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Newhaven FC visit Seaford Town in the 1st Round of the RUR Cup at the Crouch |
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The Dockers visit the Badgers on a calm late summer evening. Ezra starts in place of Luca and Rob Malia is in for Warwick who was in the crowd tonight. The Dockers were beaten 4-2 by the Badgers in the Steve Charman Cup at Fort Road last month so we are hoping we reverse that result tonight.
Both sides started with some attacking intent but not enough quality (contender for understatement of the year) to deliver any goals. After just 5 minutes Bailey was shouting at the rest of his teammates with a vivid description of how badly he thought they were playing. Although entirely accurate, it didn't seem to improve things. The Dockers did have the best of the half chances with Billy hitting the bar with a high looping cross that, for a few seconds, looked like it might curl into the top corner. Everything else was wide of the mark or blocked by the defensive wall. Nothing much else of interest happened until the last minute of the half when Bussy stuck out a leg to save a shot from close range after a disputed few kick. Level and depressed at the break. At this point it would have been nice if the ref had put this game out of its misery by calling for pens after 45 instead of making us watch another 45 minutes of this.
It got a bit more interesting in the second half when the hosts scored at the near post on 58 after a corner wasn't cleared. The other highlight was when Alfie flattened Herbie, now a Badger, in a 'robust' challenge. The Dockers started making changes as they got more and more desperate to get back into the game. And it did look desperate as they ended up with just 2 defenders. Luca came on for Ezra and Sean Saunders for Cal. Cal had had a frustrating game being so starved of supply up front that he was left to feed off the bones of the scraps after they had been picked clean by Turkey Vultures and left out in the Sahara for a couple of years. Luca made a difference, as did Calum Edwards when they came on, bringing some energy and enthusiasm, but between them they were not able to bring enough of an influence to the struggling Dockers. Robbie was moved forward up front to use his height and physicality in the style of Millie Bright for the Lionesses. The changes and the impending cup exit livened up the struggling Dockers in the last few minutes. It could well have worked if done a little earlier but it was too late to stop the Dockers crashing stumbling wilfully out of the cup.
Maybe it's a hangover from the fantastic performance and great result on Saturday but there was no cohesion between the team and passing, especially long balls, was poor. It wasn't for lack of trying but it just didn't work today. Wa dust wa selves down and go again.
The Ref, who was described as the worst in the league by someone that we won't name, could have been worse. He let things go more than expected but unfortunately this included the ever increasing time wasting by the Badgers towards the end of the game. There weren't many offsides but then there wasn't much off the ball running.
POTM: Billy had one of the few decent performances running up and down the eight wing and going past defenders.
A very short cup run jog amble. Concentrating on the league and the FA Cup.
Love Tranmerekat 🐾
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| At the Crouch |
