, who hit the sweetest shot of his life that swerved round the defenders and flew into the back of the net. A goal of the season contender, and Woody’s first ever goal scored outside the 18 yard box! The goal gave Redolence a boost, but they were still not the better side at this point. They were competing, but Swan looked continually a threat out wide and always had a man up in crucial areas. From a corner they found their way back in- their number 7 running un-marked across to goal to meet a low corner at the near post where he guided it in well.

As is now the case with Redolence, they didn’t fall apart and kept things together, but they weren’t communicating as well as they could and even the simple things were tough- no one had their touches in and clearing the lines was a continually dicey affair. Crouchy came on so that Ant could come into midfield- Luka also came on and Redolence reverted to a 4-2-3-1. This formation suited the situation well, and allowed the centre mids to better block the Swan midfield. But Swan were still on top, their loose finishing meant they could only draw routine saves out of Jon, who dealt well with anything that came his way. The sides went in level at half time, but Swan were on top.

HT: 1-1

The first half was Swan’s, but Redolence had come out of it on level footing, and now had the downhill slope to assist them. They needed to go out and look after the ball better if they were to succeed in what was at this point anyone’s game. Redolence started the half well, pushing on and getting a couple of shots off – Sporz forcing the keeper into a tidy save early on. Redolence hadn’t worked the keeper at all up to this point, and a more shot happy approach was taken, and it paid dividends immediately. Sproz, finding himself in space, launched a low hard drive from range that skidded on the surface and eluded the keeper to give Redolence the lead! Only Sproz will know if it was a shot or actually an over hit cross, but they all count and Redolence are certainly owed some good fortune!

The second goal was a sucker punch to Swan, who immediately let their heads drop and their intensity dropped massively. Redolence were flying, and piled forward looking to extend their lead. They were to get a third. The Machine, bursting forward again was crudely taken down on the edge of the area. Luka, who looked lively on his return, stepped up to a free kick 25 yards out. He cleverly played on the conditions and hit a low shot into the bottom corner at the near post. It sped up as it raced along the ground, and the keeper wasn’t fast enough to reach it as it nestled into the bottom corner of the net. A brilliantly clever free kick, 3-1.

At 3-1 it was all Redolence. Their fitness, organisation and the conditions all combining to counter everything Swan tried to get back into the game. Redolence had several chances- The Machine missed 2 opportunities where he did well to drive into good positions. Ant, Redolence’s range specialist, attempted another trademark lob from range that the keeper scrambled back to save, and Jord had a flicked on header from a Crouch free kick that was cleared off the line. Jonesy wriggled into a great position on the edge of Swan’s box but mis-timed his shot on goal. They were a continual threat. Sproz by this point was virtually unplayable- his strength and quality on the ball creating continual opportunities for those around him… unfortunately for him he was unlucky in front of goal himself and couldn’t claim a deserved second goal to cap off his MOTM performance. Swan by contrast had tired in the conditions, and weren’t substantially threatening the Redolence lead. What was a keenly contested game had swung in Redolence’s favour, and they wound up as worthy winners.

FT- 1-3

Verdict

Another hugely satisfying victory to mark the end of the first half of an up and down season. Despite a troubled start to the season, Redolence are now well on their way to becoming the team they’ve always been capable of being. There is a confidence about the team, a continuity in the squad and formation and the whole team is currently working really well together. Everyone is getting healthy game time, and contributing to this current run of form. The side is now scoring goals consistently, with goals being scored across the midfielders, and there is a resilience to the side that’s helped them endure difficult periods in games- certainly over the last 3 weeks it’s been the sides' attitude and fitness that’s helped them overcome teams who haven’t been willing to dig so deep to get back into a game.

A 3 win streak has boosted Redolence to where they should be in the league, and sets them up nicely for the start of the Division 2 mini season. There are plenty of scores for Redolence to settle in that league, so we’re well setup for an intriguing and hopefully successful second half of the season. Up the boys.