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10th
September
2004
Peacocks Season Getting Into Gear (stop press - beat league leaders Tipton too! 1-0 11/9/04) After an unspectacular start to the new campaign, the young Gornal Athletic side appear to be making steady and encouraging progress. We're grateful to Steve for this round up of recent matches. Don't forget that Gornal face league leaders Tipton Town at home tomorrow, Saturday 11th. Tuesday Aug 31 2004 Ettingshall 2 Gornal 1 Following the dismal performance against Coseley Town Gornal Athletic started this match like they meant business by taking the game to Ettingshall from the kick off. After just five minutes Matt Edwards, who replaced Bowes up front in the starting line up, went on one of his powerful runs shook off the chasing defender then rifled a shot from outside the area into the corner of the net! In the minutes that followed first Edwards then Adam Trevis shaved the upright with good efforts. Calum Martin as usual was causing all sorts of panic among the opposing defence and in the twentieth minute tricked his way past the last man only to see his shot well saved by the keeper. Shortly afterwards Gornal goalie Jay Trevallon was brought into action making a superb point blank save in a one-on-one with their striker. That single chance struck panic in the hearts of Gornal as they immediately forsook their earlier passing game and instead began to whack the ball up the field at every opportunity. As a consequence Ettingshall began to get more and more on top and Trevallon was called upon to perform further heroics. As the half time whistle approached and Gornal defended deeper and deeper the inevitable happened. Following a scramble in the box, the loose ball fell to the unmarked Rowe (a Former Gornal player) for a simple far post tap in. In the second half the Peacocks failed to get any sort of pattern to their play and again took the easy option of the long ball. As in the first half the Gornal goal came under pressure and Trevallon had to be at his best to keep the scores level. It was another one of our old boys Ross Brummel, who scored the goal that sealed our fate by beating the over worked Trevallon on seventy minutes. From then on it was all Gornal but you sensed it was not going to happen despite a couple of near misses the game finished 2-1. To be fair the young side had been victim of very physical tactics from their opponents and the referee gave them no protection against some very nasty challenges. From the stand you could hear and see the constant intimidation from the home players. Even after the final whistle the taunts continued and the mocking jeers from grown men of "Go back to school" as our boys left the pitch seemed unnecessary. Saturday Sept 4 Gornal 2 Goodrich 0 This was another match in which Gornal started very brightly. After just five minutes a powerful header from Edwards, starting in his usual midfield position this time, brought a good save from the Goodrich keeper. The word has definitely got around that Gornal are a very young team for once again the opposition seemed determined to bully them into submission by kicking them up in the air at every opportunity. With referee refusing to brandish a card the visitor’s persisted with their thug like tactics Goodrich were having their share of play (their confidence high following a midweek victory over Lye Town) and the game was developing into a very even encounter. On twenty minutes Trevallon made a top drawer save to fingertip the ball over the bar. As the half wore on Gornal were gradually getting the upper hand and began to put their opponents under lengthy spells of pressure. Despite being singled out for some real bruising tackles Calum Martin continually tormented the Goodrich defence but was disappointed to see his twenty yard piledriver whiz just wide with the keeper stranded. With ten minutes of the half remaining Martin again showed some nifty footwork to win a corner on the right. Trevis put in a great delivery for Ash Pountney to rise above the defence and head home from eight yards. Five minutes later and Gornal won a throw in by the same corner flag, again Pountney galloped up into the opposing goal area. The big centre half’s presence there caused total confusion among the Goodrich rearguard and Bowes hurled a massive throw to which Matt Edwards rose high to head the Peacocks into a 2-0 lead. As the half time whistle blew the Goodrich captain, a towering shaven headed defender, chased after Calum Martin and began aggressively shoving him off the pitch. Once more the ref kept well out of it and it was left to visiting players to pull their skipper away. Gornal began the second half where they left off by keeping the visitors pegged back. Martin worked the line tirelessly and expertly but let slip two more chances to increase the lead – how this boy needs, and deserves, a goal. Fifteen minutes