Cameron Road and the Grackles Battle the Wind to a Stalemate
Back-to-back windy games for the Honey Badgers. This time out it was the high plains of NEMP that provided the wind-tunnel setting for the early morning match against the Grackles.
An unusually stocked Grackles sideline greeted Cameron Road this morning, along with some downright frosty temperatures and high winds. With the misfortune of last week’s second half still on their minds, Cameron Road chose to defend the windy end in the first half and hopefully unleash an all out assault in the second.
The Grackles used the wind to their advantage for the first 45 minutes. They had about 200 corner kicks and the bulk of the possession. CRU did manage a few fruitful counter attacks heading straight into the wind, mostly from Andy and Billy bursting down the right flank and sending in balls to the box. Dermot, back from marathon duty, was involved in an early attack, as were several others as Cameron Road tried to nick a goal against the run of play.
The Honey Badger’s best chance of the half came from a nice move and some clever passing that sent Billy through on goal. His left footed shot fell off the mark, but it was a good burst from his right back position that saw him get up in the play.
The other 40 minutes were mostly spent defending. Luke and Jefé were strong, and Gigi was a frequent guest to the back line helping out from his forward position. Jay also made a few essential saves including one with his legs and one that saw him tip the ball over the bar from a corner kick that would have been a carbon copy of last week’s miraculous goal.
The Honey Badgers were feeling good about surviving the blustery conditions of the first half and felt the advantage coming for the second half. Unfortunately they would be without the services of Crosley, who pulled his gooch and had to provide running commentary for his parents on the sideline.
With the wind, Cameron Road pressed the attack. The Luke to Chappy connection came close to securing a goal for the 3rd straight week in a row when his throw in skipped past everyone inside the box. But Chappy’s outstretched foot just skimmed the ball and couldn’t direct it into the net.
But more chances came, as CRU racked up corner kicks and pressed hard to keep the ball in the Grackle’s end.
Chappy felt the wrath of The Ghost of BT’s Calf as he was struck down inside the box after turning on a nice pass from Ryan. His blown up calf would signal the end of his day on the pitch.
With Peterson putting in crosses from the right, and Dermot running up and down the left flank, the Honey Badgers were pushing for the goal. Billy was doing his best Danny Alves impression as he pushed forward for long stretches of time aiding the attack. In the haze of reflection, some individual plays stood out: Gigi tracked down a ball in the right corner and sent in a laser beam of a cross that Zoran just missed. Jefé was excellent as he stepped up a la John Terry to stop a fast break at the half line. Ryan was inches away a few times from connecting on thru-balls inside the box. Peterson closed out the half with an attempted homage to Wayne Rooney’s 50 yard goal. Jay made another crucial save on a Grackles fast break. And with Andy having to leave the game early (presumable to either 1) get correct change to pay his team fees or 2) head over to Academy to buy some matching socks), the one-legged Crosley re-entered the game without actually being physically able to kick a ball.
But in the end, even with the wind, the Honey Badgers couldn’t muster the goal they needed to get the win. Still, the draw stopped the bleeding from last week’s cruel loss and hopefully set them on the right path to get back into some good form.
Man-of-the-Match: Reenergized and more involved from last week’s game, Billy was influential at the back and in attack, and had one of the best clear cut chances of the match.
