FC77 Rangers 6:1 Wolfhounds FC

FC77 Rangers 6 - 1 Wolfhounds FC

(McConnachie 6' and 60'; Burden 18'; Switzer 40'; Bennouri 70'; King 80')

Eager to avenge and/or forget last Sunday's match in Salem--D'oh! Why did it have to be Salem!? Aaaiigggh!--FC77 Rangers came out with all guns firing on Match Day Four and put together a comprehensive victory against, unfortunately, our good friends and derby rivals Wolfhounds FC. Despite being short of players due to injuries, family events, travel, and administrative difficulties, 'Gers made some last minute loan deals on the GPSD transfer market and fielded a side that may have had some new faces but knew how to play our old style of football.

Starting XI:

Silverman, goalkeeper

Fahrbach - Pullen - Kevin Ross (on loan from Goodfoot Castaways), fullbacks

Snyder, holding midfielder

Burden - Radigan - Stuart Roberts (on loan from Goodfoot Castaways) - Ingersoll, midfielders

McConnachie - Switzer, strikers

Reserves:

Bennouri, King, DeBar, Brian Gaffney (on loan from FC77 Newcastle)

With all of our new acquisitions just twenty minutes out of their previous O-40 match and committed for only about a half's worth of action, Ingersoll opted to play both Ross and Roberts for the first half to keep them from tightening up and allow for several 'Gers veterans to bring fresher legs into the second half. This stroke of managerial brilliance (ha!) was reaffirmed with the Yellow and Black putting in three each side of half time and generally owning the Montessori Earth School pitch for all 90 minutes.

Referee Osama Qutub blew the match to a start at 11:30 after asking both sides to tuck in their shirts so as to look "professional". Truth be told, I did feel a little prettier than usual...and so did our awesome link-up play that found McConnachie busting through the 'Hounds back line in about the sixth minute! 'Gers resident Arsenal fan hadn't even worked up a sweat by the time he got the angle on the keeper and slotted to the inside left. Much to the pleasure of the massive crowd gathered at the adjacent (and fully outside the limits of the playing field, GPSD!) beer garden and barbecue court, 'Gers was up a goal. That lead was doubled in the eighteenth minute when Switzer headed a ball out to the left touchline, where it was picked up at full stride by a (metaphorically) streaking Ingersoll and taken to the outside of the box. Since we all know the manager can't shoot to save his life, he opted to heed the call of his right wing counterpart Burden, brilliantly making a lateral cut across the top of the box. Burden took the arching pass with an even more brilliant first time volley shot and looped it over the keeper, scraping the underside of the woodwork as it rested in the back of the goal. 2-0 with less than twenty on the clock.

The midfield and defenders took over at this stage of the game. Wolfhounds tried to repeatedly overload our right side with multiple runners but Burden proved he wasn't a cherry picker and backtracked repeatedly to help Pullen, Fahrbach, Snyder and Ross tidy up. Silverman made a couple of necessary saves, came out and got big when one of the strikers got a notion to cause trouble, but I would argue that the defenders were solid. Even substitutes DeBar and Gaffney maintained the shape without losing a beat and I don't think the Division Street Goal was in any real danger for the first 45 minutes.

When playing against your old team, there is more than a little desire to score, and former 'Hounds player Switzer lived the dream with a cooly taken pass near the upper right corner of the 'Hounds box in the fortieth minute. The keeper came out, there was some sliding (I think), some rattling around of the ball, but eventually Switzer found himself with the ball at his feet, the goal wide open, and the keeper behind him. I would have taken the opportunity to kick the ball over the goal very hard as is my custom, but Switzer had other ideas. He calmly chipped the ball from about fifteen yards out into the gaping maw of the net and then demonstrated real class by refraining from celebrating his well-taken goal. [Emmanuel Adebayor, please take note.] Qutub blew the half to a close about five minutes later and 'Gers bid farewell to their Goodfoot on-loan players to face 'Hounds with just thirteen.

Ever mindful of the Second Half Curse, 'Gers batted the ball around and played possession with Snyder, Radigan and Bennouri directing the traffic. Around the hour mark, Ingersoll collected the ball on an overrun from a corner (I think) and took the ball to the opposite corner before cutting back and delivering a tasty cross into the mixer. Radigan beat the taller fullbacks with a header to McConnachie, who took the ball and passed into the net. 4-0. Around this time the 'Hounds got one back. Taking full advantage of a free kick from about twenty-five yards out, one of their new players booted a true gem of a shot to the upper right of our net. I daresay it was unstoppable--three inches higher or three inches to the right and it would have clanked off the woodwork. Full credit to the opposition for the goal.

They were rewarded for their effort by having Bennouri run at them down the east touchline, finishing low and to the right about three or four minutes later. 5-1 just like that. Of course, it wouldn't be a Ranger match if Ingersoll didn't put one into the playground, which he did, capping a nice give-and-go with King that saw the pair go through the middle trading one touch passes and then having the skipper break inside with a glimpse at goal. Somebody (Radigan?) yelled "Shoot that!" so Ingersoll did, clearing the upper right corner and putting the ball into the play structure.

Sorry. I get excited sometimes. That's why I'm the only regular midfielder not to score thus far this season. D'oh.

King finished off the scoring about ten minutes from time when McConnachie Rory Delapped a monster throw to his strike team counterpart who, unmarked, turned a punched one at the net from about eighteen yards out. The shot smacked off the inside of west upright and into the goal. Fahrbach, Pullen, Gaffney, DeBar and Snyder finished off the last ten minutes with collected defense, ably coordinated by Silverman to make sure their right winger didn't try to sneak in behind our lines.

With the final whistle came the third win of the campaign, maximum goal differential, and another fine derby match.

Match notes...Attendance was estimated at about 30-35, aided in part by the par-tay in the NE corner of the O-40 squad and the arrival of the Old Nicks in the second half...Junior Rangers were Ethan and Rory Snyder...Honorary Junior Ranger-in-Training was Nabyl's daughter, who has a beautiful name but I don't know how to spell it...Ethan also took the pictures you see in this match report...Props to Thom Fahrbach who went searching for the match ball that sailed into the adjacent yard with the Rottweiler; sadly, Sean's new Nike T-90 only got twenty minutes of action before it will be undoubtedly ripped apart by the aforementioned dog...d'oh...For those of you keeping track at home, we have lost four match balls this season...d'oh...

Next match:

FC77 Rangers v. Hawks

Sunday, October 11, 2009

10:00 AM KO

Devereaux Park, Vancouver, WA