Sproston Saves Redolence

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Another game vs Redditch Cross! The final game of this storied, season spanning rivalry took place at greenlands pitch 4- both sides evenly matched and looking to have the final say on who is the better side this season in their 6th encounter. With places up for grabs for the upcoming final, Scott fielded a side with some changes- Jon in goal; Randle, Ash, Crouch and Max in defence; Jonesy, Woody, Jord and Lewis in midfield with Tim and Spros up front. It was a 4-4-2 formation in contrast to Cross, who have lined up 4-2-3-1 for every previous meeting with the lads.

First half

The game started well for both sides, Redolence looked organised and were coping well with Cross- who had an extra man in midfield which gave them a strong territorial advantage. Redolence were also playing uphill, with the wind and sun in the faces. Despite this Redolence looked a threat on the break, with Spros and Jonesy both looking to put Tim clear quickly. Both sides are threats from set pieces, and both sides had long throws fly across the box asking to be nodded in. Goals soon followed. Cross opened the scoring- a scrappy goal after Redolence failed to clear from a set piece (GOAL Cross 0-1). Redolence though immediately went back at it and equalised- Tim with a tidy layoff to Spros who drove home at the keepers near post off his left foot (GOAL Redolence 1-1. Sproston. Assist Lees). Cross pushed back once more, and were back in the lead soon after- a routine throw into the area wasn’t dealt with, and Cross man shrugged off 2 challenges to finish well. (GOAL Cross 1-2). Like AJ and Klitschko the night before, both sides were rocking and trading big shots, and Redolence equalised once more- this time Lewis doing the good work before laying off to Spros who drove home at the keepers near post off his left foot. (GOAL Redolence 2-2. Sproston. Assist Billingham). The crazy period wasn’t over- a routine long ball from Cross wasn’t dealt with and the Cross striker finished well (GOAL Cross 2-3). Heads were slowly dropping, Redolence were conceding at rate not seen since last season, and it wasn’t over. Cross again capitalised on lax defending to go 4-2 up (GOAL Cross 2-4). Redolence were still looking dangerous going forward, Tim had a lovely effort rebound off the bar and then Spros once more stepped in to grab a goal back. Lewis again setting up Spros who drove home at the keepers near post off his left foot. (GOAL Redolence 3-4. Sproston. Assist Billingham)

Half time 3-4

A bizarre half. Redolence looked tidy for 20 mins, then capitulated in spectacular style before Spros recovered the situation- to only be a goal down from that was definitely positive. Cross had greater numbers in midfield, and territorially were in command. The next goal was key, and the conditions would be in Redolences favour in the second half. This had an immediate impact- Jon’s kicks were carrying further in the wind and Spros took such a kick down in one lovely touch before driving home at the keepers near post off his left foot. (GOAL Redolence 4-4. Spros. Assist Davis). Game on. Redolence in the second half were a different side, the extra man in midfield became less apparent as Jord and Woody got a grip on proceedings- assisted well by Si who was on at HT on the left and putting himself about well. Defensively things shored up quickly, with Crouch/Ash making some great clearances and settling the ship well. Chances were falling to the lads now- Andy Soager was put clear but found row z, and Woody had a low shot deflected narrowly wide. The game settled massively at 4-4, both sides more cautious and Cross in particular were struggling to find an opening through an organised Redolence unit- I cannot recall any major incidents through this period. Redolence took the lead brilliantly- Andy Soager with a beautiful reverse pass into the path of Si, who finished confidently past the keeper with his right boot, a lovely bit of football. (GOAL Redolence 5-4. Birkin. Assist Soager).

At 5-4 Redolence finally had their noses in front. To see out the game would be tough….so Scott decided to change formation to an offensive 4-3-3 (I’m not joking). All the clubs strikers were on the pitch, and it certainly livened up the last 10 minutes- Cross pushed hard and caused some late chaos- a few dicey corners were scrambled clear, but to the lads credit there wasn’t one true heart in mouth moment. Redolence were to in fact score another- Spros again scoring, not at the near post this time…he dispossessed his man and finished well. (GOAL Redolence. Spros. Assist Davis (?)). Redolence’s bizarre approach had somehow paid off. The game petered out for the last couple of minutes. Tim had a long shot with the final kick of the game, but no one saw it and it certainly didn’t count.

Full time: 6-4

Verdict

An odd game. Once again Redolence had Spros to thank for getting them out of a tough situation- on days like today the lad is unplayable, and he seemed to score with every shot he had, a fine individual display. As a team though, the improved second half was good but there is still much to be improved on. Tactically Cross were superior on the day- their extra numbers in the middle gave them a solid base to control open play. If Golden Cross opt for the same approach in the cup final, it will be a long night for the lads. However, despite a farcical 20 minute spell Redolence kept Cross at bay well, although the comedy of errors in that period can’t be overlooked. When under pressure its key that the lads step up and take control of situations, on another day those lapses would’ve cost them dearly. Despite this….it’s been a good 4 days for the lads- 2 wins, 6 points and plenty of positives to take to next week. If the positives from those games can be carried forward, and the negatives removed, then Redolence will be in a good position to give Golden Cross a good game in the cup final.

FT SCC Redolence 6 - 4 Redditch Cross
87 SCC Redolence 6 - 4 Redditch Cross (Sproston, assist Davis)
79 SCC Redolence 5 - 4 Redditch Cross (Birkin, assist A.Seager)
56 SCC Redolence 4 - 4 Redditch Cross (Sproston, assist Davis)
HT SCC Redolence 3 - 4 Redditch Cross
32 SCC Redolence 3 - 4 Redditch Cross (Sproston, assist Billingham)
26 SCC Redolence 2 - 4 Redditch Cross
20 SCC Redolence 2 - 3 Redditch Cross
19 SCC Redolence 2 - 2 Redditch Cross (Sproston, assist Billingham)
16 SCC Redolence 1 - 2 Redditch Cross
13 SCC Redolence 1 - 1 Redditch Cross (Sproston, assist Lees)
11 SCC Redolence 0 - 1 Redditch Cross
KO SCC Redolence 0 - 0 Redditch Cross