N4 FINANCIAL

SOLUTIONS

SOUTH WEST ONE

PGSOB A 5 Caradon 0

CARADON knew they were in for a tough match on their trip to Stonehouse in Plymouth, as they have been struggling to find form lately against some of the league's top teams.

However, there was determination this match would be different.

PG started the game at a blistering pace, trying to overwhelm Caradon, but they were met with a strong and resolute defence.

Caradon man-of-the-match Paul Luiten did a good job of quickly cutting out opposition passes and feeding the ball back to the Caradon midfield.

PG's constant pressure won the battle in midfield and they broke through to trouble the Caradon defence, with the eventual shot on goal just sneaking under the diving Caradon goalkeeper and into the net. After the restart, PG kept up their constant pressure on Caradon. A lack of ball speed in Caradon's passing gave PG another chance to harass the visiting defence. This pressure won PG a penalty corner, but the resulting drag flick was no problem for the Caradon goalkeeper and was quickly cleared.  

The fast pace of the match continued, but before long PG broke back into the Caradon D. The first shot was blocked by 'keeper Toby Riddle, but neither he or his defence could recover quickly enough to stop the second shot from hitting the back of the net.

Caradon upped their game again and were, for a time, holding their own in midfield and breaking through to give the home defence some cause for concern.

A lofted ball by PG saw Caradon midfielder Rich Tamblin receive a yellow card, after raising his stick well above his head in an attempt to cut out the pass.

However, being a man down seemed to inspire and drive the visitors to pile the pressure on the home side, and it was only by the smallest of margins that Dom Ball missed the target.

Before the whistle went to end the half, PGSOB took control of the game again and some well-worked moves saw them claim a third goal before half-time.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with most of the play centred in the Caradon half.

Hard work from the Caradon midfield and defence was paying off and frustration was starting to show in the PG forwards, with shots going wide and a general lack of connection with the ball.

Caradon just could not clear the ball far enough to give their beleaguered defence a rest.

A lifted ball from a PG short corner took a deflection off the diving Caradon 'keeper to be lifted into the shoulder of defender Steve Walsh, yet he played on and helped to clear the subsequent short corner without problem.

A lofted cross into the D saw a PG forward yellow-carded for the same offence that saw Tamblin take a break in the first half, much to the amusement of his team-mates.

A well-worked short corner routine deflected the ball into the back of the net, past a stunned Caradon defence. Then another fast break from PG saw a very well-taken shot fly past an airborne Caradon 'keeper into the back of the net.

With both teams tiring towards the end of the match, neither could gain any advantage over the other in the final few minutes.

Despite the 5-0 defeat, there were many positives for Caradon to take out of the match, as well as areas to work on in training to help improve their game. They are away to Truro tomorrow