into the second half and Goodrich in a rare attack brought another great save from Trevallon but the rebound fell to their striker who scooped the ball two yards over the gaping goal. This did not just scare the Peacocks – it frightened them to death. From then on there were reprimands from the dug-out if any defender or midfield player advanced into the opposing half. With a full half-hour left it was clear that Gornal were not going to miss out on their first win of the season by taking unnecessary risks. But this ploy was potentially more risky than attacking as the home side began to buckle under heavy pressure and a series of very dangerously positioned fee kicks were conceded. On seventy-five, Edwards relieved the home defence with a powering run from the half way line that saw him drive the ball just over the bar from outside the area. The remaining minutes were not pretty but I suppose the end justifies the means. Jubilation greeted the final whistle this was clearly massive three points for Simon William’s young side. Tuesday Sept 7 Gornal 4 Wolves Casuals 0 A very big Garden Walk crowd welcomed the teams for this one. The team news was that Matt Edwards had picked up a knock on Saturday and would be replaced Steve Bills. Casuals began much the sharper and with their two strikers showing pace and movement it seemed that our defenders were in for a testing night. In midfield we were being totally over run with the diminutive Bills and Dave Bate beaten time and again to the long ball that was being used to good effect by the visitors. As the half progressed we were looking increasingly less threatening, but it became clear that the two centre backs Pardoe and Pountney were both playing very confidently. Behind them Miles Fenn who before tonight had made only fleeting and not very memorable appearances as a sub was having a cracking match at sweeper. And of course Jay Travallon was his usual safe self between the sticks plucking half a dozen or so the angled crosses from the air with ease. As an attacking force we were virtually non existent. Steve Bills showed some nice touches and flashes of pace and Calum Martin as always looked our most threatening player. Adam Trevis, the manager’s nephew is a very good player, strong on the ball with a good range of passing and a superb deliverer of a dead ball. He is definitely in the team on merit but it has to be said he is not the most mobile of players. He seems to have been given a free role just behind the strikers but, when in that position, for long spells the game seems to pass him by. At half time the game had 0-0 written all over it with only a defensive error or a piece of individual brilliance likely to end the stalemate. How wrong can you be? From the start of the second half the Peacocks took the game by the scruff of the neck and began to dominate. The home crowd were soon being treated to the type of fast attacking football that the dozen or so travelling fans had witnessed at Pelsall last month. Steve Bills was playing in a more advanced role just behind the strikers and was beginning to find and exploit the space there.Before long Casuals were under siege and with Martin tearing them to shreds a home goal was surely inevitable. On sixty minutes, a slick passing move with Trevis heavily involved ended with a fantastic Bate strike from the edge of the box to put Gornal in front. The chances came thick and fast mainly to Martin as Gornal pressed hard for the second. On seventy minutes Bills slipped a lovely little pass into the Casuals penalty area, Calum Martin was the first on it and this time calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. The goal was greeted with a roar that would have been heard in Dudley. Every single Gornal player ran to mob the goalscorer, the subs and management team were dancing up and down on the touchline, such was the joy at this goal. 2-0 up but this time the Peacocks did not sit on their lead instead they were hungry for more. With fifteen minutes remaining Steve Bowes dispossessed a defender then smashed an unstoppable strike into the back of the net. The referee pointed to the centre circle but the linesman was flagging and after consultation the goal amazingly was ruled out as offside. Ten minutes from time and Bills who had a fine second half was replaced by Nicky Turton. He is another very pacy striker from last season’s youth team. With Martin and Turton as the front pair the Casuals defence all but gave up. In the closing minutes Turton twice raced onto through balls and finished clinically to make the final score a well-deserved 4-0 victory. Two wins and two clean sheets should give the boys a much needed confidence boost before Saturday’s match with leaders Tipton Town, who incidentally hammered Pelsall Villa 7-0 in midweek to go six points clear at the top! www.gafc.org.uk sport@yampy.co.uk. --> |
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