Match report
Greenvale 2 - 3 Hawthorne Rangers
by Eddie Bernard
Tell us what you think below...
It is a shame that a well deserved win by Hawthorne was overshadowed by the disgraceful episode after the match involving an "alleged" assault by a Greenvale player on Josh. The cowardly incident occured after the final whistle, and reports have been filed with the appropriate authorities. Josh will recover, and we all hope the perpetrator and the opposition get what's coming to them.
The game itself was equally filled with talking points. The action was furious and fast-paced, as usual, but in some respects boiled over a little too much due to a lack of proactive refereeing. Obvious fouls were not given, and this led to too much aggression in the play.
It started off very well for Hawthorne, when Charly made a great run up the exposed Greenvale left flank, whipping in a stunning cross to the far post. Mark was agonisingly just short of giving Hawthorne a goal within the first minute.
Fortunately though, Hawthorne didn't have to wait long to open the scoring. Jack saw that Shaun was huge amounts of space up front, and hit an excellent crossfield ball right to him. Shaun needed no further invitation, and struck the ball clean into the back of the net. 1-0.
At the other end, the defence had possibly their worst moment of an otherwise superb game when they were caught being just a little too adventurous. The ball was loose in the area, and instead of pouncing on it to get rid, Hawthorne dithered and it ended up in the back of the net. The game was delicately poised at 1-1.
Unlike last Thursday, when Hawthorne crumbled as soon as the opposition got back onto level terms, this time they held solid. The defence were excellent, snuffing out every through ball and cross, and the midfield played their part too. The team soon got their reward when Jay found himself in a great position on the edge of the Greenvale area. The shot was just above the reach the keeper, and hit the underside of the bar and rolled down the net into the goal. A deserved lead at 2-1.
Hawthorne kept up the pressure, knowing that more goals were needed to secure their hold on the game. And that was exactly what happened when, in almost a copy of the first Hawthorne goal, Shaun once again latched on to a long ball and put it beyond the keeper's despairing dive.
The game continued with Hawthorne getting chances, but Greenvale managed to shut them out for the rest of the half. At the interval, the score at 3-1 was definitely justified for Hawthorne, but you still got the sense that the next goal was critical.
Sadly, Hawthorne were not able to replicate their first half form to the same extent after the break. They spent the first 15 minutes of the half on the back foot, including a stunning goal line clearance from Joe.
Hawthorne remained under pressure, not able to develop much from their half, but they were dealing well with everything that was thrown at them. Greenvale's players began to get more and more frustrated, as the aggression levels built and they began to argue amongst themselves - but Hawthorne still didn't seem to be able to capitalise... that was until Jack went on a great run through the middle, beating about five men in the process. He was fouled at the end of the run, but Hawthorne didn't take their chance with the advantage.
That goal could have killed the game off. Hawthorne even had another chance when Charly shot well from distance, a fizzing strike that the keeper could only parry, but Hawthorne were not quick enough onto the rebound.
Instead, with five minutes to go, Greenvale got the goal their pressure had always threatened to grant them. Hawthorne's defence had an uncharacteristic lapse and fell asleep as the cross came in. 3-2.
But Hawthorne weren't going to let the game slip from their grasp. They managed to hold firm, see the game through, and pick up back-to-back wins. They could have got another to seal the game, but instead the finish was extremely tense and partly contributed to the events that occured after the final whistle.
Overall, it was a decent performance, worthy of a win for the club. But it could and should have been much more emphatic. If Hawthorne are going to start winning games, they will need to develop the confidence to kill off an opposition when they get the chance.
| Team for the game | |||
| Matty B | |||
| Charly C | Josh | Jack | Joe |
| Luke | Jay T | Danny G | Mark |
| Jay S | Shaun | ||
Subs: Danny B (40 mins)
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