Lions Reserves Into Cup Semis
Herts Senior County League Reserve Cup
Park Stret Village Reserves 1 London Lions Reserves 3 (AET)
Saturday, 13 March, 2010
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A performance of immense character, heart and desire, coupled of course with a helping of quality, saw Lions overcome an extremely strong Park Street Village to book their place in the semi-final of the League Cup where Bovingdon will be their hosts.
Lions lined up with a three man defence – Myers and Jon Ellis coming in alongside Schindler leaving Hyman the unfortunate man on the side, although he, like Lazarus and Ross, were to play key roles in this tie that went the distance.
The visitors started strongly, finding their range early on and playing with a confidence that was sadly lacking last week. Neat interplay saw Joseph release the overlapping Lauffer, but his cut-back from the byeline was scrambled clear. Shortly after Becker dispossessed PSV in midfield and fed Linger. His radar like pass set Ben Ellis away, but his snatched shot failed to trouble the keeper.
But the goal that had been coming duly arrived on the quarter hour mark. Ben Ellis beat his man down the Lions left before finding the feet of Goodman. Using his strength with his back to goal he held off the defenders before rolling back to the edge of the box into the path of Linger who first time drilled home into the bottom corner.
PSV aren’t challenging on all fronts for nothing though, and gradually forced their way back into the game with some strong tackling and forceful play that gave them more of the ball then they’d had to date. A slip from Myers let in their skipper, but he was thwarted one-on-one by a brilliant Berliner save who, as Lions have come to expect, had a solid match.
But when Linger and Schindler mis-communicated and the ball broke free, there was nothing the Lions keeper could to keep out a thunderbolt from 25 yards that levelled the scores.
The rest of the half saw the game become a little more fractious, with the referee not winning too much support from either bench, but little else occurred of note other than the introduction of Joel Ross as Goodman succumbed to a tight hamstring.
With PSV playing just the one up front Lions changed formation to get Joseph more involved in the game and to utilise the pace of Ellis and Craig down their left. The youngster was seeing plenty of the ball and he did well several times, most notably a fine run and cross that should have led to a gaol but for a debatable linesman’s flag.
PSV then had cause for complaint – Lauffer seeming to clip the legs of the striker in the box but penalty claims were waved away. That score though was evened up when Ross, clean through, was hauled to the ground; somehow deemed only a yellow, compounded when the free-kick was wasted. By now Hyman had replaced Schindler when Lazarus, on for Craig, laid the ball into the path of the rampaging Jon Ellis, but his wild shot flew well wide.
And so into extra time. The referee again at the centre of things as both sides were 100% committed. Lions’ best chance came when Linger headed goalwards from a corner, the referee ignoring Lions’ claim that the ball had crossed the line.
PSV though, with 10 minutes left, thought they’d won it. A whipped in free-kick was flicked on and over Berliner, only for Jon Ellis to somehow thrust out a leg and exact an incredible goal line clearance. Down the other end went Lions, Ben Joseph forcing a corner. Becker delivered, the ball cleared to Joseph out on the right. First time he volleyed back into the box where, 10 yards out on the far side Ellis rose superbly, beating the keeper to the ball and planting a bullet header into the net that cued mass celebration.
That should have been that, but Lions like to make it hard for themselves. Ellis and Ross made a mess of holding the ball up in the corner and PSV broke, winning a fortuitous free-kick on the edge of the box. The wall did its job, but the ref ordered a re-take, booking Myers in the process for encroaching. Take two, and again the ball hit the wall. PSV claimed handball, Lions ignored. Lazarus reacted first and fired the ball long where Ben Ellis controlled, looked up and drove forward. Lions had men charging forward, the young hitman cutting inside and floating a glorious crossfield pass that Linger controlled in his stride before executing a quite delicious lob over the onrushing keeper to put the icing on the cake of a fine 3-1 win.
A tough game, a committed game and one that the entire 14-man squad should be proud of having been part of. The old cliché of “14 men of the match” quite honestly applies here, but in having to name one that accolade goes to Jon Ellis. Perhaps not the stand out player over 120 minutes, but having stopped the side from losing the game with his brilliant goal line clearance and then securing the win at the other end with his superb header he was the guy in the end that proved the difference between the teams.
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MILLET SPORT
