Kintore V Postal ALC - Friendly - Kintore 22/07/2023

TEAM - 1. D.Cruickshank 2. N.MacDonald 3. A.Baxter 4. A.Riddell 5. L.Giulianotti 6. M.Hunter 7. A.Clark 8. N.Wiley 9. L.Melia 10. B.Webster 11. P.Frampton 12. S.Cotovici 14. S.Stuart 15. G.Cormack

OPPOSITION MOTM – N/A

Postal travelled out to Kintore on a sunny Saturday afternoon for their second pre-season friendly of season 23/24.

Kintore had won their previous two friendlies prior to this game so a good workout was on the cards.

With boys still on holiday, staggers, weddings, Postal changed the starting 11. Veteran MacDonald came back into right back with Riddell and Giulianotti starting in centre of defence.

The first half was not great at all from Postal. They rarely put together any passing combinations with the ball going from front to back far too often. Credit to the home side, who were shooting down the slope in the first half, they put the defence under a bit of pressure by committing men up the park, but Postal should really have been braver on and off the ball to keep the ball on the grass.

Postal had the first real chance of the match on 11 minutes. A good through ball from Hunter, found Melia one-on-one with the keeper, but the keeper saved.

The Postal defence were looking a bit disorganised and confusion reigned every time Kintore pushed their wide men up to join their front two from the keeper’s kick outs. Luckily for Postal the long ball game down the slope didn’t seem to suit Kintore either and they created very little to trouble Cruickshank in the opening half hour.

On 30 minutes Wiley should have given Postal the lead. A corner from the Postal left, was whipped onto the back post with Wiley looking odds on to nod the all home. Unfortunately he must have shut his eyes at the last moment and the ball went over his head and past the post.

Kintore should have scored on 35 minutes when a long ball bounced in behind the Postal defence. The striker ran in on goal, lifted it over the head of Cruickshank but it went just wide of the post.

A minute later, good work by Frampton down the LHS, saw him cut the ball back into the path of Hunter. His side foot shot was blazed over the bar.

The game sparked into life in controversial fashion on 40 minutes. Another ball over the top of the flat Postal defence saw Cruickshank come racing out of his box. The Kintore player got to it first and rounded him. The Postal keeper then pulled him back. The ref then asked the Kintore captain if he should send him off or keep him on the park. The Kintore captain asked for him to be sent off. The ref then decided there were actually enough Postal players in the vicinity of the foul to ensure the Postal keeper only needed to be booked.

A minute later, a bad tackle from the Kintore right back saw Postal awarded a foul and a bit of pushing from both sets of players ensued. Like the Postal keeper, the Kintore number 2 was lucky not to be Red carded.

HALF TIME – KINTORE 0 - POSTAL ALC 0

Postal were advised to try and keep the ball on the floor a bit more in the second half and, to be fair, it did improve as they played down the slope.

They had a scare 5 minutes into the half though, when a Baxter pass back went under the feet of the Postal keeper and hit the post.

Two minutes later and Kintore took the lead. From a Postal corner, Kintore counter attacked. A simple high ball down the middle of the Postal defence saw the Kintore striker run unchallenged into the box with the ball and slip it into the net. Decent finish but Postal defence posted missing. 1-0.

Postal countered direct from the kick-off. Luca Giulianotti, playing midfield second half, picked up the ball and played it into the path of Frampton. He raced in on goal and finished well, low, into the bottom RHS corner. 1-1.

On 14 minutes, good work by Cotovici to keep the ball in play saw him send a low cross, across the face of the Kintore goal but there was nobody on hand to finish and the ball went out for a bye kick.

5 minutes later, Postal took the lead. Another pass along the grass into the path of Frampton saw him go round the Kintore goalkeeper who took him out to give away a pen. Frampton dusted himself off to score. 2-1.

On 24 minutes Melia missed a sitter at the back post after good build up play by Postal down the RHS.

Kintore kept on working to find an equaliser but it wasn’t to be and Postal held on to win the game.

Overall a good workout in the sun. Attitude from everyone was excellent and effort couldn’t be faulted. Football was poor today though, so some things still to work on and get better before the season starts. Got the win though.

Next up Continental at home on Saturday in the Webster Park Derby.