10/12/2005
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2
IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Walker, Kennedy, Harrison, Freath, Honeywood, Ho, Day, Bull.
Red Star started well and enjoyed the majority of the possession with the wind and slope working in their favour. A well organised Brazil side defended solidly and didn’t allow the visitors to capitalise. When Al Andrew was called on in the Brazil goal he responded well; parrying a curling free kick out to the right and tipping the ball over the crossbar from an in-swinging corner.
When Brazil got the ball down and passed it around they looked like a far better team than their visitors but they had no clear chances early on. The breakthrough came from Bryan Walker’s long pass into the box to Matty Bull. Brazil’s top scorer took the ball past his marker and was brought down under a clumsy challenge. The referee awarded a penalty without hesitation and Bull gently tapped the ball straight down the middle of the goal into the back of the net.
The return of Mark Kennedy gave Brazil a boost at the back. The big defender was on top form, belying the fact that he had not played for over three months. It was, however, off Kennedy’s head that Red Star came closest to scoring. Andrew, taken by surprise, sprung into action to keep it out.
With the game still in the balance, Dave Churchley made a managerial masterstroke at half time. The wingers, Mark Harrison and Steve Ho, swapped flanks and Brazil never looked back. In the second half Brazil played as well as they had ever done and created chance after chance without allowing Red Star a single shot on target. Simon Honeywood, who has got better with every game he’s played, was outstanding in midfield alongside the ever impressive Mark Freath.
Bull skipped past a defender and smashed the ball against the underside of the bar. The diminutive Rob Day out jumped two defenders to get his head onto the rebound but again it came back off the bar. Ho, following in, put the second rebound over the top with his weaker right foot.
After a period of sustained pressure, the second goal came from a defensive error. Day took advantage of a miss-control by the centre back and lifted a curling shot over the advancing keeper to score his first goal for Brazil. Bull wrapped up the victory, making no mistake in converting Ewan Paterson’s superb through ball.
The dominant Walker was named as the man of the match for the first time this season.
Other news:
The Tyneside Amateur League Christmas raffle draw was made on Friday 2nd December. All ticket stubs and money (or unsold tickets) need to be returned as soon as possible so that the prizes can be distributed.