Peter Pan
Guest
My mate and me (not captain hook or tinkerbell) turn up on what turns out to be a pretty 'fresh' evening in Maldon. My Mccoys not being enough, I decide to hit the burger bar. A little family run establishment, £1 for about 8 chips being my biggest agitation. 45 minutes until kick off, I have a little look around the ground, take up a position that looks a good view until realising we can smell urine from the toilets right next to us.
This in hindsight was a blessing in disguise because this took our adventure to the bar, showing skysports news and having a pool table, it was pretty nice. Walking past an open committee room with food on the tables was a tempter. So the Fosters chilled helped thicken the beer jacket from the couple i had earlier after a round of golf at dunton hills!! RUBBISH!
So we walk around the ground choosing where to view from and literally end up in the same place!! was we really that drunk already!? all in all though the people from maldon were up for some good banter and i thought it was a nice club..
May the football begin.
Kicking into the wind for the first half we begin! Within moments Tommy Black was scooting down the right, making a darting run between the left back and centre back, the first being out of position, and he gets in behind pulls it back... McCormack 1-0!! There must have been some people still in the bar who missed that!?
What a start, their sub keeper makes a comment about how this could be an 8-0 thrashing!! I was liking his optimism!! Having seen him come on, if he played the full game I don't think there was much doubting we could have had 8!!
Then it seemed like it was southend attack after southend attack, with not too many chances but we were set up for the evening in their half. Charles Adameno looking strong and eager but VERY left footed. Then more or less out of nowhere, there second shot of the game 1-1. Purser. Some great build up play and a little dink over the back line from their number 6 Paul Shave. allowed purser in to slot past Collis.
And then well the rest of the half was very bland. Mr McCormack seemed like he wanted to be out their more than the rest of the team put together along with Tommy Black. Notably two players that probably want to get back playing at a higher level more so than the others.
Nicky Bailey and our scotsman midfielder were communicating lots in the middle of the park which was good to see. Tommy Black looked a different class out on the right hand side and our new hungarian defender Zoltan Liptak twice put in late clumbsy challenges after firstly being turned by their winger and secondly letting the ball run across him to be taken by one of their players. He was booked for the 2, which was fair enough.
Half time was approaching and so enter the bar for another fosters chilled.
Out for the second half. 1-1 so I believe, unless there was very muted celebrations for any goal that I may have missed.
No changes from memory in the second half. nothing much was happening and pretty much from out of nowhere a cross comes in after Liptak again gets turned on the wide left and its hooked back for a quality volley low to the keepers right. 2-1 Maldon. If you take the second half as a whole it was deserved, there effort was there, our effort and quality was lacking.
Another error from Zoltan Liptak where he just needed to nod the ball back to the keeper as we was the last defender, he decided to let it bounce down and try and twist and kick it out, resulting in a big lump of air being kicked, him falling on his back side and fortunately Lewis Hunt come and tangled with the striker and the ball fell to Collis.
We didn't look like we was going to score to be honest. McDonald just run across the back line all night, doing nothing spectacular, he couldn't have had too many touches on the cold evening. He didn't stand out in my book. Charles Adameno picked the ball up deep often and never looked like beating three defenders to get a shooting opportunity.
Then, out of thin air more or less again, because a lot of the ball was in the middle of the park, comes a turn and volley, looped up in the air over Collis and in the net, great strike ... 3-1 Maldon!! Could perhaps question positioning of the goalkeeper, not sure how far off his line he was? 8 yards ish, was hard to tell, what a goal though. from 30 yards.
With a distinct lack of passion bar a few players I thought this was it. Infact it was it but then Maldon took off their centre back, their central midfielder and goalkeeper. Whether this would have happened if it was 1-1 is debateable I think probably not, I don't know though.
Their centre mid comes over and tells how he told one of our players in the middle of the park "you're going to be a car park attendant this time next year."
How that come back to bit him on his backside.
