Kiwi FC v Southside Rovers

Kiwi FC v Southside Rovers
Wandsworth Park
14 October 2006

In the fifth round tie this Saturday; Kiwi FC went all Rafa Benitez and there was a fair bit of tinkering to the side, with it being a largely different team to that which triumphed the previous week. The Kiwis started the game on the back foot with Southside taking control of the game from the outset. The game was being played mostly in the Kiwis half, the opposition stringing together some good pieces of play, however they found themselves undone at the end with some strong Kiwi defence and some excellent work between the posts by Kiwi's new goalkeeper Andrew. Kiwi's weren't without their own attacks and made some good breaks into the opposition half and testing their keeper with some early shots. Kiwis were the first to get on the scoresheet with a goal largely against the run of play. James challenged well in the air for the ball just outside the Southside 18 yard box, the defender lost his feet and the ball fell kindly for James, he showed good composure to drill the ball on the volley, into the top left corner of the goal. Kiwi FC had the advantage.

Southside continued to create chances for themselves at the other end, but the Kiwi's showed good resilience and managed to keep them out. All while creating a few more chances for themselves at the other end, forcing their keeper to makes some good saves. The scoreline stayed at 1-0 going into half time. Kiwi FC felt that they were doing some good things, and that if they could keep more of the ball in the second half they would have a good chance of taking the points home.

Kiwis started brightly in the second half, mounting an attack straight from the kick off and coming close to scoring. The second half soon though started to feel like the first with Southside controlling more of the ball and creating more chances. It seemed as though a goal from them was inevitable and sure enough it came about 15 minutes into the second half. The scores were now level and Kiwis knew they would have to do more if they wanted to win the game, however Southside managed to follow up from their first goal and find the net again to take the lead. Heads started to drop but Kiwis picked up the intensity in their attack and it was not long before they were level again. Some strong midfield play by Nick put Kiwis on the attack, the ball was delivered into the box and the opposition were unable to clear properly, it fell for Jerry on the edge of the area who struck a lovely volley straight into the net, great goal. 2-2

The Kiwis started to mount more pressure on the opposition goal, still keeping strong in defence and nullifying the Southside attacks. Nick took the ball in front of him and struck a glorious shot from 30 yards out, it dipped and swerved and was just tipped over by the keeper, it was a cracking shot and deserved a goal. Kiwis though should have gone ahead shortly after; James made a good run behind the defence and Jerry found him with a accurate through ball. In on goal this time his composure deserted him and he flashed his shot over the bar. Kiwis should have been in the lead, but football can be a cruel game and less than a minute later it was Southside who took the lead at the other end. One of those "was it a cross or a shot?" from the other team, whatever it was it was a fluke but it didn't matter as Kiwis were now down 3-2.

The last ten minutes actually went on for about 20, during which time Southside managed to put another 2 goals in, though when they were starting to boast, Kiwis managed to have the final say. Some solid pressure saw Bede finding himself in space just inside the box, he was found with a good pass and slotted home past the keeper form close range. That was the final say of the game and the Kiwis succumbed to their first defeat since the opening day of the season 5-3.

Kiwis showed good team spirit and determination in the game, especially with so many players playing together for the first time. Nick Palairet had a man of the match performance in midfield with some strong running, hard tackling and excellent work rate.

Kiwis will look to bounce back next week and resume their winning ways