CONTINENTAL 3 - POSTAL ALC 3- FRIENDLY - 07/11/2020

TEAM - 1. J.McGrath 2. S.Clark 3. P.Coutts 4. M.Steer 5. B.Patterson 6. M.Hunter 7. S.Robertson 8. L.Beattie 9. L.Mewse 10. P.Frampton 11. M.Maciver 12. R.Insch 14. S.Cotovici 15. P.Woodward 16. R.Law

OPPOSITION MOTM – N/A

Another weekend, another Covid friendly. This week versus Div 1 East side Continental. Continental share Webster Park so it was a home game for both teams really.

Postal gave a debut in goal to Jack McGrath.

Postal started the game on the attack and had a half chance in the first minute of the match. Patterson ran out of the defence with the ball at his feet and played it wide to Frampton. He sent a great ball across the face of the box just waiting on someone to run in and put it in the net. Robertson got on the end of it but his shot was blocked. From the resulting corner, Maciver sent in a superb cross but Postal had nobody attacking the ball (which would be a feature of the opening period).

After starting well, Postal cut their own throats on 7 minutes where they had a crazy 5 minute period where they would concede 2 goals in quick succession. A simple enough looking ball straight down the middle of the Postal defence saw Steer mess up the clearance. The ball dropped in behind the defence to the on running striker and with the Postal defence looking flatter than a particularly flat thing he made no mistake of lobbing it over the head of the on-running McGrath. 1-0.

A minute later, and with Postal looking particularly shaken, McGrath got them out of jail when he made great save from a long range shot low to his right hand side.

It didn’t take long though before Continental were two up. A slack tackle on the edge of the Postal box saw Postal slow to get their wall organised and the resulting shot ended up low in the keepers left hand corner of the net. 2-0.

Thankfully Postal would recover and started coming more into the game from this point.

Hunter saw a lob go just wide on 10 minutes after good work from Mewse to win the ball back.

The Continental keeper made a good save a minute later from Postal’s Frampton after shooting low from distance.

Postal were dominating the game at this point in the proceedings with Robertson now winning most of the balls in the air and on the deck in midfield. Good work from midfielder on 23 minutes saw his get the ball into the box. When the ball eventually reached Beattie on the 6 yard box his side footed shot was sent straight at the keeper and saved.

On 42 minutes a great effort from Mewse saw him get to the ball just before the keeper. He managed to lift the ball over the keeper’s head before being wiped out in the box. A Continental defender unfortunately cleared off the line before the ball went in the net and away to safety but the Postal bench were incensed when the referee refused to pull the play back for the pen.

On 43 minutes Maciver should have pulled one back after finding himself one-on-one with the keeper but from 6 yards out he too hit the ball straight at the keeper.

He would get his goal a minute later though, just before half time when a good passing move between Frampton and Mewse saw the ball played into Beattie. His initial shot was saved but Maciver was on hand to force the ball over the line. 2-1.

HALF TIME – Continental 2 - POSTAL ALC 1

Postal made changes at half time with all the subs coming on.

The games re-started at a fairly subdued pace but it was Postal who would equalise with a really good goal on 15 minutes.

Clark strode forward with the ball at his feet from defence, played a one-two with Carter and then produced a Tavernier-esque cross to the back post where Insch was waiting to bullet home a collectors item header into the net giving the keeper no chance. 2-2.

Law had a chance on 35 minutes when he dribbled into the box but the keeper made another save and again from Hunter on the rebound.

Continental didn’t create much in the second half but should have scored on 40 minutes when Patterson gave the ball away on the left hand side of midfield. Postal suddenly found themselves 4 v 3 in the box but luckily for Postal the strike made a hash of this shot, sending it wide of the back post. Lucky.

Postal were not so lucky 5 minutes later, though, when the ref gave Continental a penalty. With the ball coming towards Law, just inside the Postal box, it looked like he had tried to dummy the on running striker to let the ball come across his body. Certainly, both of Laws feet were planted on the deck. The Postal sideline thought the ref had blown for a foul on Law after the striker kicked the Postal player and fell to the deck but the ref inexplicably gave the home side the pen which was duly converted. 3-2.

With the game running away from Postal, with only a minute to go, Postal super-sub Cotovici had other ideas. He collected a through ball from Mewse on the right of the box, and although he looked about 2 yards offside, kept his composure to slip the ball past the keeper. Good finish. 3-3.

Overall, another good workout against another team a division above. Goals against were sloppy today, much like the Kintore game. Need to get that out of our system. Played some really good football today though and it’s giving optimism for the season ahead (if we are ever to get started).