Saturday, February 05, 2011

Game 39: Downton 0.0 AFC Portchester (Wess 1) 05.02.11

Due to family commitments I had to narrow the choice of games down to the two local fixtures at Laverstock or Downton. I decided to head down to Downton as it was a top of the table clash against 2nd placed AFC Portchester and with one eye on the weather forecast, considered that there's more cover there for spectators.

The game started off in a competitive manner. Downton had the first clear chance after 11 minutes when Dec McGregor received the ball from a quickly taken freekick, but he hit the shot over the bar. Portchester's number 9 looked a handful and won his team a freekick in the 14th minute but they wasted it as the ball was hit into the wall. A minute later and they won another freekick when a Downton defender pulled back the 9 outside the area. The visiting supporters were looking for the referee to produce a red card but he decided to book the player as there was another defender who was covering. From this position they proceeded to hit the ball into the wall again.

The game was played at a good pace from end to end but both teams were cancelling each other out. Freekicks were being cleared easily and any shots weren't only target. Portchester created a good chance in the 23rd minute when the ball finally made it into the penalty area from a cross but there was no-one close enough to get onto the ball. They made some space a minute later when the Downton midfield didn't close down a runner but his shot was rising from distance and flew well over the bar.

Portchester almost got through the Downton backline in the 25th minute when the 9 latched onto a through ball but the Downton keeper was quick to come to the edge of the area and block the shot.

Portchester were forced to make a change when one of their players collapsed to the floor off the ball. There weren't any players around him and it appeared that he had twisted an ankle as he hobbled off after some treatment. The substitute had an unfortunate first touch when the ball was kicked back to the keeper and the ball hit him in a painful place just below the midriff. Luckily he was ok to continue.

Downton put some pressure on in the final 15 minutes of the match. On the half-hour a player took the ball into the area but a covering defender was able to delay the shot, allowing the keeper time to position himself to make the save. After a couple of breaks in play to treat injuries, Downton had some success in beating the defence with balls played into the channels but on both occasions the pace of the ball took it out of reach of their players. In the 37th minute the ball was cleared to the edge of the Portchester box from a corner and Halski hit a shot over the keeper but just over the bar.

Portchester could have been awarded a penalty in the 39th minute when their number 9 went down in the area after tangling with a Downton player off the ball but the referee waived play on. Downton took the ball down to the other end and came close to opening the scoring just before half time with a good dummy that freed space for a shot that again went over the bar.

The second half was more of the same. Downton had a couple of early shots wide of the post and Portchester attacks were broken up by some late tackles. On the hour, Downton were reduced to 10 men when their captain was sent off for a second yellow card. This swayed the balance back into Portchester's favour and they had two shots well saved shortly afterwards. The Portchester 9 was coming in for some heavy treatment but at the same time seemed almost eager to go down at the slightest touch. The referee didn't give him much protection which was frustrating his team mates and supporters.

Downton made a couple of substitutions, bringing on Holmes and Gain to steady the team. I felt that they would probably settle for a 0.0 draw to keep their unbeaten record going which was a concern as my record of not seeing a 0.0 draw was 141 games since Salisbury v Torquay in January 2008! The game became a bit of a stop start affair as there were some injuries to treat. The substitutions seemed to work as Downton grew in confidence and pressed forward towards the end.

I was now resigned to the draw, especially after seeing McGregor's point blank header, created by anticipating a poor Portchester backheader, tipped over by the Portchester keeper. In the dying seconds of injury time I held my breath as McGregor beat the offside trap and raced towards goal. As a covering defender got back to him he passed the ball to his left to an unmarked teammate with just the keeper to beat.

It was the best opportunity of the match and I was getting ready to pump my fist in the air to celebrate but had to watch as the shot scuffed low and into the keeper's diving body. The last chance of the game and the run was finally over. As I drove back into Salisbury I heard that Laverstock had lost 6.0 to Hamble and contemplated that I must be the only person to visit Downton five times this season without seeing a home win!

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