After a subdued round three, there wasn't a 0-0 in sight as Round 4 came to a conclusion earlier today, with 4 teams registering wins and every single team moving position in the league, a testament to how tight this season is going to be.
FC YHC hosted league leaders Old Spotted Dogs in what was touted before kick off as the game of the week, and the third versus first match up certainly did not disappoint. Both managers' tactics were superb and chances were dead even, but it was FC YHC who had their finishing boots on. A goal in the 18th minute from 20 year old striker Matt Goodfellow gave the home team the edge, and despite dominating possession and registering shots, the favourites for the league could not respond in fashion. They were finally put to bed in the 80th minute when defender Marcus Eddly smashed home a long range effort, bringing to an end their 7 game winning streak and their perfect start to the season. Manager Burrows will be disappointed in the loss but optimistic that his side can regain composure and continue their push for the title.
This of course gave Revolution the chance to edge ahead in the league as they faced Dunhill Resurrection at Dunhill Park, and they did not disappoint with a convincing 4-0 victory to keep up their unbeaten start to the season, as well as their impressive defensive feat of not conceding a single goal in the first four rounds of the league. Dunhill were forced into a corner early on, losing their first choice goalkeeper to injury after only 2 minutes, so nothing much can be taken from the game, but Revolution will take confidence from another victory as the league starts moving into mid-season, an area where they have traditionally struggled.
Another hotly anticipated game this week was the midtable clash between two sides looking to put up a genuine fight for the league this season, with Redding Rovers coming out on top 1-0 against sturdy Bureå IF. In truth, Rovers dominated possession and registered 5 chances to IF's 1, and the game proved more one sided than first thought. RR have been quietly going about their business since a disappointing 3-2 loss at home to the Dogs at the end of July, a match they were winning at half time, and have gone unbeaten in 3 despite a disappointing draw with the team who must not (cannot) be named (kulmenframöralltroligt). With a strong squad and a very competent manager, I can see Rovers beginning to climb up the table, and will be a match for any team in the league.
The final game of the weekend saw me eat my words from last week as Real Beton put on a great performance to fire themselves past the unpronouncable kulmenframöralltroligt. Whilst rumours of unrest have floated around the Calderon, progress has certainly been made, with some players claiming they are now able to pronounce the first 4 syllables of the team name. Things now look very worrying for 'The Special K' as I'm now going to call them, with the team failing to score at all this year in the League. They'll will need to find some special motivation in the last 10 games of the season to take themselves out of the relegation zone, and with a tough fixture list ahead.
Another great round of fixtures guys, and a big game coming up next week as First host Second! Hope you're enjoying these things!
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