Post by Dave on Dec 26, 2018 18:11:35 GMT
Match Referee Phillip Eadie Assistant Referees Hilary Achegenui & Neil Lane
Final Score Buckland Athletic 1 Plymouth Parkway 2
I normally do a pre-match report during the morning of any game I can get to cover these days. But I had other plans for this morning and there was no time left before I headed off to the Heath to do one.
I would have said that Parkway on more than one occasion over the years have got the better of Buckland and that sure proved to be the case today. After the game I left the ground shaking my head asking just what happened to the mighty yellows in the second half of the match.
I have watched games at the Heath when Buckland were behind with just ten minutes of the match left to play and they have won them. But that was never going to happen today in what turned out to be the worst second half of a game I have ever seem a Buckland team play in.
Yet the game could have been all over in the first half, such was Buckland’s dominance over a Parkway side that had its own fans constantly saying they were not the same team that had played the Saturday before.
I was surprised that all three match officials had come from Plymouth, but they and the match referee in particular where soon being accused of wearing yellow shirts, but that was not the case in my opinion and they were fair to both sides.
The game got underway and while there was plenty of effort from both sides, nothing in the way of goal scoring opportunities were being created. But slowly and surely Buckland got their passing game together and were the much better side. Parkway were only able to kick long hopeful balls up field that the Buckland defence were able to deal with ease.
Buckland’s Richard Groves made a great run into the Parkway box, but took far too long to shoot and ended up just fouling a Parkway defender, a good chance missed. Up the other end a rare excursion in the Buckland box by Parkway saw Shane Krac turn very neatly and get a good low shot away that only just went wide of the left hand post.
Buckland won a number of corners and free kicks but were not able to make anything from them, but I felt it was not a matter of if they would score, but when and that proved to the case in the thirty third minute of the first half, A long ball was pumped into the Parkway half down the right hand side. The ball looked as it was going to be won by a Parkway defender, but the pace of Charlie Johansen got him to the ball first. He neatly fired in a low ball to the right hand post that was met by Ryan Bush sliding in and forcing the ball over the line into the back of the net.
Ethan Phillips went on a wonderful run to the edge of the Parkway box and hit a powerful shot that only just cleared the crossbar. What Buckland would have given to have gone in at halftime two goals up, they deserved too but chances have to be put away when they come around.
As we neared the end of the first half Parkway got on top of the game and came so close to going in at halftime on level terms. Shame Krac took another power shot from the edge of the box and Kenny Griffiths pulled off a fantastic diving save low down to get his hand on the ball and push it pass the far post.
The match referee blew up for the end of the first half and Buckland fully deserved their lead and really should have had more to show for their first half performance than a single goal.
The Parkway manager made a few changes at the start of the second half and changed the formation from the first half and it worked from the off. Now it was Parkway pushing the Buckland defenders back with strong runs and good passing. Now it was Parkway who was winning all those tackles that Buckland were winning in the first half. Now it was Buckland who were hitting long hopeful balls forward as the Parkway players suddenly started believing in themselves.
Only one team looked likely to score in the second half and that was Parkway and the second half was only eight minutes old when they did. Some may say the goal came about due to a goal keeper error, but Kenny Griffiths handling had been perfect the whole match. Kenny came out to catch a high ball, my pictures clearly show him getting clattered on one side by a Parkway player and then impeded by one of his own players. The catch that looked a routine one became a nightmare one for Kenny as the ball slipped through his grasp and behind him for a simple tap in by Shane Krac.
The unfortunate goal did not have the effect on the Buckland players I was expecting and they looked shell shocked, while the Parkway players grew even more confident and the most likely to get the next goal. It took Buckland over twelve minutes to have their first of only two shots I counted in the second half, just a hopeful effort from the edge of the box by Richard Groves that sailed over the Parkway crossbar.
Parkway now seemed to have an extra man on the pitch, a player always free to receive a pass while Buckland’s passing game was now non existent and Parkway so nearly took the lead after an almighty goal scramble that saw at least four shots by Parkway players blocked on the line or close to it.
Parkways Shane Krac had his name taken for a foul on a Buckland player, Bucks Charlie Johansen also had his name taken after kicking a dead ball right into the back of the Parkway keeper Kyle Moore. Bucks Luke Durham was the only other player to get his name taken after committing a rather foolish foul after the referee had just blown up for a foul in favour of Parkway.
The resulting free kick was fired high into the Buckland box and headed across the goal mouth towards the back post where Nick Milton was waiting to fire the ball home. Sadly Buckland looked very unlikely to be able to do anything to get back onto level terms and Parkway ran out very worthy winners in the end.
An enjoyable afternoon at the Heath with a good number of people watching the game, not the result I was hoping for or the performance I was expecting from Buckland, I will just put it down to a bad day at the office.