29/09/21: Falcs 1-2 Warwick

Match report for Falcs (sorry, way more boring and sterile than Ben’s, misjudged the tone!) The first match of the 2021 pre-season was a simultaneously encouraging and frustrating one for the CUAFC Falcons, with the result – a 1-2 loss – not reflecting the level of control that the Falcons exerted for large periods of the game. Warwick started the game the brighter of the two sides, recycling the ball well in the early phases and moving up the pitch by winning free-kicks in the Cambridge half. These presented the first wasted chances of the game, with Warwick’s (very) tall centre-back winning headers but failing to put them on target. However, the Falcs soon settled into their defensive shape and were able to frustrate the Warwick side; Warwick were forced to pass into the middle of the park, where defensive midfield pairing Tom Randall and Harry Crook were able to steal the ball and break forward. The Cambridge side were therefore able to put the pressure on Warwick by the middle of the second half; captain Nick Sweeney provided a number of dangerous crosses which went unconverted, before Ditie Eradiri was denied what looked like a stonewall penalty after being tripped from behind. Undeterred, the Falcs opened the scoring moments later anyway. Tom Randall lofted a free-kick towards the back post and Joey Dalton peeled away from his marker and flicked a looping header into the far corner. 1-0. Warwick had been allowed few clear opportunities to this point and the Falcs arguably deserved to go into the half-time with the lead. However, with concentration waning towards the end of the half, Cambridge failed to clear their lines during a Warwick attack and the opposing side equalised, their left winger sweeping the ball into the far top corner. Multiple changes were made at half time, but despite the fresh legs, Warwick came out stronger in the second half. An early Falcs chance was put into the side netting from an acute angle, but from then on Warwick were on the front foot and were rewarded for their labours with a second goal. The second half was thus a story of Cambridge chasing an equaliser and Warwick trying to soak up the pressure. Although Cambridge created few clear-cut chances in the remaining portion of the game, man-for-man, they looked the better side, an observation underscored by the fact of the Warwick defenders telling their team-mates to ‘go to the corner’ when getting forward. However, the Falcs’ neat football didn’t translate into many goalscoring opportunities and the final whistle blew without the ball hitting the back of the Warwick net for a second time, despite it having been in the Warwick half for much of the final quarter of the game. Nevertheless, there was plenty to be buoyed by in the performance and there look to be solid foundations for this Falcs team to build on. MoTM: A number of contenders but Sam Ernest was notably solid and is clearly capable of the magical, given his ability to deceive the ref into giving a goal kick despite slicing through a winger’s legs like a sickle through grass with one challenge! 😈