Match Review: Hotspurs FC vs TGA Rangers FC

• GK Martyn U'ren
• DF James Keane
• DF Aaron Jones
• DF Tom Hine
• MD Ali Roseburgh
• MD Lionel Kong
• ST Nick Kouvaritakis
• ST Jack Skinner
• -- Joe Quinn
• -- Patrick Sheriff
• -- Robert Gorczynski

• DF Igor Stojanac
• ST Addy Cutts
• -- Gaetan Boehringer

Strong start to 2020!

Hotspurs lined up Saturday eager and full of confidence after a winning end to 2019 and a long festive break. With a few players missing through suspension, injury and continued holidays, we were still able to field a strong team against last years Cosmo league champions. Given the strength of the opposition we anticipated a tough encounter and the first half became a dogged defensive display from both sides looking to hit on the counter. Hotspurs had a good spell of possession and again were very unlucky not to go ahead through Lionel who managed to hit a sublime shot which hit both posts before trickling out of play. TGA then went back up the other end and against the run of play scored 0-1. Hotspurs after having some great chances to go ahead through Jack Skinner and Lionel Kong, finally broke the deadlock mid way through the first half from a textbook long throw by Lionel to our very own Greek Freak Nick K who may or may not of got a touch on it before hitting the back of the TGA net. 1-1 into the break. Into the 2nd half and Hotspurs were looking to build on a good first half, we had some great chances to take the lead. Super Sub Addy leaping like a salmon to meet a pinpoint Ali Roseburgh cross which went agonizingly wide. Jack Skinner unlucky not to slide home a 1 on 1 and in the closing stages of the match, Patrick Sherrif with a Messi like weave through 3 players but for the TGA keepers crisp packet hand to somehow flap the ball wide. TGA also made a valiant effort to nick a winner with a great Tom Hine block saving us and a poor diving attempt in the final few minutes optimizing their desperate attempt to get all 3 points. Hotspurs in the end disappointed not to get the W given the golden chances created however a draw against last years champs is more than acceptable. MOM to Tom Hine for a great shift at Right Back in stopping the ball hogging goal machine from adding to his tally. Special mention to Iggy Stojanac for his welcome return after his injury last season.

• Adam Erickson GK
• Jonathan Cloak DF
• Jordan Laing DF
• Taishi Fukuda DF
• Hiromitsu Nakaue DF
• Chris Jones DF
• Ryan Shanter MD
• Tom Ruffles MD
• Nathan Bryer MD
• Mike Sharples ST

• Dan Ousby DF
• Rich Sexton MD
• Stephen McLaughlin MD
• Victor Felicia MD

Unlucky

After a bright start we managed to take the lead through a Fraser header from a Taishi cross following some good work by Taishi and Ruffles down the right. In the second half an innocuous ball into our box bounced off 3 of our players and rolled into the net. We fought back to try and find a winner with Hotspurs looking dangerous on the break. The Hotspurs defence stood strong. We were denied the most blatant penalty you will ever see in the final minute after Ali brought down Mike inside the box. Baffling decision but you like to think these things even themselves out over the course of the season. At the end of the day, we were not good enough on the day and Hotspurs deserved their point.