Swalings Intertops Cup 3: Week 2

Match Report from November 13, 2009

Round 2 of the Swalings Intertops Cup Season 3

Strikers Vs Panthers

The Swalings Panthers lose the toss but the Swalings Strikers decided to let them start the kick off.   Kara passes the ball to Destinee to start the show.

The ball is passed back and forth with both teams trying to keep possession and get comfortable in the game more then attacking the opponent’s box.  A lose ball is picked up wide by Kathy Davis who tries to bury her way through the Swalings Panthers.  She is tackled by Timmy Gillespie, but the tackle falls fortunately to Kathy’s team mate Nick Fuller who wastes no time in crashing the ball into the back of the Panthers net. 1-0 To the Swalings Strikers. That was the first of many goals to come.

Gary Davis is now on the pitch and is making himself a menace to the Strikers defence, but is being kept at bay by some fine tackling from Donte Trimingham. The game starts to open up now with the ball going from end to end with Ronde Davis of the Panthers having to make some fine saves as well as Xavier Spencer of the Swalings Strikers.  But it is the Strikers who get the goal.  The ball is kicked out wide to Kathy who is cut off by Timmy but it rolls out for a Strikers throw in. Kathy throws it on to Eric Yang, who passes the ball infield to Michael Josiah who sees Nick Fuller further up field and quickly lays the ball off.  Nick charges into the Swalings Panthers box and rifles the ball with such voracity that Ronde stood no chance of saving. 2-0 Swalings Strikers.

The Strikers start the second half the same way they finished the first, raining shots after shots onto the Panthers goal, but were being denied by Destinee, now the  or the goal post. However the Panthers luck would finally run out when Eric Yang collects the ball out wide, and sets his sights on goal.  Destinee lost her bearings and thought she was at the near post but was in the centre so in the end Eric just had to tap the ball in.  3-0 Swalings Strikers.

This could have been breaking point for the Panthers, but credit to them they poured forward in numbers.  Ronde, now an outfield player came the closet to scoring next with a darting run down the middle of the pitch but Xavier Spencer, was great full to see the ball creep past his post.  The Panthers having thrown so many players forward were gambling, and unfortunately the gamble didn’t pay off.  Julian Laville put an end to a free flowing Panther move with a beautifully time tackle on Kara Walwyn. This set the Strikers on a counter attack and with in 3 passes Destinee was picking the ball out of her net with Eric Yang being the goal scorer. 4-0 Swalings Strikers.

The Panthers now really playing for pride, still take the game to the Strikers. Brent Edwards, 10 years of age, trying to hustle his way through the defence but is stopped always by the last man, the young 5 year old Donte Trimingham, proving why we moved him up a year early, with tackle after tackle being an enforcer at the back.

After soaking up so much pressure, it was again the Strikers who struck again through Michael Josiah.  The ball was in kicked up field by Eric Yang in a hope to clear the lines; it was chased down by Michael who had no other option but to bear in on goal.  Like a man possessed Michael cannoned the shot goal wards it smashed the back of the net via the inside of the goal post. 5-0 to the Swalings Strikers.

The game was drawing to an end and just to rub more salt into the Panthers open wounds Nick Fuller grabbed his third of the game.  With nothing but open pitch in front of him he tore the pitch up behind him before crunching the ball of his right foot into the top corner of the Panthers goal. 6-0 Strikers.

The final whistle blows.  The score doesn’t justify how well the Swalings Panthers played, with Gary Davis never giving up and making himself a constant nuisance, however due to solid defending from Julian and Donte and the Strikers taking their chances when they came they turned out to be rightful winners.

Superstars Vs Titans

The Swalings Titans go into this game as league leadears with one win.  The Superstars who drew their last game are eager to get their first win to topple the current league toppers.

The Swalings Titans started the game with Justin Hadeed and Kiante Anthony.  Shemire Samuels of the Swalings superstars waste no time in introducing himself to Kiante with a bone crunching tackle.  He plays the ball to Nadeem Doumith, Nadeem with a side splitting pass to Sean Janosek, Sean miss times his kick unfortunately slices the ball wide of the post.  Titans are dumbstruck with what just happened and didn’t even have time to react.  The Super stars must have been watching Arsenal vs Totenham Hotspur the weekend before because it was as fast as Cesc Fabragas goal against Tottenham Hotspur after snatching the ball after a Tottenham kick off and scoring a goal running half the length of the pitch.

Sean Janosek of the Superstars is splitting the Titans defence with crisp through balls but the shot are being blocked or going wide. Kofi looks dangerous with penetrating crosses, so dangerous that Matthew Mansoor illegally stops the ball with his hand is shown yellow.

The Titans first shot at goal leads to them finally conceding at the back.  Nadeem Doumith gives a massive goal kick up field to Shemire in acres of space; Shemire turns on a 6 pence and fires the ball so fast past the Titans goalie I think it leaves a trail of smoke. 1-0 Swalings Superstars.

Kiante Anthony of the Swalings Titans skips past the challenge of Sean and sends a dangerous and meaningful cross to team mate Tony Hourani whose shot rattles the side netting.

As the teams leave the pitch for half time the Swalings Titans are trailing by one goal.

Michael Santos, the Titans goalie rolls the ball out to Kiante, who is reintroduced to Shemire with another solid tackle.  He collects the ball dribbles for a little bit and this time instead of going for power like his last goal slots it neatly past the diving arms of Michael Santos.  2-0 Swalings Superstars.

Tony Hourani collects the ball in the centre of the park and plays a very neat 1 2 with Justin Hadeed.  Tony then played a pin point pass to Nolan Bird, who was screaming for the ball, and without breaking his stride rockets the ball past Ritchie Coghlan to make it 2-1.

The Titans tried to build on their goal but were stopped repetitively in their tracks by fantastic defending form Kenford James and Nadeem.

The referee blows his whistle to signal the end of the game.  The Swalings Superstars are now joint top of the table with the Swalings Strikers but behind on goal difference.

Tune in next week for when the League leaders the Swalings Strikers battle it out with the bottom of the league Swalings Titans while Swalings Panthers host the Swalings Superstars.