Hard Fought and Narrow Loss for Edinbrugh 2s
On Wednesday 10th October, our 2nd team travelled up over the bridge to face St Andrew’s 1st Team away from home. This was just the 2nd game of the season for the 2s and off the back of a spectacular 5-0 victory away to Abertay. The team travelled with an optimistic mindset, however they knew they’d be facing a physical and experienced St Andrews 1st Team.
The game kicked off with both teams gunning for the points but knowing they’d have to work for them. The first half started very evenly and remained that way. Edinburgh were on top for the first 10-15 minutes playing some fantastic football and forcing their opponents to chase the call with a number of good passes and link up play. However, the physicality of the St Andrews team and their tendency to play long ball forced the 2s into playing a slightly different style as the game went on. As the 1st half grew to a late close with 3 or 4 minutes of added time, St. Andrews were experiencing slightly more of the luck but with the two teams very much in the balance.
Three changes were made at half time by Edinburgh in order to change things up.
The second half presumed almost exactly where the first half left off. The two teams were very much in the balance almost
producing chance for chance. One of the more noticeable changes at half time was the bringing on of Kirsty Wilson who managed to create a number of chances later on in the second half, including forcing the St Andrews keeper into making a spectacular double save after 75 minutes. As the game went on the score remained even along with chances and towards the 90 minute mark there was nothing to separate the two teams. Into injury time and it seemed as though there would be nothing to separate the teams. However, after what we counted to be at least 8 minutes of injury time, St Andrews played the ball out wide for their winger to drive in and out the ball into the Edinburgh net after an unlucky deflection from our keeper. There were a number of shouts from the sideline for an offside as it was deemed the player who received the ball was a yard in front of our last player and even the St Andrews players stopped to look to the referee before celebrating, however the ref seemed the player onside and allowed the goal to stand. Seconds after Edinburgh took kick off the referee blew the whistle for full time and the game finished 0-1 to St Andrews 1st Team. The 2nd team left the game feeling distraught and angry, believing they deserved more from the game which was an incredibly even fixture. Man of the Match went to Megan Gower for another commanding performance in the middle of the park, creating goal scoring chances and denying St Andrews a number of times with crucial tackles and blocks.
There is nothing can be done about the result now and although the 2nd team feel robbed of a result, they are looking forwards to taking the positives from the game and using these emotions as fuel towards their home fixture against St Andrews where they will be hoping to take 3 points back off their opponents.
