It was great to be able to welcome a title contender for our first game of the season. It might be a little premature to be making such predictions but Stanway P accumulated a massive 89 points last season – not enough for automatic promotion but they did secure an extra 19 points more than FCP. So the day was expected to be challenging – The fans and coaching staff were expecting FCP to not only compete today, but to beat a team with champion aspirations- the new standard for the season ahead !
Early exchanges

The game started a minute early -perhaps the referee picking up the vibes of both teams. Stanway P had an early exchange of passes between their 12, 8 and 9 which almost led to a dangerous opportunity to attack. In reply Dave and Romeo tried to put Ayman through a couple of times. Liam tried to get Derrick involved on the right wing. Derick was getting more involved in the game as the minutes passed but seemed reluctant to want to beat the left back on the outside -preferring to cut in resulting in a loss of momentum and often the ball.

We were barely 10 mins in and it was already noticeable that FCP seemed to be playing a longer ball strategy – hope Ibby wasn’t watching -sorry forgot, he was in the dugout ! Referee decisions were already going against us but Sam’s accurate kicking was a topic of conversation in the stands -a tool that needed to be utilised.

FCP take control

After initially being pegged back FCP played majority of the rest of the game in the opposition half . In the 12th minute Liam played a pass to Derrick who crossed the ball but the keeper tips the chance over the bar. In the 21st minute Vitor gets his head to the ball from a corner, but it goes high and wide. Shortly after, Derick drives towards the box but goes down. No free kick is given. Within a minute the ball is played to Liam in the box who flicks the ball over the shoulders of the defender who handles the ball but no penalty was given. The referee would have been blind to the infringement but the assistant referee claiming that the defenders hands were down ???

FCP 1-0 Stanway P

The fans and players strongly feeling the injustice of officials decisions find their voice and a new edge to the game develops. FCP finally get a free kick which is lofted to the far post – a Derick header is looking like a first goal of the season but Romeo makes sure near the goal line. We have lift off and well deserved 1-0 lead to FCP. Within a few minutes Dave is put clean through by Vitor. As he drives into the box for a certain goal, Stanway P number 3 (Harry) comes charging across and makes a last ditch sliding tackle to prevent a 2-0 scoreline -an early contender for the tackle of the season! Big Dave gets injured in the tackle – gives an indication of the ferocity of the tackle!

Tempers flare !

The game continues to get heated with Stanway P shouting for every decision and pressurising the officials. The fans getting frustrated with the referee as he continues looking to the assistant referees to make decisions for him instead of leading them ! Shaz getting frustrated and berating his players for not making correct choices and Stanway P players visibly shaken by their own performances and buckling under extreme pressure.

Half time FCP 1-0 Stanway P

As the game approached half- time , Stanway P had an opportunity from a misdirected header from Romeo. There was a good opportunity to attempt to lob the keeper from the left of the box. However, big Sam closed down very quickly and the opportunity went well wide. In reply good FCP play in the middle of the pitch leads to Derick beating a player on the right. His cross ends up to Ayman on the left in the penalty box – a quick cut in and shot ends up hitting the bar and over for a goal kick. In the 43rd minute a fast break leads to an excellent pass to Ayman who passes to Zahid for a good opportunity but his left foot shot goes wide. To finish the half another Zahid run ends up with the ball to Ayman who has a what to do moment ? With Dave lurking around the 6 yard box the pass ends up straight to the keeper.

Dominant FCP restart (FCP 1-0 Stanway P)

With the fans wondering about the missed opportunities and the reaction of Stanway P in the second half , it was pleasing to see that FCP continued to dominate the game. Dom replaced the injured Dave and got his first opportunity in the 55th minute. Vitor breaks through the middle , passes to Dom on the edge of the box , cuts in but drags the ball wide to the keepers right – maybe a bender to the top left was on offer ? Vitor and FCP in complete control of the game. Vitor is brought down cynically which results in a yellow for their number 11. In the 60th minute Sam plays a ball to Zahid who makes a 30 yard run and then puts down their number 10 with great acclaim from the crowd – Stanway P are rattled and being toyed with .

Chances missed

As FCP continue to dominate, Vitor beats an opposition player and has a long range left foot shot which is saved by the keeper to his right .There was great play in the middle between Ayman and Dom, who then cleverly puts in a split pass to Derick on the right . A certain goal was in the offering but keeper makes an easy save. Derick perhaps could have come across the box instead of shooting from a tight angle on the right .

FCP game management

For the last 20 minutes Shaz brings on Mickey and Atif for Mo and Derick. There was some great pressing from FCP which kept Stanway P on the backfoot and not able to attack with any numbers. Ayman had put in a massive shift and you don’t often see him looking a little tired ! With 15 mins to go Zahid and Dom combine to create a left foot shot for Zahid which goes well wide. Mickey almost puts Ayman through with a clever lob . With 5 minutes to go Stanway perhaps get their best threat . Liam misses a ball over the top and as the ball gets whipped cross the box Romeo misses the ball but Stanway P just cant get the attacking numbers up. For the last couple of minutes Jack comes on for Ayman – an opportunity to shoot perhaps, but the lay off to Vitor fails to materialise a chance.
Final thoughts

This was one of the best FCP performances since our introduction to Step 6 football. Yes it was only a 1-0 score line but it was against one of the hot favourites for the title -it was against a team that scored over a 100 goals last season – and the FCP defence prevented a single shot at goal ! Our goalkeeper Sam kept up his concentration levels in the drizzle despite only a couple of catches from crosses. The defence was rock solid , the midfield controlled the midfield and the attack pressed to keep Stanway P deep and disjointed. The players were warned about the competition for places at the start of pre-season and wow how they have responded.
With 4 games in the first 10 days of the season , I am sure most of the team will get an opportunity to excel – and excel they must !

Match Report by Bash