East End BC V Kemnay FC 97

EAST END BC       2         KEMNAY FC 97       3 

             
East End were a bit of a bogey team last year with the corresponding fixture being played in a hurricane and a draw being the result after Kemnay squandered numerous chances. This game looked to be going the same way until the last few minutes.
Once again, a calm day in Kemnay equated to a windy day by the coast but this time, the direction was across the pitch. East End warmed-up with a massive pool of players (18?) but only 13 of them actually featured in the game.
East End had the first shot (and almost their only shot) after 2 minutes but it went wide of the right hand post. After 5 minutes, Iain fired in a cross from the left and James M got his foot to it but the ball squirmed just past. After a scrappy start, Kemnay started to settle and with 15 minutes gone, Fraser intercepted an East End throw-in. He passed the ball to Adam who laid it back to James M to blast into the net (0-1).
East End should have equalised 3 minutes later when one of their strikers found himself in space in the box but sliced his shot onto the bar when it looked easier to score.
Kemnay doubled their lead after 25 minutes when Alex floated a free-kick to the back post which in turn was headed across goal and Iain was there to force the ball over the line.
Iain almost scored again after beating 2 players in the box but Kemnay paid the price for some slack defending just before half time (this was a pity as the defence generally played well). An East End throw-in didn’t appear to pose much danger but the ball was flicked-on to their unmarked number 10 who hit it high into the net as he fell backwards (1-2).
Immediately after this goal and with 5 minutes still remaining, the referee inexplicably blew for half time.

Half Time: East End BC    1    Kemnay FC 97    2

Iain came close before Adam played a good ball along the wing for Jack to run on to. He closed in on goal but the keeper smothered the ball as he tried to score from a narrow angle.
East End’s No. 19 came close before ground hog day began with Kemnay missing a number of chances when it seemed impossible to do so. Fraser was first to hoist the ball over the bar from underneath it after two Kemnay players might have gone down in the build-up for a penalty.
Twenty minutes in and East End scored against the run of play when they hoisted in a corner from the right, over the hands of the despairing James D and into the path of one of their strikers at the back post (2-2). The bobbly pitch contributed to the award of the corner in the first place with the ball slicing off the keeper’s foot as he tried to clear it.
Iain was next to miss from under the bar after receiving a pass from James M and Alex then sliced a shot over the top from the 6-yard line.
With 3 minutes left and just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, Kemnay scored the goal their play deserved. A corner from the left was headed-on by Adam and James M was at the right hand post to blast the ball in (2-3).
This was a great result with the team digging-in when it seemed their dominance wasn’t going to be rewarded.