Woody saves the day

Report

With 2 games to go Redolence were involved in an unlikely title scrap, albeit as the outsiders in a three horse race. Their title rivals today were current pole sitters lodge park and the objective was simple- win to stay in the mix. It was parks last game of the season, so a win was essential for them as well to keep the pressure on AFC Lions at the top of division 1. Scotty2Hotty had another decent squad, and went with Jon in goal; Randle, Crouch, Ant and Afro at the back; Jonesy, Luka, Jp and Lewis in midfield and Sproston and Tim up front. The bench was again an embarrassment of riches for the lads, so there were options aplenty.

First half

Tension was in the air before kick off. Both sides needed a win, AFC Lions had sent a scouting party to the game….no doubt eyeing up their next hostile takeover, and the main question for SCC was, do they want to be in the hunt, or do they want to let Lodge Park give them another beating? The answer, like in all football matches, came in two halves…

The first half was very much the half of the ugly Redolence- the quiet, hesitant team that took many beatings at the start of the season. Going up the pitch 4 slope with the sun in their eyes, the early conditions weren’t in their favour…but there was no bite in the team and it was flat all around. Park’s mercurial front man Terry Nolan was again causing the lads problems- playing between the full backs and centre backs and dragging people out of position wherever he could. The opener was scored by that man- darting onto a through ball on Redolence’s left with a streak of pace before coolly lobbing the onrushing Jon (GOAL Park 0-1). The goal gave Park a massive boost, and they pushed on, working down the Redolence left hand side and putting themselves strongly about. The ref was letting a lot go and Redolence were not fighting back, and some good fortune found Park 2-0 up- Afro slicing a clearance back to Jon who somehow let it slip under him. (GOAL Park 0-2). Redolence were rattled, Park sensed league glory and 2 became 3- their midfielder with a crisp drive that Jon wasn’t going to stop. (GOAL Park 0-3). Redolence were in a mess defensively, but they weren’t out of the game when attacking- a Jonesy free kick found Tim who couldn’t find the net, and Ry’s industry wasn’t quite working for him at this point. The half petered out with Redolence’s title hopes dead and buried.

Half time- 0-3

A poor first half, but all was not lost with the famous pitch 4 conditions shifting in the second half. Scott, concerned about Parks dominance down the left brought on Si at LB and Woody at left mid, hoping the pace and graft would stem the tide and allow the lads to push on. A massive improvement was required all around. And that’s what he got. Redolence went in as kittens, and came out like lions, and got the crucial first goal of the half. A routine free kick in was cleared as far as Woody, who drilled the ball back in from the edge of the box….the sweetest shot he’s hit all season, destined for the top corner- until it hit the back of Ry Sproston. His back has better control stats than any part of woodys body, and it deftly deflected the strike into the goal past the wrong footed keeper (GOAL Redolence 1-3. Sproston, Assist Wood). The goal was the catalyst the lads needed, and they pushed on hard- the service to Spros improved and his influence grew with every minute- he added a second. Some level headed build up at the back led to Ant playing a high ball over, that Spros got to before the onrushing keeper to nod into an empty net (GOAL Redolence 2-3 Sproston, Assist Bromhead). Tails were up all around for Redolence. Park were stunned and being thwarted across the pitch- the wide threat nullified down their right side. Scott mirrored the setup on SCC’s right and put Lewis at RB behind Jonesy, adding pace to the backline made a difference in keeping Park’s pacey players at bay whilst adding an edge to Redolence’s build up play. The football from the lads was great at this point- JP received a ball out right- from the height of skyscraper no less, and brought it down via his face. He made a darting run down the flank, chopped inside in a Ronaldo-esque move (his words) before putting a deep whipped ball in. Woody got on the end of it and back –headed it down to Spros who brought a fine save from the keeper, two further rebound attempts were scrambled away! The lads were banging at the door- and the equaliser was coming- a long ball from Jon was taken down by Spros, he took the ball onto his left drilled and drilled it past the keeper at the near post. Unstoppable. (GOAL Redolence 3-3. Sproston, Assist Davis). A remarkable turnaround, but not the first time it’s happened this season. Park were stunned, their league hopes being shattering before their eyes- they woke up and pushed back, the game was end to end and they took the lead in fortuitous fashion. A corner dropped into the Redolence area, it wasn’t cleared and it found its way to the edge of the box, where the Park midfield hit a grass cutter through the crowd…it was low, slow and bobbly and miraculously bobbled under Jon and into the net, sending Park into raptures. (GOAL Park 4-3).

Redolence didn’t let their heads drop though. Scott threw the kitchen sink at it, all strikers were on. It made last 10 minutes a fraught affair- Jon pulled off a great save from Park as they threatened to extend their lead, and Redolence had several moments where the last ball just didn’t quite drop. The 90th minute came….one last chance came from a long free kick. Crouchy floated it into the box where Andy/ Ant flicked it towards goal. None of the strikers fancied it, but Woody gambled, like a poker pro in Vegas, and rose like a salmon to beat the keeper and nod in a dramatic last minute equaliser! (GOAL Redolence 90 mins Wood. Assist Soager)

Full time 4-4

Before we go on….cliché time- that truly was a game of two halves, the best and worst of Redolence showcased over 90 minutes. Redolence love a comeback, and have the characters in the team to do it, and despite it being a draw that took Redolence out of the title picture the lads can take credit from it. Park are a longstanding and experienced side, they are no pushovers, it was a good result. Nonetheless, there were many areas for improvement. For the fourth fixture in a row Redolence conceded 4 goals- unacceptable at any level of football. The lack of conviction at key moments cost them- and mistakes were cruelly punished, an area Redolence will need to work on massively in pre-season. But that second half display was very encouraging, and hopefully will become the blueprint of how Redolence will move on going into next season. The result ultimately wasn’t much use for either side- the league may now be out of reach but Redolence still have a part to play- the game vs Lions next week will decide who wins the division.

Man of the Match: Jordan Price

FT SCC Redolence 4 - 4 Lodge Park R.A.
88 SCC Redolence 4 - 4 Lodge Park R.A. (Wood assist A.Seager)
73 SCC Redolence 3 - 4 Lodge Park R.A.
62 SCC Redolence 3 - 3 Lodge Park R.A. (Sproston, assist Davis)
50 SCC Redolence 2 - 3 Lodge Park R.A. (Sproston, assist Bromhead)
46 SCC Redolence 1 - 3 Lodge Park R.A. (Sproston, assist Wood)
HT SCC Redolence 0 - 3 Lodge Park R.A.
31 SCC Redolence 0 - 3 Lodge Park R.A. 
24 SCC Redolence 0 - 2 Lodge Park R.A.
05 SCC Redolence 0 - 1 Lodge Park R.A.
KO SCC Redolence 0 - 0 Lodge Park R.A.