Tigers Soar But Eagles Win!

<p>Top communicator: B E

<p>A cold, wet morning at Mayhill greeted the Tigers, as they subsequently welcomed the Hartley Wintney Eagles for a home friendly; the penultimate match of the season. The pitch was reasonable but the weather was typically British... Unseasonably cold and very wet!

<p>The focus for the match was pressure, and getting hold of the ball. And that is what the Tigers offered for the entire first half... Pressing started from the top of the pitch to the last defender, which offered the Eagles very little time on the ball. On top of that, the Tigers fought to get hold of the ball, win possession, and use the ball well. A high percentage of possession and territory was their reward, although by half time, the Tigers' 12 shots offered only 1 goal, but the 2 shots that the Eagles were limited to were both chalked up! 1-2 HT.

<p>The second half saw a very early Tigers equaliser before there was a slight change in the Tigers approach as they tended to back off the Eagles (despite the Eagles having no subs and therefore should have been tiring), offering more time to their opponents, and consequently, more opportunities to do something with it. The game opened up far more from the first half, and the Tigers defence and goalkeeper much busier in their own box. Eventually, with so much time on the ball in the build up, the Eagles got a 3rd, and final goal, before the Tigers pushed to find another equaliser... To no avail.

<p>There were some fantastic moments of football... Some great moves, very good pressing early in the game, and some very sound defending and goalkeeping later on. The Tigers were, once again, a little let down by some players allowing the opposition too much time on the ball, lack of hunger to want the ball, whether from each other or from the opposition, and running the ball in to trouble rather than get the passes away. All this will come, but needs to come quicker to keep up with the teams around them.

<p>Top communicator went to B E for continued direction and awareness of his team mates, especially as the game went on and many Tigers quietened.

<p>MoM went to S G who was nothing short of outstanding for the whole match. A gritty battler, he won the ball consistently, ran his heart out, and showed just how much he'd grown as a player with some delightful interlinking with his team mates to set off a number of attacks and help the defenders by offering his support when under threat.

<p>Win, Lose or Draw, Tigers Roar!