Round 12 - Bulleen

A crucial match today against 2nd placed Bulleen. We have been sitting 1 point behind them since we lost to Monash back in Round 8. Today we were determined to prove a point and come away with a win, especially after our Round 3 draw with them in a game that we squandered many chances.

Training this week focussed on finishing in and around the box. Our plan was to press Bulleen early and force them to make mistakes. We had to start the game as the agressor and close them down quickly when they had the ball.

As such we began the match with great vigor and determination. Sam went on an early run down the wing and crossed the ball into the 6 yard box. We were a split second late but the early signs were looking good. The key today would be how to beat Bulleen's talented Keeper (Lucas). He is very good with high balls and knows how to position himself well. So our accuracy with low balls into the corners would come into play.

Bulleen managed to defend one of our early attacks with a long clearance that caught our defenders too far up the ground. We managed to regain our shape but Bulleen had the ball in our 18 yard box and were trying to get a shot away. One of their players went down amongst the congestion, but play momentarily continued. Then after some very vocal calls for a penalty, the Ref blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. As unfortunate as this decision was, our boys got on with it and the Bulleen forward marked out his run up. Billy was very busy on the Goal Line making himself look big and menacing. The Bulleen forward hit his shot and Billy picked it, moving the right way to deflect the very dubious penalty away from danger.

Box Hill then went on a frenzy of attacking movements, always keeping the Bulleen defenders guessing. Sam was working hard with Charlie on the right wing, while Alex and Johnny were doing the same on the opposite side of the park. We had Bulleen on the back foot and if it was not for Bulleen's Keeper we should have put 2 or 3 good chances into the back of the net. Nick with a long range crack from outside the 18 yard box, Jesse with a couple of clever chances inside the box, Matty with a shot from close range....the list goes on.

As it turned out we went to the break at nil all, but the signs were good and we had controlled the majority of the play. The 2nd half would be hard and fast with both teams wanting to draw first blood. Stackie told the boys to keep up the intensity and win every 50/50 ball. We needed to keep the pressure on Bulleen and keep creating chances....the goal would come and we needed to be patient.

Once again we took control of the match and made Bulleen work hard for the ball. Our defenders were doing extremely well and Aaron S, Paul, Michael and Kosi were working well as a team. Our midfield continued to work hard and feed our running players, who were proving to be a real headach for Bulleen's defenders. Aaron D was now sitting up front with Big Aaron and Matty had dropped back into Central Defence.

Once again it was Bulleen's Keeper who was proving to be the main obstacle for us. We had a number of good corners flying into the box, but Lucas was too good with the high ball and he dealt with them easily. Shots from Aaron S and Jesse just went wide of the posts, from where we were standing they looked like they were going in....not to be.

Time was running out and we needed more than just another draw. Bulleen caught us on a break and were running into towards the box with numbers, but Matty used his body well and defended brilliantly as the last man, his efforts winning him a free kick on the edge of our 18 yard box. His clearance was perfectly placed and found Aaron S middle of the park. Aaron turned and passed the ball to Nick, who pushed forward into space before sending Jesse through with a well measure pass. Jesse composed himself, ran into the box and drew the Keeper off his line before neatly slotting the ball into the right hand bottom corner.

Finally our efforts had paid off and we had the lead with only minutes left in the match. As such the final whistle blew not long afterwards on what was the most enjoyable game of football I have seen this year. It is fair to say that there are only 4 competitive teams in this league, ourselves, Bulleen, Esstern Lions and Monash. Therefore games against these teams are the ones that we look forward to the most as we know that we will be challenged.

Bulleen are a good team and they should be congratulated on their efforts. They work hard and when they have posession they move the ball around nicely. Today we just wanted the win more than they did and for once we had just a little bit of luck go our way.

We now sit in 2nd position on the ladder, 2 points clear of Bulleen and 3 points below Monash. Next week sees Monash and Bulleen clash in what will surely be a very hard fought match. If luck continues to favour us we may even profit from the result. But our focus for the remainder of the season is very clear. Work hard during the week at training and play the way we train on game day.

Well done Lads !