Match report
Hawthorne Rangers 0 - 6 Moon JFC
by Eddie Bernard
Tell us what you think below...
Having lost an hour's sleep due to the clocks going forward, it was touch and go at the start of the game whether Hawthorne would even be able to field a team. Fortunately, enough players turned up... but maybe they wished they'd stayed in bed after an enigmatic game against a confident Moon side.
The game got off to a bad start when a failed clearance went into the path of a Moon forward... and a simple goal meant Hawthorne had their backs to the wall after just three minutes.
The funny thing is that after that, Hawthorne responded well. They got forward, held the ball up in midfield, even getting a chance or two of their own, especially from a free kick which was volleyed just over the bar. If that had gone in - who knows - the remainder of the game could have been very different. These small incidents can have a big impact on football games, but Hawthorne never seem to be able to take advantage of them.
Nevertheless, Hawthorne dug in. They were under pressure for most of the first half, but Moon were extremely wasteful in possession, preferring to blast a shot from distance rather than play the easy ball. This allowed Hawthorne off the hook, and in truth the goal wasn't really threatened as a result.
But Hawthorne simply had to get the next goal if they were to stay in the game. Previous experience has shown the team that much - but they just couldn't keep the ball to build up a coherent attack. Eventually, they were punished for it - when errors at the back at a corner once more led to a simple goal for Moon.
Hawthorne saw out the rest of the first half at 2-0, but had a half chance of their own to pull one back just before the interval, but at the final ball the finishing touch was nowhere to be seen. A decent save from Darren kept the scoreline at that, but Hawthorne would have to do better in the second half if they were to stay in the game.
It didn't happen. Indeed, things got worse from that point. As if to prove the point, they conceded almost instantly, and then just minutes later. The game was now dead and buried at 4-0. Could any pride be rescued?
Sadly not. The errors continued, and just when one player would do something good, another player would have a lapse, and the net result would be another loss of possession. For instance, a good save would still end up in the back of the net because the team hadn't tracked back to help clear their lines. That was the fifth goal.
It could have been worse were it not for Mark clearing one off the line. Mark had worked hard all game, and it was good to see a tangible result from it.
Hard work, however, can easily be undone in football with the briefest lapse in concentration. To be fair, though, the sixth Moon goal was an excellent cross-field ball from the right to the far post, resulting in a very well directed header into the corner.
It was yet another extremely difficult for the boys, and in the end it was very hard to pick out many bright spots from the game. There are still too many errors in possession all over the pitch, and too many aimless balls hit to nobody. Moon clearly deserved their win, but Hawthorne were guilty of gifting them almost every goal in the game. That's a real shame.
With the season nearly over there's no time to learn lessons now. But Hawthorne have to try to rescue some pride in order to end with a bit of confidence for next season. There are still chances to do that, and still opportunities to secure a place in next season's squad. But time is running out...
| Team for the game | |||
| Jay (GK) | |||
| Josh | Michael | Adam L | Joe |
| Daniel | |||
| Adam B | Luke | Ray | Mark |
| Charlie | |||
Subs: Darren (15 mins)
Man of the Match: Mark
What do you think? Post your comments below...