Marldon V Paignton Villa 13th Nov 2010

[Dave]

Marldon V Paignton Villa 13th Nov 2010



A second hat trick on the trot by Ant Roach saw Paignton Villa given a football hiding

Before the start of today’s game, Paignton Villa was one point above Marldon in the table and this game represented the chance to see just how far the ever improving Marldon side has come.

The pitch was in surprising good condition considering all the rain we have had over the last few days in Torbay. It certainly was not spongy as I expected it to be and if anything was solid underfoot and did not cut up at all during the match.

Paignton Villa has a number of players who are very good on the ball, but the story of the first half was Marldons hard tackling midfield and the quality of their forward players. There was no way past Marldons midfield and Villa were reduced to long hopeful balls that were either picked up by the Marldon keeper, or cleared with ease by the Marldon defence.

As Marldon were so much on top in midfield, they robbed the ball time and time again off the Villa players and played good balls out to both flanks or up to the two Marldon forwards.

The first goal came from a corner and another surprising headed goal from Ant, heading is not his forty as was very evident in the second half when he headed a glorious chance well wide of the target.

Marldon soon found they were two goals up following a free kick taken out on the left that was headed in my Marldons number eight (will be getting a team sheet given to me in future so I can name the players)

Ant was to turned provider for Marldons third and fourth first half goals. A delightfull ball from outside the right hand side of the box, flighted over the heads of three Villa defenders to Marldons number seven who was on the left hand side of the box, he took the ball in his stride and from a tight angle blasted the ball past the villa keeper.

Ant then had the ball played up to him in about the same position on the pitch, he held off the Villa defender and turned him inside out before playing the perfect ball driven across the six yard box for Marldons number eleven to rocket into the net.

Half time and the ref came over and had a chat with me before getting the second half started. On the whole he had a good game, he did give one or two very strange decisions and spend far to much time wanting to talk with players when there really was no need to do so, but I’ll mark him eight out of ten if only for keeping his cards in his pocket.

I have to give credit to the Villa players in the second half who stuck to trying to play good football and they passed the ball around so well at times. They did get the ball forward more than they did in the first half, but failed to force the Marldon keeper into making and real saves. They had a few shots on goal but most were long range and flew well over the bar or well wide of the goal.

Meanwhile Marldon went on to add three more goals to the four they got in the first half. There was one incident involving Ant that saw tempers flair and accusations being made that Ant went in with two feet on the Villa keeper.

Ant is never ever going to pull out of a challenge or not try to get on the end of a fifty fifty ball.The keeper rushed out and Ant went for the ball; my photo clearly shows Ant has one foot on the ground going for the ball and the other one behind him. The Villa keeper shouted out you dirty bastard and that set off Villas left back. He is a player Ant played with many years ago and knows Ant very well.

The ball had gone out for a throw in to Marldon and no free kick was awarded for Ants challenge, why o why then did the ref want to spend ages talking to Ant about the challenge, if its not a foul then just get on with the game please ref. In fact the Villa keeper had come over the top and caught Ants foot with his boot, the result was a broken big toe for Ant who played the rest of the game clearly in some pain. Marldon do not have a game next week and you can put money on Ant starting their next game in two weeks time.

Marldon made it five nil following a corner with their number eight heading the ball past the keeper in a very packed Villa box.

Great work again from marldons strong and powerful left winger number eleven saw him run from out wide with the ball into the box and play the ball hard and low to the far post where Ant was to fire the ball home. A poacher’s finish but good goal scorers know where to place themselves to get onto the end of the things.

Ant was to save his best goal for last and a very typical Ant Roach goal it was and the sort of goal I have seen him score so many times over the years. A ball played up over the top for him to run onto and as expected he held of the Villa defender with pure strength and ran with the ball a number of yards before firing and unstoppable left foot shot from just inside the area

A great and enjoyable game to watch and I was so pleased it did not rain during the afternoon. As I was leaving the park with my camera packed away safely in its bag, I saw the balloon was up and just had to take a few photos of it. The one I have put up is one that was a zoom shot to get just the bits I wanted in the picture.

After reading about the game up at Plainmoor, I think I made the best choice again today and anyway that dear lady the Marldon secretary has official made me the Marldon lucky mascot as their fortunes out on the pitch has turned since I have started watching them. But between you and me I think its since Ant came back home to them.