Heavy Kits
Loose ball gathered by scrambling central player, just inside own half. Deftly chested down. No additional touch needed. Floated ball lifted threw gaps in defensive lines. Already on his bike, high knees and long strides. Ball bounces, skips along wet surface, holds up. Steps get shorter as eye trains in on slowing ball. Only a gesture of pressure offered. Right foot swung back, high and bought down with a sharp stab. Ball fizzes across the goal, a spray of water leaving it as it flies towards the back post. Nestling into the corner. Player skips, jumps and punches the air. 1-0.
I’d had the chance to watch Frimley Green play last season. They matched up with our new tenants Tooting Bec FC a number of times last season. Twice in the league, the Combined Counties Division One, and ‘once’ in their league cup. I emphasis the once, as the cup fixture was ill fated. At the first attempt, heavy rain and partial snow had many expecting the game to be called off. However, the appointed referee was happy for it to go ahead. A surprising decision, but one that suited the home side. Tooting Bec, who were used to the Raynes Park surface, which in all honesty looked at times last year like it had been snowed under every week, even in the summer months. Frimley were less impressed and made their opinions very clear throughout the first half. During the break the referee called if off, admittedly 45 minutes too late, probably so he didn’t have to listen to the Frimley boys having a good old moan.
Take two, called off again. All within the appropriate timeframe, by an appropriately qualified official. Again the visiting team had a good old groan, most already on route to the game from deepest darkest surrey.
Take three. Location swapped. Game on. A feisty affair by all accounts. Frimley won. From the game and a half that I had seen, I knew that they would be a physical side. That they would be committed in the tackle, as well as in their belief they could sneak a result us. They wouldn’t look to play with the ball on the deck, but that they would have a plan and that they would stick to it. And they did. Five minutes to go against Tooting & Mitcham, trailing 1-0, they stuck to the plan and got their reward after riding their luck at points.
Tempers frayed. Kits heavy with the evenings solid downpour and frustrations from missed opportunities. Opposition 4, bends over at the waist, twists the ball, rejigs his socks, tugs at his laces. Stands upright. Four small steps backwards. A gesture to those ahead of him. A move forward, both short legs drawn up. Ball lifted up and to the penalty areas edge. Players falling left and right, looking for cheap reward, not forthcoming. Player beat his man, flicked ball up and towards goal. Unmarked player, his loitering leading to a gift of an unopposed attempt at goal. On rushing keeper unable to deter, 1-1. Raucous celebrations. Stripes arguing lost causes.
Tooting & Mitcham made eight changes from Saturdays victory over Whyteleafe. I don’t say that as an excuse. In fact I mention it to highlight how our deep our squad goes and to say, that even with those changes, management, fans and players would have been confident in a team that got promoted to the league from one below ours the season before. It wasn’t too be. The second defeat of the season came in the Surrey County cup, a competition we finished runner up in last year. The last five minutes plus added time, saw a red card for the returning Simeone and two set pieces leading to two late goals. Defensively the team rarely looked in danger until that late stage. A disappointing capitulation, but taken in the whole the most disappointing take away from the game was how we didn’t make the most of the extended amount of time we spent in the final third. Wayward supply was one frustration, but more was the apparent lack of cutting edge. Shamal Edwards’ finish for Tooting’s only break through was an excellent finish from an acute angle, but Edwards and the other forwards know that they wasted many opportunities to but the ball in the back of the net and kill the tie. The first half was full of chances that should have put the game out of the reach of Frimley’s last minute heroics.
Is now the moment for a full scale inquest into the attacking talent that the club has to offer? No it isn’t. The forwards who played on Tuesday night were a mix of unlucky and overly eager to prove a point. Hady Ghandour played like a man who knew he was technically better than his opposition, driving past them with confidence. Unfortunately his efforts were not reward with a goal. Others had bad days at the office. There are many options who were rested or rotated for the fixture, who will undoubtedly feature this weekend. Add to this the raft of talent in the under 23s who are starting to knock on the first team, then you have a pretty rosy picture. A disappointing night, but no need to panic, we just need the front line to take their chances when they present themselves.
