CAMMACHMORE 1 - POSTAL ALC 3 - DIV1 NORTH, 16th March 2024.

TEAM - 1.  G.Cormack  2.  S.Carter  3.  S.Stuart  4.  T.Raynard  5.  B.Patterson  6.  L.Giulianotti  7.  E.Brechin  8.  J.Steele  9.  B.Webster  10.  S.Abel  11.  M.Maciver  12.  A.Baxter 14.  D.Mackenzie 15.  R.Webster  16.  A.Esson

OPPOSITION MOTM – G.Cormack

Postal had yet another away game this weekend when they played bottom of the table Cammachmore at Kaimhill Grass pitches.  A lot of rain yesterday, but, if anything, the pitch was really dry and incredibly bobbly……….not great for a team keen on passing the ball.

With Walker out injured, Postal welcomed back Grant Cormack in goal.  Brechin came in for the holidaying Clark and Maciver replaced the injured Frampton on the left of the attack.

Cammachmore started the match with ex Postal player Reece Law up front.

Postal started the game shooting down the slope and started fairly well.  On only 4 minutes, a foul on Maciver saw a Postal free kick on the left chipped to the back post by Steele.  Abel met the ball but volleyed over the bar.  Possibly should have headed it in instead.

On 12 minutes, Postal took a deserved lead.  Some excellent passing down the Postal left eventually saw Bruce Webster run in on the keeper with the ball at his feet.  His shot was saved but Abel was on hand at the back post to knock home for his second goal in a week.  0-1.

2 minutes later Postal almost doubled their lead when Steele shot from distance but it went just over the bar.

On 19 minutes a Postal throw-in to Maciver’s feet in the box saw him swivel in the box to pass the ball into the path of Webster.  His snapshot went just wide.

On 20 minutes a knee injury to a Cammachmore player saw a delay while he was getting treated and he had to go off.

Postal had the ball in the net on 26 minutes.  Abel ran fwd with the ball, he was tripped but the ref played advantage and he slipped Webster in who fired the ball past the keeper.  Unfortunately the referee spotted the forward was slightly offside when he received the pass.

Cammachmore stared to come more into the game as the half went on, and on a number of occasions Postal looked more than a tad complacent/lackadaisical in defence although they were only one up.  Luckily the home side never done enough to capitalise and Postal went in one up.

HALF TIME CAMMACHMORE 0 – POSTAL ALC 1

The second half was very disappointing from a Postal point of view.

Sat far too deep.  Never got their passing to feet going at all.  Conceded too many corners, free kicks and long throw ins under little pressure.

Credit to Cammachmore though, they scrapped for everything, played to their strengths with long throws and high balls and very much dominated the second half with Postal panicking at times to clear and losing all composure to pass the ball.

Early in the half, Brechin had to come off with an inured hamstring so Baxter came on at left back, Stuart moved to right back and Carter into right centre back.

On 12 minutes of the second half, Postal had a half chance on the counter, when an Abel cross found Bruce Webster in the box but his headed chance was missed.

Postal scored a second against the run of play on 21 minutes.  A Giulianotti drive/pass from outside the box found Webster running into the box on the Postal left and he made no mistake to drive the ball home. 0-2

The hope was that this would settle Postal but it unfortunately didn’t have that affect.  Long throw after long throw were sent into the box and it was only by the poor finishing of the home team, and the good form of Cormack in goal, that they managed to keep the ball from going over the line.

Eventually something had to give, though, and only two minutes after scoring the second, Postal gave the home side a life-line.  Cormack produced a good save on the line but from the resultant corner, a Cammachmore player was left unmarked and he duly headed the ball into the net from the 6 yard line.  1-2.

A very (very) nervy next 20 minutes as Postal were camped in their own half.  Mackenzie came on up top for Maciver to see if we could get a more physical threat but nothing really changed that much.

Captain Patterson had a chance from a corner when the ball fell to him on the 6 yard box but he couldn’t get his shot away and the home side cleared the danger.

On the 30 minute mark Postal left themselves too square and Carter’s man got in behind him and raced in on goal.  It looked at the side of the pitch that Carter had pulled him back in the box but amazingly the referee didn’t blow the whistle for a penalty and the chance was missed.  A real let off for Postal.

42 minutes into the second half and Postal finished the game as a contest.  A corner into the box was met brilliantly by Baxter to head Postal into a two goal lead.  1-3.

Full Time – CAMMACHMORE 1 – POSTAL ALC 3

Overall a half decent first half with some nice triangle passing.  Second half was poor from a Postal point of view.  Not up to our recent standard at all. 

Credit to Cammachmore though.  They have some experienced amateur players who played to their, somewhat “industrial”, strengths and put Postal under some real second half pressure.

Again, though, the attitude from Postal, today, could not be faulted.  We currently have a team who will battle to the last minute of games, even when having an off day (or off half day) as we clearly had today.  Positives are that last week we played well but struggled to finish our chances.  This week we had a poor second half but managed to convert 90% of the chances we managed to create.

Another 3 points on the board.  Excellent result.  Well done.