Postal ALC V Lads Club Amateurs - Div 2 North

TEAM - 1. R.LAING. 2. S.CLARK 3. L.Mackie. 4. M.STEER. 5. B.PATTERSON.

6. M.MACIVER. 7. R.INSCH. 8. S.ROBERTSON. 9. C.MACANESPIE. 10. R.LAW.

11. A.TAYLOR. 12. L.BEATTIE. 14. C.SHEILS. 15. G.DAVIDSON. 16. S.STUART. 17. P.FRAMPTON.

OPPOSITION MOTM – R.LAW

Postal welcomed Div 2 North leaders, and ALC stable mates, Lads Club Amateurs to Webster Park on a cold but dry afternoon.

Postal had a strong squad to choose from today and a full, 5 man, bench to call on.

Postal started the game well and had their first chance of the afternoon, 3 minutes in. A long throw in from the Postal left was met by Macanespie who headered just wide.

The first 25 minutes was a pretty even affair with both teams playing the ball on the floor and surprisingly very little in the way of tough tackling given it was a derby match.

There was certainly no indication of what was to come in the next 5 minutes when Postal proceeded to cut their own throats.

The first goal came for Lads Club on 25 minutes. A poor pass back from Taylor was sent into the path of the Lads Club forward who, unchallenged, rounded the keeper and knocked the ball into an empty net. 0-1.

Postal should have reset and re-organised but instead lost all concentration and sold a second two minutes later. The ball was lost far too easily just outside the Postal 18 yard line, it was sent out to the Postal left where the LCA player was allowed to send in an easy low cross which found an unmarked striker in the box to knock home. 0-2.

Having started the game off so well, Postal were now all over the place organisationally and the heads were well and truly "gone". A LCA corner from the Postal right on 30 minutes, was swung in and despite having no less than 5 players over 6 foot it was allowed to bounce in the box and eventually knocked into the net. 0-3.

Postal regained some composure for the next 15 minutes of the half and could have pulled one back on 39 minutes when Insch missed a great chance from 6 yards out. Postal had counter attacked down the right with Maciver, Clark and Macanespie combining. Macanespie provided the cross to Insch on the 6 yard line but his shot was weak and the impressive Lads Club keeper easily saved.

HALF TIME - POSTAL ALC 0 - LADS CLUB AMATEURS 3.

Postal started the second half reasonably well for the first 15 minutes of the half, without really troubling the LCA defence, it must be said.

On 15 minutes they conceded the killer goal, though, and it was another badly defended goal to lose. A simple enough throw-in from the Postal left saw Patterson turned in the box and the shot sneaked in at the keepers left hand side with the keeper static. Game over. 0-4.

Postal gave away the 5th 35 minutes into the second half.  A free kick from about 20 yards out was sent over the wall to the keeper's bottom left hand side.  Keeper will be disappointed to lose a goal so easily from way out there. 0-5.

Five minutes later and Postal's Clark gave away his 4th penalty of the season with a silly attempt at a tackle in the Postal box. Stone-wall penalty which was duly dispatched. 0-6.

Postal should have been awarded a pen with the last kick of the game when Frampton was kicked up in the air in the Lads Club box. Very strange decision to deny it, given it looked as much of a pen, if not more so, than the LCA one but cant really complain given Frampton shouldn't have been on the park after scything down a LCA defender previously with the ball nowhere near him.

Overall, as strange as it may sound, Postal actually played some good football for large parts of this game, but huge question marks, obviously, over their concentration, mentality and resilience in adversity.

Ultimately the result is an embarrassment to all involved at the club.