Rovers 12A v Springvale City
Rovers travelled to mid table Springvale city after defeating top of the table Richmond to take top spot and remain the only undefeated team in the 12B East league. With the team arriving an hour before kick off they were greeted by an empty stadium, with the opposition not showing up until minutes before the kick off. Special thanks to Jimmy for putting the oppositions nets!
From the outset the boys put together their slick short passing game, despite the patchy surface. There were some great passes put together through midfield early, but the team struggled in the final third with Springvale defending in numbers. The breakthrough came midway through the first half with Julian following up a blocked shot to put the ball in the back of the net with the keeper stranded. 1-0 to Rovers at half time.
Rovers looked determined to extend their lead in the second half and captain Cameron quickly got himself onto the scoresheet dribbling around a defender before powerfully slotting the ball home. From that point on the game opened up, with more chances for both teams than in the first half. Springvale hit back with a thunderbolt free kick to bring them within striking distance at 2-1.
This prompted Rovers to go into all out attack. After a sustained period of attacking Jake danced around a few defenders before putting the goal away from a narrow angle. Credit must go to Julian for his attacking run which left the Springvale defence confused as to who to man up creating the oppurtunity for Jake. Springvale to their credit however would not give up. Springvale's number 16 scored his second for the day, despite the hint of offside to put the pressure back on Rovers.
It was always to be Rovers day however, and a clever through ball let Julian race free of the defence for his second goal of the game and the match winner. Julian calmly placed the ball into the corner, and he can take great pride in the way his finishing has improved in recent weeks.
Moments before the final whistle Stephen had a goal incorrectly disallowed due to a misinterpretation of the offside rule by the referee. It was unfortunate but had no bearing on the final result so not to worry.
All in all it was another fine performance as a team, with some new faces stealing the show today. Josh dominated midfield with intelligent passing and incisive running, while Julian was a menace in the box. Liam and Stefan looked very impressive out wide. The boys will have a well earned rest this week after an excellent first 5 matches of the season.
Final Score: Rovers 4 - 2 Springvale City
Scorers: Julian 2, Jake, Cameron
Goal of the Week: Jake
