1st X1 Match Report

NZSSFA NATIONAL LOTTO TOURNAMENT QUALIFICATION

PNBHS (1) v FDMC (1)

FDMC earned a valuable point playing away against a very strong PNBHS team in their quest for automatic qualification to the NZSSFA National Tournament. In the second of the three round robin games, FDMC faced a massive challenge as they visited a college that have regularly finished in New Zealand's top ten rankings and have been Super 8 Champions five times in the last six years.

FDMC took an early lead through a well taken goal by Shane GARNER, only to allow the opposition back in to the game 10 minutes later conceding a soft goal from a very tame long range shot. FDMC played a very tactical game from the start, adopting a version of the basketball half court press theory, by allowing their defenders to receive the ball from their goalkeeper deep in their half at all times and dropping back to just inside the half way line.

Inviting them to have the ball deep without applying pressure, with a view to either forcing them to play long or play it short into a very condensed midfield area was an attempt to get them to play in a way in which they were not comfortable. As soon as the ball was played short the midfield players applied constant pressure in numbers to disrupt and quickly turn over possession and when they went long it was generally an aimless ball. It was a tactic that worked well allowing FDMC to really unsettle their opponents and play on the counter attack with great effect.

It took 70 minutes before either the PNBHS defenders or their experienced coach, Steve Burnley worked out that to combat this system, one of their defenders had to bring the ball out from the back and commit a midfielder before off loading the ball and by this time they had grown increasingly frustrated as they continued to waste possession on a regular basis.

As expected the home team applied real pressure in the latter part of the game in an attempt to snatch a win but a combination of good goalkeeping and wasteful shooting ensured that FDMC held out to claim a heroic draw and pick up a valuable point to add to the win against Wanganui High School.

A draw or win against NPBHS on the 25th June will see FDMC qualify for the National Tournament by right for the first time in their history.

You can access match images by cut and pasting this weblink into your browser:

http://www.pnbhs.school.nz/1stxivsfrancisdouglas.html?g=73&p=1