Mr. Tommy Black step up and show your class son!! Tommy who hadn't done much this second half run across the back was played in behind the defence and just wrapped his left foot around one with not the best of angles over the diving keeper into the far part of the net. 3-2.
Mr. Tommy Black enter the equation again! Cuts in from wide right , ball is played in which was left by Adameno for Black to hit hard and low across the keeper into the far bottom left corner of the net 3-3.
Finally, Richie Foran, who didn't do much all night, and who my mate thought on the night was "rubbish" ends up with the ball at his feet from a deflected clearance from the keeper, who was at the time on the edge of his box. With cries of shoot from the crowd, Richie, from I don't know how far out 35 yards/ 40 yards?? accepts the banter and has a crack, the keeper scrambling back jumps, the ball flies over, the keeper hits the ground, the ball hits the net. 4-3 SOUTHEND. Smash and grab big time!!
Their Keeper who let us back in the game, was receiving immense amounts of dodgy keeper chants in the time that he was on the pitch, which, could in hindsight be conceived as compliments. he really didn't have a good game! Well, he was on the ground, absolutely gutted. I think it was one of those, he just goes in the changing room and everyone looks at him, and he just has to mutter "sorry lads."
4-3 the final whistle blows. Nothing much to shout about, a good comeback helped by the keeper and maldon taking off a lot of their best players. There was not much showing of difference in class out their until we was 3-1 down and for the first 15 mins of the game.
They wanted it more than us. For me McCormack stood out for his work rate, and Black for his skill and he was a cut above the rest out their.
McDonald and Liptak need to do a lot lot more for me just yet, I would have thought the first would have been okay out there last night as they are ryman north opposition but it wasn't to be. maybe he lacked the quality in his strike partner. they never really teamed up.
Zoltan was pulled aside on the full time whistle for a minute or so talk with Paul Brush who went through what he should have done when he kicked thin air in the second half. It was good to see, but on last nights showing he wouldn't have got into the Maldon team.
A good night out, decent burger, saw a few familiar faces.
That is that from Neverland.
Peter Pan.
P.s. who owns the lotus elise with the number plate V2 SUFC - Quality!
This in hindsight was a blessing in disguise because this took our adventure to the bar, showing skysports news and having a pool table, it was pretty nice. Walking past an open committee room with food on the tables was a tempter. So the Fosters chilled helped thicken the beer jacket from the couple i had earlier after a round of golf at dunton hills!! RUBBISH!
So we walk around the ground choosing where to view from and literally end up in the same place!! was we really that drunk already!? all in all though the people from maldon were up for some good banter and i thought it was a nice club..
May the football begin.
Kicking into the wind for the first half we begin! Within moments Tommy Black was scooting down the right, making a darting run between the left back and centre back, the first being out of position, and he gets in behind pulls it back... McCormack 1-0!! There must have been some people still in the bar who missed that!?
What a start, their sub keeper makes a comment about how this could be an 8-0 thrashing!! I was liking his optimism!! Having seen him come on, if he played the full game I don't think there was much doubting we could have had 8!!
Then it seemed like it was southend attack after southend attack, with not too many chances but we were set up for the evening in their half. Charles Adameno looking strong and eager but VERY left footed. Then more or less out of nowhere, there second shot of the game 1-1. Purser. Some great build up play and a little dink over the back line from their number 6 Paul Shave. allowed purser in to slot past Collis.
And then well the rest of the half was very bland. Mr McCormack seemed like he wanted to be out their more than the rest of the team put together along with Tommy Black. Notably two players that probably want to get back playing at a higher level more so than the others.
Nicky Bailey and our scotsman midfielder were communicating lots in the middle of the park which was good to see. Tommy Black looked a different class out on the right hand side and our new hungarian defender Zoltan Liptak twice put in late clumbsy challenges after firstly being turned by their winger and secondly letting the ball run across him to be taken by one of their players. He was booked for the 2, which was fair enough.
