Nomads 6ths v West Kirby Masters
For much of the previous week the Nomads manager Clive Davies had been seen scratching his head. Bewildered and bemused, he was trying to fathom his team’s recent on field performances which had all followed the exact same pattern, ie a lacklustre first period performance characterised by a tentative and lethargic start, quickly followed by self implosion through loss of shape, misplaced passes and unforced errors. Then a second period performance characterised by high tempo confident play, slick accurate passing, creativity and plenty of goals. Disaster followed by triumph. The interplay of good and bad. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Soon after the start of today’s game the manager’s strategy to attempt to deal with the inconsistencies could be easily identified. It was clear he had abandoned the recent 5-3-2 experiment and changed to a flat back four, midfield overload, and playing with a false number nine. In addition he gave debuts to new signings Andy Thomas ( a creative midfielder from London - fee undisclosed ), and Steve Rowland ( a pacy winger on a loan deal from Upton Magnets).
A bright start for Nomads. They looked solid and were matching their opponents in all areas of the pitch. Toward the end of the half West KIrby we’re looking dangerous down the flanks,and deservedly took the lead just before half time, notwithstanding, Nomads had acquitted themselves well in all departments throughout the half.
HT Nomads 0 West Kirby 1
Nomads opened up the second half in confident manner and were pushing their opponents onto the back foot. Joe Davies was starting to make his presence felt in midfield and stamping his considerable authority. As well as being the creative hub, the conduit; the beating heart of the team, Joe never shy’s away from the heavy lifting and use of the dark arts in his role of enforcer, ably assisted by his underboss Manesh the magnificent ( ‘ the bruise brothers’). You certainly wouldn’t want to cross paths with these two zips in a dark alleyway late at night.
After sixty minutes, Nomads scored a deserved equaliser following a delightful cross from loanee Steve Rowland and met perfectly by Kenny who rose like a salmon to head gloriously past the helpless goalkeeper. The home spectators ( ie Gary Price and his dog) roared with delight to show their appreciation. However Nomads joy was relatively short lived. As the game moved into the later stages the team’s bad characteristics started to creep in again, ( eg loss of shape, losing the ball in dangerous areas) and West Kirby were able to plunder three goals in a twenty minute spell. To their credit Nomads refused to lay down and rallied in the final ten minutes, pulling a goal back through a penalty rifled home by Kenny.
FT Nomads 2 West Kirby 4
Despite the loss there were many positives to take from the today’s game. A much better start than in recent weeks, and although a significant dip ( the re- emergence of Mr Hyde) midway through the second half, this could partly be attributed to tiredness as Nomads played with a bare squad of eleven players.
There is still food for thought for manager Clive as strives to eliminate the bad characteristics of his team, but real progress is being made so perhaps a little less head scratching this week. And it looks like he has made a shrewd foray into the transfer market after excellent performances from new boys Andy and Steve.
MOTM
Once again a very difficult decision for the adjudication panel. Kenny’s performance was first class. Two goals and an excellent all round contribution. He defies the law of nature. He seems to get better and more energetic ( he never stops!) as he gets older. A perfect role model for all younger players at the club.
In recent weeks Mark Johnson has reinvented himself as a cultured centre back. Following on from his awesome performance last week,a faultless performance this week. Cool and calm, he never panics, rarely makes a mistake and reads the game so well ho head off danger before it can develop. However after much deliberation the panel finally decided to give the award to Damien Auden this week. An imperious centre back with a heart of oak. A defenders defender. No fuss no feathers he never seeks the limelight. Very consistent, a nine out of ten every week.
Special thanks to Nathan for agreeing to keep goal for the whole game. Much appreciated Nath, and well done.
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