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Hachioji Park, Saturday 22nd October. Sala slumped to another TML defeat on Saturday, one which leaves them way down the table with only one point from three games.
Things started well enough, when after a turgid opening twenty minutes, Toby’s determination and skill in the middle of the park freed Dhugal through the middle. The Australian is not known to pass up one on ones with the keeper, and this was no exception, clipping the ball past him from 18 yards. 1v0.
Sala were immediately sucker punched. BFC broke from the kick off and surged up the left. The inevitable cross was delayed and delayed but when it came, it was flicked to the back post and volleyed skillfully home. 1v1.
Lessons should have been learned for Sala, but were not. There were few other chances in the first half. Charles and Dhugal both shot over from long range whilst BFC created a lot of chances without ever really going close.
The second half started with a raise in the tempo, with both teams pushing forward in search of what would likely be a winner.
Sala struck first, Shigeru’s dancing feet weaved around the defence before firing past the keeper from a tight angle at close range. 2v1.
Yet once again, Sala contrived to throw it away. A throw from the right was picked up by BFC and whipped all to easily into the middle, as Sala7s defence looked sluggish. The cross bounced into defender Brian Harlow’s midriff and the cry went up for handball. Kazu, who was about thirty yards away and couldn’t see the incident anyway due to the players back being torwards him, instantly pointed to the spot. Sala protested long and hard but the BFC player coolly knocked in the spot kick to tie it up at 2v2. The decision may well have been incorrect, but Sala’s casualness after regaining the lead played an equal part in it. 2v2
Amazingly, Sala downed their work rate for the next ten minutes and allowed BFC to take the lead. A long ball down the left was tucked inside to the galloping fullback, who chipped Sid with great precision. 2v3.
Only now did Sala come alive and begin to take control of a game that for long stretches of the second half had been dominated by BFC.
Guido and Shigeru picked up plenty of possession in the middle, and out wide, Jason and Lenny came back into the game.
It almost resulted in an equalizer when a missed clearance allowed Dhugal through again. This time however his touch was just too heavy and the keeper blocked well. Charles should have done better from a good position outside the box, his shot being safely deflected wide, and Lenny came close from a Bobby-C style free kick that had the keeper scrambling like a kid on bath-night as it bent back towards the post.
It ended though, Sala 2v3 BFC. Sala will feel that a draw would have been a fair result, but BFC served them a good reminder that you can’t stop playing for twenty-minute periods of games and expect to win… At least not in the cutthroat conditions of the TML….
Roddy Charles.
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