Lonsdale hit Prime time!

Lonsdale faced there toughest test last Sunday when they faced Premier side Morfdown Elect in a pre season friendly. They went into the game without new striker Jack Marston as well as Mark Angliss ruled out after picking up an injury against May & Bakers Reserves last week. This ment that Tez Wilson started up front and Mark Reed came into the middle of the park where he impressed last week with his two goal haul to pull Lonsdale back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

Looking at the opposition they were all young players and they boasted a very tall side which looked as though could cause the comparitivly smaller Lonsdale outfit a few problems especially with their tendancy to not be able to defend a long ball without panicking. So with a couple of star players out and the prospect of playing a tall side who are two divisions above them Lonsdale went about the game as they would any other, and that was without fear of the opposition and play the game how they know best.

After captain Garry Baker won the toss (still a 100% record for the big man) Lonsdale had kick off. The Morfdown side ran straight at the Lonsdale players hoping to make them panick and gain possesion for an early attack. However, this tactic sensationaly backfired when Lonsdale took a suprising lead over the premier side. The ball found its way to right back Luke Gabriel who lumped the ball up the park due to the presence of a Morfdown striker for there to be no defenders waiting or even expecting a Lonsdale attack. This allowed Lee Singleton to race onto the ball and with the keeper in no mans land Lee lobbed the ball effortlesly over the keeper from around 30 yards and watch the ball as it bounced into the back of an empty net.

This early goal seemed to settle the Lonsdale players and shock the Morfdown players into realising that this game would be no walkover. The next ten minutes became a battle in the midfield and with Morfdown seeing alot of the ball they worked it wide but were foiled in their attacks by Luke Gabriel who had an impresive game at right back thwarting their attacks time and time again. With the back four looking fairly strong the game evened out and Lonsdale started to come forward. Albert Korogi was starting to run rings around Morfdowns right back who just couldnt handle the Albanians package of pace and strength but Lonsdale failed to capitalise on the good positions they found themselves in.

Then Lonsdale had a reality check, a long throw was launched into the box and it somehow missed everyone at the front post and bounced into the path of a very greatful Morfdown player who had the easiest of finishes on a silver plate. This goal certainly angered manager Mark Trimby as he watched the atrocious defending play out, Trimby called for his players to screw their heads on and get back in front.

However, Morfdown didnt have time to dwell on their goal as instantly from kick off Lonsdale pounced on good work from Albert Korogi out on the left once more. As he swapped passes with left back Freddy Marku, Albert cut inside then played the ball into the box where it found stand in striker for the day Tez Wilson. With miss of the season done and dusted by Tez the week before he tried to beat it by swinging wildly at the ball and completley missing it....but luck was on his side this week as it sat up just right for Tez to crash home a left footed drive from around 8 yards out to put Lonsdale back in front.

With Lonsdale working hard across the pitch Morphdown couldnt get their passing game started and they started to become frustrated. Everytime they tried to play their way through Lonsdale threw themselves in the way to protect Enifers goal. But from a throw in Lonsdale were caught napping, as Lonsdale were getting ready to defend the throw but the ball was quickly clipped over the top of the Lonsdale defence. Only a Morfdown player reacted to it and raced in on goal. With a Lonsdale player in hot pursuit the Morfdown striker crashed home the equaliser.

After leading twice you would have expected Lonsdale to lose focus and become nervous across the pitch but they were just that. As they showed in the previous game after coming from 2-0 down Lonsdale have a side with alot of heart and a never say die attitude. They once again got stuck into the Morfdown players and constantly kept them at bay as they had done in the open period of the game where the back four looked solid. With the amount of hard work that has gone into the last two games Mark Trimby must be pleased and hoping of promotion this season. He was soon to become even happier as Lonsdale took the lead for a third time.

Albert Korogi once more outwitted the Mofdown righback and played a sublime ball in the box for Tez Wilson who as he did for his goal completley spooned the shot which shot up in the air where Mark Reed was waiting. Then came a moment of shear brilliance from the Veteran player. Just as Paolo Di Canio had done against Wimbledown Reedy jumped and with a scissor kick motion connected sweetley with the ball to see it fly into the top corner. Que chants of 'Who needs Di Canio! Weve got our Reedio!'

That was prety much the final part of the action in the first half as the Morfdown players seemed to pull back in shock at falling behind three times in the first half to a side supposedly emmensly weaker then that of their own. With Reedys goal came a sense of calm among the Lonsdale players as though they knew the game was up and the Morfdown players were a broken team mentaly as well as physically.

The start to the second half was slow as both teams struggled to get back to the standard they played in the first half. Lonsdale once again started to press the Morfdown back four who were defending high up the pitch in an attempt to push back Lonsdale and quickly counter, but this turned against them as a through ball from James Devoir fell into the path of Lee Singleton. Morfdown players by this point were screaming for an offside even though their own linseman failed to flag Lee offside. This enabled Lee to calmly take the ball around the hapless Morfdown keeper and literally walk the ball into the net.

With Lonsdale 4-2 up manager Mark Trimby was still weary of a Morfdown fighback and barked orders at his players constantly along with assistant manager Chris Batt. Another period of a midfield battle ensued after Lonsdales fourth with both sides causing problems which were eventually dealt with by both defences. Then Lonsdale came to life, with quick passing and alot of composure Lonsdale started to carve open the Morfdown team who seemed to be chasing shadows.

Nick Singleton started to see alot more of the ball after a quiet first half then promptly started to embarass the Morfdown defence with his quick feet and ability to turn instantaniously in another direction. It was through Nick that Lonsdale claimed their fifth and final goal of the day. Nick was bundled to the floor by a clumsly challenge and Luke Gabriel and James Devoir ran over to take the freekick. Jim ordered Gabriel into the box as he took control of the situation, a decision that Luke thanked Jim for after from the resulting free kick Gabriel made a darting run to the front post where he met the ball with his head and watched as the ball took a deflection of a Morphdown player and bobbled past a flat footed keeper.

After the fifth goal Lonsdale made a few changes. Left back Fredy Marku made way for backup keeper Scott Newman to have a run out on pitch which ment Albert Korogi diverted to the left back position with Scott taking up the left midfield position. Ricki Glover came on for Mark Reed who had another solid game in the middle of the park and Tez Wilson came off after picking up a suspected broken toe and was replaced by veteran Richard Stout who made his first Lonsdale appearance this campaign.

After the subtitutions Lonsdale seemed to fall back and take their foot off the gas as they say. This allowed Morfdown to start creating more chances and a good run by a Morfdown midfielder was stopped by a last gasp tackle by Garry Baker certainly stopping a Morfdown goal. Lonsdale started to up thier game once more with richard Stout playing a good ball out wide for Nick Singleton to drive a cross in low across the face of the goal but with only Lee Singleton in the box nothing came of it.

There was to be one more goal in this highly entertaining match and it came from Morfdown. A long diagonal ball was played over the Lonsdale back four with Luke Gabriel skimming the ball with his head, the ball was then played to the far post where an unmarked Morfdown player calmly took the ball down and smashed it passed the exposed Tony Enifer.

So after taking on and overpowering a Premier league side Lonsdale now have a two week break with the possibility of a friendly in two weeks. If not the next game on the Lonsdale agenda is the first league game of the season against May & Bakers Reserves and after this result the Lonsdale camp can go into the game with alot of confidence after going the entire pre season campaign unbeaten.

M.O.M: Luke Gabriel

Attendance: 30