Postal ALC - 5 - Kemnay Youth - 4 - Div 2 North - Webster Park - 25th Feb 2023

TEAM - 1. G.Cormack 2. A.Riddell 3. A.Baxter 4. S.Carter 5. C.Collie 6. N.Wiley 7. A.Clark 8. J.Steele 9. E.Martin 10. P.Frampton 11. B.Webster 12. S.Cotovici 14. A.Simm. 15. M.Hunter

OPPOSITION MOTM – E.Martin

Postal managed to send out the same goalkeeper and defence for this game at Webster Park against the run-away league leaders Kemnay Youth. Steele replaced the injured Schrader in midfield and Webster took up his usual place up top replacing the holidaying Maciver. Kemnay have beaten Postal 3 times already this season. If they beat us today, they would get to keep us.

Postal started the game well, playing up the slope, they had their first half chance on 5 minutes. Great running through the centre of the park, from the half way line to the 18 yard line, by Frampton, saw him slip in Webster. He did well to get a shot away but the Kemnay keeper was on hand to deny him.

A defensive shambles from Postal a minute later gave Kemnay the lead against the run of play. A corner kick from the Postal right was sent in, and much like the Kaimhill game, a fortnight earlier, Postal allowed an unmarked player to easily head towards goal. Frampton, on the back post, blocked the initial effort but the rebound was knocked home. We thought we had learned our lessons from the Kaimhill game but the marking at that corner would suggest otherwise. 0-1.

On 9 minutes Frampton did really well to hit the bye line on the Postal left. He cut the ball back into the 6 yard box but there was nobody there to knock home.

Postal missed a sitter on 12 minutes. Martin sprung the Kemnay offside trap and ran in on the goalkeeper unchallenged. With only the keeper to beat he hit it against the stopper at the near post and away to safety.

A moment of controversy on 25 minutes. Kemnay were coming forward on the Postal right. They tried to play a pass but it hit the referee (as the ball looked to be going out the park). The referee advised Postal it would be a drop ball, but Postal were not to contest it. The resultant pass from the drop ball was sent directly into the feet of a Kemnay player (who looked offside) and he made no mistake to score. Not sure that Kemnay should have been awarded the drop ball in the first place, not sure they shouldn’t have knocked it out the park to start again and not sure the Kemnay player wasn’t offside. That aside, Postal went to sleep and should have reacted to the situation better. 0-2.

Postal looked a bit shell-shocked from that goal and were at sixes and sevens for the next ten minutes. It was no surprise when they gift wrapped another goal to the away side. First the ball was lost in midfield with a stray pass from Wiley. Next, Collie’s attempt at a clearance only went as far as a Kemnay player on the edge of the box and when the ball broke to Carter he also couldn’t clear his lines and Kemnay scored low into the keeper’s right hand side corner of the goal, to give Kemnay a comfortable lead. 0-3.

The message from the sidelines was to try and get a goal back before half time to give Postal a chance in the second half. They did just that 5 minutes before half time. Good work by Frampton down the Postal left saw him deliver a low cross to the back post where Martin was waiting, unmarked to knock the ball into the back of the net to give Postal a potential, but unlikely, lifeline 1-3.

HALF TIME – POSTAL ALC – 1 – KEMNAY YOUTH - 3

A surprisingly calm half time discussion, where it was pointed out to the players that the game was far from over but they had to work a bit harder.

Postal got their second goal 5 minutes into the second half. Some good passing from Postal to retain procession of the football was finished off with a longer ball over the top of the Kemnay defence. Steele did really well to control the ball, coming in from the left, and keep his composure to slip the ball past the keeper. Good goal and finish. 2-3.

5 minutes later, Frampton had a terrific chance to equalise when he was sent through one-on-one with the Kemnay keeper. The keeper unfortunately saved.

Postal were now on full attack mode to the get the equaliser. Unfortunately during one of these attacks, 25 minutes into the second half, they lost the ball with half the defence and midfield up the park. Kemnay broke down the Postal left, cut it back to an unmarked midfielder running in who stroked it into the net from outside the box. Cormack actually got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out. 2-4.

And that was as good as it got for Kemnay as Postal rallied. They could have easily folded but kept their nerve to keep on coming at the away side.

Postal were now playing 3 at the back with Cotovici providing a 4th attacker to try and get back into the game, and it was the European Super Striker who provided the spark on 30 minutes. A short corner on the Postal right was pushed into the path of Steele. He shot from just inside the box, the usually dependable Kemnay keeper dropped it at the feet of Cotovici who slammed home to get Postal back into the match. 3-4.

5 minutes later and the Postal sideline were sent into raptures. A free kick from the Postal left was sent into the box by Riddell. Captain Carter attacked the ball and headed into the postage stamp past the keeper to equalise. Terrific goal.. 4-4.

With only ten minutes remaining, Postal could have sat back and accepted the draw but they were brave and continued with the 3 at the back. They were rewarded 40 minutes into the second half. A cross from the Postal right was headed by Frampton at the back post. His looping header looked to possibly go over the keeper’s head but it bounced off the bar. Luckily for Postal it fell to Cotovici who headed home for his second of the game. The scenes on the sideline were brilliant. 5-4.

Kemnay huffed and puffed to get the equaliser but there wasn’t a lot of time left and Postal saw the game out.

Overall, some poor poor defending from Postal today cant be ignored.................but……………………..to come back from three nil down, and then 2-4 down, showed terrific character, effort and enthusiasm from the entire squad today.

Keep it up.