Sils 4’s Slip to Second Spot

Sils travelled away to play third place Bromsgrove 4s at Holy Trinity High School in Redditch. It was obviously going to be a tough game and in the pre-match briefing it was emphasised that scoring from open play would be difficult and it was imperative that we score from some short corners. More on this later.

Ominously the pitch surface was very slow and sandy, something they were used to and we were not.

Sils opened strongly with several attacks down our right. John Harrison battled away with real determination to get the ball down towards the byline. It wasn’t easy as he was harried all the way, often by defenders working in pairs. This made crossing into the D very difficult and when the ball did come in their back two covered well and cut out most of the danger.

Clear cut chances were just not happening and, as predicted, converting a short corner was looking ever more important.

Bromsgrove clearly noticed the threat from our right and in response to this they made some minor but effective adjustments to their formation. This changed the balance of play in their favour. They began attacking in strength with increasing regularity. With confidence growing they began to press high at every opportunity whereas we began to fall back and defend from deeper positions. Midway through the first half they scored. This gave them a boost and put us onto the back foot.

Despite the pressure our defence battled away and managed to keep their forwards at bay. It came as a great relief when we equalised just before half time. The goal came after an excellent sequence of co-ordinated play by the Sils, perhaps our best of the match. Matthew Lyons received the ball and made a quick inch-perfect pass to Andy Rush who was just outside the D. He skilfully manoeuvred the ball between the defenders before drag-flicking it past the onrushing goal keeper into the back of the net. Great play. Both Matt and Rushy stuck doggedly to their tasks for the full seventy minutes providing us with some hope of getting back into the game.

Their efforts were duly appreciated later by the rest of the team when they turned out to be the only contenders for Man of the Match with Rushy edging it by just one vote. Well done guys.

At half time it was obvious that we were up against it but with the scores level we still had the opportunity to turn things around.

The pre-match contention that we would need to make the most of our short corners was so true. We had failed to find the net from three (or was it four?) in the first half. Just one would have seen us leading at half time with the added bonus of boosting our confidence and denting theirs. However it was not to be and the second half would be no better.

Bromsgrove continued to apply pressure straight from the restart. We did not help ourselves by giving the ball away far too easily. We were often slow, even hesitant, to release the ball and when we did too many of our passes lacked pace and accuracy. Bromsgrove took advantage of our poor play and regained possession through interceptions on far too many occasions. We were making it difficult for ourselves and having to work much harder than them to retain possession. The well-used and often shouted slogan, ‘make the ball do the work’ comes to mind.

This was very frustrating because we have shown in previous games that we can pass with pace and accuracy. We can move the ball quickly and we can press high to support our attacks and take better control of the midfield. Perhaps the three week break had contributed to our lack of sharpness. The surface of the pitch being very sandy and slow didn’t help either. It certainly took some getting used to.

The fact that we lacked vision was so aptly encapsulated by Yogi’s disgruntled comment, “With the sun in my eyes and sand in my face I couldn’t see a thing”. Was he referring to the game or his last holiday? Certainly in the second half the low sun was blinding when looking towards our goal.

Fifteen minutes into the second half and Bromsgrove scored again. We tried to get back into the game through sheer hard work. Everyone put in a lot of effort but Bromsgrove were much more composed and continued to have the better of the play. They had a brilliant effort on goal disallowed because the umpire deemed it to be dangerous. The ball came into the D at around shoulder height and one of their youngsters deftly tapped it with his stick to loop it high over Yogi into the net. This was a lucky let-off for Sils because the ball did not appear to cause any danger to any of our players.

With Bromsgrove leading by just one goal we were by no means out of the game. It was crucial that we score next. Rushy looked to be our best option but by know a gap had opened up between our midfield and attack. As a consequence Andy was receiving the ball much too far away from their D. This left him with too much ground to cover and too many defenders to beat. Never the less he did manage to create a good chance by forcing his way into the D. With the goal keeper stranded a goal looked certain but he was denied by a great piece of defending from the fullback. He came from nowhere and at full stretch he just managed to get enough of his stick in the way to deflect the ball over the net.

This was a real blow because shortly afterwards Bromsgrove scored again and at 3-1 with little time left there was no way back for Sils.

Our first league defeat puts us down to second in the table by virtue of goal difference with just two points separating the top four. Two teams just below us, Edgbaston 7 and Lichfield 7, each have a game in hand and they play each other next week. It will be interesting to see the result from that game.

Our disappointment was tangible but it is important to remember that we were up against a very good side and were also missing Simon, our midfield maestro. One of our strengths is our brilliant team spirit which keeps us together and makes playing in the team so enjoyable. It is important that we bounce back and find better form for the next fixture. I am sure we will.

Echoing what was said at the post-match debrief:
• learn from our mistakes
• get over this game, its gone
• look forward to the next game

Thought for the day.

Scoring from short corners at our level is much harder than it seems. Even getting a shot away is difficult never mind placing it accurately. We have elected to use the main basic routines that have stood the test of time. They are good routines that are well within the capabilities of John, Andy and Simon. There are numerous variations used at the higher levels but anything too complicated increases the potential for things to go wrong. There is nothing wrong with the routines we have in place.

So is there anything that we can do to increase our chances of scoring from short corners?

Consider this: with an out stretched stick the defensive rusher only needs to cover just over 15 yards to reach the ball. With good starting reactions this will take him about 3 seconds. Even if he doesn’t block the shot he will be a distraction to the striker.

This brings one element of the process into sharp focus: time.

The injector has to propel the ball over 19 yards to reach the striker standing on the edge of the D (standing opposite the near post). Obviously increasing the pace of the injection will give the striker more time in which to get the shot away or make one of the option passes. We are talking fractions of a second but it does make a difference.

The high speed of the injected ball is one reason why there is a higher score rate from penalty corners in the higher leagues.

We can increase the ball speed by hitting it out or using the drag flick. (The drag flick requires some practice so hitting is probably our best option).

For a shot on goal our current routine requires the striker to:
• control the ball
• push it into the D
• raise the stick back
• aim
• strike the ball.

Using a dedicated trapper (as most teams do) allows the striker to have his stick raised ready for the shot. This effectively means that the time taken for the back lift is eliminated giving him more time to concentrate on striking the ball. He also doesn’t have to think about controlling the ball.

With his stick horizontal on the surface and in a low crouched position the trapper is better placed to control the ball and push it into the D than the striker. He only has one thing to think about and can also cope with a wide margin of ball direction from the injector.

Perhaps we should consider hitting and/or drag flicking the injection and using a dedicated trapper.

Hitting the ball does increase the potential for the odd one to go awry but if it leads to a better conversion rate it is a risk worth taking. (John can hit the ball very hard and accurately in open play so I am sure he will get used to it).

If I ever have another thought for the day - shoot me!