Middlefield Wasps 3 - Postal ALC 2 - Div 2 East - Beach Park - 26/2/2022

TEAM - 1. R.Laing 2. D.MacDonald 3. S.Carter 4. B.Nicolson 5. B.Patterson 6. S.Ure 7. S.Robertson 8. M.Hunter 9. K.Dowbekin 10. P.Frampton 11. M.Maciver 12. A.Riddell 14. S.Cotovici 14. C.Patterson 15. I.Bruce

OPPOSITION MOTM – P.Frampton

Postal arrived at Beach Park to face second bottom of the league, Middlefield Wasps, looking for a reaction from their last game against Grammar. Postal were without Insch, Davidson, Stuart and Law but welcomed back Cotovici, Frampton, Ure, Carter, Riddell and gave a first start to trialist MacDonald.

Conditions were extremely windy and although playable at the start of the game, by midway into the first half the game was in danger of being stopped.

Postal dominated the opening proceedings and were rewarded on 9 minutes when they took the lead. A long throw into the box from the Postal left saw the wind send it in towards the Wasp’s keeper. He managed to punch it away but only as far as the waiting Hunter who headed it into the net with Dowbekin running out, off the line, to stay onside. 0-1.

A minute later and Postal doubled their lead. A corner into the box and Robertson met it first from 6 yard out to send it home off the side of his foot. 0-2.

That should have been the points in the bag but unfortunately that was as good as it got, as Postal proceeded to cut their own throats.

14 minutes into the match a poor headed clearance from a simple ball up in the air of the Postal box saw it fall to a Middlefield player 30 yards out. Whether he spotted the keeper off his line or just “hit and hoped” only the Wasps player will know but he hit the ball first time and it sailed over Laing’s head and into the net to give the home side some hope. 1-2.

On 26 minutes, another defensive holocaust put the home side on level terms. A disastrous attempt at a clearance from the Postal keeper saw the ball sclaffed and spin back towards the Postal box. The defence didn’t follow the run into the middle of the box from the Wasps midfielder who slotted past the keeper into the net. Shambles and poor concentration all round. 2-2.

31 minutes into the match and Postal were reduced to 10 men. With Postal on the attack and winning a free kick Ure decided to get involved with a Middlefield defender. Having been warned initially by the ref, he continued the handbags in the box and got himself sent off. Schoolboy stuff from an experienced senior player in front of a ref looking desperate to get the home side back into the game.

Postal huffed and puffed for the remainder of the half but looked short of ideas with a man short, a refusal (or a lack of sense) to keep the ball on the grass against a force ten gale and a Middlefield side, quite correctly from their position, using every trick in the book to slow the game down.

Postal had a great chance to equalise on 43 minutes. Dowbekin collected the ball on the right, chipped it into the 6 yard box where Frampton was waiting unmarked. With the goal gaping he missed a sitter to weakly head into the keeper’s arms.

HALF TIME – MIDDLEFIELD WASPS 2 - POSTAL ALC - 2

If the first half was frustrating the second was downright torture for the Postal sideline.

Middlefield couldn’t believe their luck when Postal gave them another gift only one minute into the second half. A simple through ball down the Postal right saw the square Postal defence cut wide open. Nicolson had a chance to clear but failed which allowed the Wasps player to finish far too easily. 3-2. Horrendous defending again from an experienced back 4, posted missing.

The remainder of the game saw Postal dominate in an attempt to get back into the match but although they created enough chances to win two games, the decision making, on the whole, was extremely poor. Far too many “passes” chipped up into the hurricane, too many long balls when it should have went short and too many offsides given away against a Middlefield defence lacking pace.

Seven minutes into the second half, Maciver had a good chance to score when he shot from the back post but it lacked any power and the keeper easily saved.

Another Maciver chance on 13 minutes when a Frampton cross found him at the back post but he hit it over the bar.

15 minutes into the second and Maciver found himself one on one with the keeper at the back post but again blasted over the bar from 12 yards out.

30 minutes in, Dowbekin was sent through on the keeper. He tried to lift it over the keeper from distance but it sailed high and wide which summed up the Postal performance today.

Middlefield had a player sent off with ten minutes to go but it made little difference to a game that Postal looked to have gave up on by then.

The second half finished much the same as the first. Postal lacking ideas and the desire to somehow/anyway get back into the match. Some world class sh*thousery from the Middlefield keeper and defence to slow the game down to a snail’s pace was to be commended from their point of view, but should really have been clamped down upon by the ref.

Overall a real punch in the stomach for Postal today and a result which will put into doubt their ability to get promoted out of this league. It could be argued that Middlefield only had 3 chances the whole game against the numerous made by Postal with ten men, but that would be looking for excused and only makes the frustration worse.

Well done to a Middlefield side who turned up with only 11 players and still managed to walk away with all three points through sheer determination and will to win against a Postal side sadly lacking in both today.