Mierosoft v Hamsters - 18/02/05

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The Hamsters started well, and threatened the Mierosoft end on numerous occasions. It took only 7 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, as Dan Collin, drifting wide from his central position, sent in an inch-perfect ball, straight onto the head of Tom Walmsley, who directed the ball past the stranded Davis, much to the despair of a boisterous crowd behind the Mierosoft keepers goal. Playing the ball down the flanks, Chapman always looked dangerous getting in behind the defence, and Ticehurst showed why McCarthy had bought him in to play wide on the right, with some superb balls into the box. Mierosoft, playing only one up front, where getting no where going forward, as McCarthy had his defence well organised, and the first time in a long while, the Hamsters looked comftable on the ball at the back, with Ian Simpson controlling everything that went on in the back third of the field. Anything that did get through was duly picked up by McCarthy, whose long balls forward were constantly causing problems for the Mierosoft defence. Chapman, showing again the glimpses of skill that made him such a formidable player in his younger days, sent in a superb whipped cross, that the stranded Davis was relieved to see re-bound of his far post, as Mierosoft scrambled it away. It was soon 2-0 to Mac Industries though, as another ball into the cross found its way to Jamie Jones, whose attempted back heel somehow went in.

Mierosoft started to get back into the game more after the second, but Simpson was proving to be a rock at the back. Pete Morgan's hard tackling was soon unsettling the Mierosoft forwards, but it was his sliced back pass that almost allowed the home side in, McCarthy sprinting out managed to slide tackle the home attacker and concede a throw. The home sides first real chance came when Kieran Elliott's corner eluded everyone, but no-one was on hand at the back post to head home. Hamsters counter-attacking game was soon in evidence again, as Burbridge-Airs forced a fine save out of Chris Davis after another calm build up. Ed Pitt was unlucky not to put Mierosoft back in, but his shot was blocked impressively by Simpson. Another ball into the box was punched clear by McCarthy, and the Mierosoft player it fell too saw his shot blocked the keepers knee, as Hamsters held on valiantly. Soon though, the visitors gained the upper hand in the midfield battle, and it was another ball into the box that saw them go 3-0 up, this time Chapman, who had drifted in from the left during the move, was on hand to fire the ball past Davis and make it 3-0. Mierosoft almost pulled it back to 3-1 on the half hour mark, as Dave Riley saw his effort hit the bar with McCarthy beaten. Mierosoft had the possession, but couldn't get past a resilient Hamsters defence, and they were punished again, when Bert Lloyd, cutting in from the left, fired a fantastic effort past Davis to make it 4-0 at half time.

The second half saw a lethargic start from the Hamsters, and Mierosoft were soon back in it. Lane gave away a free-kick in a dangerous position, and Elliott's ball in was fumbled by McCarthy as he attempted to tip it onto the bar. As the keeper found himself tangled up in the net, Sam Franks was on hand to head home for Mierosoft and make it 4-1. Hamsters looked to have lost all shape, as Chapman moved himself into a forward position and became an isolated figure up-front. The extra space on the left suited Mierosoft well, as they broke again, McCarthy being quick of his line to thwart more attacks as Mierosoft continued to battle bravely for a share of the points. A rash decision to come charging out of his area by McCarthy then saw Ed Pitt in on goal, but somehow Ian Simpson managed to block his shot in a superb piece of defending. Pitt found himself in space again, as he went through one-on-one with McCarthy, but the Hamsters keeper stayed strong and pulled off a fine save to ensure his side kept the 3 goal lead. He was at it again shortly after, a shot coming in from the edge of the box that he managed to tip round the post. Valiantly defending by Simpson was keeping the Hamsters in it. A rare second half attack by the visitors saw a goal mouth scramble, in which Davis did well to block Chapman's effort, before Ticehurst was denied a debut goal by Elliott's clearance off the line. Mierosoft got a deserved second though, when McCarthy pushed up for a corner. Chapman's delivery was poor, as it fell straight to Franks, who was able to break. As he slipped the ball through to Pitt, Lloyd and Lane stepped up to claim the off-side, but somehow the linesman ignored their claims, and despite Simpson chasing back, Pitt was able to make it 4-2. Jamie Jones was substituted in the closing stages after running himself into the ground, and youth team player Jack Simpson made his debut, impressing wide on the right, as Mac Industries held on for the 4-2 victory.

After the victory, Manager Scott McCarthy had this to say: "We always knew that coming to Mierosoft was going to be a very tough game. We adapted our formation to try and combat their 4-5-1 by packing our midfield with 5 as well. With them playing only 1 up front, I felt that we could play 3 at the back, meaning we could stick with a front 2. We always knew that their full backs would be weak, and that they would struggle to deal with crosses into the box, so by playing 2 out-and-out wide men like Chapman and Ticehurst we felt we could cause them problems. It was most pleasing to see the boys listened to what was needed, and that 3 of our 4 goals came from crosses. In the first half we didn't let them have a kick, and the back 3 looked unbreakable. Simpson was the influence, his calming presence and ability to play the ball out of the back was a key factor, and I was most pleased with Morgan, he showed 100% dedication to the cause in only his first game, and his fearless tackling was first class. The midfield did the job, and our two wide men were absolute first rate. Ticehurst has always had talent, he has just never been able to settle down into regular football. I think we can give him that here, and if today is anything to go by, he'll thrive. The second half was disappointing, we lost our shape as it seemed all our players wanted to go and attack, and it cost us with 2 sloppy goals. In my opinion the second goal was a blatant off-side, but I never comment on the officials and I don't intend in breaking the habit on that pratt. If we can replicate that first half performance, I think we will be very difficult to beat. We're coming into the seasons final straight now, and we are still unbeaten. If we can remain unbeaten until June I will be a happy man. I never set targets, but that is certainly something to aim for. KEEP THE FAITH"