Kensington Dragons Reserves 3 v 1 Pitshanger Dynamo Reserves
Kensington Dragons Reserves faced Pitshanger Dynamo Reserves in a league game at Linford Christie Stadium. Another very important game for the team and also one of the most difficult for them. Without a goalkeeper and missing a central defender the team had to find a balance and win another game.
Left back Matt Finch jumped into the goal and Kamal Romain started as a CB. These shifts gave a place for Justas Krisciunas on the wing and Mohammed Al Faisal in the middle.
The team started very quickly but it was difficult to build momentum on a very poor playing surface. All the players knew what they had to do but they needed time to jump into their normal level.
Unfortunately Dragons conceded a goal after 5 minutes. Once again, the team failed to defend a corner kick and were punished. It was good however to see the team respond positively and although their play didn’t improve too much, it was the mental strength and character that was making the difference. Shortly after the restart, Captain Adam Finch saw his free kick saved by the goalie but this seemed to stir Dragons into life and a few minutes later Dragons scored for 1-1 when Tom Madden stepped up and put his free kick in past the keeper. Some very offensive play gave a positive result 10 minutes before half time when Tom Madden scored again this time from the penalty spot. Dragons had a few more chances to score but the pitch didn’t make this job easy and the teams went in with only 1 goal separating them at half time.
The second half was fully under control of the team however the result was always very tight. The situation didn’t improve when John Hammond picked up an injury and was forced to leave the pitch. For the last 30 minutes of the game two central midfielders had to play in a central defensive partnership. Lamelle Williams then replaced Justas Krisciunas, Elhabib Oumar replaced John Hammond and Stefan Baisden went on in place of Hassan Osman. It was a pleasure to now see the team attacking and controlling the game. Dragons clinched the points when Lamelle Williams hurled a long throw in and Jamanhi Henry found space in the box to tap home from close range.
The final score was great, 3-1 and still on top of the league. Unfortunately John Hammond’s injury is serous and will not let him play next week in the most important game of the season.