[Izulde]

What happens when you can't sleep, and you feel like procrastinating on stuff you have to do? MOAR FM! (A lingering losing streak shall soon follow suit, I say).

vs Wroxham Reserves (3rd)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Fred Makiadi/John Adcock

Well, we're getting some of the tough games out of the way early against our fellow title contenders.

24 - Adcock runs down a bad pass, just barely beating out the defense. Long medium pop ball bounces free space far post, and charging Ling puts away the score! 1-0

At half, Bradley for Hartley at DC; Ling to ML, Makiadi to AMC, and Pook in at ST, with tired O'Brien catching a break.

52 - Beautiful header to save a certain goal by Relen, and after the counter move, he gets the ball on a kick back, sending it forward to Peacock for the short dribble and high far post cross. Ling has the defense beat and is onsides for his second goal of the game! 2-0

91 - That was just poor defense by Relen there, unable to stay with his man. Stupid, tacky late goal. 2-1

Brilliant showing by Darren Ling with 8.8 and PotM. Mickey Hall picks up a 7.5 behind him. Not dominating like the last game, but still a victory we'll take.

Fred Makiadi suffers a sports hernia and is out 7-8 weeks - a devastating blow to our lineup and versatility. Grrr!

@ Wendron United (4th)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Jon Casey/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

18 - Double yellow for one of their guys! Let's press this!

Facey replaces Dunford at the half.

56 - Dawe for Peacock, who is tired and dragging ass out there.

69 - Ling passes back to the general area of Hall and Dawe, the former picking it up and delivering it to Pook in the box. He dribbles around the defender, and hits the shot! 1-0

Mickey Hall carried the squad single-handedly today, picking up a PotM 9.0. Next best was Dominic Relen with a 7.3. Unremarkable game against a tight-fisted defense, but we'll take it. Incidentally, that was Lewis Pook's 7th league appearance as a Fisherman, and his first goal.

Transfer In - DC Paul Jones (17) (From Truro City - Free Transfer
Make that Truro product #6. 10 Marking, 13 Teamwork, 11 Jumping Reach and Natural Fitness. It's a coin flip as to who is better between him and Kieran Hartley, so I'll probably rotate both until I decide which one is the best.

vs Plymstock United (2nd)
G: Tom Bridle
D: Paul Jones/Kieran Hartley/Dominic Relen (No DR)
DM: Jon Dunford
M: Rob O'Brien/Mickey Hall/Joe Peacock
AM: Darren Ling
S: Lewis Pook/John Adcock

...Or perhaps I can just not decide and go Asymmetrical! We'll try that in our biggest early test of the year, and see how it pans out.

27 seconds - Adcock wings out to Peacock, getting it back on the center, and the shot sings home! Talk about your quick strike devastation! 1-0

53 - That's down to Jones. 1-1

62 - Bradley for Jones; Ling out to ML and we change to 3-1-4-2, with the AMC dropping back for Facey to take charge of a new MC slot.

88 - Pook gets a skim pass and dribbles, then sends out to Ling on the flank. Two defenders on him, and Pook and Adcock are both ahead of the defense, yet onsides. Ground pass into the box, and Adcock slams in his second of the game! 2-1

90 - Huge header by Hall to stop an attack, and on the other end, Facey laterals to Hall for the pass up to Adcock. Heat's there, so he sends it into the box, where Pook is probably offsides, but he makes the 1 on 1 anyway and it's not called back! Their right midfielder goes to scream about the call, only to draw a warning. 3-1

91 - Facey forward to Pook for first touch side pass to Adcock. Send right back to Pook and into the box for Ling, and the keeper looks like he's given up, the kid I was "really looking to make a huge impact" netting yet another goal! 4-1

We woke up in the second half, and by game's end, Joe Peacock (8.4),Mickey Hall (8.0), Darren Ling (9.0), John Adcock (9.2 and PotM), and Lewis Pook (9.0), had completely crushed our nearest competitors. Props to Anthony Facey with his 7.0 off the bench, too. I'd love to give him more PT, but for now, he has to settle for being the guy who gets called on as a top reserve.

Pleased to see John Adcock break the club record for fastest goal scored. Previous mark was 35 seconds.

I certainly didn't expect to open with a four game win streak against this schedule, or to firmly be entrenched atop the table with some wiggle room! But with 32 games, it's only 1/8th of the season. Long, long way to go yet.