Swindon 3rds 2 – 4 City of Bath A

Swindon now has learned that there is no need for the team to go into games thinking they are not worthy opponents. Despite the fact that the team were very weakened last week and took a bit of a battering, and missing super sweeper Dec Cullen due to his hopeless hamstrings, there was no reason to think we could get something from this game.

Right from the first whist, both teams pushed hard and there was little to separate them. City of Bath maybe had more attacks penetrating the Swindon back four but came away with nothing to show for it. As the half progressed, they also demonstrated a very effective attacking press, closing down and isolating Swindon’s defensive movement. Swindon made the most of the opportunity they got though and scored the first goal of the game on the stroke of half time via short corner which was eventually slapped into the bottom of the goal by Phil Scarisbrick.

Bath continued their press early in the second half earning them a short corner. The initial shot was saved by keeper Tom Kerslake but the ball was not cleared. There was a frantic scramble for the ball and after giving the keeper a couple of hits in the chest area, contact was finally made with the ball which ended up in the goal.

A few weeks back, a miracle goal by Alex Hynes was reported. That miracle was matched but in goalkeeper version. City of Bath had an attacker in the D just above and to the right of the penalty spot area. Swindon bodies surrounded him but with his back to the goal and the ball on his reverse side, he flicked a reverse shot towards the far post, destined for the goal. The ball was seen very late by keeper Tom Kerslake trying to spot the ball through the bodies and after finally seeing it, instinctively dived at full stretch to his left, just clipping the ball and diverting it wide of the post. (This description has not been overdone and was agreed by those who attended teas after the match).

Swindon began to increase the pressure and dominated large parts of the remainder of the half. City of Bath countered well when given the opportunity and the team earned themselves another short corner, which in due course ended with a shot taking a nasty deflection and flying past the keepers left.

City of Bath survived Swindon’s efforts to press and with a quick visit to the D, they were then rewarded with yet another short corner. The ball was struck from just to the right of the D and was covered by the keeper, but the rising foot of Alex McDonald intercepted the ball and deflected it way off to the goalies left.

Swindon did not give in though and continued to move the ball well and Jordan McKenzie, who seemed to have been asleep for the majority of the game (possibly because he woke up not too long before the meet time), ended up putting the ball passed the City of Bath Keeper.

This gave the team an element of hope that something could be salvaged from the game, but the clock ticked down and City of Bath were rewarded their last short corner on the final whistle. Bath had everyone forward for the corner and the initial shot was stopped on the post by James Newman, who then calmly put the ball into his own goal.

There is a very obvious lesson to be learnt from this game; we need to be disciplined and keep activity in and around the D clean! It is quite clear that short corners are an effective method of scoring goals and, when executed properly, are very difficult to defend. I quote the renowned Ali Young; “the most effective way to defend a short corner is to not concede a short corner in the first place.”