Monday May 5 2008

Hahndorf Crowned by Monarchs

Despite a strong start, Hahndorf suffered a second half fade out, allowing Adelaide Monarchs to take all three points by putting five goals past a stretched defence.

The early season fitness has not been kind to the Magpies and they went into the game against the Monarchs with six regular first team players out through injury. Coach Peter Cottle shuffled his squad, putting out a competitive but relatively inexperienced team and they put on a fine display in the first half.

Working the ball from defence, the Magpies enjoyed a fair share of possession, midfielders Martin Moran, Paul Charles and Craig Cottle along with youngsters Jack Farrimond and Alex Oldham fighting well to supply forward Ashley Parr with attacking opportunities. Unfortunately for Hahndorf, they could not capitalise on their chances and failed to keep the Monarchs under pressure.

Todd Newman, Michael Stevens, Owen Boyce and hard man Wayne Forrester kept the Monarch attack under control while goalkeeper Danny Pace dealt with the shots that the Monarchs could produce. Pace was a little fortunate when a flurry of activity in the penalty area saw the ball hit the post before eventually sliding past the goal on the opposite side. At the other end, Charles was then put through by Moran but his shot was well covered by the Monarchs’ ‘keeper.

Parr then had the best opportunity to get the Magpies on the board. Working and chasing hard up front, he dispossessed the Monarchs’ custodian but somehow contrived to put the ball wide when it looked far easier to score. Moran continued to cause concern for the hosts in the midfield, his skill too much for the Monarchs as they resorted to fouling him in a bid to curtail his influence.

Going into half time Hahndorf had a further chance on goal, a Moran corner was met by Forrester but he pushed his header just wide of the post. At the break the match was evenly poised, with the Magpies unlucky not to have a goal or two.

The misses proved to be costly as five minutes into the second term the Monarchs scored, pressure built around the box until a spare man slotted home from close range. The goal gave the hosts enormous confidence and they put Hahndorf under repeated pressure, one occasion drawing a brave punched clearance from ‘keeper Pace.

The Monarchs soon had a second score, a short corner played square before it was lashed into the net from twenty metres. The home team began to dictate play but Hahndorf threatened to get back into the game through Farrimond. With a short but bustling run through midfield, Farrimond found Parr but lacking the scoring boots of last week, he put his shot wide of the mark.

Farrimond was then on the end of a brutal forearm to the head and sending him sprawling as he went to tackle an opposition player. Incredibly, play was waved on and the Monarchs took advantage of the stopped defence to post a contentious third. Hahndorf then brought on Jack Goodfellow for the hard running Parr, hoping the fresh legs would provide some impetus.

However, it was the Monarchs who struck again, a neat series of triangle passes undoing the Magpies and putting the Monarch forward through to make the score four nil. To its credit, Hahndorf fought back through its young brigade, Oldham with some great work down the wing and combining with Farrimond before the ball ended with Charles. Wayward shooting continued to plague the Magpies as Charles’ shot could not find the target.

Hahndorf then lost a player through a second caution, earned during an altercation that should have resulted in a Monarch send off for an unprovoked attack on a defender. Despite being down to ten men, the Magpies began to work back into the game and put together several periods of possession. The large size of the ground began to take its toll, prompting the substitutions of Charles and Oldham who were replaced with Kyle Eglinton and Lachlan McQueen.

As the match wound down, Stevens continued to put in a tremendous effort all over the ground, his overlapping runs raising the hopes of the travelling fans. However, the weary Hahndorf defence could do little to prevent a final Monarchs goal, a shot driven into the corner of the net and the match ending 5-0.

After a fine first half, inexperience and injury led to a drop in intensity as the Monarchs stepped up the pressure in the second term. Hahndorf continue to improve, however getting shots on goal and coping with more physical sides is costing them when it counts.

Reserves

The Hahndorf reserves battled hard all day but the Monarchs took full toll of errors to run out to a 6-0 score line. The match had a similar pattern to that of first team, Hahndorf enjoying the lions share of the ball early before the Monarchs put away their chances in the second phase of the game.

The Magpies were full of early running, the midfield of Vin Chow, Stephen Ness, Tom Stevens, Jamie Brice and “the Enforcer”, Rupert Lindon moving the ball well and the majority of the first twenty minutes was played in the Monarchs half. Striker Luke Jones along with Chow and Stevens made some telling runs forcing the Monarchs back as Hahndorf sought the opening goal. However, despite their dominance, the Magpies could not put in a telling shot.

It was the Monarchs who opened the scoring instead, a lofted ball forward not cleanly dealt with as the Monarch striker ran on to beat Magpie ‘keeper Nathaniel Brooke. Until that point the defence of Matt Medly, Steve Noble, Brad Coleman and Andy Craig was looking solid as Hahdorf built their attacks from the back through midfield. Suddenly, the Monarchs had two on the board, another long ball put through for the forward to run onto and he again found the net with his shot. For the remainder of the half Hahndorf battled hard, Jones going closest with a rifling free kick but the Magpies unable to find a way past the Monarchs’ ‘keeper.

With the Magpies still in the game at half time it was a bitter blow when they conceded a third within five minutes of the restart, the tall centre back from Monarchs nodding in at the back post from a corner. The Magpies continued to battle but the Monarchs stature grew as they felt they had the measure of the visitors. They used the wide spaces well and despite the fresh legs of Angus Coulls and Lachlan McQueen , the Monarchs controlled the tempo of the game, adding a further three goals .

 Despite outstanding efforts from Medley, Stevens and the reliable Noble, Hahndorf were unable to counter-act the possession the Monarchs enjoyed during the second half. The Magpies will have to work on their game in the last third of the pitch to get some scoreboard pressure on their future opponents. 

Next week Hahndorf host FC Adelaide at Pine Avenue in the Firsts and Reserves, while the Super C’s are away to local rivals Stirling.