The match report and ratings
Well the season finally kicked off last night in some style for Nielsen FC. A 10-nil trouncing of those Halifax boys certainly showed “Who gives you extra” – I’ll certainly me smirking to myself the next time I see that twat Howard singing on those adverts.
Anyway to the performance itself. You can only beat what’s put in front of you I guess and once we sussed out how simple the win would be the Nielsen performance naturally deteriorated somewhat.
The opening 20mins saw high tempo, crisp, slick-passing and some neat interchanges between all, resulting in some well-taken and expertly constructed goals. However once it became too easy we lost our shape and began overplaying. It could easily have been closer to 20-0 if we (well Rhys actually) had been more clinical in front of goal.
Still it was an excellent start to the season and something to build on.
Team rating: 7/10
Andy “Barthez” Taylor: Started the game in goal due to his chronic knee condition, and quite frankly had bugger all to do. This therefore fed his hunger to play outfield and remarkably for someone with a torn cartilage did well when he came out (as long as everything was done in straight lines). However once he cocked up a goal-scoring opportunity early in the second half his knee “gave away” and he buggered off into the sunset, in true Fabian Barthez style.
Mark “Finnan” Davison: Solid performance from Dabsy, made the rightback jersey his own (erm, probably more to do with nobody else wanting it). Contributed well in attack too as well as some excellent cover defending. Always available for the outlet and capped off a fine performance with a very well taken goal. Can’t fault his performance, the Steve Finnan award goes to Dabsy.
Rhys “Rosenthal” Jones: Well the lad certainly justified his tag as the Ronnie Rosenthal of Nielsen FC. After a shaky start, he got his game going to a point. However despite many overlapping runs and what felt like about 30 attempts at goal, he failed to hit the back of the net, In fact he got further away with every chance, resulting in the piece de resistance of hitting the Hubble telescope from 3 yards out. Shocking. Justifiably sent into the goal as punishment for the rest of the game…
John “Hoddle” Lancaster: The player manager was a strong presence defensively all evening, always communicating and directing play, even during his stint between the sticks. Was dominant in the air too winning some key headers, which proved to be the catalyst for several attacks. Will be pleased by successfully combining management with playing, lets just hope he keeps his karma-thoughts to himself unlike Glenn.
Dave “Lucio” Taylor: Looking smart in his all-in-one painted on tight fitting combo (I think his face was the only piece of skin showing on a sunny evening), this lad comes straight from the Brazil-school of selective defending (via Chepstow Town). Just like Lucio, he successfully strode into attack at every given moment. In what could be the last performance of his life (The Royal Gwent has butchers for surgeons son) he capped off a fine performance with a goal, ending a move worthy of the 24-pass Argentine goal in the last world cup.
Huw “Robben” Roberts: Got going well in his debut performance for Nielsen FC. Took part in some slick interplay with Dabsy, Tranter and El G. Was nice to see him returning the favour for years of El G and Rhys playing for Hugh James – however his debut was cruelly cut short by injury after half an hour. He still managed to cap off a promising performance with an excellently taken debut goal.
Richard “Figo” Donovan: An excellent opening performance from our very own Figo, operating successfully on both the left and right flanks. However the cherry on top were his excellent deliveries from wide out, which deserved far more than they got. Combined well with both fullbacks and worked tirelessly on the wing. He’s set the standard high and will strive to keep this level of performance up for the rest of the season without doubt.
John “Makelele” Shorrock: Johnny boy played in a relatively unfamiliar role of sitting on front of the back four last night but he almost immediately made the spot his own. Disciplined and always available, our own Claude set the tempo for the performance by directing play from deep in midfield. Got forward too on occasion with some joy. Most of the best moves involved Shorrock and linked up the play well. Cracking performance.
Alan “Lampard” Hobby: Played in advance of Claude in midfield and contributed well to both that attacking and defensive side of things. Showed his strength in the tackle, and linked up well with El G up front. Played the Lampard role with aplomb and even scuffed in a penno to top off his performance. The signs are there of a fruitful alliance with Claude in centre midfield.
Phil “Henry” Tranter: Belying his seeming veteran looks, Tranter had a stormer up top. Electrifying place in abundance the Halifax defence struggled to contain the deadly marksman. They were offered restbite in the second half with Thierry retiring to centre half, but proved dangerous even there culminating in being the catalyst for the 24-pass Cambiasso-esque goal later on in the game. Looks like a deadly front-line partnership with El G was born last night.
Steven “Rooney” Griffiths: This lad has struggled of late, and not scored as many as his high standards require this season, however this was exactly the type of game he needed to regain some confidence. Took his goals expertly and played the link role between midfield and Thierry with style. Halifax didn’t know how to handle the maestro and his clinical finishing set the tone. Unselfish performance from Rooney, will be looking forward to carrying on the trend next week.
Wilma “Wayne Bridge” : Came on after 20 mins and played the rest of the game. Started off on the left flank and contributed excellently to the cause. Always ready for the outlet and stormed forward at ever opportunity. Looked good on the ball whether it was in defence or attack. Yet another excellent debut performance from our Wayne, confident on the ball and solid. Excellent stuff.
So then, you know how it works, you vote for who you think man of the match was innit. (p.s. Don’t be a clart and vote for yourself 20 times Dave)
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