Grounded

GPR 2 - 4 DAR UNITED

When you’ve been flying high for so long, sometimes you have to be brought back down to earth. Such was the case this weekend as The Salads fell short against a revitalised DAR United, who we’d beaten 7-0 a short month before.

I can’t lie, this one hurts. The first few minutes were looking good, with DAR struggling to ground the ball on a dry, bobbly pitch. We had an early chance, but the keeper was equal to it.

At the other end, however, we were given a reminder of the glimpses of quality we’d seen in DAR’s game before they gave up in the last fixture. And it didn’t take long for the game to open up.

DAR’s no. 7 was moving with intent. He played his way into space on the corner of the 18 yard box, and lofted the ball high, out of reach for Oli. It was a bit of a shock to the system, the goal having come largely out of nowhere.

We tried to retaliate, and Joel came closest. His strong start in attack and defence was rewarded when some seamless interplay between Andre and Robin down the flank put him in space. Joel danced round his man, put the ball onto his weaker foot, and struck. The effort went narrowly over the bar.

But then a through ball to the no. 7 put him one-on-one, and his sharp instincts paid off with a smart finish. 2-0.

With the game looking like it was starting to turn sour, despite some good passages of play, we began to push high onto DAR’s box and, seeing a chance for glory, Josh took the ball into a yard of room and smacked the ball.

We watched as his brilliant effort looked certain to fire into the back of the net - but it fired off the bar and rolled away.

This wasn’t in the script, and a few rough challenges on both sides escalated the tension. Shortly before the break, a challenge led to a scuffle, and handbags broke out.

Our frustration was tempered shortly after thanks to Robin. Using a stiff wind to trouble the keeper, he whipped a corner aimed at the keeper on the front post. The goalie couldn’t adapt, and spilled the cross into the back of the net. 2-1.

Half time was a bit of a dressing down as we attempted to regroup. On the restart the game held closely in the balance, neither team able to develop a solid passing game thanks to the difficult pitch surface.

The next goal would be crucial, and so it proved. A mishap at the back made it 3-1.

There were a few excuses we could have sat on, but as the game drew to an end, we accepted that we had been fairly beaten. Despite this, a few decisions did not help our cause.

A passback was not given, and when we made a substitution as the ball went out, the referee signalled for the game to continue. Having switched off a touch to restructure, their no.7 bagged his third of the game following a hoof in behind with a smart chip.

Marcus gave us something to cheer about at the death, after a cross from Joel found him in the box. He controlled it, shifted to his left foot and applied a striker’s finish that curled into the corner, past the defender and goalkeeper.

In the end, it was a deflating loss, and the first for a long time where we felt that we let ourselves down. But such things happen in football, and you can’t expect every result to go your way.

From the manager to the players, we win and lose as a team. We have a fortnight to prepare for the return fixture, which will be our last of the season.

Come on you Salads!

MOTM 💫 = Robin’s goal and clever passes down the flank earn him the title of MOTM on this occasion.