Another poor showing........
Jimmy Butler showed up to make his first appearance of the season. When questioned as to why he replied, "I couldn't stand the thought that Boxtart could end up with the golden boot this season!" It was the Classics first visit to Bonaccord in decades and what a quagmire of a pitch it turned out to be. The home side had requested that we just play 30 minute halves due to the playing conditions but, after consultation with the referee, it was decided to play 45 minutes in the first half and reassess the conditions in the second half. A full game was completed. The game began with the first real action being a through ball from Gordie Macklin to Willie Dixon who was taken down by a sliding challenge from the home keeper which saved the danger for them. The first half was as much a battle with the elements as it was with the opponents. Both teams were playing a physical game and it was end to end stuff like a basketball game although the score was only 0-0 at the half instead of 99-99.
The second half was only five minutes under way before a blatant shirt-pull, on an India striker in the box by Chris Arcari, resulted in a penalty kick for the home side. Judd Boxtart made a valiant attempt but the shot had too much power for him to make the save. 1-0 to the home side. The Classics were only behind for five minutes when some good work by Chuck McGill released Pat Rohla who sent over a dangerous cross. Willie Dixon rose courageously among a clutch of coloured shirts to head the ball goalwards. The ball hit a defender on the way in and the Classics were level. It could have been a penalty for the visitors on the hour mark but the appeals were waved away by the referee. With 10 minutes remaining the Classics were awarded a free kick just into the opposing half. Boxtart stepped up to fire a shot on goal and it was a finger stinger, but the home keeper punched the kick out to safety. Into the last five minutes and the pressure paid for the homesters after Alan Massender misdirected a header which left an attacker wide right of the goal. He stroked the ball low and hard across the mouth of the goal into the bottom left of the net to give India a victory that was just about deserved.
After match comments centred around the fact that Gordie Macklin had joined the puffter brigade by wearing a pair of gloves at the start of the second half. Comments also abounded that the team are watching too many Premier League games on TV as there was too much shirt pulling in general. Jim Eden would prefer to revert to the old style of stopping a player instead of pulling his shirt. Larry Thorlakson did his best to emulate the leading own-goal scorer on the team with his headed backpass which had Boxtart wetting himself. Chris Arcari 'thought that the attacker was off-side for the penalty award' but he was tired after the game. Back to the drawing board for Butler! We need to go back as far as February 2012 to find two consecutive defeats - the victors were Chilliwack and the Gladiators. Next week is the final match of the season, one of the shortest and not one of the best in history.
Final Score: IFC India 2 Classics 1 (0-0)
Stats
Penalty Conceded: Chris Arcari
Crap Award: Pat Rohla