Two weeks after our last match-up with KCC, the German�s faced them again, albeit this time in a more important league match. While the German�s have improved considerably since that 0 - 4 embarrassment we were up against the possible league champions and a team who thrashed the well organised, and defensive, Golden Eagles 6 - 1 the week before.
With Bill Moitt leaving Hong Kong and Andy Davison not available, Haneef and Andy Jeffreys were given the right and left back roles in a re-organised defence. And it was Haneef who was involved in the first incident of the game as he and the KCC left-winger got in a tangle, fell to the ground, and as they both tried to get up Haneef was struck in the face. This resulted in the first yellow card of the match, and it possibly should have been red.
Haneef showed his absence of recent weeks from the team by mouthing off, but like every German in this game he soon kept his mouth shut. It is now two games in a row that the German�s have had the better discipline than the other team and winning this years Fair-Play Award is a definite, if unbelievable, possibility.
And the improvement in play of recent games carried on here as the German�s, who had been ran ragged by KCC two weeks ago, started getting a control of the game in the early period, pushing the KCC players out to the wings and passing the ball nicely around midfield.
Service to the front men, Andy Batchelor and Simon Humphreys was much improved from previous weeks and for the first time in a while the German�s were starting to get the odd half chance. The best of which came midway through the half when a flick on from Simon sent Batch clean through, only to be unceremoniously dumped to the ground. The referee only waved play on.
A special mention should be made of Andy Jeffreys who was playing particularly well in the left-back role.
In the first 30 minutes KCC only managed one shot on goal, a tame effort by their left-winger from 20 yards which was comfortably saved. However, with one minute to go before half-time the KCC striker ran with ball to the edge of the box, and as he got a fortunate break with the ball, found himself with just the keeper to beat.
Which he did and KCC went off at half-time 1 - 0 up, when they did not deserve to be.
Rain greeted the start of the second half as the German�s started positively. However, within a few minutes KCC were 2 - 0 up in ridiculous circumstances.
An attempted cross from the KCC right midfield went askew and was heading out past the left-hand post. Stephen went to cover the post, but as the ball landed 5 feet in front of him, it spliced severely to the right, stayed flat on the ground and skidded into the goal at the right hand corner. Personally I blame the playing surface and the conditions, but then I would say that.
The German�s faced this set-back by attacking positively, and within 5 minutes a German shot was parried by the KCC goalkeeper only to the feet of the incoming Batch, who struck the German�s first competitive goal of the season from close range.
The celebrations, however, were short lived as KCC helped themselves to another huge slice of luck.
Another cross from the right was met by a KCC head near the penalty spot. The header sped towards the bottom right-hand corner of the net, helped by the increasingly slick surface. Stephen, however, dived to his right and tipped the ball onto the inside post.
But it was not Stephen�s day (3rd party reporting at it�s best) as the ball shot back behind the keeper�s body along the goal-line, where it hit his back heel and slithered in at the left-hand corner post. KCC, now winning 3 - 1, pretty much had the game sewn up at this point as the goal had knocked the stuffing out of the German�s.
The only final incident of note was, after a full game of trying, the already yellow-carded KCC left-winger, managing to get himself sent off in the last minute for talking back to the referee over an off-side decision. You had to admire his persistence.
This was, of course, a much better performance by the German�s against KCC and the best performance so far of the year. If the same commitment and good play is shown in the future against the Division�s lesser teams, then the German�s should hopefully start seeing some success soon.
Also, I hope that everybody noticed that when I described the 2nd goal I did not attempt to claim that the ball �bobbled.