Match Review: Casuals FC vs TGA Rangers FC

• GK Sander Saurajen
• DF Mark Tey
• DF Greg Ryan
• DF Mark Stead
• MD Andy Dyne
• MD Joshua Jesuratnam
• MD Callum Dunne
• MD Kevin Wagner
• ST Joe Cadden
• ST Nick Verrill

• ST Michael Blankson
• ST Andy Woodbridge

Week 2 – injury crisis

An already depleted squad, a no show and 2 injuries to CBs within 20mins pretty summed up the game. The 11 that started were more than a match and we enjoyed most of the ball, we saw a lot of weakness at the back and we tried to take advantage of that. Alas, an early goal settled Rangers and throw in 2 injuries and no subs left we were facing quite a challenge. That said, casuals continued to dominate a had a hat full of chances of which were either poor finishes or saves from the GK. Rangers on the whole were relying on the strikers pace to get in behind with some route one football and it worked well at times as the striker created some chances but either Sanders who had one functioning arm saved or the ball blazed wide or over. Second half and much of the same, lots of ball, good chances but unable to really find the final ball or finish. To Rangers credit, the striker finished well but when you have 4 or 5 chances you expect 1 of them to go in. Their fresh legs made a difference when they came on and whilst we were fit enough, a sub or 2 would have helped. Credit to the boys that turned up, put in a shift under dire circumstances. A one armed GK, CBs that have never played CB, 3 players returning from injury playing more mins than they have in over 6 months, Wags has concussion for the best of 45mins and no subs after 20mins. The score line flatters the result but credit to the oppo, big squad and a striker with some great pace did the job. We look forward to the replay. Onwards and upwards, a rest over F1 weekend and then back at it. MOM Rangers: GK MOM Casuals: Cal

• Chris Jones DF
• Fraser Anderson DF
• Jonathan Cloak DF
• Jordan Laing DF
• Hiromitsu Nakaue DF
• Paddy Sutton MD
• Victor Felicia MD
• Salvatore Adaldo ST
• Mike Sharples ST
• Gianluca Franchetto --
• Rob Whitworth --

• Taishi Fukuda DF
• Muhammad Hydhir Mohamad MD
• Aaron Clancey-Agius ST

Victor-ious

Battered and bruised from a gruelling encounter with Lions last weekend, we had a strong desire to bounce back against a dangerous Casuals side. We flew out of the blocks with penetration and purpose and took the lead inside 5 minutes as Salvo sent Mike racing down the left wing who curled a cross to the far post where Victor rose majestically to head the ball into the far corner. We then made it 2-0 after Victor’s low cross was turned into the Casuals net by one of their defenders. Casuals fought their way back into the game before half time, pouncing on a rare mistake in the box. 2-1 HT. Thankfully we began the second half with the same intensity as the first and scored another early goal as Mike played a one-two with Fraser before drilling a low shot into the far corner. We continued to press hard as Casuals struggled with some unfortunate injuries and were rewarded with a fourth goal when Taishi squared the ball to Mike who managed to lift the ball over the keeper. We were reduced to 10 men as Beatts received a second yellow card for pulling the shirt of the Casuals striker as he was breaking into the box. We continued to play our own game however and managed to score a fifth as Mike broke through the middle with the goalkeeper parrying his shot into the path of Aaron who finished comfortably. Regrettably, a lapse of concentration saw us concede a late goal to make the final score 5-2, albeit a well taken finish from the Casuals attacker. Good luck to Casuals for the rest of the season, can definitely see them causing problems for most teams in the league.