Half time was approaching and so enter the bar for another fosters chilled.
Out for the second half. 1-1 so I believe, unless there was very muted celebrations for any goal that I may have missed.
No changes from memory in the second half. nothing much was happening and pretty much from out of nowhere a cross comes in after Liptak again gets turned on the wide left and its hooked back for a quality volley low to the keepers right. 2-1 Maldon. If you take the second half as a whole it was deserved, there effort was there, our effort and quality was lacking.
Another error from Zoltan Liptak where he just needed to nod the ball back to the keeper as we was the last defender, he decided to let it bounce down and try and twist and kick it out, resulting in a big lump of air being kicked, him falling on his back side and fortunately Lewis Hunt come and tangled with the striker and the ball fell to Collis.
We didn't look like we was going to score to be honest. McDonald just run across the back line all night, doing nothing spectacular, he couldn't have had too many touches on the cold evening. He didn't stand out in my book. Charles Adameno picked the ball up deep often and never looked like beating three defenders to get a shooting opportunity.
Then, out of thin air more or less again, because a lot of the ball was in the middle of the park, comes a turn and volley, looped up in the air over Collis and in the net, great strike ... 3-1 Maldon!! Could perhaps question positioning of the goalkeeper, not sure how far off his line he was? 8 yards ish, was hard to tell, what a goal though. from 30 yards.
With a distinct lack of passion bar a few players I thought this was it. Infact it was it but then Maldon took off their centre back, their central midfielder and goalkeeper. Whether this would have happened if it was 1-1 is debateable I think probably not, I don't know though.
Their centre mid comes over and tells how he told one of our players in the middle of the park "you're going to be a car park attendant this time next year."
How that come back to bit him on his backside.
Mr. Tommy Black step up and show your class son!! Tommy who hadn't done much this second half run across the back was played in behind the defence and just wrapped his left foot around one with not the best of angles over the diving keeper into the far part of the net. 3-2.
Mr. Tommy Black enter the equation again! Cuts in from wide right , ball is played in which was left by Adameno for Black to hit hard and low across the keeper into the far bottom left corner of the net 3-3.
Finally, Richie Foran, who didn't do much all night, and who my mate thought on the night was "rubbish" ends up with the ball at his feet from a deflected clearance from the keeper, who was at the time on the edge of his box. With cries of shoot from the crowd, Richie, from I don't know how far out 35 yards/ 40 yards?? accepts the banter and has a crack, the keeper scrambling back jumps, the ball flies over, the keeper hits the ground, the ball hits the net. 4-3 SOUTHEND. Smash and grab big time!!
Their Keeper who let us back in the game, was receiving immense amounts of dodgy keeper chants in the time that he was on the pitch, which, could in hindsight be conceived as compliments. he really didn't have a good game! Well, he was on the ground, absolutely gutted. I think it was one of those, he just goes in the changing room and everyone looks at him, and he just has to mutter "sorry lads."
4-3 the final whistle blows. Nothing much to shout about, a good comeback helped by the keeper and maldon taking off a lot of their best players. There was not much showing of difference in class out their until we was 3-1 down and for the first 15 mins of the game.
They wanted it more than us. For me McCormack stood out for his work rate, and Black for his skill and he was a cut above the rest out their.
McDonald and Liptak need to do a lot lot more for me just yet, I would have thought the first would have been okay out there last night as they are ryman north opposition but it wasn't to be. maybe he lacked the quality in his strike partner. they never really teamed up.
Zoltan was pulled aside on the full time whistle for a minute or so talk with Paul Brush who went through what he should have done when he kicked thin air in the second half. It was good to see, but on last nights showing he wouldn't have got into the Maldon team.
A good night out, decent burger, saw a few familiar faces.
That is that from Neverland.
Peter Pan.
P.s. who owns the lotus elise with the number plate V2 SUFC - Quality!
