Match Report - Crowmarsh Vets vs Icarus Vets, 8 Nov 23

In the minutes after the final whistle you could sense the disappointment amongst the players. Some of us already reliving a poor first touch or errant pass, ‘I could have won that header’, ‘I should have made a tackle!’

It is testament to the rapid evolution of The Icarus Masters squad that we feel gutted following a 1-1 draw, competing in an enjoyable battle against a tough opposition, an opposition that have finished runner up in this league in recent seasons.

The positive vibes were soon re-established in the changing room after the match as we reflected on all the good things that came out of the contest.

In goal there was a certain Vincenzo Jackson, picking up his 100th cap (tie) for Icarus and delivering a MotM performance. Yes there were some good saves to be made, 1 of which was an absolute worldy! But it was Vinny’s positional play as a sweeper/keeper, his distribution and confident management of his defence that earned him the award. Well done mate!

Ali Turner, Tom Williams, Adi Porter and Kev Farrell started at the back and limited the Crowmarsh forwards to long shots with a dominant display. All the more impressive due to one of the back 4 suffering back spasms before kick off, future Clubman of the Year 23/24 Si Wain now flexing his physiotherapy muscle to provide some lumbar relief for Tom prior to KO. There is literally no end to Si’s talents!!

Additionally at least 1 other defender was wishing there was more time before kick off to get some stretches in! Apparently those calf muscles don’t warm up as quick as they used too! Thankfully everyone survived the 1st half unscathed and on top!

Midfield consisted of Scott H, Jim Scho, Bez and future Clubman of the Year 23/24 Si Wain who between them ran about 300 kms! The bobbly, muddy surface didn’t promote free flowing pass and move football, it was more a case of concentrating on the first touch and hoping to find feet with a quick pass. As the match developed our midfield took control and started to create opportunities. Scott H in particular had an excellent match, cleverly finding pockets of space in which to operate and deliver some probing passes.

John H led the line with Arnie dropping in behind to provide support. As you’d expect there was plenty of energy and these 2 gave the opposition defence no chance to rest, their high press forcing turn over of possession on more than 1 occasion. Chances in front of goal though were at a premium and the first half ended 0-0.

The half time team talk was the classic ‘keep doing what your doing and the chances will come’ and the 2nd half began with late arrival Tom Somerville now leading the line. Icarus again dominated possession and looked to create some chances. Tom Somerville running the length of the pitch with the ball to create a chance for John which was blocked. Another John H swivel and shot in the box was charged down and soon after the keeper made a good low save from Scott. At the other end Vinny was clearing up the long through balls from Crowmarsh and their midfield runners were being tracked well by the tireless Bez and Jim Schof.

The breakthrough came half way through the 2nd half with Ali Turner picking up the ball on the right touchline and pinging the most beautiful 30 yard diagonal pass to the back post for John H to finish from 12 yards with a classy left foot volley. A deserved lead, 1-0 Icarus.

With 20 minutes remaining Tom Williams would finally succumb to his painful back injury and was replaced by Rich Lowe. During the final 20 minutes the game became stretched as Crowmarsh pushed for the equaliser. Icarus went into a more ‘lets protect what we have’ mindset and started dropping a little deeper, the upshot though was the acres space created for the counter attack which was very nearly exploited by Tom and John up front, only the linesman’s questionable flag foiling some promising positions.

Eventually the long ball bombardment from Crowmarsh got a result and their striker managed to get the wrong side of the Icarus back line. His 25 yard lob was worthy of an equaliser as it nestled in the top corner, 1-1!

Frustrated by this Icarus wanted to fight back but it was Crowmarsh who could have won it in the dying seconds, their big defender firing a towering header wide from 10 yards out following a clever free kick.

Overall we must concede that 1-1 was a fair result. As mentioned earlier it shows how our mindset has evolved as we continue this enjoyable journey in this league. We set out at the beginning of the season with a hope of being competitive and trying to get as many players some time on the pitch. Now we’re disappointed when we’re only getting 1 point rather than 3!

Again I’d like to congratulate us all for putting out another strong squad. As one of the managers I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have large squad numbers, it really softens the blow when the inevitable late drop outs happen.

So, a good contest against a solid opposition on a classic bobbly, wet, muddy, November pitch. It was never gonna be a classic, but it was great fun!

Always Icarus!

Report by Rich Lowe